Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots Review
PROS
- Fruit Ninja meets Point Blank; great variety of challenges in Bandito mode.
- Blends the movie tie-in features with Fruit Ninja without overwhelming it.
- Usual assortment of unlockables to keep you coming back for more.
CONS
- Ultimately Fruit Ninja in another guise; if you own the original, all you're getting is Bandito mode.
VERDICT
Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots shows how to make movie tie-in's work without being overbearing; Bandito mode brings a real Arcade flair to the original Fruit Ninja formula, while thematic touches give the game charm.
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On almost any other day of the week I'd be happy to sympathize with the swathes of gamers who rally against movie tie-in titles, but every now and then a developer manages to make it work for them. Then again, it should be no surprise that Puss in Boots works with Fruit Ninja (he is a swordsman after all), but the real magic of Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is in its new mode, 'Bandito'.
Of course those who just want to slice fruit can get their fill in the classic mode dubbed 'Desperado' (yes, I'm sure the name was no mistake). There are some changes to the mode, including new 'patterns' and the inclusion of a bonus 'magic bean' from the movie. Once you're done with that you can move on to the new mode that bears a striking resemblance to Arcade skill shooters including games like Point Blank.
Players need to survive 12 levels in a row with only three lives on offer. The trick here is that each level has a specific requirement to fulfill that's complicated by the completely unique way in which the challenge is presented. Some levels have you splitting a giant fruit up ala Pang; others make you cut fruit amongst a hail of bombs; while some let you play a sort of modified three-match game. It's fast-paced and for the first few play-throughs the novelty of it all is amazing.
The stigma of being a movie tie-in is often one of having tired game concepts quickly exploited for the sake of having something on the shelf. Instead of trying to rock the boat, Halfbrick Studios embraces Puss in Boots entirely, giving Fruit Ninja fans new to chew on. Worth checking out if you love the original game or if you can't get enough of Antonio Banderas' smooth Spanish voice.
Screenshots
$0.99
