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Team Ninja is determined to establish its dominance in the action hack-and-slash franchise with its Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2025. During the Xbox Developer Direct, these two games were unveiled together. While Ninja Gaiden 4 got its trailer and an approximate release date, Ninja Gaiden 2 Remake was surprisingly released without any prior notice.
Now with both of these games circulating in the community, comparisons and expectations are taking place. Let’s check what players got in Ninja Gaiden 2 Remake and what can be there in Ninja Gaiden 4.
When Xbox Developer Direct 2025 was announced, it was confirmed that a lot of games would make their way to the event, including some massively popular franchises. Anyway, there was news of a surprise game to be announced, but no one expected a surprise release.
At the event, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was announced. This is a remake version of one of the most successful Ninja Gaiden games, made with modern elements. However, that was not everything; it was released on that same day after the event and straight made its way to Xbox Game Pass.
Well, it’s not the first game to have a sudden release on the same day of announcement. Almost two years back, in 2023, the same thing happened to Tango Gameworks’ rhythm-based action game, Hi-Fi Rush. It was released on the same day it was announced. So, Xbox has this history of releasing games on the same day they were unveiled. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black only joined the list.
The return of a fan-favorite game after several years is indeed exciting; that’s also just before the new entry is about to make its way in the same year. Even though the OG game was released almost seventeen years back, the Metacritic score of Ninja Gaiden 2 showed how well this game was made to have an 8.1 score based on player reviews.
The remastered version of the game has brought this well-accepted gaming experience to current gaming platforms, including Xbox Game Pass, PS5, and PC, with enhanced graphics and improved gameplay. Most importantly, the current version of the game is made on Unreal Engine 5.
Not only have the visuals of the game been improved, but this remastered version has combined elements from the original Xbox 360 version and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 to create a new and unique experience. While the core gameplay is the same, the weapon upgrade system has been modified to some extent to make the gameplay smooth.
This remastered version includes playable characters Momiji, Rachel, and Ayane from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, the PS3 version of the OG game. Aside from that, this latest remake version has made the game more accessible for everyone, especially newcomers, by lowering the difficulty level.
In this era of remakes and remasters, it is not surprising for a game to get a remake, especially if that game is Ninja Gaiden 2. The twist here includes the fact that the new entry, Ninja Gaiden 4, was also announced at the same event and is coming this same year during the Fall. At this point, the sudden release of this remastered version is a great strategy to prepare the fanbase for the upcoming title with certain hints of what can be in that version.
It has already been more than a decade since the last main entry was released. Therefore, Team Ninja wasn’t ready to take the risk of releasing the new game suddenly after thirteen years, that too on new-gen consoles, when Ninja Gaiden 3 was also released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Instead, it is trying to revive the fanbase, along with attracting new-gen gamers with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and preparing for the story of Ninja Gaiden 4.
Because the remastered version was released on Xbox Game Pass, it has become instantly accessible to a massive audience. Once they complete the journey, they will become curious about what happened to the master ninja Ryu Hayabusa and will surely dive into the upcoming installment to find the answer.
The making of the remake version on Unreal Engine 5 teases that the upcoming game will also be made with that same engine. In that case, players can expect impressive visuals from that game and core in-game mechanics suitable for every type of gamer. Aside from that, it hints at the addition of new characters in the upcoming entry.
Aside from that, expectedly, like the remake version, the upcoming game will also be added to Xbox Game Pass at launch, along with PC and PlayStation 5.
It is the best time to start playing Ninja Gaiden, as the franchise is about to come back after over thirteen years of drought. While this game promises high-profile gameplay, it brings two protagonists: Ryu Hayabusa, the legendary main protagonist of the franchise, and a brand-new playable hero named Yakumo.
Set in the streets of Tokyo, after the events of Ninja Gaiden 3, where eternal darkness reigns, the upcoming story will follow a young member of the Raven clan, Yakumo, as he sets out on his journey to defeat the Dark Dragon. The plot twist is that these two protagonists belong to two different clans, who are rivals of each other.
In this game, Team Ninja and Platinum Games have taken some bold steps, but it looks like those haven’t brought the story too far from its origin. At this point, nothing much can be stated from the trailer. So, players need to wait until the global launch of the game to know more about it.
