Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is a fairly rare case of a game that got a second chance and made the most of it. The original Ninja Gaiden 3 on competing consoles disappointed: it simplified combat, cut weapons, toned down the violence, and turned a series known for merciless difficulty into a considerably tamer experience. The Wii U version, released alongside the console itself, reversed most of these changes. Multiple weapons returned to the game, along with limb dismemberment, collecting essence to restore health instead of automatic regeneration, and above all significantly higher demands on the player. Ryu Hayabusa once again feels like a ninja who dies after a few mistakes.

Combat rests on fast attacks, blocking, and dodging at nearly the last possible moment, on precise target switching, and on finishing moves that are also the only reliable way to restore stamina. The pace is high, the camera merciless, and enemies attack from every direction, turning every larger skirmish into a test of spatial awareness. Besides the campaign, the Wii U version also offered a playable Ayane with her own missions and additional modes focused on pure action and scoring performance. The environments take the player through cities, desert, and underground areas, and giant bosses are never in short supply.

Visually the game benefits from sharp animation and fast movement, though technically it carries traces of its origins, environments are fairly empty, and the story ranks among the weakest in the series. The music is functional, reminiscent of action-movie scoring, and lets weapon sounds stand out. Contemporary reception was noticeably better than for the original release, reviewers praised the return of difficulty and content, yet the game still didn't match the reputation of the second installment. Today Razor's Edge is interesting as the best available version of the third Ninja Gaiden and as one of the few genuinely hard action games on Wii U. It's also an instructive example of how a damaged reputation can be partially repaired if the creators return to what made the series distinctive, instead of trying to court the widest possible audience.