15 Video Games That REWARD YOU For Playing Badly

Before there was Dark Souls, and even Demon's Souls, there was Ninja Gaiden. A 2004 action-adventure game set in the same world as Devil May Cry, Gaiden's combat system was both deeper and trickier than any of its contemporaries.

In the remaster, Ninja Gaiden Black, should a player be unable to master the way of the ninja, and die three times on normal difficulty, they can forsake it altogether and restart on "Ninja Dog" mode.

This easier difficulty is often the source of ridicule, due to the wry jibes and pink bow you are given to wear in return. In actuality, it's a rather rewarding experience that helps novice players improve.

Ninja Dog mode primarily makes enemies less of a damage sponge, without changing their behaviour or numbers significantly, and the player isn't given any automated assists.

The pink ribbon is not simply a permanent token of humiliation, unlike the Wolfenstein chicken hat or GTA V dunce cap. It increases the player's attack power, one of many buffs offered across numerous ribbon colours.

It is a far less patronising experience than it could have been made to be, and is instead the perfect opportunity to learn the mechanics and develop your skills with this irrefutably challenging game, ready for a successive playthrough on a higher difficulty.