NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound Reviews
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.
The main story’s baseline difficulty is quite measured, but each stage offers optional challenges for you to complete—say, slay a certain number of spectral samurai, or avoid every pit of spikes along the way.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is built on respect ' respect for the legacy of the series and respect in how it modernizes a nearly 40-year-old concept. While it might seem like just another pixel-art action platformer at first glance, this is a well-crafted game that delivers a great experience for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. There are minor design flaws, but the engaging and fun gameplay easily overshadows them.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound brings the 2D series into the modern age with respect. A diverse range of levels constantly introduces fresh ideas to stave off repetition, and the focus on satisfying momentum-based gameplay that rewards mastering of abilities is the perfect match for ninja hack and slash platforming. Speedrun goals, collectibles and unlockable harder stages mean this is a game that will keep being returned to long after the main quest is over.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is a great modern interpretation of 2D ninja action and although it can range from tedious to frustrating at times, the core of the experience remains exciting, tight, and action-packed. 👺
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.
The Game Kitchen has outdone itself on the Ninja Gaiden series' glorious return to 2D with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a near-perfect action-platformer.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound looks and sounds incredible, and the fast but thoughtful combat is so satisfying it's hard to put down.
A fun revival that opts for solid fundamentals over innovation.
It’s easily one of the best games in the series, and Ninja Gaiden 4 (as well as Shinobi: Art of Vengeance) is going to have a hell of a challenge surpassing it.
Every time I sit back down in front of my Steam library, I find myself firing Ragebound up once again.