Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound It feels like a match between the 1980s and 90s, especially its story and higher difficulty thresholds. The plot of the game is quite wordy, Kenji vows to take revenge on the demons, while Kumori tries to double the Demon Lord. Ultimately, Kenji and Kumori both develop a friendly feeling at the end of the game, fighting side by side with each other. No matter how simple the story is, these motivations are enough to lay the foundation for highlighting the game’s strengths, which is its game and combat.
©Koei Tecmo Games Co. , Ltd. all rights reserved. Developed by Game Kitchen, published by Dotemu SAS
As a 2D action platformer, players use Kenji’s sword attack or Kumori’s long-term knife to cut open the enemy’s screen. Most smaller demons can be defeated in one go. Some of them have a halo around them, beating such a demon puts the player in an overload state, meaning their next hit rate will be a hot knockout match. This is especially important when facing larger demons, as they require multiple hits, but an overload attack clears them off. The mechanic adds a strategic element to a fairly simple battle, allowing you to prioritize taking out the demons with Aura first and then turning your eyes to the bigger demons during the encounter.
Although ragebound It’s a 2D game that developers have managed to find ways to make it more cinematic. For example, at a certain level you fight on a suspended helicopter, and the other is the level you fight against the enemy through a speeding train. This allows the game’s 8-bit and 16-bit inspiration to shine. The controls and animations are surprisingly smooth and responsive, making it feel more like a modern game than a weak game from the NES era.
At the end of each level, you rank the highest at S+, depending on your performance. There are also unique challenges at each level, such as beating the boss in a specific time frame or completing the level without dying. These additional challenges and reach higher levels give ragebound Much-needed replayability, as the main story itself is short in about 10-12 hours.
The way I structured with certain challenges is that if you fail, you have to restart the stage. For example, in a bullet train sequence, you have to avoid getting hit, but that part is on a later level. To restart this challenge, you must restart the entire level to reach that order. It’s a frustrating and annoying process that makes these challenges artificially harder to accomplish.
©Koei Tecmo Games Co. , Ltd. all rights reserved. Developed by Game Kitchen, published by Dotemu SAS
No doubt ragebound It’s a tough game. When they intentionally squeeze your quarters, they mimic the arcade style games from the 80s and 90s. There are many enemies flying towards you at the same time, and there are very few healing balls. However, Game Kitchen enables accessibility control by letting you adjust the amount of incoming losses and shut down/knockback. While these settings greatly make the game easier, it is helpful to make sure the game plays as many people as possible.
Speaking of difficulty and repeatability, hard mode will be unlocked after completing the game. This creates a new game by changing some enemies (such as at the beginning) to shoot you three ninja stars instead of one. The boss’s battle is also more difficult. For example, the boss of the first stage, the demonic dragon-like creature Gurthka now has a permanent fire pit in the middle of the arena, and more aggressive behavior. This is another great way to challenge players and extend the life of the game.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a model 2D side-scrolling action game that takes up the best parts of old schools in the 80s and 90s and mixes them with modern sensitivities. Composer Sergio de Prado did a great job creating the soundtrack full of guitars that match the game’s fast-paced action. In addition to solid core combat and repeatability options, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Will delight retro and contemporary fans.
