I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started playing this game. It's a 2D (optional) MotionPlus title where players control the main character, Smasher, with gestures of the Wii Remote.

The level that Nintendo showed was scrolling from right to left (opposite from most games), and a dragon was chasing you. When I took control of Smasher, I immediately started fidgeting with the controls. A quick diagonal swipe sent Smasher in the exact direction I gestured in at what seemed to be a standard speed, not related to the motion I had just made. Smasher proceeded to hit off the floor, and bounce off in a predictable fashion. From here he slowly came to a halt, prompting me to perform yet another gesture.

This time I decided to gesture toward the dragon to smash through some lingering blocks. These blocks all carried points which added to my total score. Being that I was trending towards death after destroying the blocks, mid-flight I gestured Smasher in the opposite direction to escape.

Over the course of the level I ran into other more exclusive items, pearls. They were necessary in order to progress to the boss battle, and were worth more, yet harder to reach. Many of them were only attainable via tracks. These tracks sometimes guided me towards exclusive collectibles, like the pearls, but most times they allowed me to progress forward beyond the unbreakable blocks, avoiding death.

When I reached the end of the level my skills were put to the test with a boss battle. In here I needed to smash into the boss when my character started glowing. This wasn't immediately obvious to me, and the booth attendant pointed it out after I flailed around without much luck for a while. I'm still not quite sure what triggered the glowing, but it seemed to be happening at regular intervals.

After being hit a number of times the boss would spit debris out at me, consisting mostly of blocks (like Andross). I was able to break some of the debris, and at one point the block yielded a 3-ball power-up. I'm not quite sure how I managed to control three Smashers at once, but it felt very natural, and made quick the destruction of the boss.

Following the boss' death, I was awarded my last portion of points, and given a total for the level. Clearly part of the game's allure is achieving the highest score, and this was fairly obvious as you proceeded through the level. The booth attendant assured me that I did well for my first time, however he was quick to gloat the he had the highest score.

From what I played of Span Smasher I enjoyed. It was an arcadey, fun experience that is uncommon these days. I'm slightly surprised that it is a full retail title as it sports a distinctive WiiWare feel, but I'll leave it to Artoon and Nintendo to justify the existence of a full game.