Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Is the Revival the Series Desperately Needs

The very first announcement at The Game Awards 2024, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was a welcome surprise that resurrected the franchise after a decade of dormancy. Furthermore, instead of the tough-as-nails spectacle fighting action of the 3D trilogy, this Ninja Gaiden game goes back to the franchise’s earliest roots in bonafide 2D fashion. It looks all the better for it, too.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound gameplay looks to be an evolved form appearing somewhere between the 1988 arcade game and the original NES trilogy, which ran from the same year until 1991, but with one key difference. Instead of piloting Ryu Hayabusa, as with every game in the series to date, you’re playing as newcomer Kenji Mozu, a disciple of the Hayabusa clan. It’s an intelligent move which means that seasoned fans will get a new spin on pre-established ideas without alienating younger gamers who may be playing the series for the first time.

If there’s one thing that’s true about the Ninja Gaiden games is that they can be incredibly challenging. The franchise is renowned for its unforgiving nature, which will test your resolve, skills, and patience. The 93-second Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound trailer appears to show that The Game Kitchen has understood the assignment, with some truly taxing action-platforming showcased in the latter half of the video, complete with the score we all know and love.

It doesn’t look as though this game will be taking it easy on you.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. The First New 2D Ninja Gaiden Game in Over 30 Years
3. Who Is Developing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound?
4. A Blend of the 2D & 3D Ninja Gaiden Games
5. Why Ninja Gaiden Needed to Be Rebooted
6. The Bottom Line
7. FAQs
8. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. The First New 2D Ninja Gaiden Game in Over 30 Years
3. Who Is Developing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound?
Show Full Guide
4. A Blend of the 2D & 3D Ninja Gaiden Games
5. Why Ninja Gaiden Needed to Be Rebooted
6. The Bottom Line
7. FAQs
8. References

The First New 2D Ninja Gaiden Game in Over 30 Years

More shocking than the Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound announcement is the fact that the series is going back to 2D more than 30 years after its heyday. The last new entry in the franchise to utilize these gameplay mechanics and style was Ninja Gaiden for the Master System in 1992, which itself was an interpretation of the 1988 NES original. By discounting this port/adaption, we can go back even further to either the handheld ports, Ninja Gaiden for the Game Gear, and Ninja Gaiden Shadow for the Game Boy in 1991.

However, 1991 would give us the then-final 2D Ninja Gaiden game we would see with Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom. The third game in the NES trilogy is (arguably) the hardest one as it forgoes the unlimited continues of the two previous games and doubles down on the environmental hazards. It is not yet clear whether Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will take cues from this game or the two that proceeded it. However, it’s worth noting exactly who is developing this hotly anticipated upcoming game in the first place.

Who Is Developing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound?

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is being developed by The Game Kitchen, who is the creator of the Blasphemous series. If there was one development team that could do justice to the all-star franchise, then its name would certainly be in the conversation. Both Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2 are challenging and unforgiving in their own right, with deep combat and a gory aesthetic. If there’s one thing that’s apparent from the Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound trailer, it’s that it retains the immense challenge seen in the company’s prior work, complete with bloody art style.

Blasphemous and Ninja Gaiden share a few key crucial similarities, namely in how the boss encounters are handled. There are nearly a dozen boss fights in The Game Kitchen’s first game, including bouts against Exposito, Scion of Abjuration, and Crisanta of the Wrapped Agony, which will push you to your limit. Similarly, the first Ninja Gaiden game is beloved for its thematic and challenging boss fights against Bloody Malth and The Demon, especially. Albeit, considering the game’s age, they are far less sophisticated encounters.

Then, we factor in the intelligent changes made with Blasphemous 2 and how this could factor into Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s gameplay. Mechanically, Blasphemous 2 is smoother and faster than the original, with some citing that makes it easier than its predecessor. The game has vastly improved combat with how its sliding, parrying, and melee are implemented, and these are features that would be right at home in the company’s upcoming game. Traditionally, the early Ninja Gaiden games were basic with attacks and power-ups, so they could get the biggest overhaul.

A Blend of the 2D & 3D Ninja Gaiden Games

As detailed in a PlayStation Blog post, The Game Kitchen clearly has an adoration for the Ninja Gaiden series, which goes back decades. Raúl Vivar, the game’s lead animator, grew up playing the original arcade game and wanted to bring the brighter 90s anime feel of the title into the modern-day. Similarly, Oriol Tartarin, one of the game’s designers, first played the series on the PS3 (possibly the earlier games or the Ninja Gaiden Sigma versions), wanting to blend the sophisticated combat of the 3D games with the platforming of the earlier titles.

It culminates in “input predictability and immediate responsiveness” — which will keep you constantly moving forward. The Game Kitchen has made the smart decision to favor gameplay over graphics here, as you’ll be able to cancel moves and transition between animations as quickly as you can press the buttons. From the Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound gameplay, this is apparent in Kenji Mozu’s movements, such as the (apparent) jumping parry attacks on both enemies and projectiles, which seem as though they can be chained together. Everything looks incredibly fluid and slick, as you can keep your momentum while fighting.

At this point, it’s currently unknown whether Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will keep things simple with just a Katana (possibly the Dragon Sword) at your disposal or take the laundry list of weapons approach from Ninja Gaiden 2 (2008). The 3D Ninja Gaiden games implemented the likes of the Lunar Staff, Nunchaku, War Hammer, Bow, and Vigoorian Flail, as well as a variety of Shuriken projectiles. The new game could keep things simple or slowly drip-feed versions of (or entirely new) melee and ranged weapons to play with, but this is unconfirmed.

In Blasphemous, you only have one weapon, the Mea Culpa (translating to my fault), and it’s a powerhouse in every sense of the word. However, Blasphemous 2 instead introduces three new weapons: Sarmiento and Centella (a sword and dagger combo), Veredicto (a large mace-like censer), and Ruego Al Alba (a one-handed blade). The Mea Culpa was later added as DLC. However, the game was built around one of those three weapons.

Based on this speculation, it’s possible that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound could do something similar with its weapon lineup, even if it is reserved for power-ups instead of being standalone items. With Kenji Mozu being a brand-new Ninja Gaiden character, there’s so much potential for new weapons and fighting styles compared to what we’ve seen from Rya Hayabusa, who is a master of multiple martial arts, too.

Why Ninja Gaiden Needed to Be Rebooted

While the best Ninja Gaiden games are arguably the earlier 2D entries, there’s an equal case that can be made for Ninja Gaiden Black (also known as Ninja Gaiden Sigma) and Ninja Gaiden 2, which brought the series into 3D. However, sadly, you won’t see the same level of adoration for the two successive entries, 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3 and 2014’s Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, which received less-than-stellar critical reception.

Ninja Gaiden 3 sits with a middling critic score of just 58 and a lower user score of 5.1 on Metacritic, with Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z faltering even lower to a paltry 43 critic score and a woeful 4.6. With a disappointing one-two punch like this, it is unsurprising that the Ninja Gaiden series wouldn’t have continued in its current iteration. Both games were maligned for their watered-down gameplay and lacking challenge, which made them feel greatly inferior to what came before. Bringing the license back in 2D was the right choice.

The Bottom Line

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has the potential to be among the series’ best games thanks to a developer with a proven track record for delivering satisfying 2D action platforming. With newcomer Kenji Mozu in the mix and a gorgeous new art style that pays homage to the arcade game and the original trilogy, there’s all the makings of an all-star title. We can’t wait for the Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound release date to arrive; currently, there’s only a window of ‘Summer 2025’ — so we won’t be waiting too long to play this one.

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