Developed by the authors of Blasphemous and published by Dotemu, NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound is a revisitation of the old 2D action platformers of the saga.
If I had to think of a “spiritual” sequel to the Ninja Gaiden saga that raged from the end of the 80s until 2004 both in arcades and on 8 and 16 bit consoles, I would not have chosen a better name than The Game Kitchen.
In fact, after 2004, the classic action model underwent a restyling. With the arrival of the prequel series (Team Ninja) on XBOX, the game had a technical and gameplay restyling, bringing it up to the present day.
In fact, in 2025 the release of Ninja Gaiden Black and the wait for Ninja Gaiden 4 (21 October 2025) developed by Platinum Games, Dotemu gives us another surprise.
The demo of a NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound which is inspired by the old school action 2D platform, out on July 31st.
Attention to the past and care to details
Playing the demo you can see the great care that The Game Kitchen has put into this title. Starting from the technical and aesthetic sector which is really well looked after. Really well done backgrounds and character and creature designs.
In addition to this, the intuitive and fluid mechanics make the gameplay really fast and frenetic. Imagine slashing your way through a horde of demons in a burning building.
The developers, given their experience, have implemented various skills and design solutions that make this Ninja Gaiden truly promising.
Now we come to the actual tradition.
This time we are not in the shoes of Ryu Hayabusa, but of Kenji. Young disciple whom we will get to know in the first stage. In fact, the first level we will face is basically a tutorial together with our mentor.
Another gem is the possibility to choose whether to disable Knockback after taking a hit. Anyone who played at the time knows very well how dangerous knockback was. A single blow could have caused us to fall and compromise the match.
I always recommend not deactivating the option, also because Knockback seems less punitive.
Ninja skills
In NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound the protagonist has a series of peculiar moves that impact the gameplay. In addition to the classic attack, jump, dodge (with invincibility frame) and lunge, Kenji has two bars: one for health and one for Ki. The latter runs out as Kunai are used and can be restored by attacking.
In addition there are two special attacks: the Guillotine and the Hypercharge.
The Guillotine is an air attack that allows you to bounce off both enemies and projectiles. This, in addition to doing little damage, allows you to reach greater heights and overcome obstacles. We can also use enemies as real “steps”.
Most creatures are weak and can be destroyed with one blow. Others, however, are very resistant and this is where the Hypercharge comes into play.
By killing enemies with a special aura, we can store this energy and use it against powerful opponents.
The Ragebound Art is a must, usable after accumulating power in the Rage Orbs, thanks to attacks against enemies.
These abilities blend well with the level design, considering that Kenji can climb and grapple onto almost any surface.
Allies, challenges, collectibles and level design
Regarding characters and level design, the character of Kumori comes into play.
During the levels we can control this character.
When we encounter Demon Altars, Kenji can enter them and relieve Kumori. As soon as we enter the altar we will take control of Kumori and the level design will change. In fact, our ally creates alternative paths with timed platform phases with the aim of opening the passage for Kenji.
Kumori can stay on this floor for a limited time and it will be up to us to solve the puzzle/platform in the shortest time possible.
These register changes, in addition to making the gameplay less flat, help the player find the collectibles hidden throughout the levels.
In fact, in the levels there are challenges to complete and hidden collectibles. Obtaining them all, as well as benefiting replayability, allows you to improve the equipment in the shop, which is not available in the demo.
The demo levels
In NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound we can play, in addition to the tutorial, 3 levels with a boss fight. These levels are not consecutive but are chosen by the developers to best show some of the game’s features. Which is why we don’t know how the protagonists interact and how the plot proceeds. We’ll see it once the game is finished.
At the end of each level we will have a rating up to S which considers the time taken, kills and maximum combos.
The levels have fairly generous checkpoints which, once activated, also heal the player.
Don’t worry though! You can try, still in the demo, the hard version of the first playable level.
More aggressive enemies, more dangerous traps and environmental platforming and above all no checkpoints.
What are you waiting for? The NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound demo is available on STEAM if you don’t want to wait until July 31st.
