Disc Golf and Ninja. When you hear these words, what immediately comes to mind? A new ninja skill? A new sport? A new special menu item at Starbucks? If you guess any of these, well, except for Starbucks, you would be on the right path. Words that I, you, or anyone else may have never thought to put together. But what if you did put them together and combined forces? Could it possibly be a new Olympic sport that we didn’t know we needed, or maybe a new weekend activity where we can all dress like ninjas for a good time? It would be interesting regardless of which direction it went. But does developer, Immersion Games show us what it’s like to combine Disc Golf and Ninja? Let’s find out with Disc Ninja for the Oculus Quest/Quest 2.
Disc Ninja has you traveling to feudal Japan following the lead of a golden dragon as you become a Disc Ninja. Immerse yourself in a breathtaking virtual reality setting and practice your Disc Golf skills, come rain or shine. Win tournaments in all provinces and prove that you are the greatest Disc Ninja of all time. To make sure you can become the best disc-throwing ninja ever, there are a few things that you will want to do first. For one, make sure you have enough space where you can throw without hitting anything. Second, go through the tutorial so that you can hone your disc throwing skills. And finally, make sure your Oculus Touch controllers are charged, because you don’t want to be on that last ounce of batter when you are about to win everything only to have more throws than intended.
The goal of Disc Ninja is to try to throw as few discs as possible as you try to reach the golden dragon. Along the way, you will find signposts with exclamation marks that will guide you through the level. But like any good course, there are shortcuts to be on the lookout for. If you happen to not sure where you should go because you may have over curved your throw and had your disc ended up in a different direction (yes, it does and will happen), then you can pull up the mini-map which will help you along the way. Not only do you have signposts to be on the lookout for, but there are hidden treasures that are cards, costumes (which should only work in Multiplayer), and disc designs that you will want to try and collect. When you throw a disc, there is a ghost disk where you can repeat the throw, however, all throws count. So if you were hoping to erase a bad throw, sorry about your luck here.
Throwing a disc in Disc Ninja is just like you would throw a disc in Disc Golf or a frisbee. I will say that Immersion Games S.A. does a good job with the throwing mechanics with the different curves that you can throw. I did experience throws that felt like it was just right and then there were some that just felt a tiny bit off. It really took me a few tries to get the handle for the most part. Each round shows what should be the best throws for that round. For example, in the first round, Dragon Shrine. 9 throws should be the absolute number of throws it should take while 5 throws would be the best of the best. As you can see, it does take some practice to get used to everything.
When you think you have mastered the art of Solo, there is Multiplayer. This was one of the features that I was looking forward to the most. However, I did try numerous attempts with nothing but an empty lobby. But with this mode, up to 4 different ninjas are supposed to be able to compete against each other which I am still hoping to experience.
Each of the 15 maps really is full of detail with each one becoming a little more difficult than the last thanks to the wonderful design of the maps as you try and hope to get as less few throws in as possible. Some could say that is easy, but focus and dedication will make the journey to Disc Ninja Master that much more of an achievement.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. Each of the 15 maps is really full of detail and the colors come through vividly. I really how even though you can play under the night sky, the trees and the pathway are lit up and bringing a visual balance to the mix. Sound-wise there really isn’t any music or soundtrack. You can hear things such as your throws, the birds chirping, and even when you move, but nothing really to add to the experience.
There are a couple of things I would love to see added. For one, cross-platform support. Disc Ninja came out on Steam in 2020, and now that it’s out for the Oculus Quest/Quest 2, it would be nice to see this option available so hopefully, there might be more players in multiplayer. Second, some online tournaments and leaderboards would be nice here. Having a Disc Ninja online tournament competition would be a welcomed benefit. Third, hand tracking. Adding the ability to use hand tracking on the Oculus Quest would just give another depth of play. And finally, I do hope that the game comes to other platforms like PlayStation VR and Viveport along with cross-platform play where everyone can talk and just have a good time as a disc-throwing ninja.
Disc Ninja does combine something that we probably have never thought about before and that’s not a bad thing. It shows that the ideas of what-ifs can work in Virtual Reality. It allows us to take a sport and play as a ninja as we try and escape for a while. And with how things are going in the world, couldn’t we all use an escape about now?
Disc Ninja is out now for the Oculus Quest/Quest 2 on the Oculus Store and Steam. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Immersion Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Also, check out the Disc Ninja interview.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I am going to see if anyone wants to play.
