Mexican Ninja Review — Caliente

If you’ve played a lot of games in your day, chances are you’ve probably taken on digital renditions of both the Yakuza and Narcos, infamous criminal organizations that have captured the public’s imagination and generally make for really good video game antagonists. As familiar as you may be with both of these digitized adversaries, do you think you have what it takes to take on the dreaded, ultra-powerful Narkuza (that’s Narcos + Yakuza) on their home turf of Nuevo Tokyo?

Mexican Ninja is a street-crawling beat-’em-up roguelike that takes place in an incredibly unique, titularly described setting that combines and blends the cultural zeitgeist of Mexico and Japan. You play as the Mexican Ninja, the so-called “Chosen Juan” prophesied to free the streets from the tyrannical reign of the Narkuza, a deadly criminal organization that may have a more mysterious, corporate-backed origin than you originally expected.

Style is everything in Mexican Ninja, and it’s crazy about its setting, depicting it unapologetically with crass humor, adult themes, and comic-book violence. The art style feels unmistakably comic book, and, to little surprise, the mix of Japanese and Mexican street aesthetics works incredibly well, creating a setting that is as homely and inviting as it is violent and crime-ridden.

There is a looming thought that might cross a player’s mind when first glancing at Mexican Ninja: questions about cultural insensitivity or outright racist stereotypes. I cannot say that I’m an authority on Mexican or Japanese culture or how it should be represented in media, nor would I ever pretend to be, but it was my humble opinion that the game didn’t feel racist or culturally insensitive any more than any other pulp fiction that criticizes modern culture would be.

It might not be a perfect comparison, but the game’s style and crass humor reminded me a lot of the 2017 film MFKZ, though I’ll admit it’s been a long time since I’ve actually seen it, and I’m mostly going off the vibes I remember.

Importantly, I feel like while the game goes out of its way to satirize the cultures associated with its combined setting, it doesn’t feel like an attack on either. The game goes out of its way to depict the people in the background of your war against the Narkuza, fostering a sense of community between them and the main character, reminding you that the writers actually deeply appreciate the cultures they satirize.

Mechanically, Mexican Ninja plays similarly to other 2.5D street-crawling beat-’em-up games, with the roguelike element adding rewards at the end of each level. The game gives you two slots for special abilities and offers plenty of build-defining power-ups along the way. Combat is generally fast-paced, with enemies that never feel too squishy or too beefy, though the variety of foes you face is a bit limited throughout.

While many of the passive power-ups you receive are just number boosts, I did appreciate that a lot of these were tied to the combo system, a meter that tracks how many hits you’ve gotten off since the last time you’ve been struck. I was quick to forgive any typically boring number boosts for tying themselves to this system. Getting a damage boost for scoring a 50-hit combo felt pretty rewarding and gave me a sort of mini-game to focus on while re-clearing levels from past runs.

Something I was less thrilled about was the way the game made you start each run with a choice between the same three active abilities. While you can replace them later, it sort of felt like the majority of my gameplay was spent with the same build. I wasn’t as excited to start each new run when I knew I was going to be clearing the first level, and perhaps more than that, with the same two powers as the rest of my runs.

I also have mixed feelings about progression, with the game’s progression tree being rather short and pretty simple. The most interesting part of progression is unlocking new combos, as well as the different costumes you can unlock by completing quests, each with a unique effect that changes your run significantly.

The main combat system is pretty solid on its own, with a simple dodge, light attack, and heavy attack trio, along with combos and special interactions when using the mechanics together. Combat felt really good, with a strong sense of speed and great feedback from enemies when you hit them. Because combat flows so quickly, I didn’t get bored in the early levels before my build started to come together, as I do in some roguelikes.

However, the game really suffers from visibility and readability issues.

The 2.5D camera angle means enemies or terrain can sometimes outright block your character from view. This can lead to hits you never even see coming, especially in the later, more hectic levels, where spaces get smaller and more packed. The game also has a lot of visual clutter in its effects and attack animations. While they look great, it can sometimes be hard to process exactly what is going on until it’s too late. When this leads to a death, it can be really frustrating, especially during a boss fight.

Overall, I would say that the pros definitely outweigh the cons in Mexican Ninja, a clever little roguelike beat-’em-up with an incredibly unique setting. Combat is fast and satisfying, even when readability issues make it hard to keep track. The game’s humor, while crass, doesn’t feel immature, and the writing balances satire and homage to the cultures depicted in the game well. I definitely suggest you pick this one up if it’s caught your interest. Who knows, you just might be the Chosen Juan.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a Steam code for this PC review of Mexican Ninja. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Mexican Ninja is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.