Technologies

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Is a Forgettable Chapter in the Series’ Legacy

All style, but no heart makes Ragebound an easy game to skip.

It looks like 2025 is the «Year of the Ninja.» Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was one of the big hits of the year’s first half, a new Shinobi game is on the way, and Ninja Gaiden fans are being treated to a full trilogy: Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, released in January, Ninja Gaiden 4, arriving later this year and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, arriving Thursday. However, based on my experience, you might want to skip this installment: It’s charming but far from satisfying.

Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is a 2D side-scrolling action game that pays tribute to the original NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy. While the retro graphics are appealing, the gameplay lacks meaningful depth. It feels like a concept-first project where ninjas were added after the fact, with the Ninja Gaiden name slapped on to sell it.

Interestingly, Ragebound acts as a side-story to the original NES title. Ryu Hayabusa learns of his father’s death in America and leaves his village, setting up the events of the first game. In his absence, fellow ninja Kenji Muzo stays behind to protect the village. Soon after, a demon army invades. Meanwhile, Kumori, a ninja from the rival Black Spider clan, finds her home base under siege as well. Captured, Kumori tells Kenji to use a mystical dagger to bind her spirit to him.

This dual-character mechanic is Ragebound’s central hook. Players control Kenji, who uses a sword, while Kumori aids in spirit form by throwing shurikens. Occasionally, she can take physical form to reach areas Kenji can’t access. As the duo progresses, they unlock a powerful screen-clearing magic attack.

As clever as that sounds, it falls flat in execution. Kenji’s sword is his only consistent weapon, and Kumori’s shurikens are tied to a meter that only fills when Kenji lands hits. At full charge, you might get a dozen throws before it empties again. There’s a jump-based guillotine attack that feels vaguely Sonic the Hedgehog-like, bouncing off enemies, but it’s mostly used for platforming rather than combat. The moveset is shallow, as are the level designs.

Stages feel repetitive, filled with endless waves of weak enemies that die in one hit. Occasionally, one drops a power-up that lets you instantly kill a larger foe, but these moments don’t change the core loop that repeats again and again until you reach a boss.

To the game’s credit, boss fights are a highlight. Each has distinct patterns and grows more complex in its second phase. These encounters forced me to be more tactical with dodges and attacks, and a few required multiple attempts due to overcommitting or mistiming. But these fights are the only part of Ragebound that feels like it was designed with care.

The regular enemies are mindless and mostly exist to knock you into pits, which cause instant death. Otherwise, they’re laughably easy. With healing talismans and generous checkpoint placement, it’s difficult to actually die. In fact, with Kenji’s dodge ability, you can run past most of the level without engaging. You’ll be healed at the next checkpoint anyway.

Levels are set in various regions of Japan, and while one stage on a building under construction offers a bit of variety, most environments lack creativity or challenge.

The difficulty is also a huge departure from Ninja Gaiden’s legacy. The original NES games were notoriously punishing, and the Xbox reboots were even harder. Here, the default difficulty feels like «baby mode.» You can tweak settings to remove healing items or increase enemy damage, but that’s about it.

The 2D pixel art is from developer The Game Kitchen, known for the Blasphemous series. The style echoes the NES and SNES era nicely, but the charm fades fast. Unlike Blasphemous, which featured unique enemy designs and animations that oozed personality, Ragebound’s enemies feel lazy. They just run toward you, then pop like water balloons when defeated.

With six to eight hours of gameplay at a price tag of $25, I cannot recommend Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. It lacks anything of interest other than this side story to the original Ninja Gaiden game, and even then, it’s just introducing different ninjas that are fighting monsters. This game was supposed to be a love letter to the original trilogy, but instead, it’s more like a bad photocopy of a love letter made by someone who didn’t seem to care that much.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is available for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Launches an AI Mini-Series

Verum Messenger has unveiled a new project — a mini-series created using Verum AI. The story consists of 7 episodes and will be released on the messenger’s social media channels.

