Ninja Must Die Beginner’s guide - Everything you need to know to get started with this fast-paced platformer

Ninja Must Die is Pandada Games’ ninja themed action platformer that tasks players with jumping, flipping, and slashing through beautifully designed, auto running levels to uncover a sinister plot by the samurai to eliminate all of the ninjas.

Along the way you’ll be introduced to several playable ninjas, each of whom possess unique talents to take advantage of whilst using the slick control system to dodge traps and vanquish your foes.

If you’re just starting out and want to take your ninja from Junior to Elite as fast as possible, here are a few tips to help you get there.

Obtaining your ninjas

Ninja Must Die features four playable ninjas, two of which (Kuro and Riki) are obtainable via the game’s Story Mode.

Kuro, an aspiring ninja from Ninja Village, is the main protagonist in the game and the very first ninja you’ll be introduced to. As a rookie ninja, you’ll be guided through the basic gameplay and controls as well as Summons - special beasts that can be summoned at certain points in various modes - as you take Kuro through the stages to finally become the ultimate real ninja.

Riki is a young master from Bamboo Village, who possesses Lightning power. This highly skilled panda will join your team upon clearing stage 2 of chapter 4 in Story Mode.

Rin and Souga on the other hand can be summoned at the game’s Shrine of Fate - unlocked after completing stage 6 of chapter 2.

Players can get a taste of Souga’s power in chapter 2 where you can use his triple jump and devastating Demonic Shuriken Talent to vanquish a vicious samurai. Rin on the other hand has the ability to glide in mid-air and rain down shards of ice upon her foes.

Upgrading your ninja

To progress through Ninja Must Die, you’ll need to have your ninja reach a certain level in order to advance to a new chapter.

The basic item for levelling up your ninja are Coins, which you’ll collect as you run through each stage. Each upgrade will boost your HP, ATK, and HP Recovery.

You can also upgrade your special Talents by boosting each ninja with their corresponding Elemental Stone. Kuro, for instance, requires Fire Stones to boost his Dragon Gunfire Talent which unleashes salvos of fireballs at his enemies. Awakening Stones will also need to be obtained in order to unlock more Talent upgrades; these Stones are very hard to come by, however, so make sure to keep a watchful eye for them when they appear during the stages; a useful tip for any stage is to try and grab any item you see even if it means taking a hit or missing out on some coins.

There are also a few ways to enhance your ninja through support units and items. Ninja teams can be assembled by assigning up to two support ninjas (received through summons at the Shrine of Fate) with one or two ninja. Although they won’t appear directly in combat, support ninjas will increase ATK and other special buffs. These same buffs can also be received by equipping Relics, such as the Daruma Panda, which provides a +50 increase in HP and a score enhancement of +20%.

Relics belong to one of six ranks: D, C, B, A, S, SS, and up to four Relics can be equipped to any given ninja. Some Relics will also provide additional bonuses when Relics from the same set are equipped together so always make sure to pay close attention to the Relic type to maximise their effectiveness.

Getting the most from your weapons

From swords to bamboo flutes, weapons come in all different shapes and sizes in Ninja Must Die, with the overall effectiveness of each weapon determined by its Element (Fire, Lightning, Water, and Wind) and its Grade (Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary).

Your first inclination upon receiving a high grade weapon might be to immediately upgrade it (using materials like Iron Hammer, Spanner etc) as much as possible, but that may not be the wisest move. Until players achieve Awakening for their ninja (which allows you to equip a second weapon), you’ll only be able to equip one weapon, and different modes will favour a particular weapon type.

For example, the Lightning Chaser Bow is a perfect choice for boss battle stages as it deals a lot of attack damage in quick time, but for stages where you’ll find yourself chased, or having to avoid a series of traps, a more protective weapon such as the Snow Sword, which surrounds your ninja with a shield of rotating blades, is more preferable.

Also, whenever possible, make sure to match weapons according to your ninja’s Elemental Type, such as the Fire Bansho with Kuro for instance, in order to receive an additional ATK bonus.

Lastly, if you’ve collected a lot of weapons that you have no use for, you can exchange them for Gold Bone with Mr. Shiba. A random Legendary weapon will be available for 800 Gold Bone every month so it’s a resource that’s definitely worth having.

Making friends

If you were wondering why a seemingly single player game is online, it’s because there’s actually a multitude of multiplayer modes to unlock, including 3v3 Match Modes, Ranking Modes, and a Bounty Mode where you can team up to take down bosses.

Unlocked upon reaching chapter 3 of the Story Mode, the Bounty Mode provides a useful opportunity to score rare items as rewards whilst also finding potential friends while you’re at it. By joining a Clan or adding friends in Ninja Must Die, you’ll be able to invite players whom you trust to be an asset rather than a hindrance when going after bounties, as well as easily invite worthy adversaries to challenge you in 3v3 Mode where your strategy and skills will be tested to their fullest.

For more Ninja Must Die content, be sure to check out the game’s hub page, as well keep up to date with all of its latest developments by following the game’s official Twitter and Facebook channels.

Ninja Must Die is a free to play game that’s currently available to download from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.