NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound, man. So, I picked this up from The Game Kitchen and DotEmu, and I’m telling you—it’s like pixel-art heaven. Or chaos, maybe? Somewhere in between. Anyway, it’s this new side-scrolling action thing, reviving the old-school vibes everyone loved. Ryu Hayabusa, remember him? He’s off to America for some reason tied to his dad, and meanwhile, back at Hayabusa Village, everything goes bonkers. Demons everywhere! Kenji Mozu steps up—but hold on, the guy’s legit teaming up with the Black Spider Clan! Yeah, and Kumori, an assassin, just rolls in. The whole thing’s happening around the same time as the original Ninja Gaiden. Weird deja vu, right?
Oh, throwback—two years ago, I was all over Blasphemous 2, another gem from The Game Kitchen. Loved every minute on PS5. And as a Ninja Gaiden fan, I just had to dive into this one. NES days? Ah, the memories. And arcades, those were the golden days when Tecmo and Koei weren’t playing kissy face.
So, let’s jump into it. Literally. You start by moving your dude with the left stick or D-Pad. Jump? X button. Attack? Square. Classic moves, right? You can slice through enemy projectiles, and honestly, who doesn’t love a good wall climb or ceiling cling? Dodge those spikes, or flames, or whatever else wants to obliterate you.
Then there’s the guillotine boost, pressing L1 or X mid-air, making you feel like a hero against anything in your path. Kunai throwing with Square or Circle buttons gives you that sweet distance when things get ugly. And dodging with R1. Bless the dodge.
Here’s a thing—beat enemies with a glow, and boom! You’re all-powerful. Hypercharged and ready to turn bosses into mincemeat. No joke, press Square, holding it down ‘til your dude starts shining. You could practically moonwalk through boss stages after messing them up once.
While strolling through levels, you snag challenges. Ever tried a zero-fail perfect dojo run? That’s a day right there. Collect everything if you’re a trophy hunter. Good deeds get you rewards, like in real life… sometimes.
Golden Scarabs—collect these, and Muramasa offers you goodies. They’re like tokens for Dragon Talismans: recover health, boost this and that. Fancy gadgets. Blood Frenzy, Traveler’s Blessing—sounds like some wacky fantasy football team names.
Oh, trophies? There’s a bunch—Platinum’s the bling. Complete acts, nail secret ops, all the glorious endings. Conquer bosses, get crazy enemy kills. And don’t get burned… literally in level 1-2.
Did I mention the accessibility settings? If the going’s too tough or you need to slow things down—flip switches on hit effects, boost sizes, whatever you need. Don’t let the game ruin an otherwise perfect night.
And hey, tomorrow this game’s out as a Cross-Buy title. $24.99, and you get both PS4 and PS5 versions. Pretty sweet deal. Ah, gaming life—can’t get enough.
