Ninja Blade Review
14 April 2009 | By Joe Robinson
Get ready for some heavy ninja action in this Resident Evil-style 'cinematic' adventure game. Ninja Gaiden, eat your heart out
You’d think with titles like Ninja Gaiden, Omnimusha, and similar non-ninja variants in Devil May Cray, that a developer would shy away from trying a game like Ninja Blade. And yet, From Software (the guys best known for the Armoured Core games, although they also did Tenchu) has done just that. Their latest work, Ninja Blade, is a curious blend between a Devil May Cry/Viking action game, combined with some heavy Bourne-style QTE, following a rather clichéd Resident Evil/House of the Dead style plot.
It’s a shame about the title, as the game itself is actually quite good. ‘Ninja Blade’ is one of those generic titles that you would expect from a game that’s not pegged to be a heavy hitter; however the game itself is a diamond in the rough. You can probably blame the plot for that however – the ‘Ninja Blade’ is some all powerful mystical sword that, naturally, the protagonist won’t be able to wield until right near the very end when he confronts the father that betrayed him right after the first level.
The basic premise of the game, as mentioned before, is nothing ground breaking. A mysterious new parasite is found in Africa in 2011 that turns people in ravenous super-strong mutants. After a partially successful extermination of the initial infection area, a new task force called ‘G.U.I.D.E is set up to monitor and contain all subsequent infections. The game takes place during the beginning of the Tokyo infection, and your character, Ken Ogawa, and the rest of the elite ninja strike force is deployed to help combat this latest outbreak. At the end of the first level, which is actually one big tutorial, the head of the strike team (dad), and another member (rival type?) betrays and kills the rest of the team.
As plot twists go, it was certainly un-expected, if not in-keeping with the cliché factor that lightly permeates the game. There was even a token black guy that died, albeit not first. It doesn’t quite have the same effect as you would expect from a betrayal like that, as there is little time to ‘get to know’ Ken, let alone his dad and the other guy that is in league with the father. There’s no real sense of anguish or betrayal, there’s no ‘OMG’ moment, it just happens, and you move on to the rest of the game.
The gameplay itself follows a standard hack and slash/adventure format. Whilst is resembles many of the games mentioned above, as well as others like God of War, Creative Assembly’s Viking sprang to mind during the opening level. Whilst that game didn’t have any QTE’s in them, the moves combo’s and level of violence is reminiscent of the Nordic tale. Boasting an arsenal of three distinct swords, as well as a Shuriken with three elements associated with it, Ken is certainly well prepared for the tasks at hand. The three swords each have their own distinct use, with your normal blade being used on more run of the mill opponents, a heavy ‘Stonerender’ for breaking armour, and two light knives for fast and aerial enemies. Combat requires a bit of fluid thinking and quick button tapping, as one minute you may be crushing armour with your heavy sword, but then you must quickly change to another sword to deal with someone who is behind you.
It’s not always a perfect system; as if you’re not careful you can often find yourself flailing at thin air whilst your enemy circles behind you. Perhaps an auto-aim system similar to Too Human could have helped, but on the other hand it keeps you from just bashing away those buttons, forcing you to pause, think and aim your attacks. Killing enemies yields healing and blood stones, the former for health regeneration, and the latter for upgrading swords. There are 5 levels to each sword, and the Shurikens can also be upgraded.
The other ‘half’ of combat involves Quick Time Events. Lots and lots of QuickTime events. In fact, the very first thing you do in the game, before even learning basic combat, is a quick-time event. Ninja Blade uses them over and over again, but the odd thing is you rarely feel like they’re over used. QTE’s are spread among a variety of areas. You can use mini-QTE’s as finishers when battling regular enemies. The ‘Todome’, which is a finishing sequence you use during boss fights, is another QTE, and there are a number of action-cinematic sequences coded into each level that also requires you to perform some QTE responses. It keeps the pace of the game quick, and the transition between the normal and QTE mode is slight. They’re also very, very entertaining to watch if you like over the top ninja antics. Remember the MGS 1 remake on the Gamecube that had Snake riding a missile? Ninja Blade has that and then some. It also has everything from wrecking balls to motorcycles in the Todome finishers.
In terms of multiplayer, there isn’t really much to say. An online Leaderboard that shows scores for each level is as far as it goes, although to be honest, if they were going to do anything, having a leaderboard is certainly one of the smarter choices. As the entire 360 ‘theme’ is based around points, ranks and comparing sizes, leaderboards will ensure replayability if only for the fact that you have to try and beat the other guy’s score. There is also the random option for you to customize your appearance, as well as collect symbols and outfits throughout the levels. These changes remain constant, even in cutscenes, and it’s always nice to give your ninja a bit of individuality, even if no one else is going to see it.
