Ninja Boxing Calculator Review

A throwback to days gone by when handheld gaming involved very small LCD screens and some very simple gameplay, Ninja Boxing Calculator is a pleasant curiosity but only one for those who lived through such times.

Part calculator and part boxing game, it's based upon a concept that might sound alien now. The concept that people wanted to own a device that was part standard calculator, part gaming phenomenon. Ok, maybe not a phenomenon but something rather different from what was already out there. In the case of Ninja Boxing Calculator, the action is confined to a relatively small space at the top of the screen with the rest devoted to the numbers of the calculator.

Combat is initiated through one of three buttons that isn't directly related to making calculations. One is an attack button, then there are evade and guard buttons. Combat then is, predictably, quite simple. Dodge the opponent's blows while getting a few strikes back in. 8 rounds per opponent are available, with up to 99 fights in all. Things do get harder but the gameplay doesn't exactly evolve upon this simple conceit.

It's the nostalgia that will keep some interested in Ninja Boxing Calculator. While not a game to play for hours on end, and severely lacking in features we've come to see as standard now, it's the novelty of switching between calculator and game all through the flick of a switch. Just like in the old days.

As an emulation of what was once available, Ninja Boxing Calculator does the job. It's a good example of the history that led us to more exciting handheld fare and while the graphics are very dated, it captures the visual tone well. As a game in its own right though, it's pretty forgettable.