Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

The old-school Ninja Gaiden games were a blind spot for me for a long time. I played a little of the 3D action titles on the original Xbox and my fair share of Dead or Alive, but as far as the tough-as-nails sidescrollers that started it all, I never saw Ryu Hayabusa’s origins. Ryu isn’t the main character in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, but his apprentice Kenji is taking the lessons he’s learned from the OG out into the field with him. Ragebound is a pretty tough and unforgiving sidescroller that can lay you out in a second if you’re not careful. Its combat is one pillar of that challenge. But its platforming, in which you scale walls, hang from ceilings, and overall use every surface to your advantage in one way or another, tests your spacial awareness while half a dozen enemies are pestering you (or just one enemy you can’t even damage under normal circumstance is menacingly charging up an attack, preparing to take you out in an instant). It feels like a faithful throwback, and your mileage may vary on whether you’re up for the task.