Fruit Ninja for the iPhone: A Fun Fruity Fighting Game

Perhaps you are an aspiring ninja, but you haven't yet decided to take that first step towards completing your ninjitsu training. Maybe you also have a strange and passionate vendetta against strawberries, bananas, watermelons, kiwis, and the like. If so, it would then be conceivable to say that you are just the type of person who enjoys the crazy idea of repeatedly slicing fruit with a katana in hand to take out your aggression. Oddly enough, Halbrick Studios' second game release for the iPhone, Fruit Ninja, combines the possibility of these interests, and provides an entertaining solution in order to satisfy anyone's secretive inner fruit salad warrior.

The handheld game is based on a simple yet serious premise (and only the ancients may really know why): Ninjas hate fruit. As a result of this stern and deadly notion, the silliness, yet fun and addictive gameplay begins and takes place on the iPhone.

Beware; various fruits are on the assault as they float across the screen. To meet the challenge, players can impose a simple attack by using a finger across the touchscreen in a swiping motion. As a result, the "enemy" is sliced in half and eliminated, with only splatterings remaining as evidence of any initial existence. The game's challenge is to not miss any fruit, and letting too many unsliced pieces slip by will ultimately result in the end of the game. Good strategy is to employ multi-slicing with a single swipe when multiple pieces of fruit are present on screen. Adding further to the gameplay is the inclusion of obstacles in the form of floating bombs that randomly make on screen appearances. Even though the bombs should be considered bad as well, they need to be avoided and the obvious accidental slicing of one will certainly put a rapid end to the game as well.

The satisfaction of battling fruit isn't the only positive aspect of the game. Complimenting the game's solid action are rich visuals. Bright colors and textures beautify the fruit for their ultimate slaughter, and audio effects capture all of the slicing and squishing action.

Although gameplay is addictive and fun, the challenge can be found to be repetitive and basic. The good news is, at a very low sale price, and with developer announced forthcoming updates that will add additional features and functionality; the game is a must have.

Fruit Ninja is available through the iTunes store at a current low price of $0.99.