I quite enjoy this game... but with some caveats. I won't beat around the bush, this game is just unfair at times. Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge in my games. I've been a huge Devil May Cry fan since the start, I like a lot of Soulsbornes and Elden Ring, and I love all of Team Ninja's recent work, including Nioh. Hard games are never a turn off for me just for being hard. But, between the game showing it's age pretty badly (Ryu can be awkward to turn and control, the camera gets wonky, etc.) and some level design and fights that are just mean, like I said, it gets unfair.
But when it works? It just works so good. Combat is fun and exciting and it feels great. The story is dumb as hell but also really fun. The platforming, with all the wall running and jumping, is fluid and cool. The set piece moments (Like recreating the Hindenberg and then zip lining down a mountain using power lines) are over the top and exciting. It's just great, ninja-y action.
And this is a pretty well done port. The game definitely looks old, but the art style and visual designs shine through while also having a bit of a goofy, PS2/Xbox era charm. Like the visuals are the right mix of really good, and really silly. And it mostly runs well. I say mostly because vsync, which is on by default, for some reason seems to lock it at 45 FPS (or it did for me, despite my PC being more than enough to run the game). And this game, due to the age of it, is one where the game speed is tied very directly to the framerate, and it's meant to run at 60. So yeah turn that off if you don't want it going at 3/4 speed.
So yeah, with some reservations, I really think this game is worth a shot, especially as a bit of history of the overall character action genre, and a showcase of mid 00s gaming. Now, I know that much like Dark Souls fans, fans of Ninja Gaiden can have a bit of a... thing about how hard the games are and how cool they are for beating a hard game. And I definitely think you should be willing to at least try a challenge, if you just want to do cool ninja stuff and have fun, I won't blame you for using easy or hero mode. Because it really is worth putting up with the frustration, and doing whatever you need to so you can enjoy it.

fun ninja
NINJAA
hehehe ninja
ninja ;(

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