Review by: Jonathan Hynes
Published: March 25, 2004

In many ways, the latest installment of the Ninja Gaiden franchise is a tribute to its arcade and NES roots. For this outing, Tecmo and Team Ninja have revived the art of brutally and mercilessly punishing the player with unforgiving puzzles and lethal enemies. However, with the anticipation of the fans at a feverous pitch and the immense shadow of its predecessors looming, it couldn’t possibly meet our expectations, could it?

Three artifacts: the Dark Dragon Blade, the Dragon Sword and the Dragon’s Eye. Each of these treasures remains under the watchful eye of the Hayabusa clan, great warriors who have kept the forces of evil at bay for many generations. The most dangerous of these is believed to be the Dark Blade, as it’s an unfathomably strong weapon that’s even said to possess the ability to transform its wielder into the Devil incarnate. Desiring it, the sinister Lord of the fiends, Doku, attacks Hayabusa village, taking the cursed sword and leaving the clan’s leader, Ryu Hayabusa, severely wounded.

You must take control of Ryu as he sets out to destroy the Dark Dragon Blade and permanently banish whatever evil has been unleashed. Armies of fiends stand in your way, but before you can even hope to seal the incredible might of the blade, you must first discover and unlock the true power of the Dragon Sword. Only then can Ryu confront the real mastermind behind the plot to control the Dark Blade, a tremendously personal and unforeseen foe.

Though you’ll gain access to a number of different weapons throughout the adventure, melee blades serve as the basis for most combat. The X and Y buttons produce weak and strong attacks, respectively, and can be used in conjunction with other commands to create powerful maneuvers and combos. Many of these skills must be acquired via technique scrolls before they may be used in battle, so your repertoire will grow as the game progresses and enemies become more challenging. Other abilities such as blocking, dashing and the ever-valuable wall run are also crucial to surviving the rigors of combat.