Cubic Ninja
A 3DS puzzle game infamous for its homebrew exploit.
Cubic Ninja is a puzzle video game developed and published by AQ Interactive for the Nintendo 3DS, released in Japan in April 2011 and internationally in June 2011 by Ubisoft. Players use the console's accelerometer and gyroscope to guide the titular character through levels to rescue a princess. The game later gained notoriety for an exploit that allowed homebrew code execution on the 3DS.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- AQ Interactive
- Publisher
- AQ Interactive (JP); Ubisoft (WW)
- Platforms
- Nintendo 3DS
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Cubic Ninja is a puzzle-based platformer where the player controls CC, a ninja cube, through levels while avoiding enemies and traps. The primary control method uses the 3DS gyroscope, requiring tilting the console to move CC; the circle pad can be used as an alternative. Power-ups from scrolls allow CC to shrink, gain a shield, throw shuriken, or unlock all doors in a level. The game includes 100 levels with boss battles, unlockable characters like rubber and titanium cubes with different properties, survival and time trial modes, and a level editor that shares levels via QR codes.
Reception
The game received mixed reviews on Metacritic. Famitsu gave it a total of 30 out of 40. IGN described it as frustrating but praised its fun and creative gameplay, though the gyroscope controls were criticized as insufficiently sensitive and the circle pad scheme as wonky. The game was panned for lacking content to justify a full price, feeling like a $5 iPhone game. GameSpot noted joy in navigating difficult stretches but criticized level designs and boss fights for relying on unforeseen threats and frustrating controls, while praising multiple characters and the level editor for replay value. Pocket Gamer found the level design awkward and counterintuitive, and most power-ups pointless, but praised the visual appearance as slick. It was noted that the game primarily used 2D graphics, which may have avoided issues with the autostereoscopic display.
3DS homebrew exploit
On November 17, 2014, Jordan 'Smealum' Rabet publicized a user mode exploit in Cubic Ninja, called Ninjhax, allowing all existing 3DS models to execute homebrew code. The exploit requires placing a boot file on the SD card and using the level sharing feature to scan a malformed QR code, which triggers a buffer overflow that downloads and runs a launcher program. The exploit data is stored in the game's save data. Originally planned for August 30, 2014, Rabet delayed its release due to the unveiling of the New Nintendo 3DS, to prevent Nintendo from addressing it before the new revision. The exploit was released on November 21, 2014, coinciding with the New 3DS launch in Australia and New Zealand. Rabet stated it does not enable unlicensed games but could bypass region lock. This was the first public software-based homebrew exploit for the 3DS family, causing a surge in demand for the game, which had been a bargain bin title. Copies sold out at retailers, and online prices rose from $25 to $500. Nintendo pulled Cubic Ninja from the eShop, though it was only available digitally in Japan. Rabet noted that the developer became defunct months after release through a merger forming Marvelous AQL.
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