Review : Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound : Ninja Step

Few games are held in such reverence to old-school gamers as those in the 8-bit Ninja Gaiden trilogy. As such, when Dotemu announced that it was producing a new side-scrolling entry to the series, being developed by The Game Kitchen, the news was exciting. Yet, fans wondered how much it would actually resemble the beloved games from so long ago. Would it feel the same? Dotemu has been on a hot streak as of late, updating classics with masterful care, so it seemed the franchise was in good hands. But did Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound successfully infiltrate the Ninja Gaiden formula?

Back To Formula

The answer is yes and no, which may seem like I’m ducking the question, but you’ll see that both the yes and the no work together in a wonderful harmony. However, my impressions were not originally all that bright and sunny. While Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound features fantastically tight and responsive controls, the style of play differs from the original in many ways. The first few levels work to introduce these new systems and changes, but it takes a bit for the ninja engine to start purring.

Because of the tutorial nature of those beginning levels, the variety and scenarios are miniscule and feel less inspired than the later levels. However, once the training katanas are set aside, the full ninja experience is let loose with much more variety in enemy types and platforming puzzles. But first, let’s peel back the mask on what all of this means, starting from the beginning.

Tools of a Ninja

When you first boot up Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, you will be able to select a few options, including options to tone down the difficulty in a variety of ways. While this inclusion is nice to see as an option in the accessibility menu, it is sad that it is the only accessibility option of note. Still, in a series that’s as notoriously punishing as Ninja Gaiden, it’s always nice to have options.

Regarding the difficulty, it at first felt like it would be difficult due to the combinations of enemy patterns encountered from the start. However, even playing without any accessibility options, this Ninja Gaiden is nowhere near as tough as its counterparts, 2D or 3D. This is because the challenge isn’t based on the old-school method of prioritizing ways to munch the quarters and tokens of arcade goers, which is a residual effect that nestled firmly in many of the 8-bit and 16-bit games from many moons ago. Instead, everything feels like the game is giving you a fighting chance, and it often shows leniency.

Wasn’t Easy

This isn’t to say that everything is very easy. It’s far from that, as you will die in this game, many, many times. However, every single time you do, you’ll know exactly what happened and what you should have done differently. This is one of the ways that the game changes things in a way that harmonizes for the better; it gives you moves to handle and counter every encounter in the game. In the old games, if an enemy knocked you into a pit, it could often feel unfair. In Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, you are always equipped with an answer.

So, what are these answers? First, as a major talking point of this game, you will essentially be playing two characters at once. The first of these is the “main” character, Kenji, who is a disciple of Ryu Hayabusa, entrusted to take care of the events of this game while Ryu simultaneously handles business in the story from the first NES game. But Kenji quickly encounters a second character, Kumori, who essentially fuses with Kenji while adding several special and ranged attacks to the repertoire of moves.

Of Katanas and Kunai

These moves can be selected between missions, and new moves may be purchased and equipped from a familiar vendor. So, you have Kenji’s melee moves, which feel much more like Strider Hiryu in Strider than Ryu’s older style (a welcome change), and you have Kumori’s thrown kunai and whatever else you’ve chosen to equip, granting ranged options that are much more versatile than the limited items found in the NES trilogy.

And then there is the Guillotine Boost. When Kenji jumps, he may do a standard attack, but another button allows him to do a spinning air slash of sorts, making him invincible while bouncing him up and over whatever enemy, bullet, or obstacle he just made contact with. It feels a lot like the parry mechanic in Cuphead, where you bounce off of pink objects. This one move in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound drops the difficulty by a ridiculous amount. It’s your get-out-of-ninja-death-free card, and you will use it a lot. Many scenarios are designed with this mechanic in mind as it’s required to traverse parts of many stages. However, I couldn’t believe how many times, and in how many ways, that move saved my life.

As stated, the game is set up with your abilities in mind, and the combat situations you encounter are actually mini-puzzles. See, you also have a very powerful move that you can use when you defeat an enemy with an “aura.” Those auras can be blue or red, color-coded for Kenji (blue) or Kumori (red). If you use Kenji’s melee attacks or Guillotine Boost to defeat an enemy with blue aura, you get the extra powerful move, and likewise for Kumori’s moves on a red aura enemy. Nearly always, a larger enemy that requires many blows to defeat will be around, and that power move will instantly defeat said baddie. Sometimes, there are combinations of larger baddies with auras, too, which means that you could be dancing in sweet bliss as you rhythmically annihilate each in succussion, or you could salt the ground in tears if you use the wrong move and have to resort to old-fashioned tactics.

It’s All in the Flips

The level design is awesome, and they lead to some truly satisfying bosses. They have sets of moves and patterns that are either countered by one of your moves (remember your Guillotine), or avoided with your jumping or your dodge, which comes complete with invincibility frames. As the creatures of chaos continue their crushing combat, new phases and moves keep you on your toes. I always enjoyed seeing a new boss, and figuring out how to best those buffoons was always a major highlight.

Accompanying all of the action is a soundtrack that is worthy of praise. A few of the tracks were a bit hit or miss for me, but most of the tunes are incredibly engaging, and some are nostalgic. Keiji Yamagishi, Ryuichi Niita, and Kaori Nakabai, composers from the original trilogy, offer pieces for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, at the direction of Sergio de Prado of Blasphemous fame. Many are new arrangements on the songs of old, and if you played those older games, you’re sure to smile each time you hear these.

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Oh No…

Not everything in Ragebound is a hit, however. Even with some special mission designs and situations within them, things can feel a bit samey when stages drag on a little. Sometimes, a certain combat situation will occur, and then you will face that identical situation several more times in the same stage, and sometimes throughout the game. It’s not too terrible, but it can be a bit grating. Also, the game feels a tad short. There’s a lot of variety at the end, and there’s a point where a lot of things get moving, and then…it just sort of ends. There are secret missions and a Hard Mode (unlocked after beating the game) that help alleviate this a bit, but I was left wanting more…which is also a good thing!

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Ninja Wrap. It. Up.

I went back and forth a lot on what to score this game. It’s absolutely incredible to play, though it doesn’t have that magic “feel” of the originals. Yet, taken for exactly what it is, there is an incredible experience here that I’m itching to go back through again. And, though the updated mechanics make the game seem a bit skewed from the beloved original trilogy, it still maintains enough of the heart of Ninja Gaiden that there is no mistaking the DNA. There is a lot of heart, here, and I have to reward not only the effort and passion, but the totality of the amazing experience. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound takes a slight step away from the original trilogy, but it’s a stealthy ninja step in the perfect direction.

Thank you to Dotemu and our PR Partners for the Ninja Gaiden Ragebound review code. You can find our review policy here.