As dramatic as it sounds, it hurts when a franchise you’ve spent so much time with and built so many wonderful memories with is unceremoniously killed off or put on ice. Mass Effect, Sly Cooper, Prototype, Command and Conquer, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, Deus Ex, F-Zero – the list is long and often not very pretty to look back on. The reasons are as manifold as they are sad, from a new title not performing well and executive meddling to a lack of interest in the series or simply poor management.
And yet, if the past few years have proven anything, it’s that you can never keep a good IP down. Though technically a prequel, Gears of War: E-Day returns horror themes that defined earlier entries. Despite the development hell of Fable Legends, a new entry in the series by Playground Games appears closer to a reality than ever, even if there’s so much we’ve yet to see. Even Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill, once thought dead and buried alongside whatever sense Konami had as a development studio, emerged with some stellar remakes and Silent Hill f.
Then there’s Ninja Gaiden 4. Keep in mind that before this, Ninja Gaiden as a franchise was still largely dormant. Sure, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound had been announced, offering a nifty throwback to the NES era. For all intents and purposes, Team Ninja was known now as the studio developing Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and, more recently, Rise of the Ronin. So imagine the shock when it not only announced a new mainline Ninja Gaiden but also revealed it with one of the coolest-looking trailers of all time. That too with gameplay, for crying out loud.
For those who remember, Ninja Gaiden 3 pretty much eradicated any interest in the series in more ways than one. Hack and slash titles weren’t exactly burgeoning in 2012, with all the biggest players more or less absent, barring, ironically enough, PlatinumGames’ Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. For many, it wasn’t just an opportunity to showcase Ninja Gaiden’s appeal but to keep the torch burning. Instead, it fizzled out from its repetitive gameplay, an iffy narrative, lame mechanics, a disappointing lack of challenge, and, worst of all, the lack of dismemberment, becoming one of the worst games of the year. It was a travesty, and worst of all, it wasn’t even all that memorable.
With Ninja Gaiden 4, Team Ninja, now working alongside PlatinumGames, is seemingly returning to its bloody roots. However, as the months went by, so too did the concerns. Enemies didn’t appear particularly threatening or challenging for newcomer Yakumo. Ryu Hayabusa, confirmed playable, didn’t seem to have much of a presence. Even the futuristic-looking setting of Tokyo, now corrupted by the husk of the Dark Dragon, was criticized for offering little more than open combat arenas and unremarkable-looking interiors. Some even criticized weapon switching and how it had no place in Ninja Gaiden.
There was still hype, sure, but you could tell that some, be they fans or not, weren’t quite won over, and that’s understandable. After all, when a franchise goes away for a long enough time and suddenly returns, the biggest fear among all else is getting hurt again.
But I think many are underestimating just how much Team Ninja is catering to fans while paving the way forward. First and foremost, it addressed the combat, showcasing the sheer amount of depth in its systems thanks to the new Bloodraven Form and Bloodbath Kills. Then it showcased some of the amazing weapons that Yakumo would wield, from dual blades and a piercing rapier to a staff and giant shurikens, which could take on new functions in Bloodraven Form. A massive bloody drill that explodes enemies? Yes please.
Sure, Platinum’s penchant for flashiness was obvious throughout – look no further than grinding on rails while traversing from one destination to the next, narrowly avoiding oncoming trains. But the signature Ninja Gaiden challenge is still very much apparent, and no more so than when Master Ninja gameplay was revealed. The highest difficulty showcased enemies that weren’t afraid to get active and outright dogpile Yakumo when given the chance. Even with fancy air combos, they could still deflect and block attacks. It also became more obvious throughout that Bloodraven Form wasn’t an insta-win tactic, and that taking advantage of blocks and parries involves a calculated amount of risk.
Of course, those who prefer a more aggressive approach have their own ways to wreak havoc, but you’ll need to adapt to different situations regardless, because they’re all chaotic and unpredictable by sheer virtue of the number of combatants. That’s something that I feel has been missing from contemporary hack and slash titles, whether action RPGs or otherwise – that element of constant danger, where a single enemy could just as easily take you down as get decimated by Yakumo’s attacks.
As Platinum’s Yuji Nakao put it best when speaking to Automaton Media, “What really stands out throughout the Ninja Gaiden series is how enemies are on equal footing with the player. They guard, and they even use throws.” Team Ninja’s Masazaku Hirayama further added, “I think fairness between the player and enemy is crucial. Whether or not a death feels like it was your fault is a huge part of maintaining that sense of fairness.”
That element of mastery, of honing your offensive and defensive skills, lest you get overwhelmed and straight up die, is a core element of Ninja Gaiden. Thankfully, the developers aren’t stopping with simply offering higher difficulties, as evidenced by the side content. You can even activate Death Wish, which resets your progression, presenting an even higher mountain to surmount to achieve a deathless run (and it is very much possible, if you truly embrace all the combat systems).
Best of all? The experience is designed with that difficulty in mind. Hero Mode may offer a means for new players to jump in without getting absolutely decimated thanks to auto evade, auto-block, and auto-healing, but it doesn’t dumb down the mechanics or ruin the fundamentals. If anything, they’re more like limiters, offering a significant amount of safety yet granting so much more when removed.
Regarding other concerns, Team Ninja already confirmed that Ryu is present in a “robust amount of content.” Over half the story is focused on Yakumo, and with its total playtime running from 15 to 20 hours, that translates to more than a few hours with the Dragon Ninja. Keen on replaying the entire game as Hayabusa? There’s the Chapter Challenge, which lets you do so (and vice versa, allowing you to take Yakumo into Ryu’s missions, fundamentally changing how they’d play).
Perhaps the most promising part of Ninja Gaiden 4 is that it isn’t just returning to what worked in the previous titles. It’s truly pushing the envelope for what’s possible with its action, catering to a new generation but still firmly rooted in the past (even continuing the most intriguing story, that of the Dark Dragon).
Everyone will have a different preference, of course, but I feel that this is what truly redeems the franchise – moving ahead, taking the best elements of the franchise and presenting something new. Maybe it will be enough to redeem Team Ninja from its failure with Ninja Gaiden 3. Perhaps it will showcase that PlatinumGames, which is also in need of a hit, hasn’t lost its touch. Regardless, if this Year of the Ninja proves anything, it’s that the franchise is on a hot streak and Ninja Gaiden 4 is set to cap it off in the best way possible while blazing a new trail forward.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
