Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 3/10
- Offline: 35 (1000)
- Online: 0
- Approximate amount of time to 1000 : 5-10 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1
- Number of missable achievements: 3 (see 'Glitchy achievements' for more info)
- Do cheat codes disable achievements? No cheats are available
- Does difficulty affect achievements? Yes. Unlocking Hard Little Ninja requires you to play on Hard difficulty. They are stackable, so doing this will also unlock Little Ninja.
- Glitchy achievements: Yes. If you replay a level before finishing the game, the counters for Tengu Friend, Animal Friend and Stop! Futo Time! will be messed up.
- Unobtainable achievements: None!
- Extra equipment needed: None!
- Awards: 2 gamer pictures can be unlocked

Introduction:
Mini Ninjas is a fun and easy game, and definitely one of the better kids’ games out there. All achievements can be unlocked in one playthrough, and any achievements you are missing upon completion of the game can be obtained by replaying levels.

NOTE: There is a glitch which is affecting Tengu Friend, Animal Friend and Stop! Futo Time! (maybe also Completist and Sightseeing), and it occurs if you replay a level before completing the game, so make sure not to do so.

Playthrough:
I recommend playing the game on Hard difficulty straight away, as it is relatively simple. This saves you from having to play through twice, since the difficulty achievements are stackable. If you are having trouble with a certain level, the difficulty can be changed from the in-game menu. The game records this on a level-to-level basis, so you may replay the level on Hard difficulty at a later time to unlock the achievement (again, do not replay levels before completing the game).

First of all, make sure to use THIS excellent guide by ErmacVersion1 for finding all the Jizo Statues for Completist and THIS guide for finding all the caged animals for Animal Friend. Make sure to take look at the lists of Temples for Sightseeing and Tengu missions for Tengu Friend in the achievement guide so you'll know when to look for them. Also, make sure to use Futo at least once on every level for the Stop! Futo Time! achievement (Boss levels do NOT count).

IMPORTANT: If you forget to free any caged animals, kill an enemy with Futo, help any Tengus or pick up any Jizo Statues, do not replay the level before you have finished the game! Simply take a note of which level it was and replay it after completing the game.

General tips: Try to kill as many enemies as you can with stealth attacks, to work towards the Now you see me.. achievement for 100 stealth kills. Always pick up flowers you come across, as they are useful in the game, and at least one of each must be collected to unlock Botanist. Hit any fruit trees you come across to eventually unlock Tree Hugger. Lastly, don't be cheap on the Ki for Kuji Magic, as you will get No Conjurer of Cheap Tricks for spending 1500 Ki. Refer to the guide for the remaining achievements.

Conclusion:
All in all, this is a very easy and enjoyable game. As long as you follow the guide and this Road Map you should unlock the full 1000 in a very short time.

A note on the glitch: If you by any chance managed to replay a level before completing the game, thus causing the glitch to affect certain achievements, try to replay the replayed level(s). The achievement might pop if you are lucky. If not, then you must start a new game. (I was missing all three, and got Tengu Friend when I performed the task for the Tengu in Haunted Forest and Stop! Futo Time! when I replayed an early level. For Animal Friend I had to replay the whole game).

[x360a would like to thank This is David for this Road Map]

Mini Ninjas Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
Show secret achievements

There are 35 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Completed basic training

    Will unlock on Level 1

    Story related and cannot be missed.

  • Find Futo

    Will unlock on Level 1

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    See Lost and Found

  • Find and free Suzume

    Will unlock on Level 2

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    See Lost and Found

  • Find and free Shun

    Will unlock on Level 6

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    See Lost and Found

  • Find and free Kunoichi

    Will unlock on Level 14

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    See Lost and Found

  • Find and free Tora

    Will unlock on Level 10

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    See Lost and Found

  • Retrieve all five missing ninja

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 14

    Story related achievement and cannot be missed.

    Those are the ninja that seem to be missing from the village (if you have read the notes on the doors) and will become part of your team once you find them. All of them (except Futo) must be rescued from the samurai.
    As soon as you've found the last one (Kunoichi), this achievement will be one less to go for.

