Ninja Legends came out of nowhere. This game was just released in the past few weeks on the Oculus Store and Viveport Infinity, but it didn’t take long for VR gamers to fall in love with this sword-based ninja slicing experience.
Oculus users are enjoying this game with the standalone features of the Oculus Quest, but Vive and Index owners are having their fun with the swords as well. The price of this game is $19.99 but it is part of the Viveport Infinity subscription. If you have any PC headset, it is going to save you a lot of money to simply buy the Viveport Infinity subscription and receive all of the games for a cheaper price than Ninja Legends alone. Its already a top seller on Steam, and there is a reason for that. This game is amazing in every way. Let’s jump into it.
You start the game in a dojo where you will complete your simple training. Here you are introduced into the slicing that will stick with you throughout the entirety of this game. Right from the start you are going to be blown away by the mechanics of slicing. It sword swinging mechanics feel like you’re slicing virtual butter – it’s that smooth and natural. The mats, heads, and ninjas you learn to slice are simply no match for your blades of glory.
The main objective of the game is to find the list scrolls and return them back to the owner, but that mostly takes a backseat to the gameplay of the Ninja Legends. You are going to be climbing through 18 very different – and increasingly challenging – levels as you fight your way through opposing ninjas to obtain the scrolls. This could take as little as 30 minutes, or it could take upward of 4 hours. The duration depends on the difficulty of the game and your skill level.
Right after your dojo training, you are prompted to pick a level of difficulty. They range from easy to expert, and each one is going to give you different looks. The best one to start out on – unless you are new to VR or moving your arms – is medium, and work your way up to expert. You can change the difficulty throughout the game, so don’t think whatever level you select now will stick with you. If you are having trouble finishing some ninjas, simply go into the settings and revert back to an easier game difficulty.
The developers did something very smart with this game. They did less so they game could do more. They avoided putting any locomotion system in the game at all, and they let the ninjas all come to you. In Swords of Gargantua, a game similar to this, the locomotion system made it hard to spend a lot of time in the game. Ninja Legends doesn’t have this problem in the slightest. Doing less with movement in VR is the way to go, for now.
If you have the Valve Index controllers, this game is going to be even better for you. In this game you are wielding two swords one in each hand, and because of the sword-like handle of the Valve controllers, you are going to be much more immersed this. Rift S and Vive controllers play this game just fine, but the optimal experience will be on the Valve Index. This game is worth the $19.99 price tag and worth downloading. The smooth slicing and the buttery feel of the swords are second to none, and the realism of this game makes it something worth playing.
