Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is a third-person hack and slash video game that features elements similar to previous titles in the series. Players can run, jump, block and attack enemies using Yaiba's blade. A score multiplier on the right-hand of the screen accumulates the player's hit-count on the enemy. The "Ultimate Technique" mode seen in other titles has been replaced by a mode called "Bloodlust" which, when activated, allows Yaiba to destroy multiple enemies around him in quick succession. ==Plot==

The game follows the exploits of the powerful ninja Yaiba Kamikaze. Yaiba was once part of a clan that tested the abilities of its ninja by putting them up against a highly skilled member; in this case it was Yaiba they had to face. However, after growing weary of his work, Yaiba eventually decides to massacre his own clan and leave the survivors to their deaths. At one point he meets with the franchise mainstay Ryu Hayabusa and decides to challenge him, claiming that he is the weakest foe Yaiba has encountered thus far. During the battle he discovers otherwise as Ryu slices Yaiba's left arm and eye, killing him. Later, Yaiba is discovered by a mysterious organization known as Forge Industries, led by Alrico del Gonzo, brings him back to life and restores his lost body parts with mechanized duplicates, thus turning him into a cyborg, with a female scientist named Miss Monday as his navigator. Yaiba learns that a zombie outbreak has begun and that Ryu has been searching for the source of the infection. He decides to work with the Forge Industries that resurrected him in order to exact his revenge against Ryu, agreeing to help put a stop to the spread of zombie infection. Upon finally encountering Hayabusa again one last time, Yaiba finds out that Forge Industries has been manipulating every event, such as unleashing the zombie outbreaks and using him as a tool and self-destruct bomb to kill him and Hayabusa to further the organization's plan. Yaiba decides instead to sacrifice himself to destroy the bomb and spare Hayabusa's life in order for him to save his disciple, Momiji. Upon his revival by Miss Monday for the third time (as Hayabusa had killed him during their battle a second time), she too defects Forge Industries due to Del Gonzo's attitudes and manipulative nature, having unleashed the zombies for his own purposes of seeking immortality. Once Yaiba landed in an abandoned, yet zombie infested Forge Industries building, Yaiba finds a portal to what appears to be an Aztec-themed alternate dimension and found the real Del Gonzo, who seems to be in a dying state inside a tube. Though unable to stop Del Gonzo from transforming into the embodiment of the Aztec god of the underworld, Yaiba manages to find a weak spot to make him mortal again. While Del Gonzo tries to escape from Yaiba's wrath, Miss Monday appears in person and kills Del Gonzo for good. With the portal to the real world closing, Yaiba and Miss Monday barely escape. In the end, Yaiba and Miss Monday decide sell the data of curing zombification. Unknown to them, Hayabusa is observing them. ==Development==

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z was unveiled on September 19, 2012. Canadian comic book artist James Stokoe created several art pieces for the game, displaying them at the New York Comic Con. The game is also complemented by a tie-in webcomic, published by Dark Horse Comics. It was drafted by writers Tim Seeley and Josh Eamons, and illustrated by Rafael Ortiz. The comic was released as a free download on Dark Horse's website on January 23, 2014. The first issue, part one of three, is available to download free on Dark Horse's site. On December 13, 2013, it was announced that Beck from Mighty No. 9 would become a bonus playable character in Ninja Gaiden Z in the form of downloadable content. This was a deal struck between Comcept and Tecmo Koei, as Keiji Inafune is spearheading both titles. ==Reception==

The Xbox 360 version received "mixed" reviews, while the PC and PlayStation 3 versions received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. GameZone gave the game 3.5 out of 10, saying, "For those that had hoped for a true Ninja Gaiden experience with Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, you definitely got something with the challenge to match the old games. The problem is that this isn't the right kind of challenge. It isn't rewarding or fun, it's just annoying. For those that thought this would be a chance to play a Ninja Gaiden that wasn't too hard, stay a[s] far away as possible. Yaiba isn't worth losing a controller or your sanity over." Edge gave PlayStation 3 version a score of two out of ten, saying, "Basic combat is dismal, turgid stuff, yet accounts for almost all the action." In Japan, however, Famitsu gave the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions a score of all four nines each for a total of 36 out of 40. It was ranked at #46 on the list of the 50 worst games of all time by GamesRadar+ in 2017. ==Notes==