Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is an upgraded rerelease of Ninja Gaiden 3. Originally an exclusive for the Wii U, it was eventually released for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. As an upcoming re-release, Razor's Edge will be available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows through the "NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection" on June 10th, 2021.
Story[]
- Further information: Ninja Gaiden 3
Razor's Edge follows the same plot as Ninja Gaiden 3, with some small interactive cutscenes removed and additional chapters featuring Ayane as a playable character.
Changes from Ninja Gaiden 3[]
- More blood and gore.
- More enemy variations.
- Bosses have health bars
- Improved enemy A.I. and attacks; foes no longer cower in fear and call for help even at the lowest difficulty, instead they will ruthlessly attack Ryu (even if they get one of their limbs chopped off). With that, suicide attacks are back, where enemies with removed limbs will try to grab Ryu and self-destruct, inflicting massive damage.
- Rope mechanic was removed.
- Cutscene in Day 1 of the soldier begging for his life and eventually killed by Ryu was removed.
- Dismemberment and return of Obliteration Techniques as a way of finishing off injured opponents instead of downed ones.
- The whole mechanic of "Steel on Bone" has been revamped and is instead used as a chainable grab counter.
- Return of the original Flying Swallow mechanic.
- Kunai Climbing is much faster and easier to perform. Additionally, various Kunai Climb sections were removed and replaced with the Flying Bird Flip.
- Ultimate Techniques can be charged without having to kill enemies.
- Instead of an instant teleportation towards an enemy, UTs instead function similarly to the ones in previous games, with multiple levels of charge and needing contact with an enemy before the full attack activates.
- The usual weapon/arm glow one acts as an instant full charge.
- More weapons from Ninja Gaiden II (Dual Katana, Lunar Staff, Kusari-gama).
- Reduced amounts of QTEs (Quick Time Events).
- The Ki bar no longer resets after clearing a battle.
- The Ninpo mechanic has been revamped with multiple types of Ninpo with different effects and bar lengths. (Art of the True Inferno is relegated to an extra end-game Ninpo.)
- Alternate Costumes.
- Chapter Challenge mode.
- Ayane, Momiji and Kasumi are playable characters for Chapter Challenge and Ninja Trials.
- Additionally, Ayane gets her own story mode, with two chapters.
- New missions on Ninja Trials for Shadows of the World.
- Online Cooperative mode for Ninja Trials.
- Upgrade system based on Karma, accessible at any point in the game. Players can buy special skills, Health, Weapon and Ninpo upgrades and alternate costumes.
- Return of collectibles in the form of Golden and Silver Scarabs (which give a Karma bonus and unlock things to buy) and Crystal Skulls (which allow access to Tests of Valor).
- A new gameplay mechanic, Bloody Rage, is introduced; after killing certain amount of enemies Bloody Rage becomes active, acting as a score multiplier for Karma. The multiplier depends on the amount of enemies killed and goes away after some time if no more are killed. Bloody Rage goes red when the character's weapon is filled with essence, allowing for an instant full charge Ultimate Technique to be performed. However using this resets the score multiplier.
- Weapons' movelist now has names for every input.
Playable Characters[]
Unlike Ninja Gaiden 3, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge features multiple playable characters:
- Ryu Hayabusa: Main character, playable in most Story Mode chapters. Can use weapons other than the Katanas from the original and select from multiple Ninpo.
- Ayane: The other playable character in Story Mode where she has her own chapters. Uses her Fuma Kodachi and Flash Kunai. Very fast.
- Momiji: Only usable in Chapter Challenge and Trials, she uses her Heavenly Dragon Naginata and Heavensong Bow. Can use a double jump and has a more versatile Ninpo.
- Kasumi: A new playable character to the series, originating from the Dead or Alive series. Fast and versatile, she can charge her shuriken to use a type of Windmill Shuriken.
- Unknown Ninja: A mysterious ninja whose name and origin remains a mystery. He is only playable in Shadows of the World and uses all of Ryu's arsenal.
Weapons[]
Melee:
- Katana (A simple, Japanese blade. Ryu uses three of these throughout the game):
- Dragon Sword (The sword use by the Dragon Ninja, fused in Ryu's right arm by the Regent of the Mask after Day 1, usable in Ninja Trials.)
- Jinran-Maru (A sword that belongs to Ryu's friend Hayate, used from Day 2 to Day 4)
- Blade of the Archfiend (Sword of the Black Spider Ninja Clan Overlord Genshin, used from Day 5, onwards.)
- Eclipse Scythe (A Scythe belonging to the Greater Fiend of Storm Volf)
- Falcon's Talons (Ninja Claws)
- Dual Katanas (Uses both the Blade of the Archfiend & Jinran-Maru in tandem)
- Lunar Staff (A Chinese Staff that harbours the power of the moon.)
- Kusari-Gama (A typical ninja weapon made from sickle and chain.)
- Fuma Kodachi (Ayane's short swords.)
- Heavenly Dragon Naginata (Momiji's bladed staff.)
- Shrouded Moon (Kasumi's wakizashi.)
Ranged:
- Shuriken
- Lock-On Bow
- Flash Kunai
- Heavensong Bow
- Kunai (Used during Kunai Climb. Momiji and Kasumi can use them in combat.)
- Windmill Shuriken
Ninpo:
- Art of the True Inferno
- Art of the Piercing Void
- Art of the Inferno
- Art of the Wind Blades
- Art of the Raging Mountain God
- Art of the Crimson Lotus
- Art of Rending Wind
Development and release[]
The game was announced at E3 2011 as a launch title for the Wii U.[1] Outside Japan, Razor's Edge was published by Nintendo, making it the company's third title to be rated M by the Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB after previous titles Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem and Geist. It is the first game to receive an R18+ classification in Australia after the rating was introduced in the country,[2] albeit it did not get a physical retail release. Downloadable content includes both Kasumi (from the Dead or Alive series) and Momiji as playable characters, available for free.[3] On February 6, 2013, Tecmo Koei Europe announced the game would be also released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[4]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
External links[]
- Official website
- Official website (Japanese)
- Title at MobyGames
References[]
- ↑ Onyett, Charles (June 7, 2011). E3 2011: Batman, Assassin's Creed and More Coming to Wii U.Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore
- ↑ Australian Govt Classification Board Media Release. iGEA (2013-01-11).
- ↑ George, Richard (December 5, 2012). New Ninja Gaiden Wii U DLC Revealed.
- ↑ Fletcher, JC (February 6, 2013). Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge coming to PS3 and Xbox [update: confirmed - April 2].