Ninja Blade Reviews

  • Black XinoBlack Xino28,818
    30 Mar 2009
    19 9 5
    A mixture of God of War QTE style, Devil May Cry moves and Ninja Gaiden elements.

    Now before reading this, I will not compare it to Ninja Gaiden, I will just mention some elements taken from it!

    GRAPHICS 8/10
    The graphics for this game are good, there are some modeling that isn't too impressive, some part of the graphics and visuals aren't stunning either. But I could say the graphics isn't bad! It doesn't have any problem such as slow downs, lags, freezes etc. However in chapter 9 I did get a slow down, felt so much like Ninja Gaiden 2, because there was so much things happening.

    Although this game is glitched! I was fighting one of the bosses in the game, the boss would jump away to safety and fire projectiles at me, and then come back down to fight me. The first time I fought the boss, the boss remained still in the safety area without coming down to fight me, just throwing projectiles at me:/

    The game uses Havok engine/physics, which means the whole environment is destructible but not heavily detailed. The blur effect used aren't impressive enough, the kind of blur effect I'm referring to: DOA4, Ninja Gaiden Sigma.


    GAMEPLAY 7/10
    The gameplay combat isn't like Ninja Gaiden, NG requires you to learn your enemies attack patterns and weakness by blocking and timing. Devil May Cry's gameplay is all about going all on with style, you can't be reckless but you still need to know how to defend and attack. I haven't played God of War yet so I really can't comment on the gameplay. But for NB's gameplay, the enemies won't do anything not until you get close to them about 20 paces. They attack really annoyingly (same thing can be noticed in Otogi), meaning when you are pulling off combos and attacks, they will surely interrupt you! Even during a 1v1 battle, somehow the enemy will just get through your attacks and attack you. This is one major grudge I have against this game (before it used to be the ugly costume), I just hate the way the enemies attack. You need to block all the time for no reason. The failure to this is the lack of auto lock on, some moves you perform will miss the enemies, the game really craves for an auto lock on or lock on feature.

    The QTE, Quick Time Event gotten from God of War/Heavenly Sword, is the main focus of this game. And no it doesn't DISAPPOINTS! From the demo, it just shows how you'll use the QTE, but later in the game, you'll use it to the fullest. It's just so awesome. And the Enduring is...:P

    Comboing is fun in this game, especially when you use the Dual blades (my favourite weapon). The combo is linked to the game's combat. In NInja Gaiden, if you block or get hit, your combo hits disappears. The same goes to Devil May Crys. But in this game, even though you get hit or block, combo hits still stays on, but it will disappear if you don't make the next hit in 4 sec.

    And DAMN, the combo's this guy pulls off are DEAD awesome!!!! Especially with the Dual Blades.

    There are other elements in the gameplay apart from sword fighting, when you are on an helicopter and tank, you can use the sidearms weaponry to shoot down enemies (rail shooter, and I love the way FromSoftware positioned Ken, looks so real, and the way he reloads is awesome:)).

    There are only 3 weapons to choose from the game, you can upgrade them that unlocks newer moves. Apart from swords, you have your Ninjistu, a Ninpon like effect from Ninja Gaiden. You have 4 different types: Fire, Wind and others. This ninjistu is like a boomerang blade, you can press B and ken will launch it around himself providing damage against slow enemies. Not only do this ninjistu causes attacks, but can provide good support such as the Wind that can put out a flame on the ground blocking your path. You can also throw the ninjistu as a projectile. Speaking of projectiles, you can deflect enemies projectiles back to them.

    For the Upgrading, you can upgrade your health's gauge and chi gauge by collecting hidden orbs specifically for them. The Chi gauge is for your Ninja Vision and use of Ninjistu. The Ninja Vision slows down time and gives you a speed advantage. Not only with that, Ninja Vision shows hint to the path you are suppose to go as well as items in boxes and barrels. You can collect First aid sprays that replenishes your health guage to it's fullest and adrenaline boost that gives extra damage to your attack and higher defend.
    One thing I hate about the health system is that you can't buy first aids, you collect them by breaking barrels and boxes, and no you won't collect lots of them during the game! The fact is your health guage meter is so small:/


    SOUND 8/10
    I like the voice acting in this game, nothing to complain about here. The sound effects are good too, nothing to complain about. Music tracks are really cool, I think it's the guy that does the Metal Gear Solid sound track, is also this game's composer. I don't know about you, but I only find the boss battle music and the menu music enjoyable.


