When publisher Dotemu is behind a 2D side-scroller, you know you’re in for something special. However, throw in The Game Kitchen, developers behind Blasphemous, and it becomes a highly anticipated game. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is excellent. Despite only playing around a couple of hours, there’s so much to get excited for. With smooth combat and great pacing, gorgeous pixel art, and some neat ideas, this is definitely one I cannot wait to play more of come the end of July.
Ninja Gaiden made its beginnings back in the 8-bit era, and while Ragebound respects these roots, it does so much with the modern trappings of pixel art’s potential. It feels familiar to an old guy like me, but the way it flows like a knife through butter kept me replaying and persevering throughout my time with the preview. You play as Kenji, a ninja under the tutelage of series regular Ryu Hayabusa. After Ryu heads to America, you’re left fighting off waves of demons in his absence.
Almost instantly, the combat becomes familiar. You’ll slice enemies with your blade in brutal melee combat. The varied designs of demons come at you in many different forms, and while it’s easy to learn the base mechanics, it takes a while until you feel as though you’ve mastered them. There are some great ideas in use to make combat feel varied, mixing up that close range fighting with the ability to throw kunai from distance. What makes this work even better is the one-hit kill mechanic Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound employs.
Certain demons are surrounded by either a flashing blue or pink symbol. By slashing the blue with your sword, you’ll acquire the timed-ability to strike any enemy down in one hit. Alternatively, by throwing your kunai at a pink enemy, you can launch your kunai now imbued with the same ability to kill an enemy with only one. These skills can also be done by extracting a small amount of health or Ki (your magic gauge), yet it’s more beneficial to make use of those enemies that glow with the colour of your choosing.
This simple yet effective mechanic allows for capitalisation on many scenarios while fighting, however, these opportunities can be missed. It pays to be alert and make sure you’re ready. If you strike a ‘pink’ enemy with your sword, you won’t get the one-hit power for your kunai. The same goes for throwing a kunai at a ‘blue’ demon. While Kenji is a badass, there’s another protagonist that will aid you in battle. The assassin Kumori can be summoned at certain points to action an ultimate power that can wipe out every enemy on screen.
Not only that, she’ll be able to see things Kenji can’t. Small platforms adorned with a demon’s eye, and floating eyes that teleport her higher make for some interesting platforming moments. Her time doesn’t last forever. By traversing these quickly and gaining time by striking orbs, Kumori can help open pathways and get out of reach collectibles (which there are many different ones in each level). It’s yet another cool feature that makes Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound so good.
I’ve touched on the pixel art, but it helps to elevate the game. The various stages are filled with colour and detail, but the enemy designs are also spectacular. Watching Kenji slice a chonky demon with one strike and seeing their blood trail of the tip of his blade is magical. Each demon and platform is distinctive. There’s never any confusion with all the chaos unfolding, so you always know where you are and who surrounds you. The Game Kitchen has done such a great job of bringing life to the franchise of Ninja Gaiden.
Whether you’ve played a Ninja Gaiden game before or not, Ragebound will almost definitely appeal to you if you’re a fan of fast-paced side-scrollers with tight controls and exciting gameplay. It gives you a familiar feeling while still offering something new. I’m excited to see how these mechanics are utilised further on through the story. With delightful pixel art and a variety of enemy types (including some awesome bosses), this is one I can’t wait to play more of.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, Switch, and PC on July 31st.