    Below a list of who and where to find:

    • Futo (Level 1)
    • Suzume (Level 2)
    • Shun (Level 6)
    • Tora (Level 10)
    • Kunoichi (Level 14)
  • Defeat Boss Lumbering Fool

    Will unlock on Level 4

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    As soon as you get control of Hiro, run into a corner and stay there. The boss will swing his sword which will get stuck into the closest red pillar. Now jump on top of his sword, what will start a button sequence. Be sure to hit/mash the according button when prompted and everything will be just fine. Repeat 2 more times and he'll be defeated, unlocking the achievement.
    If you're running low on health, you can eat a few sushi at any time or drink a healing potion.

    1st button sequence: , tap ,, ,
    2nd button sequence: , tap ,, tap ,,
    2nd button sequence: , tap ,, tap ,,

     
  • Defeat Boss Windy Pants

    Will unlock on Level 9

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    Another easy boss to defeat, if you know what to do. His attacks are... well, his attacks are farts! This boss doesn't move at all. So, when he throws a fart cloud at you, run up to the boss. You'll activate the 1st button sequence. Push the right buttons when prompted, and he'll lose some health.

    Now there will be a few series of smaller fart clouds. Simply jump over them, until you get a new fart cloud coming towards you. Again, run up to the boss to start the 2nd button sequence. When he has lost some health again, there will be new series of small fart clouds. Again, jump over them. After these series of small fart clouds, he'll have 4 charged fart attacks (faster than the small ones). Again, jump over those as well, until he sends a new fart cloud towards you. Run up the boss again to start the 3rd and final button sequence.

    1st button sequence: , tap ,, tap ,
    2nd button sequence: , tap ,, tap ,
    3rd button sequence: , tap ,, tap ,

  • Defeat Boss Timid Swimmer

    Will unlock on Level 13

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    This boss fight isn't difficult either. Like with the previous boss battles, hit the right button when prompted and you should be fine.
    In this area, you will notice three red pillars: a small one on your left, a large one in front of you at the back, and a medium sized one to your right.
    Go straigth ahead and go up the stairs. Hide behind the large pillar in the back. Once the boss cuts the red pillar, the 1st button sequence will start.
    Now, go back up the stairs and go right towards the medium sized red pillar. Again, the boss will cut the top of it, starting the 2nd button sequence.
    Now time for the last red pillar. Again, go back up the stairs and this time go left to hide behind the small red pillar. Once the top gets cut off, the 3rd button sequence will start.

    1st button sequence: , tap ,,,,,
    2nd button sequence: , tap ,,, tap ,,,
    2nd button sequence: , tap ,,,,,,,

     
  • Defeat Boss Screeching Owl

    Will unlock on Level 16


    Story related and cannot be missed.

    A little game of 'hide and seek'. This boss will fly around the building.
    When the fight actually starts, you'll get a tip by pressing . It says to sneak up the boss. So... that's what we'll do. But be careful though, as his claw attacks may deal a great amount of damage!

    Stay on the bottom ledge to start with. You will notice that the snow is higher on some places. Go there and hide by pressing . When the boss lands, sneak up to the boss by holding . This will trigger the first button sequence. Same as with previous boss battles, press the according button when prompted.

    Now, go up one ledge and apply same strategy as before, meaning hide in the snow and sneak-attack. This will trigger the 2nd button sequence.
    In the last part, the boss will be on the roof top. The only thing to do here, is run to the top of the roof to activate the 3rd and last button sequence.

    1st button sequence: , tap ,, tap
    2nd button sequence: , tap ,,
    3rd button sequence: , tap ,, tap ,,,,

     
  • Defeat the Evil Samurai Warlord

    Will unlock on Level 22

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    He's the toughest of all bosses, but you are tougher!
    No button sequence this time... Kuji Magic is the key!
    First, you will want to equip all the 'Storm'-like spells that you can access by pressing while in combat.

