I contend that one of Square Enix's finest acquisitions in 2009's take-over of Eidos Interactive was the six miniature trained killers of 2009's action-adventure, Mini Ninjas. Soon they will be an animated series, but for now they're an endless runner, and I've missed them so much.

I didn't play the Kinect-powered Mini Ninjas Adventures last year because of that whole Kinect-powered bit (no room to groove in Faheyland), so today's iOS runner is my first heady hit of the tiny blade-dancers in three years, not counting replays of the original. So fond am I of these little bastards that I singled them out from this week's crop of four big-name endless-running mobile games (Temple Run: Oz and two more to be named later) for a little special attention.

Sticking close to the original storyline, Hiro and friends (who appear in the game via transformative power-ups) are tasked with bringing down the Evil Samurai Warlord's army, because his parents were spot-on when they named him Evil Samurai Warlord. The difference is that instead of 3D action-adventuring, these Mini Ninjas run from left to right, slicing fools so hard they revert to the animals they were before being enchanted by the aforementioned ESW.

This is a smooth and sweet endless runner that doesn't shy away from a challenge. Enemies jump and fly and weave about the screen. Obstacles are relentless. Appearances by the rock-smashing Futo or the flute-playing Suzume are welcome not so much for their utility powers, but more because they're effectively an extra life, reverting to Hiro when hit.

There are coins to collect, useful for unlocking costume pieces, one of which is completely age-inappropriate.

And there's even a crafting system, which sees the player collecting ingredients to concoct power-up potions that last the length of a run.

Mini Ninjas is much deeper and fully-imagined than the cheap knockoff I was expecting. It truly does my stabby little friends proud, unlike my video capture software.

Treat them well, Square Enix, and these guys will bring you untold fortune. Betray them, and prepare to meet the most adorable little garrote ever.

Mini Ninjas

• Genre: Endless Runner
• Developer: Square Enix
• Platform: iOS
• Price: $.99

Get Mini Ninjas on iTunes

We've not heard much from Hiro and his tiny assassin friends since 2009's Mini Ninjas, which makes sense; you're not supposed to hear ninja. Fans will get a chance to learn that for themselves come June 29, when Square Enix releases Mini Ninjas Adventures, a Kinect-powered fight-fest for Xbox Live arcade.

Hinted at back in March via trademark filings that greatly excited our resident Australian, Mini Ninjas Adventures follows Hiro through 21 levels of gesture-based combat, mini-games and boss fights on a quest to rescue his master and colleagues from the evil Samurai Warlord.

Expect plenty of standing in front of your television, flailing with great purpose.

Developed by Side-Kick Ltd. (appropriately enough), Mini Ninjas Adventures will be available June 29 in North America and Europe for the low, low price of 800 Microsoft points. Perhaps it'll show those damn Fruit Ninja how it's done. I'm sure we'll find out for certain next week, when some poor soul that's not me gets to try it out at E3 2012.

Square Enix has filed new trademarks in relation to the Mini Ninjas franchise. Which, very quietly, is one of my favourite games of this entire console generation. So this is way more exciting than it should be. [Siliconera]