Fruit Ninja Classic Plus Review: Slice and Dice (iPhone)

Don’t need a juicer or blender for this game. All you need is a quick hand and a sharp instrument, and we are good to go. From the developers of Halfbrick Studios, comes an addictive game of slicing some juicy fruits in half and having fun in the process. It’s a new version of Fruit Ninja being offered on Apple Arcade. The game provides a phenomenal stress relief of quick action fun, where the player gathers rewards on how much fruit they can chop right in half. Okay, okay, okay…I hear ya…enough bantering…on to the Fruit Ninja Classic Plus review. 

Fruit Ninja Classic Plus is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Please look at these other versions of the Fruit Ninja game. 

Credit: Gaming on MacBook

Story – Believe in the Slice

You play as a sword-wielding individual who must embark on a journey that involves cutting through many fruits to obtain certain attributes. The more successfully the individual smites a fruit in half, the more points they receive overall. And the more points they receive, the more rewards the player will gain down the road. One of the main objections of the game is to level up by filling up the level bar to receive rewards throughout Fruit Ninja Classic Plus. The rewards include gaining more star-fruits, special blades, and brand-new dojos. I enjoy the laid-back storyline in this game. You gather points by chopping up fruits…then you talk to your sensei when you want more weapons. How cool is that?

Gameplay – Path to Fruit Cutting Greatness

Once I saw the main screen, I knew I was in for a treat. The main screen has different fruit selection buttons evenly separated. The four main buttons here are New Game, Sensei’s Swag, Achievements, and Settings. In the upper left portion of the screen is a red button with the word mission on it, and above this button is the level bar. The mission button is where the recently playable quests are featured. The gameplay is simple. Hold down your finger on the screen, and make a swiping motion to release a slash of your sword’s blade. Make sure to cut through the fruit with your swipe. Try to slice more than one fruit to pull off a combo multiplier. 

The main screen of the game

When players enter the new game screen, they will be shown playing options: Classic, Arcade, Event, Multiplayer, and Zen. In Classic, the player will try their luck to slice as many fruits as possible until time runs out. This mode was okay, as it offered me fewer situations that could occur. Just hit fruit until the clock ran out, and stay away from the bombs. If you hit the bomb, it’s an automictic game over. You have three strikes in Classic, where the player can drop a fruit three times until the game ends. 

In Arcade mode, the bombs turn into point deductions instead of instant game-overs. Here is where new power-up items are thrown in the cutting area. I thought this was a good change of pace from Classic. You get power-up items such as freeze. This also has a timer like Classic. Some bonus fruits in Fruit Ninja Classic Plus are more in points than regular fruits. In the game, players can pick up slot tokens in game modes such as Zen. 

Sensei’s Swag

This is where your sensei gives you blades and dojos for doing your job as a human blender. The blades can be upgraded by using star-fruits collected along the way. Once the blades have been upgraded, people can watch as the game randomly selects a power they will obtain (major or minor.) Specific blades include golden rabbit, tiger claw blade, shiny red, and old glory. Dojos can also be purchased here. These are background wallpapers for your screen. They come in styles like fruit ninja, I heart sensei, love letter dojo, and abandoned dojo.

Achievements & Settings

I like the achievements one can receive while playing Fruit Ninja Classic Plus. It keeps you focused on playing another game. Some of the achievements in the game that is on the list are first taste, fruit ninja, tee hee hee, fruit fight, and zen master. Check out the list of achievements to see what you must do to unlock it. 

Hit more fruit in a single swipe to receive a combo multiplier

The settings option lets people view the credits behind Fruit Ninja Classic Plus, and a help and support button directs you to an email to contact customer support. I’m really impressed by this feature. I don’t really see that in video games too often, so kudos to them. And a player can find the in-game language changer, audio, and save game options here. Also, a person can check out their standings with other players by looking up the leaderboard on the main screen.

Audio & Graphics – Bright and Plump Fruits

The graphics in Fruit Ninja Classic Plus is absolutely stunning. Bright and sharp colorations. The letters are pleasant on the eyes in the game. Every image in this game has a fantastic shiny texture to it. The animation blends in nicely with one another. I honestly believe that the graphics are the game’s unsung hero to make it pop even more. 

I like how the audio sounds in the game as well. Very light, and not overpowering. Gives you the extra boost to slice the fruits that are thrown in front of you. The sounds the fruit makes when they are cut in half, almost like a splattering noise, is very satisfying. Fruit Ninja Classic Plus’ background music is pleasant to listen to also. 

This review was done playing Fruit Ninja Classic Plus on an iPhone.