    STORY 7/10
    Tokyo is infected by parasite worms called Alpha-Worms, a ninja family summoned by the president to deal with this situation happening in Tokyo are dispatched. They are Ken (main character you play has), Kuroh (a cocky brother), Kanebe( your father/teacher) etc. Something goes wrong on the rooftop when they gathered after eliminating a worm virus. Ken was betrayed by someone close to him, the whole team apart from the family were killed by the betrayers, even Ken's friend (pilot). That is how the story begins.

    I've finished the game, I really can't say much about it, don't want to spoil it for you. But I must say, it does get complex and confusing, and some part of the story mentioned were not reviewed, like Ken's mother!

    The whole plot about Tokyo being consumed by worm virus is pretty descent, but with the beef with Ken's family is the main focus. But in the end, the game's storyline is focused on Ken's blood and the worms. The worms kept going on about Ken's blood, yet in the end FromSoftware didn't review anything about Ken's blood, and in the end epilogue you can one dumb ending that you won't understand.


    But I must say, Ken's power are plain awesome! Him vs Ryu Hayabusa will be a fierce fight, Ken is just too strong, he has excellent reflexes!


    PRESENTATION 8/10
    I remember the first time this game was introduced. I hated two things, how over the top the game was and the ugly headgear on his head. FromSoftware finally addresses this problem, not only can you unlock different costumes, but the best part is: You can change the colour of the whole OUTFIT! AWESOME! This is what I requested for Ninja Gaiden 2! To be able to change Ryu's outfit and paint the black legendary falcon to white! You'll eventually love customizing the outfit of Ken. Before I used to dislike his outfit, but not anymore, it's cool. You can also customize his headgear, by putting different symbols you find through out the game's campaign.

    The menu design is cool, sort of like a mobile phone design.
    I have no idea why this game is being released in different regions at different times. I have the same package sold in Asia, it's multi region, comes with English and Korean text; same goes to the case and manual. Game has English subtitle and Korean (I think it also has Germany). If this game is multiregion, why separate the release date???

    Once again, this game has a boss recycle, meaning you fight the same bosses you fought before again, about 3 times!


    REPLAYABILITY 5/10
    If it wasn't for the achievement, this would have gotten a 4/10. After finishing the game, you unlock nothing! There's an extra section, but it only contains the prologue video and credits. No mission mode, bloody palace or anything. Replayability is only focused for the achievement. But you can go back and play any chapters.

    People thinking about the gameplay hour don't count on it:/ Every game nowadays have short campaigns. Game comes with 9 mission chapters, which lasting about 20mins or more.


    ACHIEVEMENTS 7/10
    Achievements for this game are good, worth playing for and are hard. The good ones are the easy ones you can get without stressing. Such as complete mission 1-9, execute 10 combo, use a wind ninjistu etc Worth playing achievements are maximise all your health gauge, fully upgrade your weapons, complete mission 1 within 30 min etc. Hard achievements are perform 10 perfect QTE's, finish mission 9 without retrying, achieve a 50 kill hits etc. No the achievements are not time consuming like Devil May Cry 4's, or dead hard like Ninja Gaiden 2. But you would get about 600-800 if you put some effort to it.

    What else is there to say?



    But seriously, this game lacks content!


    RECOMMENDATION:
    This game is sort of like a spin off of all the great hack n slash titles mixed together into one action packed game like a movie.

    *If Ninja Gaiden's difficulty kicked your arse, this is best for you.
    *If you want to try out Devil May Cry's stylish moves but in Ninja way, TRY THIS!
    *If you want a movie like game with QTE's (Heavy Rain), you must GET THIS.
    The QTE itself makes this game awesome and is the key point of the game.



    OVERALL 8/10
    I really can't decide, lack of contents makes this game a 7/10, but the cool customisation and awesome QTE does make this game get above a 8/10.


