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Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Hands-On Preview for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Hands-On Preview for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

We give our hands a stylus-swinging workout with the awesome Ninja Gaiden
Dragon Sword

February 27, 2008 – The folks at Tecmo and Team Ninja are just as stealthy as their star assassin, Ryu Hayabusa. Prior to GDC we contacted them, asking if they’d be at the event. They kindly responded saying they would not be attending GDC this year.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword screenshot

Well, technically, they were telling the truth, albeit somewhat cryptically; while Tecmo didn’t have a “GDC booth” in the traditional sense, they did manage to sneak bad-boy developer Tomonobu Itagaki into the Microsoft keynote with a Ninja Gaiden 2 demo and have a playable build of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword anonymously sitting just outside of Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s spotlight at Nintendo’s booth. We really wanted to be mad at the sneaky developer for clouding us in this smoke bomb of deception, however, we enjoyed our time with Dragon Sword so much we totally forgot we were angry–plus we’re terrified of Itagaki.

So, while the Mario-loving masses got their brawl on a few feet away, we stood in the corner frantically hacking and slashing, via stylus, through Dragon Sword’s first level. This portable powerhouse struck us immediately with its use of the DS; like Brain Age and Hotel Dusk, Dragon Sword has you holding the dual-screened platform like a book. This, at first, seemed like an odd choice for an action-driven game, but with the acrobatic action extending to all corners of the screen, we quickly realized a vertical display was the right choice to appropriately frame all the top-to-bottom fiend-slaying. Additionally, the set-up allows for one hand to comfortably hold the DS, freeing up the other for dedicated stylus slicing. And we certainly needed to favor that stylus-clutching hand as Dragon Sword gave us a workout with near 100% of its controls being delivered through the pen-like peripheral.

Not since Phantom Hourglass have we so appreciated Nintendo’s touch-screen tech; moving, sword-swinging, shuriken-chucking, and ninpo-casting are all delivered intuitively through the responsive stylus-to-screen approach. Only blocking, which is executed by hitting any shoulder or face button, breaks from the stylus-directed control. Despite all the crazy power emitting from our nimble, ninja-controlling fingers, Dragon Sword did a fantastic job of teaching us how to harness our newfound deadly skills. The first level began with us playing as Ryu’s young, female apprentice, Momiji. As the white-wearing she-ninja, we were introduced to the various attacks and moves that we’d later be pulling-off as Ryu through a tutorial-like progression. It’s fitting–and a smart move on Team Ninja’s part–that we “learn” in the boots of this assassin-in-training as it wouldn’t seem right to have established bad-ass Ryu fumbling about like a tyke in Karate class. Moving Momiji along was as simple as the directional movements in Phantom Hourglass–move the stylus in a specific direction, and our on-screen assassin followed. When it came to learning a little demon slicing and dicing, helpful prompts walked us through the moves; green directional slashes appeared over enemies on the right screen, while the text on the left (also the map screen) read “Slide the stylus across an enemy to attack with the Dragon Sword.” Simple as that. And super-satisfying too–delivering finishing blows via stylus was a visceral rush that had us jamming on the DS screen much harder than was necessary.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword screenshot

The tutorial-like level continued to unfold with similar simple-to-follow instructions: slide the stylus upwards to jump, tap an enemy to throw a shuriken, move the stylus up then down on an enemy to perform an upward slash attack, etc. Within minutes we were effortlessly stringing together sword combos, occasionally switching up to unleash a mad flurry of throwing stars and performing zig-zagging wall climbs to reach higher levels. It all felt fluid and surprisingly accessible. This is good, because you won’t want your concentration entirely focused on the controls as there’s lots to take in visually in Dragon Sword. Despite the fast-paced action, you’ll really want to slow things down and and appreciate what Team Ninja has pulled off graphically on the modestly powered DS. Using an eye-pleasing blend of 2D environments and 3D characters, they’ve managed to create one of the best (if not the best) looking DS games to date. Lush jungles pop off the screen with green foliage and blue waterfalls, and even darker areas, like dingy mining tunnels, are dripping with detail such as weathered wooden beams and realistically lit rock walls. Of course, the backgrounds are just that–pretty scenery. But the foreground put on an even more impressive show as Wolverine-ish clawed monsters erupted from purplish explosions, only to be quickly extinguished by our blades in quick flashes of glowing blue light (sorry, no staple Gaiden blood-soaked gore in this T-rated title). Fully animated archers assaulted us with storms of arrows, and Ninpo magic–unleashed by tracing symbols on the screen–filled the screen with fiery destruction.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword screenshot

