Tiny Pixels Vol. 1: Ninpo Blast – Nintendo Switch Review

Overview – developed and published by Eastasiasoft, Tiny Pixels Vol. 1 – Ninpo Blast is a vertical shooter where the player takes on hordes of monstrous insects. As a cyber-futuristic Ninja, hop on your hoverbike and take on the insect menace with your Shuriken, Katana and Kunai in intense Bullet Hell action. This title is available on all console platforms and Steam, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.

Disclaimer: before I get into this review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Tiny Pixels Vol. 1 – Ninpo Blast that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.

Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is no real plot to this game, so I will be going straight into covering the gameplay. I will also be referring to the game as simply Ninpo Blast, for the sake of brevity.

Gameplay – Ninpo Blast is a vertically scrolling Bullet Hell shooter, where the objective is to survive as many waves as possible. During each wave, the player must dodge and weave enemy attacks, with the hitbox of the player shown as a yellow dot. The attacks can be as simple as a fly trying to crash into the player, or more difficult as bullet barrages that fill the screen. The player has access to three distinct attacks, which are needed to take these threats down.

The three attacks that can be used are the Shuriken, which is a spread shot style of weapon, with a wide range. Then there is the kunai that acts as a focused shot, going in a straight line and dealing more damage to enemies when being used. The last attack style is the Katana, which is powerful enough to clear all of the enemies and bullets on screen. This all powerful attack needs to be charged before use, making every use of the powerful strike a tactical decision.

The action is fast and intense, with bullets filling the screen from both the player and the enemies. But bullets aren’t the only threat to the player. There are hazards like spikes, as well as enemies that will pressure the player trying to lock them down. All of the waves are randomized, with the swarms of enemies changing with each run. At the start of the game, the player will be limited to three hits and once all of them are lost, the run will end.

During the course of the game, the player will be able to collect gears that can appear by defeating enemies. These gears are added to the player total, carrying over between each run attempt, with the total on the right side of the screen. The gears are used in the main menu, where the player can purchase upgrades between runs. These include extra health, more powerful shots and even the ability to have new bosses added to runs.

Speaking of bosses, when the player starts the game, they will encounter three different bosses that will appear at the end of waves. These boss battles are challenging, with attack patterns that will increase in difficulty each time they appear. These three boss monsters will be the only ones that appear, but if the player unlocks new bosses with gears, they will be added to the rotation. As this is an endless bullet hell, there is no final boss, with the game continuing until player death.

When the run ends, the highest score and wave progress will be recorded. The best scores are added to the global leaderboard, with players competing for the best possible score that they can get. There is a fair amount of replay value to this game, as it is easy to pick up and play. The game can be enjoyed both in short bursts as well as longer sessions. The addition of unlockable bike styles and stage designs is a good touch, adding more variety to the game feel.

Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.

Controls – Ninpo Blast has a simple to use control system, with arcade style inputs for quick and easy play. The face buttons are for shots and the Katana, alongside the D-Pad buttons and thumbsticks for movement. All of these inputs are easy to use, making them comfortable to play in both handheld and docked modes. As this is a bullet hell shooter, it is a good idea to use a controller with a good D-Pad or an arcade stick, which will give better precision.

Difficulty – the challenge for this game can feel quite high, with the first few runs ending after a couple of waves. But as the player gets used to the game, unlocks new upgrades and becomes more powerful, it can become a little easier to get further. It is also possible to ease the difficulty by looping the first few waves, earning gears quickly to get upgrades. From a general difficulty perspective, this is a good entry level bullet hell for players looking to dip their toes in.

Presentation – from a visual perspective, Ninpo Blast looks like an old school arcade game. The sprite work is clean and vibrant, with solid colors and good visibility of on screen assets. The visuals fit the screen pretty well, but there is also the option for screen rotation, enabling the ability to play the game in Tate mode. The sound for this release is pretty good, with music that is quite cohesive with the stage themes, rounding out the experience quite well.

Final Thoughts – I am a fan of bullet hell titles, so this was an easy thing for me to jump onto. I dove straight into it, having a fun time with the fast paced bullet hell action. It was a little rocky at the start, learning how the game mechanics worked, but things fell into place quite quickly. There is a relatively simple gameplay loop, with trying to survive as many waves as possible, getting new upgrades and trying again to push a little bit further.

All of the gameplay elements work together well, providing an engaging and challenging shooter that I will return to time and time again. Ninpo Blast is a rather small and budget friendly game, providing an accessible and fun bullet hell experience. This title can be enjoyed by all players of bullet hell shooters, making it a good entry point for those looking to dip their toes in the genre. The title says this is Volume 1, so I hope to see more like this from Eastasiasoft.

In the end, I give Tiny Pixels Vol. 1 – Ninpo Blast a final score of 4.5/5. This is a fun and challenging bullet hell shooter, providing an easy to pick up and play vertical shooter with plenty of depth, replay value and gameplay for a low cost of admission. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.

Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)

Link to PlayStation version (HERE)

Link to Xbox version (HERE)

Link to Steam version (HERE)