Ninjala relies on melee combat, abilities, and gum. Abilities are based on weapons, and different weapons offer different abilities. They also modify player stats: change speed, increase damage, decrease damage, or increase range. Each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses, allowing players to pick what’s right for their personal play style.
Weapons change your character’s health and speed stats, granting you greater health or faster attacks. There are three main weapon types: katanas, hammers, and yo-yos. Katanas tend to be balanced blades, while hammers are slow but with a lot of health and high damage. Yo-yos, meanwhile, are fast with lower health. These weapons are linked to a type of gum that helps level them up and craft larger, stronger weapons during battle.
Weapon Attributes
Each weapon has a Gum Shoot ability, Gum Ninjutsu, a special, and two other abilities. These different abilities are picked from the same pool, so a hammer may have the same gum shoot skill as a katana, but with other attributes. It’s a nice mix and match set up to let players decide what they like best. Gum Shoots and Gum Ninjutsu skills are not limited to a weapon type. Specials, Abilities, and Big Weapon Abilities are limited to different weapon types.
To see these abilities on different weapons in-game, hit “+” while a weapon is selected.
Gum Shoot
Gum Shoot abilities are aptly named. They fire gum at your opponents. Each one does something vaguely different, from damage to immobilizing them to revealing them.
- Gum Launcher: Homes in on your opponent and explodes.
- Gum Kunai: Multiple kunai home in on your opponent.
- Gum Grenade: Floats and can be detonated early by blowing a bubble.
- Gum Net: Flies straight and sets a net where it lands.
- Gum Balloon: Sets a balloon around you that explodes when touched.
- Gum Searcher: Depletes S-Energy to reveal location of nearby foes.
Gum Ninjutsu
Think of Gum Ninjutsu as Overwatch’s ultimate ability mechanic. These charges slower than your Special and so you’ll want to time these better. They do higher damage than other abilities.
- Ninja Tornado: Rotates rapidly and rushes at your foe like a tornado.
- Piercing Mixer: Launch a gum beam that penetrates terrain.
- Punishing Blade: Draw a gum blade that shoots gum when you attack.
- Dragon Lord: Fire a gum dragon that homes in on your foe.
- Tenchi Muyo: Grab your foe, spin them, and slam them into the ground.
- Fujiyama Rocket: Launch a powerful gum rocket that explodes on contact.
Specials
Specials are your standard abilities on cooldown. They can be used frequently in battle, often offering mobility changes or advantages.
- Charging Slash: Charge at your opponent with a quick attack.
- Here and There: Dive underground and attack when you emerge.
- Power Buster: Perform a weapon-breaking attack in Super Armor mode.
- Echoing Scream: Launch a soundwave attack that freezes foes.
- Yo-yo Leap: Warp to the position of a thrown yo-yo and attack.
- Beyond the Gum: Forcibly transform foes you successfully strike.
Abilities
While it’s in the same abilities section in the game, one ability is when the weapon is powered up.
- Chakra: Defeating a foe fully resets special cooldown.
- Miracle Charge: Recover life each time you use Gum Ninjutsu.
- Iron Body: Defeat a foe with an IPPON attack to gain Super Armor for a period of time.
- Feedback: Normal and wide attacks reset special cooldown.
- Star Tail: Warp attacks replenish your Gum Shoot cooldown time.
- Time to Relax: Special cooldown is reset after not receiving attacks for a period of time.
Big Weapon abilities
Big Weapon abilities only activate when you have morphed your weapon into a big weapon. At which point, they become stronger and add an additional ability to your arsenal.
- Kamikaze: Move faster when you defeat a foe with a special.
- Stealth Attack: Successful specials reset special cooldown time.
- Hyper Boost: Move faster for a period of time after crafting a big weapon.
- Up Tempo: Move faster when life is reduced below a certain amount.
- Inside Loop: K.O. a foe with a warp attack to recover life.
- Beyond Fever: Specials deal additional damage to gum morphed foes.
Katanas
Katanas might as well be rubber bats. They look, move, and act like them in the heat of battle. These weapons give players moderate health, decent speed, and a range of quick, dashing abilities. All of them have the same health and speed – Health is at a comfortable 300, while speed is an intimidating 100.
IPPON Katana
- Health: 300
- Speed: 100
- Gum Shoot: Gum Launcher
- Gum Ninjutsu: Ninja Tornado
- Special: Charging Slash
- Abilities: Chakra, Kamikaze
The IPPON Katana is the default weapon. Players start with this one equipped and likely play their first training session with it. This weapon has good mobility associated with it, as does the Scroll Blade below. With Charging Slash, you can quickly close the distance between yourself and foes, or use it to escape.
Scroll Blade
- Health: 300
- Speed: 100
- Gum Shoot: Gum Kunai
- Gum Ninjutsu: Piercing Mixer
- Special: Charging Slash
- Abilities: Chakra, Kamikaze
The Scroll Blade is similar to the IPPON Katana, both have high mobility and good damage. The Scroll Blade trades the Gum Launcher for the Gum Kunai instead. Both are homing weapons that will track your enemy. The Piercing Mixer ability will also hit enemies hidden underground, giving you a chance to counter some of the stealthier foes.
