Developed by Argonaut (of Star Fox fame), I-Ninja is an original Namco game for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, featuring anime- and manga-inspired ninja action in a fast-paced platformer. Reminiscent of Konami’s Mystical Ninja series, I-Ninja is sure to appeal to light-hearted samurai fans everywhere.

The main character, I-Ninja, lives on an Earth-like planet simply called “The World” where he trains under his Sensei. Sadly, The World has fallen under Master O-Dor and his robotic Ranx henchmen’s reign, who have taken the planet’s population as prisoners—save for our hero, I-Ninja. The young ninja must recover the four ancient Rage stones, which have the mysterious power to corrupt one’s mind, located on four different islands. I-Ninja must then face off with Master O-Dor, inconveniently located on the Moon.

A fast-paced action game, I-Ninja’s focus is most certainly on the hero’s ninja skills. Firstly, I-Ninja can walk up just about any wall he encounters. This talent, in conjunction with his agility and weapons, opens up many possibilities. For instance, at one point in the E3 2003 demo (on PS2) I-Ninja could run back and forth in a half-pipe to gain speed and then use his grappling hook to run over a nearby fence. This was merely the beginning of a fast-paced segment which focused on navigation with the aid of I-Ninja’s grappling hook. The character has other weapons and techniques at his disposal too, such as his sword (which can be used as a chopper blade to hover), dart gun, and scattered shuriken (ninja stars). I-Ninja also uses the environment to his advantage. For instance, in the E3 demo, players could ride a large barrel of gunpowder to create a flammable trail. As the game progresses, you will even be able to control enemy robots and artillery. After each mission, I-Ninja will be rewarded with new abilities in the form of Ninja Belts.

Although much of the gameplay is on foot, I-Ninja contains a variety of gameplay modes to spice things up. One section of the level shown at E3 looked like a stage from Super Monkey Ball, with I-Ninja maneuvering down a long, winding shaft within a rolling sphere. This was followed by a boss battle harkening back to the game’s anime roots, in which I-Ninja commandeered a 150-foot robot to duke it out with another robot of similar proportions. Paying tribute to Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon for the N64, every mission in I-Ninja will involve such metal-fist to metal-fist action, where successive hits build up the robot’s meter for a powerful laser attack. More gameplay variations will likely be found in the finished product.