Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword

Time to preview a game I only saw for the first time today when I stumbled upon it by accident online. It’s Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS and this one’s got me very excited as it doesn’t use any buttons on the handheld, just the stylus. You also play the game with the DS turned on its side as if you were playing Brain Training or Hotel Dusk.

It’s an all new story with a female Ninja who is Hiyabusa’s apprentice form the Ninja Gaiden console games. It’s set between Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 and will provide hints at what happens in the console sequel.

It’s the controls that really sets this game apart. ON the left screen you have a map and on the right you have a portrait view of the action. Your ninja follows the movement of the stylus. Tap on an enemy to attack them, then swipe through them to get direct input of what your sword does to them.

You can also cast magic as the left screen turns into a hand making magical gestures as you have to trace a symbol on the right screen with the stylus. Do it successfully and you can then point your magic at your enemies.

There’s no confirmed release date for this game yet in the UK but if you like the sound of it you can import it from the States in a couple of weeks.