Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

About

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is a single player hack and slash game with horror, comedy, violence and science fiction themes. It was developed by Team NINJA and was released on March 21, 2014. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Step into a living comic book in this new take on the Ninja Gaiden series. Brandishing his ninja sword and the mecha weapons in his cyber arm, Yaiba slaughters zombies with brutal, over-the-top abandon. Will you slice enemies to pieces, crush them with Yaiba's cyborg arm or just rip off a zombie’s arms to use as nunchucks?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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61%

Audience ScoreBased on 399 reviews

story32 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

Fun and flashy combat system with satisfying combos and executions that become addictive once mastered.
Unique cel-shaded comic book art style that gives the game a vibrant, distinct visual identity.
Humorous, self-aware tone with campy, vulgar humor that some players find entertaining and fitting.

Fixed, often problematic camera angles hinder visibility and frustrate combat and platforming sections.
Unbalanced and sometimes unfair difficulty spikes, particularly in late-game boss fights with multiple enemies.
Technical issues such as crashes, long load times on death, and occasional bugs negatively impact playability.

story
111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
58%
13%
The story in this game is generally seen as short, campy, and filled with crude, self-aware humor, often described as silly or nonsensical rather than serious or immersive. While some players appreciate its tongue-in-cheek, grindhouse comic style and quirky characters, many criticize its shallow plot, poor writing, and abrupt ending. Overall, the narrative serves more as light entertainment to complement the gameplay rather than a compelling or deep experience.
- “The story and characters aren't bad, and I really enjoyed the clownish humor in each chapter: it's the hallmark of this spin-off.”
- “For the story-line, on the other hand, there are things to praise: most characters are well made, they try their best to sound funny and they have a well-drawn personality, dialogues are not particularly inspiring, but I can't blame those, as they are part of the rotten personalities of a villain.”
- “The main story is silly, and simplistic, but enjoyable, and fun; it does have stupid humor and vulgarity, but the game is constantly self aware of this and in a way its making fun of itself in the process.”
- “The story really feels like a bad fanfiction and aside from the two "big" cutscenes, the presentation is rather lacking and bundled with the gameplay, this game would be lucky to be even considered average.”
- “The story sucks, the voice acting is so painfully mediocre, the jokes are awful, the gameplay is so slow and mindless (especially with the "tougher" enemies), the music is terrible, the audio mixing is horrible, the UI looks unfinished, and I can keep going.”
- “Third: the story and characters are just awful; I have never seen writing this bad in a long time.”
humor
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in this game is predominantly crude, juvenile, and heavily influenced by B-movie and old-school "man show" styles, often described as hit-or-miss with a strong emphasis on toilet and slapstick comedy. While some players appreciate its self-aware, over-the-top silliness and find the characters and dialogue amusing, others see it as repetitive, cringeworthy, and immature. Overall, it’s a distinctive, polarizing element that will appeal mainly to those who enjoy edgy, vulgar humor and campy storytelling.
- “The humor is on point, the dialogue is exactly what you expect from a B-movie-like action game ranging from very badass to funny as hell!”
- “The main story is silly and simplistic but enjoyable and fun; it has stupid and vulgar humor but is constantly self-aware and in a way making fun of itself in the process.”
- “Yaiba Kamikaze did get some laughs out of me, like his complete disregard for anything that isn't killing Ryu and his dry sense of humor.”
gameplay
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The gameplay receives mixed reviews, praised for its fast-paced, action-packed hack-and-slash combat with fun mechanics and a distinct style different from traditional Ninja Gaiden games, but criticized for frustrating elements like a problematic fixed camera, repetitive enemies and combos, difficulty spikes, and lack of depth. While some find it enjoyable and charming, others consider it unbalanced, boring, or reminiscent of mediocre God of War clones, making it a polarizing experience depending on player expectations.
- “ Recommend, an amazing hack n slash with fast paced gameplay.”
- “Do not expect Ninja Gaiden gameplay, this game does very much its own thing, and it does it damn well!”
- “The gameplay is the absolute best part too - there is no feeling like the feeling you get from mowing down hordes of enemies in your psychotic rampage.”
- “To reach the desired 6 to 7 hours of gameplay, the last levels overuse groups of special enemies, repetitive enemies—especially bosses in groups without damage or HP reduction—sometimes resulting in a literal four-boss fight—and feature unfair difficulty spikes to artificially extend the experience until the final fight.”
- “This was the last game developed by Spark Unlimited and it shows. The game is outright bad, from the headache-inducing dubstep in the main menu to unbalanced enemies with no stagger and high damage, combined with some of the most mediocre gameplay to tarnish the Ninja Gaiden franchise. If you're expecting Ninja Gaiden, you won't find it here; it plays like a mediocre God of War clone from the PS2 era with mind-numbing hack-and-slash combos lacking real impact or thrill. I struggled to get past the second level because it was so boring and frustratingly bad.”
- “The combat is as button-mashy as can be; the camera zooms out so much that I can't make out Yaiba amidst hordes of zombies. The humor and voice acting are poor, and the gameplay feels like a really awful version of God of War.”
graphics
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
49%
7%
The game’s graphics are widely praised for their distinctive, cel-shaded comic book art style, reminiscent of titles like Borderlands and The Wind Waker, offering vibrant, colorful, and stylish visuals that enhance the experience. However, some users note issues with camera controls and occasional environmental dullness, though overall the graphics receive high marks for their unique aesthetic and smooth performance.
- “The comic-book-stylish visuals are amazing, that's what sold me to check it out.”
- “Likes: the cel shaded graphics are fantastic, the in-game graphics in general look great, the moment to moment gameplay is pretty smooth, the swinging, jumping QTEs are actually fun and look awesome, I like the fixed camera angles, and checkpoints are pretty forgiving.”
