| Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an action platformer spinoff developed by the same developers of Blasphemous! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Review Overview
What is Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound?
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an arcade-style action sidescroller beat-'em-up from Dotemu and The Game Kitchen, slated for release on July 31, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).
As the newest entry in the legendary Ninja Gaiden series, Ragebound transports players back to the golden age of arcades with its nostalgic pixel art graphics and a challenging difficulty designed to test even the most skilled ninjas. Get ready to slash, dash, and battle your way through this retro-inspired adventure when Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound hits the shelves next year!
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound features:
⚫︎ Classic Pixel Art Style
⚫︎ Side Scrolling Ninja Action
⚫︎ Dual Protagonist
⚫︎ Challenging Bosses
⚫︎ Secret Levels
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 PlayStation |
 Xbox |
 Switch |
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| $24.99 | |||||||||||
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Dynamic Two-Way Combat Amazing Level Design Fantastic Pixelated Visuals Secrets and Extra Things to Find |
Way Too Short Endgame Spikes in Difficulty |
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Overall - 82/100
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a spinoff that revitalizes the series and the genre with its callback to its original side-scrolling gameplay. With well-crafted levels, dynamically engaging combat, and gorgeous pixel art, it uses the simplicity of the side-scrolling gameplay to its maximum potential. It has a few flaws here and there, like its short runtime and balance near the end, but is otherwise a great way to keep the hype for the series’ upcoming title.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Story - 7/10
The story revolves around Kenji Mozu, a shinobi from the Hayabusa Village, and Kumori, a kunoichi from the Black Spider Ninja Clan. It’s a tale of two enemies
needing to be allies to fight a greater evil. There’s nothing exceptionally groundbreaking with the narrative, and if anything, it only really sums up the simplicity of the game. If anything, it's both protagonists carrying the narrative, which is to say that polar opposites tend to have good interactions in a story.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Gameplay - 10/10
Despite being simple and straightforward, this is the aspect where Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound shines the most. The level design is well thought out, where the subtlety of the game’s enemy placements, hazards, and other things leads you to use the skills that you’ve learned throughout the game.
Not only that, but the dynamic pairing of close-ranged and long-ranged combat makes encounters engaging and entertaining. There’s also a good balance of fighting and exploring in stages, where revisiting stages isn’t treated like a chore. Lastly, the game is, without a doubt, challenging and also offers an Assist Mode to ease up on the difficulty and ensure that anyone can finish the game.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Visuals - 9/10
In terms of graphics, the game features gorgeous pixel art, where the character designs and portraits all stand out from the rest. The in-game models are also distinct and animated well, so you can obviously tell enemy types and hazards apart easily. This, of course, becomes an issue in certain scenarios where there’s too much on the screen. Even with the distinct models, the sheer quantity of moving objects can be overwhelming.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Audio - 8/10
There’s not much to note about the game’s audio design other than its great music scores. It does its job and doesn’t stand out from the other aspects of the game. It would’ve been better if the game did have voice acting, especially in the dialogue segments, as these scenes tend to fall flat for the most part.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Value for Money - 7/10
For $24.99, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the epitome of a short-and-sweet experience. While its value does lessen due to the short time to beat the game, where it only takes about 6-7 hours to beat. Aiming to collect all collectibles and complete all the secret levels only adds 3 to 4 hours of gameplay at most, which still isn’t the greatest in terms of value. That being said, its levels are replayable and enjoyable enough to challenge the player to finish all of the side tasks it offers in every mission to aim for that S rank.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Review: Short, Sweet, and Bloody
There’s a certain charm to arcade side-scrolling action platformers. Or maybe that’s just me. Something about the straightforward nature of the genre just makes it easy to understand and easy to play. Back in 1988, TECMO wanted to compete with Nintendo’s Mario and Konami’s Castlevania. So, they thought of making their own thing with Ninja Gaiden, drawing inspiration from both series.
Ninja Gaiden is a series that’s quite controversial, I would say. Despite being highly regarded as a great action game, the series has always been known for its challenging difficulty. With the latest entry developed by the creators of the Blasphemous series, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, it serves as a return to its roots, where it returns to its original side-scrolling action. That being said, is the game just difficult for the heck of it? Or is it actually a good game?
Bloody Gorgeous
First off, the devs of Blasphemous have already established that they can make a good-looking game. And this time, it’s no different. The pixel art style just fits perfectly. The character designs are great and distinct, the animations are fluid, and the cutscenes? Immaculate.
Something about the game’s fusion of modern elements, demons, and ninjas just makes the whole game feel cool. Not to mention that even the portraits of the characters are also amazing. It honestly makes me wish that we keep up with this spinoff series with the pixel art style.
