Gaiden Light

Game: Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: March 25, 2008
Developed by: Team Ninja
Published by: Tecmo

The Ninja Gaiden franchise has existed in one form or another since 1988 and its name has always seemed vaguely inappropriate. "Gaiden" is a Japanese word that denotes an anecdotal biography or side-story, implying that Ninja Gaiden is a spin-off featuring a supporting character from another series. The exact opposite is true; Ninja Gaiden is a standalone franchise with a unique hero and its own mythology.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, the first handheld Ninja Gaiden title to be developed by Team Ninja, the developer resonsible for rebooting the franchise in 2004, is the first game that could appropriately be called "gaiden"; its story is somewhat tangential, revisiting many of the locales, enemies and events introduced in the Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden.

Set six months after the events of Ninja Gaiden (2004), Dragon Sword follows master ninja Ryu Hayabusa in his quest to rescue a kidnapped kunoichi (female ninja) Momiji, stolen away by the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Along the way, Ryu learns of the existence of eight "Dark Dragonstones," mystical stones which hold the evil essence of the ancient "Dark Dragon." On the advice of Muramasa, Ryu seeks the Dragonstones, hoping to uncover the hidden Black Spider base, save Momiji, and reveal the dark forces behind the kidnapping.


Unlike most DS games, Dragon Sword is played with the DS held sideways, like an open book. All of Ryu's moves (excluding block) are accomplished with the stylus. By drawing the stylus across an enemy's body, Ryu can slash at his opponent, perform combos and execute finishing moves. The stylus is also necessary to use powerful magical attacks, many of which are needed to solve puzzles, and to perform jumps and fire projectiles. Dragon Sword also makes use of the microphone built into the DS.

Dragon Sword is an excellent action game, made more extraordinary by its smooth transition from console to portable system. Its biggest drawback is its length; Dragon Sword can be beaten in as few as 5 hours. Unlike the Xbox version, however, Dragon Sword can be enjoyed by much younger audiences; it's not nearly as bloody, is far less difficult and places a special emphasis on the children of Hayabusa village.

Score: 89/100