<s>
Ninjala	B-Application
is	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
multiplayer	O
action	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
GungHo	O
Online	O
Entertainment	O
with	O
some	O
involement	O
from	O
Soleil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unveiled	O
at	O
E3	O
2018	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
24	O
,	O
2020	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
widely	O
compared	O
to	O
Splatoon	B-Application
due	O
to	O
its	O
style	O
and	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninjala	B-Application
centers	O
upon	O
an	O
eponymous	O
tournament	O
being	O
held	O
by	O
the	O
World	O
Ninja	B-Application
Association	O
(	O
WNA	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
developed	O
bubblegum	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
allow	O
people	O
with	O
the	O
DNA	O
of	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
to	O
perform	O
ninjutsu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
focuses	O
primarily	O
on	O
melee	B-Application
combat	I-Application
using	O
various	O
types	O
of	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
power	O
can	O
be	O
increased	O
by	O
destroying	O
drones	O
that	O
periodically	O
spawn	O
on	O
the	O
map	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
craft	O
a	O
larger	O
melee	B-Application
weapon	O
when	O
fully-charged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
eight	O
playable	O
characters	O
in	O
Ninjala	B-Application
,	O
who	O
despite	O
having	O
common	O
stats	O
and	O
abilities	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
them	O
has	O
a	O
unique	O
backstory	O
that	O
was	O
explored	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
supplementary	O
media	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
TV	O
anime	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
he	O
ended	O
up	O
caught	O
between	O
the	O
battle	O
between	O
his	O
father	O
,	O
who	O
he	O
discovered	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Hebimaru	O
who	O
managed	O
to	O
defeat	O
him	O
by	O
trapping	O
him	O
inside	O
a	O
burning	O
shed	O
with	O
Van	O
in	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
result	O
,	O
Van	O
's	O
father	O
was	O
put	O
into	O
an	O
indefinite	O
coma	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
before	O
he	O
make	O
his	O
son	O
chew	O
a	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
that	O
awakened	O
his	O
ninjutsu	O
genes	O
and	O
save	O
them	O
both	O
from	O
the	O
burning	O
shed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
asked	O
by	O
his	O
mother	O
to	O
train	O
for	O
Ninjala	B-Application
under	O
the	O
tutelage	O
of	O
Genryusai	O
,	O
while	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
working	O
as	O
a	O
night-time	O
vigilante	O
tasked	O
with	O
stopping	O
the	O
plans	O
of	O
the	O
Space	O
Ninjas	B-Application
,	O
gum-like	O
aliens	O
seeking	O
to	O
conquer	O
planets	O
by	O
absorbing	O
the	O
DNA	O
of	O
ninjas	B-Application
to	O
grow	O
stronger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Berecca	O
:	O
One	O
of	O
the	O
lead	O
scientists	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
perfecting	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gums	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
said	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
power	O
to	O
awaken	O
the	O
dormant	O
shinobi	O
genes	O
in	O
humans	O
,	O
Berecca	O
was	O
a	O
no-nonsense	O
woman	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
just	O
continuing	O
the	O
research	O
her	O
father	O
,	O
Sean	O
left	O
behind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
witnessed	O
the	O
accidental	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
perfected	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gums	O
,	O
she	O
tried	O
one	O
herself	O
and	O
is	O
shocked	O
to	O
learned	O
of	O
her	O
shinobi	O
heritage	O
,	O
just	O
before	O
Ron	O
,	O
acting	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
scientists	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
the	O
project	O
,	O
betrays	O
them	O
than	O
escaped	O
,	O
she	O
and	O
Burton	O
learned	O
of	O
the	O
Gum	O
's	O
side	O
effect	O
:	O
chewing	O
on	O
a	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
can	O
turn	O
adults	O
into	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
Berecca	O
,	O
alongside	O
Burton	O
,	O
decides	O
to	O
join	O
Ninjala	B-Application
in	O
hopes	O
of	O
finding	O
a	O
cure	O
to	O
the	O
Gum	O
's	O
side	O
effects	O
and	O
revert	O
to	O
normal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Burton	O
:	O
One	O
of	O
the	O
lead	O
scientists	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
