| American Ninja Warrior Challenge | |
 PlayStation 4's Cover Art | |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Gaming Corps |
| Publisher | GameMill Enterrainment |
| Genre | Sports |
| Release Date | March 19, 2019 |
| Country of Origin | United States |
| Platform | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch |
American Ninja Warrior Challenge is a video game developed by Gaming Corps, and published by GameMill Entertainment. It was released in the United States on March 19, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game includes online multiplayer, career mode, course and character customization, and all of the elements taken from the show with in-game commentary by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila.
Fun Facts/Game Tips Used in the Game[]
- After failing, celebrate to gain a stamina boost before attempting again.
- Both Crank It Up and Wingnuts are fan-designed obstacles that were used on American Ninja Warrior 9.
- Celebrating recovers Stamina.
- Geoff Britten is the only ninja to have a perfect season, successfully hitting all six buzzers.
- Going slow is safe, but will use a bit more stamina.
- Color commentator Akbar Gbaja-Biamila is one of seven children of Nigerian immigrants.
- Many ninjas have gone on to become ambassadors of the sport and the faces of fitness.
- As of American Ninja Warrior 9, two competitors, Geoff Britten and Isaac Caldiero completed 4 stages of the Las Vegas National Finals, achieving "Total Victory".
- In the Flying Squirrel, athletes must make a series of jumps and then land on a finish platform instead of reaching the Rope Ladder in a real-life American Ninja Warrior competition.
- On Spider Climb, ninjas go up a chute using both their hands and feet pressed against the walls.
- Past competitors have included grandparents, Olympians, and hair stylists.
- Running out of stamina will cause you to fail obstacles.
- Stamina is critical to succeed. Celebrate to get a boost.
- Switch between Pro and Casual controls when paused between obstacles.
- The Broken Bridge features six unstable triangles hanging at slightly different heights.
- The Double Salmon Ladder dares one to defy gravity, with a skillful transfer adding complexity
- The final course, Mt. Midoriyama, is modeled after an outdoor studio lot in Yokohama, Japan (in this case TBS's Midoriyama Studio City, which was the taping place of SASUKE).
- The Floating Steps uses five steps, which get steeper as they ascend in height.
- The Flying Bar is a horizontal version of the Salmon Ladder.
- The Focus stat gives a chance for a stamina bonus on successful inputs.
- The Jumping Spider involves jumping from a mini-tramp straight up between two parallel walls.
- The legendary Warped Wall has a steeply curving wall that extends up 14.5 feet.
- In City Qualifiers during American Ninja Warrior 10, the Mega Wall is 18 feet high and has a $10,000 prize: if you can get up in one try.
- The Salmon Ladder gets its name from a traditional fish ladder, which helps fish jump up steps.
- This icon means to hold. (Left to it is a symbol of an arrow holding a button down).
- This icon means to mash the button as fast as possible. (Left to it is a symbol showing an arrow, pointing down to a button needing to be mashed).
- This icon means to release. (Cue the opposite of the hold button, with the arrow flipped up).
- This icon means to rotate the left stick. (Left to it is a cycle symbol).
- This icon means to swing the left stick from side to side. (Left to it is a control stick with a meter line and two arrows coming out of both sides of the control stick).
- Your stamina drains the longer you swing.
Obstacles used in the Game[]
.jpg "ANW8 Warped Wall (Stage One).jpg (144 KB)")
Special Obstacles[]
- Step Up (Quad Steps, Quintuple Steps, Floating Steps) (45 seconds)
- Super Wall Flip (5 walls) (45 seconds)
- Super Broken Bridge (9 unstable hanging triangles) (15 seconds)
- Super Salmon Ladder (35 rungs) (70 seconds)
- Wall Challenge (Similar to SASUKE's real-life obstacle Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe) (45 seconds)
- Spider Climb (30 seconds)
Reception[]
American Ninja Warrior Challenge was not well-received by critics, due to various reasons. Jordan Hawes, of Waytoomany. games stated in his review "There are some game releases that make you wonder, “what exactly were they thinking and who green lit this idea?” American Ninja Warrior: Challenge is exactly one of these games. It sits somewhere between a bad movie tie-in and an asset flip Steam game you can find for $.49." Many did not like the lack of fleshed-out gameplay, as much of the game is based on quick time event prompts, as well as stat & stamina building. Similar issues applied to the character customization, with the inability to name your character, and being forced to retire after the fifth season. Not to mention, the severe lack of quantity or quality with the obstacles, most of which are unanimated and rife with boredom. The physics was also considered abhorrent due to this lack of proper animation. Other issues included the visuals, sound design (and alongside that, Matt & Akbar's dialogue), and barebones multiplayer.