It’s been twelve years since Ninja Gaiden 3 was released, and after that, Team Ninja went into a never-ending silence about any upcoming main entry. Now that more than a decade has passed, and players are almost convinced that Team Ninja has no plans with this franchise anymore, Xbox Developer Direct has revealed two games of the Ninja Gaiden franchise.
One of those was a remastered version of the 2008-released Ninja Gaiden 2, but the other one will be a fresh entry in the series, Ninja Gaiden 4, which is about to restructure the entire franchise greatly. Let’s check what it is going to bring new:
The Ninja Gaiden franchise can’t be imagined without Ryu Hayabusa. He used to be the central figure of these games, but the upcoming installment is going to change this thing. Veteran players will be glad to know that Ryu Hayabusa will be there, but this time, the central character will be someone else, and most importantly, it's not from the Hayabusa Clan. So, the Hayabusa clan will get an equally strong counterpart in the upcoming game.
Anyway, don’t be upset; despite him not being the protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa will play a pivotal role in the upcoming game.
The upcoming installment will follow the game’s story but with a twist. Set in the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, this next game will follow the story of a new protagonist, Yakumo, who will be a featured member of the Raven clan. This inclusion opens up a new angle to the story, where Yakumo’s clan is set as a direct rival to the Hayabusa clan. Additionally, Yakumo seems to hold a personal grudge against the renowned lead of this game, Ryu Hayabusa.
Therefore, the story not only follows Yakumo’s adventure to beat the Dark Dragon, but it will have these two protagonists fighting against each other. This is a bold move, undoubtedly.
Team Ninja’s one of the most successful franchises is Ninja Gaiden. Since 2005, Team Ninja has been working on this franchise and has delivered a number of successful games in the meantime. However, after two decades, Platinum Games is joining Team Ninja to contribute its input to the game.
This is definitely a new opening for the Ninja Gaiden series. Platinum Games is not a new player without any knowledge of the franchise and the lore. Therefore, the Level Designer and Environment Lead Yudai Abe has assured fans that Ninja Gaiden 4 will remain a Ninja Gaiden game like its predecessors.
Ninja Gaiden games have never been easy for players, but it looks like, in the upcoming installment, the level of challenges will increase to a great extent. From the trailer it was clear that the adventure isn’t going to be something easy for Yakumo. Confirming this, Yuji Nakao, a member of the developer team, stated that, “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.”
In fact, he claimed that adversities will be presented to players in the form of Ninja Gaiden’s signature combat. This is going to be something extremely exciting to explore in this upcoming game.
The story of the game will start after Ninja Gaiden 3 was ended. Therefore, the game will be set in the same dark and gritty world, but because a significant amount of time has passed in between, things will be placed in a new way to suit the taste of modern gamers. The unsettling condition of the world will remain the same, along with the presence of the Dark Dragon, but modern gameplay elements will be involved in the gameplay.
Well, this one is an assumption. Because Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was made in Unreal Engine 5, gamers are assuming that Ninja Gaiden 4 will also be made using Unreal Engine 5. In that case, the visuals of the game will reach the next level. Unreal Engine 5 promises a grand incline in visuals, and the latest remastered version of Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of the finest proofs of it. Therefore, expectedly, Ninja Gaiden 5 will also reach the same height.
Ninja Gaiden games have been going on for decades, and over the years, players have seen loads of exciting gameplay mechanisms in this series. However, this time, Team Ninja has pushed the boundaries and added new in-game abilities to the protagonist to make it appealing to the new-gen players.
The Xbox Developer Direct has showcased Yakumo’s new abilities, including his traveling mechanism, using wires and rails. This was never in these games before. Therefore, it will be something completely new for gamers to use while playing as Yakumo.
These are the top ways Ninja Gaiden 4 will redefine the franchise after a long gap. Hopefully, Team Ninja won’t mess things up while adding all these features to the game.