Top Game Moment:
It’s a shame about the title, as the game itself is actually quite good. ‘Ninja Blade’ is one of those generic titles that you would expect from a game that’s not pegged to be a heavy hitter; however the game itself is a diamond in the rough. You can probably blame the plot for that however – the ‘Ninja Blade’ is some all powerful mystical sword that, naturally, the protagonist won’t be able to wield until right near the very end when he confronts the father that betrayed him right after the first level.
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| Yes, he rode a missile like a surfboard and guided it into a helicopter. He’s that good. | The combat animation is very nicely done. Even better then a budget Jet Li film. |
The basic premise of the game, as mentioned before, is nothing ground breaking. A mysterious new parasite is found in Africa in 2011 that turns people in ravenous super-strong mutants. After a partially successful extermination of the initial infection area, a new task force called ‘G.U.I.D.E is set up to monitor and contain all subsequent infections. The game takes place during the beginning of the Tokyo infection, and your character, Ken Ogawa, and the rest of the elite ninja strike force is deployed to help combat this latest outbreak. At the end of the first level, which is actually one big tutorial, the head of the strike team (dad), and another member (rival type?) betrays and kills the rest of the team.
As plot twists go, it was certainly un-expected, if not in-keeping with the cliché factor that lightly permeates the game. There was even a token black guy that died, albeit not first. It doesn’t quite have the same effect as you would expect from a betrayal like that, as there is little time to ‘get to know’ Ken, let alone his dad and the other guy that is in league with the father. There’s no real sense of anguish or betrayal, there’s no ‘OMG’ moment, it just happens, and you move on to the rest of the game.
The gameplay itself follows a standard hack and slash/adventure format. Whilst is resembles many of the games mentioned above, as well as others like God of War, Creative Assembly’s Viking sprang to mind during the opening level. Whilst that game didn’t have any QTE’s in them, the moves combo’s and level of violence is reminiscent of the Nordic tale. Boasting an arsenal of three distinct swords, as well as a Shuriken with three elements associated with it, Ken is certainly well prepared for the tasks at hand. The three swords each have their own distinct use, with your normal blade being used on more run of the mill opponents, a heavy ‘Stonerender’ for breaking armour, and two light knives for fast and aerial enemies. Combat requires a bit of fluid thinking and quick button tapping, as one minute you may be crushing armour with your heavy sword, but then you must quickly change to another sword to deal with someone who is behind you.
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| Boss ‘Todome’s use anything and everything to get the job done. | Your light blades double up as a ‘Wire’ for that token Tarzan moment. |
It’s not always a perfect system; as if you’re not careful you can often find yourself flailing at thin air whilst your enemy circles behind you. Perhaps an auto-aim system similar to Too Human could have helped, but on the other hand it keeps you from just bashing away those buttons, forcing you to pause, think and aim your attacks. Killing enemies yields healing and blood stones, the former for health regeneration, and the latter for upgrading swords. There are 5 levels to each sword, and the Shurikens can also be upgraded.
The other ‘half’ of combat involves Quick Time Events. Lots and lots of QuickTime events. In fact, the very first thing you do in the game, before even learning basic combat, is a quick-time event. Ninja Blade uses them over and over again, but the odd thing is you rarely feel like they’re over used. QTE’s are spread among a variety of areas. You can use mini-QTE’s as finishers when battling regular enemies. The ‘Todome’, which is a finishing sequence you use during boss fights, is another QTE, and there are a number of action-cinematic sequences coded into each level that also requires you to perform some QTE responses. It keeps the pace of the game quick, and the transition between the normal and QTE mode is slight. They’re also very, very entertaining to watch if you like over the top ninja antics. Remember the MGS 1 remake on the Gamecube that had Snake riding a missile? Ninja Blade has that and then some. It also has everything from wrecking balls to motorcycles in the Todome finishers.
 |
 |
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| Upgrades require blood crystals, which you get from enemies and bosses. | For some reason, most of the game takes place at night. Looks good though. |
In terms of multiplayer, there isn’t really much to say. An online Leaderboard that shows scores for each level is as far as it goes, although to be honest, if they were going to do anything, having a leaderboard is certainly one of the smarter choices. As the entire 360 ‘theme’ is based around points, ranks and comparing sizes, leaderboards will ensure replayability if only for the fact that you have to try and beat the other guy’s score. There is also the random option for you to customize your appearance, as well as collect symbols and outfits throughout the levels. These changes remain constant, even in cutscenes, and it’s always nice to give your ninja a bit of individuality, even if no one else is going to see it.
Top Game Moment:
NINJA BLADE VERDICT
At the end of the day, Ninja Blade may not be the biggest or brightest game to hit the 360 scene lately, nor even necessarily the best, but it’s still worth getting. The combination of combo-slash and QTE action, the regular boss fights, and just the sheer OTT nature of it all can be quite entertaining, if you like that sort of thing. The story is probably its weakest link, although it serves its purpose, and the game can be a bit fiddly at times, but it’s a good game.
TOP GAME MOMENT
Some of the more wilder finishers are just great to watch.
