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Ninja Blade

Ninja Blade is a decent attempt at stealing Ninja Gaiden’s thunder, but falls short on everything it tries to do.
Ninja Blade Game Cover
58%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
gameplay, stability
57% User Score Based on 166 reviews
Critic Score 60%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

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Ninja Blade Game Cover

About

Ninja Blade is a single player hack and slash game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by FromSoftware and was released on November 19, 2009. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

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.

Genres & Tags
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Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
Ninja Blade screenshot
+5
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57%
Audience ScoreBased on 166 reviews
story7 positive mentions
gameplay11 negative mentions
  • The game features fast-paced action and over-the-top cinematic cutscenes that are enjoyable and engaging.
  • Despite its flaws, many players find the combat fun and reminiscent of classic hack-and-slash titles, making it a nostalgic experience.
  • The game runs well on the Steam Deck, providing a decent experience for those who enjoy retro-style action games.
  • The PC port is plagued with numerous technical issues, including poor frame rates, crashes, and unresponsive controls, making it frustrating to play.
  • The game relies heavily on quick time events (QTEs), which can feel excessive and detract from the overall gameplay experience.
  • Many players criticize the bland story and repetitive level design, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment over time.
  • gameplay
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 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 some enjoyable moments and a variety of weapons, the gameplay is often described as generic and unpolished, leading to a mixed reception among players.

    • “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.”
  • story
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it generic, confusing, and filled with clichés, while others appreciate its absurdity and entertainment value. Critics highlight issues such as rushed plot development, lack of character depth, and poor voice acting, suggesting that the narrative is not the main draw of the game. Overall, while some enjoy the action intertwined with the plot, many agree that the storytelling is weak and often overshadowed by gameplay frustrations.

    • “This is a good game with a very interesting story so far.”
    • “Ninja Blade is one of the best games in my collection; the action is intertwined with the plot and makes this game so good.”
    • “The story isn't anything special, but it thrives on being absurd.”
    • “1) The story is trash.”
    • “There was a plot but lord knows it actually was... it didn't matter.”
    • “The game's story is the most generic thing ever and yet is filled with nonsense.”
  • graphics
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear outdated and choppy, reminiscent of older consoles like the PS2. While some appreciate the decent visuals and stylish design, others criticize the frequent stuttering, low frame rates, and lack of customizable graphic settings, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a weak point, failing to meet modern standards despite some moments of visual appeal.

    • “The graphics are decent, maybe showing their age but still great.”
    • “Great graphics and exciting gameplay.”
    • “A great concept with awesome visuals, lack of working controls make the game unplayable.”
    • “First of all, there is the graphic stutter.”
    • “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.”
    • “Although there are a couple of disadvantages, like outdated graphics (I personally like norms), small fps, and soap pictures.”
  • stability
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous bugs and glitches affecting gameplay across various platforms, particularly on PC where players report frequent crashes, freezes, and control issues. While it runs better on the Steam Deck, the overall experience is marred by clunky combat, inconsistent hit detection, and audio problems. Despite these issues, some players still find enjoyment in the game, especially if they can overlook the technical shortcomings.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck, but not so good on my main PC though.”
    • “I would recommend playing Ninja Blade on console, as it has little to no glitches compared to the PC version, which is full of bugs.”
    • “Glitches are prominent; in order to use controller controls, you need to reset.”
    • “Constant stuttering, crashing, and freezes that make you have to close the game and start it again, along with numerous controller bugs.”
    • “The game is very buggy, and you will most likely clip through the ground or walls. The sound cuts off sometimes, and the hit detection is poor when fighting smaller enemies.”
  • optimization
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 unoptimized, often tying game speed to frame rate and lacking proper support for mouse and keyboard controls. 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 and its performance make 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.”
  • humor
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as intentionally edgy and entertaining, with a story that provides laughs despite the overall gameplay being criticized as a chaotic and poorly executed experience. Players find the character animations and mechanics amusingly bad, leading to moments of unintentional comedy amidst the frustration of janky controls and imprecise hit detection. Overall, while the gameplay may be a mess, it offers a brand of humor that some players find delightfully over-the-top and cheap fun.

    • “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.”
  • music
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the excellent original soundtrack, others note that music and dialogue are absent in later missions, leading to a lack of audio engagement. Additionally, there are complaints about muffled sounds and the overall forgettable quality of the soundtrack.

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

    Players find the grinding in Ninja Blade to be tedious and repetitive, leading to a sense of fatigue despite the presence of some exciting moments.

    • “It quickly becomes tiring and tedious.”
    • “Ninja Blade is a handful of cool moments surrounded by tedious, repetitive gameplay.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Ninja Blade is perceived as a blend of parody and heartfelt homage to Japanese gaming and entertainment stereotypes, with players noting its serious tone despite its exaggerated elements.

    • “Ninja Blade appears to be a parody of all the stereotypes of Japanese games and entertainment, but I think it is a heartfelt homage and takes itself seriously.”
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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews
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2h Median play time
2h Average play time
2-2h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ninja Blade is a hack and slash game with horror and science fiction themes.

Ninja Blade is available on PC, Windows, Xbox 360 and Xbox.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Ninja Blade.

Ninja Blade was released on November 19, 2009.

Ninja Blade was developed by FromSoftware.

Ninja Blade has received neutral reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Ninja Blade is a single player game.

Similar games include Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition, YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Bayonetta and others.