Ninja Reflex

Some of a ninja's attributes are tested in Ninja Reflex, a new Wii game that combines tidbits of WarioWare with teaspoons of Trauma Center and Red Steel. The game is all about speed; precision is a close second, but it's not an overwhelming factor. Players will be tested on their ability to swing, swipe, shake and drag while maintaining their sanity. It is the ninja way to see through each challenge, no matter how difficult or cumbersome, and come out a winner. But does this have anything to do with entertainment?

Throw Me a Star

Shuriken, Hashi, Koi, Katana, Hotaru, Nunchaku. These are the six trials used to prove your prowess as a warrior. Humiliation isn't allowed but the game won't kill you for it – when a player loses, he or she may try again without repercussion.

Though several challenges are held within each trial, most are locked at the start of the game. New objectives become available with each belt increase. You'll begin the game at the lowest point. To move on, complete the existing objectives within five of the six trials. Following that accomplishment, the player must complete a belt trial that re-tests your skills at three of the trials you've previously completed. After that, the next batch of challenges are ready to be conquered.

Of the six, Shuriken is the one gamers will be most familiar with. With the Wii remote pointed at the screen, push the B button to lock-on to an enemy. Point the square cursor at any one of the targets to attack a specific enemy. Once locked on, quickly flick the remote to launch a throwing star at your foe (cardboard cutout or not, he's still your opponent). The process repeats immediately after a ninja goes down, up until the task at hand – like defeating a specific number of ninjas – has been dealt with.

Re: Flexible

Very soon the game retaliates by adding geishas to the mix. They come strolling out, cardboard cutout style, and will cause an automatic failure if one is hit. This mode is also timed: first by clock, second by ninjas who won't wait around for you to strike. With each new belt, additional obstacles are thrown in to make what started as a simple game of remote-flicking a game of attention and speed. You can't run a rampage and win; Geishas frown upon that.

If you're as clueless as I was, you might think that Hashi is an ingredient in sweet and sour chicken. In reality, Hashi is a catching game where you must snatch a fly with chopsticks. These flies never stop moving – unlike the real thing, they aren't looking for a place to rest and barf. Simulating the act of chopstick grabbing, players need to aim the remote just above the fly and push the A and B buttons simultaneously. If you're fast, the fly is yours. If you're slow ... it'll still be yours, but only in the first level. After that, even a jar of honey couldn't help a slowpoke.

Like Hashi, Koi is a catching game. But instead of grabbing flies while they, uhh, fly, your goal is pull fish from the safety of water. Small, medium and large sizes are available, and contrary to market value, the smaller fish are better. The reason is obvious the second you see them in action: they're much faster swimmers, and their smaller size makes 'em hard to catch. Fish can only be grabbed when they surface, an act that lasts about 1.5 seconds for the big fish, 1 second for the medium-sized fish, and less than that for the puny speedsters.

Acid Reflex

The Katana challenges draw upon your inner swordsman. Hold the remote uphigh and sideways (the power button should face your left) to block a downward strike. Hold it upright and to the far left to block left-side attacks, and do the opposite to prevent right-side slashes from bruising your flesh. No limb loss or permanent scarring is possible; these swords are made of wood. Your remote, however, is made of plastic and may break if thrown repeatedly against a wall. Try to keep that in mind when the frustration of these Red Steel mechanics overtakes you.

Hotaru is the strangest mini-game I've seen since WarioWare was released last year. Rather than catching flies with chopsticks, players are required to catch fireflies with their eyes. You don't shake or move the remote at all. Instead, carefully watch the screen and wait for a firefly to appear. As soon as one does, press the A button. A few requirement changes are used to make the following stages more difficult, one of which asks the player to eye-catch fireflies designated by one color and ignore the rest.

Finally there's the mini-game that shares its name with the remote attachment and a famous ninja weapon: Nunchaku. Note that you do not actually use the nunchuck attachment – Ninja Reflex is for Wii remotes only. Still, this game is pretty cool with its use of slow-to-fast swings. Start by swinging the remote in a figure-eight formation. Do this slowly and steadily and wait for your sensei to throw an object. Depending on the goal, you may want to eliminate those objects, a task that's completed by increasing the speed of your figure-eight swing. It's a fast and fairly seamless mode whose gameplay should have been examined more thoroughly. It would have been cool to see a few combined challenges, such as a Nunchaku game where you have to catch a sword (with the nunchaku) and then use that sword on your opponent. As it is, players seeking aggressive, action-oriented content will prefer this mode over the rest.

Ninja Fail or Prevail?

As a novelty or mini-game collection, Ninja Reflex is pretty successful. It lacks the punch and hilarity of WarioWare but takes a little longer to complete. As a full-fledged $40 game, however, Ninja Reflex is lacking. The mechanics are far from flawless, a fact that might be forgivable (or even ignored) in a game with considerable depth. But there are just six mini-game types to choose from. Why should any of them be anything but perfection? The Wii isn't brand-new anymore. Most studios have had their development kits for at least two years. And that isn't the only point of stagnation – Wii graphics aren't evolving. It's as if they're stuck in the second or third year of GameCube and can't go forward.

In any case, WarioWare fans will find enjoyment with this title. There isn't any humor or quirky scenarios to speak of, but if the mechanics of WarioWare are what pulled you in, Ninja Reflex should appeal to some of those desires.