“In terms of action games, I think ninjas are a good fit,” says Fumihiko Yasuda, Team Ninja producer. We’re discussing why ninja characters are so enduring throughout the history of video games, right back to the original Ninja Gaiden games in the 1980s.
“This goes back to the 2D games, because [ninjas] have those acrobatic abilities and that appeals to an audience regardless of country. Also the fact they cover their face, they don’t really reveal their emotions, they portray this sense of ‘all-business’ professionalism, a seriousness, a mysteriousness. I think that makes them appealing.”
PlatinumGames producer and director Yuji Nakao concurs. “There’s this image of what a ‘cool’ ninja is,” he says, “and I think all the way back to the 2D Ninja Gaiden games, those have really captured the cool ninja that’s in everyone’s imagination.”
Ninja characters have long had a place in video games, even before the first Ninja Gaiden game back in 1988. But that game certainly popularised the aesthetic of the ninja action-hero, the retro-futuristic setting, the use of cinematic cutscenes, and a very high level of difficulty. Indeed, all of these elements returned with Team Ninja’s 2004 3D revival of the series on the original Xbox, which continued until 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3.
Now, the series is back again over a decade later with the announcement last week of Ninja Gaiden 4 during the Xbox Developer Direct. This time it’s a collaboration with PlatinumGames – a studio known for its combat-focused games like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata – thanks to the president of publisher Koei Tecmo and CEO of Platinum being friends. Backing from Xbox’s Phil Spencer provided the extra push to get the project into development.
“We wanted to make sure we deliver an experience that’s deserving of a mainline entry,” says Yasuda. “Ultimately it took more than 10 years to get this new mainline entry off the ground and as we are able to collaborate with PlatinumGames, it also represents an opportunity to introduce the series to a new audience as well, so we can satisfy both longtime players as well as bringing that Ninja Gaiden experience to new users.”
“We wanted to make sure we deliver an experience that’s deserving of a mainline entry.”
After such a long hiatus, Ninja Gaiden 4 is clearly designed to be a fresh entry point for newcomers, but it will also serve as a continuation of what’s come before, with a story that picks up the action several years after the third game, the pair confirm. And anyone keen to catch-up is now able to play a re-release of the second game, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, which was shadow dropped at the Xbox Developer Direct, for a fresh reminder of the series’ past and to experience this important reference point.
“Ninja Gaiden 4 specifically takes a lot of influence from Ninja Gaiden 2,” says Yasuda, describing the new Black version as “a good opportunity for new players to familiarise themselves with Ryu.”
That’s Ryu Hayabusa, the ninja protagonist throughout the series. Except Ninja Gaiden 4 will add a new face too, the young ninja Yakumo who’s from a rival clan to Ryu. Says Nakao: “It has been such a long time since the last entry in the series, as a mainline title this will allow new users to join the series together with Yakumo and be able to experience this story from the start and experience how he grows.”
Ryu is still a “strong presence” (and is playable!) in Ninja Gaiden 4, representing “the pinnacle of what it is to be a ninja”. Yakumo, by contrast, is a vehicle for new elements to “further elevate” the series. That includes his unique Nué Style instant kill ninjutsu moves (as seen in the trailer), offering a varying playstyle.
I’m reminded, though, of 2008’s Devil May Cry 4, which shocked fans with the introduction of the younger Nero as a new protagonist instead of Dante. More recently, Platinum’s own Bayonetta 3 was criticised by some for introducing Viola as a second playable character. Are the Ninja Gaiden developers worried about splitting the fanbase?
“First and foremost we want to respect Ninja Gaiden as a series and the legacy it’s built over the past more than 20 years, and part of that is making sure that Ryu Hayabusa is thoroughly represented and he has the presence you would expect from a Ninja Gaiden game,” says Nakao. “We feel that the introduction of Yakumo actually elevates the presence of Ryu and both characters actually compliment each other.”
Since the release of Ninja Gaiden 3, Team Ninja moved to the Soulslike genre with the two Nioh games and 2023’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. As Yasuda explains, these games share with Ninja Gaiden a focus on action and the satisfaction of defeating larger than life enemies after some trial and error. Ninja Gaiden 4, though, will see the studio return to the “quintessential characteristics” of the series.
That includes a notoriously high difficulty. “Ninja Gaiden is known for its intensity, especially that back and forth between offence and defence, and that dynamic ebb and flow of the combat,” says Nakao. “With Ninja Gaiden 4, we are making sure it inherits those qualities and that the high speed action and the gameplay feel that longtime players have come to expect from Ninja Gaiden games – including the challenge and the difficulty – are present in this new entry.”
But what about new players unfamiliar with such a tough challenge? “We’re also incorporating difficulty modes and options for new players, or players who aren’t very familiar with action games, to customise their experience,” says Nakao, though he adds these options are “being designed in a way that will allow [new players] to still experience the intensity and the thrills of what makes Ninja Gaiden such a satisfying experience.”
Ninja Gaiden 4’s reveal trailer not only shows the game’s frenetic combat, but a futuristic Tokyo being warped and destroyed, as well as grind rail sections and towering bosses to defeat. Nakao wants to maximise and heighten the idea of overcoming adversity with this game, not just in the number of enemies players must defeat but in the dynamic environments and “seamless” transition between these types of action sequences. Perhaps this marks a certain Platinum influence: the Bayonetta games in particular are known for their wild set pieces, something that seems to be reflected in the Ninja Gaiden 4 trailer, too.
Together, it’s clear Team Ninja and PlatinumGames feel like they have a strong vision of what’s worked in previous Ninja Gaiden games and how to replicate that successfully for a new, modern audience with Ninja Gaiden 4, while still appeasing older fans.
“[Ninja Gaiden] is a game that’s challenging and it really throws a lot at you and creates these stressful situations,” says Nakao. “And just when you feel like that stress is about to overflow, there’s [Ninja Gaiden 2’s] obliteration techniques where you finish off an enemy and it provides that sense of release and this cathartic experience that really keeps players coming back for more, and has allowed the series to endure over the years.”
After all, what could be cooler than a ninja?