NEW ON STEAM
Mexican Ninja
At a glance
Mexican Ninja game facts
Steam store information checked 2026-09-03。- Studio
- Madbricks Published by Amber Studio
- Release
- Aug 20, 2026 Released
- Official genres
- Action · Indie
- Play mode
- Single-player
- Desktop platforms
- Windows
- Steam Deck
- Playable Some interface text may be difficult to read on the Deck display.
- Controller
- Full support
- Steam features
- Achievements · Cloud · Family Sharing
- Languages
- 6 listed languages English, Portuguese - Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America
What that means for your setupMexican Ninja is developed by Madbricks and published by Amber Studio, and it launched on Steam for Windows on August 20, 2026. It is a single-player only Action and Indie release, so anyone hoping to queue up co-op runs should set that expectation aside before buying. Steam Deck is listed as Playable, though the developer note warns that some interface text may be difficult to read on the Deck display, which is worth keeping in mind if you plan to play handheld. Controller support is full, and the Steam build ships with Achievements, Cloud saves, and Family Sharing. Audio and text coverage spans English, Portuguese-Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Spanish-Latin America, German, and Japanese, which is a healthy spread for a debut indie release of this scope. None of these facts should change how you weigh the game, but they are the boundaries that frame the rest of the review below.
If you have ever wished that a coin-op brawler had roguelike teeth, Mexican Ninja lands a clean cross of arcade instinct and run-based buildcraft. The pitch is simple: take the role of a blade-wielding rebel in Nuevo Tokyo, wade into swarms of Narkuza thugs, and chain light and heavy attacks into signature Mexican Jutsus. Movement feels responsive enough that basic combos click within minutes, yet the game nudges you toward parry timing, spacing, and crowd control once bosses start rolling. It reads like a love letter to the standing cabinet era, only with a skill tree called the Way of the Donkey and outfits that change your stats.
What the game actually feels like
Pick-up-and-play brawling that still rewards mastery. The combat opens with light and heavy attacks you can chain into named Mexican Jutsu finishers, and once you start layering dashes, air launches, and ground slams, fights feel like a dance of crowd control rather than a button masher, even if the heavy-attack strength lets you get away with sloppy play in mid-run.
A roguelike structure that keeps runs feeling fresh. Each run pushes you through five zones, from city outskirts to tech labs and fancy mansions, with shops, hidden encounters, and side quests for costume unlocks scattered between fights. Money earned across runs feeds two skill trees, the meta Way of the Donkey and the in-run Mero Mero tree, which give long-term progression a satisfying rhythm.
Build variety that leans into personality. Outfits come with different stat profiles, deities grant swap-in blessings during a run, and you can chase wild abilities like AOE fart finishers that apply burn. It is a smaller perk pool than some genre peers, so do not expect Hades-tier build identity, but the flavor of each combination carries you a long way.
A world that commits to its Mexican-Japanese mashup. Nuevo Tokyo is layered with multilayered backgrounds, breakable objects, side conversations, and visual gags that make exploration between fights almost as entertaining as the combat itself, even when the cel-shading and 3D models read as deliberately simple rather than premium.
What early players are seeing
What is landing
- One long-time follower called Mexican Ninja a fun and funny beat ’em up with cool combat, visuals, and a totally over the top story, recommending it to anyone who likes the genre after more than an hour of play.
- Another reviewer with around 29 hours in said the game is great fun and fast paced, and called it very addicting once the combo flow and unlocks click.
- A detailed player write-up praised tight controls, super solid attack animations, five distinct zones, hidden secrets, side-quest costume unlocks, and a memorable OST, going as far as a 9 out of 10 verdict and calling it a must play for beat ’em up fans.
- An arcade-minded reviewer compared it to upgraded standing coin-op classics, highlighting stunning graphics, tricky environments, and a parry system they described as unforgiving but rewarding, paired with a build system that prepares you for harder enemies.
What still needs watching
- Enemy variety reads as thin to several reviewers, which can make back-to-back runs blur together once you have seen each zone.
- In-run perks skew toward stat boosts rather than build-defining effects, so buildcraft feels lighter than genre heavyweights like Hades.
- The cel-shaded 3D models and some sound mixing when fights get chaotic come across as rudimentary rather than polished.
Is Mexican Ninja worth buying now?
Current decision
Worth tryingMexican Ninja offers a clear, well-executed arcade brawler with roguelike bones, a memorable setting, and a responsive combat feel that has already earned overwhelmingly positive Steam sentiment across dozens of distinct player reviews. The $16.99 price sits comfortably under the genre median, and the skill trees, costume stats, and unlockable jutsus give short and long sessions something to chase. The thin enemy variety and lighter build identity are real caveats, but they do not undercut the core loop, so the game deserves a try for anyone curious about a scrappy, flavor-forward beat ’em up with roguelike structure.
Who this is for
A good fit if you…
- Beat ’em up fans who want a roguelike twist on the genre and do not mind a single-player only setup.
- Players who love stylized worlds built around a strong cultural mashup and do not need photorealistic graphics.
- Roguelite newcomers who enjoy short, punchy runs with two layered skill trees and costume-based stat loadouts.
- Controller players looking for a Steam Deck Playable Windows release with full pad input and Cloud saves.
- Anyone in the mood for a $16.99 action pickup that respects arcade instincts while adding modern buildcraft.
Wait if you…
- You primarily want cooperative or multiplayer brawling, since Mexican Ninja is single-player only on Steam.
- You are hoping for deep, build-defining perk variety on the level of Hades or Risk of Rain 2, since most in-run bonuses lean toward stat boosts.
- You need a perfectly readable interface on Steam Deck, because the developer note flags that some interface text may be difficult to read on the Deck display.
- You prefer long narrative campaigns, because Mexican Ninja leans on short roguelike runs, unlockable costumes, and skill tree progression rather than a sprawling story mode.
If Mexican Ninja is not quite your game
SIMILAR OPTION · 67% OFF
Risk of Rain 2
Choose it ifPick Risk of Rain 2 if you want online co-op and shooter variety, and pick Mexican Ninja if you want a solo, controller-friendly brawler with a tighter learning curve
How it comparesRoguelike action with buildcraft layered on top of run-based combat Risk of Rain 2 is a third-person shooter horde roguelike with deep character unlocks and online co-op, while Mexican Ninja is a 2.5D single-player beat ’em up with lighter perks and a much smaller scope
SIMILAR OPTION
RimWorld
Choose it ifPick RimWorld if you want a slow, systems-heavy simulation, and pick Mexican Ninja if you want a quick-action roguelite with combat at the center
How it comparesReplayable indie experience with deep systems and long-tail progression RimWorld is a slow-paced sci-fi colony sim focused on simulation, storytelling, and base management, while Mexican Ninja is a fast arcade brawler with run-based progression rather than emergent colony storytelling
SIMILAR OPTION · 20% OFF
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Choose it ifPick Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 if you want a long, story-driven RPG experience, and pick Mexican Ninja if you want a compact, replayable action title
How it comparesStylized single-player action with a strong sense of place Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG with real-time mechanics, a 30+ hour narrative, and Belle Époque worldbuilding, while Mexican Ninja is a much shorter roguelike beat ’em up built around a Mexican-Japanese mashup and run resets
PLACES IN THIS STORY
Explore the destinations behind this report
Japan
Tokyo
Browse travel guides, places to stay, attractions and local food in Tokyo.
Explore Tokyo →Tokyo, On Your Terms: A Calm, Curious Travel GuideShare this article
