Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Review
by Gameaholica
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon sword brings Ryu Hyabusa to the Nintendo DS in a Stylus fight to the finish. When I first viewed the early trailers of the game I wondered to myself; "How will this game work with a stylus"? I honestly felt that it could end up not being a very good game because of it. So now that I have actually played it how did it work out? Just read on to find out.
The Story has Ryu battling through bosses (Many from the XBox Ninja Gaiden game), and collecting Dark Dragon Stones along the way. Ryu finds himself having to defeat Fiends while trying to uncover the plot of the Black Spider Clan, protect the village, and rescue a new character Momiji. You will visit the village often to speak with various characters that allow you to purchase both upgrades and items that will assist you on your journey toward the final boss. As far as bosses go, they are very easy to beat on normal mode. You may recognize several from previous Ninja Gaiden games, as well as some new ones that do not have names that I am aware of.
Graphics
From the very start of the game I was impressed with the level designs as well as the graphic touches given to them. The characters themselves are very detailed. No matter how many enemies are on the screen the game moves at a quick pace without any hitches or hang ups. The Boss’ attention to detail is quite excellent. Some even look tougher then they actually are.
Sound
The sound effects make you feel like you are really there, and add to the overall experiance of the game. The sounds during battle are very satisfying with the various swords clashing and slashing. It makes you just want to run and find the next enemy to hear them all over again. The game’s music further enhances the overall Ninja experience. It makes you feel like you are not just a character but part of the game itself.
Controls
The first thing you will notice is that you hold the DS sideways (like a book) to play the game. The touchscreen is where the fighting and action will take place while the other screen is used for cutscenes and other visuals not requiring the stylus. You will use your stylus to move your character in whatever direction you wish. You will do most normal movements, like jumps, using your stylus as well. And throughout the game you will learn new fighting moves that require you to make different movements with the stylus to pull them off.
I found I could make it through most of the levels using a combination of quick slashes and the Cicada drop where you jump in the air and drop down on a enemy for an instant kill. You block by using any button other then start and select. I used the dpad, as it was the most natural feel for the way I held the DS. Once in the block/defense posture you can roll by tapping the direction you wish to roll.
When you use an Ninpo attack you target your enemy which pauses the game and takes you to a screen where you use the stylus to color in a character, then you return to the game to use the attack.
One thing I was not aware of, going into the game, was the use of the microphone during gameplay. On several occasions you will need to blow, or yell, in to it to continue gameplay. One example is tapping a character in the village, who is asleep, with your stylus, then blowing into the mic to wake him up. This may seem a little silly doing it, but does add to the gameplay that only Nintendo offers at this point.
My only knock on the controls was that at times, mainly in the later levels, I would want Ryu to move one way using the stylus and my movement was not picked up exactly and he did something else which could prove costly. This happened very seldom and reminded me of playing the original Ninja Gaiden on NES. In the final levels your worst enemy was jumping wall to wall, and not getting the dpad just right resulted in falling to your death.
Conclusion
I was very surprised by Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. I openly admit I had a lot of doubt and questions when first seeing videos of the game. I am pleased to say that the game delivers a true Ninja Gaiden experience on a handheld with very nice visuals and excellent control using an alternate style... the stylus ! It would have been easy for the developers to create this game using classic controls of a dpad and button mashing; but honestly the game would not be the same experience. I now can’t see the game being done any other way and look forward to the next game based in the Ninja Gaiden universe.
