After ready years and years with no updates (and receiving one middling remastered trilogy), it lastly occurred – Koei Tecmo introduced a brand new Ninja Gaiden in the course of the latest Xbox Developer_Direct. This isn’t a reboot or separate mission like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s homage to the traditional NES sequence. Ninja Gaiden 4 is a full-fledged sequel and the latest mainline title occurring after 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3.
Better of all, it’s out this Fall for Xbox Collection X/S, PS5, and PC whereas additionally launching day one on Sport Go. Listed below are ten new issues we discovered about Ninja Gaiden 4, and what makes it actually thrilling for long-time sequence followers.
Collaboration With PlatinumGames
Whereas the announcement of a Ninja Gaiden sequel was surprising sufficient, it was much more stunning to listen to that Workforce Ninja isn’t alone. It’s working with PlatinumGames of Bayonetta and Metallic Gear Rising fame to develop Ninja Gaiden 4. On Xbox Wire, Workforce Ninja head Fumihiko Yasuda defined that “Koei Tecmo’s President, Hisashi Koinuma, and PlatinumGames’ CEO, Atsushi Inaba, share a detailed relationship, which led us to discover a collaborative growth effort.
“PlatinumGames had the experience we felt was splendid for engaged on Ninja Gaiden, and with help from Microsoft’s Phil-san, the three corporations have been in a position to take the following step in the direction of making a brand-new Ninja Gaiden.”
Return to Tokyo
Gamers will likely be returning to Tokyo within the sequel, but it surely’s a unique metropolis this time round. That’s as a result of the Darkish Dragon, who Ryu Hayabusa defeated in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, has returned. He’s removed from blissful as effectively, along with his husk blanketing town in a miasma rain inflicting it to crumble. The target is straightforward: Navigate Tokyo’s winding paths and treacherous foes to defeat the Darkish Dragon as soon as and for all. There’s more likely to be a sinister twist or two in wait – how did the Darkish Dragon return anyway? – and we will’t wait to see the way it unfolds.
A New Face
Nevertheless, this time, gamers will likely be approaching the journey from a unique perspective. Yakumo is a brand new playable character, a part of the Raven Clan (which is against the Hayabusa Clan) and a Grasp Ninja inheritor obvious. He’s been tasked with slaying the Darkish Dragon. Collection protagonist Ryu Hayabusa remains to be playable, showing all through the title, although how extensively stays to be seen. The kicker is that Yakumo opposes him at varied factors, once more for unknown causes, although their clans not getting alongside definitely doesn’t assist.
Why did Workforce Ninja and PlatinumGames go for a unique protagonist? Director and producer Yuji Nakao famous, “Because it’s been some time for the reason that final recreation, we needed a brand new hero to make the sequence extra approachable for brand new gamers. After all, we additionally needed long-time followers to benefit from the recreation, so Ryu Hayabusa performs a big function within the story, serving as a significant problem and development milestone for Yakumo.”
Excessive-Velocity Fight
If there’s one takeaway from the gameplay footage showcased to this point, it’s that Ninja Gaiden 4 is a triumphant return to the high-speed fight that outlined the 3D sequence. The core theme is “adversity”, and it’s outstanding all through every stage, with Yakumo dealing with every kind of threats, from Fiends to an Order in control of policing Tokyo (which might be these sick-looking cyberpunk-like samurai enemies). The motion hardly ever lets up, whilst you navigate and traverse Tokyo’s wet road.
Bloodraven Kind
Taking over a number of enemies without delay and determining tips on how to succeed, a lot much less survive, has been a core tenet of the sequence. On this respect, Yakumo brings a brand new device to the desk – Bloodraven Kind. Described by Nakao as “a method that manipulates the blood of oneself and enemies,” it includes wielding a large bloody blade to cleave by a number of threats at a time.
If you happen to fulfil “sure situations,” then a Massacre Kill is triggered, bisecting enemies within the blink of an eye fixed (and a classy purple and black splash display). It’s distinctive for permitting gamers to “immediately flip the tide of battle of their favor,” although trying sick as heck can be a degree in its favor.
1v1 Battles
After all, there’s greater than small fry to cope with. You’ll interact in 1v1 battles towards considerably stronger threats who will guard towards assaults and match Yakumo’s pace. Finding out their actions and looking for the proper moments is the important thing to victory. To date, we’ve seen a number of boss-like enemies, together with a big cybernetic samurai and a fiendish being who fights with a parasol. Then there are the battles towards Hayabusa himself.
New and Returning Strikes
The Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop return in fashionable trend, and so they’re not unique to Ryu – Yakumo can wield them as effectively (although each characters possess fully distinctive combating kinds). Workforce Ninja additionally guarantees the addition of latest strikes never-before-seen within the sequence. Final and Obliteration Strategies additionally return, with the latter manifesting as brutal executions on Order troops – from beheadings to disembowelling – within the latest gameplay footage.
Extra Verticality and New Traversal Choices
Ninja Gaiden isn’t nearly brutal fight – it additionally leans closely into fast-paced mobility and traversal choices. Workforce Ninja guarantees enhanced verticality, with the signature wall jumps and wall runs returning. Nevertheless, gamers may also grind on rails, leaping from one to the opposite as mandatory, and make use of a grappling hook to traverse gaps. With Tokyo falling into destroy, you’ll should cope with collapsing buildings and roads whereas traversing all through.
70-80 % Full
In case there’s any doubt as as to whether Ninja Gaiden 4 will launch this yr, Nakao confirmed that it’s presently 70 to 80 p.c full, and the groups have entered the sharpening part. PlatinumGames will “proceed to work carefully with Workforce NINJA, guaranteeing each element meets the expectations of followers.” After all, this doesn’t assure that it’ll meet its Fall launch window – it may very effectively transfer issues round as a result of a sure open-world magnum opus launching on the identical time – however issues are seemingly on monitor.
Regardless, Nakao hyped extra info in order that followers would perceive how “enjoyable and thrilling” the sport is. He additionally stated as “each a fan and a developer,” Nakao promised to “do my utmost to ship an expertise that satisfies everybody.”
Potential Demo
One other attention-grabbing morsel from the identical Xbox Wire interview is a possible demo. Yasuda stated he was “thrilled that we have been lastly in a position to make this announcement and hope it brings pleasure to our followers” whereas including, “We’re trying into methods to present you alternatives to get hands-on expertise, so please keep tuned.”
For these accustomed to Workforce Ninja’s work, this isn’t too stunning. Nioh 1 and 2 each obtained betas earlier than their launches, with the suggestions serving to to enhance the ultimate experiences. The identical goes for Wo Lengthy: Fallen Dynasty. Even Koei Tecmo has adopted the observe for different titles just like the latest Dynasty Warriors: Origins. If Fall appears too far-off, then relaxation assured that there could also be an opportunity to play sooner reasonably than later.
