Ninja Blade (Xbox 360) Preview

Posted by James McGee on 03.20.2009

Hands-On: I swing some swords, kill some spiders, and press lots of buttons in this preview of From Software's new action/adventure for the Xbox 360.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more generic title than Ninja Blade (maybe Action Game), but don't judge too quickly. I recently spent some time with a demo of From Software's latest action/adventure for the Xbox 360, and while the basic gameplay is pretty derivative, Ninja Blade has a lot of style, and could turn out to be a surprise hit this Spring.


This Ninja is free…free-fallin'

The demo begins with a brief synopsis of what's going down in the game world. Parasites known as Alpha Worms have infected the Earth and are basically killing everyone's buzz by mutating humans and other creatures into grotesque monsters. The opening cinematic kicks in, showing a transport plane flying low over the Tokyo skyline. Once inside the plane, we find a group of Ninja's getting a pep talk from their commander. Wait…Ninjas? Yep, Ninjas…in modern day Tokyo…fighting off an alien invasion…with the Token Black pilot grumbling in the background. I see nothing at all wrong with this picture, unless you're one of those people who just hates awesome. Anyway, the commander gives our protagonist a sword before he jumps from the plane (parachute? Pah! He's a friggin' Ninja!), and players are given control.

Well, sort of. Our hero takes out a few flying beasties with some Quick Time Event button presses, foreshadowing a good portion of what you'll be doing throughout the demo. He then swings into a crumbling building to fight off some general baddies, giving players a taste of actual button-mashy combat. It isn't long before another QTE has you dodging a giant worm, then engaging in a little wall-running and pole-swinging, ultimately segueing into another style of gameplay: running down vertical walls. You dispatch a few more monsters before being confronted with your first boss: a giant spider.

The spider battle starts off with a prompt to engage your "Ninja Vision," which is the standard slow-mo, target-highlighting mode we've come to expect from most games these days. In a nice touch, you take more damage if you're hit during this mode, which forces you to stay on your toes. What follows is a lengthy, multi-stage battle that first has you employ your shield-breaking sword to crack the monster's exo-skeleton, then attacking the exposed body with standard attacks and more QTEs. Ultimately, our hero delivers the "Todome" (or killing blow) with a wrecking ball in a final, flashy series of button presses.


Wall-running: Just one of the cool combat variations this game has to offer..

As you can probably tell, there isn't a lot of innovation in Ninja Blade, but it borrows from the best (a bit from God of War, a lot from Ninja Gaiden, a sprinkling of Prince of Persia…). Plus, it pulls everything off with a lot of style. As pervasive as the QTEs are, they integrate beautifully with the more traditional gameplay. Everything flows very smoothly and organically, so that you still feel like you're playing rather than simply watching all this cinematic action. The mid-air and wall-running sequences come off brilliantly, and hint at a hyper-stylized, over-the-top game experience.

There are a few issues, however. Combat is extremely button-mashy and, despite all the style on display, I can certainly see the potential for gameplay to become very repetitive. You have a standard and ranged attack, but not much in the way of combos. Most of the variety comes from your different swords, but other than the shield-breaker, they don't do much to differentiate themselves from one another. You're also armed with a Cyclone Shuriken that makes for a great crowd-clearing area attack (it also puts out fires, which can be handy), but trying to charge and aim a precise shot is pretty useless, because all the enemies move so fast.

And, of course, there are a lot of QTEs, which some people will (understandably) hate. Many of these button-pressing sequences actually give you a second chance if you miss the cue, which could be both a blessing and a curse. Considering how much the game uses this mechanic, it's nice to have a second chance, but it could end up making things a little too easy. Keep in mind that this was a demo, and the opportunity to retry a failed QTE might be removed in the final release, or reserved for lower difficulty settings.

I will admit to being pleasantly surprised and optimistic about this one. The title and core gameplay may be a little pedestrian, but Ninja Blade has the opportunity to be one of those "more than the sum of its parts" games. We'll be able to see for certain if there is enough style to carry this one through when the game is released next month.

Screenshots
All 5 Ninja Blade Screenshots