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Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound review: finding inner peace
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Score Details 'When you get into the flow, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is ruthlessly satisfying.' Pros Unrivaled pixel art and animations Perfectly tuned and readable bosses Each stage offers unique challenges Cons Progression rewards are a bit lacking Some stages drag on a bit too long Buy Now If there's one word I would associate with action-platformers during the NES generation, it would be rage. Games like Mega Man, Contra, and Ninja Gaiden felt unbeatable even for a kid with endless amounts of free time to beat my head against them. Home console games were still following the design philosophy of the arcade, where the more a player died, the more quarters they had to pump into the machine to keep going. That, and the stiff difficulty helped hide just how short these games actually were. Rage was part of the experience — the fuel I needed to surmount those games where the deck was so heavily stacked against me. Recommended Videos With Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, it isn't rage that guided me to victory. It was peace. This is the latest in a long line of retro-inspired games that aim to recreate the feeling of classic titles, but smooths over those sharp corners. I am still pushed to master my toolkit in order to clear stages and topple beautifully animated bosses, but at no moment did I feel I was unfairly punished. I could see how each hit or death could be avoided next time if I were to have played a little more carefully. This bite-sized 2D action platforming adventure plays by the rule of cool and mostly succeeds. Each stage introduces a new challenge or twist with incentives to revisit, bosses are consistently tough and rewarding to overcome, and the pixel art is breathtaking, but the lack of any additional core moves can make this journey start to feel repetitive by the end. Flow like water At first touch, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound looks and feels exactly like what my memory tells me a SNES game looked and felt like. Of course, games from that era couldn't pull off half of what this game does, but it is a perfectly convincing imitation in all the right ways. That includes the core gameplay systems and level of challenge — it feels as hard as games did, but with just a few small but smart tweaks to make it feel fair. Hitting that perfect line of attacking, bouncing, and platforming to weave through the level is when Ragebound is firing on all cylinders As Kenji, I can have a limited but encompassing moveset of slashes, a dodge, jump, and ability to scale walls and hang from ceilings. Once Kumori adds her abilities to the mix after the first act, I get access to a ranged kunai, an additional second weapon that can be swapped out with various arcs and effects, and an ultimate attack that functions off of a second meter. It's a deliberately restrained set of attacks that forced me to learn how I should approach enemies and what positions to avoid. Not being able to slash up, for example, makes standing directly below enemies always a bad option, but there's no scenario where I don't have at least one move to respond with. Dodges have full invincibility while active, but there are always additional ways to approach or avoid enemies. There's no double-jump per se, but a new guillotine boost lets me strike downward while in the air and bounce off of any enemy or (most) projectiles for extra airtime. There's no separation between combat and platforming, even with the bosses. Stages are crafted with a flow in mind that I found myself naturally falling into. When I reach that zen state, hitting that perfect line of attacking, bouncing, and platforming to weave through the level is when Ragebound is firing on all cylinders. The main new element Ragebound introduces is charge attacks that end up adding far more depth than they appear at first blush. On the surface, these are just ways to dish out far more powerful attacks and can be triggered by either sacrificing some health to gain a charge or attacking glowing enemies. In either case, you only get one attack per charge and if you don't use it, you lose it. Just like levels are designed so enemies appear in such a way that I am able to flow through them in one deadly dance once I find the rhythm, these charged attack opportunities test my ability to recognize the 'puzzle' in front of me, as it were, and target the right enemies in the right order to most efficiently get through. Things get more complex when these colored enemies appear in blue or purple, each one associated with either a Kenji or Kumori attack to grant me the charge. If I react too fast and hit them with the wrong attack, I miss out on the charge and have to deal with whatever large foe it was meant to dispatch in a single hit far more slowly. It isn't a major punishment, but a slight sting to remind me to keep my cool. All this coalesces into a game that appears to be your basic retro slash-em-up, but hides a deep well of mechanical depth that is a thrill to master. Pure '80s In the early hours, Ragebound hints at presenting a deeper story than its NES-era inspirations, but quickly falls back on campy tropes. That's not a bad thing, but there was a missed opportunity to flesh out the developing relationship between rivals turned reluctant allies Kenji and Kumori. Instead, the two quip at each other a couple of times before fully trusting one another. In a game about ninjas, demons, and magical crystals, it doesn't detract from the '80s action adventure it aims to be, but could have elevated it if it had been given more attention. Boss fights are the exclamation point punctuating each stage The various stages cover all the expected environments, from forests to trains and underground labs. Beyond the expected auto-scrollers and elevator sections, each stage introduces at least one new concept that helps keep the tedium at bay. This could be something like having to move between cover as explosions go off in the background or racing