Drill Beast
- Health: 300
- Speed: 100
- Gum Shoot: Gum Grenade
- Gum Ninjutsu: Punishing Blade
- Special: Here and There
- Abilities: Miracle Charge, Stealth Attack
Drill Beast trades mobility for stealth and relentless assault. The Drill Beast, and its sibling, the Corn Bat, are built for players that like to be in the heat of battle and take damage as a result. The Miracle Charge ability heals you with each Special used. And since your Special takes you underground, you’ll want to use it a lot.
Corn Bat
- Health: 300
- Speed: 100
- Gum Shoot: Gum Launcher
- Gum Ninjutsu: Dragon Lord
- Special: Here and There
- Abilities: Miracle Charge, Stealth Attack
The Corn Bat is the meme-y cousin to the Drill Beast, and it trades that sick drill for some corn kernels. Appearance aside, this one plays a little more range than its cousin. The Dragon Lord ability has a good range on it, and the Launcher will target opponents.
Hammers
Tank players rejoice. This is your category. Hammers are higher health, offset by a drastic speed reduction, and the attack is slow and heavy. If you’re used to the yo-yo or katana classes, you will feel this reduction. They are not mobile, so don’t expect to escape the heat of battle as easily. You will need to fight your way out instead of running for cover.
SK8 Hammer
- Health: 330
- Speed: 95
- Gum Shoot: Gum Net
- Gum Ninjutsu: Tenchi Muyo
- Special: Power Buster
- Abilities: Iron Body, Hyper Boost
The SK8 Hammer and the Sushi Axe are the tanks if you like to outlast damage and dish it out in response. It offers additional armor, reducing incoming damage further for the already higher health. Gum Net slows caught enemies and lets you catch up.
Sushi Axe
- Health: 330
- Speed: 95
- Gum Shoot: Gum Grenade
- Gum Ninjutsu: Ninja Tornado
- Special: Power Buster
- Abilities: Iron Body, Hyper Boost
The Sushi Axe is a cute weapon that tries to be what the SK8 Hammer is. While it succeeds in adding armor to an already high health pool, it fails at trapping enemies in a net. Your Ninja Tornado has to be right on top of opponents and is short-lived. You want to make sure you are close if you unleash it. Your Grenade does not home in on opponents. You will feel the low mobility in this build, but it may be worth it if you can time the attacks well. The enemy has to come to you sometimes.
Iron Noise
- Health: 360
- Speed: 90
- Gum Shoot: Gum Kunai
- Gum Ninjutsu: Fujiyama Rocket
- Special: Echoing Scream
- Abilities: Feedback, Up Tempo
Iron Noise and Drum Beat have the highest health of the entire weapons set. They also sacrifice speed to a greater extent. Iron Noise tries to balance this with the Fujiyama Rocket and Up-Tempo abilities, making it a deadly weapon in the right hands.
Drum Beat
- Health: 360
- Speed: 90
- Gum Shoot: Gum Launcher
- Gum Ninjutsu: Dragon Lord
- Special: Echoing Scream
- Abilities: Feedback, Up Temp
Drum Beat does what Iron Noise does, but adds some extra range. Gum Launcher follows enemies, while Dragon Lord is a powerful ranged attack that doesn’t require you to be on top of your foe. With Up Tempo and Feedback, this is a dangerous combination if players don’t mind the speed reduction.
Yo-yos
Yo-yos are the antithesis of the hammers, fast with little health but very high mobility. Yo-yos offer more vertical mobility than katanas. Yo-yo players are the ones that are hitting you from the sky while you wonder how they reached that height.
Ninja Yo-yo
- Health: 255
- Speed: 104
- Gum Shoot: Gum Balloon
- Gum Ninjutsu: Piercing Mixer
- Special: Yo-yo Leap
- Abilities: Star Tail, Inside Loop
The Ninja Yo-yo and the Shinobi Spinner give the player the best vertical mobility. With Yo-yo Leap, players can leap to anywhere they toss their weapon. The Ninja Yo-yo helps counter potential sneaky foes with Piercing Mixer. It does feel a little unnecessary when you can just escape into the sky.
Shinobi Spinner
- Health: 255
- Speed: 104
- Gum Shoot: Gum Net
- Gum Ninjutsu: Ninja Tornado
- Special: Yo-yo Leap
- Abilities: Star Tail, Inside Loop
Shinobi Spinner has the best name of the weapons, although the fidget spinner motif may put some players off. The Shinobi Spinner offers closer combat than the Ninja Yo-yo with the Ninja Tornado ability. With the Gum Net skill, players can trap enemies and pounce on them, using their vertical mobility to the fullest.
Mellow a la Mode
- Health: 255
- Speed: 104
- Gum Shoot: Gum Searcher
- Gum Ninjutsu: Tenchi Muyo
- Special: Beyond the Gum
- Abilities: Time to Relax, Beyond Fever
Mellow a la Mode has a charming donut theme and the best anti-stealth skill set. It forces players to transform, grabs close opponents, spins them before doing damage, and can find them by spending S-Energy.
Trick Ball
- Health: 255
- Speed: 104
- Gum Shoot: Gum Balloon
- Gum Ninjutsu: Fujiyama Rocket
- Special: Beyond the Gum
- Abilities: Time to Relax, Beyond Fever
Trick Ball is the ranged counterpart to the Mellow a la Mode. With its protective Gum Balloon and Fujiyama Rocket, it doesn’t need to get close to enemies. The extra distance gives Time to Relax a chance to take effect.
There are many weapons to choose from. If it were just a matter of skins, it wouldn’t be a hard choice. Each weapon opens up new possibilities for playstyles. Try them all to figure out your favorite.
