NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound Reviews
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an exciting and satisfying side-scroller that never gets dull, and offers amazing combat set in a gorgeous world.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is a solid revival of the series in a 2D style, featuring fast-paced combat, well-placed platforming challenges, and high-level pixel art visuals. The dynamic between Kenji and Kumori adds variety to the gameplay with both close-range and ranged attacks, strategic use of Overload, and alternate stages in the demon realm. Despite some repetitive moments and sections where mechanics feel forced, the game maintains a steady pace and offers pleasant surprises throughout the campaign. With customization options, extra challenges, and a good balance between action and exploration, Ragebound provides a memorable and accessible experience that respects and revitalizes the franchise's legacy.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is my action game of the year. It’s an incredibly polished and tightly designed 2D game with the right amount of challenge, combat depth, and enemy variety. Kenji and Kumori are a fun duo to follow, and The Game Kitchen has done a fantastic job honoring the original trilogy while introducing plenty of new ideas. It’s a gorgeous game to look at, with some of the best animation work on the market. With plenty of replay value, it’ll be a while before you put Ragebound down.
The team behind Blasphemous has done it again! Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound offers plenty of ninja fun for players of all skill levels to enjoy.
With 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.
Instead of focusing on feeling like retro Ninja Gaiden, Ragebound focuses on a more modernized gameplay approach. A gameplay that’s reminiscent of the Blasphemous series for obvious reasons, but with a massive increase in speed and momentum. However, more important than feeling like Ninja Gaiden, Ragebound perfectly captures the spirit of Ninja Gaiden, which results in the best of both worlds. Often times when there is a mashup in the gaming sector, the outcome can be less than predictable. Thankfully, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is exactly what you would expect if you gave the iconic Ninja Gaiden IP to The Game Kitchen, who have put themselves on the map with their incredible work on the Blasphemous series. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound has all the necessities that anyone could ask for. Gorgeous pixel art, extremely precise gameplay, a soundtrack and story that are highly evocative of the 90’s, and disturbingly fantastic, rage inducing bosses. Fans of Ninja Gaiden, 2D platformers, or Blasphemous all need to check out Ragebound and the bar has now been set high for Shinobi Art of Vengeance
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a gorgeous side-scroller that's hard to put down.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound brings back the classic Ninja Gaiden gameplay in a modern way that I fell in love with. The gorgeous world and animations mix with the precise platforming and one-hit combat that I couldn't get enough of. Even with a short runtime, each level and boss fight felt distinct and enjoyable. Some of the dodging and climbing got in the way of my fights, and I didn't utilize upgrades much, but it was a ton of fun where quality over quantity goes a long way. On top of that, it's a gem to play on the Steam Deck. Just switching to 60 FPS fixes the minor issues I found at 90, and lowers the battery drain considerably. This is a perfect game to take on the go.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound revisits the franchise classic formula without relying on nostalgia, instead embracing highly enjoyable gameplay mechanics and compelling characters to carve out its own identity within the Hayabusa clan saga.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is a return to the series' roots and the result is a fast paced action platformer with gorgeous pixel art and incredible boss fights that really test your skills while never feeling unfair.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a great fresh start for the franchise. The game recaptures what made its predecessors special, but brings unique things to the table and stands on its own. I ended up fully satisfied with the game and with a taste for more.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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 packed with depth.
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.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound looks great, and is a lot of fun. A few balance issues and a short run-time vs. its $40 price hold it back from greatness.
Dotemu and The Game Kitchen deliver a solid homage to the roots of classic action-platformers with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound - sharp as ever in gameplay, nostalgic to the core, but lacking the surprise and staying power to truly stand out in this triumphant year of the ninja.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
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 perhaps a few too many auto-scroll levels for my liking, and I wish the bosses were a little more varied; however, these are minor issues in an overall fantastic package. Ninja Gaiden is back.
There is a lot of heart, here, and I have to reward not only the effort and passion, but the totality of the amazing experience. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound takes a slight step away from the original trilogy, but it’s a stealthy ninja step in the perfect direction.
With a brisk seven- to eight-hour runtime, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound doesn’t overstay its welcome. If anything, I wish it were longer. Some longtime fans may find the more balanced difficulty a bit tame, but for most, this will feel like the Goldilocks zone between old-school punishment and modern approachability. Whether you’re here for the tight mechanics, the sharp pixel art, or the emotional pull of a cursed ninja buddy-cop duo, Ragebound delivers. It’s the most I’ve enjoyed a Ninja Gaiden game in years, and serves as a reminder of why this series still matters.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is one the best 2D action game throwbacks that's long overdue, given the last Ninja Gaiden game was back in 2014, a 3D action title, and utter dogs***. It's beautiful, plays great and has spot-on controls, it's accommodating yet challenging, has a Hard mode that will test your mettle; there's a lot to love for old-school ninja fans out there. In short, the whole 2D pixel-savvy action-heavy package that utterly delights. Even with some odd bugs here and there, Sega's ninja efforts may have their work cut out for them thanks to this pseudo-indie effort.
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.