    Additional Info:
    Not really important, I just want to clarify several things:
    *They copied Dante's stylish moves: In DMC4 when Dante is about to knock those scare crows with huge blade and Dante does so baseball stance. (first mission you play as Dante, chapter 9). Another part, when Dante uses Nero's sword to slice the big black gate.
    *True Ninja Blade- Ninja Gaiden's True Dragon Sword
    *QTE: Press A to catch the controller on the elevator platform (you'll love this, it's funny:P)
    *Not a Ninja Gaiden Clone.
    4.0
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    CormacThat is a very long review for what is an avaerage game at best.
    Posted by Cormac on 11 Oct 10 at 16:35
    Rey Punisherthe only thing that was a pain in the ass were the QTE's
    Posted by Rey Punisher on 02 Oct 11 at 15:09
    Dragon VoyagerIt's actually a decent game, all things considered. I personally think it was put together much better than Ninja Gaiden 2 was. That game is horribly glitchy and broken.
    Posted by Dragon Voyager on 11 Nov 11 at 19:03
  • Zonrith1Zonrith1671,280
    06 Sep 2013 07 Sep 2013
    3 1 0
    Description
    Ninja Blade is a hack and slash game set in Tokyo. You play as Ken Ogawa, ninja extraordinaire and part of the G.U.I.D.E. (Global United Infestation Detection and Elimination) force, which is tasked with containment of a worm-derived parasite that infects humans. As the game progresses, the infestation spreads further into Tokyo, and Ken must fight a variety of infected creatures and bosses to try and bring an end to the madness before a military strike that turns the entire city into glass is ordered.

    The most notable feature of the game is its intense scenes. It's modeled on a Hollywood blockbuster, both in terms of the boss fights and certain transition scenes as you play the levels. These are the scenes that feature the use of Quick Time Events (QTEs).

    Outside of the QTE parts, the gameplay adheres to a hack and slash style akin to Ninja Gaiden 2, though notably simpler (less need to read your opponents to be successful against them, combos are easy to execute, etc.). In fact, it's important to note this game is not a Ninja Gaiden title, even though it sort of looks like one (and has "Ninja" in the title). As hack and slash games go, it's a different sort of experience, despite the similarities.

    Graphics/Sound (8/10)
    Overall, the game looks pretty good. Many of the areas are very dark and drab, but contrast well against the lighting sources (fire, hanging lights, etc. They all have their own, unique look). I really did get a Ninja Gaiden 2 vibe out of Ken (but, he is a ninja, so not too shocking there) and the look of the monsters. The biggest issue is the lag. For a game that wanted over-the-top action, it really has trouble with rendering explosions. Odd, since they stuck so many in the game (one does not simply fill a room with red barrels and not expect me to blow them all up at once). It's not a constant problem, but any gamer playing through will notice it and it does compromise immersion.

    I had no issues with the sound. A good variety of music fits the mood of the various scenes. Sound effects were realistic and crisp, and I especially appreciate the inclusion of a sound cue when it is about time to start a QTE segment (no nasty deaths because I set my controller down to watch a cutscene, something I was rudely punished for in Resident Evil 4 and 5).

    Controls (8/10)
    As any hack and slash player knows, good controls are critical to having a good experience. Thankfully, Ninja Blade has a pretty good control setup (aka, it's standard). X and Y being the main attack buttons, A to jump, etc. I did find that turret control on vehicles was a bit jarring, however (aim with left stick, not right stick, change-ammo was on a bumper but changing weapons is normally on the D-pad). Those aren't hard to get used to, just a bit strange.

    Responsiveness to the controls is pretty solid. I found executing the weapon attack combos pretty easy (I think the attack commands are simple, again versus say Ninja Gaiden 2, so some of this responsiveness may be just me not screwing things up on my end as much). I did have a few instances with jumps (gap crossing) where I thought I looked lined-up with the grab target and I ended up falling to my doom. Likewise, wall-running was pretty good overall but I did have a few falls I felt should have been fine. So, not quite as good as what we'd get in a platformer, but overall very solid (I rarely got frustrated by the controls, even on these more precise elements).

    Story (7/10)
    The story works for what it is: save the city from monsters before time runs out. There is also a subplot involving Ken and his father that directly ties into the main story. None of it feels very original, but it is interesting to watch the first time through.

