In 1988, Ryu Hayabusa first graced our screens in the arcade game Ninja Gaiden, donning his classic blue attire that you briefly see in the beginning of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. In this original outing, Ryu travelled across America, seeking revenge for the death of his father. However, he soon found himself involved in a plot that threatens to destroy the world.
It was from this game and its brutal level of difficulty that the popularity of the series did grow and spread. Sigma took the series from solely a 2D side-scroller, to a 3D pillar of video games history. Ever pushing people to bring their best and constantly improve, the Ninja Gaiden series has won the hearts of fans for its hellish difficulty and beautifully bloody gameplay.
Over two decades later, fans will once again get to experience the adventures of Ryu on modern-day hardware with the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection. Fans will be able to once again be able to fight their way through evil ninja, demons and all manner of Hayabusa’s enemies from Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge.
A Master Collection Indeed
The collection not only includes the majority of DLC for each game, but, should you choose to purchase the Deluxe Edition, you’ll have access to a digital artbook and soundtrack. This digital collection features 180 tracks and 70 pages of art.
It should be noted, however, that the review build used for this piece had some issues and missing features. The most prominent of which was a lack of gore and decapitation in Sigma and Sigma 2. However, these will be added in a Day One update. So, while my beautiful, brutal and bloody adventure was only beautiful and brutal, let’s see just how well these games hold up.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Kicking off this piece is the series’ first appearance on the PS3. An improved port from a 2004 release, NINJA GAIDEN Sigma brought the famed difficulty of the series to Sony’s consoles in a big way.
In the mountains near the Hayabusa village, a young Ryu trains to hone his skills as a ninja. During the training, however, the Dark Dragon Blade is stolen from the village by the Greater Fiend, Doku. This ancient artifact, now in the hands of the Vigoor Empire, has the power to inflict absolute devastation upon the world, and so it is Ryu’s duty to reclaim it.
The heir of the Hayabusa Clan must travel to the Vigoor Empire to find Doku and the Dark Dragon Blade, and it is this quest that spans NINJA GAIDEN Sigma. The overall story of Sigma is rather simple and straightforward, although there a couple of elements which elevate beyond a simple revenge story, such as the ability to play as the secondary protagonist, Rachel. It makes the story a little more intriguing, but at its core, the story isn’t the most engaging anyway.
When it comes to the gameplay, however, that is where Sigma shines. You’ll fight your way through 19 chapters, each of which are packed with dangerous and unforgiving enemies. Combat requires you to very much look before you leap, making sure to pick up on your opponents openings mid-combat. Succeed and you’ll find a rewarding experience that makes you feel like a killing machine, however failure will just as easily make you feel like an idiot for being caught out.
Ageing Gracefully but Noticeably
For newcomers, the combat system will have you feeling like the latter for some time until you learn the pace of the game. However, playing through this game now, the age has begun to show in terms of how awkward the controls feel. While this may be due to how much time I’ve spent playing Devil May Cry 5 and having experienced just how well-made it is, but the controls at times felt slow and lagging, making it difficult to react to enemies in time. This is true not only for playing as Ryu, but also as Rachel, which is Sigma’s biggest addition.
In Ryu, you’ll find a variety of weapons, each unique enough that you’ll likely find something that stands out to you and will likely become your weapon of choice for the entire game. In Rachel, however, you’ll find a slower playstyle. With the original release of Sigma, Rachel became playable for sections of the story and with this addition came a slow and strong character, requiring you to play defensively when you’ll likely have become accustomed to Ryu’s high-speed, head-cutting style. Playing as Rachel isn’t terrible, per say, but it can interrupt the flow of the game to jump into those sections out of nowhere.
NINJA GAIDEN Sigma is a game that still holds up to some degree today, but definitely shows its age when it comes to the mechanics of the game. If you want a game that is a tightly-wound machine with polished mechanics, then you may want to play something a little younger, like the other entries on this list. However, if you’re looking for something that not only tests you, but pushes you constantly as you progress, never letting up, then NINJA GAIDEN Sigma is a game for you.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Up next we have the second part of this collection, NINJA GAIDEN Sigma 2. Much like the previous game, this one is a re-release from the Xbox 360, but a slightly censored one. Much of the blood from the original Xbox version was removed and while it is still present, it’s far from what it was.
As the story begins, we’re introduced to CIA agent Sonia, who is searching for Ryu to help combat the impending threat of The Archfiend. Not soon after her arrival in Neo Tokyo, however, she is set upon and captured by the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Thankfully, she is quickly saved by Ryu Hayabusa, who she informs of the Black Spider’s plans to attack his village, which seems to be the favourite activity of our villains so far.
After this, Ryu finds himself travelling across the world to a variety of destinations to thwart the plans of his enemies. Much like the previous installment, the story is nothing to write home about and isn’t what you’re going to be playing these games for.
