7 best action-platformer games to play before Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is one of the most anticipated action-platformer games developed by The Game Kitchen, the creators of the acclaimed souls-like metroidvania Blasphemous. Unlike the last few entries in this long-running series, Ragebound will be a side-scrolling action-platformer, ditching 3D graphics for a more pixelated 2D art style.

If you wish to warm up your skills in dodging enemies and dishing backloads of damage, here are seven great action-platformer games you should play before Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound releases on July 31, 2025.

Note: This list is subjective and reflects the author's personal opinions. It's also ranked in no particular order.

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Best action-platformer games like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

1) Blasphemous

Blasphemous and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound have a similar art style (Image via Team17)

• Release Date: September 10, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Linux, macOS, Switch, Android, iOS

Blasphemous should be one of the first action-platformer games you should play before trying games like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. In this game, you play as the Penitent One as you depart on an unholy pilgrimage through the lands of Cvstodia, where a hallowed force called The Miracle blesses and curses beings.

Blasphemous received great praise from critics for being a challenging souls-like Metroidvania game. It has difficult platforming sections with brutal boss fights. However, it’s the game’s religious iconography and symbolism based on Roman Catholicism that drew the most praise. Moreover, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound also follows a similar pixelated art style since they were both developed by The Game Kitchen.

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2) Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is one of the best action-platformer games of all time (Image via Team Cherry)

• Release Date: February 24, 2017
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Linux, macOS

Hollow Knight is often regarded as one of the best games of all time. Its release in 2017 revitalized player interest in side-scrolling action-platformer and Metrodivania games. In this game, you play as a bug that wields a nail as a sword and must travel to the ruins of Hallownest, an underground insect kingdom that has been devastated due to a supernatural infection.

If you like sprawling Metroidvania worlds where several areas are interconnected, Hallownest is a mysterious and deadly world for you to explore, full of many secrets and characters to meet. Hollow Knight also features many souls-like elements, like challenging combat, and you losing all your held currency on death.

Overall, it’s a great game to play before Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and the highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong come out later this year.

Also read - Hollow Knight Silksong is confirmed to come to Xbox Game Pass at launch

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3) Nine Sols

• Release Date: May 29, 2024
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, macOS

If you like side-scrolling Metroidvania games like Hollow Knight, you should add Nine Sols to your library. Developed by inside studio Red Candle Games, you play as Yi, a cat-like being that develops the Eternal Cauldron Project to use human brains to keep the Solarian race safe from the deadly Tianhuo virus. After being betrayed by your mentor and left for dead, you must now defeat the Nine Sols, the nine powerful leaders of the Solarians.

Nine Sols combines the exploration of Metroidvania games with the parry-based swordplay of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You will also experience other souls-like elements, like challenging bosses and a penalty-based death system.

Upon release, this game received praise for its satisfying combat and unique art style mixing Taoism with sci-fi cyberpunk. This game’s fast-paced combat is similar to that of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, making it a good place to start.

Also read - 7 best Metroidvania games to play in 2025

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4) Dead Cells

• Release Date: August 7, 2018
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Switch, macOS, iOS, Android

If you are in the mood for playing Roguelike side-scrolling action-platformer games, Dead Cells will scratch your itch perfectly. Developed by indie developers Motion Twin, you play as a Prisoner who must possess dead bodies to explore procedurally-generated dungeons and escape an island after defeating its King.

As a roguelike game, each level is randomly generated, making every run feel unique. Moreover, it also features a permadeath system, where you lose all your weapons and skills upon death and must start over from the very beginning. However, you collect Cells during your runs to gain permanent upgrades. You should play this game for its amazing souls-like combat and a pixelated art style similar to Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.

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5) Katana Zero

• Release Date: April 18, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, Switch, macOS, Android, iOS

Katana Zero is an amazing action-platformer similar to Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Set in a dystopian neo-noir city, you control the amnesiac assassin Subject Zero as he completes many contracts to learn more about his mysterious past.

This game was a surprise hit upon release, with praise going for its brutal, fast-paced hack-and-slash gameplay where you can die in just one hit. To survive longer, you must dodge all enemy attacks and use time-bending powers to reshape your fate. Overall, it’s a fun, pixelated game that won’t take too long to finish before Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound comes out later this month.

Also read - 5 games to play like Prince of Persia The Lost Crown

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6) Mark of the Ninja: Remastered

Mark of the Ninja is a great side-scrolling stealth game (Image via Klei Entertainment)

• Release Date: September 7, 2012
• Platforms: Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, Linux, macOS

If you are less interested in action-platformer games similar to Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and instead want to play a more thoughtful side-scrolling stealth game, Mark of the Ninja has you covered. In this decade-old game developed by Klei Entertainment, you must complete many assassination contracts using your skills as a highly-trained Ninja and by using various gadgets.

Mark of the Ninja received greater praise for its challenging stealth gameplay that encourages you to think about the best way to assassinate targets. Although it’s a stealth game, it has slick, fast-paced combat along with platforming sections similar to Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Moreover, it features a great story that portrays how technological advancements lead to the deaths of many ninja clans.

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7) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a spiritual successor to Castlevania (Image via 505 Games)

• Release Date: June 18, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Android, iOS

The final game on this list of side-scrolling action-platformer games like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which is a must-try. Produced by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night creator Koji Igarashi, this game is a spiritual successor to the Castlevania titles that popularized the side-scrolling action-platformer genre along with Metroid, giving birth to the Metroidvania genre.

In this 2D game, you control Miriam as you must explore the castle of Hellhold to defeat the alchemist Gebel, who has summoned demons to destroy Victorian-era England. Throughout your journey, you gain many new abilities along with finding unique weapons and armor to strengthen yourself. Now is a great time to play this game since its long-awaited sequel, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, will release next year.

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For more gaming news and guides, check out these articles:

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• 7 best souls-like games to play while waiting for Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
• 7 best free games on PC you should play right now (July 2025)
• 5 best open-world crime games to play while waiting for Mafia The Old Country

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Edited by Adarsh J Kumar