Ninjas are the epitome of cool warriors. Real Ninjas, though, not the LEGO Cool Ninjas. I grew up with a huge fascination on these Japanese assassins and the martial arts, and swords of course, held a great mystery for me during my childhood. I fell in love with the old films such as Enter the Dragon and American Ninja (I know it’s pure cheese and watching it now makes me cringe!). So when I was given a new party game to review that had you running, teleporting and slicing your opponents up into sushi, it’s safe to say I became rather intrigued. Slash Dash, now available on the Xbox One and developed by Nevernaut Games, is touted as an adorable, ninja party game for up to four players. It sees you running around in four different modes, taking on other Ninjas to be number one. Slash Dash is a local multiplayer game set around the Edo period of Japanese history. Yes that’s right it’s for two to four players and only local play is supported, a market that’s been largely neglected in previous years but is beginning to see something of a resurgence in the indie scene with games like this, Discstorm and Force of Habit’s Friendship Club. Something that I miss in this age of the online gaming is the beer and pizza parties I used to have with a few friends whilst playing the likes of Goldeneye and Halo. There are four modes to play, and if you only have two players this is then cut down to just two. It took me a little by surprise how the game limits just how much you can play it when you only have one sibling or a partner around the house. The game has you controlling a ninja, with the general objective to kill your opponent. It’s pretty simple to control and the mechanics allow you to teleport a short distance, fire a projectile attack and of course slice and dice with your sword. There are a host of projectiles to unlock, such as the kunai throwing blades you begin with, and as you progress you can unlock other cool projectiles, including the warp shot and the rather sweet curse, which reverses the opponent’s controls. To finish your opponent you do have to slice them with your sword, yet nobody ‘dies’ as such. If you are struck by a sword then you turn into a log, which followed by your character respawning in a different part of the map. The four modes comprise of Assassination, where you have a team of two and a computer controlled AI general – whom you have to protect, Capture the flag (another four player only option and much like the standard mode you find in other games), Capture the Enemy’s flag is a nice twist though where, if you hit your teammate with your sword, you will send them flying forward – a move known as the slash dash… Get it now? Death Race is quite an amusing mode, playable with 2 – 4 players. There’s a meter in the middle of the map for each player, which fills up as the player moves around the map. You must stun or kill your opponent to stop the meters filling and to claim victory, you just need your meter to fill up first! Then we have the mirror match where players control a team of five ninjas and have to fight simultaneously – with the last one standing being proclaimed the winner! The ninjas do respond to the controls well and you have the choice of nine maps in which to battle in. All of the maps are based around the feudal Japan motif and some have environmental features to add to the fast paced fun. Things like bamboo that needs to be cut down before you can traverse areas of the map, deadly traps and even gaps that need you to teleport across, help to add an added strategy to the overall game. The game has a minimalistic cutesy art style, which helps to add to the party atmosphere of the game. With a nod to classic 8-bit games such as Bomberman. The use of colours were pleasing to my eyes and added to the overall fun. But the main sticking point here is the local multiplayer. Without the collection of friends or pads, the game is pretty much redundant as there’s no real AI or bots function for you to play solo. It may seem like an oversight but the lack of any gameplay that doesn’t need another player limits the game massively. It does make you wonder who the intended audience is, families, friends or occasional parties. Slash Dash is a fun party game though, with a great retro feel to it. If you have three friends and are looking for a party game to try, this could be the one for you. It can get a bit repetitive after a while though and it’s a real shame you can’t practice with some AI controlled ninjas. It’s also a shame there’s no online, or game modes less focused on multiplayer. All those combined factors really stop the games enjoyment a lot more than the design deserves. This review is based on the Xbox One version of the game, provided by Xbox. Thanks!
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