Ninja Blade

Take two parts Ninja Gaiden, lame leather fetish and all, garnish with lashings of Devil May Cry, leave to fester until early 2009, and you have the latest action title from Japanese developers From Software, the familiarly-titled Ninja Blade. While strongly reminiscent of Dante’s demon-slashing adventures, throw in the monsters from Dead Space (which, obviously, were right out of The Thing anyway), and the ‘humans mutating, taking over the city’ plot of Resident Evil and every zombie movie ever.

Tokyo is infected with a terrifying sniffle that turns its inhabitants into rubber-limbed, flesh-addicted flying/running/scything monsters, and you are the razor-festooned greaser ninja soldier Ken (as opposed to Gaiden’s Ryu, suitably) Ogawa. As part of a highly-trained team of crack ninjas, your chance of fighting the infestation was always slim, but once the team is dramatically betrayed by one of their own (y’know, like in every other game plot we’ve seen of late), pervy Kenneth is out on his ass.

To be fair, the footage we’ve seen proves he’s a bit of an agile bastard, and From Software brag that every fight you face will make you pause to consider the best tactics, the right combination of weapon and skill to make short work of the veined freak you have to kill. Two of his best skills will be Ninja Vision (which basically highlights vulnerable spots on your enemy and points you to the next on-rails checkpoint, but heightens the damage you incur as you use it), and Todome Attack, which is a finishing move, guiding you right to the monster’s heart. There will also be many quick-time event moments – you like those, don’t you? Pressing buttons when told to?

The developers boast that they’ve directly mapped their in-game Tokyo from real life, with closer realism than ever before, but right now it’s looking… sorry to say it… just like Ninja Gaiden 2.5. However, the fans will lap it up for that very fact – Ninja Blade will scratch an itch for undiscerning leather fetishists everywhere come the new year.

Dec 3, 2008

CATEGORIES
Latest in Action
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Assassin's Creed Shadows Belly of the Beast Ise Sadaoki sending Naoe to get papers
How to retrieve the papers in the Assassin's Creed Shadows Belly of the Beast quest
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows shoots past 3 million players and 40 million hours played with the "second-highest day 1 sales revenue in Assassin's Creed franchise history"
A cartoon woman catches a tomato while cooking in Rhythm Heaven Groove
Rhythm Heaven Groove has one of Nintendo's longest-suffering fandoms absolutely feasting: "AFTER 10 YEARS WE FINALLY WON"
Assassin's Creed Shadows The Killing Field executioner boss fight
How to find and kill the executioner in Assassin's Creed Shadows
The Forgotten Cellar door beneath St. Katherine's Church in Atomfall.
How to open the Forgotten Cellar door in Atomfall
Latest in Features
Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The classic Fox X-Men are returning in Avengers: Doomsday, and I've got a really bad feeling about this
Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok
After 15 years in the making, Thor and Loki's reunion in Avengers: Doomsday could be the perfect MCU conclusion for the characters
Soft Rains logo with frog drawing
"There is an expectation we're gonna make a little Skyrim": Ubisoft and Bethesda veterans form new studio headed by Skyrim and Fallout designer, debuting with first-person sci-fi and "crunchy mechanics"
Witchbrook screenshot of a library in the magical college with witches flying on brooms
Witchbrook: Everything we know so far about Chucklefish's magical new life sim
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
The Demon's Hand
League of Legends' take on Balatro is one of its best mini-games yet – and it's also exactly what's wrong with this era of League of Legends