Despite the roar of the close-by SSB Brawlers, Dragon Sword’s sound also made an impact (we imagine it’d be even richer with headphones). Clanging swords, fleshly slices, whizzing shurikens and demon grunts punctuated the action-driving score. Everything about Dragon Sword impressed us, and most of our time wasn’t even spent with the master himself, Ryu. The short time we did get to spend with the black-clad baddie was similar to what we’d experienced with Momiji, only now we’d honed are skills to a level worthy of Ryu. Quick and deadly slashes led to multi-tiered combos as we bounced all over the vertical display with acrobatic finesse. Taking on all manner of demons and fiends triple our size, our stylus hand continuously dancing over the DS’s dual screens. The only thing scaring us about Ninja Gaiden’s DS debut is the job it’ll do on our hands; the adrenaline-spiking action literally had us clenching the stylus as hard as we could. A lengthy session with pint-sized Ryu will likely have our fingers cramping, but it’ll be worth the pain to experience this promising portable effort when it hits next month.

Game Features:

  • Smoothly maneuver and fight through levels with the intuitive operation of the DS stylus.
  • Hold the DS with one hand like a book to assist in the operation of the stylus which allows players to view a wider range of scenes.
  • Using the DS stylus, draw various symbols to quickly execute numerous types of Ninpo magic.
  • Experience Team Ninja’s first original action game for the Nintendo DS!


  • Master the touch of death!

    June 13, 2007 – Ninja Gaiden (Xbox version) was of the best action games ever created due to its high quality graphics, well performing control scheme, and story. The original game was so popular that it was remade for the same console and for the PS3 and featured more downloadable goodies, battles, etc. Most Ninja Gaiden fans loved the remakes, but most are salivating for the next true sequel. Now, Team Ninja delivers its true sequel using a 64 bit console with two tiny screens.

    Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword screenshot

    Team Ninja, a huge Xbox-only developer has shocked the nation by developing a game for the Nintendo DS. They believe that the gameplay technology of the DS will enhance the Ninja Gaiden series. I admit that I was skeptical when I heard that Ryu Hayabusa, star of the Ninja Gaiden series, would be drawn in 64 bit on a tiny screen, but the graphics are absolutely stunning, even if you don’t compare it to only DS games.

    The game’s story involves Ryu hunting down more demons just like we all like to see our man do. This time, he’ll be going after the most powerful demon sorceress he’s ever faced. To stand a chance against her, he’ll have to use the power of the DS to defeat her evil. Dragon Sword, you ask? Yes, if you wish to name your DS stylus Dragon Sword because this heavily action oriented game relies on the touch screen and stylus movement combinations in order to play.

    Not only does it play completely differently than any other Ninja Gaiden game before it, you’ll actually play the game with the DS held sideways which few DS games mimick. On the left (top) screen, you’ll see a map, while on the right (bottom) screen, you’ll see Ryu Hayabusa in a gorgeous 3D world. The gameplay mainly involves hacking and slashing anything in sight which is done by using many different stylus movement combinations.

    Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword screenshot

    If you wish to perform a horizontal slash, then simply swipe the touch screen horizontally. If you wish to perform a vertical slash, then simply swipe the screen from bottom to top. Jumping is performed by tapping Ryu twice and a second jump can be performed by tapping him twice while he’s in the air. From there, you can either swipe the screen from top to bottom in order to perform a downward slash, or you can tap an enemy to throw a shuriken at them. You can also tap enemies while on the ground in order to throw a shuriken.

    If you need to block during a battle, simply press any button on the DS, except Power, while swiping the screen. It makes blocking quite handy and accessible. Also, by blocking attacks, you can build up your charged moves and magic attacks. You can charge up to two levels. Simply stop blocking and you’ll unleash your charge attack. You can perform magic attacks by tapping the upper left icon on the screen when lit, then tracing symbols or letters that appear on the screen. You can also control the magic attack by directing it with the stylus.

    Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword screenshot

    The game involves more hacking and slashing than any other Ninja Gaiden title, but that’s doesn’t mean it’s missing any adventuring. You will have to move around pre-rendered rooms looking for items/switches, etc. in order to progress to the next room and the boss. You may also have to jump to new areas by double tapping the screen.

    The action appears tight, and the frame rate is first class. The sound is also as good as the high quality sound of Ninja Gaiden for Xbox. Team Ninja always delivers first class games and will deliver for the first portable Ninja Gaiden title in years. I recommend this title to all DS gamers and especially for Ninja Gaiden fans like myself. It appears to have less violence and gore than the Xbox game, so it should be the first Ninja Gaiden game for teens in years. Go ask your parents to buy this game or buy it yourself this fall. You’ll be pleased you did.

    Game Features:

  • The first portable Ninja Gaiden title in years.
  • The true sequel to Ninja Gaiden for Xbox.
  • Team Ninja’s first DS game.
  • Easy to perform touch screen movements control almost all moves.

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