Earlier this year, Team Ninja declared 2025 the “Year of the Ninja” in honor of theNinja Gaidenseries, with three games scheduled for release before the conclusion of December.
We already hadNinja Gaiden 2 Black shadowdropin January, and Ninja Gaiden 4 is set to release on October 21st. Between the two comes Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a throwback to the franchise’s roots as a 2D side-scroller.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound comes from The Game Kitchen, best known for their work on theBlasphemous franchise, whose gameplay makes it an obvious fit for a modern take on a retro-inspired Ninja Gaiden game. Ragebound isn’t content to rest on its laurels as a simple side-scroller, leaning into the old-school difficult combat, one-hit KOs of most enemies, and inspiration from the modern Ninja Gaiden games.
Yet despite this promise, Ragebound struggles to deliver an even outing, with some memorable highs and frustrating lows that result in an inconsistent and disappointing affair.
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Returning to Its Roots
Ninja Gaiden has been a3D actionfranchise for so long that it’s easy to forget its roots. Ragebound aims to embrace those original games with the style and flair of the modern titles, and for the most part, it works exceptionally well.
Rather than starring and playing as the iconic Ryu Hayabusa, Ragebound throws Kenji Mozu into the starring role. Before long, he encounters Kumori, a member of the Black Spider Clan, and the two fuse their souls together, combining their abilities into one ultimate fighting machine. Kenji excels in melee combat, while Kumori handles ranged combat and difficult platforming.
This opens up some interesting platforming mechanics that, at first, help keep the game fresh. Over time, though, it becomes a grievance. Kumori’s platforming sections are timed, as she technically will teleport to the demon realm. You have to beat the clock while platforming and battling enemies, which can result in some careless play since you’re under the gun. These start as interesting and enjoyable gameplay sections, but before long, I was skipping them completely (unless it was a mandatory section).
Once the two characters are fused, you’ll also unlock the ability to utilize Spider Weapons in your arsenal, which serve as both utility and an extra advantage against enemies. More often than not, though, they’re not worth the effort, as using them comes at the cost of “Ki,” which you not only need to use your projectile attack, but is also required to easily defeat certain enemies.
As for the rest of the story, it’s something that exists, but only serves as a vehicle to keep the action moving forward. It’s nothing revolutionary, groundbreaking, or important, but it didn’t need to be either. The star of the show here is the gameplay.
A Gameplay Loop Both Satisfying And Frustrating
Rather than simply run the “enemies die in one hit” style of gameplay, Ragebound will throw out more powerful enemies that will require extra effort to take down. They pack a punch, too, and will be the cause of most of your deaths.
Thankfully, there’s a mechanic to help deal with this. Certain enemies will have a hypercharge shield around them that, if you kill them with the correct attack (melee or projectile), you’ll charge up a more powerful attack that can take down these “elite” enemies in one hit.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound may be the best-looking 2D game I’ve ever played.
The result is a pretty enjoyable dance, and I genuinely loved my time with the first half of the game. Everything feels fair; the enemies are difficult, but I’m able to overcome them as I become more powerful and get acclimated to how the game plays.
Things changed halfway through, though, and what became a dream to play quickly turned into a nightmare. The enemies were far more challenging and routinely deflected my attacks unless I was quick and agile. The issue, though, is that I didn’t feel like I was becoming more powerful. Then again, that feels in line with the Ninja Gaiden experience.
No Walk in the Park
If it wasn’t already obvious, if you don’t respect Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, it’s going to kick your teeth in.
I’m not saying it approaches the difficulty of theSoulslike genre, but it’s no pushover. Enemies are going to come fast and furious at you, you’re going to take a lot of damage, and you’ll have to be quick on your feet. It results in an excellent hybrid gameplay that borrows some of the best elements of the 3D games, placing them in a 2D side-scrolling environment.
Obviously, dodging and rolling aren’t going to be as simple as they are in the modern games, but it’s still something you can do. When you pull off impressive combos, parrying attacks, dodging enemies, and slicing your sword into their backs, it’s an incredible feeling.
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One thing that stood out is that the game’s difficulty isn’t limited to combat. There’s plenty of platforming that needs to be done, and the challenge is present here as well. It helps put you into a nice rhythm when you’re dodging enemies and parrying off them to reach a ledge or move forward.
Unfortunately, there are times when everything falls apart like a house of cards. One mistake, which sometimes feels unfair, can really disrupt things. I get that it’s all part of the game, but I was hoping we had evolved past the old days of a game’s difficulty being that cheap.
Still, as much as I loved being pushed to my limits, that mid-game difficulty spike rubbed me the wrong way, partly because the game’s purchasable abilities didn’t do much to move the needle. Coming offNinja Gaiden 2, where it felt like every new weapon was an upgrade and viable, it’s a massive disappointment.
Campaigns, Secret Levels, and Challenges, Oh My!
Despite its relatively short runtime, there’s an impressive amount of content available in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
Its campaign will take you roughly six to ten hours, depending on how you handle the game’s difficulty. That doesn’t mean the game’s short on content, though. Each stage comes with a list of challenges to complete. You’re also able to unlock secret side missions and a harder difficulty for the main campaign once the credits roll. There’s certainly no shortage of content here, with plenty to see and to keep you busy.
The difficulty curve spikes halfway through, leading to more aggravation than anything else.
Sadly, I’m not sure how much of the content I want to go back and replay. Halfway through the game’s campaign, there’s a massive difficulty spike that comes with encountering new enemy types. It changes the feel of the game from difficult but fair, to annoying and aggravating. Worst of all, you’re not picking up any new meaningful abilities at this time. Sure, you’re able to pick up new items or skills from the game’s shop, but nothing felt as useful as the baseline abilities.
Of course, I’m sure people far better than I am will have a field day with some of the game’s items that purposefully make the game harder. Then again, I’m not a masochist, so I’m not the target audience there.
You Can’t Deny How Good Ragebound Looks
Through all my frustrations, there’s no denying that this is a beautiful, beautiful game.
You’re immediately drawn to the retro 2D visuals, but the star of the show is how atmospheric the game is. The cinematography is a work of art, resulting in one of the best-looking 2D games I’ve ever played. From lush, breathtaking vistas to some impressive visual effects that make it feel like you’re in a John Wick movie, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s visuals will blow you away.
There are some framerate issues, particularly when fighting in front of a waterfall, but they’re few and far between. Most of the time, you’re going to be blown away by the setting of each stage. From fighting on top of trains, during a thunderstorm, to exploring a pirate cavern, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hats off to the team at The Game Kitchen for bringing their A-game here.
The soundtrack can’t necessarily keep up, but it’s no slouch. The music does a great job of keeping you motivated for the task at hand, even if it pales in comparison to the game’s visual prowess.
Closing Comments:
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a little uneven at times, particularly in the second half of the game, but it’s still an enjoyable side-scroller. It’s unmistakably loyal to the retro Ninja Gaiden games, refusing to flinch from its roots and delivering difficult combat while incorporating some of the style and flair from the modern 3D action games. It may not be as good as Ninja Gaiden 2, and nowhere near as iconic as Ninja Gaiden Black, but it’s still a solid entry in the series and a great way to prepare for Ninja Gaiden 4.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Reviewed on PC
WHERE TO PLAY
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