The demo for Ninja Blade was released in Japan late last year, but this is our first taste of it here in the States.  The demo introduces you to the main character, Ken Ogawa, who is out to save Tokyo from deadly parasites known as alpha-worms.  Of course, you are the only one who can stop them.  Alright, so you weren’t interested in Ninja Blade for the story anyway, it’s all about the gameplay, but is it any good?

The demo starts you off in a helicopter where your “master” is explaining the task at hand.  In no time, you are free falling from the helicopter dicing up monsters as you fall.  This is where you immediately receive your first taste of the cinematic action sequences.

From Software, the developer behind Ninja Blade, explains the gameplay as a cinematic action game, and that’s exactly what it is.  During the cutscenes, which there are a ton of, you are required to interact by hitting a pre-determined button.  If you fail to hit the button within an appropriate amount of time, the cutscene will start over.  This portion of the game is by far the most engaging, and pretty I might add.

When your character finally lands on the ground, you are required to start hacking and slashing your way through tons of enemies.  The game’s graphics look fairly snazzy, and fans of the hack ‘n slash genre will enjoy the controls.  The usual short and long range attacks exist plus the addition of a ninja vision, where you can slow the game down Matrix-style.  As always, creating long combos is the most efficient way of disposing of the enemy.

The combat can became pretty mundane after a while, especially boss battles.  For whatever reason, developers like to make boss battles drag on.  Just once, I want to be able to hit a boss anytime I want instead of constantly waiting for a mouth to open or a foot to drop down.  Seriously, come on.

There were quite a few memorable sequences in the demo.  After the first section of basic combat, you are required to run from a giant worm.  Here the game teaches you wall running and vaulting.  This isn’t utilized much in the demo, but hopefully you can expect more in the full game.  You are then given the opportunity to run down the side of a giant skyscraper while destroying flying parasite monsters.  A completely awesome experience capped off by another interactive cutscene.

And that’s how Ninja Blade operates.  A cutsence, mixed with over-the-top linear action sequences and finally hacking and slashing to your heart’s delight.  If you are a fan of the genre, give it a shot.  If not, give the demo a shot anyway because the action sequences are pretty awesome. Ninja Blade will be released April 7th in the US and the demo will go live for all Gold members March 9th.