Every ninja knows the value of patience and precision - but does Itten Ninja Master earn a black belt in board gaming, or does it get caught out in the open?
Itten Ninja Master is a fast-paced reaction game that combines quick thinking, dice rolling, and lightning-fast reflexes as players scramble to score the most points before their rivals. During setup, each player takes a scoreboard and marker, a small pentagonal arena is assembled for rolling the dice, and five coloured ninja tokens are placed around the edges. The first player then takes the Shuriken and Sword tokens, placing them within reach of everyone before rolling all nine dice into the arena - and that's when the chaos begins.
Each die features a variety of coloured symbols that correspond to the ninja tokens around the arena. Faces can show one, two, or three ninjas, as well as a Sword, a Shuriken, or a Vanish symbol.
Once the dice have been rolled, players race to grab the ninja token that corresponds to the colour showing the highest number of ninja symbols. For example, if the dice display five pink ninjas, the pink ninja token is worth five points to the player who grabs it.
However, there's a catch. If a Vanish symbol of the same colour is showing, those points are deducted instead. So five pink ninjas plus a pink Vanish symbol would result in a loss of five points rather than a gain.
There are further twists to keep players on their toes. For every Shuriken symbol rolled, the player holding the Shuriken token gains one point. Meanwhile, if more Swords than Shuriken are showing, any player who grabs the Sword from the current leader scores points equal to half that player's total.
The round ends when someone correctly calls out the total number of ninjas showing across all dice. Play then passes to the next player, and the first person to reach 20 points wins the game.
Look and Feel
The brightly coloured wooden components are one of Ninja Master's strongest features. They look great on the table, feel durable, and are more than capable of withstanding the frantic grabbing and reaching that the gameplay encourages. Anything less robust than wood would probably show signs of wear very quickly.
The only significant concern is accessibility. The game relies entirely on colour differentiation, with no additional symbols or markers to distinguish the various ninja tokens. As a result, players with colour vision deficiencies may find themselves at a considerable disadvantage.
Gameplay
Ninja Master is pure, fast-thinking chaos in the best possible way. Every roll presents a split-second decision: grab the obvious points, steal the Sword from the leading player, secure the Shuriken bonus, or double-check for a Vanish symbol before making a costly mistake. The rewards for acting quickly are substantial, but the penalties for acting carelessly can be just as severe.
This constant tension creates some wonderfully dramatic moments. Scores swing wildly, fortunes change in an instant, and players frequently find themselves celebrating one second and groaning the next as they realise they've overlooked a crucial symbol.
However, the game's biggest strength also creates its biggest weakness. During our plays, there were several occasions where the rush to grab a ninja token caused players to knock the dice, changing the results after they had been rolled. Since scoring is entirely dependent on the symbols showing, this can create confusion and occasional frustration.
It feels like a problem that could have been avoided through a slightly different layout - perhaps by placing the ninja tokens on a separate board away from the dice arena. As it stands, the physical setup seems to encourage accidental disruption of the very information players are trying to read.
It's not a game-breaking issue, but it did occur often enough to be noticeable.
Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely.
Ninja Master is a fantastic choice for families, parties, and anyone who enjoys reaction-based or dexterity games. It's easy to learn, quick to play, and packed with dramatic moments, point swings, and plenty of opportunities for players to outmanoeuvre - or out-react - their opponents.
Just be prepared for a few moments of frustration when someone accidentally sends the dice flying.
