Mexican Ninja is ready to bring some serious attitude to the beat ’em up scene, combining Mexican culture, Japanese-inspired combat and roguelite mayhem in one particularly colourful package.
Available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, Madbricks’ 2.5D brawler throws players into the streets of Nuevo Tokyo for a battle against the Narkuzas.
At A Glance
- Game: Mexican Ninja
- Developer: Madbricks
- Publisher: Amber
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC
- Price: £14.24
Welcome To Nuevo Tokyo
Imagine Mexico and feudal Japan colliding, then add a criminal syndicate formed from the Narcos and Yakuza. That’s the bonkers setup for Mexican Ninja.
Players take on the role of a deadly resistance fighter tasked with taking down the Narkuza clans ruling over Nuevo Tokyo. Getting there means cutting through hordes of enemies with a katana, chaining together combos and making liberal use of the game’s Mexican Jutsu abilities.
It has been designed around the immediacy of classic arcade brawlers, but there’s a roguelite twist beneath the colourful violence. Stages, abilities and builds are randomised, meaning every run can develop differently.
Slice, Dodge And Jutsu Your Way Through The Narkuzas
Combat is very much at the heart of Mexican Ninja. The 2.5D presentation gives the game a retro beat ’em up feel, whilst the responsive controls should well allow for the stringing together of attacks, the dodging of incoming threats and the opportunity to go carving it up, right through groups of enemies.
Mexican Jutsus provide another way to deal with the opposition, offering powerful abilities that can turn the tide when the screen starts filling with enemies. Between runs, players can also develop their character through the Way of the Donkey skill tree and gain the favour of Mexican and Japanese spirits.
That combination of combat fundamentals and increasingly ridiculous abilities is intended to make progression feel meaningful without taking the game’s sense of humour too seriously.
Every Run Has A New Fight
Mexican Ninja isn’t simply about beating up whoever happens to be standing in your way. Each area culminates in a showdown with one of the Narkuza lords, creating bigger tests of reflexes and combat mastery as you work through the game.
The roguelite structure means these encounters sit within a wider cycle of experimentation. Randomised runs, different builds and Jutsu abilities encourage another attempt after defeat, while the Spirit Animal Skill Trees provide additional ways to develop your fighter.
It all comes wrapped in a bilingual blend of Mexican and Japanese influences, trash-talking enemies and plenty of irreverent humour. In other words, Mexican Ninja isn’t exactly trying to be subtle.
Mexican Ninja Is Ready To Throw Down
With its mix of arcade brawling, roguelite progression and a setting that gleefully throws Mexico and Japan into the same blender, Mexican Ninja certainly isn’t short on personality.
The game is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (via the Xbox Store), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (through the PlayStation Store) and PC via Steam.
We first covered Mexican Ninja’s arrival on Xbox, PlayStation and PC earlier this year, but the wait is finally over. Now it’s time to grab that katana, find your inner ninja and give those Narkuzas a taste of their own medicine.
