Mexican Ninja is the first game to come from Madbricks after industry powerhouse Amber Studios (Link Twin) acquired them back in 2024, and its premise matches its colorful title: you take the role of a sombrero-wearing ninja warrior as he battles against a criminal army in a fast-paced beat-em-up/roguelite filled with blistering action pulled straight from titles like Absolum and Streets of Rage 4.
The game’s premise is appropriately tongue-in-cheek: the fictional city of Nuevo Tokyo has been invaded by killer robots and the Narkuzas. Among those who resist their rule, a prophecy foretells a hero (the “Chosen Juan”) rising up to free the people: the Mexican Ninja. This lone warrior has since become a thorn in the Narkuzas’ side, prompting them to send their minions to kill him and quell the rebellion before it can start.
Key Details
- Developer: Madbricks
- Publisher: Amber Studio
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox Series X/S
- Price: $16.99
- Review Code Provided: Yes, For Steam
¡Viva la Revolución!
Mexican Ninja unfolds from a side-scrolling view, though the player has full 3D movement. You can jump, dash, and mix light and heavy attacks to make devastating combos, just like any other beat-em-up. As you successfully land hits, your combo number will build in the upper right-hand corner, which will increase your score. Get hit by an enemy, and it will drop back to zero. Button-mashing is the name of the game here, though it takes some time before you unlock the better combo attacks.
Your objective in each zone is to fight your way to the boss of the dominion by cutting through waves of enemies. When you reach the end of a section, you can choose where to go next from one of two branching options. Each one offers a different reward, which you select once you clear all the enemies from your current position.
The Way Of The Chosen Juan
These rewards can also be unlocked at special shrines hidden along the path to the boss. They include special attacks that can clear the screen, and they can have additional effects, though these will need to cool down after being used. Other times you can choose a temporary stat upgrade, or an added effect for one of your basic attacks.
Your health is measured by the orange-red meter in the lower left corner of the screen, and you can replenish it by picking up healing drinks from the vending machines littering Nuevo Tokyo. If you run out of health, a van literally drags you away to be respawned at the hub at the heart of the city to start all over again, but not before a newspaper chronicles the results of your failed run.
At the hub, you can upgrade your skills and boost your starting stats by spending Mexican Yen, the coins that you collect from fallen enemies. You’ll also meet NPCs that give you special side quests to complete on your next run. Finishing them grants you alternate costumes, each with its own stat buffs and effects. Some of them even reference other games, such as God of War or the real-life director Guillermo del Toro.
Yes, You Fight Pandas
Mexican Ninja’s graphics are every bit as colorful as its story and characters, sporting cel-shaded visuals and lightning-fast particle effects. The game’s level designs include seedy alleyways, junkyard ruins, and clean, high-tech corporate buildings filled with enemy robots and strange experiments. There can also be a considerable number of characters onscreen at once, and as a downside, the game’s pulled-back camera makes it easy to lose track of where you are in the heat of a crowded battle.
In contrast, the loading screen is a simple brown-and-beige, hand-drawn illustration of the Chosen Juan riding a train, with bright red blood splatter on the front. It’s a striking image that brings indie comics like Sin City to mind.
The music is an inspired blend of Latin and Asian sounds, making for catchy, uplifting background tracks. While all of the main character dialogue is strictly text, you’ll often hear the chatter of enemies and civilians alike, spoken in a mix of Spanish and Japanese.
Final Score – 7/10
Mexican Ninja struggles with the same pitfalls as much of the roguelite genre, namely somewhat repetitive gameplay and a fair amount of grind before you really get into the swing of it, but there’s plenty of zany charm to keep players running through its loop. Anyone who enjoyed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate will probably get a kick out of the sword-swinging and kunai-raining action of this sombrero-clad ninja saga.
**Bonus Action was provided with a Steam Code of Mexican Ninja for the purpose of this review**
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