GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	Team Ninja
	PUBLISHER
	Tecmo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	No
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	MICROPHONE
	Yes
	BUY NOW AT

The Dark Dragon is at it again, and Ryu Hayabusa is back to kick some ninja. Acclaimed developer Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive) steps up and delivers a true Ninja Gaiden experience to your DS.

visuals

Using the the pre-rendered backgrounds made famous by Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII, Dragon Sword is gorgeous. Ryu and his prey flit across the screen with a grace and style faster than you can swipe with your stylus. Boss battles are in full 3D (no pre-rendered backgrounds), and one impressive section of the game is full 3D as well. A story comes packaged in, with anime stills and colorful village folk to guide you in your quest.

Dragon Sword is played by holding the DS vertically, just like you do with Brain Age. The touch-controlled action takes place on the touch screen, with a map on the other. Much like Hotel Dusk 215, holding the DS vertically bends the viewing perspective and gives the screen a pleasing irridescence. It only adds to the allure of Team Ninja’s superlative graphics.

audio

Not to be outclassed by its looks, NGDS sounds awesome. There’s an option just for headphones, and that configuration is best. Familiar tunes from the series join quaint village themes and exotic, cinematic music to set the tone and pace of the action. Sound effects round out the sound as both atmosphere and gameplay-based audio cues.

gameplay

Phantom Hourglass and Dragon Sword prove touch control. You will use only two buttons while playing: start, for your inventory, and any other button of your choice to block. The rest is all stylus. Tap and hold, Ryu runs in that direction. Swipe up, Ryu jumps. Swipe down, Ryu slices vertically. Swipe to the side, horizontal slice. Tap an enemy, throw shuriken at them. Scribble on the screen, super ninja move (Ultimate Technique).

But wait, there’s more: swipe up twice to double jump; swipe down, up, up, Ryu goes into the aerial body slam called the Izuna drop; swipe up, then down and Ryu jumps, then plummets with a sword drop; swipe up, then horizontally and Ryu does a Flying Swallow aerial attack. This all happens so fast, you’ll barely notice it.

The action is offensively focused. Ryu will run from skirmish to skirmish, with a few puzzles in between. Familiar enemies and locales from the series appear throughout the game’s thirteen chapters, with a boss battle punctuating the end of each. The grading system of the series returns and gives a goal to aim for. Due to the pre-rendered backgrounds, the camera is zoomed out further than in the console versions of the series. This gives the combat a more strategic feel, with the distance game playing a bigger role. Crowd control is also emphasized, and Ryu slides easily across the landscape so you don’t have to worry about moving him -- just swipe away.

When you need to play defensively, just press any button and Ryu puts up his sword to block. Tap while blocking to have Ryu roll in that direction. The staple counter attack returns, and you’ll receive it along with several other technique scrolls as you play. These unlock special moves and combos and teach you have to perform them. You’ll also be collecting wooden amulets, a couple of bows and various nimpo (or magic) attacks; and everybody’s favorite old shopkeeper, Muramasa, returns to offer you his wares.

Added to the mix are several unlockables, including another character, and three difficulty levels. You start off on Normal, and that's easy -– way too easy. Sadly, this is the game’s glaring flaw: you must spend the first six hours in a scribble-fest in order to finish Normal and unlock Hard. This wouldn't be such an issue if the entire series wasn't known for its hardcore difficulty. But if you can get past Normal, the game becomes Ninja Gaiden in all its unforgiving difficulty. Getting there will bore you if you are a veteran of the series.

In a few other nitpicks, Team Ninja has a way of associating difficulty with endless swarms of enemies. While the A.I. has always been top notch, fighting a bajillion imps, bats and fish gets old after a while. It doesn’t help that Ryu only gets to use his trusty dragon sword to slice and dice enemies instead of the variety of weapons usually offered up. Fans may also dislike the RPG-feel of the game. While playing, you will return to a centralized village time and again in which you speak with villagers and prepare for the next battle. This may put off those looking for a straightforward action game.

multiplayer

There are leaderboards, but checking them out will quickly dissuade you of their validity. The top slots are filled by hackers who have maxed out their score by playing only a couple chapters of the game. Cheaters.

overall

If you can get past the first five hours of mindless fun, Dragon Sword is an unparalleled experience on DS. Nothing looks, plays or sounds better. Touch control is no longer a gimmick. It is the future, and NGDS points the way.

8.5/10