upward to avoid a fire. There are also moments where I transition over to Kumori's spirit and the game shifts to a time-based obstacle course focusing on her ranged moveset that serve as fun little shakeups to the regular flow of a stage. Despite those efforts, many stages drag on for a bit too long with nothing new or interesting happening for long stretches of slashing. That works well for short bursts, but eventually becomes a little fatiguing. And I felt that exhaustion set in quicker over my playtime since the only part of my moveset that can be changed is a subweapon. The ranking, challenge, and collectible systems are a fun incentive to replay stages, but lack any meaningful rewards if you don't care about getting higher rankings. The gear and subweapons one of the hidden currencies unlocks are quite tame and offer more ways to make the game more difficult (in exchange for higher ranks) than they offer buffs. That's fantastic for those who want to impose extra challenges on themselves, but the only externally enticing reward for me was the scrolls that unlocked new challenge stages. Ragebound stays exciting because I always win by the skin of my teeth Boss fights are the exclamation point punctuating each stage, but share the same strengths and weaknesses as the stages. These fights pushed me right to the limit in terms of execution, but don't demand perfection. Perhaps my skill level was just right, but every boss took me a handful of tries and fell with me typically one or two hits away from death, clutching it out at the last moment. Every boss is lavishly animated with moves that are meant to be read and reacted to. Typically, I would see a way to avoid an attack first, then later realize what move I could be using to deal damage while avoiding it. Each one demanded mastery of my entire moveset. Because my core toolbelt remains unchanged throughout the game, there's never a sense of bosses getting more complex. Yes, each one has its unique moves and phases it goes through, but I'm never asked to incorporate anything to beat the last boss I wasn't using against the first, and yet Ragebound stays exciting because I always win by the skin of my teeth. What it lacks in innovation, it makes up for with pure, stylish, and satisfying action platforming that wants me to feel cool above anything else. By doing away with the nasty tricks that made the older titles so rage-inducing and instead rewarding my mastery of remaining calm under pressure, Ragebound is a wild success. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was tested on PC.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound review - don't rage against the machine
After a long hiatus, the makers of Blasphemous 2 bring back Ninja Gaiden, with a 2D action game that should please both new players and veteran fans. It seems appropriate that the one Japanese-made franchise most closely associated with Xbox (alongside sister series Dead Or Alive) is also one that was largely unknown to European gamers, even in its early days. Ninja Gaiden started off in arcades, as a fairly ordinary scrolling beat 'em-up, which in Europe was known as Shadow Warriors. It was ported to various home computer formats of the day, including the Amiga, but it was the NES game, also from 1988, that defined the franchise for the next four decades. Created in parallel with the arcade game, the NES title was more of an action platformer, noted for its excellent graphics and extreme difficulty. Given the arcade game had a different name and the NES was never very successful in Europe – as a result of arriving years late and with a sky high price tag – most European gamers assumed the 2004 Xbox title was the first game in the franchise. Although versions of the game and its sequel were also released on PlayStation it's still thought of as primarily an Xbox game, although the double whammy of Ninja Gaiden 3 and Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z put the whole franchise on ice for over a decade. But now it's back, with PlatinumGames developing Ninja Gaiden 4 and, ironically, Spanish studio The Game Kitchen making this 2D homage to the original games. The Game Kitchen is best known for the two Blasphemous games, which are an excellent pair of 2D Metroidvanias with a Dark Souls influence. Despite what you might imagine, Ragebound doesn't have much in common with them and it's definitely not a Metroidvania. It's also not that similar to the NES game, although that is clearly the primary influence. Although series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa is in the game you spend the majority of your time playing as his protégé Kenji Mozu, who starts off the game having to protect Hayabusa Village from yet another demon invasion. Thankfully, whether demon or human, most enemies succumb fairly easily to your sword and while the game is never easy the first few hours are certainly less difficult than you might imagine. There are some welcome complications to Kenji's repartee, with the ability to deflect projectiles and make use of enemies with a blue aura, who after you kill them leave you hypercharged so that the next enemy you attack dies in one hit. Although you can also hypercharge yourself at any moment by sacrificing a portion of your health. