Urban Ninja

URBAN NINJA is a combination of a platform arcade game and a puzzle game. You control Francois the ninja as he jumps around, collects stars, and makes his way to the helicopter waiting for him somewhere on the level. The more stars you collect, the higher your score, but you also need stars for energy, which is used with each jump. The puzzle aspect comes in trying to maximize your score while minimizing the number of jumps it takes. The graphics are very well done: Francois leaps, slides down poles, and hangs from ropes. The app includes 40 levels, and each level awards from one to three stars based on your score -- the three-star score is very challenging and requires an almost-perfect game. The "trainer" mode is great, because it allows you to practice levels without danger from enemies and even lets you try out levels you haven't unlocked yet. However, you don't get scores for completing levels in training mode. Overall, Urban Ninja is an entertaining game that, despite its cartoony appearance, provides some genuine challenges.