Mexican Ninja Review

Have you ever wanted to visit Tokyo, but with elements of Mexico and fight the Narkuzas in a city titled Nuevo Tokyo? Well, I never thought I would until Developer Madbricks and publisher Amber Studio released their latest 2.5D roguelike beat 'em up, Mexican Ninja. And it might just be one of my favorite indies of the year so far. 

 

I love roguelikes when they are at their best or when they are trying something different. But with Mexican Ninja, the setting is one of the most unique places I have ever set foot in a game, and it took me back to an old-school energy I have been missing!

An Addicting Roguelike:

Mexican Ninja is a straight-up beat 'em up, as I previously stated. It is also a roguelike, meaning the game loop and gameplay are the most important parts. If you aren't familiar with roguelikes, it's a microgenre where you can upgrade your character after each death, making every run easier. Some games like to change the levels, but in Mexican Ninja, all the levels are the same, so ultimately every run feels the same, but the gameplay makes up for it. 

The game reminds me a ton of games like Streets of Rage (a popular beat 'em up by SEGA) and Hades (a legendary roguelike) with its character art! The combination creates a fun, somewhat intricate combo system and a neat experience.

When it comes to the controls, you have a light attack, heavy attack, parry, jump, and dash. While that setup is fairly standard, the abilities you gain can completely transform how these inputs work. Even before applying those modifications, the baseline combat feels just like a classic arcade game. The fighting has plenty of oomph and style, making it a blast to pull off moves against the game's unique, silly enemies and bosses; including a hilariously named boss called "Crack Panda" that made me laugh out loud.

On top of the core mechanics, you have two ability slots that you can continuously upgrade. I spent most of my playthrough using "PEDO ENCHILADO," which works by "releasing a nasty fart that burns enemies." As wild as that sounds, it provides fantastic AoE damage and perfectly encapsulates the game's absurd sense of style. You can level abilities up to boost their power, and I made it my mission to max this one out. My other staple was "PAPANTLA TORNADO," which was great for crowd control. The game introduces plenty of other abilities to suit different playstyles, but I personally favor pure, raw damage; I'm greedy like that and want to be as overpowered as humanly possible!

Between runs, players can return to the hub and spend collected money to upgrade basic attacks and baseline stats. As stated before, it is a familiar roguelite progression system that gradually eases the difficulty. I was genuinely surprised by the depth of the upgrade tree and how costly high-tier options become. While the combat leans into button-mashing at times, it remains surprisingly addictive, and that chaotic mashability actually fits the game's high-energy rhythm. Pushing through those frantic fights keeps you motivated to explore new areas and see what's around the next corner. The shift from familiar city streets to a distinct futuristic zone was a fantastic visual highlight that really stood out.

 

Outside of the gameplay, I also have to highlight the game's skins, which are not only a blast to unlock but actually grant unique stat boosts to the player. It's refreshing to earn cool cosmetics directly through gameplay rather than being forced to buy them via microtransactions. Once I unlocked the "Mecha-Maracha" skin, I couldn't bring myself to take it off—it looks just like a Power Ranger, and I'm a huge Power Rangers fan! 

 

Also I really do want to throw props to the art team, as the character designs look wonderful, especially when the player gets exposition and dialogue throughout the story!

Should you play it?

Mexican Ninja is a surprisingly good time, full of combos, upgrades, and a funny, wonderful art direction that will keep players saying "one more run." It also helps that the setting is extremely unique, constantly making you look around the world, ask yourself, "Do Japan and Mexico go together?", and then tell yourself, "Yes, they do!" I recommend checking out Mexican Ninja if you like beat-'em-ups or just roguelikes in general!

VERDICT:  Recommended 
Reviewed on PC 
Review Copy was Provided

Available On:  PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC