Ninja Gaiden: Drawing the Blade

 Recently, I found myself wanting to press buttons. And so, I was feeling like I should play some more Bayonetta. But then I thought, that I should actually give an honest shot at the Ninja Gaiden games. I have owned the three reboot titles: Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden II, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for years. However, I never really got into the groove with NGB. The game is not only very difficult, but it has intense AI that punishes you at every turn. So, this high ceiling made me fear the blade. I didn't think that I could match the intensity and precision needed to succeed in these games. But I learned, and then I conquered all three games on my initial playthroughs. So now, I am going to give my thoughts on them, along with some focus on the storytelling in the games. 

What better way to start then with Ninja Gaiden Black. The most difficult game in the trilogy without question. Well designed enemy patterns  and bad camera angles made for a pretty fucked up game. NGB felt very much like a life or death game. In many ways it made me tap into my survival horror background by managing resources sparingly. Figuring out how much to spend and when to buy items or upgrades. And that is one of the aspects I really enjoyed about NGB. The game made decision making matter. Should I upgrade the Lunar Staff now, when do I upgrade the Wood Sword? These questions are integral to the experience. For all of the bad aspects that can be found in NGB, I felt that overall this game was good, but not great. 

The way that Ryu moved and his combo routes in NGB just did not feel as satisfying. Especially when I can compare them to Ninja Gaiden II,  a game that I feel nailed the combos. Yet, I think that movement was at it's height in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. So, every game has something going for them. But to get back to NGB, I think that the defensive nature made me look for different ways to fight. I never felt that every weapon was applicable to every situation. For me, my main boss weapon was the Lunar Staff. The damage was nasty and it felt like I could take out most enemies when utilizing it. But it wasn't always effective. For a slow moving Boss like Doku, it was perfect. Yet a faster Boss like Alma would chew me up. So, the decision to switch weapons would present itself often. 

And that's the fun of it. NGB wants the player to think about what the next step is. A common element that can be found throughout the rest of the games. This is definitely the highest praise I can give to the Ninja Gaiden Franchise. You can't just press buttons, especially in NGB. It's all about the situation. But even then, some weapons just fall to the wayside. Like, I cannot for the life of me find a situation where War Hammer is usable. And the same goes for the Nunchaku. They simply exist to be placeholders. Unlike Kitetsu, which has ranged properties and the ability to become two swords. I preferred Kitetsu over Dragon Sword for awhile because of those elements. However, I ended up falling in love with the Wooden Sword, otherwise known as Unlabored Flawlessness. 

A perfect weapon in my most honest weapon. Moderate speed along with respectable damage. Not to mention that you can Jump - Light Attack - Light Attack - Heavy Attack for a damaging multi-hit combo. What's nice about this combo is that it is borrowed from the Lunar Staff instead of Dragon Sword. So you get the benefits of both weapons. I absolutely abused this combo against the final boss, Murai. And going through forums, I learned that the damage scales up the lower your health gets. So, it is in fact a perfect weapon for NGB. But this wouldn't have been possible without the Vigoorian Flail. \

A bladed Nunchaku that just obliterates regular enemies with its ridiculous speed. It made me sad to see it gutted in NGII and then left off the roster in NG3:RE. The flow was too smooth and too clean that Team Ninja had to kill it. Which is funny when you consider that the Lunar Staff is consistently busted. Like, no one checked on that one, but the Vigoorian Flail was too much. I understood the nerf, yet other weapons just went unchecked in subsequent titles. Now, I feel like I have rambled enough on the weapons in NGB. Let's move on to the writing and presentation of the game. 

The story of NGB revolves around the Dark Dragon Blade and this quest for the power within it. Multiple parties are after it, thus leading to the devastation of Hayabusa Village along with the death of Ryu's childhood friend, Kureha, at the hands of Doku. A rousing start to a game that only continues to get better with the storytelling. It's not perfect, yet it manages to be this epic tale of revenge and preventing the Dark Dragon from releasing more devastation. 

And so we move on to Doku, a spirit Fiend in a suit of armor. His faceless form makes him that much more intimidating and foreboding. And that kind of mysteriousness carries over with the Fiends in general in this game. Hellish beings that are after greater power in the name of the Vigoorian Empire. Not to mention, the presence of the Dark Disciple, who turns out to be Murai. A rival head of the neighboring Shadow Ninja Clan as well as being Ryu's Uncle. What's great about Murai's reveal is that it comes at the end of the game. A moment that blew me away because I never thought that Murai was lurking around. An interesting twist indeed.

