Mar 27, 2012

Ninja Gaiden 3 is all murder and no execution. It places utmost importance on the periphery, neglecting the mechanisms of combat while splashing blood across the screen and desperately sniffing the air for just a hint of remorse from its protagonist. The franchise has never been more accessible as a result, and never more disposable.

Ninja Gaiden’s internal clockwork is still in there somewhere, albeit stripped of intricacy. The speed and fluidity of movement abolishes the perceived distance between thought and on-screen reaction, and there’s a pleasant cadence of killing injured foes, one by one, after you’ve hobbled them with a barrage of sword slashes. And the Izuna Drop, which lifts a dance partner into the air before spinning them headfirst into the earth, remains one of the best (and safest) moves in any action game. If you’re supposed to feel bad about all the unrestrained killing, as Ryu is meant to after a curse turns his arm into a veiny vector for his victims, maybe it shouldn’t be quite as much fun.

Gallery: Ninja Gaiden 3 (1/12/12)