I was waiting for a new mainline ninja gaze game, but the pain soon ended. Ninja Gaiden 4 The action game series brings kicks (hacking) and screaming (thrashing) to the 2020s, using extra mechanics and new protagonists along with Ryu. But the biggest twist is that Team Ninja is taking advantage of the Platinum Game to create this new entry. I’d like to know more about what the two iconic studios cooked. I was treated to a handoff demonstration of Ninja Gaiden 4 at Gamescom. Additionally, I was able to talk to Team Ninja Masakazu Hirayama and Platinum Gamer Yuji Nakao.
In Ninja Gaiden 4, the new top-notch man Yakumo brings more than just a fresh face and a storyline. A huge number of new weapons and his Bloodraven abilities have greatly expanded the fighting potential – a quick and satisfying hack-and-slash battle is amazing. Here’s what’s on offer to help you feel how extreme platinum games were with things.
Four weapons can be instantly swapped using the four directional buttons on the D-PAD on the controller. There are also special assassin tool weapons that are a little more unconventional. Weapons can be upgraded with new skills and abilities, each with an alternative bloody Raven form. For example, a rapier transforms into a large drill. The Assassin’s tools will rage when triggering a Blood Raven, such as a set of mechanical arms that can be squirted from Yasuko’s back and transformed into something similar to Spider-Man’s iron spider suit. In addition to that, you have a small meter that can be charged, and once it’s full, you can unleash a powerful ultimate attack by clicking on both sticks on your controller. And breathing.
Ask the number of combat combinations thanks to all these overlapping systems, hirayama tells me through the translator.
“We don’t expect you to know how to use everything, not just throw you into the deep edge,” he assures. “You will be able to see the list, and it will teach you how to use it exactly (each weapon and ability). There is a video explaining it. The Ninja Gaiden 4 comes with a training mode, which can be entered at any time during gameplay, allowing you to instantly try new combos and weapons without risking your life in the main game itself.
When everything is strung together, it looks absolutely sensational. While I was in the guts, I couldn’t try the game myself. It was pretty seductive to see Nakao take on the new mechanical boss that debuted in the Ninja Gaiden 4 Gamecom trailer. Thanks to these bloody Raven’s abilities and ferocious attack attacks, a desperate accumulation of wild slash attacks and dodges culminate in a regular and impressive climax.
I’m curious given the multiple mechanics, whether balancing things is a challenge or not. Certainly, the prospect of moving towards power fantasy and divine weapons is important, but likewise, deleting a boss within 10 seconds is absolutely unrewarding.
“It’s funny what you said, because there were times during development that the shape of the bloody Raven was so overwhelming. If you just used it, you could control it.” “But in the action game of this game (and in general), you really need to play it for yourself, have that experimental approach and see what you feel is right.” He also says that the build is shared very regularly between the Platinum Games and Team Ninja, and that he and Nakao will have a “daily” discussion about the balance of experience and finer details.
They also ask if the Platinum Game is putting pressure on the much-anticipated entry in the Ninja Gaiden series and whether it’s like working with Team Ninja. Certainly, Platinum has an exceptional catalogue, and the two studios have this genre alive and breathing, but have there been any major challenges or big differences in opinions?
“First and foremost, we wanted to make a game that is a typical ninja gayden (we) and make sure it retains the essence of what a ninja is and how it should feel when playing it,” Nakao also says through the translator. “In addition to this core Ninja Gaiden identity, it was a collaboration with another studio, so we wanted to inject Platinum Game into Ninja Gaiden’s (its) unique approach.
“We were able to use action games in a universal language,” adds hirayama.
On the horizon there are quite a few big triple A action games and combat-rich RPGs, and at first I thought Ninja Gaiden 4 was owned by them. After seeing it work I’m much more sure it can. Hopefully, like Nat, who recently previewed the Ninja Gaiden 4, I can quickly grab my hand to solidify that feeling.
