NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound Review - A Silent But Deadly Return!?

Ninja Gaiden, two words that awaken a flurry of memories within me. Originally an arcade game, my first introduction to the series came on the NES—a very different game from its counterpart, one that was more of a relentless action-platformer than a beat ’em up. While not quite the first video game I ever played, it was definitely one of them—punishing me with its aggressive enemy AI, knockbacks sending me plunging from cliffs, and perilous platforming sections. Both games were tough, sure, but you couldn’t buy your way to victory on the Nintendo version of the game—it had to be earned. Well, unless you had a Game Genie anyway.

Ninja Gaiden not only went on to spawn multiple sequels, but its influence also continues to be felt in video games today. In the indie scene, we’ve had outstanding releases such as Cyber Shadow and Katana Zero that pay homage to the Gaiden franchise, while AAA offerings such as Nioh, Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta all owe a great deal of their success to the Hayabusa family. But now, after the failures of later releases such as Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and Yaiba, Ninja Gaiden is back—and going back to its roots in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a brand-new 2D action game brought to us by the creators of Blasphemous, no less. But does Ragebound cause me to rage quit? Or did it sneak into my heart? Let’s find out in our full review!

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound calls back to the series’ beginnings, not only in how it looks but in how it plays. With gameplay once again taking place on a 2D plane, you’ll slice and dice your way through an endless slew of adversaries on a quest to seal away a clan of demons who managed to bust through a mystical barrier and now threaten to put an end to humanity. It’s not Ryu at the center of our story this go-around; instead, newcomer Kenji Mozu, a member of the Hayabusa clan, will take his place. Kenji isn’t exactly alone, however, as he becomes fused with a member of the Black Spider Ninja Clan named Kumori. This adds an interesting twist to a familiar formula, where you will periodically be able to swap between characters who play drastically different from one another. Most of the time you’ll be controlling Kenji, but when you aren’t, Kumori has limited time to hop and wall-jump across a demonic version of the world in order to open paths forward. Kumori’s gameplay sections are some of the strongest and most challenging moments throughout Ragebound.

And on the topic of challenge, you’re probably already wondering: how tough is Ragebound when compared to other entries in this notoriously brutal series? The truth of the matter is, Ninja Gaiden has never been more accessible nor less challenging—at least on an initial playthrough. While accessibility options are available, such as infinite health, incoming knockbacks, and even control over the speed of the game itself, to my shock, I didn’t really need to use any of these. Now understand, everyone’s skill level is different, and using these options doesn’t actually penalize you in any way, which is nice, but in my personal experience, I hardly broke a sweat during my first 3 to 4 hours of Ragebound, outside of a few tricky bosses. There is a fairly steep difficulty spike in later stages of the game, but when I say later, I mean MUCH later. This shocked me a bit, especially given the fact that beating the entire game is a requirement to unlock hard mode. This means that many players who are more familiar with the 2D action genre will quite easily breeze through Ragebound, and honestly, if they are anything like me, may even feel slightly bored at times—as much as that pains me to say. Many levels meander on for upwards of 10 minutes, but are rather straightforward affairs outside of trying to discover a few hidden secrets strewn about or taking on optional challenges, which are admittedly far more difficult to achieve.

Put away your pitchforks, though—it’s not all bad. Part of the reason Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound gave me fewer headaches than I expected was because it plays exceptionally well. The default speed of the game feels perfect, combat is quick and snappy, and platforming may very well be some of the most responsive I have experienced so far this year. Whether I was clinging to walls, hanging from planes, or even running away from massive demons, the controls never once let me down. This is especially important when relying on Kumori, who must move quickly, as her sections are somewhat timed based on how much magic she has left in her tank. Ragebound also introduces some exciting new mechanics and feels more momentum-based than any entry before it. For one example, Kenji can—and in fact will need to—pogo bounce off of enemies to reach otherwise unreachable areas or clear large gaps. This technique is known as guillotine boosting and requires players to press an action button just as they are about to land on a foe. Hopping off of enemies didn’t take me much time to master and can also be slightly exploited throughout certain levels to skip over sections of enemies entirely.

Also new to this entry is, as the title alludes to, your rage gauge! Defeating foes builds your rage meter up, eventually allowing players to unleash a screen-filling attack of devastation! Or, you know—a rage art, I guess. There’s also the aura system, where killing an enemy which has a certain glow around it will grant you a powerful slice that will usually take down stronger foes in a single hit or even stun bosses briefly. If you happen to be running low on magic, which is sometimes required to perform certain abilities, you can sacrifice a bit of health to gain more, though I rarely had to do so on my first playthrough. In fact, for as cool as these systems are, not all of them are all that important until you get to hard mode—which, in my opinion, could have been this game’s default normal. Sorry, I don’t mean to keep harping on the difficulty thing, but it’s FREAKIN' NINJA GAIDEN!

Making life even easier are relics that can be purchased and equipped, along with new abilities, whenever you get back to the overworld screen between levels. You can equip two relics at a time, and they definitely make a huge difference. Outside of the main campaign, optional side missions also exist, adding a few additional hours of gameplay to what normally clocks in around a 5–7 hour experience depending on your skill level. Factoring everything, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound feels really good to play, easily matching blows with any game of its genre mechanically.

While the NES games are remembered for being rather bleak affairs, visually and tonally, Ragebound’s brighter visuals and slightly more comical tone don’t necessarily match the darker aesthetics of its forefathers. Now, don’t get me wrong—this is still a fairly bloody affair, and when I say comical I don’t mean laugh-out-loud funny, but the writing definitely struck me as being made for a more modern audience. And hey, that’s fair; it’s not the ’80s or ’90s anymore. The high-contrast pixel art is striking and full of more energy when compared to the muted, shadowy look of the original Gaiden trilogy, leaving me feeling somewhat mixed on the art direction. Considering this is coming from the same people that made Blasphemous, of all games, the visuals play it safe with slightly toned-down violence and a generally more pleasant overall vibe than I'd expect from this franchise. I personally would have loved for the team to have really gone for it with the brutality and violence that some of the 3D Gaiden games offer, but they have settled on a more commercially friendly look. And you know what—for all my bellyaching, the game looks amazing in its own right, with stunning animations, interesting enemy designs, varied levels, and some truly explosive moments, even if it didn’t feel like a classic Ninja Gaiden atmosphere to me. I know, I know, this is its own game and should be judged on its own merits, but it's simply impossible not to draw comparisons when dealing with a historic franchise. 

It goes without saying that the soundtracks of the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy are iconic—some of the greatest gaming compositions of all time, really—and so it would be unrealistic to expect Ragebound to come anywhere close to that kind of magic. But that said, what’s here is really good: high-energy songs that offer infectious melodies. There are strong lead guitars, hammering drums, and thumping bass throughout, accompanied by excellent sound effects that bring the world to life beautifully. Of course, the best tracks here are remixes based on the original Ninja Gaiden, but that’s to be expected. Ragebound is a great visual and audio package overall.

While Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound may not live up to my lofty expectations in every aspect of what a new 2D entry in the franchise should be, the game knocks it out of the park with fantastic controls, fun new systems, and rockin’ visuals and audio. I do wish Hard Mode had been available from the start, but there’s plenty of content here for fans of the genre—and reasons to revisit it that I won’t spoil for you. One thing I think we can all agree on: it’s great to have a Ninja Gaiden game in the classic style once more, even if it’s just a little bit dull around the edges.

SILVER - GREAT