Ninja Gaiden fans awaiting the (3D) return of Ryu Hayabusa were given a double dose of awesome at the Xbox Developer Direct last week, with not only the announcement that Ninja Gaiden 4 is on the way, but also a surprise shadow-drop of a remaster of Ninja Gaiden II with Ninja Gaiden II Black, which is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store.
Ninja Gaiden 4 will be handled by developers Team NINJA and PlatinumGames, with the game coming this fall to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. A direct sequel to 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3, NG4 will maintain the dark and gritty world of the series, while also introducing a new protagonist in Yakumo. The Dark Dragon returns in this sequel, plunging Tokyo into chaos and transforming the city into a gruesome shadow of itself.
New to the series will be Yakumo’s stylish new mechanics, which include traversal using wires and rails. Yuji Nakao, Ninja Gaiden 4’s producer and director, explains that the central theme to this new entry is the idea of adversity. “Adversity is a key concept for this game. From the beginning to the end of each stage and even in the transitions between, everything is designed to represent adversity for Yakumo.” That adversity also includes facing off against original Ninja Gaiden protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa.
Given the series’ notorious difficulty, Ninja Gaiden 4 will be no different. However, the “tough but fair” gameplay will evolve with this fourth entry, but at the same time, ensured that returning players will “immediately feel at home” when playing the game.
Meanwhile, Ninja Gaiden II Black is a remake of the 360 original, which also combines elements from the reimagined and heavily altered PlayStation 3 version, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. The best news is that Black does away with the censorship that was present in Sigma 2, so fans will be able to experience all of the bloody dismemberment in its purest form. At the same time, characters such as Ayane, Rachel and Momiji have been brought back from Sigma 2, as well as the revised enemy placement, costumes, and Black Dragon boss.
“We also wanted to give players something to enjoy as they wait for the release of Ninja Gaiden 4,” explained Fumihiko Yasuda, Head of Team NINJA. “We chose Ninja Gaiden 2 because it stands as one of the most solid action games in the series. We added ‘Black’ to the title to signal to fans that this is the definitive version, much like Ninja Gaiden Black was for the first game.”
