If you’re a fan of ninjas, 2025 is going to be the year for you. SEGA’s master ninja Joe Musashi has put the cowl back on (Don’t worry this is the first and last reference to other franchises!) and the Hayabusa Ninja Clan of Ninja Gaiden fame will feature in not one, but two titles. The first being the heavily Microsoft marketed Ninja Gaiden 4 and the second a Dotemu published 2D side scrolling title featuring dual protagonists developed by The Game Kitchen, the team behind the Blasphemous games. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will be the vanguard of the Hayabusa Clan’s foray into 2025 and we were privileged enough to get an early hands-on with a demo that is set to go live during the next Steam Next Fest which is set to take place from June 9th to the 16th. So while my initial impressions of the reveal was really focused on how beautiful the pixelated visuals are, how is the gameplay? Let’s find out!
The demo begins with an homage to the then revolutionary intro from the NES Ninja Gaiden and after a chapter card is shown, we see Ryu Hayabusa and Kenji Mozu had another training bout with the master ninja besting the young trainee. We are then given control of Mozu as we are to run through a training course which serves as the game’s tutorial. Before I continue describing this level, I have to say it gave me a chuckle to see contemporary things like pitching machines and vending machines in the Hayabusa dojo. We learn techniques such as the Guillotine Boost, an aerial strike that acts as the game’s equivalent of a double jump, the Hypercharge mechanic which involves killing enemies which are emanating aura which when killed will imbue your next attack with additional strength as well as a another way to imbue your blade with this strength, but at the cost of your own health. So if you’re expecting to use 2D versions of the Inuza Drop or the Flying Swallow…you might want to temper your expectations, after all the skill gap between Mozu and Hayabusa is currently pretty wide.
As you go through the dojo, you will experience an “ambush” where you need to act quickly and take out targets before the clock reaches zero. It is there where I saw one of the things which will give players incentives to replay them…challenges. Each stage will include 3 challenges. In this opening stage, the tasks are to complete the training area without getting hurt, completing the ambush in one attempt and a third challenge I’ll reveal shortly. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for collectibles such as Crystal Skulls and Golden Scarabs.
Once you’ve completed the training course, you’re offered another opportunity to take on Ryu. The master ninja starts off with a relatively simple attack pattern, but as his life is whittled away, he starts breaking out more advanced techniques…like the Flying Swallow. I, being a games journalist, ended up losing the bout, eating an Izuna Drop for my impudence (So I have yet to complete the level’s 3rd challenge…). Sadly this might be the last which we will see of the Master Ninja as he receives a message of the murder of his father and off he goes to find the killer (yes…this game takes place before the NES Ninja Gaiden) and the moment Ryu leaves…the Hayabusa compound is attacked by demons.
We are then greeted with a screen grading our performance in the level. The ratings are based on a combined factor of the time it took to complete the level, how many kills racked up, the max combo you got, how many challenges and collectibles you found. The rank you will receive is a Letter and an epithet (likely mirroring the ones you received in the reboot series, Ninja Dog to Master Ninja). Once you’ve reviewed your performance you are sent to a level select. On this screen you can choose to move onto the next level, or revisit an old level and in the right hand side, I happened upon an pixelated rendition of old man Muramasa. Although the game’s marketing seems to imply this game is in the NES Ninja Gaiden continuity, you see a lot of references to the 2000s version of the series. Muramasa acts as a shopkeeper and the currency he accepts is…you guessed it, Golden Scarabs. Unfortunately you cannot do any shopping in the demo, but does this mean the Unlabored Flawlessness is this game?
The next level has you fighting back demons in the compound, leading to a confrontation of a greater demon named Gurthka. This serves as a first place for you to practice the skills you learned in the tutorial. Bound over fireballs with Guillotine Boosts, instantly cut down shielded demons with a Hypercharged strike, don’t just strictly make your way to the right, less you miss out on the crystal skulls and golden scarabs that are hidden away in the stage.
With the demon Gurthka pushed back, we’re sent forward to chapter 3. This is where the souls of Kenji and a Black Spider Ninja Clan kunoichi Kumori have been binded and the two must work together in order to find a way to separate their intertwined souls. Level 3-1 acts as a “second” tutorial where you learn to utilize the skills of Kumori.
Kenji now has access to ki which he can channel to throw kunai. You can use these projectiles to attack enemies from a distance as well as trigger switches. You can also imbue these projectiles with hypercharge energy. Along with your health and ki bars are five orbs, these are the rage orbs. In order to light up each orb you will need to perform a hypercharge kill, with 5 rage orbs in your possession, you can perform a ragebound art, a powerful attack that will clear the screen of regular enemies or do a sizable amount of damage to a boss.
You will also encounter Demon Alters, a place which Kenji can enter in order to give Kumori the ability to separate from him. During this time, Kumori can be controlled in her own platforming sections, allowing her to activate switches the tangible Kenji cannot access. Kumori can only maintain her form for a limited time, requiring you to strike blue orbs to top off to maintain her energy levels.
The final level of this demo is 3-4 and like 1-2 it serves as a real time test of the skills you’ve learned in the tutorial levels you’ve experienced. Utilize your blade as well as kunai and make your way to a confrontation with another greater demon. This time it is one by the name of Deikrag. Once you’ve bested this foul beast, you’ve completed the demo…however you are beckoned to try the game’s hard mode. In this higher difficulty, checkpoints are harder to come by, enemy density is higher and your foes are more aggressive…it will serve as a true test for the hardened ninja!
With that said Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound plays as well as it looks. I really do appreciate the blending of both the original NES series with the 2000 reboot. While I’m not the biggest fan of being graded in video games, I do understand that it certainly encourages replay. I certainly am curious what curios old man Muramasa will be offering Kenji and Kumori (I’m resigned to the fact the store will only offer health/ki/rage orb upgrades and will temper expectations of new weapons being sold). Looks like we’ll be roughly two months away before the legend of a new Hayabusa Clan Ninja will be told. Perhaps when the full version is out…the results of my sparring match with Ryu will be different.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is set to be released on PC, PC, Switch, the Xbox and PlayStation platforms on July 31st 2025.
