A love letter to an era of gaming long gone but without it's more tedious aspects. I never played the original Ninja Gaiden, I've seen a lot of gameplay, watched the AVGN episode, it's nothing I really want to touch. Yet this felt like this game, but more. There's some witty writing, movement upgrades that seemingly fit into combat, fun levels and bosses and some really meta aspects that elevate this game beyond just being fanservice for fans of the 8-bit era. It's a game worth going blind into for various reasons and worth picking up in a sale for everyone who's even remotely interested in the era this game reminds you of.