Ninja Gaiden is back in a pretty big way. Last December, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was announced for multiple platforms and set to come out in the summer of 2025. One month later, Microsoft announced that it will publish Ninja Gaiden 4 for multiple platforms in the fall of 2025. If you're a fan of the series, then you're most likely very happy that two games in the series are coming out in the same year. With this being the start of summer and the subsequent game fests, fans will also be happy to know that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is getting a demo for Steam Next Fest, and we checked out the demo before its public release.

The story takes place roughly at the same time as the one told in the NES version of Ninja Gaiden. You play the role of Kenji, a student of the Hayabusa clan of ninjas. After a grueling training session, both Kenji and Ryu learn that the seal holding back the demon realm has been broken, and monsters are invading the village. Before any action can be taken, Ryu receives a letter telling him to go to America due to the death of his father.

At first glance, the gameplay will be immediately familiar to those who have played the classic NES games. This is a 2D side-scrolling adventure with all of the familiar trappings. You have a regular slash to fight enemies, and while you have no pickups, you have kunai that can be thrown if you have the mana to do it. Leaps are of a good height, and your mobility is exactly as expected. You can traverse ceilings with ease, and you can climb walls without trying to master the triangle jump from the first game. At its core, the game hits the basics for the series.

With that said, the game goes way beyond the move set from the original 2D games by either expanding the abilities or introducing completely new elements. Most projectiles can be countered with a simple sword slash, giving you a defensive capability that works alongside the new dodge roll move that can also be used to go through small spaces. The jumping slash somersault can still kill enemies, but now it also provides a slight jumping boost. Combined with the ability to block projectiles while doing this move, and you start to see situations where you'll use it often to get to secret areas or cross large chasms.

One of the more significant moves is the more powerful attack that comes from exposing your spirit. You do this by killing a specially marked enemy that will drop a spirit orb upon death. Once you obtain it, you'll be imbued with enough power to kill an enemy in a single strike or take down something like a large spiked wooden pillar. However, the power only stays with you for a limited time and immediately expires once you make an attack. To make things more interesting, certain spirit orbs can only be obtained with certain attacks, so using a kunai on an enemy that'll drop a spirit orb meant for a sword would yield nothing.

This one mechanic alone changes up the game, as you now have to be more strategic in the middle of a fight. You'll typically go for the enemy that has the orb first, but you have to quickly be able to read what kind of orb it is. Then you have to make sure you use the correct attack against the strongest enemy, or you let the power go to waste. If you mess up, you can still access a spirit attack by charging up your attack button to unleash your move, but the penalty is a loss in health, which is quite perilous unless you know you're near a checkpoint and can afford the higher chance of death.

This all happens in the beginning, but things become even more interesting in the next stage of the demo, which represents the third level of progress in the main game. You find yourself infused with the spirit of Kumori, a ninja from the rival Black Spider Clan. By default, you can use her to throw out scythes from an arc as an extra projectile attack that passes through walls and floors. Build up enough mana, and you can use her power alongside your own to unleash an attack that covers the whole screen. The more interesting element comes when you hit a roadblock that requires you to get Kenji cocooned to let Kumori loose. New platforms and dangers open up, and while you still have attacks similar to that of Kenji, your main goal is to find a switch or other means of overcoming the roadblock, so Kenji can pass. The hook is that Kumori can only stay out in the real world for a limited time. You can extend this timer by finding different orbs in the world, but these sections rely on speed and precision with your moves to finally reach the goal without having to repeat the section.

The result is a game that successfully translates the frantic nature of the modern 3D entries into a 2D format. Enemies are numerous but not overwhelmingly so, giving you a steady stream of action without devolving into button-mashing. The platforming sections are of a good length and provide enough challenge to make you think about your moves in relation to the available space. The sections where you switch over feel right in length but remain fraught with some panic in terms of whether you'll reach the switch just as the timer expires. Get everything right, and you'll speed through tough sections without stopping, getting that feeling of being a ninja in the process. Part of this is thanks to the controls, which are tight without the fear of accidentally hitting the wrong command. Combined with the good pacing and lengthy levels, this feels just right.

This is also a game that takes on the series ethos of being more difficult than expected. For the spirit orbs, Ragebound gives you exactly one shot to obtain it, and while you can still defeat some enemies with multiple regular attacks, the life loss needed to charge up a spirit attack of your own makes the strive for perfection more appealing, since health refills are scarce (at least in the demo).

Obstacles are placed at just the right distance, so you really need to master the timing of the slashing jump, so you can bounce out of danger. Some checkpoints are also spaced just far enough that dying means having to repeat some sections, minus getting the collectible again. The game throws you a bone by giving you infinite lives, and falling down a pit results in a small life loss when you respawn. You really need to master the timing of attacks and jumps and everything in between because brute-forcing your way through the game isn't going to work well.

The presentation is stunning. If you're familiar with the Blasphemous series from The Game Kitchen, then you know exactly what to expect from the graphics. The game sports loads of colors and decently sized sprites, but everything has more animation frames to make them look smooth. Additionally, the overall frame rate is high, so it's one smooth-looking game with barely a flaw. On the sound front, the effects are excellent, and the music is perfect for the setting. The lack of voices is a big positive in keeping with the game's retro flavor.

So far, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound looks to follow the spirit of the original NES games while also bringing in the familiarity of the modern 3D series entries. The move list makes you feel powerful because you can defeat foes in many ways, and the dynamism in the platforming keeps the gameplay feeling fresh. The difficulty level punishes you for mistakes, and while it's never brutal enough to feel unfair, you get the feeling that the game is sternly asking you to get better and master every aspect. It isn't going to be a long wait before the full game drops, and we can't wait to see how it turns out.