Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has nary a rage-quit in sight.

Ninja Gaiden has been around for nearly three decades. It’s reputation for being brutally difficult has echoed across the gamer space since day one. Based on the few titles I’ve played (Sigma, Sigma 2, Dragon Sword) I wholly agree with the consensus that these games are well designed, but super challenging. Does the same hold true for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound? Developed by The Game Kitchen of Blasphemous fame, Ragebound is a unique side-story for the series that takes it back to its 2D roots. The controls are tight, the story is worth giving a care, and it’s backed by some gorgeous aesthetics. This is a challenging game that is easy to recommend.

Fans of the original Ninja Gaiden from 1988 will recognize the events of Ragebound’s prologue. Players are put in the shoes Ryu Hayabusa’s father: Joe. After the prologue ends, you take control of the first of Ragebound’s protagonists: Kenji Mozu. Kenji has been studying under Ryu for years. After a brief training session overseen by Ryu, a horde of demons swarm the Hayabusa Village. Unfortunately, Ryu follows his father’s demands and heads to America. Kenji is put in charge of stopping the demons. After finishing a couple of stages that serve as Kenji’s introduction, we meet the second protagonist: the kunoichi Kumori of the Black Spider Clan. Like the Hayabusa Village, the Black Spider Clan HQ gets a surprise assault from a demon army. Kumori volunteers to investigate. Kenji and Kumori eventually meet, and without getting into too much spoiler territory, they’re forced to literally join to get to put a stop to this onslaught of new demons.

I’ve played a fair number of games where one person houses two souls: Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria, Beyond: Two Souls, and Shin Megami Tensei V to name a few. Each one handles the theme differently, and Ragebound is no exception. For a 2D action platformer, the theme of two souls in one body has been done exceptionally. Kenji and Kumori start as rivals, but learn to adapt and respect one another as players traverse through the multitude of stages. Their banter and bickering are believable; the writers did a great job giving Kenji and Kumori their own personalities that bounce well off one another. The narrative is also worth highlighting because it has a couple of twists and turns that aren’t unexpected but well-executed.

The action in Ragebound is, of course, the aspect of the game I’m most excited to talk about. It’s not perfect, but it’s exciting, familiar, cohesive and the right level of challenge for a game stamped with the words “ninja” and “gaiden.” During the prologue, you’ll play as Joe. His actions are the typical run, jump, and slash. He can also climb walls and ceilings. After Joe’s stage, you’ll take control of Kenji. He’s able to do all the things Joe can, along with a dash-dodge-roll and the very handy Guillotine Boost. The Guillotine Boost allows Kenji to flip around with his sword extended. If he lands on anything (an enemy, most projectiles, etc.) then he’ll bounce and remain airborne. If used during the right scenarios, the Guillotine Boost can allow Kenji to never touch the ground. Finally, there’s the Hypercharge. Perhaps my favorite ability, Kenji will glow with a powerful aura when he defeats certain enemies or sacrifices some of his health meter. When charged, his next attack will shatter anything in his way. Mastering the Hypercharge is important because enemies are placed to ensure a Hypercharge is immediately available, and a sturdy enemy with extra health or a shield isn’t too far behind. Kumori has the same tools at her disposal as Kenji, with the only difference being her attacking with long-ranged kunai.

When the two ninja join, the action fully opens. Kenji retains all his abilities, and gains access to both Kumori’s kunai and special, unlockable Spider Weapons. Both the kunai and said weapons (my personal favorite is a homing tessen) require ki. A pink ki meter is displayed below the blue health meter. Kenji will get more ki from power-ups scattered throughout the stage and from attacking enemies. While you’re in control of Kenji most of the time, there will be special portals where you’ll swap places with Kumori to find hidden items and/or unlock passages. Kumori can stay outside of Kenji’s body for a limited time. As enemies are slaughtered left and right, energy is gathered within red orbs displayed underneath the ki meter. Once all orbs are glowing, a Ragebound Art can be unleashed.

Each stage has three special tasks and Crystal Skulls to find for a better stage ranking. There are also Gold Scarabs to uncover which are used in a shop run by Muramasa. You can purchase new Spider Weapons, Ragebound Arts, and Talisman for passive bonuses. Kenji can have up to two Talisman equipped at a time. Some stages have scrolls that unlock Special Stages. Most stages end in a boss fight. When that massive foe finally falls, the stage will end, you’ll get a ranking, and you’ll be taken to the world map to select your next mission. I’d be remiss to not mention an aspect that Ninja Gaiden is known for: difficulty. Personally, I found it to be fair for the majority of the game. The only time I felt otherwise was during the final encounter with the final boss. There’s a generous checkpoint system that makes the journey through the hordes of foes more manageable. As mentioned, the controls are great so it shouldn’t take long to master the game and overcome obstacles.

However, it’s worth noting that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has accessibility options that allow players to reduce game speed, turn off flinching, and most importantly, mitigate damage. On my journey to getting the game’s platinum trophy, I took full advantage of this last feature during my time on Hard Mode. The difference between the default mode and Hard is like night and day. Hard Mode has new enemies and new enemy placements. Kenji takes more damage. Bosses have new tricks and have more hazardous arenas. All that to say, Hard Mode would have made me “rage-quit” Ragebound real fast if not for some of the assist options. Whether you use them or not is up to you, but know that there is zero shame no matter how you go about playing/enjoying the game.

The Game Kitchen went all out in designing the game’s look and backing it with a fitting soundtrack. The music feels equal parts retro and modern. Most tracks should have your head banging along to the heavy metal guitars, the drum beats, and the sprinkled on techno. And the look? Even not taking my bias where where 2D>3D into account, this is one of the best looking games in the series. The colors pop. The enemies die in gruesomely lovely ways. Sprites are fluid. And the cut scenes combine the camp from the arcade with modern style. It’s a graphical masterpiece from head to toe.

Really, my biggest issue other than some difficulty choices is the length. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound takes only seven hours to finish the first time through. This time takes getting all collectibles and retrying certain stages a few times. Hard Mode, only took me three hours, but I can tell you right now: it would have taken exponentially longer had I not taken advantage of some handicaps. I can’t overstate the level of craziness some of those later stages presented. Finishing the game will unlock new outfits for both Kenji and Kumori. Otherwise, there is little reason to go back for more outside of doing a quick-run in a favorite stage. Despite this, I highly recommend Ragebound. The Game Kitchen redefined and maintained the series in the best way possible.

Overall, 8/10: Two ninja are better than one. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound takes the classic series in a fun direction that requires quick thinking and quick reflexes.