Left or Right (Nintendo DS) - Review by Chris

Introduction

With the Nintendo DS, we've seen a huge influx of non-game titles that have pushed the envelope in terms of what we can now call a game. Titles like the Brain Training series from Nintendo along with many of the other similar training and learning games have brought in a new league of gamers using software to better themselves in ways that it was never believe games would. Now, though, we have another attempt at pushing the envelope, this time hoping to improve your motor skills and improve your ambidexterity. This title, Left or Right: Ambidextrous Challenge, comes from developers Taito and publisher 505 Games and hopes to do just that.

Gameplay

Left or Right: Ambidextrous Challenge is similar to many of the other training games available on the market, in the way that the progression through the training regime is very similar. Like the various other types of training games on store shelves, this game is made up of a collection of roughly 15 mini-games designed to help improve your skills with your weak hand. The object of the game is to use it over a period of time with the eventual desire that you will have improved skills in your non-writing hand and be able to use either for any mundane task outside of the game. It's a simple premise but one that will require you to continue to use the software over a significant period of time if you want to see anything in the way of improvement because anyone who has attempted to use their non-writing hand for anything will know just how hard it can be to coordinate your way through a task.

The game is set up so that you tell the game which is your good hand and you'll then have the option of working through a challenge to determine your ambidextrous balance, with you going through a series of mini-games first with your good hand then again followed by your weak hand, or going through a series of skill tests that get progressively harder. The only problem is that the mini-games on offer here are very limited and some feel very similar with only a slight change of character. There's also this feeling that some of the games aren't doing what the game would have you think they are. They are supposed to have been included so as to test your ambidexterity but some of them come down to pure luck in terms of how well you do or don't work particularly well. For example, one particular mini-game requires you to 'save the day' so to speak by using the stylus to flick incoming meteorites back into space to prevent them from crashing into Earth. The problem is, there is no set pattern and at times, you'll be able to last for quite a substantial period of time but at others, you'll find it difficult to last more than 30 seconds because the waves of incoming meteorites are so random. It will undoubtedly help improve your skills all around but it feels more luck based on how ever many meteorites you get clogging up the screen at once. Another example of where the game isn't particularly great is in the musical mini-game which has you tapping away at one of 8 notes on the touch screen to play a tune but either down to poor development or bad use of the touch screen, it just doesn't work well at all as you'll need split second reactions to even hit the note. One second out and it's a missed note. It doesn't make for a great learning environment.

Elsewhere, the remainder of the mini-games are simple touch based ones that'll have you either tapping or drawing on the touch screen and these do work in helping improve your skills. As previously stated, it will take a lot of play to get there but in the end, you will notice improvements in your ambidexterity. The game does offer a multiplayer option for two people where they can play against one another to see who has the best ambidexterity rating and I guess it can be interesting to see how you stack up against others but it's not something you'll use very often.

Controls

The entire game is controlled by use of the touch screen so you'll never have to worry about the use of any of the buttons. The touch screen controls work well but there are a few occasional detection issues. The game is slightly hampered in that it doesn't give you a true reading of ambidexterity because the DS' touch screen only allows for single point recognition and in some tasks you would perhaps use multiple fingers instead of a lone stylus but on the whole, it works well.

Graphics

These types of games don't really need to worry about graphical representation because that isn't what people will be playing them for. As a result, the visual side of things is very withheld but clean, with the menus being uncluttered and easy to navigate and the mini-games being simple in design but done well. It's not going to win any prizes for visuals, even against other training games, but it gets the job done.

Sound

Again, this isn't an area where the game particularly excels but it didn't need to. Like the visual presentation, the audio covers the same ground being clean and simplistic with it only ever being noticeable in the likes of the musical mini-game and there it is done well.

Dual screen

The game makes decent use of the two available screens. The touch screen is where everything takes place, with the DS being held like a book for all the tasks. Overall, the touch screen is used and works well but there are some detection issues. The top screen is merely used to give place to the game's lacklustre mascot who will provide words of encouragement. It's not a particularly great use of the screen but there isn't a whole lot that it could have been used for.

Final comments

As a game, Left or Right: Ambidextrous Challenge isn't particularly great. As a training title, it has its moments but ultimately suffers from a lack of content to drive it on and little in the way to keep you coming back. Any improvement you want to make in terms of your ambidexterity can easily be done by use of a sheet of paper and a pen, something that won't cost much at all, so it does beg the question of why make a game to push the idea. It will improve your skills, if you can forgive the repetitive nature of game and if you can stick with it long enough.

Pro: Interesting concept, simple but effective design
Con: Lack of content, no real replayability like other titles in the genre, some detection issues
Final score: 4.6

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