‘Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’ Review: An Instant Classic

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Ninja Gaiden fans, I am happy to say we are back!

Damn, it’s a good time to be a Ninja Gaiden fan right now. We’ve got the remake of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, which was solid, and Ninja Gaiden 4 on the way. But who would have known that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound would serve as an excellent placeholder until Ninja Gaiden 4 drops?

Once I picked up my Steam Deck and pressed start, it didn’t take long for me to realize The Game Kitchen was in the studio C O O K I N G when developing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, taking the iconic video game franchise back to its 2D roots and quite possibly delivering one of, if not the best games of the year.

Kenji Is Well-Equipped To Handle The Mission While Ryu Hyubusa Is Away

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

In Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, you take control of Kinji Monzu, who is immediately tasked with protecting Hyabusa Clan Village from a bunch of demons because Ryu Hayabusa is in the United States handling ninja-related affairs in 1989’s NES game, Ninja Gaiden.

The game’s intro level gets you quickly acclimated to Kinji’s moveset, which at first consists of simple sword attacks paired with the Guillotine Boost, which, if perfectly timed, will allow you to bounce off enemies and the projectiles they throw, while also dishing out damage.

The Guillotine Boost will also play a significant part in platforming sections of the game, allowing Kinji to clear large spaces and dangerous obstacles.

You will quickly learn that Kenji’s hypercharged attack will also be an essential tool during the roughly 12-hour gaming experience. The hypercharged attack grants Kenji an instant-kill ability that will also benefit Kumori, the game’s second protagonist, who fuses with Kenji’s soul, forming an unlikely alliance between the Hyabusa and Black Spider Ninja Clans to thwart a demonic takeover of the world.

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

The instakill, while it does handle any foe that runs across the screen, is best used for more challenging adversaries who require more than one slash to take them out. Kinji and Kumori can activate the hypercharged attack by pressing and holding the attack button, which consumes some energy, or by taking out specially colored foes.

Tealed color foes deliver a hypercharged melee attack. In contrast, pink colored foes allow Kenji and Kumori to charge up projectiles, allowing them to produce one-hit blows to armored foes while keeping your rhythm going.

Platforming Perfection

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Just as it does in the action department, Ragebound delivers in the platforming aspect, giving players gorgeous levels to navigate through, and replay as you try to conquer them with an S-Ranking.

Foes come at you at a perfectly paced flow as you try to navigate over obstacles, and at the same time find each stage’s collectibles and conquer the challenges for each level.

They are also not as straightforward as you might think, thanks to the inclusion of Demon Alters that can only be accessed by Kumori, which transport you to the demon world, where she has a limited amount of time to grab a collectible and remove an obstacle blocking Kinji’s progression.

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

It’s a brilliant way of making Kumori more useful than just limiting her to a feature that allows Kinji to chuck daggers at enemies. It also helps push the game’s story, which admittedly isn’t mindblowing, but still is very serviceable up to the point you still care to reach the conclusion and learn both of these characters’ fates.

Final Verdict

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

In an age of games that look more realistic and deliver mindblowing graphical and technical experiences, The Game Kitchen reminded us that with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, we still long for classic 2D gaming moments.

Once you dig into Ragebound, you will find yourself hooked in and transported back to a time when you picked up a controller that only had a D-Pad and two buttons, and it gets your palms sweaty as you try to conquer this game.

The Game Kitchen delivers a gorgeous game that can be frustratingly difficult, particularly during some of the boss battles, such as the final one in my playthrough. Still, this game has the highest replay value of any video game I have picked up during the year because of the brilliant level design, clever placement of collectibles, fun challenges, secret levels, and the pursuit to earn an S-ranking, which I intend to get on every level when I get some free time to do so.

Source: The Game Kitchen / DOTEMU / Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

In year that features games like Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Donkey Kong: Bananza and more, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a surprise moment, and easily is one of the best games of the year, that only costs a fractions of what those titles above cost and further pushes the narrative you don’t have to deliver a AAA-gaming experience that cost millions to develop to blow gamers away.

I highly recommend you add this game to your collection. For $24.99, it’s an absolute steal.

*Steam key provided by DOTEMU*