10 Second Ninja

A furiously engaging speedrunning platformer, 10 Second Ninja X is as much about shaving seconds off your time in each level as it is concerned about shaving slivers off of your sanity, but never before has laying waste to your mental state while running a gauntlet of almost obscenely well-designed platforming levels been so much fun.

71%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

optimization, grinding

84% User Score Based on 522 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.99

Buy NowGet on Steam$1.99

About

In "10 Second Ninja," players have 10 seconds to destroy all Nazi robots in each of 40 levels, with the goal of achieving the best time and a three-star rating. The game features fast-paced platforming and includes leaderboards for competing against friends. It contains flashing images and a warning for players with photosensitive epilepsy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 524 reviews

gameplay38 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

Fast-paced and addictive gameplay that keeps players engaged.
Challenging levels that require precision and quick thinking to achieve high scores.
Humorous storyline and cutscenes that add charm to the game.

Short game length, with many players completing it in under two hours.
Frustrating difficulty spikes, especially when trying to achieve three-star ratings.
Technical issues such as lag and crashes that can disrupt gameplay.

gameplay
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
61%
3%
The gameplay of "10 Second Ninja" is characterized by its fast-paced, addictive nature, requiring players to complete levels within a strict 10-second time limit. With tight controls and clever level design, the game offers a satisfying challenge that encourages skill improvement and replayability, though some players note a lack of variety in enemy types and mechanics. Overall, it combines simple yet engaging mechanics with a humorous storyline, making it appealing for fans of precision-based platformers.
- “The core gameplay of 10 Second Ninja is simple yet engaging.”
- “As you progress through the game, new obstacles and enemy types are introduced, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, with players having to navigate through levels quickly and efficiently in order to succeed.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly simplistic, yet challenging, but not to the point of frustration.”
- “While most of the other games start out with a steady increase in difficulty while using clever level design to teach and refine certain game mechanics, this one just tosses you into the fray with little structure.”
- “Was really fun, but I beat the whole game in less than an hour... and 10 bucks for an hour of gameplay.”
story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
7%
The story in "10 Second Ninja" is characterized as absurd and humorous, often drawing comparisons to quirky flash games with outlandish plots. While some players appreciate the comedic elements and find the storyline entertaining, others note its simplicity and lack of depth, suggesting that the gameplay is the main focus rather than the narrative. Overall, the story serves as a lighthearted backdrop to the fast-paced action, providing a fun, albeit brief, context for the gameplay.
- “The game has a really crazy and funny storyline that makes it worth playing.”
- “10 Second Ninja is a great pick-up-and-play game, coupled with a nice attempt at a funny, cartoonish story to give what you're doing some meaning and context.”
- “The audio is well polished and the goofy storyline is enjoyable.”
- “The story is pure silliness; I don't like when devs make an incoherent 'random' story as a scapegoat to put actual effort into a cohesive theme, but I have to admit it had a certain charm sometimes (and pure cringe other times).”
- “The story is nearly non-existent as you are fighting a robot army led by a robotic Hitler.”
- “There is no story other than the fact that you are a ninja and there are evil Nazi robots that you must kill.”
humor
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its funny storylines, humorous cutscenes, and clever achievements that enhance the overall experience. While some found the humor juvenile or offensive, particularly regarding jokes about Nazis, others enjoyed the lighthearted and engaging nature of the dialogue and gameplay. Overall, the game is noted for its entertaining and often hilarious approach, despite some criticisms of its execution and graphics.
- “Clean, crisp, responsive, excellent humor and all-around well designed package.”
- “Even if the gameplay is the main point of 10 Second Ninja, it does feature a humorous storyline.”
- “You will be hopping around slashing at Nazi robots and a big robot Hitler, while laughing at the weird cutscenes.”
graphics
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
6%
The graphics of "10 Second Ninja" and its sequel "10 Second Ninja X" are characterized by a clean and vibrant pixel art style that is both charming and effective, though often described as simplistic and rudimentary. While some players appreciate the pleasing aesthetics and consistency of the visuals, others note that the graphics are not particularly remarkable and may suffer from occasional bugs and glitches. Overall, the art style fits the game's fast-paced nature, but it may not meet the expectations of those seeking more advanced graphical fidelity.
- “Visually, 10 Second Ninja adopts a clean and vibrant pixel art style, which is both charming and effective.”
- “The art style is very pleasing to look at, albeit it's very simplistic.”
- “Sleek simplistic graphics and a fun short story presented in little animations in between worlds.”
