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| Source // PlayStation |
When the 1001 write up to a game mentions how soul-crushingly hard it is, you can bet that I start to fill with dread. When the first paragraph goes on to say how many players got to the first boss fight and quit, never to return, my memory started to return. I've played Ninja Gaiden, haven't I?
I only played a demo of what would have been the PlayStation 3 port, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, where most of these screenshots come from, but a staggeringly tough boss fight at the end of the first level of a ninja game seems awfully familiar.
I've got the original Xbox release in hand, however, so let's put my memory to the test.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Fun Times
Don't you love it when backwards compatibility just works? Yeah, I had to sit through the boring opening sequence twice, and the first level took a minute or two or load, where all I could do was read more boring scrolling text, but it worked. I was playing an old game on a not-as-old console.
You are Ryu Hayabusa, the latest in a long line of ninjas to wield the Dragon Sword, a legendary weapon that slays dragons. There's something to do with a Black Dragon Sword too, a legendary sword that contains the souls of black dragons, and turns anyone who uses it really rather evil, so two opposing clans are naturally fighting over whether it can be harnessed to take over the world.
We start in a river canyon, where we can get to grips with our incredibly lively main character. Running and jumping isn't good enough for a ninja, so wall running and somersaulting off and up ledges make your movements as flashy and over-the-top as a ninja's movements should be, and they're all done with a contextual press of the jump button.
As we reach the top, which doesn't look anything like this screenshot (I'm resorting to pulling whatever images I can for this one, there are so few out there it seems), I do start to get that familiar feeling that I've been here before.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Frustrations
Two guards spring out in front of me, and it's time for some combat. Ryu has a block button to absorb the impacts, and an attack button to dish out some swift, swishy punishment. If you want your video games to sound like old school ninja movies, you're in luck. Turn those speakers up and get slashing.
He's also got some shuriken for ranged attacks, and, thankfully, he seems to know where I want to aim them because the camera is borderline abysmal.
It plays like Devil May Cry, only a little cagier, in that you're going to need to block more often. But the camera definitely didn't learn much from DMC. It tries to keep the action focused, and will move when it can, but for the most part, it's essentially fixed, and you're just going to have to deal with it. If that means looking at a fence in front of the fight, or the top of Ryu's head as he walks into the corner of a room, so be it.
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| Source // PlayStation |
The combat does feel alright, and you and your enemies will be covered in blood by the end of it. If you've been stocking up on healing items, you can nip into the menus to chug them so that you're ready for the next ambush - and that seems to be the only way the enemy knows how to approach you. I don't recall stumbling upon them or having the upper hand. They know where I am, and they're ready and waiting.
And if the level calls for some exploration, well, they'll wait for you to explore in safety before locking you in a room and hitting you for a few minutes until you clear the way: kill enough people and the doors magically open for you to proceed.
The first test of navigating this place is to find a mask to complete a set of armour which holds a key. No mask, no key, no key, no progress. You can't get lost, really, and you keep moving and fighting and moving until you've got the mask, put it in its place, grab the key and head to the door.
Where this arsehole waits for you.
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| Source // YouTube |
Up until now, you've fought two kinds of enemies. Both come at you with swords, one of which is obviously tougher and knows how to chuck some throwing stars from time to time, but otherwise, you know how to fight dudes with swords. Block, wait for an opening, hammer the attack button until blood spurts everywhere and they disappear. Easy. (Repeat 10 times per ambush, practice makes perfect).
But this arsehole. He's got nunchucks. They seem to magically block your shuriken, so don't bother with them. He'll come in swinging, and you can prevent it all by just holding the block button. You might get in a few hits when he's finished, but more likely than not, he'll see that you're blocking and with grab you, slam you to the ground, cut your health in half and get you wondering just what the heck you have to do to defeat him.
I went through healing items, I used a magical instant revive, I tried blocking only a little bit as opposed to a lot. Nothing worked. All the memories came back. Have a decent time, nothing amazing, nothing too shabby, get to the boss, hit the sheer cliff that is the difficulty spike and then drop the game and move on with your life.
And so that's what I did with the actual game too.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Final Word
There is a place for challenging games, don't get me wrong. If I am determined enough to overcome a gaming challenge, I'll try, but as I get older, there comes the point where I have to cut my losses and move onto something else.
Ninja Gaiden looks pretty good, plays alright, has its camera issues and dated design practices, but otherwise puts a decent game in front of you. Until the first boss blindsides you, most likely kicking your arse so badly that you don't care for the game anymore.
The introduction to the story didn't wow me, and nor do ninjas as a whole, so I'm unlikely to want to see what's behind this boss fight. For curiosities sake, I suppose I better read up on how to defeat this guy. I didn't even catch his name. We're intruders on his patch, though, so he's well within his rights to aggressively defend himself.
The game was ported and tweaked to the PlayStation 3, where I first encountered it, but it was also remade as Ninja Gaiden Black, which included an easier difficulty... and we'll cover that when this very 1001 list suggests we play it later on.
I can't wait for that one.
Fun Facts
The game was planned for a Dreamcast release until Sega announced that the console would be no more. It was then headed to the PlayStation 2, but in the background, Xbox development kits impressed those at the top and they would announce it as exclusive to the Xbox. What console preference did fans vote for? The Nintendo GameCube, apparently.
Ninja Gaiden, developed by Team Ninja, first released in 2004.
Version played: Ninja Gaiden, Xbox, 2004, via backwards compatibility
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Demo, PlayStation 3, 2007, via teenage memory.