    Be sure to have enough Flasks of Strong Ginseng, and enough Healing Potions or anything else that can restore your health (sushi, honeycomb, ...)
    This boss his health is also his defence. The balls spinning around him, are his shield. Destroying those balls, will lower his health as well!
    General tips:

    • Keep an eye on your health at all times!
    • Kill the minions as soon as possible, as they'll only get in your way
    • When you see the purple-black magic coming to you, swing your sword to send it back to him (as with the mages in the game, remember?). This will stun him for a while.
    • Beware when he's lifted, as he will have special attacks. His lightning attacks can hurt you badly!
    • When he's lifted, sprint by holding across the edges of the map to avoid being hit by his special attacks for most of the time


    The way I did it: I only used Meteor Storm to attack the spinning balls. Immediately I recharged my Ki energy by selecting the Flask of Strong Ginseng from my inventory by pressing . If I had a new opportunity, I used the Meteor Storm immediately again, otherwise I was killing the minions.
    Once he was lifted, I ran around the map holding (got hit a few times though, but immediately drank a healing potion). As soon as he was back on the ground in the middle, I ran up to him and used the Meteor Storm again. Keep repeating this strategy a few times, and his spinning balls should be destroyed after 3-4 Meteor Storm attacks.

     
  • Free all caged animals

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 21 if done correctly

    Missable & glitched achievement

    There are a total of 195 animals to be freed. A locations list can be found here.
    Before going to the next level, you can check if you've found and freed all animals.
    In case you've missed some, don't worry and move on with the story. Certainly DO NOT replay the level! Just take a note of which level you've missed some, and return after having beaten the game.

  • Shake 15 trees

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 2 or later

    Once you get close to a tree with fruit (fruit can be used to heal), you'll be prompted to tap . Do this to shake the tree and fruit to fall off the tree. Repeat this with 14 other trees (may NOT be the same tree) and achievement pops. Bushes do not count towards the achievement.

  • Reach level cap

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 15 or later

    Each time you kill an enemy or free a caged animal, you'll get XP which are represented by yellow orbs. Each time you pick one up, you'll see the circle closing around the Mini Ninjas logo located on the bottom left of your screen. Once the circle is fully closed, you will level up. So, kill as many enemies as possible, free as many caged animals as possible, and you will unlock the achievement once you've leveled up 15 times. The circle around the Mini Ninja logo will become red when fully leveled up.

  • Defeat an enemy as a snowball

    Easiest on Levels 17 or 19

    Missable achievement

    All you have to do is kill an enemy once you've turned into a snowball.
    Although there are several places you could get this achievement, level 17 "Snowy Canyon" and 19 "The Big Jump" are the easiest levels to get this achievement on.
    Jump on your hat by clicking and start sleighing down the hill and try to hit anything (eg. light post) along the way. When you're prompted to press , DON'T!

    Here's a video to help:

    PS: the guy from the video says he's showing you "Snowy Canyon", but it is NOT. In fact, the video he's showing, is "The Big Jump")

     
  • Flawless Great River Canyon rafting

    Only on Level 5 - Best done after completing the game!

    Basically it comes to this: don't take any damage to your hat/boat in the rapids!
    On the top right of your screen, you'll see your hat's status.
    Be sure to 'brake' by pushing the towards you to reduce the chance to take any damage.
    A little before the first part of the rapids, there should be a checkpoint. If you take any damage, reload last checkpoint and try again.
    Between the first and second part of the rapids, there will be another checkpoint (you have to climb a little to get there). Again, if you take any damage, reload last checkpoint. Takes a little practice, but isn't difficult at all!

    The video in Silent Assas... Ninja might help as well.

  • Complete game on easy or medium difficulty

     

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    See Hard Little Ninja

  • Complete game on hard difficulty

    You don't have to do multiple playthroughs since the difficulty achievements are stackable. Simply start your first playthrough on Hard Difficulty, which isn't hard at all. Once you finish level 22 "Evil Samurai Warlord", you'll be rewarded with three achievements being Restore Balance, Little Ninja and Hard Little Ninja.

