NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound Reviews
The Game Kitchen shines with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a challenging 2D platform adventure that combines the classic with the modern, keeping the spirit of the series intact. It knows how to combine the classic with the modern and bring the spirit of a series whose origins date back to the 1980s into 2025. The speed and vertigo of the gameplay, emphasized by a wonderful soundtrack, is a clear invitation to jump and swing your sword, as well as enjoy an original story.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
"No rage quitters detected!"
Review in Finnish | Read full review
I don’t think it’s even a hyperbole or a controversy to state that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the best 2D Ninja Gaiden ever made. With the exception of the occasionally tough roadblock in the shape of a challenging boss battle, as well as very occasionally cheap custscenes, this is just fantastic. It’s a lot more balanced, more polished, more enjoyable than any of its side-scrolling predecessors. And the best part about it all, it’s not even the last Ninja Gaiden we’re getting this year.
Short length aside, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is one of the most enjoyable games of the year. It’s a great retro revival with two protagonists I hope return and if Ninja Gaiden 4 is anywhere near this good, the franchise may be firing on all cylinders again.
Between the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4, and now Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Ninja Gaiden fans have been eating good recently. This is a true labour of love from The Game Kitchen, one that timelessly revitalises classic Ninja Gaiden. If Ragebound is an indication of where the series is going in the future, things are looking sharp as a kunai for the seminal action franchise.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound not only honors the franchise's legacy in its most classic form, but also proves there's still room to reinvent it without betraying its essence. It's an unexpected return, yes, but also one that leaves us wanting more. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a new era for the 2D saga.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an absolute blast through-and-through. The visual style is top-notch, the gameplay is tight and exciting, and the game is perfectly paced with plenty to do for those who wish to push themselves. Outside of a couple of minor bugs, this is one of the sharpest games of the year, and worth playing whether you’ve got any experience with the Ninja Gaiden series or not.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound proves that going back to basics can be an excellent choice, especially when done right. With its finely tuned mechanics, replayable level structure, and fluid gameplay, the game delivers an exciting platforming experience that feels both familiar and fresh. Players are constantly rewarded for execution as the game sticks to a tried and true formula that feels perfected. Despite some minor nitpicks regarding difficulty spikes and game length, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is another feather in the cap of an already successful series. As a new mainline installment looms on the horizon, this entry is an exceptional way to bide the time.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the best thing to happen to Ninja Gaiden since Itagaki. The Game Kitchen understood the assignment and delivered a slick action game worthy of its namesake. Now we wait for the return of Ryu Hayabusa!
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound elevates the Ninja Gaiden tradition rather than merely honoring it. It demonstrates that traditional methods can still be effective, particularly when honed using contemporary game design tools.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has a retro feel, but it's a fresh game made by people who aren't afraid to try something new. The result is a fast-paced, precise, and demanding experience that runs like clockwork and doesn't seek to reinvent anything, but rather to remind us why we love gaming: for the well-paced action, the precise controls, and that satisfaction that only comes when everything clicks into place.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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 a triumphant return to form for the series, delivering tight 2D action-platforming, masterful level design, and thrilling boss battles, all underscored by stylish pixel art and an energetic soundtrack. Though brief in runtime, its challenge, polish, and replayability make it an experience that every action platforming fan should play.
The Game Kitchen delights us once again with an excellent 2D action title featuring stunning pixel graphics and great music. Although it's short, it offers a great level of challenge and even more difficult activities for those who want to demonstrate their mastery of the ninja arts. Its story leaves much to be desired, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best games of 2025.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
In short, 'Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound' is the Ninja Gaiden for the SNES we never got. It plays beautifully, keeps the action moving fast, and keeps the adrenaline flowing freely. This is a fantastic return to a franchise, and the year of the ninja isn't over yet, because the answer is always more ninjas.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an exceptional experience in its own right. Smooth controls, fantastic level design and perfectly balanced boss battles make it one of the best 2D action platformers you'll find. The title offers plenty of fun and challenges for those who want them, while remaining accessible to newcomers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is one of the most visually impressive, mechanically solid and competent retro-re-styled platformers I’ve ever played. It not only nails the tone and authenticity of the classic Ninja Gaiden games, as well as maintains the style set in the modern games, it encapsulates the feeling of a classic 80s platformer and successfully modernises it in a way that anyone can and will find a way to enjoy it. With gorgeous pixel art, a banging soundtrack and a strong variety of gameplay with some epic boss battles, Ragebound is a truly remarkable return to the franchise to its roots and a delightful challenge that keeps you entertained throughout. Sensational!
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound has one of the most heart-pounding soundtracks we've heard in a long time. It's a mix of old-school synth melodies and modern metal fusion. Imagine if Castlevania and Nier: Automata had a baby with a Yamaha synth and an electric guitar. Every song fits its level perfectly, pushing you forward with a fast tempo and strong emotions.
Overall, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is both a loving tribute and a fresh vision brimming with style and substance. It’s one of the best retro revivals of the generation: joyous, relentlessly fun, and bursting with creative confidence. Its only missteps are some shallow progression systems and a slightly softened edge to its difficulty.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is hands-down one of the most enjoyable 2D action games I've played in recent years. It flawlessly merges the classic NES experience with modern refinements, perfectly preserving the spirit of both old and new Ninja Gaiden titles.