Build a tower out of falling puzzle block pieces for a ninja to climb so he can escape the rising waters in this free-to-play action puzzle game from Natsume. It’s available for iOS devices, but reviewed on the iPad here.

Similar to Tetris, blocks fall from above and you must rotate and guide them with your finger to the ground below. When they reach the bottom, a ninja will climb on top of them. As you play, water rises from the bottom so you have to keep building a tower for the ninja to climb so he won’t get wet. Just be careful not to squish your ninja with one of your blocks. If the ninja gets squished or sinks in the water, it’s Game Over. Also like Tetris, if you make a row of blocks, it’ll fill up a meter that’ll let the ninja use his special powers to help him climb.

The main game is free, but you can buy additional ninja characters for 99 cents each, which have different speeds and abilities. Plus there’s always an ad on the bottom of the screen. Unfortunately, the touch screen play control isn’t as responsive as I would’ve liked. You’re supposed to tap on the screen to rotate blocks, but sometimes that doesn’t work. And it’s too easy to get your ninja squished. Plus the game gets too fast, too quick. It’s a shame that Ninja Climb turned out so disappointing since the last free-to-play iPad game I reviewed from Natsume, Reel Fishing Pocket, was such a fantastic game.

Kid Factor:

Violence is minimal. If your ninja gets squished or falls in the water, he just flips off the screen like a cutout piece of paper. Reading skill is helpful for the instructions, but not necessary as it’s pretty easy to figure out just by playing. Young gamers may get frustrated at the unresponsive controls and difficulty, though.

Tags: Game Reviews