The transition from 3D to 2D, for a spinoff title what could go wrong or could go right if done well. Capturing the same exhilarating gameplay as its series contemporaries. With Gaiden 2 remastered, and a 4th one coming out soon this year, this one is relying on hype to this point.
I can easily tell you that this one is, actually, worth your time, and not because it's trying to be a metroidvania, it's the very opposite. This game is simple in design, but really plays based on your skill and reflexes. You fight other ninjas, monsters, robots, giant dragons, military men, etc. The stakes carry itself in extent to its ridiculous premise, as any Ninja Gaiden games should.
- Fighting for a legacy
Ryu's father and leader of the Hayabuse clan makes his way to dispatch a greater evil while sending a letter of final request to his son. Pretty slow start, I felt like it was a little unnecessary and just acting as a storyboard only would've work. But that last shot of him was cool.
Transitioning from the ninja that assassinated him to Ryu defeating Kenji in combat practice. This leads to Ryu teaching Kenji the basics of the gameplay. There's nothing basic about it. You have to match your acrobatic skills with your fighting, and it gets really finicky from here. You can grab ceilings and walls, before bouncing off them. There's no double jumping.
What's there instead is Guillotine, where projectiles are used as a gap closer for areas further away. Purple glowing enemies contain Hypercharge energy, which can easily dispatch bigger enemies. Dodge attacks by simply phasing through anything.
Sounds easy, right? Now try doing all of that together in a frenzy of fast moving enemies, across all vertical aspects of the screen. You have little time to think, more health to loss and checkpoints are sort of stretched somewhere in between. You are in a warzone, you have to look at four directions everytime. Even hit projectiles, time your dodge in less than a split second. Not even Cuphead was this hard, and the breathing room is only there for those who can.
Death is a familiar thing you'll welcome, before you do your run again, and again. You'll become a masochist, and you'll like it, even. It's not enough to be a homage to so many amazing 2D action games before like Contra, Metal Slug, Mario. It is such an elevated action, you're always engaged to the screen, you have a linear destination, as well as some insanely tough goals on the side.
Ok, I might be being a tadbit hyperbolic, case of the nerves I guess because anyone who's very good with controllers can blaze pass this. But right after the first few levels, the difficulty curve shoots up fast. The flow changes as enemies, level designs, and how you interact to get through.
This is one of those titles that actually doesn't rely on abundance of gameplay gimmicks to make up for lack of platforming design and enemy variety. Rather the opposite, it has plenty of those to really offer. Well, it does have a few set piece sections like motorcycle riding to spice it up.
- Pure rage
Any Gaiden fans who also wants to get into the story and mythos, are in for quite a ride. You have even the CIA involved. Apparently there's an impending doomsday with a demon lord from hell trying to enter the mortal realm. Doesn't help that their bot equipment can't differentiate friend or foe.
Kenji's job is a difficult task, one guy has to charge through horrible monstrosities, and then deal with bigger monsters only fought in claustrophobic or platform challenged levels. Some chapters later, I'd get to play a female ninja named Kumori, a member of the Black Spider Ninja clan, Kenji's sworn enemy. She throws daggers, can teleport places out of reach, summon weapons, ride motorcycles.
Then she ups and dies, transfers all that power to Kenji, and now like a unified force of absolute good and badassery, with common goals, fights against the legion of demons who once thought they had a chance in life to ruin humanity's position in the world.
Makes sense, I died in this gargoyle boss fight so many times, Kenji really needed the help. I'm glad I put my time in this, I even found out Ninja Gaiden was an arcade title from the 80s. Don't think that game stands a chance against this one. Glad to know the Blasphemous guys brought something exhilaratingly fun. I almost did throw the controller multiple times too. Ragebounded, I guess.
Above screenshots and GIFs are from personal recordings only
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