perfecting	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gums	O
,	O
Burton	O
was	O
an	O
Albert	O
Einstein	O
enthusiast	O
,	O
often	O
using	O
his	O
philosophies	O
and	O
scientific	O
mindset	O
in	O
creating	O
inventions	O
that	O
can	O
change	O
the	O
world	O
for	O
the	O
better	O
,	O
not	O
to	O
mention	O
having	O
ninjutsu	O
heritage	O
in	O
his	O
blood	O
,	O
thus	O
explaining	O
his	O
involvement	O
in	O
perfecting	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
accidentally	O
creating	O
a	O
perfected	O
batch	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
attacked	O
by	O
Ron	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
sent	O
to	O
eliminate	O
him	O
and	O
Berecca	O
,	O
and	O
handing	O
over	O
his	O
findings	O
to	O
Allen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Burton	O
tried	O
to	O
defeat	O
Ron	O
,	O
but	O
failed	O
and	O
got	O
blasted	O
with	O
Berecca	O
,	O
before	O
he	O
and	O
Berecca	O
discovered	O
that	O
the	O
Gum	O
de-aged	O
them	O
into	O
children	O
,	O
prompting	O
the	O
two	O
to	O
join	O
Ninjala	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
reverse	O
the	O
side-effects	O
and	O
further	O
refine	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ron	O
:	O
An	O
enigmatic	O
ninja	B-Application
with	O
an	O
agenda	O
,	O
Ron	O
is	O
just	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
names	O
he	O
took	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
accomplish	O
his	O
tasks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
his	O
plans	O
to	O
steal	O
data	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
succeed	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
chased	O
by	O
Allen	O
's	O
minions	O
,	O
forcing	O
him	O
to	O
take	O
up	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
pieces	O
left	O
behind	O
in	O
Burton	O
's	O
wrecked	O
laboratory	O
to	O
go	O
undercover	O
by	O
partaking	O
in	O
Ninjala	B-Application
as	O
a	O
young	O
ninja	B-Application
in	O
hopes	O
of	O
finding	O
the	O
two	O
scientists	O
and	O
complete	O
his	O
mission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
n't	O
until	O
an	O
invitation	O
from	O
the	O
WNA	O
and	O
some	O
encouragement	O
from	O
her	O
mother	O
does	O
she	O
embrace	O
this	O
power	O
and	O
adopts	O
a	O
"	O
crazy	O
girl	O
"	O
persona	O
as	O
she	O
trains	O
herself	O
for	O
Ninjala	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kappei	O
:	O
A	O
young	O
shinobi	O
from	O
Ega	O
,	O
a	O
small	O
ninja-inspired	O
town	O
in	O
Oedo	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
Kappei	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
training	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
full-fledge	O
ninja	B-Application
like	O
all	O
the	O
stage	O
plays	O
he	O
's	O
been	O
seeing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jane	O
:	O
A	O
hacker	O
working	O
for	O
the	O
World	O
Ninja	B-Application
Organization	O
's	O
Intelligence	O
Department	O
,	O
Jane	O
was	O
a	O
serious	O
woman	O
who	O
would	O
hack	O
onto	O
anything	O
within	O
ease	O
,	O
often	O
having	O
a	O
preference	O
for	O
munching	O
on	O
candies	O
while	O
working	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
was	O
tried	O
to	O
hack	O
data	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
failed	O
,	O
so	O
she	O
was	O
going	O
by	O
her	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
building	O
where	O
they	O
hid	O
had	O
a	O
time	O
bomb	O
,	O
so	O
Ron	O
made	O
Jane	O
chew	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Now	O
stuck	O
as	O
a	O
small	O
child	O
,	O
she	O
decided	O
to	O
infiltrate	O
Ninjala	B-Application
,	O
alongside	O
Ron	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
find	O
the	O
reason	O
behind	O
the	O
project	O
's	O
true	O
purpose	O
and	O
to	O
figure	O
out	O
how	O
to	O
revert	O
to	O
normal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Seeing	O
potential	O
in	O
Emma	O
,	O
she	O
was	O
scouted	O
by	O
the	O
World	O
Ninja	B-Application
Organization	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
Ninjala	B-Application
to	O
help	O
Emma	O
hone	O
her	O
skills	O
,	O
as	O
both	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
and	O
a	O
performer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gumchi	O
:	O
The	O
mascot	O
of	O
Ninjala	B-Application
,	O
arriving	O
to	O
WNA	O
academy	O
with	O
Kappei	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kurokos	O
:	O
Robots	O
who	O
works	O
for	O
Ninjas	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Allen	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
:	O
Kosei	O
Hirota	O
)	O
:	O
The	O
main	O
antagonist	O
of	O
Ninjala	B-Application
who	O
is	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
WNA	O
,	O
always	O
trying	O
to	O
assassinate	O
Burton	O
,	O
Berreca	O
,	O
Ron	O
,	O
