this does a remarkably amazing job translating Ninja Gaiden's controls to a DS touchscreen. If you like NG and have a DS lying around definitely worth playing
I have no idea how I had the patience to beat this as a child
Like reading a delicate book of hack n slash poetry.
Hidden gem, game is raw as hell
The gameplay is pretty well designed, responsive, and satisfying. Though personally I find the game to get pretty hard after a few hours even when I’m using all the moves and tools at my disposal.
Presentation-wise I love the when I have to hold the DS on its side, which especially for swipe/stylus-focused games like this also allows for some more wrist flick real estate. The story is told through a manga format and looks lovely. Levels have pre-rendered backgrounds of high quality, but the game switches to full 3D arenas during the great boss fights with big monsters and dragons.
It’s a great game that takes the format of the DS seriously and pulls it off well, I don’t know if I’ll ever fully beat it personally because I lack the skills for these particular bills.
Presentation-wise I love the when I have to hold the DS on its side, which especially for swipe/stylus-focused games like this also allows for some more wrist flick real estate. The story is told through a manga format and looks lovely. Levels have pre-rendered backgrounds of high quality, but the game switches to full 3D arenas during the great boss fights with big monsters and dragons.
It’s a great game that takes the format of the DS seriously and pulls it off well, I don’t know if I’ll ever fully beat it personally because I lack the skills for these particular bills.
Quirky and interesting perspective on the Ninja Gaiden idea, despite looking like it could never work, it sort of did? Hear me out.
The early DS games had to display in full what the console was able to do. A touchpad wasn't anything new at the time, but something as responsive as a modern handheld device (from which I'm typing this review by the way) was completely and utterly game changing, even if it was just a gimmick. Most games were gimmicks, at their hearts, very few titles utilized the full potential of the touch screen more than a few times; even fewer were entirely basing their gameplay on the new technology, which in and out of itself is a crowning achievement. I respect the dev team for pulling through this.
The game is kind of ass though. Ninja Gaiden has to be precise with its input and, punishing as it is, you'll sometimes be screwed and there's nothing you can do. It feels unfair and it takes enormous effort to beat.
Everything else gets my seal of approval, the prerendered backgrounds look fantastic and the atmosphere is stellar. Holding the console vertically can get tiring when you're playing this game, so I'd recommend playing it just for its novelty and as a time capsule of early DS games, more than anything. If you want to play a Ninja Gaiden for its tight gameplay, you can go and play Dead or Alive or get your hands on the OG Xbox, but at the same time Dragon Sword works just as well as the intended to-go & portable alternative.
The early DS games had to display in full what the console was able to do. A touchpad wasn't anything new at the time, but something as responsive as a modern handheld device (from which I'm typing this review by the way) was completely and utterly game changing, even if it was just a gimmick. Most games were gimmicks, at their hearts, very few titles utilized the full potential of the touch screen more than a few times; even fewer were entirely basing their gameplay on the new technology, which in and out of itself is a crowning achievement. I respect the dev team for pulling through this.
The game is kind of ass though. Ninja Gaiden has to be precise with its input and, punishing as it is, you'll sometimes be screwed and there's nothing you can do. It feels unfair and it takes enormous effort to beat.
Everything else gets my seal of approval, the prerendered backgrounds look fantastic and the atmosphere is stellar. Holding the console vertically can get tiring when you're playing this game, so I'd recommend playing it just for its novelty and as a time capsule of early DS games, more than anything. If you want to play a Ninja Gaiden for its tight gameplay, you can go and play Dead or Alive or get your hands on the OG Xbox, but at the same time Dragon Sword works just as well as the intended to-go & portable alternative.
Ninja Garden: Dragon Sword has a surprisingly intuitive combat system using the touchscreen controls. The controls are very responsive and I was able to execute all the moves I wanted to do effectively. It really does feel like Ninja Garden but on a DS. It's easier than the console Ninja Garden games. There's a nice enemy variety and plenty of bosses. But quite a few of the bosses are extremely easy. The story is mid but no one plays NG for the story lol. All in all, a decent action game on the DS.
I've been trying to play "new" games on my New 2ds XL. So i've been browsing around for games i don't usually play and found this.
Gotta say it's quite amazing. With a good and engaging story and fun combat system. The bosses are especially fun here although progression feels weird, as some of the earlier bosses are harder than the ones you face later. Although that might just be me.
Replayability? ehhhhhhh, idk.
Gotta say it's quite amazing. With a good and engaging story and fun combat system. The bosses are especially fun here although progression feels weird, as some of the earlier bosses are harder than the ones you face later. Although that might just be me.
Replayability? ehhhhhhh, idk.
Playing this as a kid was a grueling experience, but unique
Pretty fun game, very short though the ranged weapons do so much damage, including the continuous flying swallow that attack just melts anything. I have to say this game gets tiring on your hands after a while as all the gameplay revolves around the stylus, but overall it is quite a solid NG game.