Mitchell loves video games, especially character action games, which he considers his first love.- Mitchell thinks that Ninja Gaiden Black is the best pure action game of all time, due to its combat, enemy AI, and level design.
- Mitchell compares the combat of Ninja Gaiden Black to that of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, highlighting how Ryu's combat style is less about style and more about doing whatever it takes to stay alive against hyper-aggressive enemies.
- Ninja Gaiden Black's combat system involves a risk-reward mechanic with Essence and Ryu's ultimate techniques, making it a unique combat system that stands out in the genre.
- Ninja Gaiden Black's enemy AI is among the most ferocious in any video game, which contributes to making the combat fresh, challenging, and fun.
- Ninja Gaiden Black's level design is designed to be challenging, but fair. The levels have a flow that makes you want to keep playing and mastering them.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Ninja Gaiden Black: The Brilliance of Its Combat System
Ninja Gaiden Black, the game that hasn’t seen a new entry in over a decade, is considered by many as the best pure action game of all time. In this article, we will explore the brilliance of its combat system.
The Flashy Combat
Although Ninja Gaiden is part of the same genre as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, its combat system is much different. While those games focus on style and spectacle, Ninja Gaiden’s combat is less about style and more about doing whatever it takes to stay alive against hyper-aggressive enemies.
Powerful Techniques
Rio Hayabusa, the protagonist, can do powerful things to enemies that you just don’t typically see in other action games. His flying swallow attack allows him to almost instantly close the distance on any enemy, potentially kill them in one hit with a decapitation, and otherwise deal big damage to them. The azuna drop is a one-touch-kill combo on most enemies with huge amounts of splash damage. Ryu also has access to screen-clearing nympho attacks that deal massive single-target and AOE damage.
Essence System
At its core, Ninja Gaiden’s combat system shines even brighter with its risk-reward mechanic involving essence and Ryu’s ultimate techniques. Essence comes in three forms: yellow as the currency used to purchase items and upgrades at the shop, blue essence restores your life, and red essence restores one of Ryu’s nympho uses. The true value of essence comes from the fact that you start to charge Ryu’s ultimate attack while there’s essence around. Ryu will suck it in and instantly charge the attack. If it lands, you get a much larger orb of essence with several times the amount of currency, but if it doesn’t land, then you lose that essence.
Deeper Levels
When you start to dig deeper, Ninja Gaiden’s combat system manages to shine even brighter. Once you get a handle on Ryu’s abilities and a couple of upgrades under your belt, playing as Ryu Hayabusa is one of the best power trips ever. You start to learn how to use roll jumps to time quick charge ultimate attacks, how to use shurikens to cancel the recovery animations of your attacks and restart combos quickly, and how to use your counterattacks to knock down enemies for a free flying swallow.
Conclusion
Ninja Gaiden Black’s brilliant combat system is something that’s so wholly unique to the game. The game’s combat system manages to shine even brighter with its risk-reward mechanic involving essence and Ryu’s ultimate techniques. The combat system in Ninja Gaiden Black is, without a doubt, one of the best action game combat systems ever made.
