Ninja Gaiden

A new 2D Ninja Gaiden game is on its way to the Switch later this year and select media outlets have now had the chance to go 'hands on' with the game.

You might have already seen our brilliant write-up by Ollie Reynolds, but if you haven't already here's a quick sample:

"Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is shaping up to be another win for The Game Kitchen (Blasphemous) and a wonderful reintroduction to the series’ 2D origins. As long as the team can really nail the difficulty and give veteran players the challenge they’ve been seeking, this stands a chance of being the studio’s best title yet."

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We also had the chance to chat with The Game Kitchen about this upcoming project and its revival of 2D Ninja Gaiden:

Right, with that out of the way - here's what some other outlets had to say (it's all sounding very promising):

IGN

"I think old school Ninja Gaiden fans are bound to enjoy this return to form. Ragebound has great pixel art, fast-paced platforming action, and new ideas that elevate the source material. I’m looking forward to learning more about Kumori and seeing how her relationship with Kenji develops. From what I’ve played so far, this seems like another winning combination of beloved but neglected IP with passionate indie devs. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is out this summer."

Engadget

"Even in early combat scenarios, I often had to fight two or three enemies simultaneously, while dodging and deflecting ranged attacks along the way to my next target. Once the combat system started to click for me, it felt incredibly satisfying to bounce between enemies and use Kenji and Kumori's abilities in unison."

Inverse

"Ragebound feels like a deadly ballet, where you’re slaughtering enemies in an effortlessly pulling off incredible moves that chain your strikes a together. The sense of speed and movement in Ragebound is absolutely the game’s special sauce, simultaneously making it feel innovative and exciting, while still true to the original game’s vision."

PC Gamer

"It's an exciting new side to developer The Game Kitchen. While I appreciated Blasphemous' palpable atmosphere, I felt it was too slow and unfair to really hook me. Ragebound feels like something very different—a quick and clever take on retro side-scrollers that's demanding without feeling punishing."

VICE

"While there is still no proper release window for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, I’ll have to clear my schedule once it releases. I already know that the second I boot this up, I’m not going to want to put it down. They knew exactly what they were doing when they gave me just a few levels of playtime. This got me so incredibly hyped up, and I can’t wait to see what the final product will look like. If it’s anything like this demo? My GOTY choice may be solidified."

Are you excited about Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound? Let us know in the comments.