Cake Ninja 2 is a Fruit Ninja clone available for download on the Nintendo E-shop. The game features four different modes of play, (including the original Cake Ninja 1 mode) local wireless multilayer, and achievements to unlock. You even have the option of entering a special code received when you earn a high score at the developer’s website to see how you compare with other players on their leader scoreboards. Upon starting the game, you are greeted with a cheesy video of the cake ninja as he slices his way through hordes of cakes on the top screen.  The menu options are all navigated by the touch screen and are easy to use.

While there are four different modes of play, the objective seems to remain the same, slice as many cakes as you can while avoiding the watermelons.  There isn’t any music when playing in any of the game modes, (except when you get certain power ups) which feels like wasted potential. As you slice cakes on the bottom screen, however, you will see slice marks in the background from where you have cut which is a nice touch.  The power ups include shurikens and arrows, (which destroy cakes for you) twin blades for easier slicing, a watermelon free power up that keeps watermelons from spawning, and bounce, space, and freeze which effect the gravity and physics of the cakes.

The first mode, combo, has you slicing cakes in one fell swoop in a certain order as shown on the top screen.  Because you can only slice on the bottom screen, it can be really difficult to connect your slice to all three cakes as you wait for them to fall back down from the top screen.  In the heat of the moment, it can be difficult to discern what order to slice the cakes in, as the cake icons on the top screen are small and easy to confuse with other cakes.  Slicing combos one after the other will earn you bonuses to increase your score. The second mode, 222, is a speed test to see how fast you can slice up 222 cakes. While watermelons will decrease your sliced cakes total, slicing like a madman seems to work well here. The third mode, survival, is probably the most entertaining mode out of the bunch. You must survive for as long as you can without missing more than ten cakes. Slicing a watermelon in this mode has the same effect as missing a cake so it pays to be more careful in how you slice in this mode. Finally, mode 4 is the classic Ninja Cake 1 mode.  In this mode, a timer is continuously running down and you must continue slicing cakes to increase the time limit and your score.

For those looking for a similar experience to Fruit Ninja for their DS or 3DS systems, this may be a title to consider.  The multiplayer and online leader scoreboards are a nice way to keep people playing, and the achievements are there for those who enjoy unlocking them. Despite all of this, however, the game lacks a certain punch to it. Many of the modes can be beaten without too much care in how you slice, the lack of music in the game is disappointing, and the only power up you get to control yourself is the twin swords.  For those that can look past its flaws, the game may be enjoyable, but for those who can’t, it’s best to pass this one up.  For these reasons, Cake Ninja 2 gets a four out of ten.