Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword First Look

MAKUHARI, Japan--We had a chance to check out a live demo of Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, the upcoming Nintendo DS game starring Tecmo's OG ninja Ryu Hayabusa. The action game is an original entry in the series that picks up after the events in the previous Ninja Gaiden. Although it may seem like an insane idea considering that the game is essentially a portable sequel to the Xbox game, this little game has to be seen to be believed. Ninja mastermind Tomonobu Itagaki offered commentary as he played through the demo of what is arguably the best-looking DS game we've seen to date.

Itagaki's demo began with a quick overview, where he touched on the game's place in the Ninja Gaiden continuity. Dragon Sword picks up roughly six months after the events in Ninja Gaiden (and, by default, those in Ninja Gaiden Black and Sigma, which both offer enhanced takes on the action in the original game). Ryu is still out being a good, peacekeeping ninja and facing off against demonic hordes.

Once the setup was done, Itagaki hopped right into the game, which is played holding the DS sideways. The left screen displays a map of the area while the right screen is where the action is. You'll rely on the stylus and touch screen for attacking and jumping. While this might sound like a bit of a chore, the demo gave us the impression that the control scheme is logically laid out. Tapping anywhere on the screen will have Ryu throw a shuriken. Double tapping causes him to jump, with a quick second double tap initiating a double jump. It's also possible to mix the two sets of actions together and throw stars while jumping.

If you slide the stylus down while Ryu is jumping, he'll hit the ground with a powerful sword attack. For more up-close-and-personal melee action, you'll rely on three types of stylus motions done over enemies. A top-to-bottom slash does a downward slice, a horizontal slash does a standard slice, and a bottom-to-top slash does an upward slice, which is perfect for launching enemies and setting up meaty combos. You'll simply need to do any of the motions over any enemy onscreen, and it'll send Ryu racing over to dole out the hurt.

But, as any good ninja will tell you, sometimes shuriken and amazing acrobatic swordplay just aren't enough when facing hordes of demons. Thankfully, no ninja leaves the house without some magic for tough spots. You'll be able to perform charged moves and trigger ninpo magic attacks by tapping the screen and, in some cases, tracing along symbols or letters that appear onscreen. You'll even be able to control the route of magic fireballs with your stylus during some attacks. All of these come handy when dealing with enemies and solving the game's puzzles. The live demo showed off a game structure that was similar to the console Gaidens. You'll go to different rooms, defeat enemies, solve puzzles to open doors, collect tips and useful items, and generally be a badass.

The 3D visuals in the game, even in the work-in-progress version shown off, were already leaps and bounds above what we've seen on the DS before. The game moves surprisingly smoothly already and the level of detail (both real and faked via a smart array of art and graphical tricks) is fantastic. The game even appears to be mimicking the presentation of the console games with a mix of fixed cameras and some dramatic angles when things get crazy. Team Ninja's reputation as a team of technical masters with hardware will be pretty much cemented if the game visuals deliver on what we've seen so far. Ryu looks sweet and looks a lot like his console incarnation, albeit tinier and at a lower resolution. The grunt enemies have slightly less detail but feature smart designs that make the best of the DS's polygon limitations. On the other hand, the bosses seem even more ambitious than Ryu. The end boss of the demo was a massive laser- and fire-spewing demon that moved smoothly. Special effects such as essence left behind by defeated enemies and Ryu's charged and ninpo attacks were nicely done. We'd also like to call out some of the 2D art peppered throughout the game, seen in stills, and on the title screen, which has a nice look to it.

The audio we heard so far seems to be hitting all the right notes. The score veers from silence to driving music as Ryu gets his stab on. You'll hear familiar effects for his attacks and voice, albeit tailored for the DS. Though we'll want to scrutinize it more, it seems as though the soundtrack is comparable to what we heard on the console Ninja Gaidens.

Based on what we've seen, we want to play this game ourselves--badly. Dragon Sword looks great, and the play mechanics seem like an incredibly smart marriage of the speed and action the series is known for. If the game delivers on the promise we've seen so far, it will be a must-have action title for the DS. Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword is slated to ship this fall for the DS. Look for more in the coming months.