Review of NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound on PlayStation 5

Oh boy, where do I even start with this one? I mean, NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound, right? The name alone hits you like a nostalgic wave if you’ve ever button-mashed your way through the old school stuff. It’s like meeting a childhood friend who’s all grown up and, weirdly, pixelated. So, here’s the lowdown—or my version of it, anyway.

First off, picture this: Ryu Hayabusa (yeah, the dude with the cool headband) is off to America. Got me thinking, what’s up with the sudden USA tour, Ryu? Anyway, while he’s away, chaos ensues back home because, well, demons. I mean, when doesn’t it? Enter Kenji Mozu. Who? Exactly. But he’s our new ninja-in-town, teaming up with Kumori, the Black Spider Clan’s sneaky assassin. Kinda like two unlikely superheroes, if you squint hard enough.

So, I was reminiscing about my time with Blasphemous 2—totally different game—but it just popped into my head when The Game Kitchen was mentioned. Loves that game. Anyway, NINJA GAIDEN on PS5? Spiritually, the same, but full of pixel goodness and wall-climbing stunts. Plus, those pesky spikes. Why are they always spikes?

Speaking of game controls, you’ve got your basic moves: jump, attack, and all that jazz. The slippery feeling of climbing walls, the clang of metal on metal—it’s all very whoosh, dodge, slice. And, weirdly, it makes me think of wet cardboard smooshing through snow. Don’t ask me why.

And you know, they throw in these fancy attack boosts. Hypercharge, they call it. I’m like, “Hyper what now?” Defeat an enemy, go all glowy, and mash buttons till your thumbs hurt. Super satisfying during boss fights. Makes them all wobbly and dizzy. Again, don’t ask how that works—just does.

Sidebar—collectibles. You either love ’em or hate ’em. Me, I ended up chasing Golden Scarabs like they were going out of style. Muramasa’s shop takes those as currency, believe it or not. You get Dragon Talismans. Some let you, like, not die as quickly. Which is neat, if slightly unrealistic. But hey, it’s a video game.

Oh, and there are trophies—lots of ’em. Enough to make casual players sweat, chasing that elusive Platinum. But let’s be honest, do we really care? Yes. Yes, we do. For the bragging rights if nothing else.

Just another quick thing: accessibility settings. Always good to see. You can tweak game speed and even how mean the demons are. There’s a part of me wishing real life had settings like that. Not the demon thing, the speed—it’s all very Matrix-y.

So yeah, the game’s launching soon, and it’s Cross-Buy, meaning one price for both PS4 and PS5. Get ready to button-mash your way to victory, folks—or just visit Muramasa for more game-saving goodies. But remember, it’s not about the destination; it’s about those pixelated ninjas you slice along the way.

I know, a bit of a chaotic ramble, but it’s like trying to harness a ninja spirit in text form. Hope it all makes sense. Or not. Maybe it’s more about feeling the chaos. Who knows?