  • Defeat 50 enemies with the bow

    Will unlock on Level 6 or later

    Your party member Shun carries a bow. You can select Shun by pressing and pointing your down. Simply hit the button to shoot arrows to every enemy you come across. Once you've killed 50 of them, the achievement is yours.

  • Use Futo in combat on all levels

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 21 if done correctly

    Missable & glitched achievement

    In order to get this achievement at the end of the game, be sure to use Futo at least once on each level to kill an enemy (except boss fights). If you happen to forget to use Futo on a level, take a note of which level. Certainly DO NOT replay the level.
    Once you've beaten the game, you can replay previous levels.

    NOTE: If you're not sure which level(s) you could have missed, then simply replay each level over again from the beginning, kill at least one enemy as Futo, and then save your game at a checkpoint, quit out and then move on to the next level.

  • Travel far in full gallop

    Will unlock on Level 10 or later
    As soon as you've rescued Tora, you can use his special attacks by pressing and holding . You can select Tora by holding and pointing the to the left.
    Now start running and hold until the Ki energy is fully consumed. One unstable Ki energy (red dot on right of the screen) will be consumed as well. Repeat 9 more times and the achievement should be yours.
    If you're getting low on unstable Ki energy, drink a Flask of unstable energy. If you don't have one, you can make one by mixing a Burdock Flower with a Wild Parsley (which can be found on Level 10, the same level where you've rescued Tora), and if you have the recipe of course!

    Here's also a small video on how to unlock this achievement:

     
  • Incite 50 enemies to dance

    Will unlock on Level 2 or later

    On Level 3 "Earth Castle", when you enter the castle's courtyard, the entrance will count as a checkpoint. Press and point to the right to choose Suzume.
    Don't bother freeing animals, picking up herbals, or whatsoever yet! You'll understand why in a second.

    Go left and immediately turn right around the corner. There will be one mini samurai guarding the bridge, and a bit ahead you'll see a group of 4 mini samurai and 1 medium sized one. Run up to them and start playing your flute by holding .
    You will have between 4-6 samurai dancing.
    Once they're all dancing, quit playing flute, let yourself get killed (you will re-spawn at the entrance of the courtyard) and repeat these steps until the achievement unlocks.

    Now you can go free the animals if you like, although it's better to wait until you've unlocked the Big Guy achievement.

  • Poker

     

    10

    Defeat 30 spearmen with the spear

    Will unlock on Level 14 or later

    In this level you'll get the possibility to control Kunoichi for the first time after having rescued her. Simply hold and select Kunoichi by pointing the to the upper left. Kunoichi's weapon is a spear. Amongst the enemies, you may already have noticed mini samurai using a spear. Kill 30 of them using Kunoichi's spear attack (hit ) and there you have it ... achievement unlocked!

    A good level to get this achievement on, is level 18. When you come to the area with the frozen waterfall on your left (where also 2 fast samurai are), you should have just passed a checkpoint. The left path leads towards the temple (which is the last temple for the Sightseeing achievement by the way), and on your right another path going downhill, with 5 spearmen and a large samurai. Kill the 5 spearmen using Kunoichi, and let yourself get killed by the large samurai. You will re-spawn at the checkpoint right before the frozen waterfall. Rinse and repeat until you've got the achievement.

    Also on level 18, after being ambushed, you'll eventually come across a checkpoint (after getting Jizo Statue 7/8). Follow the path until you come to the gate. In front of the gate are 8 spearmen.

  • Bring sunshine to all denizens of the graveyard

    Only on Level 7

    Story related and cannot be missed.

    Once the ghosts appear in the graveyard, take the stairs to your right. You will find a gazebo where you can find an Anemone flower. The shrine is behind it (use your Detect Kuji Shrine spell if you're not sure). You will get the Sunrays spell, that you will need to kill ALL the ghosts on the way to the Night Castle.
    Once you've killed the last remaining ghost, the achievements pops.