The plot revolves around a global corporation seeking to take control of digital communications and a group of heroes who use Verum Messenger as a tool of resistance. Beyond the story itself, the series highlights the app’s key features, technologies, and advantages.

Combining entertainment with a showcase of the Verum ecosystem, the project presents a dynamic digital series designed for the modern era.

The first episode premieres today, with the remaining episodes to be released over time.

Stay tuned for more.

Watch on YouTube
Watch on Instagram

Technologies

Verum Finance: Earn While You Communicate — The Super App That Pays You

Verum has officially launched Verum Finance, an innovative financial application that transforms a private messenger into a true financial super app. News of the launch was also featured on the respected platform Dealroom.co.

Verum Finance can now be used both within Verum Messenger and as a standalone application for iPhone and iPad. When users sign in to Verum Finance with their Verum Messenger account, all balances, settings, and account data are automatically synchronized for maximum convenience.

Users can now do more than communicate securely and protect their data — they can also generate passive income directly within the ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

• Top up your balance with a bank card, Apple Pay, or USDT
• Send money instantly anywhere in the world
• Issue and manage debit cards (virtual and physical)
• Full Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds quickly

One of the most unique features is the built-in cryptocurrency mining system inside Verum Messenger.

The application utilizes your device’s resources and allows you to earn cryptocurrency in the background — passively, while chatting, traveling, or simply using the messenger.

Maximum Privacy + Real Freedom

• Registration without a phone number, email address, or passport
• End-to-end encryption and full control over your data
• Lifetime free VPN
• eSIM connectivity in more than 150 countries
• Reliable offline communication mode
• Support for 12+ languages for users worldwide

Everything is available in one place: secure communication, financial tools, earning opportunities, and privacy protection.

Users can access the full experience directly within Verum Messenger or switch to the dedicated Verum Finance app for iOS. All data is synchronized automatically between the two applications.

Why Download Verum Today

While many messaging platforms collect user data and expose users to restrictions, Verum offers greater independence and the opportunity to earn.

With a one-time purchase of the feature package, users receive lifetime access to privacy tools, VPN, eSIM services, cryptocurrency mining, and financial features.

This is more than just a messenger.

It is your personal tool for financial and digital freedom.

Download Verum Finance and Verum Messenger today — start communicating securely and begin earning tomorrow.

Download Links:

→ App Store (iPhone / iPad): Verum Finance
→ App Store (Verum Messenger): Verum Messenger

Technologies

Verum Finance: A Super App for Private Finance Integrated Into a Messenger

Verum Finance has announced the launch of a new financial application that allows users to manage their money directly within the secure Verum Messenger ecosystem.

The project has already attracted attention from major media outlets. A dedicated feature was published by Forbes Türkiye, while one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC, covered the launch. Yahoo Finance had previously reported on the evolution of Verum Messenger into a comprehensive financial ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

Verum Finance transforms a messenger into a complete financial platform. Users can:

• Manage their balance and top up using bank cards or USDT
• Send money instantly to other Verum users
• Issue and use debit cards, including Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds
• Access all these services without installing separate banking applications

A strong emphasis is placed on privacy. The platform offers registration without a phone number or email address, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal data.

Recognition from Forbes Türkiye

In a dedicated article, Forbes Türkiye highlighted Verum Finance as a notable example of modern privacy-driven fintech. The publication emphasized the growing trend of financial services moving from standalone banking applications into unified messaging ecosystems — a model that has proven successful in Asia through platforms such as WeChat and Alipay and is now expanding globally.

Support from the Crypto Community

Alongside the Forbes Türkiye coverage, news about the launch of Verum Finance was also featured by MEXC, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. This reflects growing interest in the project from both traditional business media and the cryptocurrency community.

A Strategic Vision

“We are building more than a payments application and more than a messenger. Verum is a unified secure ecosystem where communication, finance, and privacy tools work together,” the company stated.

Verum Finance is now available for iPhone and iPad users. The application complements Verum Messenger, which offers anonymous chats, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, and other tools designed to enhance digital freedom.

Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im

Verum Messenger: https://verum.im