Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Short sweet to the point. I couldn't ask for much more - Bought it on sale - not really interested in infinite playthrough potential or anything. Felt like a NG game, so I'm glad to have given it a whirl.

Solid 2D revival for the series. Challenging and tight action-platforming mechanics that just feel good. Recommended for any 2D platform-head.

The removal of continue points is a disappointment. The older Ninja Gaidens required you to learn the level or have a high enough skill to get through them with 3 lives, and each level felt much more memorable as a result. Giving unlimited lives means massively upping the difficulty (Like in Celeste), but that was not done here. Level design was better in the older games. You had to actually consider enemy placements and the respawning made things a pain. 3 was a bit more generic, but it was still tougher. The later levels are actually quite fun, and pretty long. The music also feels a bit less memorable than the older games, with the exception of returning themes. Due to the new continue system, boss fights are much better. All of them were decently challenging and fun. Many of the design elements feel taken from NG3, such as the more challenging bosses and the lack of respawning enemies. The character movement and combat is stellar. Subweapons are removed, but the game is so well designed in this regard I did not even notice. Graphics and sound are stellar. I beat it in a single sitting because of how engaging it was. I do recommend the game, but it ain't as good as the older Ninja Gaidens. Play those after.