And then you also have the substory with Rachel. A woman you find hunting Fiends in Vigoor while trying to figure how to revert her sister, Alma, from being a Fiend. While I think that Rachel has a rocking introduction. It's Alma that I keep thinking about. You walk into the center of the Dworku Monastery and a scene plays. The lights start to shine as Ryu peers towards the stained glass as a shadow slowly forms over the center. And then crashing through is a large devilish woman. Her name is Alma. And she slowly descends as Ryu prepares for another battle. It is so idyllic and serene. In that moment I became immersed in what was being presented to me. If anything, I think that cinematography and direction for the cutscenes in NGB are some of the best in any game.

Each scene feels so meticulously crafted with care and an eye for something much more. I wish that all of Ninja Gaiden's cutscenes could look like they did in NGB. Nothing that I have played in the franchise has matched the emotions felt through experiencing NGB's. And there is one more scene that I would like to mention. 

Near the end of the game, Ryu is descending into Hell to confront The Holy Vigoor Emperor. He lands in a field of flowers with a stone statue standing before him. After collecting himself, he rises before making his way toward the statue as it begins to awaken. All the while, the field of flowers decays before the ground starts to crumble and explode with magma bursting out. Setting up the epic confrontation in an appropriate fashion. I simply cannot get enough of how ambitious this game feels. I can't believe they didn't want to spring for this type of vision for the future titles. 

Overall, NGB is not doing anything too crazy with it's plotline. However, it is presented with clear intent that makes Ryu feel very expressive through body language and structure. One last thing that deserves mention are the Black Spider Clan Diaries. Funny and introspective for the dead guys they are found beside. They give background information and are genuinely fun to read. A trend that continues in NGII, but is not in NG3:RE sadly. However, NGB is not great all the time. 

As stated earlier, Ryu does not move well in this game. So, platforming is a chore. The camera is horrendous, and the enemies are too smart. You end up getting looped at times, and die without having a chance to recover. Not to mention, the Ninpo in NGB are gabage outside of Fire Wheels. A Ninpo that was so good it got nerfed hard and then removed in NGII and NG3:RE respectively. Despite these flaws, I would still recommend NGB. A flawed but beatiful game. Yet, now it is time for Ninja Gaiden II. 

Ninja Gaiden II is the peak of the series so far for me. Outside of the Vigoorian Flail, the weapons feel really good, the movement and combat is improved. Yet now the game is much faster and leans the player toward longer combos and killing enemies in quick succession. My biggest complaint for this game is that Bosses are too easy on the initial playthrough. Given the lessening of healing items, it makes sense. NGII wants to player to swing. And I applaud them for it. It makes me feel better when I can just let'er rip. And the primary proponent of this change is the Lunar Staff. 

Massive damage and good range make the Lunar Staff unbeatable. But there are some worthy contenders. For example, there is the Eclipse Scythe. A weapon that bares similar properties to the Lunar Staff. Good range and damage means that enemies go down easily. Not to mention, that with the introduction of the dismemberment mechanic, the Eclipse Scythe becomes devastating. There are times when slice damage is needed over blunt damage. Something that I am not sure is real, yet I felt like it was. If the longer weapons were this great, then what about the smaller ones?

The answer to that question can be answered by the Tonfa. One of, if not, the best weapons at clearing regular enemies in the franchise. They are fast, they hit hard, and they have a lot of stock in stagger. So, most enemies are just gonna die to the Tonfa. Ryu uses them like the Nunchaku. The rapid hits just do not leave many openings for enemies unless they super armor through them. However, I did not find them to be useful in Boss Fights. You have balance in that regard. Otherwise, they kicked ass and I love them, especially as a Talim player in Soulcalibur. 

Another standout, especially in the early game, are the Falcon Talons. A claw weapon with insane speed and fun routes. And since the Vigoorian Flail died, these are the next best option. Not to mention, they can be used in the water quite effectively and are good for clearing the Chapter 5 Boss. Then you have the Dual Swords, a respectable weapon that just kind of sits on that middle tier. It can't out outgun the top weapons, and it's speed isn't the greatest. Lastly for the newcomers, there is the Kusari-gama. The sickle with the weight on the end of a chain. A weapon that I found to be too finnicky, yet was able to tear through any skeleton enemy. It was great for that at the very least. 

