DigitalFruit Ninja: Puss in Boots Livens Up an iOS Classic with Licensed Cat ContentBy Randy Nelson|October 25, 2011 ShareBy Randy Nelson|October 25, 2011 ShareAustralian developer Halfbrick Studios has teamed with THQ to produce a new version of the former’s iOS hit, Fruit Ninja, that ties into Dreamworks’ upcoming animated film Puss in Boots. What might seem like a cut-and-dry marketing move has actually produced what could be considered the definitive version of Halfbrick’s fruit slicing arcade title.The basic mechanics of Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots remain unchanged from those behind the original game in the franchise. Players swipe their fingers across their device’s screen in order to slice various types of fruit as they’re tossed up in the air. Each fruit sliced add to the player’s score. Bombs are tossed into the mix at random and, if sliced, explode, ending the game. The game will also end if players let three fruit fall off the bottom of the screen unsliced.For this version, the familiar game has been revamped with imagery and audio from the movie, including sound bites of its star, Antonio Banderas, cheering players on as Puss in Boots. Against backdrops based on the film, players can compete in the Desperado mode and Bandito mode.The former is more or less identical to standard Fruit Ninja, with the addition of tomatoes and new Puss in Boot themed effects, such as a cat claw sword. The latter reworks the familiar mechanics into a randomized series of brief mini-games, some only a sew seconds long. In these, players are challenged in a variety of ways, from slicing a certain number of specific fruit, to slicing fruit around ever-present bombs. If they fail three mini-games, it’s game over.However, if they win 12, they get to slice open a pinata filled with countless smaller pinatas in a final round. Halfbrick was founded in 2000 in Brisbane, Australia. The company has focused most of its development efforts on mobile titles, establishing a strong presence on iOS with titles like Fruit Ninja, Monster Dash, Jetpack Joyride, and Age of Zombies. Fruit Ninja is its most widely ported title, having also appeared on Android, Windows Phone 7, and Xbox 360 utilizing the console Kinect sensor. It has produced one Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, Raskulls.Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is currently the No. 4 paid app on the overall App Store chart, and No. 21 on the overall top grossing chart. Although Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots features an in-game store, it relies on a soft currency earned during gameplay for purchases. Halfbrick has not announced any plans for paid in-app purchases.You can follow Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots’ progress using AppData, our tracking service for mobile games and developers. Adweek Adweek