Ninja Blade

57%
Game Brain Score Based on 164 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Ninja Blade Game Cover
Ninja Blade is a decent attempt at stealing Ninja Gaiden’s thunder, but falls short on everything it tries to do.
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In Ninja Blade, players assume the role of a skilled ninja tasked with combating parasitic infestations that cause rabid behavior in infected hosts. Set in a realistic world, the game features fast-paced combat, wall-running, and swordplay, with the ninja utilizing a range of weapons and skills to save humanity. The parasites, known as Alpha-worms, cause infected victims to undergo rapid necrosis and liquefaction, leading to a gruesome and deadly infestation.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

57%
Audience ScoreBased on 164 reviews
graphics5 positive mentions
gameplay10 negative mentions
  • The game features over-the-top action and stylish maneuvers, making it a fun experience for fans of hack-and-slash titles.
  • Ninja Blade has a unique blend of QTEs and combat that can be entertaining, especially for those who enjoy fast-paced gameplay.
  • The game is considered a hidden gem by some players, offering nostalgic value and a fun experience despite its flaws.
  • The PC port is plagued with numerous technical issues, including poor frame rates, crashes, and unresponsive controls.
  • The game relies heavily on quick time events (QTEs), which can become tedious and detract from the overall gameplay experience.
  • Repetitive level design and a lack of variety in enemies and bosses lead to a monotonous gameplay experience.
  • gameplay50 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is characterized by a mix of quick-time events and action-platforming mechanics, which some players find repetitive and frustrating due to poor controls and frequent bugs. While it offers a nostalgic, old-school feel reminiscent of PS2 games, many reviews highlight issues such as imprecise hit detection, lackluster combat mechanics, and a reliance on QTEs that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the dynamic nature of the gameplay and its action-packed moments, though it ultimately falls short of the quality seen in more polished titles within the genre.

    • “Despite it being a bit weird, it is really good and I loved the gameplay.”
    • “True, it doesn't have high levels of polish, superb platforming mechanics and the like, but it's fun, action-packed, and offers a lot of ways to kill the baddies.”
    • “Fans of old-school action games will appreciate the simple console-like interface/options and straightforward swords and stars gameplay.”
    • “Stressful gameplay due to bad controls and bad boss battles.”
    • “Hit detection is infuriatingly imprecise, character animations are hilariously terrible, and the combat is mindless, button-mashy nonsense which has any and all possible sense of flow absolutely destroyed by constant quick time events.”
    • “The gameplay is bland and gets boring.”
  • story48 mentions

    The story of the game is generally viewed as mediocre and often nonsensical, with many reviewers noting its generic plot and lack of coherent storytelling. While some appreciate its absurdity and find it entertaining in a B-movie sense, others criticize it for being rushed and confusing, leaving players lost without proper context. Overall, the narrative is not a strong selling point, with many players suggesting that the gameplay should take precedence over the story.

    • “Ninja Blade is one of the best games in my collection; the action is intertwined with the plot and makes this game so good.”
    • “I adore the storytelling in Dark Souls, and the combat and story of Sekiro gets 5 gold stars out of 5.”
    • “The story isn't anything special, but it thrives on being absurd.”
    • “The game's story is the most generic thing ever and yet is filled with nonsense.”
    • “A plot twist at the start of the game where nothing was explained how it happened, and I was left scratching my head in utter confusion about who these characters were, what was really happening, why it happened, and how it happened.”
    • “Story is also mediocre and some of you can probably see the plot twist a mile away.”
  • graphics22 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear outdated and choppy, reminiscent of older console titles. While some appreciate the decent visuals and fluid combat, others criticize the lack of graphical settings and frequent performance issues, including low frame rates and stuttering. Overall, the graphics seem to be a significant drawback, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are decent, maybe showing their age but still great.”
    • “Running at walls, different swords, really great graphics and a good sound.”
    • “Great graphics and exciting gameplay.”
    • “First of all, there is graphic stutter.”
    • “My version is broken; controls and graphics are all messed up.”
    • “Graphically, this game looks sub-par for its era at max settings, and you will have to keep going back into the settings in order to have a decent frame rate due to the game insisting that your frame rate does not exceed 30 fps.”
  • stability19 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, particularly on PC, where players report frequent glitches, crashes, and performance issues such as stuttering and freezing. While some users find it runs well on consoles like the Steam Deck and Xbox 360, the PC port is described as poorly optimized, with persistent bugs affecting gameplay and controls. Overall, players recommend caution, especially for PC users, due to the numerous technical problems that detract from the experience.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck, but not as stable on my main PC.”
    • “I would recommend playing Ninja Blade on console for a smoother experience with little to no glitches, compared to the PC version which is full of bugs.”
    • “The game is fine, had a good time playing it on Xbox 360 back in 2010-2011, but that port is disgusting with its optimization, 60 fps and it freezes a lot, and controls (playing it on mouse+keyboard btw), it feels really bad especially with all these lags.”
    • “Constant stuttering, crashing, freezes that make you have to close the game and start it again, and numerous controller bugs.”
    • “Stay away from the PC version, it's buggy and especially so if you unlock fps to run above 30.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting severe performance issues such as constant stuttering, crashes, and laggy menus. Many players note that the PC port is particularly poor, lacking proper support for mouse and keyboard controls, and often ties game speed to frame rate. While some users found ways to improve performance through GPU settings, the overall consensus is that the game requires significant optimization to meet modern standards.

    • “The game could use more than its fair share of optimization, because I get better framerate in Crytek games with loads of particle effects.”
    • “The game runs smoothly, but hangs awfully when cancelling cutscenes or going between menus.”
    • “You can fix it by forcing VSync using your GPU drivers, but the performance should have been solid out of the gate.”
    • “Absolutely atrocious performance, doesn't save settings when you close the game, actual game speed is tied to the frame rate, menus are really laggy, only supports Xbox button icons because it's a terrible port, and crashes randomly for no reason.”
    • “The game is pretty bad, and the abysmal PC port plus its performance makes the joke that is Ninja Blade even worse.”
    • “Constant stuttering, crashing, freezes that make you have to close the game and start it again, and numerous controller bugs.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as intentionally edgy and quite funny, with a story that entertains despite the overall gameplay being criticized as a sloppy mess. While the character animations and mechanics are often hilariously poor, leading to moments of unintentional comedy, the over-the-top nature of the game provides a sense of cheap fun that some players appreciate.

    • “The story is hilariously edgy, and it's very intentional.”
    • “Yet it's hilariously over the top and some very, very cheap fun.”
    • “The game mechanics are somewhat funny.”
    • “Not funny anymore.”
  • music5 mentions

    The game's music receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the solid art direction and find the original soundtrack enjoyable, others note a significant absence of music and dialogue in later missions, leading to a less immersive experience. Additionally, there are complaints about muffled sounds and a generally forgettable soundtrack.

    • “There's some excellent soundtracks in this game's OST.”
    • “The art direction is solid, as is the music.”
    • “There is missing music and environmental sound in some parts, and a lot of muffled sounds.”
    • “The soundtrack is forgettable but okay.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Ninja Blade is perceived as both a parody and a sincere homage to Japanese gaming and entertainment stereotypes, suggesting a complex emotional tone that blends humor with genuine appreciation.

    • “Ninja Blade appears to be a parody of all the stereotypes of Japanese games and entertainment, but sadly, I think it is a heartfelt homage and is taking itself seriously.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quickly tiresome and tedious, leading to a negative impact on overall enjoyment.

    • “It quickly becomes tiring and tedious.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward.”
    • “I find myself doing the same repetitive tasks over and over without any sense of progress.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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