Fed up with platformers which take an age to complete? Levels with save points *midway* through them? Acres of gaming real estate you need to traverse over and over again just to reach the point you were when you last lost a life? Tsssh, that sort of thing should be consigned to history. It’s time to wake up and smell the whatever-this-decade-is-abbreviated-to*.
Welcome, then, to the world of 10 Second Ninja X, Four Circle Interactive’s brilliant antidote to bloated platformers, due to be published by Curve Digital for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and PC during the summer.
10 Second Ninja X distils the puzzle platformer down to its purest form. Players assume control of a highly nimble and deadly ninja, tasked with destroying an army of hostile robots using cunning, speed and lots and lots of nunchucks. Each of its 60 levels must be completed within 10 seconds, making this a game you could theoretically finish in five minutes. That doesn’t sound like very long, does it? What is this? Firewatch**?
Don’t let the title seduce you too much – reaching the end of the game won’t be easy. The game’s smartly designed to ensure that each level is a puzzle in itself. With just 10 seconds (maximum) to destroy all enemies, players will need to combine brain with throwing stars in order to meet each level’s objectives, with lightning-fast reactions required to be rewarded with a perfect score.
10 Second Ninja X is the follow-up to Four Circle Interactive’s brilliant 2014 PC hit. The game features a brand new story, featuring a cast of characters which, unlike the original game, can be released on console in Germany. Secret areas and collectibles extend the challenge – and once the game has been beaten, all the levels from the original game are unlocked, each completely HD-ified in glorious 1080p. And sadists will love the all-new ‘Marathon’ mode, which offers each area’s levels back-to-back.
“Console players missed out on one of the freshest, most original puzzle platformers of recent years,” says Jason Perkins, managing director, Curve Digital, “so we’re thrilled to be able to help Four Circle Interactive rectify that with the sequel. 10 Second Ninja X is one of those rare gems that is instantly playable yet impossibly difficult. We can’t stop playing it here.”
“We definitely felt we had some unfinished business from the original release,” adds Dan Pearce, Four Circle Interactive, “so we’re thrilled to be partnering with Curve for a PC and console release. They really get what we’re doing with the game – and, unlike some other people we spoke to, didn’t suggest we called the sequel ’11 Second Ninja’. We’re can’t wait to find out whether PC or console players are the best at destroying insane robots in super-fast fashion.”
Features:
· 60 new, tough as nails levels
· Original story
· Explorable hub
· Unlockable hint ghosts through an optional minigame
· All 40 levels from the original 10 Second Ninja included
· Individual level leaderboards
· Marathon mode (each area’s levels back to back)
· Secret areas with collectibles
· Cross save (on relevant platforms)
10 Second Ninja X will be published by Curve Digital on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and PC this summer.