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Fruit Ninja

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Fruit Ninja
Official logo
Developer(s)Halfbrick Studios
Platform(s)iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Symbian (Nokia), Bada (Samsung), Windows 8, Xbox 360 (XBLA)
ReleaseiPod Touch, iPhone
April 21, 2010[1]
iPad
July 14, 2010[2]
Android
September 17, 2010[3]
Windows Phone 7
December 22, 2010[4]
Symbian OS
March, 2011[5]
Bada OS
March 29, 2011[6]
Xbox 360
August 10, 2011[7]
Windows 8
June 7, 2012[8]
Genre(s)Arcade
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer (iPad and Kinect for Xbox 360)

Fruit Ninja (known as Fruit Ninja HD on the iPad and Fruit Ninja THD for Nvidia Tegra 2-based Android devices) is a video game developed by Halfbrick Studios in Brisbane, Australia. It was released April 21, 2010 for iPod Touch and iPhone devices, July 12, 2010 for the iPad, September 17, 2010 for Android OS devices. It was released for Windows Phone on December 22, 2010. Also, in March 2011, versions for Samsung's Bada and Nokia's Symbian began to be distributed on their respective official application channels. Just prior to E3 2011 Fruit Ninja Kinect was released for the Xbox 360 on August 10, 2011 and utilizes the Kinect peripheral. Fruit Ninja was also released for Windows 8 on June 7, 2012. An arcade version called Fruit Ninja FX also exists. In the game the player must slice fruit that is thrown into the air by swiping the device's touch screen with their finger(s) or in the case of the Xbox 360 version, the player's arms and hands. It features multiple gameplay modes, leaderboards and multiplayer.

The game was well received by critics and consumers alike; in September 2010 sales exceeded three million downloads, four million in December 2010, and over 20 million across all platforms in March 2011. In May 2012 Fruit Ninja reached 300 million downloads, and was on one third of all US iPhones. Reviewers felt that the low cost of the game combined with addictive gameplay yielded an excellent value. They further lauded the support and updates provided by Halfbrick, who brought online multiplayer, achievements and leaderboards to the game. Some critics felt the game's difficulty curve was uneven.

Gameplay

Fruit Ninja is played by using a touch pad to slice on-screen fruit. Additional points are awarded for slicing multiple fruit in one swipe.

In Fruit Ninja, the player slices fruit with a blade controlled via a touch pad. As the fruit is thrown onto the screen, the player swipes their finger across the screen to create a slicing motion, attempting to slice the fruit in half.[9] Extra points are awarded for slicing multiple fruits with one swipe, and players can use additional fingers to make multiple slices simultaneously. Players must slice all fruit; if three fruits are missed, the game ends, but upon reaching scores that are multiples of one hundred (i.e. 100, 200, 300, etc.), the player will gain an extra life (unless they have not missed a piece of fruit already). Bombs are occasionally thrown onto the screen, and will also end the game should the player slice them.[9]

A mode known as Zen mode allows players to seek high scores without the hindrance of bombs appearing on the screen.[10] Also available is an Arcade mode in which players have only sixty seconds to achieve a high score. Special bananas are added to the standard fruit which have unique bonuses such as doubling points scored for a limited time, increasing the amount of fruit on the screen, or slowing down the movement of all fruit for a short period of time. In Classic and Arcade mode, special pomegranates are occasionally thrown on screen. In Arcade Mode, it is guaranteed that at the end of each game that a pomegranate will appear. Players can slice these multiple times to get extra points. Similarly, an ultra rare pitaya sometimes appears in Classic and Arcade modes which, if sliced, awards players fifty points.[11]

When Fruit Ninja celebrated its two-year anniversary, Halfbrick released an update with a new feature called Gutsu's Cart, which comprises two characters, a pig named Truffles and a human named Gutsu. In the various modes of the game, you can earn starfruit to purchase items in Gutsu's Cart.[12] There are three purchasable items at the cart which are used in the game; Berry Blast causes sliced strawberries to explode and gives the player five extra points. Another item is Peachy Time: slicing a peach in Zen or Arcade mode gives the player two extra seconds. The third item is Bomb Deflect which enables the player to deflect Bombs upon accidentally slicing them. Starfruit can be obtained after each game, proportional to the score, or by slicing the semi-rare starfruit.[12]

Multiplayer gameplay is supported on iOS devices through Apple's Game Center application. It allows for competitive gameplay and features leaderboards and achievements. During multiplayer matches the player's blade and fruit are highlighted in blue, while the opponent's are highlighted in red. White outlined fruit are considered neutral and may be claimed by either player. White outlined fruit are worth three points. Players must slice their own fruit while avoiding their opponent's fruit.[13][14] The iPad version of the game features enhanced graphics and also supports local multiplayer, with the screen being divided in half and each player controlling half of the screen.[2] Players can also share high scores via Open Feint, Twitter and Facebook.[10]

