You won’t be playing cooperatively during the campaign, but an assortment of trial missions can be completed either solo or with a friend. In a somewhat surprising move, Ninja Gaiden 3 also includes a multiplayer component. What’s pitched as a dive into the character and ethics of the murderous ninja is filled with the same cardboard characters, nonsensical backstabbings, and atrocious dialogue. Don’t let this fool you into thinking it’s any less convoluted or asinine than previous games in the series, however. Prior to release, Team Ninja was fond of mentioning Ninja Gaiden 3’s new focus on story. That satisfying feeling of leveling up your sword after saving up several levels’ worth of orbs is gone, and it’s a definite detriment to the experience. Ninja Gaiden 3 features one non-upgradeable sword (although two free DLC weapons are available), no currency system, and no collectibles. Previous games featured a large assortment of collectibles, secrets, and upgradeable weapons. One encounter with the world’s dumbest T-Rex stands out as especially memorable.Ĭombat isn’t the only thing that’s streamlined. Boss fights may not be on the level of the previous panic-inducing battles, but they’re still absurd enough to be entertaining. Despite this, you’re unlikely to die much as long as you utilize the helpful new slide technique when foes telegraph attacks. As the game progresses, enemies do require a bit more strategy (while remaining simpler than the standard enemies from the past). It may be the easiest experience of the series, but that didn’t keep me from dying a few times. In Ninja Gaiden 3, you’re usually safe as long as you keep mashing the attack buttons and utilizing your screen-clearing dragon ninpo. Back then, you’d get killed by new enemies a few times over before you started recognizing their patterns. I played through the entire story mode on the default difficulty level, which was nothing short of punishing in the past. While hero mode is optional, general dumbed-down difficulty isn’t confined to that setting. This has been going on for a good 30 minutes, and there is no indication that Ryu can or will ever die. As I type this, I’m watching the ninja auto-evade grenades and blocking bullets with his sword while my controller sits untouched on my desk. Hero mode is a new setting that turns Ryu into an invincible dynamo once his health meter gets low. Casual action fans understandably had issues completing these games, and Team Ninja has made good on its promise to make this sequel more newcomer-friendly. The first two 3D games in the series required razor-sharp reflexes, a healthy knowledge of useful combos, and the patience to endure countless deaths. Many of the decisions made during Ninja Gaiden 3’s development have raised the eyebrows of fans, and the end product is a mixed bag as a result. It nixes decapitations and severed limbs in favor of general blade wounds. Moving away from the series’ trademark difficulty, it promises to be more friendly to newcomers. It’s the first of the modern entries in the series that Tomonobu Itagaki hasn’t been involved with. Fans of Ryu Hayabusa’s last two adventures can’t be blamed if they approach Ninja Gaiden 3 with a certain amount of skepticism.
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