And the Dragon Sword is the same as ever, not overpowered, but not underpowered. Still a moderate and dependable weapon. While I can find compliments for most of the weapons, I cannot say the same for the Bosses in this game. Most of them are either too easy or uninteresting. I miss the bite that the NGB Bosses had. But that DNA is not gone. There were two bosses that I really enjoyed in NGII. They were Elizébet and Genshin. I think that these two fit the mold of what made NGB so fun during the Boss encounters. They take patience and counterplay to thwart. 

Genshin has deastating combos that lead into Izuna Drops. While Elizébet mirrors the style of Alma from NGB with added pokes to keep the player in check. It's especially great that you get to engage them twice. I would've been a little sad if those refights didn't exist as some of the Bosses got better. Like, Alexei is a tad more challenging on the refight. He gets a slight form change that makes you think a bit more. Yet, the same cannot be said about Zedonius and Volf. Whereas Zednoius just becomes annoying, Volf doesn't get anything. He adds Centaurs, but then still dies super fast. I never really felt any strategy went into Volf. For a big strong werewolf, he seemed to just die in no time at all. To finish off the Boss talk, I think that Dagra Dai would've been fine without having additional Fiends. They drag the fight down. But he's cool regardless. 

Now, that I have established some of the names, let's talk about the story a bit. The Fiends are back in town and they want Ryu to kill. Through his slaughter, they will revive the Archfiend, Vazdah. And so, there goes Ryu killing again while Hayabusa Village is once again decimated. They really need to up security at the Hayabusa Village. But that's not before Ryu is contacted by the new blonde-haired white woman, Sonia, also known as Irene. And to be honest, I don't really understand her place in this game. She helps Ryu out a handful of times, but is gone for most of it. I think that Rachel from NGB would've been fine in her place. There's rapport and Sonia seems to not exist for the better parts of the game. Only being a damsel is not really something I cared for. 

Overall, I think that the NGII's strength were in Elizébet and Genshin. While Elizébet is an intriguing villain that is courting Ryu towards the Fiend's goal, Genshin adds a different kind of B-side that the game needed. The quest for strength has a cost that Ryu knows too well. Their battle ends dramatically with Ryu taking and then returning Genshin's blade at the end of the game. There was no malice between the two, it was survival of the fittest. Yet, this was not the only area where I thought the writing excelled. 

That would come in the form of the Ninja Diaries once again. But this time they added a bit more personality. Some were cocky, while others were being observant to the ongoings. I love that one of the Black Spider Ninja's was like, "I would never die like that". And then you look down, and he did indeed die like that. Really well done environmental storytelling that added some nice humor to a game that was having fun. It's something that makes this game stand on its own when compared to NGB or NG3:RE. 

Howeveer, the game is not perfect. There are some truly horrendous bosses. The Death Worm Queen and The Twin Gold Dragons are probably near the bottom of my tierlist for the whole franchise. They're unfun and gimmicky. I cannot understand why they are in this game. I would've rather done anything else. It's funny that they are in the same chapter back-to-back. Outside of these complaints, there's not much wrong with NGII. 

Overall, NGII made the game faster, changed Ninpo for the better, and made the game flow well. I kind of wish it was a bit more open, but that's not as important. NGII is well structured with tons of replay value that I cannot really find in the next game, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. 

I am just gonna be blunt. NInja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is not bad, but it is painfully average and the only thing I can say it excels in is movement and music. Ryu when he does move in this game is smooth. I love it, and in turn this makes encounters a little better. To go along with a phenomenal soundtrack, it made battles better than they had any reason to. Outside of that, I'd rather not play it again. 

First off, the weapons are all nerfed by proxy, and it made damage never feel that significant. What I mean by nerfed, is that Bosses have such massive health bars that each fight dragged on. Fights that were typically a couple minutes turned into five plus minute affairs. No amount of telegraphable moves can save you from eating massive amounts of damage from a character that constantly blocks. I don't understand why all the Bosses were so tanky now. Do I blame Fromsoftware with their David vs Goliath style of combat where the player is supposed to whittle down health bars? Because that's what I got out of it. NG3:RE was an endurance test, and it cost me my hands.

