Due to constant abuse from this IP range, all interactive traffic is blocked. If you are running a legitimate crawler/robot, ensure that it properly identifies itself via the user agent with a contact site or address. LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin is also available on Nintendo 3DS. The PlayStation Vita card version was used for this review. A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. PS Nation Review Policy The audio review for this game is available on Episode 422 of the podcast at 116:30. This is the sequel to 2014’s LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids. While that game was apparently pulled from Season Three of the TV series, Shadow of Ronin tells a story that’s set as a prequel to the Fifth Season. A new enemy named Ronin comes along with an army of dark samurai. He hits all the Ninjas with the power of the Obsidian Glaive wiping out their memories and powers. If you’ve watched the TV show it makes a lot more sense as there appear to be a number of in-jokes and callbacks to their past.
The game then becomes a quest to find each of the Ninja’s Obsidian weapons which will reawaken their memories and bring back their powers. The levels are clearly designed with their limitations in mind and then of course with each of their powers as they gain them. It’s a bit on the nose so to speak but it works in favor of the overall gameplay nonetheless. Veterans of LEGO games, as always, will feel at home and be able to jump right in. The game ramps up nicely for novice and even younger players, slowly introducing new puzzles and moves along the way. Interestingly, you’ll often only have two of the four Ninjas on screen at once. You’ll bring up the character wheel to switch to the others when necessary. This was very likely done due to memory constraints and as a way to get better performance out of the game, and it works. The Hub in the game has you flying a dragon over an island. There’s a path of LEGO stud rings in the sky which will look familiar to anyone who’s played a LEGO game that involved a flying character.
You can follow the rings to the next chapter of the story or just explore the island area. The only reason to really explore is for the collectibles scattered around. Once you’ve destroyed all of them there’s really nothing else to do or see there. For the most part it’s standard LEGO combat but you will be able to use each character’s Spinjitzu moves to dominate your enemies. You essentially become a wild tornado, not unlike the Tasmanian Devil, and wipe out anyone you come into contact with. The power only lasts a short time and it has to be charged through combat to use it again. The game really starts to get fun as the Elemental Powers are returned to the characters. Fireballs and lightning in particular are a blast. There are a few vehicle sections which are kind of fun but the controls feel a little loose, making them somewhat frustrating at times. The puzzles are pretty decent but a little simplified as this was made with kids in mind. The game also works great with PlayStation TV and that’s how I played a good chunk of it.
This is not your everyday LEGO game in that they’re not taking a popular IP and LEGO-fying it. the Ninjago series is already a LEGO property. The TV series and toy line were LEGOs to begin with. As such, this game tends to be a bit more serious than the two dozen other LEGO games out there. That’s not to say it isn’t funny. There’s plenty of joking between the characters. It’s just that the over-the-top humor of other LEGO games is largely absent here. In its place is a narrative experience that’s more true to the original series. Shadow of Ronin looks like every other LEGO game out there which is to be expected. This was designed specifically for handhelds as it’s available only on the 3DS and the Vita. With that in mind, TT Fusion was able to optimize the experience for the Vita and, all things considered, it looks great. Fans of the show will recognize a lot of the level settings and all the characters that pop up throughout the game. The only place where things looked a little shabby (comparatively) was in the Hub.
There’s not much going on with the island and while it does have some nice touches, it’s mostly barren. The voice work is fantastic if you’re a fan of the show but older players might find it a bit grating at times since the inflection and jokes are aimed squarely at a younger audience. The rest of the sound effects and music are great with much of it straight out of the show. This game is singleplayer only with no online component. This is one of three LEGO titles made specifically for the Vita with no full console counterpart, the others being LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids and LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey. All three cater to the specific audiences of the two TV shows but they do still offer something for the uninitiated. Is it enough to justify a purchase at full price? Unless you’re a hardcore LEGO fan, probably not. But if you’re looking for a full-fledged LEGO game on the go, and you already have the Platinum for LEGO Batman 3, this one should fill in nicely.
* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Vita’s built in screen capture feature.Block party: LEGO Ninjago Shadow of Ronin review | TechnobubbleThe blocky masters of Spinjutsu teleport into the 3DS and VitaTechnobubble is a regular gaming and technology feature by Jason Hidalgo. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgoI have a bit of a love-hate relationship with kids' games.On one hand, you have some good titles that serve up a solid experience that even a future old coot such as myself can enjoy. Then you have unimaginative cash grabs based on popular characters that barely provide any redeeming gameplay whatsoever and are obviously just done to milk parents' wallets.The good news for Ninjago fans is that "LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin" for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS is actually a solid game. The game follows LEGO's lovable gang of wacky ninjas from the "Masters of Spinjutsu" series as they face a new mysterious threat in the form of Ronin and his dark samurai army.
I know that because I read the game description as I personally am not that familiar with the Ninjago franchise. In fact, I've only heard about Ninjago because I have a little cousin who likes the stuff. Yup, I'm getting old.The story itself oozes with LEGO's trademark whimsical and lighthearted banter as seen in many of its games and shows like the LEGO movie. Graphics and production values also were quite good in the Vita version that I played, with the game using a good amount of cutscenes and voice acting. Gameplay, meanwhile, is based on the same solid formula seen in Traveler's Tales LEGO games. That means lots of platforming action, object breaking, stud gathering, item collecting and building contraptions on the fly. You also can switch between the different ninjas, who are like Liam Neeson and come with their own set of unique skills. These include using different weapons and elements such as fire, lightning and earth, for example. Certain switches also can only be triggered by certain ninjas so swapping characters is necessary at certain points of the game.