If this doesn’t sound appealing or entertaining, Ninja Blade isn’t for you. On one hand, it’s a capable game in its own right, but on the other, there’s nothing to the gameplay you haven’t already played in better games. Combat is standard fare for a ninja action game. As stated earlier, Ninja Blade borrows liberally from the first Ninja Gaiden (Xbox). You have three different weapons: a quick attacking set of dual-swords that does little damage, a heavy two-handed sword that can break shields and knock enemies back, and the titular Ninja Blade which lies between the two. Also like Ninja Gaiden, defeated enemies drop orbs. Some of these heal your character while others can be used as currency to purchase upgrades for your different swords. You also have a set of large, multi-bladed shurikens which each possess a different elemental power such as fire or air. These are often employed to solve puzzles and defeat special enemies (*couDark Sectorgh*).

Puzzles and average enemies aren’t the focus here, though. Ninja Blade places emphasis on impressive boss battles. These battles take place against gargantuan creatures, taking ten minutes or longer to complete. This may not sound like much, but ten straight minutes of intense combat against one enemy is draining in practice. These can be frustrating because you can die at any time. If you die near the end of a fight, you have to start over. This gets old fast.

Though most of the game is derivative, it’s more accurate to call them a lampoon. Ninja Blade combines these elements in a fresh and unique way. If you’re a fan of From Software’s past work, this is a welcome return to form for the developer whose titles can often be as much social commentary as they are mindless entertainment. Ninja Blade is not wholly dissimilar to their sublimely absurd Metal Wolf Chaos. The ludicrous storyline is fun by itself, but even better when viewed as commentary on the ridiculous storylines of modern action adventure games.