Development and marketing

In an interview with GameSpot, Phil Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer at Halfbrick discussed the development of Fruit Ninja. He stated, "we tried a lot of different channels [...] indie games, PSN, XBLA, [...] and we basically did a lot of research about what was happening on iPhone and made a game that worked out pretty well." He then spoke of the company's brainstorming process for new games and said "Fruit Ninja came as part of [that] process, but we identified it as something special [and] decided to fast-track it through."[15] Luke Muscat, Lead Designer for Fruit Ninja stated that he felt the uniqueness of the touch screen platforms and the short development cycle further motivated Halfbrick to develop the game.[16]

The game was first released on April 21, 2010 for iPod Touch and iPhone devices. It was later released as Fruit Ninja HD on July 12, 2010 for the iPad. On September 17, 2010 Fruit Ninja was ported to Android OS devices. On November 2, 2010 an Arcade mode was announced for Fruit Ninja which adjusted gameplay dynamics.[11] It was released two days later on November 4, 2010.[17] In December 2010 Lite versions of Fruit Ninja and Fruit Ninja HD were released for iOS devices and serve as a demo versions of the game.[18] The game was also released for Windows Phone 7 on December 22, 2010.[4] Phil Larsen stated that due to the quick-release nature of iOS applications that a different marketing strategy is required. "You could have a game rise to the top and fall off in three days. You want to get it up there at the right time and have the right backup plan to sustain it with updates and further press" he said.[15] On January 21, 2011 an update was released for the Android version of the game which added Arcade mode, leaderboards, and an ice blade to the game.[19]There was also launched a Windows port by June 2011.[20] A spin-off edition of the game themed to the DreamWorks animated movie, Puss in Boots was released on various devices.

In March 2011 Halfbrick announced a Facebook port of the game, entitled Fruit Ninja Frenzy.[21] While no release date has been announced, Halfbrick has confirmed the game will be free to play. They described the Facebook port as "60 second gameplay with many powerups, unlockables and achievements".[21] In addition to being a downloadable game on the Xbox Live Marketplace, a token for the game will also be included in the retail box of The Gunstringer, a Kinect title developed by Twisted Pixel Games. On August 24, 2011 downloadable content was released for Fruit Ninja Kinect. Entitled Storm Season the content brings three new Xbox Live achievements and a new visual theme to the game.[22] In mid-2011, an amusement arcade version appeared titled Fruit Ninja FX.[23] In March 2012 HalfBrick announced a partnership with BlueStacks to make Fruit Ninja's Android App available for Microsoft Windows worldwide. The program received over a million downloads in its first 10 days.[24]

Reception

Fruit Ninja was well received by critics and consumers. The iOS version sold over 200,000 copies in its first month.[16] In its third month over one million units had been sold.[28] It passed two million units sold in September 2010, with the total reaching four million in December 2010.[29] By March 2011 total downloads across all platforms exceeded 20 million.[30] In May 2012 it reached 300 million downloads, and was on one third of all US IPhones.[31] The Windows Phone 7 version was the top application downloaded the week of December 28, 2010.[32] It was also named one of Time magazine's 50 Best iPhone Apps of 2011.[33] The Xbox Live Arcade version moved over 739,000 units in is first calendar year.[34]

Reviewers were mostly unified in the overall fun factor in the game. Levi Buchanan of IGN stated that the game was "fun, fun, fun" and "an instant pleasure".[1] Slide to Play's Chris Reed agreed and felt that the game was perfect for when a consumer has short moments of boredom. He likened this to playing the game while waiting in line for something and stated "it'll slice the time in half."[27] Jim Squires of GameZebo felt the gameplay was simple and addictive.[26] Geoff Gibson of DIYGamer stated that he could see Fruit Ninja "becoming the next “big thing” on the App Store."[35] Several reviewers praised price and Halfbrick's commitment to continual updates to the game. GameZone's James Pikover stated "perhaps the best part is that this game isn’t even complete."[10] He then spoke of the future game modes to be made available and lauded the value-to-price ratio.[10] App Spy's Andrew Nesvadba agreed that Halfbrick's commitment and updates were "nothing short of spectacular."[25] He also praised the game's graphics and said they were "luscious".[25] The reviewer from BuzzFocus praised the game's inexpensive price and said consumers "should really be downloading this app right now."[36]

