I-Ninja

I-Ninja is a video game developed by Argonaut and published by Namco. It was released for the PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. A Game Boy Advance version of the game was announced, but it has been canceled. The game was advertised with the tagline "No one's taller than the last man standing." Although not too popular with the general public, it has gained a cult following.

As a result of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe buying the exclusive distribution rights for Europe, that part of the world saw only the PlayStation 2 and PC versions released.

Game Mechanics
The main character in I-Ninja, called simply "Ninja," has a variety of acrobatic abilities that are used throughout the game. In addition to basic skills such as running and jumping, Ninja can jump a second time in the air, although this second jump is less powerful than the first. Ninja can also spin his sword around while midair for a limited time and use it to fall slower than normal to bridge large gaps. This sword-spinning can be done immediately after jumping, but is delayed if performed after a double jump.

Ninja can also use the shape of the environment to his advantage. Throughout the game there are several uniquely designed walls that Ninja can run on, either up to reach a higher platform, or across to bridge a gap. Ninja can only run on walls for a limited time, and will fall off once this time is up. If he is running up a wall, then he will pull out the tip of his grappling hook and use it to slow his fall. Ninja can also jump off of these walls and use his helicopter sword to reach a platform. Sometimes two walls are placed across from each other; Ninja can use these to jump back and forth to move upward.

Also placed around the world are halfpipes that Ninja can use to ascend. By running up one side, Ninja can use the speed from running back down to run farther up the other side, and so forth to reach the top.

Throughout the world there are points where Ninja can use his Grappling Hook to swiing across a gap. When Ninja nears one of these points, he will hear a clinking sound, indicating that he can use his Grappling Hook. Another use for the Grappling Hook are short racetrack-like areas where Ninja must run faster than a mote of light chasing him. In these areas there are usually sharp curves that have a grappling point in the center, which Ninja can use to round the curve.

Some levels have bars that Ninja can grind on using his wooden sandals. Many times these bars have gaps in them which Ninja must jump over.

Certain levels also provide Ninja with explosive darts and ricocheting shuriken to use against his foes. Both of these can be aimed using a first-person view, but shuriken can also be thrown with an auto-aim feature.

Occasionally Ninja will encounter an enemy that will leap into the air with him (in classic anime fashion) to battle. The two will remain suspended in a sort of flying void until the foe is defeated. While in this void, Ninja flies around and can dash, slash with his sword, perform an unblockable but heavily delayed thrusting attack, and throw shuriken if he has them.

As Ninja attacks he will build an attack gauge that, when filled to certain levels, can be spent to temporarily enhance his abilities. As Ninja progresses through the game he will gain access to more of these abilities; using them he can increase his strength, heal his life bar, ride a giant shuriken to quickly slay foes, or even become invincible, which allows him to greatly harm enemies in his viscinity without even touching them. When Ninja becomes invincible, he says "I-Ninja!", which provides the game with its namesake.

I-Ninja
Ninja has a reputation for being rash, short tempered, and even cocky. Ninja is a white belt at the beginning of the game, but throughout gameplay, his belts, strength, and weponry increase. At the beginning of the game, Ninja is first fighting for his life agaised a group of Ranks on the selection screen.

Then, he encounters a few more Ranks guarding his chain-bound Sensai, whom he is trying to rescue from the evil conquerer, O-dor. He kills the Ranks with ease, displaying his mastery of his small katana blade. After cutting the chains bonding his sensai to the wall, a large demon, perhaps a dragon, pops out of the earth. Ninja kills it, and a large red rage stone hovers over the creatures mouth. Despite his Sensai's frantic cries of "NINJA, STAY BACK!" An encaptivated Ninja grasps the rage stone, and goes into a fit of baserk rage, and flies into Sensai, knocking him into a flat, sharp rock, decapitating him. Shortly after regretting what he did, Sensai reappears as a Translucent apparition or a ghost.

He tells Ninja that his grasp of Sensai being dead astounds him, while implying to Ninja, that it was stupid to not listen to him.

He then goes on to explain that there are more Rage stones, and that they would be crucial to Ninja's quest of defeating O-Dor. Ninja does, in fact, find a romance in the game. Zerola, whom he rescues on Moutain Gorge, a stage in the game. He sees her as a potential date while she sees him as a mild flurt.

Ninja is voiced by Billy West.

Sensai
Is Ninjas mentor and teacher. Sensai was once a great warrior, but now preffers to watch Ninja fight from a distance. He was accidentally killed when Ninja held a Rage stone and went beserk. He often gives Ninja Un-orthadox advice, and tries to make up some of his own analogies.

Sensai was captured by Ranks at the beginning of the game, possibly to lure Ninja to O-Dor.

Yang
The guardian of Robot Beach, Ninja's first quest area, Yang is mad-scientist, who built Tekayama, the collasal horned robot, to protect the beach. But since Robot beach was attacked, Yang has gone into hiding. He holds the key to Bomb Bay.

After Ninja aquired the next Rage Stone, Ninja went baserk and almost killed him.

He wields a large wrench-like tool as a weapon.

Ariel
She is the large and roubust guardian of Bomb Bay. She is extremely dim-witted, and is heavily infatuated with Ninja. She keeps on goading him to hug her, especially when he rescues her from Ventis.

She loves call Ninja, "Love puppy" and "Tiger."

Like all guardians, she wields a weapon, a large hookattached to her wrist.

Twilly
Twilly is the Guardian of the Jungle stage, and is practicly afraid of his own shadow. He's a coward, a master of camouflage, and the first one to run from Ranks, whom he is Mortally afraid of.

After defeating Psyamon, the Jungle boss, you end up on the bridge by the stream, trying to reach the next Rage stone, when Twilly appears, and tells Ninja, that it would be safer if Ninja abandoned this futile quest. Ninja then questions him further, about where O-Dor is, and Twilly mysteriously points at the moon.

At that moment, a battalion of Ranks leap out of the Surrounding trees, and encircle Ninja and Twilly. Ninja grabs the stone, and destroys almost all the Ranks in a fit of energy. one Rank grabs Twilly, and almost kills him, when Ninja jumps out of the shadows and slices it completely in two. Twilly then gives Ninja the pass into Mountain Gorge.

Machines
I-Ninja's usual action-platformer gameplay is kicked to the sidelines in more than a handful of the game's sections, as certain levels require I-Ninja to use machines he finds to achieve his goals. Sometimes this is as brief and simple as hopping into a missile turret to blast open a door before hopping off for more Ninja action, but in a few instances an entire level will be devoted to an alternate form of gameplay.

Among the arsenal available to Ninja are turrets with remote-control missiles or machine guns, a submarine armed with torpedoes, rolling robotic spheres which navigate similar to Marble Madness, a stationary mecha that fires reloading rounds and a charged up laser attack, and even a giant robot that throws punches and dodges a la Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series. Operation of many of these machines will provide the user with a first-person view as well as a new HUD.

Rage Stones
Rage Stones are storyline elements, appearing each time you defeat a boss. The first one is found before the Robot Beach area. Ninja, despite warnings, always touches them and goes psycho. The first kills his Sensei, and the others nearly kill other Guardians.

Trivia

 * The Ninja is voiced by Billy West, who has been the voice of both lead characters for Ren & Stimpy; at times in I-Ninja, Ninja sounds just like either Ren or Stimpy.


 * The in-game cinematics, as well as the intro and ending movies, were created by famed animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman who worked on films such as The Secret of NIMH, The Land Before Time, and Anastasia, as well as classic arcade games such as Dragon's Lair and Space Ace.