Ninja Gaiden 3 tips and boss battle guide

Bosses

Day One

1 - Steel Spider

This robo-arachnid is pretty simple—you’ll be fighting two of these at once in a later level. Basically, you just gotta cut its legs until they break off. Watch out for its AoE electric field attack when you’re up close. If you stand in front of the machine, it will use an unblockable flamethrower attack. Also, it’s equipped with a rather nasty rocket launcher, so get ready to slide around while on the offensive. Once its legs are destroyed, a generator core is exposed. Jump up on its back and rip it open.

Master Ninja notes:

You know that rocket launcher? Yeah, that thing will kill you pretty damn quick. When you see it illuminate, slide away immediately. Patience is key here, don’t get greedy and try to land too many leg hits at the risk of your own life.

2 – Regent of the Mask

This dude is a pain in the ass. You’ll fight him, like, 800 times by the end of the game, and every encounter is shockingly similar. First, you’ll want to damage his offense—don’t go rushing in yourself. Wait until he whiffs a few times, then punish with a few quick attacks. He typically uses a two- or three-hit melee combo, so be wary. Additionally, if his fists glow red that means he’ll use an unblockable throw combo, which is practically an instant kill on higher difficulties. Don’t let this connect.

Eventually he’ll get knocked out a window and you’ll continue the fight. Outside, he beefs up his offensive by using a three-hit strong attack combo, and adding one additional throw to his charge attacks. When going in for the kill, try to restrict yourself to a single strong attack before sliding out of his range. He can also do a charging slice attack—you’ll know he’s about to use this when his body glows red.

Master Ninja notes:

Same boss mechanics, but have fun dodging his one-hit kills.

Ryan Taljonick

Ryan was once the Executive Editor of GamesRadar, before moving into the world of games development. He worked as a Brand Manager at EA, and then at Bethesda Softworks, before moving to 2K. He briefly went back to EA and is now the Director of Global Marketing Strategy at 2K.