    I will give credit here, however, for the action sets they establish. From a popcorn-film perspective, Ninja Blade is a lot of fun. If you can get yourself to enjoy the cut scenes that are going on during the QTEs (hard, since you're staring for that next button to press), you'll be treated to some very ridiculous, over-the-top combat moments. I laughed quite a bit the first time I went through the story, seeing just what sort of completely unbelievable way I'd finish off the next boss to cross my path.

    Replay Value (6/10)
    The game does have decent replay value, but the game is also pretty short, so one likely won't be blown away by the total time investment. My first playthrough took me just over six hours. My top times on the various stages, when all said-and-done, was just over three hours. So these stages can go fast, once you have the gear to do so.

    The story doesn't change, so replay comes in the form of going for collectibles (outside of achievements these relate to gaining more health, more chi [works sort of like mana], and various costumes), farming crystals to level up your chi attacks and swords, and trying to improve your various scores on the stages.

    I played through the story three times (once to enjoy the story, once to get the collectibles, and once on Hard), plus I redid several stages for score-related reasons. All said and done, I spent around 30 hours in the game, which feels pretty short to me (but I play a lot of RPGs, so I may be biased).

    "Fun" Factor (7/10)
    I enjoyed Ninja Blade a lot more than I expected to. I think the ability to enjoy it directly ties to how much you hate QTEs. There are a lot of QTEs in this game. It is merciful about them (if you fail you retry from the QTE, or a sort of sub-checkpoint within the QTE, so it isn't bad to get through them), but I've never had so many in a game before.

    I think one's ability to enjoy it also depends on how big of a Ninja Gaiden fan one is. Those who really like Ninja Gaiden 2, and want this to be like that, are likely going to just end up annoyed. Ninja Blade isn't as hard, the combat approach (need to be defensive, change strategies for various, non-boss encounters, etc.) is quite different, but all the while it looks a lot like Ninja Gaiden.

    Personally, what I least cared for were the vehicle elements. Several missions start with you operating a turret on some form of vehicle. I just found these parts a little boring. Sure, there is some challenge to them (killing the enemies before you take damage, trying to improve on that when you play the mission again later, etc.), but overall it was just too on-rails and time-consuming for my liking. They are a very small part of the overall game, however, so a minor point.

    So, if one prefers a hack and slash that isn't as rough and unforgiving about combat as Ninja Gaiden 2 is, doesn't mind QTEs, and would enjoy seeing some over-the-top cutscenes, Ninja Blade is a decent game to experience.

    Achievements
    I don't rate on achievements, but for those considering this game and wondering about the challenge to full-clear it, here is some information. I'd say 20-30 hours can get you all the achievements (adjust depending on your skill). Some activities become easier if you've unlocked certain weapons and upgrades, so what may seem daunting can actually become easier as you play through the game more and more. A guide will likely be needed for the collectibles (most are along the main routes, but some were pretty decently hidden). Every level has a level-specific challenge, and some become very easy once upgraded (winning within certain time periods) and some can be more tedious (don't take 1,000 damage for the whole stage). 10 perfect QTEs in a row might be the most annoying achievement for some. Overall, I'd say getting the A+ average for all the stages is the one mandating the most time spent, but since the game remembers your top score in each category from any playthrough, you can run a stage to focus on time and run it again to focus on doing your finishing moves.

    I played through the game three times (once on Normal, then I accidentally deleted my save so once again on Normal while going for all the collectibles, and once on Hard), and redid all stages in standalone several times (on Normal and Easy, depending on what I was trying to achieve). Total time spent to full-clear the achievements was approximately 30 hours.

    Overall score average: 7.2

    Score-to-Star Translation Guide:
    5 stars: 9.01 to 10 (out of 10)
    4.5 stars: 8.01 to 9
    4 stars: 7.01 to 8
    3.5 stars: 6.01 to 7
    3 stars: 5.01 to 6
    2.5 stars: 4.01 to 5
    2 stars: 3.01 to 4
    1.5 stars: 2.01 to 3
    1 star: 1.01 to 2
    0.5 stars: 0 to 1
    4.0
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