Once again, just like Sigma, the gameplay will be what keeps you glued to your seat. The combat still feels brutal and rewarding, with the controls not feeling anywhere near as aged as its predecessor. Coming into this, you’ll likely have played the previous game and, as a result, will be familiar with the combat system. Slashing through enemies with a variety of weapons is more satisfying than ever.
Nimble Ninja
Not only that, but movement and using the environment feels much easier, with the game no longer feeling laggy when inputting commands. In this entry, Ryu only has access to nine weapons, as opposed to Sigma’s 12, but they each feel much more refined than before. Furthermore, the cast of playable characters is once again not just Ryu himself, it includes a number of familiar faces in the form of Rachel, Ayane and Momiji. Each character has their own unique chapter and can be used in co-op and team missions.
Their playstyles are largely their own, but you’ll spend the story playing as our favorite ninja. Thankfully, the game retains the brutal difficulty of the series, so be careful not to enjoy yourself too much, lest you find yourself becoming overly familiar with the “Game Over” screen.
The Step Up
Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is an improvement on the first game in every way possible. It takes an already solid combat system and further polishes it, making dishing out pain and punishment all the easier. However, this ease does not detract from the overall difficulty of the adventure, so do not take your enemies lightly just because you can cut them into pieces with much more ease.
A dynamic and deadly experience, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 will have you revelling in the death of your enemies and cursing everyone when you fail. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
Finally, we have Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. Following the rest of the entries in this collection, Razor’s Edge is also a re-release, but one that fixed as much as it improved. The original release of NINJA GAIDEN 3 was plagued with issues that critics felt dragged this entry down, with many players agreeing. With the absence of Tomonobu Itagaki, the director who originally revived the series and brought about the Sigma series, the game lacked the guiding hand that led its predecessors to success. With Razor’s Edge, Team Ninja did what they could to salvage the game.
Starting us off is, regrettably, another thinly-layered storyline that sees Ryu called upon to combat a terrorist group led by the alchemist, the Regent of the Mask. However, he soon afflicts Ryu with the Grip of Murder curse, forcing him to feel all the pain of those he’s killed; a pain that will inevitably spread throughout his body and kill him.
Loss
Not only that, but as part of the curse, the Dragon Sword is absorbed into his arm, leaving him without his iconic blade. The Dragon Ninja must now find and stop the Regent, who has demanded the immediate surrender of the nations of the world, in seven days. The story has a number of twists and turns as it progresses, but beyond that it’s nothing substantial and merely exists to give you a battlefield.
As with Sigma and Sigma 2, the combat is what we’re here for and, thankfully, Razor’s Edge manages to deliver, though it’s still a far cry from what fans hoped it would be. Featuring the lowest weapon count of the series, Razor’s Edge does what it can to fix the issues many had with the original release and thankfully, it does a decent job.
Combat still feels satisfying and building up combos on enemies feels rewarding, with your strings of blows feeling impactful and causing a lovely amount of blood to start spewing everywhere. Enemy variety was increased from the original, along with the capabilities of their A.I, which thankfully is no longer programmed to have enemies cower and beg; a mechanic that many fans were not happy with at the time. Furthermore, Ryu has access to additional ninpo, as opposed to just the Art of the True Inferno.
Mixed Bag Martial Arts
These additions to gameplay help make Ryu feel much more like the ninja of old and not as handicapped as he originally was. Not only that, but a new mechanic called Bloody Rage was added. After killing a certain number of enemies, the ability activates. This acts as a score multiplier, allowing you to rack up more points than before as long as you keep killing, though the score multiplier is reset after its use.
Alongside playing as Ryu, you once again get access to three additional characters in the form of Momiji, Kasumi and Ayane, with Ayane getting two chapters in the story and the other two being available for Chapter Challenge and Ninja Trials. Ultimately, this is a nice change of pace from just playing as Ryu, but he still feels like the most complete character of the bunch. These improvements are all great and help bring the game back up to snuff, but at its core it still feels foreign compared to the others.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge is a good game and one that’ll grant you hours of enjoyment. However, next to its predecessors it feels hollow and lacking. Still, if you’re a fan of the brutality that Ninja Gaiden provides, then this game will definitely satisfy you.
Wrap-Up
Ninja Gaiden is a series with a long and bloody history that has a special place both in video game history and the hearts of the fans. Jumping around and cutting enemies to pieces with the Dragon Sword has long been a loveable pastime for fans and seeing Ryu dart across the screen, blade in hand, is a sight many will be happy to see on modern-day consoles, even if that means they’re likely to keep dying. Not only that, but the package delivers the fond memories in superb fashion.
A couple of missteps aside, this is a must-grab for any fans of the franchise and anyone who has been interested before. The beautiful, bloody world of Ninja Gaiden awaits and fans of the hack ‘n slash genre will find a great time and gore-ridden memories.