4.5/5 ★ – RoyMaster4's review of NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound.

This is what all retro revivals should strive to be. Ragebound is a blast from the past, bringing it to the modern day but perfectly encapsulating what Ninja Gaiden was on the NES, complete with a bangin' soundtrack. The intro stage is a direct callback to the NES opening, and it keeps up the hits from there. The gameplay is tight and satisfying to pull off. The 'guillotine' move feels like if Hollow Knight's pogo was put on steroids, and is such a brilliant way of traversal that makes the simple act of *moving* feel phenomenal. Combat introduces a melee vs ranged dynamic that forces you to put a little extra thought into what you do instead of just holding right and swinging the sword, which is a nice touch. The one problem I have with this game has to do with how it ends - it feels a bit abrupt, and could have done with a bit more to it. This is also a $25 game whose main story only runs for 3.5-4 hours. Sure, the developer's previous games (Blasphemous 1+2) were $25 each, but those had a lot more meat on their bones. Ragebound does have secret stages, an unlockable hard difficulty, and collectibles to find, but I don't feel like it's quite enough to justify the cost. Still, if you love Ninja Gaiden or fast-paced 2D platformers, you can't go wrong with Ragebound.