Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus review (PS Vita)

The path of the ninja is a difficult and deadly one. It's brutal and bloody, and if you have the skills to walk it, it's immensely satisfying. 2007's for the PlayStation 3 was a great update of one of the greatest action games of all time. Now, it's on the Vita as Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, and although the implementation of Vita features occasionally gets in the way, the years since Sigma's original release have done little to dull its edge. If you're up for a challenge and you haven't walked this path before, don't let this opportunity pass you by.

6350616The deadly clanging of steel on steel echoes throughout even the earliest steps of your journey.None

You spend most of your time in Sigma as series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa, a preternaturally agile ninja whose assortment of abilities makes him a swift and merciless bringer of death. The incredible controls make you feel seamlessly connected to Ryu; the instant you direct him to block, roll, or soar through the air to slice an opponent, he does it. It's a thrill to wield Ryu's gifts of power and grace, particularly because you constantly need to make skillful use of them to survive.

None of the enemies are pushovers. You face well-trained military operatives, demon-like fiends, and formidable bosses. Given the chance, any of them can quickly turn the tables on you. Knowing that each battle could easily be your last makes each one you survive a rewarding victory. If you don't want to be fighting for your life every step of the way, Sigma Plus has a difficulty option that makes things much easier, but removing the fangs from the game's combat also removes what makes it so special.

Ryu has the skills to make short work of just about any enemy he encounters, but possessing those skills and using them are two different things. You can't just swing your sword around willy-nilly and expect to emerge victorious; you must know when to evade and when to attack, and you must get past the defenses of your enemies before you can slice them to pieces. It can be grueling at first, and you may initially find yourself losing to the run-of-the-mill ninjas you encounter early on. But as you play, you naturally get better, developing a better sense of how to use Ryu's abilities to more effectively slaughter your enemies.