The game's scoring system and difficulty were received to mixed commentary. Chris Reed of Slide to Play felt that there should have been an option to increase the game's difficulty curve.[27] Andrew Nesvadba of App Spy felt that since the bonus items were random the ability to beat a high score was made more difficult.[25] DIYGamer's Geoff Gibson also shared this sentiment.[35] James Pikover of GameZone, Geoff Gibson of DIYGamer and Levi Buchanan of IGN all praised the game's ability to boast scores to friends and family via Facebook and Twitter.[1][10][35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Buchanan, Levi (April 28, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Review". IGN. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Hinkle, David (July 12, 2010). "Fruit Ninja HD slices up the iPad later this week". Joystiq. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  3. ^ "Fruit Ninja for Android". GameSpot. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Rubino, Daniel (December 21, 2010). "Pocket God and Fruit Ninja both live in the Marketplace". Windows Phone Central. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  5. ^ "Fruit Ninja for Symbian". All About Symbian. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  6. ^ "Fruit Ninja for Bada". Samsung Apps. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  7. ^ Hinkle, David (June 6, 2011). "Xbox Live Summer of Arcade 2011 kicks off July 20". Joystiq. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  8. ^ "Fruit Ninja for Windows 8". Windows 8 Apps. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "'Fruit Ninja' Review – All Ninja Hate Fruit". Touch Arcade. April 21, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Pikover, James (June 29, 2010). "Fruit Ninja - iPhone". GameZone. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Robinson, Black (November 2, 2010). ""Fruit Ninja" Reveals New Arcade Mode". Mashable. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  12. ^ a b Fletcher, JC (May 21, 2012). "Fruit Ninja celebrates two year anniversary with new powerups, free iOS codes". Joystiq. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Larsen, Phil (September 17, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Update With Game Center!". Halfbrick. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  14. ^ Larsen, Phil (September 29, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Gets More Game Center!". Halfbrick. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Halfbrick Interview With Phil Larson". GameSpot. November 28, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  16. ^ a b Hinkle, David. "Halfbrick shares Fruit Ninja sales numbers, how to succeed on the App store". Joystiq. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  17. ^ Larsen, Phil (November 4, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Arcade Mode is Live!". Halfbrick. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  18. ^ Larsen, Phil (December 22, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Lite and More!". Halfbrick. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  19. ^ Larsen, Phil (January 21, 2011). "Android Fruit Ninja adds Arcade Mode!". Halfbrick. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  20. ^ "Slice fruits using your mouse in Fruit Ninja HD for PC!". eins.my. June 30, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  21. ^ a b Hinkle, David (March 3, 2011). "Fruit Ninja Frenzy to plant seeds on Facebook". Joystiq. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  22. ^ McElroy, Griffin (August 24, 2011). "Fruit Ninja Kinect DLC brings the thunder tomorrow {update: Today!}". Joystiq. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  23. ^ Sheridan, Trevor (July 5, 2011). "Fruit Ninja Is Now Playing On a 46″ Touch Screen Arcade Machine As Fruit Ninja FX". Apple 'n' Apps. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  24. ^ Empson, Rip (April 10, 2012). "Android On Your PC: Qualcomm Invests In BlueStacks After Beta Sees 1M Downloads In 10 Days". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  25. ^ a b c d Nesvadba, Andrew. "Fruit Ninja Review". App Spy. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  26. ^ a b Squires, Jim (May 13, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Review". GameZebo. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  27. ^ a b c Reed, Chris (September 17, 2010). "Fruit Ninja Review". Slide to Play. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  28. ^ "FRUIT NINJA SELLS ONE MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE ON IPHONE AND IPOD TOUCH". Gamasutra. July 5, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  29. ^ McElroy, Justin (September 23, 2010). "Fruit Ninja sells two million". Joystiq. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  30. ^ Hinkle, David (March 3, 2011). "Fruit Ninja surpasses 20 million total downloads". Joystiq. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  31. ^ Crook, Jordan (May 31, 2012). "Fruit Ninja Tops 300M+ Downloads After Two Years, Now Installed On 1/3 Of All U.S. iPhones". TechCrunch. TechCrunch. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  32. ^ Roberts, Matt (December 28, 2010). "Twitter /@matthewjroberts". Matt Roberts via Twitter. Retrieved December 29, 2010. Congrats to friends @halfbrick on FN #1 paid download on #WP7 USA Marketplace! (big surprise ... :)
  33. ^ Starr, Miral (January 27, 2011). "50 Best iPhone Apps 2011". Time. Retrieved January 27, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ Langley, Ryan (January 20, 2012). "Xbox Live Arcade by the numbers - the 2011 year in review". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  35. ^ a b c Gibson, Geoff (April 21, 2010). "Can I Get a Smoothie? Fruit Ninja Review". DIYGamer. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  36. ^ Bags (April 25, 2010). "iPhone Game Review: Fruit Ninja". BuzzFocus. Retrieved December 22, 2010.

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