- “There are a few bugs and the graphics are a little wanting considering that people are paying for this game.”
- “The visuals and cutscenes are entirely forgettable, which can be excused in a low-budget indie game such as this.”
- “Firstly, the default keybinding for PC uses the arrow buttons, which is really counterintuitive for any PC gamer, and secondly, I'm getting consistent and frequent graphical glitches in cutscenes and menus.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
43%
11%
The music in the game is generally well-received, providing an engaging backdrop that complements the gameplay without being overly distracting. While some players appreciate its layered and thematic elements, others find it repetitive and forgettable after extended play. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the experience but may lead some to turn it off due to its lack of variety.
- “The music in the menu gives the ninja-y meditation dojo theme, but in-game, it’s fast-paced and accompanies the gameplay perfectly!”
- “Oh, and the soundtrack with its layered touch (a more barebones version in the menu compared to much more instrumentation in the levels) is really neat and groovy too.”
- “All in all, an amazing title with great music, gameplay, and overall feel to the game.”
- “However, the repetitive aspect of the soundtrack can become quickly annoying after an extensive amount of gameplay.”
- “The music is fine enough, but you'll be heading to the options to turn it off after half an hour or so, as the track can get repetitive.”
- “The soundtrack, albeit repetitive, serves its purpose but isn't particularly memorable either.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
38%
19%
The game offers significant replayability, primarily driven by its addictive nature, tight controls, and clever level design, encouraging players to improve their skills and achieve high scores. While the main campaign is short, additional challenges like bonus levels and leaderboard competitions provide further incentive for replay. However, some players note that once fully completed, the game may lack depth, leading to diminished replay value for those not focused on perfectionism or achieving high scores.
- “One of the strengths of 10 Second Ninja is its replayability.”
- “The game's addictive nature and the desire to improve your skills make it highly replayable, providing hours of challenging and satisfying gameplay.”
- “With its tight controls, clever level design, and replayability factor, it's a game that keeps you engaged and coming back for more.”
- “However, little replay value once you cleared it fully, other than attaining impossible times for the scoreboard.”
- “And with the few levels provided, there should be quite a bit of replayability, though I would still say the game lacks depth.”
- “Easily able to get 3 hours of solid gameplay from trying to three-star every level, with replayability making it worth $10.”
optimization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
53%
27%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting frequent stutters, frame drops, and overall poor performance even on high-end PCs. The presence of in-game leaderboards seems to exacerbate performance issues, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, many users express disappointment in the game's optimization, suggesting it detracts from the otherwise enjoyable gameplay.
- “On paper it's right up my alley: easy to learn, hard to master, high skill ceiling that awards diligent practice and repetition with immense satisfaction upon a successful performance.”
- “Complete each stage in under 10 seconds - and if your performance is ranked on a 3-star rating.”
- “A brief but enjoyable speedrunning/optimization kind of hit-the-targets game.”
- “The downside is that the controls aren't as tight as they should be and optimization is atrocious.”
- “However, the game itself is very poorly optimized.”
- “Performance is very disappointing; even with a high-end gaming PC, this game has frequent stutters and frame drops.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on the grinding aspect of the game are mixed; some players find joy in the challenge of improving their times through repeated attempts, while others view it as tedious and unnecessary. While achievement hunters may appreciate the grind for its completionist aspect, many feel that being forced to replay levels detracts from the overall experience, making the game feel longer than it is enjoyable.
- “It's just tedious for the sake of being tedious and I can't see any real purpose.”
- “Stage progression: grinding can be nice, but I personally don't like to be forced to replay levels over and over again for a better score.”
- “After 7+ hours later, I am still grinding for faster times.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its stability, with users reporting frequent bugs, graphical glitches during cutscenes and menus, and poor design choices such as counterintuitive keybindings for PC players. Overall, these issues detract from the gameplay experience.
- “A few YouTube videos showed gameplay that looked kind of fun, but the actual game itself is kind of buggy and poorly designed.”
- “Firstly, the default keybinding for PC uses the arrow keys, which is really counterintuitive for any PC gamer to use their right hand. Secondly, I'm experiencing consistent and frequent graphical glitches in cutscenes and menus.”
- “Short speedrunner, a bit buggy, and a disappointing story.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is often underestimated at first, with some players initially dismissing it as just another quirky indie title. However, it ultimately surprises them by evoking deeper feelings and connections as they engage with the narrative and characters.