What parents need to know
Ninja Gaiden is a 2D action platformer. This is the first game of its kind for the franchise since the Master System version launched in 1992.
For the first time, you don’t play as the ninja Ryu Hayabusa, but his student, Kenji Mozu, an ambitious young ninja. Taking place in parallel with the first Ninja Gaiden (released in 1988 on Arcade and NES), Kenji tries to defend the world from a potential demonic invasion in the absence of his master.
During his journey, Kenji meets Kumori, a ninja from the rival clan (and with definitely more questionable morals) of the Black Spider. A series of events causes Kenji and Kumori to share the same body and team up to face the threat.
Separated into 17 levels (plus 8 secret levels, for a total of 25 levels), Ninja Gaiden offers us to play each of them several times. In each of the levels, we are offered additional objectives to complete (defeat a boss within a certain time, not get hit in a section of the game, etc.) that will improve our score at the end.
In addition to being an end in itself, the score awarded at the end of each level also allows us to unlock certain attacks or special abilities in the store, which we can then equip. However, you have to choose, because each character can only equip 2 attacks or special abilities.
The levels feature platforming challenges (in addition to some self-scrolling levels), but a strong focus is on combat. Enemies have unique attacks, including many enemies that launch projectiles.
Some enemies are also surrounded by blue or pink circles. If we kill enemies with an attack from Kenji for enemies in blue or Kumori for enemies in pink, we then have a hypercharged attack that instantly kills any enemy hit by it.
It becomes an essential mechanic to defeat certain enemies without taking damage, but also to defeat certain bosses.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is very violent. Enemies disappear in explosions of hemoglobin and severed limbs.
There is no such content.
Since the story is told only by text, you will have to know how to read to follow the script, but the latter is rather thin. Otherwise, there is almost never a need to read, except to understand the effects of the different equipment.
Even though Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is violent, in the end, it’s a story where two enemies put aside their differences for the greater good.
The Ninja Gaiden series is known for its difficulty, and Ragebound is no exception. However, there are many accessibility options that make the game accessible to less experienced players.
The title may be a tad expensive compared to its lifespan, but otherwise, we have nothing to complain about.
Local game modes
Classic story mode.
Online Game Modes
None.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
None at this time.
Our opinion
So, is this return to the roots for the Ninja Gaiden franchise successful?
That’s right.
For this revival, we decided to call on The Game Kitchen, a Spanish studio to which we owe the Blasphemous series, and we find their mark in Ninja Gaiden Ragebound: in addition to offering a precise handling and a high level of difficulty, we are also offered beautiful pixelated graphics with rich animations.
Special mention to the soundtrack, which nods to the franchise’s 80s origins, with its adrenaline-charged electric guitar solos.
Let’s talk about the difficulty. Yes, Ragebound is a challenging game, as per the tradition of games in the Ninja Gaiden franchise. After all, is it really a Ninja Gaiden game if it doesn’t make us want to break our controller in half?
That being said, while Ninja Gaiden is definitely very difficult, it’s usually not frustrating. On the one hand, the save points are generous, and you don’t lose too much progress between each attempt. There is also no life system, so you can try again as often as you want.
But above all, Ninja Gaiden is tough but fair. If you take the time to concentrate and learn your enemies’ attacks, you can quickly see your progress, which encourages you to keep trying, despite the high level of difficulty.
It must also be said that the action of this Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is fast and exhilarating. The hypercharge mechanic forces us to quickly chain attacks against enemies, because this charge disappears quickly.
Fortunately, the levels offer a lot of opportunities to hypercharge, and quickly, when you start to master the game, you find yourself flying from one corner of the screen to the other by making you explore the many enemies in so many bloody clouds.
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound isn’t perfect. We would have appreciated a longer lifespan. 5 to 10 hours to complete everything is not very long, especially for the asking price ($32.50 CAD, €24.99).
The story is not put forward much either. We didn’t dislike it, all the room is left to the action, but if you’re looking for a more developed story and rich dialogues, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is not the title for you.
On the other hand, for all those who dream of an exhilarating action game halfway between nostalgia and modernity, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is definitely worth the detour.
Note: a code has been given to us by the publisher for review purposes, but this does not influence our evaluation in any way.
