Gamertell Review: Tomena Sanner for Wii

Title: Tomena Sanner
Price: $5 (500 Nintendo Points)
System(s): Wii (Tomena Sanner US is available for iPhone/iPod Touch)
Release Date: February 8, 2010
Publisher (Developer): Konami (Konami)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief and Mild Cartoon Violence
Pros: 1-4 player multiplayer, need only one button to play, funny commentary on the top and bottom of the screen, can trigger special animations with greats and misses at the right time, online high score table, lots of extra points and special items to collect in levels, nine levels and turbo and endless play modes available.
Cons: Dance party portion at the end is quite difficult since the button presses don’t match up with the music and it is difficult to keep up with commentary if you’re the one playing.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 90/100, A-, * * * * out of 5

Tomena Sanner is a huge surprise. It’s an awesome little game from Konami that most people probably didn’t expect to see outside of Japan. It relies on a single button and all kinds of silly situations, visuals and jokes to lure people in and get them hooked on the rush that comes from racing through levels just so you can dance your heart out. It’s the sort of game you’ll probably buy on a lark, then unexpectedly become obsessed with, replaying it over and over just to prove you’re more skilled than everyone else.

Racing for the right to dance!

Mr. Hitoshi Susumu has the soul of a dancer. He wants, nay, needs to show off his stuff! But in order to reach a dance party where he’s the focal point and can show off his amazing skills, he first has to run through crazy and outlandish levels, dodging and taking down anyone who gets in his way.

This is all accomplished with the push of one button. That’s right, a single button. When Hitoshi is nearing some kind of obstacle or item, you press the A button. If there’s a creature or obstacle in front of him, and the button is pressed at the proper time, he’ll jump, dodge or interact with the obstacle to get out of its way and proceed. Getting a “Great” results in a speed boost, and occasionally a special animated sequence. Pressing A when an item is in sight makes Hitoshi jump to reach it, and he’ll get points, a speed boost or reduction, extra time or even the ability to temporarily change size to

Ride a dinosaur and dance with schoolgirls while reading hilarious quips.

I’m sure many potential players would think Tomena Sanner simple and something to skip over due to its 2D, retro graphics and one button control scheme, but those people will be missing out on one of the best and most innovative Wii games. It’s challenging, but in a good way. Your first time or two playing a level, your scores will be low, you’ll probably fail when trying to perform the ending dance routine and it’s very likely you may not even reach the goal in time. But the potential for success, the commentary, animations and leaderboard glory, drive you to replay and push for greatness.

Usually, I dismiss the addition of online scoreboards for games, but in Tomena Sanner it’s actually a great, and even essential, part of the game. After you complete a level, it’ll tally up your score. If you’ve reached a new, personal best, the game will ask if you want to submit your score online. But, you only can see your score on the scoreboard if you’re among the top 30 users. In this case, the online scoreboard provides an extra motivational push to keep playing and perfecting your performance in each level and adds replay value to Tomena Sanner.

Also, like another recent Konami WiiWare release (Muscle March), Tomena Sanner is one of those games you’ll want to play and watch. There’s constant, pretty much always funny, commentary running along the top and bottom of the screen. But, if you’re the one playing, it’s impossible to keep up with! I actually found it distracting sometimes, because I’d sometimes catch a hint of the commentary scrolling along the bottom and start to read it, which would make me mistime a crucial button press. The commentary is an awesome addition, but you have to get used to ignoring it while you’re playing and focus on the actual game portion.

Finally, Tomena Sanner has a delightful multiplayer mode. Up to four players can play at once, and the screen divides up accordingly. But, while the screen’s divided, you’re all still playing on the same level. So you can end up messing up each other’s timing, or cause your opponents to fail, but dashing through and getting consecutive “Greats” when passing obstacles.

Weird name, awesome game.

Tomena Sanner is an interesting and successful experiment. The 2D, often outlandish, visuals combined with the insane commentary and ridiculous concept conceal what is a game that requires both skill and constant practice to perfect. It’s silly and fun, especially in multiplayer modes, but you really have to work at it if you want to become a Tomena Sanner master. All the effort is worthwhile though, especially if you manage to secure a spot for yourself on the Tomena Sanner leaderboards, and every new animation discovery is a delight to earn and watch. It’s a great game at a great price.

Site [Tomena Sanner]