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Ninja Blade

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Game Reviewed: Ninja Blade
Publisher:  Microsoft
Developer: From Software
Reviewer:  Shaun Graves
Platform: Xbox 360
Category: Action
ERSB Rating: M

 

Game Description:

Set in the future, Tokyo city is under attack by an infestation of Alpha Worms that is quickly spreading.  These deadly creatures attach themselves to a host and then mutate them into a violent and deformed monstrosity.  It is up to Ken Ogawa to eliminate the threat before the government has to take drastic measures and nuke Tokyo to stop the spread of this deadly infestation.

Ninja Blade is a pure action game that is played in the third-person.  As Ken Ogawa, you will use various ninja swords, ninja magic and acrobatic skills to navigate and survive the deadly city.  There are three basic types of gameplay that are featured in Ninja Blade.  The first is more of the "hack-n-slash" variety that will involve the player pressing buttons to perform certain combos with their swords, ninja stars, or magic.  The second type is centered on tons of QTEs or Quick-Time-Events that involve the player having to press a certain button as it flashes on the screen to progress the event or scene further along.  The third type of game play is where you will man a helicopter-mounted machine gun that is used to take down enemies.


What Parents Need to Know

Violence:

Ninja Blade is rated Mature for blood and violence which is primarily seen during combat.  The blood can pool on the ground.  The combat is mainly against "monsters" that have lost most of their human appearance.  Certain ones still look very much human and cut scenes show humans being killed as well. There is even one scene where someone gets their throat slit. It should be noted that the blood can be turned off in the options but it is not enforced in any manner, as it is not password protected.

Language:

Language is surprisingly slim-to-none as I only encountered the word hell in my play through.

Sexual Content:

The game is fairly clean here as well.  It does feature one female villain that is wearing a kimono but it is not too revealing.

Spirituality:

Ninja Blade does feature magic, but it is not magic based on occult practices.  The player obtains different orbs that contain "Ninja Magic" or "Ninjutsu", that are slotted into a large shuriken (throwing star.)  These are based on elements such as fire, wind, or lighting and are used primarily to help the player clear out obstacles. For example a player can use the wind magic to extinguish fires that are blocking your progress, but it can also be used to attack enemies.

Reviewers Thoughts: Ninja Blade offers some exciting game play with some outlandish stunts and over-the-top action.  I actually consider this game to be fairly clean compared to other M rated games like Grand Theft Auto IV or Resident Evil 5.  Still, it does feature a ton of killing which I believe parents should take into consideration when deciding whether this game is right for their family or not.