    If you're getting low on Ki energy, either backtrack and don't touch the controller for a minute or two (Hiro will start meditating which will restore your Ki faster), or use a Flask of strong ginseng.

  • Expend 1500 Ki using Kuji magic

    Will unlock on Level 1 or later

    An easy one! You can only get this using Hiro.
    Every time you cast a scroll spell by pressing , whether it is 'Detect Kuji shrine', 'Spirit form' or 'Fireball', you will be consuming Ki energy (which is represented by the blue line on the bottom left of your screen). One spell uses more energy than the other. As soon as you've consumed 1500 Ki, you'll get the achievement which will be way before the end of the game. I got it on the level 2, but you can get it as from level 1 in theory.

  • Defeat 100 enemies with stealth attack

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 5 or later - Best done after completing the story!

    During the training session you will learn to perform a stealth attack by hiding in high grass and pressing to sneak upon enemies from behind and press what will result in insta-kills. Do this 100 times and you've earned the achievement.

    There seems to be a good spot on level 5 to get this achievement on, as you will see in this youtube video.

    NOTE: if you want to use the strategy as shown in this video, it is best done after you've completed the game, and in case you didn't get the achievement by normally playing the game. The reason for this is that you need the Camouflage spell, which you will get at the shrine accessible between the rapids. And once passed the rapids, you can't go back to the beginning of the level. DO NOT attempt to get this achievement by replaying this level before you've completed the game!

     
  • Defeat a large one

    Will unlock on Level 3 or later

    You will encounter you first 'big guy' when in the courtyard of the castle on the 3rd level. The best way to defeat him, is to get rid of the mini and medium sized samurai so you won't have any enemy running in your way. Next, kick this big guy twice with and normally there should be a big appear above his head. Press when prompted! Now, either immediately start the same attack, or sprint away from him while pressing as he will probably swing his club. Repeat two more times and the achievement is yours.
    One hit from his club = almost instant death, and you'll find yourself back at the entrance of the courtyard!
    Later in the game, the RED large samurai will take 5 hits (1 hit = double combo followed by ) to get them down. The BLUE ones take only 3 hits.

  • Defeat 10 enemies as the boar

    Will unlock on Level 2 or later

    On this level you will have the ability to 'possess' the boar using the Spirit Form scroll. To do this, hold and point towards the according scroll. Once selected, you should see ghost-alike icon on the bottom right of your screen. Press to cast the spell and run up to the Boar to take control of this animal.
    Now simply kill 10 enemies by hitting and there you have the achievement!

  • Defeat 10 enemies as the bear

    Will unlock on Level 2 or later

    On this level you will have the ability to 'possess' the bear using the Spirit Form scroll. To do this, hold and point towards the according scroll. Once selected, you should see ghost-alike icon on the bottom right of your screen. Press to cast the spell and run up to the Bear to take control of this animal.
    Now simply kill 10 enemies by hitting and there you have the achievement!

  • Complete a level without being seen

    Easiest on Level 5 - Best done after completing the story!

    Simply complete any level without being spotted by a single enemy. The easiest place to do this, is Level 5 "Great River Canyon".
    Follow the same path as shown in the video and you should have the achievement on your first try!

     
  • Collect one of each ingredient

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 14 (or later) if done correctly

    This achievement should come naturally, but can be missed if you don't care about collecting flowers nor herbs.
    There are a total of 12 different kind of herbs/flowers/mushrooms to be found throughout the game, and can be used as an ingredient to mix yourself healing and other potions, if you have the recipe of course (buy these recipes from the different Tengu you come across in the game).

    Below you'll find the name of each one of them, as well as the earliest level to find them on. There are a lot of them throughout the game, so don't panic if you can't find one right away.

    You actually don't need to have them all in your inventory. Once you've found a missing herb/flower, it will be highlighted in your inventory. Having all 12 highlighted will suffice to unlock the achievement.

