Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Preview
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the next entry in the Ninja Gaiden franchise, taking players back to its 2D sidescrolling roots. Developed by The Game Kitchen (of Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2 fame), Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is highly anticipated by fans of the genre, and for good reason. The game features the familiar fast-paced combat and traversal while maintaining a challenge for players.
The game begins with the usual protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa going to America to honor his father’s will. Players will instead play as Kenji Mozu, another ninja from the Hayabusa Village, tasked to protect his clan and the word from the Demon Lord. On the way, he must form an alliance with their enemies, the Black Spider Clan, in order to succeed. The build we were able to play contained a few different stages in the early parts of the game.
In previewing the title, the first thing I noticed was how well the old-school feel was preserved, not only within the visuals but also in the challenge of the game. The title looks like a classic game with its pixel art while updating them to match contemporary qualities. Likewise, the gameplay is challenging but features modern quality-of-life improvements that keep things engaging. For example, dying results in a quick respawn at the previous checkpoint, allowing players to tackle the section again. Additionally, accessibility sliders give players the autonomy to make the game a bit more digestible and customized to their abilities.
The 2D side-scrolling action-platformer genre has been attempted by so many developers, both indie and otherwise, in recent years that the formula has become a bit stale. A lot of them also blend in elements of Metroidvanias, which doesn’t help the cause. However, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound leverages its roots and enhances the core gameplay mechanics with modern sensibilities and improvements that make the title enjoyable based on the portions I was able to play through.
Based on the short time I had with the title, I can tell that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will find an immediate audience. If not the aesthetics, the gameplay will be what keeps players coming back. If I had to voice any concerns, it was the challenging nature of the game. We already spoke about the ability to adjust difficulty settings as you see fit, but having to manually adjust settings was also a giant pain in the ass.
Ninja Gaiden is up for a huge year this year with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black releasing earlier this year, and Ninja Gaiden 4 scheduled for release later this year on October 21, 2025. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound ties it together with its release on July 31, 2025. The demo for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will also be available from June 9, 2025, until the title launches.
**PC code was provided by the publisher**
