Last Updated on Oct 3, 2025 @ 14:44:22 PM.
Amber, the developer behind Mexican Ninja, has made your weekend choices far easier with the release of the first demo. Clearly inspired by the side-scroller beat-em-ups of a forgotten era of gaming, Mexican Ninja smashes together two contrasting cultures in a picture of colour and fast, frenzied, and overwhelming action. Creative Director of Mexican Ninja, Dario Hoyo, says:
“Mexican Ninja was born from our love of old-school beat em ups, then layered with the replayable bite of roguelikes. It’s Mexico meeting Japan: lucha bravado, bilingual slang, and irreverence colliding with feudal drama and Yakuza steel. We built combat to feel fast, satisfying, and skill-based, and we let the comedy live inside the fight. That’s our philosophy: keep you on your toes, then make you grin with style, swagger, and huevos.”
If this is your first time hearing of the slicing, dicing, Mexican, and Japanese fusion video game, then look no further. Straight from Amber:
“A fast, crass, and gloriously over-the-top 2.5D roguelike beat ’em up. Players will carve a path through Nuevo Tokyo, a chaotic collision of Mexican grit and Japanese cyberpunk, where Narcos and Yakuzas fused into the corrupt Narkuzas.
Mexican Ninja plays en chinga: pick-up-and-play arcade action that rewards mastery. Runs are randomized; duels are loud; timing, spacing, and smart builds turn button-mashing into ballet. Unlock Spirit Animal paths, unleash Mexican Jutsus, and customize your fighting style via the game’s swagger-first skill tree: the Way of the Donkey.
The demo drops you at the spark of the uprising, a first strike against the Narkuzas’ grip on Nuevo Tokyo. Expect quick, punchy encounters, loud mouths on both sides, and just enough story heat to frame the coming revolt.
KEY FEATURES:
- 3D Beat ’Em Up, 2D Retro Soul – Fast, responsive arcade combat with gore-splashed flair.
- Rogue-lite Chaos – Randomized runs, trash-talking duels, and weapons that get muy personal.
- Spirit Animal Skill Trees – Build around Blazing Talons, Angry Early Bird, Morning Squawk, and more.
- Way of the Donkey – A swagger-soaked “skill tree” that turns good fundamentals into ridiculous power.
- Mexican Jutsus – Signature abilities that supercharge crowd control and look sick as ****”
Mexican Ninja will release exclusively on PC in 2026. The demo is available now.
For more from us, check out why Insomniac Games has a Wolverine-shaped issue, or our interview with the developers of Rise of Piracy!
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
