Developed by: Pocket Trap
Published By: Modus Games
Date of Release: September 4, 2018
Price: $14.99
So to say there has been a resurgence lately of pixel-art beat 'em ups in the indie scene of late would be a gross understatement. If one were to say they were starting to feel a bit stale at this point, I wouldn't blame them. You've got your Double Dragons, your Phantom Breakers, your Radical Heroes, and they all bring the tried and true formula to the table. But there is only so much you can do to make the genre feel fresh again. However against all odds it would seem that Pocket Trap has managed to pull off such a feat, and the resulting game is quite a marvel.
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots bursts onto the scene with a fresh spin on the side-scrolling beat 'em up genre. Instead of going back and forth at your own pace you instead continuously run forward, with the option to speed up or slow down as needed, and you switch between lanes to meet your foes in combat. It's a bit endless runner, a bit bullet hell, slightly confusing at first but extremely easy to get into after a level or two. The action flows naturally, and the controls are tight and intuitive.
The graphics settings gives you the option of crisp pixel art, or smooth HD visuals, and both look amazing, whether docked or in handheld mode. The amount of detail that has gone into the game is impressive. The gameplay is superb, but it can get slightly punishing, some of the bosses you're definitely going to need to grind for. The weapons and accessories that you can buy let you customize nearly every aspect of how you fight however, so coming up with a winning strategy is always within your grasp. Nekonin: Clash of Carrots is definitely a must own for Switch fans.
