Review of “NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound” for PlayStation 5

Oh man, where do I even start with this whirlwind of a game? So, there’s this new thing called NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound and it’s brought to us by The Game Kitchen and DotEmu. Sounds fancy, right? They’ve basically cooked up this side-scrolling, pixel-packed action extravaganza. And why am I telling you this, you ask? ‘Cause it’s pretty epic, that’s why!

Picture this: Our guy, Ryu Hayabusa, heads off to America — something to do with his dad’s last wishes. Cue dramatic pause. Meanwhile, chaos erupts at Hayabusa Village. Imagine the human and demon worlds going ka-boom, mashed together. Naturally, that spells trouble, and guess what? A young ninja named Kenji Mozu is roped in to save the day. Oh, and he’s not alone; he teams up with some Black Spider Clan dude, Kumori. I’ve no idea why, but the names sound like something out of an edgy anime. Love it.

Speaking of love, I reviewed Blasphemous 2 ages ago — two years back, I think? It’s one of those 2D whatchamacallit games, and it totally rocked on my PlayStation 5. See, my love for NINJA GAIDEN goes way back to when I was a tiny human playing on the NES (the OG of gaming systems, people). Knowing The Game Kitchen was involved made me all nostalgic and excited. PlayStation, fire up!

The gameplay bits? Let’s break it down. You control your ninja, obviously, using either the analog stick or D-Pad. Jumping’s a breeze with the X button. And get this, slicing through enemies like it’s butter, with the Square button. Love how you can climb walls and dangle from ceilings like some kind of digital Spiderman. And the sound — like when you’re wall-jumping — I swear it’s like someone chewing on crispy lettuce.

Another fun bit? You press L1 for this huge guillotine jump mid-air. Man, talk about slicing through foes with flair. Kumori, that Black Spider dude, uses Kunai for some long-distance action too, which is neat (but yeah, could be more epic).

Defeating enemies with exposed whatchamacallit gives you this—a boost—kinda like a ninja supercharge. Pretty handy when facing bosses. Makes ’em wobble, which is amusing. Though, I must admit, sometimes the screen gets so busy with flashes and particles that I lose my ninja among the chaos. Overblown graphics are like candy, sometimes too sweet, y’know?

The game has its challenges. Stuff like bouncing off ceilings to skip past spikes or taking down specific enemy types without dying. I’m all about those no-death runs! There are collectibles too, like scarabs or something. They remind me of trinkets in old RPGs I used to hoard. I’d rather complete levels perfectly than collect everything, but hey, that’s just me.

Remember Muramasa’s shop? Spend your golden scarabs there. It’s like window shopping for ninja gear! You can snag talismans that either refuel health or grant you extra powers. Sometimes when low on health, the Blood Frenzy Talisman is a lifesaver. Though, I once forgot to equip it, and oh boy, what a mess that was.

Anyway, touché to Ragebound’s platinium trophy setup. The trophy list is here to tease both the hardcore and the casual among us. Over twenty bronze trophies? Good luck! One needs to master every act, face all bosses, find golden scarabs, and, I dunno, maybe bake a ninja cake. Seems endless but somehow compelling.

Also, side note, the game has accessibility settings. Options to tweak game speed or attack impact — very considerate of them. Wish more games thought about that! Also, the launch timing: It’s a Cross-Buy gem for $24.99, meaning both PS4 and PS5 versions are yours. Feels like getting two ice creams for the price of one—can’t complain! It’s weirdly satisfying, like when you finally peel off cling wrap in one piece.

Oh, right, some content creators got the game from DotEmu, but none of my enthusiastic ramblings are influenced by them. That’s all pure nerdy love from yours truly.