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Look before you leap - Green Ninja: Year of the Frog's difficulty may bug you

The App Army Assembles

Look before you leap - Green Ninja: Year of the Frog's difficulty may bug you

Each week, we ask members of our App Army and ask for their feedback on the latest and greatest releases on mobile. One top pick this week was Green Ninja: Year of the Frog, a quirky retro puzzler from top developers, Nitrome.

Let's see what our App Army had to say...


I'm feeling indifferent about this so far... it's a little clunky. I think if I hadn't played Lith already, then I might like this a bit more. I find Lith way slicker and somehow more engaging.

Not a huge deal, but not being able to rotate the screen whichever way I like is a tad annoying (my headphones get in the way of holding the phone).


Green Ninja is another great Nitrome game that definitely fits in seamlessly with the rest of its catalogue.

The game is challenging; once you complete a level you were having trouble with, you feel like you have just beaten Albert Einstein in a maths test.

It's such a shame it's free-to-play. The whole game feels like a premium game, but every now and then you're forced to watch another Game of War ad you've seen a thousand times before.

Gunbrick is still my favourite developer, but Green Ninja falls just short of greatness thanks to its free-to-play nature.


I agree about the ads. This game definitely feels like a premium title - the sort of thing you used to pay 79p for. Well, before we were overrun by free-to-play games.


Why don't you guys just pay $1.99 to remove the ads? Then you'll have the premium game you both wanted.


If I was enjoying the game more I would... it's not really for me though sadly. I've played better games in the genre, so this, whilst good, just feels a bit clunky.


This is gaming at its best. An action-packed, kung fu frog puzzler that's unapologetic in its silliness. I love the music, art style, and sound effects. It's a solid puzzler.

Nitrome should be applauded for letting us play this great game for free, then leaving us to decide whether we want to pay for it.

If you replaced the frog with Bruce Lee, you'd have a classic '80s arcade game here.


This is the point where I got bored. This is a simple game that's not difficult in the slightest, even when new mechanics are added to the game.

I played each stage only once and beat it without breaking a sweat. By level 14 I just had to stop. I'm not used to something so timid from a top dev team.

Maybe it's aimed at young children? Are you sure we're playing the same game Dreadnok!?


Sorry Kainen! I'm just a big kid at heart, and I loved it. I even got some of the achievements.


Well... I accept your apology this time, because I'm nice like that! What level are you at?


Apology? Well aren't you a feisty one! I'm level 31.


You said sorry - no taking it back now! I would go play more, but it really does bore me.


Often a game like this uses the first four or five levels to introduce you to the mechanics and different abilities available in the game, keeping the level of difficulty simple.

For me, the challenge doesn't seem to extend very far and by the 12th level, I had to put the game down because it gave me no sense of accomplishment.

I enjoyed the humour of the game and the general premise, but they aren't enough to keep my playing.

It might be a game that I pick up later on to see what else has been introduced, but for now there are far better puzzlers out there for me.


I really like the style of the game, but it isn't challenging enough. A really good game could come out of this with some more updates as the core game is fun. The sound effects of the ninja frog are hilarious too!


It's promoting it's own game, really?


Adception?


This game is fun. I made it through the first 20 levels. It adds in new bits and bobs to make the levels more challenging (sticky blocks, Sonic-esque bounce springs, barrels), which keeps you on your toes and helps the pace move along steadily.

I have no idea what the frog is fighting though. Jelly beans? Mouthed aubergines? Who knows. All I know is I did my part in helping this frog clobber those baddies.

Even though Green Ninja is free-to-play, but the advertisements haven't bothered me at all. I will probably play it all the way through, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of frog ninja.


Green Ninja: Year of the Frog is now my favourite game from Nitrome, which is quite an achievement.

The mechanics may be simple to start off with, but it does get more difficult as you progress. The controls are spot-on too.

The only thing that I would like to see is the total number of moves you made at the end of each level. That way you can try and perfect each stage.


