Ninja Gaiden Sigma Review PS3

Story

Ryu Hayabusa wants to take revenge against those who are responsible in destroying his village and for stealing the Dark Dragon Blade.​

Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja from Hayabusa Village, and went to infiltrate the Shadow clans castle to visit his uncle, Murai. During his visit, he learns that his village was attacked by unknown faction. He quickly went there, only to learn that the Dark Dragon Blade has been stolen by a black armoured samurai, named Doku. After Doku killed Ryu, Ryu went back to life, and seeks vengeance against Doku and the rest of people who is responsible for this.

The storyline is very simple to understand, yet nothing outstanding to make you impressed with it. The story is there, without any real pros and cons. Character developments in the game are quite good, mainly focusing on Ryus and Rachels developments. Rachels story is a bit more tragic, whereas Ryus story is more towards his journey on vengeance. Unfortunately, there is one character that I am a bit disappointed that has little to no development, which is Kureha, the maiden who was killed by Doku in the second chapter. I wish she has more exposure, as I am very curious to know her background with Ryu in the game, specifically.

Gameplay

Take control as one of the most badass ninja in video game history, as he can do a lot of impressive things such as run on the water.​

The gameplay is very well designed. As you take control Ryu, you can do a lot of things, such as running on the water (seriously), wall run, etc. Ryu has a lot of moves that can impress you a lot, but his specialty is on combat side.

You have two attack buttons, which is a quick attack button and strong attack button. Quick attacks are fast but has moderately or weak damage, whereas strong attacks are powerful, but slow to execute. Obviously, you will be using these two types of attacks to defeat your enemies. Defeating enemies will reward you Essence, basically the in-game currency which allows you to buy items, new weapons, weapon upgrades, etc. Yellow Essence serves as the currency in the game, Blue Essence is your health pickup, and Red Essence is your Ninpo pickup. Each enemy have their own lifebar (not viewable except for bosses), attacks, and appearance. Deplete their health while blocking and dodging their attacks is the routine work in playing this game.

Dragons Fang and Tigers Claw is one of the most coolest weapons in this game.​

Ryu has access to various types of melee weapons, such as katana, double katanas, flails, staff, etc. Each weapon have their own pros and cons, and each of them have their techniques for you to memorise to use against your enemies. He also have access to projectile weapons such as shurikens and bow. Most of the time, you will use it to solve some puzzles and defeat ranged enemies.
​

Make sure you block and dodge to prevent enemies from killing you quickly!​

You can also block your enemys attacks and dodge them. In this game (and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2), blocking and dodging are two most important techniques to survive, since regular enemies and bosses can hit you really hard, even in Normal mode. Mastering both allows you to have easier time in playing this game, since dying in this game is rather common if you are not a skilled player. Be noted that blocking doesnt block all attacks, as some attacks can break your block or penetrate it easily, which is imperative for you to dodge quickly to avoid damage. Dont forget that most regular enemies and bosses can block your attacks as well.

Ryu also have access to Ultimate Techniques and Ninpo. Ultimate Techniques are basically charge attacks that can inflict high damage to enemies. You can charge up to two levels. Unfortunately, Ultimate Techniques take a long time to charge up, and it is practically useless outside of battle. However, if there is an Essence nearby while you are using the Ultimate Technique, Ryu will absorb the Essence automatically and automatically increase the level of Ultimate Technique, allowing faster activation to defeat your enemies and during the execution of Ultimate Techniques, Ryu is invincible to any attacks. Using Ultimate Techniques to defeat your foes generally will reward you more Essence. Alternatively, defeating enemies without taking any damage will also reward you more Essence. Ninpo is basically magic used by ninjas. There are various types of Ninpo, but each Ninpo have different attack potency and uses. You can increase the level of your Ninpo by using a certain item, but that item is extremely rare to find throughout the game.

This game has 19 chapters, 16 for Ryu, and 3 for Rachel. Technically, this is Ryus game, but some chapters are modified slightly to incorporate Rachels storyline and playing chapters.

Rachels playable chapters is a fine addition to the game, but doesnt provide extra explanation to the games storyline.​

Rachel has three playable chapters, and this is exclusive to the PS3 version. She has different movesets than Ryu, and she is less agile than him. However, her attacks are very strong, and can easily stun and kill enemies. Her chapters give you a breather in playing Ryu chapters, and gives you different experience in playing the game.

For every chapter, you have to solve some puzzles in order to proceed, and find a key or an item to progress in the game. This game is quite different than other action games, since it does not have minimap, and there is no marker as to where should you go next. Thankfully, there are hints by Ayane in certain chapters that will guide you to the right direction. Also, map is not available for every area that you stepped on, thus making it a bit of importance in finding maps to show where you are to avoid getting lost.

