Ryu Hayabusa has killed alot of people. I mean alot of people. It's understandable then that he has perfected the art of killing over the years, but now it's time for him to face it. A group of terrorists are being led by a man known only as the Regent of the Mask. Placing a curse upon Hayabusa which gains even greater power every time he takes a life. Set out to stop the masked man, Ryu must find and kill him before the curse consumes him. The story raises the question of whether what Ryu is doing makes him the hero the world sees him as, or is it just cold blooded murder? With the story getting some much deserved attention, the concept has the potential to work well. Serving as a way to not only appeal to long term players who have seen the blood Ryu has shed, but also opening it up for newcomers to the series. With a higher focus on creating a better story for players, the fear that the game may lose sight of what makes Ninja Gaiden a top-notch action experience is sitting in the back of our minds. Fear not ninja fans, the devs are making sure combat gets the attention it desrves.
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Focusing the combat on the true weight of the sword the developer's turned away form the limb flying combat of Ninja Gaiden 2. Each attack Ryu sinks into his enemies is presented to players with the feel of your blade meeting their bone. Aiming to give the player the sense that every attack Ryu deals out is devastating. Enemies writhe in pain as they crawl away, reaching out for salvation. As you continue to keep your attack chain alive, the curse on his arm gains power ultimately leading up to trigger a cinematic kill cam. These newly inspired kills, bring the focus in on Ryu as they tighten the camera on the action. Giving you a prompt to mash maniacally, you will quickly discover just how brutal Ryu truly is. The faster you mash the button the more brutal your attack becomes. After your fountain of blood erupts, the combat has been finely tuned to allow the player to smoothly transition between enemies in combat.
In true Ninja Gaiden fashion you will need to perfect your techniques as many sections of the game overwhelm you with enemy variety, and sheer numbers. Combat has been finely tuned and it should be only a matter of time before you find yourself evading, and chaining multiple devastating attacks. With the difficulty of previous titles always increased to rage quitting levels, developers understand that not everyone evades and executes like a ninja. As a result, they have implemented "Hero" mode, which allows for higher accessibility for newcomers of the series. Fret not master ninjas, they've maintained the traditional difficulty of the series and merely added the new mode for the casual gamer. You will still have a fairly wide range of fighting options. Ryu also can rely on his trusty shurikens as well as gaining access to a crossbow. Shurikens aid you greatly as sections of the game find you scaling the sides of buildings, with enemies firing at you from the roof, a quick shuriken eliminates the threat. With kills that can fill up your Ninpo meter, this allows you to call upon a dragon that soars through the sky to incinerate all of your enemies. Luckily for you, your summoned dragon has healing capabilities and once you witness its fiery destruction it will instantly fill your entire health bar. We also see stealth kills making there way into the game. Sections provide you with the opportunity to close in on that stray enemy, and with a button press, instantly eliminate one more threat from the battlefield. You might think that previous installments would provide the opportunity for stealth kills, but you would be mistaken. Ninja Gaiden is all about visceral devastating combat. Stealth may not feel like a great addition, but it may provide a breather for some players in their extended game sessions. Ninja Gaiden 3 is shaping up to be a great addition in the series. With the Regent of the Mask set to bring about the questions of whether Ryu is truly a hero, or a murderer, it will be an interesting concept to see set into motion when the game game releases next week. Will Ryu face the blood he's shed, or will his curse be his destruction? Make sure you find when it launches March 20 in the US, and March 23 in the UK.