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Ninjan is a fast little card game that wraps itself in ninja vibes, but not the grim, serious kind. This one draws from the more playful end of the ninja spectrum: blindfolded training sessions, bold colours, and a touch of cartoon chaos. It’s the kind of game that doesn’t ask for much from you but still manages to sneak in some clever moments and laughs along the way.
The game is made up of just 48 cards, all numbered between -6 and 10. Each card comes in one of three colours, and each colour represents one of the classic rock-paper-scissors elements. There’s a small stack of player aids as well, which are actually very handy. Over the course of nine rounds, you’ll try to collect the highest total score by playing your cards at the right time and outguessing your opponents. Simple, but not without a bit of bite.
👥 2-5 players, ages 7+
⌛ Playing time: 15 minutes
📝 Designer: 6jizo
🎨 Artwork: Crocotame
🏢 Publisher: Helvetiq (review copy provided)
How it Plays
Setup is quick. Shuffle the deck, put three cards face up in the middle to start the central piles, and deal nine cards to each player. That’s your hand for the whole game. No drawing, no reshuffling. Just those nine cards. The rest go back in the box, and you won’t see them again.
Each round has two parts. First, everyone picks a card from their hand and places it face down. Then, when everyone’s ready, you all reveal at the same time. Cards are resolved from highest value to lowest. If two or more cards have the same number, the colour breaks the tie. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock. You know the drill.
When it’s your turn to resolve your card, you check it against the top card of each central pile, using the rock-paper-scissors logic. If your card beats one, you take the whole pile. Your card becomes the new top card in its place. If it doesn’t beat anything, your card gets added to one of the piles, face up, and life goes on.
You repeat that for nine rounds until everyone’s played all their cards. Then you count up the points in your collected piles. Highest score wins. If there’s a tie, you settle it the only way that makes sense at this point, with a good old rock-paper-scissors duel.
Visuals and Style
Ninjan comes in a small, colourful box that’s easy to toss into a bag. The art leans into a fun, cartoon style without going overboard. Each card features a minimalist ninja illustration with a strong background colour. Red for rock, green for paper, blue for scissors. The numbers are big and clear, and each card shows its type with an obvious symbol. You won’t find yourself flipping the card back and forth trying to figure out what it does.
The design focuses on clarity, and it really works. Even when the cards start to pile up, it’s easy to keep track of what’s happening. And with the player aid cards on the table, nobody’s fumbling over rules or forgetting who beats what. It’s a slick little package that doesn’t get in its own way.
Our Experience
We played several games of Ninjan in different groups, and it consistently delivered quick, energetic rounds. Setup took less than a minute, and new players were comfortable after just one round. There’s something about the mix of hidden choices and sudden reveals that gets people leaning forward and laughing at the outcomes, especially when someone throws down a -3 and somehow walks away with a pile of 20 points.
We found it works best with four or five players. That’s where the bluffing and mind games really come to life. With just two players, the game slows down a bit and becomes more about timing and calculated risks. Still fun, just a bit more serious.
It’s become one of our go-to fillers. Perfect for kicking off a game night or wrapping one up when it’s getting late and no one wants to start something heavy. You can play a full game in 10 to 15 minutes, and if it ends in a frustrating loss, you’ll probably want a rematch immediately. Just don’t expect to win with logic alone. Sometimes, it’s pure guesswork and that’s half the fun.
Our Thoughts
Ninjan isn’t trying to be the next big strategy title, and that’s totally fine. It’s a casual game through and through, with a fair bit of luck mixed in. You don’t get to choose your hand, and sometimes you’re stuck with cards that just don’t play well. That’s part of the deal.
But despite that, or maybe because of it, the game stays interesting. There’s a nice tension between when to go big and when to hold back. Each card pulls double duty, first deciding the turn order and then determining if it wins a pile. That simple mix of number and type gives just enough to think about without slowing things down.
Visually, it’s spot on. Easy to understand, quick to scan, and never overwhelming. It also plays better the faster you go. If you start overthinking every round, it loses some of its charm. The fun comes from the momentum, the sudden twists, and the occasional moment where someone accidentally wins big with a complete throwaway card. Classic ninja move.
One thing we would have liked is a bit more variety over multiple plays. The game doesn’t change much from session to session. It’s always the same deck, the same rhythm. That said, it’s not pretending to be something it’s not. It’s a fun little game, and when played in short bursts, it really works.
Our advice is simple. Play it fast, don’t take it too seriously, and try to out-bluff your friends with a -2 disguised as a game-winning masterstroke. You’ll lose often, but you’ll laugh even more.
📝 We received a review copy of Ninjan from Helvetiq.
