
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Action Publisher Microsoft Developer From Software ETA April 2009
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Ninja Blade

Three big franchises have dominated gaming when it comes to playing as a ninja: Tenchu, Shinobi, and Ninja Gaiden. Trying to introduce a new IP into the fray may be a daunting task for some developers, but not From Software, who are taking a stab at it with Ninja Blade on the Xbox 360.

Set in modern day Tokyo, the world is threatened by the spread of parasites known as alpha worms that is taking over their human hosts, and turning them into mindless, violent, zombie-like creatures. If something isn’t done soon, the whole world could be infected. So, how are they to be dealt with? We throw ninjas with superhuman abilities at them, of course.

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These super abilities that players will have at their disposal include a form of super vision whereby a ninja can spot the weak points in his enemies. The trade off for this is that players are more vulnerable to attacks when using this ability, so they need to be careful not to get hit at that time. There is also a special move called the “todome” that players can use to annihilate an enemy

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from time to time. Not surprisingly, we can also expect a liberal does of martial arts in the game. This means that there a number of weapons and attacks at players disposal above and beyond the supernatural abilities that they can use in Ninja Blade.

This all unfolds in a traditional action gaming fashion with fast-paced battles against the hordes of infected citizenry. In order to add a bit of a twist to the gameplay, and hopefully prevent it from coming off as a run of the mill action title, it seems that From is taking a cue from the God of War playbook, with some attack sequences flashing attack commands on-screen that players must copy. Successfully doing so will result in a particularly fantastic kill in these situations.

We’re not to far from the game being released, as it’s due out in April. Most zombie-esque games have had players blasting away at them with all manner of firearms. Maybe it’s time gamers dealt with these creatures the old fashioned way, sword in hand.

Mr. Nash
March 10, 2009