Title:

Game designer Tomonobu Itagaki (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive) from Team Ninja recently stepped down from his position setting the stage for an original ninja action title to emerge without having to compete with a new Ninja Gaiden game. From Software attempts to position itself as the master ninja among all newcomers, however, the word “original” is not something you will find in a description of Ninja Blade.  

With a name as generic as “Ninja Blade,” a red flag is waved from the outset. The presentation is slick with a well rendered Tokyo skyline and impressive aerial acrobatics throughout the game. Aside from the obvious similarities to Ninja Gaiden in terms or aesthetics, Ninja Blade borrows heavily story-wise from games such as Resident Evil 5 and Parasite Eve with a mysterious viral outbreak that drastically alters its victim’s cellular structure. The most logical step is to contact ninjas to assist with the containment of the infected. The story traps Ninja Blade in between the realms of a serious sci-fi horror tone and an off-the-wall arcade action vibe. Depending on your personality, you will either question the use of ninjas in a modern biological threat or ignore the convoluted scenario altogether in order to jump back into the ninja craziness.

The sound design is surprisingly thoughtful. The music mixes action, horror and suspense while balancing old Japanese instrumentals with a futuristic metropolitan score. The only problem is that the sound effects are overpowering by default and usually end up covering over the stage music, but a simple tweak in the audio options can fix this issue quickly. Voice acting dialogue and delivery are stiff and unbelievable while doing little to engross the player with who these people are and why we should care.

Again, Ninja Blade borrows from other games in the game play department. Almost half the game is played utilizing God of War-like quick button events forcing players to replay segments over and over until the right buttons are pressed. Other than an overall ninja score hindrance, failing these events doesn’t really penalize the player which makes the events somewhat annoying to redo time and time again. On the positive side, these events will keep you focused on what is happening on screen while effectively breaking up the monotonous monster mashing. You are presented with three weapons: an average katana, a strong but slow great sword and fast yet weak dual blades. You can upgrade these weapons with blood crystals picked up after killing monsters not unlike the PS2 action adventure title Onimusha. Magic attacks or “ninjitsu” consist of gaming’s most recognized cliché of elemental based attacks. You can use wind, fire, lightning and etcetera, but most situations are easily handled with your regular attacks. Enemies are also familiar including mutants, giant bugs, worm serpents and bats.

Ninja Blade is not a terrible game. It simply settles for mediocrity like so many action games before it. The game takes elements from proven game franchises and homogenizes these traits into something forgettable. In theory, this game should be stellar but instead fails to stay with you long after you have left it.   

Overall Rating:

M. Michael Chwedyk-MuzikReviews.com Sr. Video Game Reviewer

May 7, 2009

© MuzikReviews.com

For Questions or Comments on This Review email me mchwedyk@muzikreviews.com