Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Reviews

There are two great things about Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, especially if you’re a massive fan of the franchise. The first one is that this is a truly fantastic 2D platformer, possibly the best side-scrolling game in the entire franchise (and let’s face it, the first few NES Ninja Gaiden games haven’t aged well at all). The second is that, well, this isn’t even the last Ninja Gaiden we’ll get this year. Nor was it the first. We started off the year with a pretty dope remaster of Ninja...

The iconic fast-paced action series has returned to 2D and NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is full of demon-slaying good times so let's jump to it.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is great. I don't know how they got the controls so tight, but it's magic. Bonus points for tying up a story for a game I still loathe to this day. And more Kumori please.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a fantastic return to the 2D roots of the Ninja Gaiden franchise. The gameplay is fast and sharp, the visuals are gorgeous, and the length is just right for this sort of game. I ran into a couple of small bugs, but it’s nothing that won’t be patched out pretty quickly.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is very exciting and addictive with its fast-paced action and challenging gameplay. I really missed a fun action game with a cool retro pixel-art style like this.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the kind of game that makes you want to improve. Chaining death with balletic grace feels so liberating that you don’t want to be interrupted in your flow. The way it implements all of its mechanics, along with increasingly interesting, beautiful, and ever-taut stage design, is a treat, and a truly linear arcade-style DLC would be a blessing should one ever transpire. While some Talismans can be purchased to actually make the game harder, the base challenge will certainly test you. It's a real shame about that frame-rate judder, but in terms of seductive 2D Ninja action, it lands squarely on catlike feet. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, you have been challenged to a duel.

Old School Cool

Ragebound is a relentless and challenging revival that ably channels the spirit of early Ninja Gaiden games.

The Ninja Gaiden series has been around for a long time, and it's changed a lot, moving from 2D action platforming to full-on, big budget, 3D adventures. While many will know the franchise from these later hack-and-slashers, the most recent entry, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, winds back the clock, taking us back to its side-scrolling origins — and it's a big success.

A fun revival that opts for solid fundamentals over innovation.

Paying homage to the classics while simultaneously serving as a breath of fresh air, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound masterfully builds on the side-scrolling format of the older titles while adding its own twists.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an adrenaline-pumping action platformer with killer pixel art and fast-paced gameplay. Levels are challenging -- especially in hard mode -- and bosses are not to be underestimated. Stages feel dynamic and always have something new to offer, so I was hooked from start to finish.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound looks and sounds incredible, and the fast but thoughtful combat is so satisfying it's hard to put down.

But later, particularly in some of those bosses, the time requirements for practice spike, and you're forced to run the rigamarole of repetition expected of an arcade machine. This I have less desire to indulge, even if it does result in a game that feels like a perfect challenge for anyone who has finally drained all 50 games in UFO 50 of their sport. I can only speak for myself, someone who is effectively remembering a game I never actually played. Unsurprisingly, that anti-memory is not en...

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a little uneven at times, particularly in the second half of the game, but it's still an enjoyable side-scroller. It's unmistakably loyal to the retro Ninja Gaiden games, refusing to flinch from its roots and delivering difficult combat while incorporating some of the style and flair from the modern 3D action games. It may not be as good as Ninja Gaiden 2, and nowhere near as iconic as Ninja Gaiden Black, but it's still a solid entry in the series and a great way to prepare for Ninja Gaiden 4.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a genuinely challenging action game with lovely visuals and rewarding fast-paced gameplay. It feels a bit rough in places, though, and often borders on being simply too chaotic for its own good. Assist options mean that anyone can see the journey through to its end, but better balancing or difficulty levels would have been preferred.

