Fruit Ninja is one of those games that is cleverly simple but difficult to master; it is face-paced enough to keep you engaged, but quick enough to play it easily passes the time in waiting rooms. Fans of the existing ‘swipe and slice’ styling may be excited to discover that the game is being rebuilt from the ground up in early October, with a fresh user interface and new menu.
Describing the upcoming upgrades, the developers at Halfbrick stated:
The team has thrown away the tired menu and UI designs, ensuring the steps between playing, equipping new gear, and using social features are all streamlined. Before starting each game, players can equip different Blades and Dojos, which were previously cosmetic only. Now, almost every item will have a unique effect on gameplay, which has effectively broken the score ceiling and added an exponential amount of depth and strategy to slicing. For example, the Great Wave dojo periodically spawns ten fruit at once, and the Autumn Blade creates a fruit-swirling tornado with every pineapple sliced. Players can mix and match their favorites, and leaderboard entries will display which combination of items were used.”
Sure there will be more fruit, fancier weapons, and even a few new challenges to master… but it’s a bit of a gamble. Good advice usually suggests that you shouldn’t mess with a good thing –does this popular game need more sophistication or should they have left well enough alone (while perhaps creating a second similar, but updated, title ala Angry Birds style)?
If you haven’t yet experienced the fun of Fruit Ninja, download the current version –so you have an educated opinion that allows you to appreciate (or hate) the new version in a few weeks.
Jillian Koskie is an experienced software developer, content writer, project manager and usability design expert. With over 17 years in these roles, Jillian has enjoyed applying her skill-set to assist clients and users across a wide variety of sectors including: legal, health, and financial services. Combining these professional opportunities with a love of technology, Jillian is pleased to contribute articles, opinions, and advice to numerous news outlets, websites, and publications.