Madbricks and Amber Studio have cooked up some proper old‑school beat ’em up chaos, stirred in a roguelite mixer, and served it with a sombrero‑sized wink. The result is Mexican Ninja, a game about… well, a Mexican ninja. The title fits!

“Become the Mexican Ninja and fight to take back Nuevo Tokyo, where Narcos and Yakuzas have fused into the ruthless Narkuzas. Master slick combos, unleash outrageous Mexican Jutsus and craft deadly builds in this fast, chaotic 2.5D roguelike beat ’em up.”

Mexican Ninja keeps things recognisable in that comforting, “I’ve played this after school in 1991” way. You can grab the controller without even glancing at a tutorial and already know what button does what. Light attack, heavy attack, jump, dodge, special, the holy pentagon of classic brawlers. It’s welcoming, familiar, and refreshingly unpretentious. No labyrinthine skill trees, no 40‑minute onboarding. Five seconds in, you’re battering blokes like it’s an Olympic sport, and you’re going for gold.

The controls may be straightforward, but the combat has just enough depth to keep things interesting. It’s not just about whacking the crap out of enemies with your sword, timing matters, combos matter, and the game rewards you for paying attention rather than button‑mashing your way through every encounter. It is responsive, solid, and surprisingly satisfying. The kind of fighting system that feels like it’s been tested by someone who actually likes beat ’em ups.

Mexican Ninja leans into the tried‑and‑tested roguelite loop: play, die, unlock new skills, play again, die again, repeat until spiritually enlightened. Each run gives you a little more progress, a little more power, and a little more reason to go again. But, I found the roguelite elements are a bit… lite. Roguelite‑lite. A diet roguelite. Enough to keep you hooked, but not enough to make you rethink your life choices between runs.

The game looks good: bold colours, flashy effects, and a visual style that’s loud without being obnoxious. The 2.5D presentation isn’t just a gimmick, the camera shifts, secret areas can be found, odd angles, top-down views, and cinematic sweeps give the world more personality than you’d expect from a side‑scrolling brawler. Then there’s the humour. Mexican Ninja is adult and childish at the same time. Crude jokes and puerile references proudly stand next to OTT violence, blood, and gore. The tone feels like the Monty Python team wandered onto set of an Akira Kurosawa film and refused to leave. It’s silly, it’s knowingly daft, and it never pretends to be anything else.

Mexican Ninja knows exactly what it wants to be: fast, frantic, ferocious, and just a little bit facetious. It’s simple, totally non‑serious, and packed with sword-slashing joy. If you like your beat ’em ups to feature a special move where you fart on enemies to deal damage, then congratulations, your niche has been catered for. And at around £12, it’s a pretty easy recommendation for anyone who wants a colourful, chaotic brawler that doesn’t take itself seriously for even a single frame. Out now on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.