The Enemy of my Enemy…
In terms of the narrative, I would say that it isn’t anything surprising. Without spoiling too much, it’s a story where two characters of different backgrounds and in opposing clans need to collaborate to defeat a greater evil. In short, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The good thing is, it’s not even a bad story.
The game follows two protagonists: Kenji, a ninja from the Hayabusa Village and student of the famous Ryu Hayabusa, and Kumori, a ninja from the long-time series antagonist Black Spider Clan. Both of them were tasked with containing the demon threat in their own way, and both of them failed, in spectacular fashion. With no other choice, they’re forced to help each other out through plot devices and eventually save the day.
The overall narrative is predictable, but it’s still good for what it’s worth. The only problem? It only really lasts for a few hours. We’ll come back to this later. The special thing about the story and what makes it are the protagonists. They constantly butt heads and are at odds with each other, but none can deny just how well they play off of each other both in dialogue and in gameplay. And speaking of gameplay…
Dynamically Simple and Straightforward
Side scrollers are very simple, especially if they’re not a Metroidvania. And this was perfectly executed. The game builds up its difficulty bit by bit, where it continually introduces new enemies, mechanics, and even platformer tricks as you progress. Things like deflecting projectiles, Guillotine Boosts, and dodging are slowly being taught to you through the early stages. This comes to fruition by the midway point, where you have access to both protagonists and their varying playstyles.
For context, Kenji is melee-centric, and Kumori is long-ranged. When you get both of them, the level design shines even further by combining both of their mechanics in one character. Even the bosses progressively teach you how to take advantage of both styles.
There’s a mechanic in the game called Hypercharge, which strengthens your next attack when you either gain it by defeating specific enemies or charge it manually and pay an HP tax. This becomes another part of the engaging gameplay since now you’ll need to specifically kill certain units with either a melee attack or a ranged attack, depending on the color. It’s a very dynamic way of integrating both characters, and one aspect that I specifically have to give them flowers for.
But not everything’s perfect, like…
Even Ninja Miss Sometimes
For a game that costs $24.99, the game is just way too short. It has an average run time of 6-7 hours. If you add a couple more, you can 100% the game. If you’re not in for a good time and looking for a game that can satiate you for a long time, then maybe this isn’t for you. It’s more like a quick fix to appease the itch to play a side-scrolling game, one that’s well-made and entertaining.
Let’s move on to nitpicks. One is the lack of voice acting. Not that it’s a huge deal since there are still cutscenes and characters that express for themselves, but it could’ve elevated the game’s presentation a lot more with it. Two is the difficulty, especially by the end. I’ve raved on about the gameplay enough, but by the time you get to the last few stages, it might be more frustrating than fun at that point. Keep in mind that the game does offer you to make it easier, but that’s up to you if you want to just finish the game or play it as the developers have intended.
The Perfect Setup
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the perfect spinoff title. And like a Dragon Ninja, it gets the job done. It’s well-presented, the story is good enough, the gameplay is amazing, and its price is relatively cheaper than most titles. Additionally, it also keeps the Ninja Gaiden franchise fresh in everyone’s minds while Team Ninja continues to develop their upcoming sequel. Does it carry the brand of the series’ difficulty? Yes. Is it a good game? Absolutely.
The fact that they were able to blend both Kenji and Kumori without making it feel awkward is a triumph of its own. Not only that, the gameplay is just sublime and engaging. It’s difficult to the point where you die a lot, but it’s fun enough that you might not even notice that you’ve been restarting again and again. It could’ve been longer, but sometimes things just have to end as fast as they arrived.
Is Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Worth It?
Yes, All For About 10 Hours.
As a fan of action platforming side scrollers, this game is an instant recommendation in my book. But I immediately reconsidered when I hit the credits screen in just a few hours of gameplay. For $24.99, a runtime average of 6-7 hours will probably be a deal breaker to many, including myself.
If you were to weigh it with pros and cons, I would definitely say that the former would outweigh the latter. It just so happens that you can get other games like it for a lower price. Don’t get me wrong, all of its aspects are great, but interested players will have to keep this in mind before they end up with buyer’s remorse.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PlayStation |
Xbox |
Switch |
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| $24.99 | |||||||||||
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound FAQ
How long does it take to beat Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound?
An average of 6-7 hours. If you were looking to 100% the game and clear the secrets and collectibles, then it may be around a 10-hour experience.
Is Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound canon?
While this is a new title and serves as a spinoff to the first game of the series, it remains to be seen if the game’s story is canon. We’ll have to wait for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4 for more answers.
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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Product Information
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| Title | NINJA GAIDEN: RAGEBOUND |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 31, 2025 |
| Developer | The Game Kitchen |
| Publisher | DotEmu, Joystick |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Arcade, Platformer |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | T |
| Official Website | Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Official Website |
