Nin Online is a 2D ninja MMORPG that feels like it came straight out of the older generation of online games I used to imagine playing as a kid. I make my own ninja, choose one of three starting villages or eventually become a Missing Ninja, then spend my time training, doing missions, learning jutsu and exploring the world. The game is still in Early Access, but there is already a huge amount packed into it, and I like that it is clearly built around the idea of slowly becoming stronger rather than rushing me through a short campaign.
The character building is probably what I enjoy most. I can choose from different clans and bloodlines, pick from eight classes or masteries, learn different elemental and physical jutsu and even make contracts with animal summons. There are thousands of pieces of equipment and plenty of cosmetic options too, so I have quite a lot of freedom over what my ninja looks like and how I want to fight. I also like that the progression is not just about increasing one level number. I can slowly build up specific abilities and work towards the kind of ninja I actually want to be.
The world is much bigger than I expected as well. There are hundreds of maps, a large number of enemies and a lot of missions covering daily activities, story content and other tasks. I can travel between villages, go out hunting, gather materials, look for drops and take on stronger enemies as I improve. The old school design makes the world feel quite different from a modern MMORPG because I am not constantly being dragged from one quest marker to another. I have to learn where things are and remember useful places, which makes eventually knowing the world feel like part of the progression.
The open world PvP is where I have the most mixed feelings. I really like the idea of having safe areas where I can train and then more dangerous zones where other ninjas can attack me. It makes travelling outside the safer areas feel more meaningful because I actually have to think about where I am going. At the same time, it can be frustrating when I am trying to train or complete a mission and another player decides to interfere. I can understand why the system is there because it gives the world a sense of danger, but it also means I have to be prepared for interruptions instead of being able to treat the game like a completely peaceful RPG.
The combat itself takes some getting used to. I have to learn the timing of my jutsu, manage my abilities and pay attention to positioning instead of just standing still and throwing attacks at everything. There is a lot to learn once I start getting into different masteries and more advanced techniques, but the early grind can feel slow. Some of the basic enemies are not especially exciting to fight, and I can spend a fair amount of time training before I get to the more interesting parts of the progression. I think the game deliberately wants that slower pace, but it does not always make the journey feel rewarding.
I also appreciate how much the game has been expanded over time. There are organizations, clan systems, summons, political elements, crafting and a lot of smaller systems that give me things to work towards when I am not simply levelling. The developers are still actively adding and adjusting things, and the recent updates show that the game is still being worked on rather than sitting untouched. I also like that the main game is free and the cash shop is focused heavily on cosmetics, with useful items such as stat resets also available through gameplay. That makes the progression feel much fairer to me than an MMORPG where spending money is obviously the easiest way to become stronger.
Overall, Nin Online is a rough but surprisingly deep old school MMORPG that I think works best when I treat it as a long term game rather than something I can finish quickly. I really like the ninja setting, character customisation, jutsu system, huge world and the feeling of slowly becoming stronger through training. The grinding, older presentation and open world PvP can definitely make things frustrating, especially when I just want to relax and complete a few missions. Even so, there is a lot here that I genuinely enjoy, and the amount of systems and content makes it feel much bigger than the simple 2D presentation suggests. For me, it is a solid MMORPG with a lot of personality and enough depth to keep me interested.
Rating: 7.8/10
