Cubic Ninja (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Just like the square anthropomorphic form of the main protagonist, known only as CC, Cubic Ninja keeps most things very simple. For example, the story of a kidnapped princess is delivered with such cheek that it hardly seems like developers AQ Interactive believed that they needed much of a drive to push you through the 100+ levels. To give them their due, the gameplay is just fine enough to stand on its own, but the fact that they are almost openly proud of not committing much thought to one area of Cubic Ninja hints at the beginnings of a title that is not quite in harmony.

Plenty of effort has gone into making parts of Cubic Ninja a glowing experience, one that will test how public you are prepared to take your gaming. By using the accelerometer and gyroscope embedded within the console, the main goal of Cubic Ninja is to tilt the 3DS in the direction of the exit, guiding your ninja to finish the level. As stages progress you deal with increasing obstacles, enemies, fires and bombs, all of which kill CC in an instant - so learning how to handle the box with poise and grace is just as valuable as moving with speed and tempo. The thing that I can’t get my head around is whether AQ Interactive designed the tilting mechanism to be intentionally ‘slow’ when responding to movement or if a great deal of Cubic Ninja’s charm has actually been stumbled upon due to a bad design choice.

CC tends not to move much if you yourself are not prepared to sit on the edge of your seat. The motion sensors are certainly responsive, but only if you’re willing to fling the 3DS around like its Wii Remote cousins. Making CC ascend to navigate a level or dodge an enemy requires you to physically move the console over your head, rather than a gentle tilt forward. The same goes for when you need to move along a wall or sharply from left to right, there is no simple pivot to get where you’re going - instead you’ll be forced to see your 3DS in new and unfamiliar ways. It is an experience that feels liberating for a console scared to let its hair down. Launching the 3DS in the air to then swoop it across the room, successfully dodging traps and pitfalls with momentum and precision is equally as rewarding as it is embarrassing when you get caught in the act.

It is clear though that during development of this mechanic AQ Interactive discovered one problem with the presentation of the title. All this ducking and diving (intentional or not) pretty much renders the 3D screen redundant and so rightly much of the game is without it. It shows a degree of maturity from AQ Interactive, as they’ve obviously decided that an audience without 3D is better than one complaining of blurred vision and awkward visuals. It feels like a guilty addition, then, that they have included an option that opens up Cubic Ninja to complete 3D glory. A nod to the new technology this might be, but when the 3D is on it strips away all the tilting and turning with control passed over to the Circle Pad. This may offer more exciting scenes and indeed more precision, but none of the satisfaction.

This one compensatory addition leads onto many of Cubic Ninja’s problems, and it often feel like a game that is constantly trying to make up for what it thinks are its shortcomings. When you become feverishly tempted by what the game would look like in 3D and start navigating with the Circle Pad in curiosity, suddenly Cubic Ninja becomes an easier title. Difficult sections turn out to be a breeze and this ‘add on’ to please a few 3D-loving fans becomes an enticing appeal when levels become too harsh.

If the Circle Pad still isn’t enough to help you through then dying is always an option, as failure in Cubic Ninja inspires reward. During most of the game you’ll pick up scrolls that give CC a certain boost depending on how many of them you collect. Collecting five scrolls will allow you to shrink to a smaller size, 15 can kill all the enemies an area and 20 can give you a shield. It encourages exploration and determination, but die five times in one level and Cubic Ninja smiles down on you and you are free to ‘add’ as many scrolls as you like throughout that entire stage, making challenging judgements of timing and co-ordination moribund. It is not all plain sailing though as you don’t really ‘complete’ the level, but this forgiveness mechanic for making a stage too tough feels a lot more worthwhile than getting continually frustrated with the game.

Luckily for those frustrated enough to take advantage of the spoils of death or the Circle Pad, the whole experience doesn’t last long - completing the five areas only takes around three to four hours. Seemingly feeling the pangs of guilt once again, AQ Interactive has made measures to try and encourage you to play on. Each of the campaign levels are all re-playable with different characters who are rescued as your progress through the game and there are challenge modes and time trials to separate the cubes from the squares. Ghost Ninjas of your best times can be swapped with friends using QR codes, which is a nice addition but limits an experience that could have been more global. QR codes are also in use for the comprehensive level editor which at least lets some of your creative juices flirt and fly. However, again, it all has the feel of something that is tainted in apology.