Dragon Sword

Lore & Background

Set after Ninja Gaiden (2004)/Sigma, Ryu Hayabusa has rebuilt the Hayabusa Village. When fellow villager and kunoichi Momiji is kidnapped by the Black Spider Ninja Clan, Ryu is forced to find her while uncovering the secrets behind the mysterious Dark Dragonstones and their relation to the Dragon Lineage. The plot begins after a training session with Momiji, who is then kidnapped on orders from the Black Spider leader Obaba, who hopes to obtain the Eye of the Dragon for the ancient Fiend Ishtaros.

Ryu pursues the Black Spider Clan through Hayabusa Village, their fortress, and eventually the Underworld. After finding a peculiar object, master swordsmith Muramasa informs him it is a Dark Dragonstone, containing the will and essence of a Dark Dragon. If all eight stones were gathered, they would unleash a power comparable to the Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu seeks out the remaining stones, eventually finding seven and heading to the Black Spider's hideout, where he defeats a transformed Obaba.

The stones reveal a portal to the Underworld, where Ishtaros awaits with an unconscious Momiji. Ishtaros steals the seven stones, revealing the eighth is in her crown. The Eye of the Dragon draws out Momiji's own spirit, and together they release the Eye of the Dragon, which fuses with the Dragon Sword to become the True Dragon Sword. Ryu defeats Ishtaros, but her twin sister Nicchae takes Ishtaros and the stones deeper into Hell to resurrect the Holy Vigoor Emperor.

The will of the Dark Dragon destroys the Emperor before full resurrection and encases Ishtaros in a cocoon. Nicchae engages Ryu, who mortally wounds her, and a Dark Dragon bursts from the cocoon. Ryu slays the beast, and Momiji appears unharmed. They return to the Hayabusa Village, where Momiji visits Kureha's grave, promising to become stronger, and joins Ryu to continue her training.

Reader's Guide

The game's system heavily depends on the stylus, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. By tapping the screen, Ryu will use his currently selected projectile. By tapping and holding, Ryu will run to the desired location. By drawing a horizontal or vertical line on an enemy, Ryu will do a horizontal or vertical slash with his sword.

By sliding up on the screen, Ryu will jump. Use of Ryu's Ninpo will be activated by tapping an icon on the touch screen, bringing up the outline of a Sanskrit letter to be traced with the stylus. Like Ninja Gaiden, Ryu can also block attacks by pressing any of the buttons or the directional pad. Evasive rolls can be performed by entering into a blocking stance and tapping the stylus.

Although he does not have a multitude of weapons like before, he can still perform his signature Izuna Drop and absorb nearby essences, given off by slain enemies, to unleash powerful attacks known as Ultimate Techniques. This can be done by sliding the stylus back and forth on Ryu. A playable demo of the game is downloadable from the DS Download Station Volume 7 and was previously available from the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Did You Know?

• When played, the Nintendo DS is held sideways, as in Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!.
• The drawn symbols traced to perform ninpo magic are based on Sanskrit (Siddham) script, not kanji; they were never kanji in any version of the game.