    Level 2 : Blue Petal / Oyster Mushroom / Ginseng Root / Anemone / Spear of Ashida
    Level 3 : Tiger Lilly / Stone Cap / Burdock Flower
    Level 6 : Sacred Lotus / Horse Tails
    Level 10 : Wild Parsley
    Level 14 : Mountain Fire

  • Collect all Jizo statues

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 21 if done correctly

    Missable & glitched achievement

    There are in total 100 Jizo Statues to be found in the game. There is an excellent guide done by ErmacVersion1 which can be found here. In case you'd rather prefer visuals, the youtube videos can be found here.

  • Complete all Wandering Tengu quests

    Build up throuhout the game - Will unlock on Level 14 if done correctly

    Missable & glitched achievement

    There are 5 Tengu that will need your help, activating a mini-quest. Here's where to find them and what to do for them.

    1) Level 2 "Leaving Home"
    In the village where the burning bridge is, Tengu will ask you to kill al 13 samuari on the across the river. Kill them all and a message that you've completed Tengu's task should appear on your screen. Go back to Tengu and get your reward.

    2) Level 2 "Leaving Home"
    Right after you've opened the bamboo door to access a new area, you will find Tengu and he will ask you to get him a Burdock Flower. You can find one near the temple if you turn right.

    3) Level 7 "Haunted Forest"
    You can find Tengu in the woods left from the main path where you start, and he will ask you to get him a Spear of Ashida. It is possible you have a spare one from a previous level. If not, you can find one not so far from where Tengu is. A little right from Tengu is a path, which will bring you to higher ground. Go up there, there should be 3 fruit trees (one of them with a bee hive). Go passed the trees, and there you'll find one.

    4) Level 11 "Flooded Valley"
    You can find Tengu in the beginning of the level and wants you to go check if his uncle is still OK after the area has been flooded. His uncle is located on the far right of the map, only accessible using your hat as a boat. The temple where his uncle is located, is also one of the temples you need for the Sightseeing achievement. Go back to the first Tengu and you will be rewarded with a Sturdy fishing rod which you can use to have the Koi drag you to the 2nd part of the flooded area.

    5) Level 14 "Winter Range"
    You can find Tengu after the first split in the beginning of the level. All he wants is a Tiger Lilly to make bombs. You should have more than enough of them, so give him one.

    WARNING!
    a) If you miss any of the Tengu or can't fulfill their request on your first run through any level the game will glitch and you will never be able to get the achievement. Make sure if you start a level with a Tengu that you NEVER quit out, you MUST finish the level AND complete the Tengu quest in the same run.

    b) If you replay any mission with a Tengu quest to go back and do something else you missed, (Example: Jizo Statues, Grinding out bow/spear/etc... kills) the game will glitch and will permanently wipe your Tengu quests to 0/5. Re-doing the Tengu quest will not count either as replaying the mission has already glitched your save.

  • Visit all temples

    Build up throughout the game - Will unlock on Level 18 if done correctly

    Missable & glitched achievement

    There are a total of 6 temples that you must visit. Here's where you can find them:

    1) Level 2 "Leaving Home"
    Once you see the Tengu who wants the Burdock Flower, go up the stairs on your right

    2) Level 6 "A Distress Signal"
    When you enter the area surrounded by water, right after having rescued Shun, you'll find the temple up the hill on the far right of the map

    3) Level 10 "Grassy Hills"
    When you get to the 2nd burning tree (the 1st is across the bridge), the path will split. Take right and a little bit further you'll find the temple on your right up the stairs.

    4) Level 11 "Flooded Valley"
    From the beginning of the level, head to the far right of the map. Can only be accessed using your hat as a boat. At this temple you'll find an uncle of Tengu, which is part of the Tengu Friend achievement.

    5) Level 14 "Winter Range"
    As soon as you've rescued Kunoichi, you'll find the temple entrance right around the corner, on the left when you face the very long bridge and opposite of the checkpoint.

    6) Level 18 "Volcano's Shadow"
    The temple entrance is to the right of the frozen waterfall.

     

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