and	O
Jane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
has	O
lots	O
of	O
knowledge	O
of	O
ninja	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
is	O
being	O
chased	O
by	O
Shadow	O
Ninjas	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
being	O
attacked	O
by	O
Shadow	O
Ninjas	B-Application
,	O
his	O
status	O
is	O
currently	O
unknown	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Master	O
Shadow	O
(	O
voice	O
actor	O
unknown	O
)	O
:	O
Leader	O
of	O
the	O
Shadow	O
Ninjas	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
has	O
been	O
Dan	O
's	O
partner	O
since	O
Ninja	B-Application
Camp	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
's	O
the	O
Ninjala	B-Application
Champion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Space	O
Ninjas	B-Application
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
:	O
Yusuke	O
Numata	O
,	O
Akeno	O
Watanabe	O
,	O
Megumi	O
Han	O
,	O
Hana	O
Sato	O
,	O
Masaaki	O
Ihara	O
)	O
:	O
Mysterious	O
creatures	O
that	O
are	O
looking	O
for	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadow	O
Ninjas	B-Application
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
:	O
Mizuki	O
Nakamura	O
)	O
:	O
Ninjas	B-Application
who	O
are	O
against	O
WNA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hebimaru	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
:	O
Setsuji	O
Sato	O
)	O
:	O
One	O
of	O
the	O
Shadow	O
Ninjas	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tim	O
,	O
Jason	O
(	O
voice	O
actors	O
unknown	O
)	O
:	O
Companions	O
of	O
Dan	O
and	O
Tyler	O
in	O
Ninja	B-Application
Camp	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GungHo	O
CEO	O
Kazuki	O
Morishita	O
explained	O
that	O
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
his	O
childhood	O
memories	O
of	O
ninja	B-Application
and	O
sports	O
chanbara	O
,	O
having	O
envisioned	O
Ninjala	B-Application
as	O
being	O
a	O
mixture	O
of	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
main	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
develop	O
create	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
that	O
both	O
children	O
and	O
adults	O
could	O
enjoy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takeshi	O
Arakawa	O
,	O
who	O
co-produced	O
Dissidia	B-Application
Final	I-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
while	O
at	O
Square	O
Enix	O
,	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
staff	O
of	O
Ninjala	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
built	O
using	O
the	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
announced	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
2019	O
,	O
GungHo	O
announced	O
on	O
May	O
31	O
,	O
2019	O
that	O
Ninjala	B-Application
had	O
been	O
delayed	O
to	O
early	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
GungHo	O
president	O
Kazuki	O
Morishita	O
stated	O
that	O
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
still	O
on	O
track	O
for	O
a	O
Spring	O
2020	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
contain	O
content	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
"	O
satisfying	O
"	O
for	O
"	O
seasoned	O
players	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
set	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
27	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
delayed	O
four	O
weeks	O
later	O
to	O
June	O
24	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
teaser	O
trailer	O
for	O
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
13	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
set	O
to	O
music	O
by	O
the	O
kawaii	O
metal	O
band	O
Babymetal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
trailer	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
showcasing	O
the	O
backstory	O
of	O
Ninjala'''s	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Direct	O
Mini	O
on	O
March	O
26	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
trailer	O
was	O
showcased	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
an	O
announcement	O
that	O
Ninjala	B-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
27	O
,	O
2020	O
as	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
series	O
of	O
time-limited	O
multiplayer	O
beta	O
sessions	O
were	O
held	O
on	O
April	O
28	O
and	O
29	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
affected	O
by	O
various	O
server	O
issues.On	O
August	O
24	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
collaboration	O
with	O
video	O
game	O
franchise	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
for	O
season	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
9	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
collaboration	O
with	O
smartphone	O
game	O
Puzzle	B-Application
&	I-Application