Green Ninja seems like a pretty decent game, but it's not the sort of thing I usually go for. It took me a minute to figure out the whole point of the game is to slide around the walls eating the things stuck all over the place.

Once I knew what I was supposed to be doing I found myself rattling through the levels. Green Ninja's got some great presentation, looks sharp, and runs smoothly. It's just not my cup of tea sadly.


Another great game from Nitrome. Their games always look so clean and feel really well-made. Green Ninja's graphics are stunning. I love the retro vibe to it.

It's a great addition to the retro puzzle genre, and it's full of karate kicking fun. Nitrome never disappoints!


Whenever I see something new from Nitrome on the App Store my hands start trying to punch in my Apple password autonomously.

If you don't feel the same way, you clearly haven't played a Nitrome game before. Well, Green Ninja: Year of the Frog is a great place to start.

It's quick, clever, beautiful, and puzzlicious - classic Nitrome all over again. Don't think. Tap "Get," and make sure you're ready to flying-kick evil ninja jelly beans.


Green Ninja is a fun, challenging puzzler. It has that classic, well-polished retro feel that Nitrome fans know and love.

The gameplay is simple, but enjoyable, and the game itself keeps the player interested by constantly adding new things to play with.

Even though some perfect score seekers might be looking for a move counter to set a challenge of doing it in as few moves as possible, the game gets challenging enough in later levels, so it really isn't that necessary.

Green Ninja has you controlling a crazy ninja frog intent on squishing loads of weird bean creatures, over a variety of puzzling levels.

By swiping in one of four directions, the character moves until he hits into a wall, floor or ceiling, destroying any enemies he hits along the way.

It's a fun game, and I love the art style the developers use. The game introduces a variety of new elements as you progress like springs, fire traps, and my personal favourite: exploding watermelons.

The free-to-play model is balanced, with just a few adverts interspersed throughout the game, which didn't detract from my experience.

I recommend checking out this game, even if it's just to see some of the adorable frog character animations.


While friendly and pleasant enough to play through, Green Ninja still remains fairly limited.

Its 65 levels never present neither major difficulties nor additional challenges, so you may find you make your way through it rather quickly. At heart it's still a good casual game though.


I've only played a little, but I am absolutely loving Nitrome's Green Ninja so far.

It's a cute little puzzler, and I think I might just be addicted! It's a great pick up and play game - quick, whilst still being engaging.

I agree with James though - it would be nice to see the lowest possible moves and how many moves you used to create an atmosphere of competition.


Been playing this a bit more this morning and am getting into it a lot more after my initial indifference.

I seem to be getting a video advert after each game at the moment. It's not too bad... you can cancel them after five seconds. I wish there were some different ads though. If I have to watch that Game of War: Fire Age one again...

Some of the puzzles are quite tricky and you have to think a few moves ahead in order to complete them, but that makes it all the more satisfying when you beat them.


I found this mediocre to be honest. The challenge is just not there, and the presentation is okay at best.

I was bored of it within 20-25 minutes, and don't think I'll ever play it again. There is no reason to. My biggest problem with the game might be that the levels are far too easy if you are used to games like this.

I can't recommend this one. There are far better games to play in short bursts.


As this is a Nitrome game, I came in with high expectations. I'm enjoying playing it, but it's a little less difficult than Nitrome's standard fare.


Nice pixel art here, but I've seen the game mechanics before. Nothing unique unfortunately. It's a real shame as I loved Magic Touch, and still have it sitting on my phone for a rainy day.

I'm disappointed by the control method. I really don't like swiping to move my character... it feels so clunky to me.


With Nitrome, you always know what you're getting into. The pixel art is as polished and the mechanics are rewarding. If you've played Silly Sausage, expect a very similar experience.

My favourite part of this game is how stages may only take a few seconds to complete - at most a minute or two.

In light of Heroes & Castles 2, which is really demanding time-wise, it's a relief to find Green Ninja is a great game for dipping in and out of. It's a joy to play!

The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article. Did you pick up Green Ninja: Year of the Frog? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!
Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.