Fat Ninja

A while back I posted about Team Ninja’s plans to bring Ryu Hayabusa and all of his ninja shenanigans to the little hand-held that could. Some time between then and a few months ago, I kinda set down my DS. Needless to say, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Swords (NGDS) dropped off of my gaming radar. Well, I’ve since picked it up and I have to say that I think it’s one of my favorite DS games to date. Hit the cut for my impressions.

So, let’s look at the storyline first. I’d say if the game had any one weakness, it’d be in this department. That’s not to say it’s bad, because it’s definitely entertaining enough. Where it’s lacking is in the fact that it’s pretty much a condensed version of Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. But rather than being a simple adaptation of it, NGDS offers its own story that takes place in the wake of the events in Ninja Gaiden. While the story is new, it is only so because certain details have been changed. It’s kind of like someone took the original storyline and ad-libbed it. You’ll face some of the same bosses and relive some of the more memorable scenes from the Xbox’s Ninja Gaiden, but only in miniature. It’s not really a bad thing, but I would have liked to have seen some departures made from the formula.

What the story lacks in originality is easily made up for in its presentation. Since NGDS requires that you hold the DS book-style, the developers opted to present the storyline in a sort of comic-book style (See lead graphic above). Beautiful and stylized manga drives the narrative through colorful and vivid panels that are very reminiscent of the methods of advancing the story in Ninja Gaiden for the NES. The art style and nostalgia factors really come together for a stellar presentation of both the narrative elements and the gameplay.

Speaking of the gameplay, this category just eclipses everything else. Phantom Hourglass may have pioneered the full use of the stylus, but NGDS amplifies it to frenetic levels. Combat is an utter blast as you literally use the stylus to hack and slash your way through droves of enemies. While some moves are quite difficult to pull off, the fast-paced gameplay that Ninja Gaiden has been known for translates perfectly over to the DS, offering a fun and engaging experience. NGDS also manages to maintain the franchise’s reputation for difficulty, once again testing your patience, will and mettle by throwing you more foes than you could know what to do with. Simultaneously frustrating and exhilarating, NGDS manages to balance its challenges and fun-factors very nimbly. But truly, between cutting a bloody swath through villainous hordes and tracing Sanskrit characters to use Ryu’s Ninpo techniques, NGDS really taps into that inner ninja I always thought I’d grow up to be. If you don’t own this game for your DS, I daresay you’re doing yourself a disservice.

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