The ninjas of LEGO Ninjago return in Shadow of Ronin. As always, they’ll need to go on a dangerous adventure in order to save themselves and mankind once again. Sounds like a serious job but everything is fun in the LEGO universe, even this game!
The story:
Every game needs a story of course, so does this Shadow of Ronin. Our famous Ninjago warriors return to the dojo after completing their previous mission. There’s no time to relax however when the dangerous Ronin sneaks into the dojo! He steals the magical Obsidian Glaive and takes away your memory and skills. The ninjas got left behind without any memories but they can still count on the wise words of their sensei. Your task is easy; collect the other Obsidian weapons to retrieve your memory. Sounds easy right? Well those weapons can only be found in very dangerous environments.
An excuse to show you a lot of environments:
A rather straightforward story if you ask us but on the other hand the perfect excuse to bring some variety to the environments. Your quest will take you to several LEGO themed places all over the LEGO map. One moment you’ll end up in prison, trying to save a character while the other moment you’ll be stuck in a dangerous swamp. Every environment looks very colourful and detailed. It has that typical LEGO sauce all over it to make it recognizable for the young gamers.
Completing a level isn’t hard at all. Remember that most LEGO games are meant for a younger audience. Experienced gamers won’t have any trouble throughout the game but can collect as many LEGO blocks as they want. Every level has a certain amount of blocks for you to discover. The more blocks you find, the more unlockables you can ‘buy’. New costumes or new characters can only be purchased using LEGO blocks. A challenge even for the veteran gamer.
Unleash the dragon:
If you succeed in completing a level, a task that won’t cost you that much trouble, you’ll be taken back to the LEGO world map. This is a very interactive map thanks to your new pet, the dragon! Ever wanted to ride a dragon as a ninja? This game makes that dream come true. Using your dragon you’ll be able to fly towards new missions or go back to old ones for a better score. This dragon is a great new feature to keep you motivated while traveling towards new locations. It’s a rather simple innovation but it’s an innovation that works without any doubt!
Unique powers:
Flying around on your dragon is pretty bad-ass but there’s more to the game than just that. Just like the previous Ninjago game, the goal of the game is to complete several levels using different characters. Every character has its own special ability and weapon. Certain characters are able to turn on switches while others are needed to get passed obstacles. If you select a wrong ninja for a certain task, the right ninja will automatically be point out by the game. It’s a shame you can’t turn off this feature. Figuring out which ninja you need to use would have made this game a little harder. It’s great for the young gamer that the game shows you which character you need to use but again it’s a bit of a disappointment for the older gamer.
Find your inner ninja
Aside of skills, every ninja has its own set of weapons but that really doesn’t matter that much. Fighting enemies is the same for every character, you’ll just need to run around and attack them at the right time to take them down. The game even includes a new super tornado attack, transforming your ninja into a devastating tornado. This move is your wildcard during combat since others simply can’t hit you while performing this move. The combat still works just fine but a little more variation is more than welcome here.
Humor during cut scenes:
A LEGO game won’t be a LEGO game without the typical humor. This humor can of course be found in Shadow of Ronin as well. Mostly during cut scenes you’ll get a smile on your face thanks to the brilliant narrative. The humor is very cheesy, tongue in cheek, but it still works. It also helps that those scenes are fully voice acted so you really hear the jokes instead of just reading them. It’s a little trick that worked in other LEGO games as well so we’re gladded the humor is here to stay.
Not everything is perfect:
Everything we said so far is positive but Shadow of Ronin isn’t a perfect game. The biggest disappointment is by far the level of difficulty. It make sense that a LEGO game is aimed for a younger audience but this problem could have been solved with some extra options. Aside of this, all LEGO game feels rather the same. You’ll go on an adventure, defeat enemies, built things using LEGO blocks and die as much as you want. We’ve all seen and done this in previous LEGO games, aside of the setting, there isn’t really that much innovation.
Before getting this game you’ll need to wonder if you already own LEGO games and if you’re willing to play almost the same game with a different setting? Thanks to the special moves, humor and dragon a lot of you will be willing to give this a try and I won’t blame them! It’s a great game but you really need to ask yourself if it’s the game you’re looking for.
Conclusion:
So in the end we can say the LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin is another great LEGO game for the portable systems. It does everything you expect from it and even throws in some fun new elements such as the dragon. It isn’t a hard game on the other hand and lacks every kind of challenge to keep you motivate during longer sessions. A great game for LEGO fans and young gamers but not that much for the veteran gamer.
