The fourth version of this seminal classic. Yeah, you read that right: Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (Vita) is a portable version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3), which was a new-and-improved version of Ninja Gaiden Black (360), itself an improved version of 2004′s Ninja Gaiden (Xbox). Got all that? Whew.
The combat is difficult to learn properly, but is satisfying when you can pull it off. You will also have the ability to use the touchscreen to fire arrows and shuriken by tapping enemies on the screen, but the parts that require using the rear touchscreen aren’t always useful.
The visuals and gameplay are smooth, but the colors are muted and seem dull, especially given the incredible OLED screen they’re being displayed on. Unfortunately, the loading times haven’t improved, and the camera system still seems to get lost at times.
If you’ve enjoyed the Ninja Gaiden releases over the years, you’ll find plenty that’s familiar, but the gameplay isn’t significantly different and doesn’t have enough new to warrant purchasing. If you’ve not played the franchise to this point, however, this is a good time to pick it up: Even with its few problems, this is the most complete and enhanced version of the game to date.
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