Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Release Date and Top Ten Reasons To Get Excited

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is almost in our hands as it’s scheduled to release on July 31, 2025 on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch

A few weeks ago at Summer Game Fest, I was fortunate enough to check out a private build of the game, but also talk with the studio behind Ninja Gaiden Ragebound. There was so much to like about the demo that before I knew it there was a list of reasons why it was great, so here is our final preview in the format of the TOP TEN reasons why Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is our most anticipated game of July.

TOP TEN REASONS NINJA GAIDEN RAGEBOUND IS OUR MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF JULY

The Game Kitchen

If you could make a list of studios that you would want to develop a 2D revival of Ninja Gaiden, The Game Kitchen would be near the top after their incredible work on the Blasphemous series. However, after playing, this is much more than just a reskin of assets, as it plays much differently.

Best of Both Worlds

Ninja Gaiden Ragebound might look like it’s only inspired by the 90’s Sega Classics, but it also takes cues from the more modern 3D entries. There is a level of gameplay strategy, precision controls, hit counters and level grading that aligns much more with the 3D entries.

Action Platformer

Everything under the sun is either a roguelike or a Metroidvania, two genres that I love, but everything doesn’t have to be. I was told that it was important to honour the roots of the original as Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is a pure 2D action platformer.

Story

The Game Kitchen have weaved magic with a story that is both great for fans of the original, but also great for people who have never played a single Ninja Gaiden in their life. The story of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is completely bespoke and begins at the exact moment that the original Ninja Gaiden story begins. However, as Ryu leaves to America to avenge his father, you play as Kenji who stays behind to protect the village from the demon outbreak.

Cutscenes

One of the reasons that Ninja Gaiden was so successful was because of the cutscenes. When you first saw the two Ninja’s duel in the field, it felt epic and cinematic, two things that were foreign to gaming at the time. I was told at Summer Game Fest that the studio is quite aware of how integral these are to the experience, so I have high hopes that they will deliver throughout.

Strategy

Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is offering a lot more strategy than you might expect. There are Hyper Charges which you gain a one shot kill one you kill an enemy carrying the aura, but as you progress, there will be two different hyper charges and success will depend on your ability to prioritize targets on the battlefield. Ragebound also features something called the Guillotine, which is almost like a parry but while jumping. If you have played The Messenger, you will instantly understand. You can use the Guillotine boost to bounce off projectiles, enemies and other items around the environment.

Replay Factor

The levels in Ninja Gaiden Ragebound aren’t terribly long. Time targets on some levels are only around sic minutes, but at the end of each stage, you are graded. Since they are relatively short, you want to achieve the highest rank possible and achieving the best score is highly enticing. Each stage also has achievements such as complete without being hit, plus there are two different types of collectibles on each level. Between all of this, there is plenty of reason to return, plus once you beat a level the first time, you unlock a more masochistic hard mode.

Speed

The first words that came to my mind when I first played Ninja Gaiden Ragebound was speed. This is a very fast game that can allow you get into a flow state as you chain sword kills with Guillotine boosts with dodge rolls and hypercharge attacks.

Soundtrack

The score will be mainly handled by Sergio de Prado who was behind both scores in the Blasphemous series. However, there will also be guest composers which includes the main composers from each of the first three 8-bit Ninja Gaiden titles.

Handheld

It might not have the Steam Deck Verified label yet, but it plays perfectly on the handheld, which means that it should also play perfectly on the Nintendo Switch 2. If only the me who played Ninja Gaiden decades ago knew that this would eventually be possible in such high fidelity.