Ninja Blade Xbox 360 Review

Ninja Blade

Xbox 360 Review
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Microsoft
Released: April 2009

Ninja Blade will immediately remind you of past action-adventure games on the Xbox 360 like Devil May Cry 4 and Ninja Gaiden.  The thing you have to remember before heading into this though is that it is not either of these two games.  If you head into it with that notion, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Ninja Blade is going to spark a lot of comparisons to some blockbuster titles mentioned above, and that will likely hurt it in the long run.

Taking it for what it is though, this is actually a pretty fun action-adventure game to play through.

The lead character in Ninja Blade is Ken, and you will take him through the various levels, slicing and dicing your way through.

The way in which the game controls is a lot of fun, with the only issue being that the pacing is not quite as good as it could have been.

Each level that you will jump in will have this big opening for the most part, but then kind of falter back from the momentum that was just built up.

In terms of the actual action, there is the standard sword fighting and such, but also some other added little gameplay elements with bits of magic, QTE events, etc.

The game plays out in a very fun manner with a pretty good combo system, as well as a camera system in place that does not detract away from anything, allowing you to really enjoy the game.

The negatives here though come in the form of the fact that the battle system is just not as deep as it should be.  Everything seems like it is almost half-done as you will want to do added attacks and such that are just not available.

The real depth comes in the form of the Ninjutsu abilities that you will pick up as the game goes on, as you will be able to do things such as have superhuman speed, special powers, etc.

Visually, this is actually a very good-looking game, as there are some fantastic cut-scenes, special effects, and character models put in place here, along with nice lighting.  This game is definitely not lacking in the department of the graphics that is for sure.

In regards to the replay value, this is really the type of game that you are better off renting, as there is not enough here to keep you coming back time and time again.  One play through, which shouldn’t take more than a weekend, and you will feel done.

Ninja Blade is going to appeal to fans of Ninja Gaiden, but it simply does not have the polish of that other blockbuster title.  With that said, if you take it for what it is, this is a very enjoyable action-adventure game that is worth a rental.

Graphics: 8.5 A very good looking game on the Xbox 360, great lighting.

Audio: 7.8 I would have liked the musical score to have been a little more dominant in the game.  Sound effects are well-implemented.

Gameplay: 7.0 The game controls well, but the QTE events are too frequent and the combat lacks depth

Replay Value: 5.0 One play-through and you will be done.

Final Score: 7.0

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