Anybody who cut their teeth on the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy should feel those reflexes return after a few hours with Ragebound. Nuanced aspects of those NES games reveal themselves, like memorizing the precise distance of your sword slash or enemy knockback, especially those designed to casually nudge Kenji into a bottomless pit. Overall, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound feels like a loving riff on an established standard, a contemporary pop remake of the NES trilogy’s classic rhythm and blues.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s razor-sharp gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and charismatic leads make it one of the series’ best entries.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a new 2D action platformer in Koei Tecmo’s traditional franchise that has been around since the 1980s. Trying to blend the traditional style of the 2D games in the series with the fast-paced action and intense challenge that the 3D versions of the series have come to be known for, the title is a notable and compelling experience from developer The Game Kitchen and publisher Dotemu.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the best 2D platformer of the year and one of the greatest Ninja Gaiden titles out there. While it isn't the longest, it is highly replayable and it will keep you occupied until Ninja Gaiden 4 launches.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a fantastic spiritual successor to the NES trilogy of games, one that merges the Nintendo and Xbox era together in a must-play action adventure game for fans of the franchise

It took about 60 seconds of playing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound for me to realize that developer The Game Kitchen has created a strong case for the Ninja Gaiden series to reclaim its home in the 2D plane. Across its 12-hour runtime, Ragebound seamlessly blends gorgeous pixel art, inventive level design, and sublime gameplay to create one of the best retro throwbacks I’ve ever played.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an exciting and satisfying side-scroller that never gets dull, and offers amazing combat set in a gorgeous world.

No summary available

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an incredibly engaging game, offering excellent gameplay elements. It sports great references that series fans will appreciate, and an overall phenomenal experience, making it one of the best games of its genre.

A fun restatement of the Ninja Gaiden 2D formula, that is just complex enough to engage both new and old fans, while being surprisingly accessible in terms of its difficulty level.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an incredible revival for a venerable series. Pitch-perfect controls, fantastic encounter design, and a tough-but-fair challenge elevate this well beyond a sea of other retro action games. If there's any room for complaint, it's that I simply want more - more levels, and more reasons to come back to them.

Players familiar with the original 2D Ninja Gaiden games and other similar titles will come into Ragebound and feel right at home, but the subtle ways that the game levels the playing field for those new to action-platformers (or even those who've never beaten the NES trilogy without the use of save states or other helpful shortcuts) make Ragebound a game that emphasizes frantic action, ultra-satisfying combat, and fluid movement above all else. That it's presented as one of the most gorgeous-looking and sounding pixel art games in recent memory is the bow that ties the package together, and a new gold standard for other similarly-minded action games with an old-school aesthetic.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound offers some of the best 2D combat and movement I've ever experienced in an action platformer. Almost every level is designed to maximize your abilities in combat and platforming, and test your reflexes in all the best ways. There are maybe a few too many auto-scroll levels for my liking, and I wish the bosses were a little more varied, but those are minor problems in an overall fantastic package. Ninja Gaiden is back.

Ragebound shows a great deal of respect to Ninja Gaiden’s legacy while being unafraid to try out some new ideas. It looks great, sounds great, and plays great. I just wish it respected the player on the same level as its predecessors, as its low difficulty and high player dictation is somewhat offputting for a longtime fan like myself.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a fantastic return to 2D action for the franchise. It delivers a challenging action-platformer with tight mechanics, excellent level design, eye-catching visuals, and a wild story worthy of the Ninja Gaiden name.

With only six to eight hours of gameplay at a price tag of $25, I cannot recommend Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. It lacks anything of interest other than this side story to the original Ninja Gaiden game, and even then, it's just introducing different ninjas that are fighting monsters. This game was supposed to be a love letter to the original trilogy, but instead, it's more like a bad photocopy of a love letter made by someone who didn't seem to care that much.

Ninja Garden: Ragebound is the perfect return to the franchise’s 2D roots. Each area, encounter, and boss fight is meticulously crafted to challenge players while letting them fully embrace the fantasy of being a ninja. The gameplay flows effortlessly, making every segment feel exciting and rewarding. With its gorgeous pixel art and retro-inspired soundtrack, this is a must-play for fans of the genre.

NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is a perfect addition to the series. It looks and sounds amazing, and with accessibility options it feels more fair. It’s great!