These long-ass fights made my hands hurt like hell. For health reasons, I feel the need to not play this game. I wasn't happy that I beat it, I was happy that it was over. So many elements just don't fucntion the way that they should. The levels are way too linear, inputs are constantly dropped, visibility at an all time low with the lighting and horrendous camera, and the writing is terrible. It felt like propaganda for Japan and it's military at points. As well as the cinematic experience and QTEs just not being what the franchise needed. 

Calling Ryu a murderer and having his arm freak out every chapter was just annoying. Not to mention, that the upgrade system and defensive tools were gutted. Having Ninpo become a bar and be tied with your healing was just idiotic. The Ki builds so slow when you're not cleaving enemies that it loses functionality during the longer fights. To get off of this rant, I will talk about the weapons a bit. 

There are no new weapons aside from Jinran-maru which just acts as proxy to the Dragon Sword, and is then absorbed into the Dual Swords. The other part of the Dual Swords is Genshin's Blade of the Archfiend. Overall, they are still super dependable without much being different from the past titles. The real crime comes to the Lunar Staff and the Eclipse Scythe as they lose their aerial combo. Lunar Staff still has the inputs, but the link is not there. And Eclipse just doesn't have it anymore. It is replaced by a slow single strike move. These weapons are still good in this game, but are clearly neutered. 

The other weapons are the Falcon Talons and Kusari-gama. Falcon Talons are still really solid, and can even deal with certain enemies quite well. While I still think that Kusari-gama just doesn't function like it should. It felt slower and more unsafe. I felt like the weapons from NGII were all purposeful, yet NG3:RE didn't feel that way. So much so, that I can really only say that I enjoyed one fight. Even then, this fight was not well designed all the way through. 

That fight for me was against Lovelace, or the Imperfect Goddess. An interesting fight that had a mixture of three different forms. Lovelace felt like Alma with a mix of heavier Bosses like Volf, and a sort of Dhalsim or Necro from Street Fighter hybrid. I understood the idea, yet the systems at play make this fight a bit too sour. The phase that does this is the Volf-esque section where she gets Gorilla arms. She contantly defends and makes an opening for like two hits. They almost had one there, but the biggest offender to these systems lies in one of the main antagonists, Theodore. 

First off, you fight him like four times, and the last fight is really dumb in terms of the storytelling. But, by the end of it, he added like one or two combos each time. And each time I wanted to play another game. He's always blocking unless you use the Falcon Talons. The speed of this weapon actually messes with his fucnctionality and you can actually do damage to him. Overall, he does too much damage and can animation cancel his grab, so that it comes out faster. A truly baffling character that only gets more annoying as you fight him. He's not difficult, he's just broken.

Just thinking about the Bosses in NG3:RE is already upsetting, so let's talk writing. It sucks. The game is way too serious and Ryu is basically a weapon for the Japan Special Defense Force. I just find it funny that there are no Japanese Villians in this game. Every Japanese person is a hero and the villains are the crazy western cultists, Lords of Alchemy. So, this game revolves around Ryu and this JSDF Agent Mizuki McCloud along with the budding relationship with the child, Canna.  I just find it funny that big boobied women have been throwing themselves at Ryu, but this game has him thinking about family. I don't hate Mizuki, but it does come off as out of character for Ryu. 

Overall, the writing is too Hollywood Blockbuster and not wild action film. NGB reminds me of Blade and Underworld. While NG3:RE reminds me of a bad Godzilla film. Not to mention, the Ninja Diaries are gone. No more lore, and no more insights into random dead guys. At the very least there is playable Ayane. But that doesn't make up for the lack of flavor. An unseasoned steak is what I would call NG3:RE. Just another piece of meat. 

That's my take on the Ninja Gaiden Reboot Trilogy. There are two good games and one painful game. Now, I need to play Ninja Gaiden II Black and wait for Ninja Gaiden 4. The series is still promising and I have hopes that it can continue to deliver. Hopefully this will open the door for more Dead or Alive Fighting Games. But I won't hold my breath. Just remember that Ninja Gaiden rocks and they should get the cutscene team from NGB to work on the games again. 

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.