Developer Madbricks is teaming up with publisher Amber Studio for a brand-new action roguelike beat-em-up with Mexican Ninja, a vibrantly chaotic new hack-and-slash side-scroller with tight combos, wild spirit powers, and a blend of Mexican and Japanese culture. Set to launch for PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026, Mexican Ninja mixes colorful 2.5D visuals with razor-sharp gameplay for a familiar yet refreshing entry in the roguelike genre.
Categorized as a sub-genre of role-playing games, roguelikes traditionally feature “dungeon crawling” gameplay through procedurally-generated levels with battle-focused gameplay and permadeath that forces players to reset and re-earn their upgrades and abilities with each playthrough. Games like Hades take a more roguelite approach, in that fans can continue to progress with all of their unlocked abilities, rather than having to start over from scratch, though these titles still feature changing environments, randomized rewards, and changes with each run. Mexican Ninja looks to take a note out of Hades‘ book, though in an unexpected way, while also introducing storytelling that is surprisingly reminiscent of Streets of Rage.
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Mexican Ninja Blends the Visuals of Hades with the Story Themes of Streets of Rage
Mexican Ninja transports players to the gritty cyberpunk city of Nuevo-Tokyo, where the corrupt Narkuza feudal regime has taken over and left the streets in chaos. As the titular Mexican Ninja from the outskirts of the city, players must rise up alongside a group of rebels and fight their way through adrenaline-pumping combat while exploring stylized streets, taking down the Narkuza henchmen, and attempting to survive a fever dream of flashy katana action and relentless challenges. Precise movement, clever positioning, and perfectly timed attacks will all be crucial to achieving victory, with deceptively simple pick-up-and-play brawling unraveling into an addictive dive into the ultimate power of Mexican Jutsus. Players can experiment with different builds and combos to unlock their ideal ninja fighting style and gain the favor of the Mexican-Japanese spirits to earn their praise and their abilities in a new twist on the old-school button-mashing games of roguelikes past.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
The Way of the Donkey skill tree introduces dedicated combat paths for players to follow in Mexican Ninja, with new options unlocking with each run. Additional ninja skills can be earned by training with Mero Mero Sensei, offering a brief respite from the Narkuza onslaught in the neon environments of Nuevo-Tokyo. Mexican Ninja prioritizes fast, responsive, beat-em-up action in 2.5D arcade-style combat while keeping each playthrough randomized to push players to test their skills with evolving builds and layered meta-upgrades. The wild abilities granted by the Mexican Jutsus and Spirit Powers add a fun cultural flare while the “swagger-soaked progression” of the Way of The Donkey skill tree amplifies personalized playstyles. From the bold cultural mash-up that is Nuevo-Tokyo to the energetic visuals and hard-hitting gameplay, Mexican Ninja sets itself apart from other action roguelike video games while also paying homage to its predecessors.
Audiences have continued to voice an appreciation for gameplay-heavy releases with eye-catching visuals and new stories, and if Mexican Ninja can deliver on its promises of high replayability, satisfying combat, and stylish progression, it may be just what fans of roguelike and roguelite games have been looking for. Of course, only time will tell if Mexican Ninja is able to live up to those that came before it, but the title’s surprising premise and spirited teasers do have the potential to set it up for success. Interested players can try out the free demo of Mexican Ninja now on Steam, with the full game presently slated to launch for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S some time in 2026.
