Nutjitsu Xbox One

Nutjitsu has been submitted to Microsoft to be run through the console holder’s certification process, developer NinjaBee informed XBLA Fans this weekend at the PAX East video game convention in Boston.

Although games sometimes run into issues during certification that cause them to be rejected and resubmitted once those issues are resolved by the developer, NinjaBee Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Michael Purser says he expects Nutjitsu to release shortly on Xbox. Purser added that the studio is targeting a $5 price point for the game.

XBLA Fans was able to go hands-on with the title at PAX East, playing four of its 15 stages. Taking control of a ninja squirrel, we were required to either spend a specific amount of time on highlighted parts of the map in a king-of-the-hill-styled mode; collect acorns and deposit them into a sack; or pick up five scrolls to achieve victory.

Matches play out similarly to Pac-Man, with ninja foxes known as “kitsune” playing the role of the ghosts in Namco’s seminal title. Squirrels, however, can’t eat foxes. Instead, players are forced to sneak their way around each map, but enemy foxes will pick up the squirrel’s scent when they follow in his footsteps, which causes them to give chase. When players are unable to avoid their path, they have the option of deploying inventory items like smoke bombs to conceal their presence or ice bombs to freeze enemies in place.

Nutjitsu was originally released in September as a free Windows 8 title that made its money through in-game ads before being announced as one of the first ID@Xbox games in February. NinjaBee previously released A World of Keflings, Ancients of Ooga and several other titles on Xbox Live Arcade.