Underestimating bosses in this game is a big mistake. Dont be shy using items when you are in danger.​

Bosses in this game are very difficult to fight, but with the right preparations and skill, you can beat them. Each boss have their own unique patterns of attacking, and with different techniques. Since they can kill you pretty fast if you are caught in a combo (especially by human-sized bosses), using blocking and dodging is essential. Like I said before, these two moves will save your life a lot in the game, only if you are skillful enough in using both.

You will be ranked accordingly after completing each chapter, with certain criterias such as how fast you complete the chapter, how much Essence you obtained, etc. For example, Master Ninja is the highest rank given if you have completed those criterias successfully.

The game have one of the best gameplay in an action game. Although, it is to be noted that this game is quite hard for average players, and I think veterans also can have a hard time in playing this game. Completing this game in Normal mode is enough to show that you are skilled enough in playing this difficult game. Otherwise, you can play harder difficulties to prove your worth.

Graphics

For a 5 year old game, it looks way better than some recent action games. ​

​

Since this is one of the first PS3 games lineup, the graphics are exceptionally great. However, in CGI cutscenes, you can see that the cutscenes are less detailed than in-game cutscenes, and have a bit of blurriness, that gives people the impression that Team Ninja did not remaster the CGI scenes properly. Either Team Ninja forgot to do it, or they lack the proper technology to properly remaster those CGI cutscenes. Nevertheless, the whole in-games visual department actually was already remastered to HD, making up-to-date to current generation games, so we cant complain much since this game looks great and very detailed while playing every chapters.​

Some technical issues lingered in this game, such as minor screen tearing while rotating the camera, in cutscenes, etc. They are not game-breaking, but quite noticeable to people. Also, the camera system is a bit weird, since the camera is always focused from the bottom to the top, which is weird for an action game. Rotating the camera system is a bit of hassle, but it is needed to give you clear view on your surroundings. However, the camera system is a bit better than Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2s camera system, and there is a camera reset that allows you to reset the camera to Ryus front view.

This game is one of the rare PS3 games that do not require any installation. If you install the game, loading times is reduced slightly. Personally, I will install the game if I have a large storage time and to avoid long loading times in playing games. Be aware that installing the game does not reduce or eliminate any technical issues such as screen tearing in the game.

Sound

Acceptable English and Japanese voice acting that makes the game awesome.​

​
Fortunately, the game have good voice acting that spoils it much. All characters have acceptable and appropriate voice acting, such as silent tone for Ryus voice, making the games dialogue great to listen to without any awkwardness and weirdness. It also have Japanese voice tracks, and you can switch between two in the Options menu.​
​
The soundtrack is well-made, with both many Japanese style themes. Most themes work appropriately at any playable areas, boss fights, etc.​

Replay Value

Play Mission Modes after completing the game, or play the main game in harder difficulties.​

This game have moderate replay value. After completing the main game, you can play Mission Mode, which is a set of non-canon Missions given to you to complete, such as defeating a certain number of enemies. Or, you can play the game in higher difficulties such as Hard mode. Please be noted that higher difficulty modes are extremely hard and tough, and should not be attempted if you are willing to play it or if you are skilled enough in the game.

If you want to show off your skills, you can submit your Scoreboard online and compare with other players online.

Conclusion
​

One of the best action games that features an awesome ninja.​

​

Despite there are some flaws in the game, this game is a very solid action adventure game. With an awesome looking ninja, great gameplay design, nice visuals, this game is perfect for those who wants to play challenging and rewarding action game. Personally, this game is a much better than its successor, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, in terms of camera system, uncensored violence, and lesser technical issues.​
​
Score
​
Story - 8/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
​
Final Score: 36/40 or 9.0/10.0.
​
Pros and Cons
​
Pros
​
- Ryu Hayabusa is awesome.
- Exhilarating combat system.
- Variety of weapons that have its own unique advantages and disadvantages.
- Great visuals.
- Great character designs.
- Ultimately rewarding to those who are looking forward to challenging games.
- Suitable English and Japanese voice acting.
- Great boss fights.​
- Good soundtrack.​
- Lenghty playing time for main playthrough.​
​
Cons
​
- Acceptable storyline without much memorable plot.
- Minor technical issues such as screen tearing while playing the game.
- CGI cutscenes looked less detailed than in-game cutscenes.
- Extremely difficult for average players or rookie players.
- Moderate replay value.
- Easy to get lost while playing without getting a map for an area.
- Do not expect to play stealth missions just because you are a ninja.