DPrime Review: Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a hack and slash ninja based game about a young promising ninja named Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu is a young ninja who guards a very dangerous sword the Dark Dragon Blade which has the capability of destroying the world. Ryu is out training with the Stealth Ninja Clan leader Kitetsu when his dear friend Ayane warns him that his home village is under attack. So he heads home and fights through as few hundred enemies where he encounters his strongest foe yet The Greater Fiend Doku. He arrives just in time to see him murder his mother in cold blood and steal the Dark Dragon Blade. You start to fight him but it becomes apparent that you aren’t strong enough to defeat him and you are struck down.

This is what the game play is like (this is me playing)

Soon after seeing your mother killed and being defeated in battle you decide to go after the Dark Dragon Blade and get revenge for your mother. On your journey you meet a women named Rachel who is a a fiend hunter looking for her sister who was turned into a Greater Fiend by Doku. Of course you separate from her and go out and accomplish your own goals. So then you alternate characters each with their own special abilities and weapons. As you go through Tairon Ayane throws kuni all near you will messages explaining what to do and giving you rice balls to restore heath.

This game is a remake of the first Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox with much improved graphics, new weapons, and a mission mode after the game is over where you do things like kill old bosses with new enemies helping him or just defeat all enemies. This game is really fun if you don’t mind getting angry at the difficulty. Now Ninja Gaiden is known for its difficulty and they didn’t change it in this game. At the beginning you only get one mode normal but every three deaths Ayane asks you if you want to abandon the way of the ninja which might be easy mode but I never took it to find out. Once you beat it hurray you unlock hard mode (I feel sorry for the people foolish enough to try that) which I am assuming is around two time harder than normal.

There are nineteen missions, nine melee weapons that need to be upgraded, nine projectiles weapons, and seven different accessories that reduce charge time, increase defence, increase attack, and get you more money. Almost every weapon can be upgrade three times with a few exceptions that only get two and one with five. Ninja Gaiden Sigma has a lot of replay value since you can keep all of your weapons and items but don’t get your hopes up it doesn’t stop enemies from kicking your ass. Once you beat the game the mission mode you unlock just make the game that much better and harder. There are a total of fifty-one objectives to be completed in this mode but unfortunately you don’t pick your weapons, ninpo (magic), or potions.

When you upgrade your weapons most of their appearances change to make it seem bigger and stronger and it also adds new combos each upgrade. There is more to this game other than violence and random killing though it also has some platforming elements. You actually find your self swinging off of branches, scaling buildings, and walking on walls through out a majority of the game. The battles in this game are usually very large scale and overflowing with enemies waiting to be decapitated.

What I Liked:

Character Development: Unlike a lot of hack and slashes this game gives each character a unique and detailed back story.

Weapon, Health, and Ninpo Upgrades: The way that you upgrade your weapons, health, and ninpo feels like they added an RPG element in the game and when you see the new power of your weapon it just makes you feel good about yourself.

Over Done: The story was enough to get me hooked on the game but the fact that they went ahead and added the mission mode after the game makes me think that they do care about the person playing the game and not just the money.

What I Didn’t Like:

Didn’t Change Difficulty: After the first two games you would think that they would get the message that the people want the game a little easier. I love a challenge in games but not so hard that I need to use a potion every three enemies I kill.

Rachel Lacking Powers: I’m glad that they let you play as more than one character but she only gets one weapon, magic attack, and projectile. The only thing that you can really change with her is her hair style and accessories.