How cool are ninjas? The answer: Too cool. They can kill you just like that. One minute, you’ll be sitting there, eating your noodles, then BLAM! That ninja done cut your throat and you don’t even know about it. Then he’s off, into the night, like a badger!
Hi there, I’m about to show you through the new Tecmo game for the DS called Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword. That’s Ninja Gaiden DS, for all of those slow on the uptake. The latest installment in the pan-rific Ninja Gaiden series (and the first to ever hit a handheld), Dragon Sword is set six months after the PlayStation 3’s Ninja Gaiden. The protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, is a ninja of traditional values and means, and he’s run into a spot of bother when his friend, the female ninja Momiji, is kidnapped by the Black Spider Ninja Clan. It’s nice to see a storyline completely non-reliant on cliché plot devices, isn’t it?
Mr. Hayabusa needs your help, so the first thing you need to do is pick up your DS and hold it like a book. That’s right, that novel playing device from Brain Training is back. Go ahead and turn your DS sideways. The gameplay, which involves you directing said ninja around a beautiful isometric world, plays out on the right, while the map and other miscellaneous nonsense ponders around on the left.
Next, unsheath your sword. If you’re lucky enough to pick up one of the limited edition copies of Dragon Sword, you’ll be rewarded with a sword-style stylus that is remarkably cool and, well, I guess it helps you get in the mood. The rest of us will have to settle for the regular stylus, which you tap on the touchscreen to dish out your chosen projectile attack, or slash across the screen to launch at Ryu’s foes. Obviously, different styles of slashing will result in different moves, meaning you can get ninja on dem fools in a variety of ways. A whole variety!
The constant slashing motions, combined with the awkward way the DS is held, mean that it won’t be long before you’re struck with hand cramp – the mortal enemy of shinobi. If you have the wrist muscles of a rhino-man, you’ll be ok. The action is exciting and tense, with a consistent stream of enemies matched with your constant flurry of stylus activity, so there’s little time to rest. A shame really, as the pseudo-3D scenary (and the graphics in general) that you storm through are a real treat.
Hayabusa is a mean lean dressing in black machine. Ultimate Techniques are unleashed by collecting the mystical essences left behind by the slaughtered members of the Black Spider clan, while impressive ninjutsu magic tricks are activated by tracing sanskrit letters on the screen. As we’re looking at a pocket version of the Ninja Gaiden series, I understand that many of the weapons and skills of the bigger games have been removed. Still, I found that even with this limited line-up, there were more moves to pull off than I could even remember.
Dragon Sword is short and repetitive, and there really sn’t much more than eight hours worth of gameplay here. The unlockable difficulty modes are a more worthwhile alternative to the default setting, which is swallowed without much need for chewing. Mostly, the problem is quite simply with how boring the game can be if you’re looking for something more than high octane killing sprees. The constant slash-slash-slashing made me more concerned with my arm muscles than my ninja adventures, but I’m more than willing to accept that this was just my personal opinion. Putting my critic hat on and swallowing my own feeelings until they burn inside, I can see this game’s positive features – of which there are a lot – and can recommend Dragon Sword to anybody who wants a fast-paced, challenging beat ‘em up with an intelligent interface, cracking boss fights and more physical attacks than a Saturday night in Croydon.