It’s a great time to be a ninja. Not
only does this stealthy character of myth have a new wave of Ninja Gaiden games
coming to both next-gen and DS platforms – no, he’s got his own mini-game
collection on the DS and Wii. And who doesn’t have a mini-game collection these
days? Also, you might ask, how does a shadowy killer get reduced into a
“casual” game called Ninja Reflex. Simple: It makes the money.
Ninja Reflex is a collection of
quick, twitch based mini-games that test your stylus skills to the limit. There
are only six mini-games, each with slight variations to make them seem like new.
After completing the first level of games, you’ll be challenged to take a belt
test, which is just a tough version of the games. This proceeds, making the
mini-games harder until you get the top belt. Essentially, you are playing the
same games over and over, with slight variations, until you finish.
“That’s what Ninjas do, catch
flies.”
While generally the six mini-games
are fun in bursts, they are very shallow. When you’re done with this game, you
will be done for good. The first game is throwing stars at wooden targets. To
throw, you touch the target and then swipe up on the touchscreen. It works, but
the game itself is nothing more than touching moving targets. In another game,
you’re catching fish out of pond. You track the various sized fish with your
stylus and pull them out depending on the score you need.
The katana game is the most violent
of the bunch, but was similarly the most disappointing. Opponents run up to you
and attack either vertically or horizontally. You respond by swiping in the
direction against their attack to block, and then swipe again to kill. Like the
other games, the mechanic does its job, but it’s not great fun. In the nunchuko
mini-game, you swipe on the touchscreen in rhythm with a pattern that is drawn
out, swinging the nunchuck in rhythm. You then pull either the L or R to swing
them, hitting the fruit that is being hurled at you from your Master.
Oddly enough, there is a Meditating
mini-game. Actually, it’s really not a mini-game but rather an instructional
“how-to” for meditation – it includes both a guided- and timer-based session. I
myself appreciate the bold idea of including the meditation mode (maybe it will
introduce a kid to a great practice), but at the same time I’m appreciating it,
I’m also disappointed that this is what the developers did instead of making
another actual mini-game.
While EA did short change this game
on mini-games, Ninja Reflex is gushing with personality. The Master who guides
you through the challenges is very funny and well written, and his character
animation is top-notch. So much so that it’s a disappointment he wasn’t used
more. I kept imagining a game with a fleshed out, light-hearted story and all
the jokes in between – sadly, a sequel, I hope. Similarly, the art design and
graphics are fantastic. All around, the game has great production values … just
not enough substance.
|
|
Gameplay: 4.0
Not enough variety
here to flesh out this game. Games like Nunchuko and Katana are competent, but
not as much fun as you would expect.
Graphics: 9.5
Great use of
lighting and textures on the DS. The animation of your Master is really good
and the art design is “most impressive, young grasshopper.”
Sound: 9.0
Great voice acting
and background music – if only there was more of it.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.0
There are some good
ideas in this game, but ultimately it just a sparse collection of mini-games.
Multiplayer: 7.0
The games are better
with friends, but not that much.
Overall: 6.0
This game is in the
right direction with great style and production values, but ultimately the
mini-games are too few and the game mechanics are severely under par – Your
reflex should be to save your money.
