iPhone Game Review: Rainbow Ninja

Sometimes it is just plain hard to look at, analyze, and review a game. Sometimes they have caveats that you can just not get into words, or they are so unique that you are left struggling to find a way to describe the game. Sometimes, as in the case of RainbowNinja, the game is just not really like a game at all.



Flash games, and those like them, are simple and easy to play, but they are addictive as hell; RainbowNinja continues this policy. The game is basically a color test, where you either click the color that is written or the color the writing is in. It is just like Brain Age for the Nintendo DS, and it has the same basic challenges. After decoding what color to click, you simply click it, and the new challenge shows up. That is all that this game is. Yet, somehow, it is highly addictive.

Now, don't get me wrong, while it seems that RainbowNinja is exceptionally easy, the game is actually quite hard. In fact, the developer even describes it as "evil" and "deviously simple". This combination makes the game a fun and enjoyable play while also making it highly addictive. The game is designed simply to make anybody play it, and it does that well. RainbowNinja is like crack in the gaming world, the game keeps you coming back for more.

Speaking of playability, one of the nice features of RainbowNinja is how easy it is to pick the game up. The graphics (not that there are many) are easy for anybody to see and read. The actual game play is exceptionally easy to pick up on. This game is designed to be used by anybody, and everybody can use it. This sort of inclusive design is reminiscent of Nintendo's WII design and seems to be doing well in the market.

Due to the simplicity of RainbowNinja , it is hard to find anything that should be added to, or that is a problem, with the game. To be honest, there is nothing really wrong with the game, it is just missing a few good features. For starters, I believe that we should be able to post our high scores from the game onto a worldwide high score board. As this is like every flash game out there, we know that this is an essential part of the game. Additionally, I would like to hear background music during the game. While the sound effects are amazing, and downright cool, the lack of background music is a missing feature.

Overall, I believe that RainbowNinja is a game that is great to grab as a time waster. The addictiveness, and the ease of play, makes this game great for any bus ride to work or while waiting for class to start. It also is a great game to toss at the kids on a long car ride. I hope that there is an eventual high score list, but that really isn't a game breaker. The price tag, which is $1.99, seems a little high for this game, but isn't a deal breaker either. I believe that you will enjoy RainbowNinja and that you will get your money out of it.

On a side note, there is a contest being held by the makers of RainbowNinja to get the highest score ever. Until Feb. 28th, 2009, gamers can submit their score and compete for some prizes. The person with the highest score grabs $500. The second place person gets $100 and third place goes home with $50. An additional 10 people get T-shirts featuring the game. In other words, those 10 people get to become walking billboards. I think that these sorts of contests are a great move for starting game developers, as it creates a buzz and encourages people to buy their game. The more people buy it, the better they do. As for the walking billboards, hey, free advertising rocks.