Several years ago if somebody was to tell me that Team Ninja would be making a Ninja Gaiden game for the DS I would have; A) told them to put down the Crack pipe or B) ask them to give me a hit of it. This is because at the time of me playing through Xbox version and finding out how hard it is I would have never believed that it would be possible. And with the release of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (NG:DS) now it’s time for me to say that I’m glad they did…though I’m pretty sure the screen on my DS does not share my exact sentiments.
Story:
The story for NG:DS takes place about six months after the first one did. Shrine Maiden Momiji is captured by the Black Spider Clan and now she has to be rescued by Ryu Hayabusa. The fiends are also being revived by Ishtaros; the blue female fiend that captured Rachel in Sigma. A lot of times when you encounter the inhabitants of the Hayabusa Clan you will find out that they are worried about the fate of Momiji. They don’t want her meeting the same fate as Kureha (yes the dead chick from the first one had a name). The story is told through animated stills as if it was a comic book. There’s nothing about the story that leaves you on the edge of your seat, but it gets the job done.
Gameplay:
You don’t use the buttons or D-pad for NG:DS you use the stylus to move and slash; along with this you also hold your DS vertically like a book. It takes a little while to adjust to how to play the game. At first the game starts off a little easy so I downplayed blocking (yes I know stupid decision), but by the time the fifth mission comes around you relearn the importance of blocking and dodging. You’re able to block using any button, but with the way you hold the DS it’s best to use one of the shoulder buttons.
For the most part I have no gripes with the controls but there are times when you’re not going to get you’re desired outcome. Sometimes you will try to jump and end up slashing and doing the Ultimate Technique is easy, but you don’t always get it. In order for you to do it you have move the stylus up and down frantically to charge it up. For the most part it works, but there are times when Ryu will just slash up and down and when your life depends on it (which it always does) you will get pretty pissed.
There is also an interesting take on Ninpo. Instead of pressing two buttons at the same time you can tap on the symbol of the Ninpo next to your life bar. To unleash it you have to trace over the symbol with the stylus. The only inconvenience is that you can only use Ninpo once until you get to the next save point to recharge it; so it’s best not to rely too heavily on it.
Just like with Ninja Gaiden the action is fast and furious. Ryu is swinging his sword around and moving from enemy to enemy like he’s on PCP. The combo selection is not as extensive as its console brethren, but the important ones are here. The move that I’m surprised to see is the Izuna Drop. All you have to do is tap on an enemy go down, up, up and move is performed. The combat isn’t that visceral though or graphic. Anybody that has played Ninja Gaiden or saw the footage for its sequel knows that blood and decapitations are in high demand, but it’s on the DS so I can’t expect that much.
It’s called "Dragon Sword" for a reason and it’s because that’s the only weapon you get. So don’t expect to see the Lunar Staff in this version. I personally think it makes the action a tad repetitive and a lot of the enemies and bosses are rehashed from the first game. The game is easier, but it’s still pretty challenging. I’m pretty sure some fellow passengers overheard me mutter the "F" word. When I first started out playing I got infuriated. There was this one instance where I was either going to stab myself in the leg with my stylus or put it through my DS screen; luckily for me the stylus couldn’t bust through my jeans. I personally think they skimped on boss difficulty because I pretty much only dyed once per boss (and even breezed through three of the later ones in the game) minus the first one and that’s because I still didn’t have a firm enough grasp on how to play. Pretty much it’s Ninja Gaiden on the go and what’s not to like about that?
Graphics:
This is easily the best looking DS game on the market. Ryu’s character model has a lot of detail on him. The pre-rendered backgrounds look phenomenal. There is this place called Stony Cave Cove, which is the hub where you unlock all of the missions, is great looking. Seeing the cracks in the ground is just a nice detail that I wasn’t expecting. The bosses…the ones that weren’t from the first one are great looking. It’s definitely going to be a hard game to top for awhile to say the least.
Sound:
The soundtrack is a mix of new and old music. The new tracks don’t seem to be as good or as memorable as the reused ones. During the animated sequences there are voice cues that are irritating and the worst offender of this is Obaba. She cackles a lot and tends to cough sometimes, but her cackling is so high pitched. Aside from those complaints it’s a solid audio offering.
Replay:
It’s kind of hard to pin down actually. There are these wooden talismans that you can collect in the game. After a harrowing long battle in certain areas you will hear a bird sing and when that happens you blow into the microphone. Some blue thing comes out and you slash it. The thing is that you have to play every single difficulty level to unlock all of them. If you want to collect those you can, but don’t ask me what you get for doing it.
Overall:
NG:DS is a lot of fun, but challenging. They took some ideas from Ninja Gaiden 2 with the recharging health meter and took out potions. It makes for a more accessible game but you can still lose your life if you’re not careful. With the touchscreen there are times when you won’t get your desired move, but it’s only about 5% of the time. For anybody wanting a good hack and slash on the go pick up Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword.
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