Sam DeLongNinja Gaiden: Ragebound is a fantastic re-invention of a classic franchise. It does a great job of capturing the run-and-slash gameplay of those old-school games, while connecting to the lore of the more modern Ninja Gaiden titles. It’s held back from greatness with some baffling design choices that detract from the experience, but it is still a complete package that demands precise platforming that has been missing from modern 2D titles.
If you are an older gamer, chances are your first memory of Ninja Gaiden is its iconic opening cut scene depicting the two rival Ninjas standing in a field. As the two sword-wielding heroes leap into the air, only one of them lands in victory. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound makes this moment in gaming history a playable part of its opening tutorial level. Following this prequel sequence, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound places you in the boots of Kenji Moza, an apprentice studying under the original Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa. When demons attack the village, Kenji stays behind as Ryu heads to America as the events of the 3D Ninja Gaiden Trilogy unfold. As Kenji learns of a plot for the demon lord to re-enter our world, he reluctantly crosses paths with Kumari, a member of the black Spider Ninja Clan.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Has Amazing Pixel Art
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has a beautiful art style and is an excellent showcase for the potential of pixel art. The game is being developed by Game Kitchen, best known for their work on the Blasphemous franchise, which also has a heavy emphasis on amazing pixel art, and Ragebound shows how much pixel art has grown in recent years. As you run and slide your way through temples, cities, and underground caves, you meet a menagerie of classic demon types from Ninja Gaiden. And it’s all beautifully rendered — even in cutscenes. Each area has a vibe all its own, and the enemy variety keeps it from feeling generic. Combat is less hack and slash, more like slash and run. It has an increased emphasis on mobility and platforming. Most enemies will die in one hit, so it keeps the action flowing fast.
Collect Scrolls And bounce Off Everything, Even Projectiles
Early on, you will be introduced to the game’s main movement mechanic — The Guillotine Boost. The boost allows you to bounce off of enemies, projectiles, and even the bosses themselves. It can be used to damage enemies as well, and more minor baddies can be killed with it. Kenji can also kill heavy enemies by attacking enemies with a special blue aura to unleash a special move called a Hyper Charge. This attack can one-hit kill larger enemies. You can also summon a Hyper Charge by sacrificing a small amount of health. As you progress through the roughly four-hour campaign, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound offers plenty of reasons to master a run in each level, all of which can be replayed at any time. It has three different kinds of collectibles. And at the end of the level, you will be graded. Each level has three different types of collectibles to find — scrolls, scrabs, and skulls.
Your end-of-level score will be based on how long it takes you to complete a level and how many level challenges you complete. The Challenges vary from level to level and include things like not falling into a pit or defeating the boss using a special attack. Special attacks in the game are called Ragebound Arts. Think of them like the Ninja magic found in the other games. The Arts allow Kenji to bond with Kumari to unleash a special move, depending on which scroll you have equipped.
The Boss Fights Are Often Frustrating
Each area will culminate in a climactic boss fight. As you progress through the level, you will often see glimpses of the boss in the background, and the boss will frequently taunt you as you progress through the level. The boss encounter in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is easily the best and worst part of the game. Many of the bosses are inspired by or are re-designs of some iconic Ninja Gaiden bosses seen in other games in the franchise.
The pacing of these fights does seem to drag a bit compared to the rest of the game. It feels a little less like a skill check and more like a significant encounter that gets in your way at times. It’s a reminder of how criminally underpowered your character is, but it’s clear that Game Kitchen is trying to emulate the Souls-esque feeling of the older games’ boss encounters. The feeling of defeating a boss is always epic, but for me, it feels a little too much like I was getting my teeth kicked in, which makes the encounters themselves a little frustrating. Another bright spot of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is its excellent soundtrack. The score always feels energetic and empowering, a bit like a Mega Man game. It uses a great combination of rousing battle music that sounds a bit like you would find in an RPG, alongside fist pumps and shredding from an electric guitar.
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Is (Almost) Ninja Perfection
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an excellent re-invention of Ninja Gaiden. It’s bursting with amazing pixel art and pitch-perfect platforming. The combat and movement have a fun flow of jumping and slicing with an aesthetic that captures the retro feel of its source material while connecting it to its more modern contemporaries. Some may find the boss encounters frustrating, but the feeling of victory still makes this a ninja adventure worth taking.