In the essence of the Ninja Gaiden series, comes an old favorite game that has humiliated me several times over in the past. Hagane. Wow... was this game unforgiving... much like a evil stepfather. First off you have some nice weapons you start off with but they aren't upgradeable. That's not a problem though. But it they were, you would loose them after you got it anyway because, this game is THAT vicious! As soon as you get ammo for your bombs and various other ninja weapons, you loose them as soon as you die... and, you will do that a lot!
Your health is upgradeable but as soon as you loose your life, you go back the square one. Doesn't matter if you managed to get 5 bars of health and, 99 of each weapon! Die one time, you go back to 3 bars and 10 of each weapon you have. No save points to pick up where you left off either... you die you start off back at the beginning of the level/act you started. That's just merciless!
beyond that? this game had some outstanding visuals. and the enemy design, especially the outrageous techno, futuristic, bosses you fought, were the highlight of this game. the music fit the over vibe of the game too. the level design was nothing to sneeze at either. It will be the biggest contributor to you seeing the game over screen frequently.
Not the enemies or even the bosses so much. Its the ludicrous level design! I know ninjas are meant to be bad asses, but holy crap! You would have better luck winning the gold metal in female gymnastics or, ice skating up a mountain than to try finishing any of the later levels perfectly. But with practice you can rise above and complete the mission. but, you WILL have a monster of a battle ahead of you.
Good luck! this game is made for the hard boiled, veteran gamers of action platformers. As for the rest of you? You might want to try something else unless you WANT to test the fortitude of you patience and sanity. Be more dedicated to the game. and, you will get more out of it.