- “The visuals are pretty solid, they are done in a cel shaded look which gives the game a comic book look to it, and I like the designs of the zombies (and Yaiba as well), since all of them are unique, and all look drastically different.”
- “The bad: terrible graphics that make the game a disaster to make out anything happening in the environment, horrid camera, fake nonsense platforming and rails that put 3D Sonic games to shame, no real jump button, enemy attacks track and hit you despite going way off mark.”
- “Bad camera controls, boring puzzles, clunky combos, poor hit detection, tasteless jokes, crappy story, outdated graphics, mediocre sound effects.”
- “There is no way to rotate the camera which is stupidly annoying sometimes because I like the art style and would like to look around.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
42%
16%
The music in the game is widely praised, with many users highlighting a strong, engaging soundtrack that includes memorable themes and fitting remixes, particularly noting the main menu music and battle tracks. While most find the soundtrack enjoyable and well-suited to the game's atmosphere, a few mention some tracks as less impressive. Overall, the music is considered a standout and positive aspect of the game.
- “DMC has compelling characters, an amazing soundtrack, and impressive game and combo development. I can even laugh at some of the jokes.”
- “The OST for this mode is a highlight since it consists of remixes/remakes from the classic NES NG games, as well as the arcade game!”
- “Sound is pretty good; the soundtrack fits the mood of the game and has some killer tracks in there.”
- “The music is terrible, the audio mixing is horrible.”
- “Sound: I don't know what to think of the soundtrack.”
- “It did not have any soundtrack that stood out to me above the others.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game’s stability is inconsistent, with many users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, crashes, and long loading times, especially early on. However, some players note it becomes more playable after extended use, and a few experienced no major stability issues, praising its smooth performance. Overall, stability problems detract from the experience but may be manageable for dedicated fans.
- “For a fast-paced, combat-focused game, running smoothly and being as bug-free as possible is a must, and this game seems to nail it.”
- “Don't buy this game, it's a waste of money even on sale; the game launches but freezes on the loading screen and crashes for no reason with no apparent fix.”
- “First: the game is unstable; multiple visual and audio glitches, bugs, long loading screens, and hard crashes.”
- “This game is buggy and crashes more than any game I have ever played, and I can't level up.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The atmosphere in Lost Planet 3 is generally praised for its strong standalone story, setting, and voice acting, contributing to an engaging experience despite mediocre gameplay. Players appreciate its well-crafted ambiance and tonal elements, which make the game enjoyable even for those less focused on gameplay mechanics.
- “Lost Planet 3 had a great standalone story and atmosphere but was mediocre when it came to gameplay.”
- “Lots of elements like optimized features, trailer music, voices, and atmosphere contribute positively.”
- “The atmosphere, setting, voice acting, and comedy are well done.”
- “Lost Planet 3 had a great standalone story and atmosphere but was mediocre when it came to gameplay and horrible for an actual Lost Planet game.”
- “- and lots of more like well optimized, ministry for trailer music, voices, atmosphere, etc.”
- “The atmosphere, setting, voice acting, and comedy is fine.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Grinding in the game quickly becomes repetitive and tedious, especially in the latter half where players face large groups of the same enemy type. This leads to a slog-like experience that diminishes enjoyment, prompting some to lower the difficulty to cope.
- “The combat is nice for maybe the first 1-2 hours then becomes completely tedious when you're forced to fight the same (maybe 8?) enemies over and over and over again, just in progressively larger quantities.”
- “The main issues I have with this game is that levels are very linear and towards the end - in an attempt to raise difficulty - the game goes pretty much exclusively for either gimmick fights (that have like dozens of hard enemies of the same type) or just as tedious enemy combinations as possible, making the game a slog to play in the last 2 levels.”
- “The second half of the game became tedious so I put it on easy.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Optimization reviews are mixed, with some users experiencing performance issues on certain systems, while others report smooth performance, fluid animations, and well-optimized gameplay across various PCs.
- “Performance of the port runs well on any PC.”
- “Lots of aspects like trailer music, voices, atmosphere, etc. are well optimized.”
- “So approach with caution, do not look at it as a successor to the original NG games, and do note it might have some performance issues on a bunch of systems.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers limited replayability, becoming somewhat more engaging after extended play and mastering combos, but issues like camera problems and glitches persist. Beyond higher difficulty levels, there is little incentive for repeated playthroughs.
- “After additional 10 hours, this game becomes more playable and some combos make it enjoyable, but camera issues and occasional glitches persist.”
- “Beyond that and playing through at higher difficulties, there isn't much replay value.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is perceived as primarily a cash grab, which may deter some players, but fans of the Ninja Gaiden series might still find it worthwhile.

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51%Critics’ scoreBased on 15 critic reviews

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9h Median play time

7h Average play time

2-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is a hack and slash game with horror, comedy, violence and science fiction themes.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is available on PC, Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z was released on March 21, 2014.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z was developed by Team NINJA.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is a single player game.

Similar games include NINJA GAIDEN Σ, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death, Bayonetta, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time and others.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

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