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. As well as a dodge roll and climbing up walls, and across ceilings, Kenji can also perform a Guillotine boost , which allows him to bounce off projectiles and enemies for a double jump. That feels like something straight out of the NES game, but again it's a lot easier to pull off than you'd think in the early stages. A little way into the story you encounter Kumori, a female member of the Black Spider Clan – the traditional enemies of the series. Both are at death's door when they meet, which results in Kumori fusing with Kenji and he being able to use her long range kunai attacks and the ability to teleport short distances. This opens up the gameplay in various ways, with enemies that have a pink aura, that have to be killed with Kumori's weapons to trigger a hypercharge, and more powerful weapons like a chakram (the circular throwing weapon Xena used to use). On top of this is a smart bomb-like magic attack and various defensive powers, like a shield, as well as timed platform sections where you control Kumori directly, but against a very strict time limit. That's just about the right size of moveset for a 2D action game and for the first several hours it's a lot of fun, even if it's not really doing anything new and the pixel art is a little drab at times. Coming from publisher Dotemu, who's been responsible for Streets Of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, you can't help but wish for 2D animation of that quality but while Ragebound has a few nice flourishes it's never that ostentatious. There's some good mission variety though, considering the limitations, with levels scrolling in different directions, hidden areas and collectables, and vehicle sections, such as Kumori's introduction on the back of a motorbike. More Trending The most surprising thing about the game is that it's not that difficult. It's definitely above average but not the ultra-punishing perversity that previous Ninja Gaiden titles would lead you to expect. There is a hard mode though, and some ultra difficult secret levels, so veteran fans shouldn't feel abanonded. But we found the game's more reasonable challenge to be very refreshing, allowing you to enjoy the mechanics instead of constantly cursing their inflexibility. Things do get harder the further you get, especially with the boss battles, but it's definitely not as spiteful as you'd expect. Ragebound isn't going to change the world, or change anyone's opinion about Ninja Gaiden, but as a prelude to Ninja Gaiden 4 it's very welcome and has a sensibly low price. We always wonder why retro themed games are so obsessed with being overly difficult, since that always seemed the least appealing thing about them, back in the day, and it's nice to see Ragebound confirm that they would be more fun if they were more reasonably minded. Which means that, in actuality, Ragebound is not that rage inducing at all. In Short: A fun restatement of the Ninja Gaiden 2D formula, that is just complex enough to engage both new and old fans, while being surprisingly accessible in terms of its difficulty level. Pros: A neat set of relatively unusual abilities, that requires both skill and forward-thinking to use. Nicely varied level design and some clever boss battles. Great rawk soundtrack. Cons: It's not doing anything very new and the graphics are mostly unremarkable by modern pixel art standards. Later stages are very difficult. Score: 8/10 Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £20.99Publisher: DotemuDeveloper: The Game KitchenRelease Date: 31st July 2025 Age Rating: 16 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Direct announced for Thursday but don't expect Metroid Prime 4 MORE: New Switch 2 game leaks ahead of this week's Nintendo Direct MORE: Mario Kart World update makes the game easier but doesn't fix biggest issues
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Fans only just finding out how Super Mario got his name and are stunned
The iconic video game character Super Mario has been a household name for decades - but he could have been known as something very different if it wasn't for a landlord Over four decades ago, Nintendo's Super Mario video game took the world by storm, outshining rivals to become the most recognised and widely played game of its era. The Super Mario Bros. game was launched in September 1985, initially captivating Japan before making waves in North America a month later. With around 40 million copies sold through the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), it quickly became one of the most beloved video games ever. The game features Mario, a moustachioed plumber sporting a red cap - an image that has become synonymous with Nintendo, regardless of whether you were a gamer back then or not. Mario's character has made appearances in over 200 different video game titles, including Mario Kart and Mario Party. This popularity has propelled Mario-themed games to become the highest-selling video game franchise of all time, reports the Mirror US. But how did Mario get his name? The Nintendo video game designer who conceived Mario drew inspiration from an unlikely namesake, leading to the swift abandonment of his initial moniker, Jumpman. Employees at Nintendo's Washington warehouse started referring to the Jumpman character as Mario, owing to his uncanny resemblance to their landlord - and the new name stuck. The landlord, Mario Segale, unwittingly became the muse for Super Mario, according to the book, Game Over, Press Start to Continue. Had it not been for this unexpected name change and subsequent rebranding, Mario's character might have taken a very different path after the Jumpman title was discarded. An earlier incarnation of the Mario character was actually crafted for Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, where he took on the role of a carpenter trying to save a damsel from a colossal ape. It wasn't until four years later that Mario swapped his tool belt for a plunger, becoming a plumber to better fit the game's underworld of pipes and sewers. Initially dubbed Jumpman, the character made his mark by vaulting over hurdles in the hit game Donkey Kong. However, Nintendo's American bosses were keen on a catchier moniker, and when Shigeru Miyamoto, the mastermind behind the original video game, caught wind of the suggestion to rename him Mario, he was all for it. In a 2015 interview with National Public Radio, Miyamoto reminisced: "They started calling the character Mario, and when I heard that I said, Oh, Mario's a great name, let's use that." After the success of Donkey Kong, Nintendo commissioned several follow-ups before tasking Miyamoto with fleshing out Mario's backstory and giving him a starring role in his own title. Miyamoto didn't stop there; he went on to introduce Luigi in the 1983 arcade hit Mario Bros as Mario's sibling, although the game saw limited release outside Japan. Then, in 1985, Mario truly leapt into the international gaming limelight with the launch of Super Mario Bros, which revolutionised home gaming for an entire generation.
