It took about 60 seconds of playing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound for me to realize that developer The Game Kitchen has created a strong case for the Ninja Gaiden series to reclaim its home in the 2D plane. Across its 12-hour runtime, Ragebound seamlessly blends gorgeous pixel art, inventive level design, and sublime gameplay to create one of the best retro throwbacks I’ve ever played.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound throws you right into the action as Kinji Monzu, who must protect the Hyabusa Clan village while Ryu Hyabusa is in America handling the events of 1989’s Ninja Gaiden. Combat starts simple, with just sword attacks and the Guillotine Boost, which lets you tap the jump button at just the right time over an enemy or projectile to not only damage them but also bounce off of them. This move is at the core of Ragebound’s movement techniques, which will soon have you leaping over perilous gaps, escaping fire, evading runaway trains, and more.
If the Guillotine Boost is at the heart of Ragebound’s platforming, then Kenji’s hypercharged attack is the nucleus of combat. By killing marked enemies or sacrificing some health, Kenji gains the power of an insta-kill move called a hypercharged attack. The foundation of Ragebound’s excellence can be traced to the unique ways The Game Kitchen asks players to use these two moves, often in tandem. Later, when the second protagonist, Kumori, joins the fray with an unholy fusion to Kenji’s soul, adding projectiles to your arsenal, the ante is upped significantly.
Now, killing teal-marked enemies using a melee assault rewards the instant hypercharged attack, whereas you’ll need to kill the pink-traced enemies with Kumori’s projectiles to gain that. Though every enemy can be killed with standard attacks, hypercharged moves allow you to one-shot armored or shield-bearing enemies that would otherwise withstand multiple hits, blunting your momentum. This creates a rhythmic dance, teaching you to quickly identify the most efficient way to eliminate enemies before you.
The Game Kitchen smartly chooses to focus less on punishing mistakes, backed by helpful checkpoints and accessibility options, instead emphasizing the pure adrenaline that comes with keeping up with its tempo. Achieving the S-Rank on a level is in no way required, but Ragebound feels so good you want to. The same goes for finding collectibles; some allow you to purchase new perk-yielding talismans or combat-altering moves/ Another collectible unlocks extra-hard but fantastic secret levels on the world map to complete at your leisure.
Kumori’s demonic side also causes demon altars to appear in most levels, which present bite-sized platforming challenges. They are difficult and timed, requiring a near-perfect mastery of her moveset to complete. Each one provides a 30-second distillation of what makes Ragebound so fun.
Ragebound’s combat mechanics alone are highly entertaining, which makes it all the better that The Game Kitchen built an impressive sidescrolling adventure to harbor them. Levels are inventive from start to finish as The Game Kitchen takes the idea of sidescrolling and creates a lively world that morphs this basic premise of movement in unique ways. Coupled with dynamic pixel-art visuals and a fantastic score, Ragebound constantly engages all senses possible.
Ragebound is tough to complete and even harder to master, but it’s hardest to put down. It’s demanding with little frustration, engaging with few lulls, and ultimately, a reminder that while Ryu’s modern-day adventures can be great, there’s still Ki to be found in Ninja Gaiden’s original dimensions.