Dragons	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
19	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
an	O
announcement	O
on	O
the	O
official	O
PlayNinjala	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
Channel	I-General_Concept
that	O
there	O
will	O
be	O
a	O
collaboration	O
with	O
the	O
popular	O
manga	O
and	O
anime	O
series	O
Demon	O
Slayer	O
:	O
Kimetsu	O
no	O
Yaiba	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
up	O
until	O
episode	O
19	O
,	O
Wolpis	O
Carter	O
performed	O
the	O
ending	O
theme	O
song	O
"	O
Ninjalaic	O
Ninja	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
episode	O
59	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
ending	O
theme	O
,	O
titled	O
“	O
Ninja	B-Application
Remotion	O
”	O
is	O
performed	O
by	O
Ange	O
☆	O
Reve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
anime	O
began	O
streaming	O
with	O
English	O
subtitles	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
official	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
channel	I-General_Concept
on	O
January	O
13	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
overall	O
visual	O
style	O
of	O
Ninjala	B-Application
has	O
been	O
widely	O
compared	O
to	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Splatoon	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jordan	O
Devore	O
of	O
Destructoid	O
felt	O
that	O
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
hard	O
to	O
judge	O
based	O
on	O
its	O
early	O
multiplayer	O
demo	O
at	O
E3	O
,	O
noting	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
playable	O
weapons	O
beyond	O
baseball	O
bats	O
(	O
though	O
noticing	O
that	O
yo-yos	O
had	O
appeared	O
as	O
a	O
disabled	O
option	O
in	O
the	O
menus	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
need	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
"	O
flow	O
and	O
feel	O
"	O
of	O
its	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
"	O
good	O
"	O
lock-on	O
targeting	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
"	O
there	O
's	O
something	O
to	O
this	O
gum-loving	O
ninja	B-Application
concept	O
for	O
sure	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Ninjala	B-Application
was	O
"	O
worth	O
following	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
argued	O
that	O
alongside	O
Splatoon	B-Application
,	O
there	O
was	O
"	O
plenty	O
of	O
room	O
for	O
more	O
colorful	O
,	O
poppy	O
,	O
kid-friendly	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
similarly	O
noted	O
that	O
its	O
concept	O
felt	O
like	O
"	O
Splatoon	B-Application
meets	O
Arms	B-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
GungHo	O
makes	O
good	O
on	O
delivering	O
creative	O
weaponry	O
and	O
polishes	O
up	O
the	O
combat	O
,	O
Ninjala	B-Application
might	O
just	O
have	O
what	O
it	O
takes	O
to	O
beat	O
Nintendo	O
at	O
its	O
own	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
2020	O
open	O
beta	O
,	O
Connor	O
Sheridan	O
of	O
GamesRadar+	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
fundamentals	O
had	O
an	O
initial	O
learning	O
curve	O
(	O
especially	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
Splatoon	B-Application
)	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
"	O
figuring	O
out	O
how	O
to	O
string	O
attacks	O
together	O
for	O
maximum	O
points	O
and	O
minimum	O
chance	O
of	O
reprisal	O
"	O
had	O
a	O
strategic	O
depth	O
similar	O
to	O
fighting	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
"	O
pleasantly	O
surprised	O
"	O
by	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
character	O
customization	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Siliconera	O
described	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
trying	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
the	O
fans	O
of	O
its	O
larger	O
cousin	O
 [ Splatoon ] 	O
without	O
replacing	O
it	O
"	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
drone	O
mechanic	O
added	O
a	O
"	O
MOBA-like	O
"	O
progression	O
that	O
could	O
potentially	O
influence	O
strategy	O
among	O
coordinated	O
teams	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
the	O
tutorial	O
video	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
beta	O
was	O
"	O
not	O
particularly	O
effective	O
at	O
explaining	O
the	O
uses	O
and	O
advantages	O
of	O
each	O
kind	O
of	O
attack	O
"	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
an	O
in-game	O
tutorial	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
server	O
capacity	O
issues	O
from	O
the	O
beta	O
showed	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
"	O
still	O
significant	O
work	O
to	O
do	O
to	O
build	O
a	O
stable	O
environment	O
for	O
launch	O
next	O
month	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