Metro
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Lego Game Boy is so accurate even the advert is the same
A 1:1 recreation of the original Game Boy is the latest Lego Nintendo set, and it comes with two game cartridges and a hilarious ad. We hate to make you feel old, but the original Game Boy came out over 36 years ago now. It was outdated tech even when it first arrived but because it was the first viable portable console, with some great games, it went on to sell over 100 million units and remains iconic today, even to people that have probably never even seen one in real life. The Game Boy is the definitive portable console and now… there's a Lego version of it. It doesn't work, of course, but it does look just like the real thing and, unlike a lot of Lego sets, it isn't that expensive, at £54.99. It follows in an increasingly long line of Lego recreations of gaming hardware, starting with a brick-built NES and also including an Atari 2600 and a working (thanks to a crank on the side) Pac-Man arcade cabinet. The Game Boy set is exactly the same size as the original and comes with buildable cartridges of Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which can be slotted into the back. (Tetris would've been a more obvious choice, but that would've involved Lego securing an additional licence). Rather than a single display, the only thing that's not a Lego brick is three interchangeable bits of plastic to show either the start screen or Zelda or Super Mario Land gameplay. The set also comes with a brick-built stand for the console itself, and whichever cartridge isn't slotted into it. It all looks amazingly authentic, not least because the Game Boy was always very chunky and suits being made out of Lego. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. In fact, it's so authentic that Lego has recreated the original US advert for the Game Boy on Instagram, complete with a man in robot suit made out of Lego bricks. To be honest, we don't remember if this ad was used in the UK or not. The only ones we remember for the Game Boy involved Rick Mayall, which unsurprisingly Lego has not recreated. The Lego Game Boy is set number 72046 and will go on sale, at Lego stores and the Lego website, on October 1. If you're worried it's going to sell out though, it is already up for pre-order online. More Trending Lego and Nintendo have had a close relationship for years now, with a line of Super Mario toys aimed primarily at adults and more expensive sets aimed at adults, that also includes a giant Mario Kart model and an animated one based on Super Mario World. To what degree Lego has the rights, or the inclination, to make sets based on other franchises has never been clear, but they've had an ongoing Animal Crossing line for a few years now and a new one based on Pokémon that's due next year. They also have a big adult-orientated set based on The Legend Of Zelda but so far no indication as to whether there'll be more. But then one of the reasons the two seem to get on so well is that they both love their secrecy. Although they do sometimes tease sets quite a way in advance, as the Game Boy one was first hinted at back in February. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Games Inbox: Why has the Nintendo Switch 2 been so successful? MORE: Two new racers coming to Mario Kart World hints Donkey Kong credits MORE: PS6 handheld is real suggests new PS5 power saver mode
The Verge
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Nintendo adds new 8-bit bops.
Posted Jul 22, 2025 at 8:53 AM UTC Nintendo adds new 8-bit bops. Switch Online subscribers can now access more than 200 new tracks from NES and Famicom games via the Nintendo Music app, including Mario Bros ., Duck Hunt , Wrecking Crew , and a handful of Donkey Kong titles. That gives you some retro tunes to listen to while playing Donkey Kong Bananza .
