At the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct,Ninja Gaidenfans everywhere were surprised by the sudden release ofNinja Gaiden 2 Black, and the announcement ofNinja Gaiden 4. WithNinja Gaiden: Rageboundannounced at The Game Awards a month prior, Koei Tecmo’s high-speed action franchise is back in a way it hasn’t been since the 2000s. Players are already enjoying the upgradesNinja Gaiden 2 Blackoffers over the remastered 2021Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, even if neither matches the chaos of the originalNinja Gaiden 2. Meanwhile, anticipation builds asNinja Gaiden 4andRagebound’s launches approach later in the year.
There are more reasons to be excited about these new installments than the obvious one ofNinja Gaidenreturning. External publishers and developers are heavily involved with these games, and many trusted names are among them.DotEmu is publishingNinja Gaiden: Rageboundin association with Koei Tecmo, but of greater note is The Game Kitchen, creators of the acclaimed 2D metroidvania franchiseBlasphemous, makingRagebounditself. Similarly, Xbox Game Studios is publishingNinja Gaiden 4, but it’s also being developed by the surprising duo of Team Ninja and Platinum Games, whose trademark style is as visible as ever.
Platinum’s Touch Is A Tangible Part of Ninja Gaiden 4
While at first glanceNinja Gaiden 4may look like any other installment made by Team Ninja, the hallmarks of a Platinum Games project are all over the reveal trailer and additional footage. Besides most of Platinum Games’ catalog already sharing the stylish action genre withNinja Gaiden,Ninja Gaiden 4particularly strikes a Platinum vibe. Aspects ofPlatinum Games classics like theBayonettatrilogy,Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,NieR: Automata, andAstral Chaincan be felt in small visual and tactile moments, and even the concept of a Platinum Games title being published by Xbox ironically recalls the canceledScalebound.
Interesting Traversal In Ninja Gaiden 4 Recalls Platinum Games' Approach
In general,Ninja Gaiden 4’s encounters look to be broken up in line with a Platinum title’s progression, complete with interludes highlighting the protagonists’ fantastical ninja reflexes.Ninja Gaidenhas had traversal and setpiece segments before, but Platinum Games’ touch is keenly felt inNinja Gaiden 4’s mobility-focused sections, seeing Yakumo and Ryu Hayabusa sliding down inclines, grinding on rails, and running on parallel walls. Transitory gameplay segments like the ones focused on Ninja Run inMetal Gear Risinglook to fill outNinja Gaiden 4’s runtime, and there couldn’t be a better franchise to host them.
Ninja Gaiden 4’s Yakumo Represents Platinum’s Contributions
Most Of Platinum Games’ New Ideas Seem Funneled Into NG4’s New Hero
That’s especially true on Yakumo’s side.Ninja Gaiden 4’s two protagonistsseem to represent the two development teams working on this game, with Team Ninja’s classic, deliberate gameplay surrounding Ryu Hayabusa, while Yakumo embodies Platinum’s more slick and breezy approach. It’s too early to say how deep this divide goes, especially since there is overlap in Yakumo and Ryu’s gameplay, but even looking at the natural, classic Xbox backdrops around Ryu and theAstral Chain-adjacent cyberpunk city Yakumo fights through is enough to confirm it’s there. WithBayonetta 3-like enemies also populating Yakumo’s scenes while Ryu mostly fights demons, there’s no telling how far this dichotomy goes.
Yakumo is a repository of Platinum Games-isms, even as they’re updated to stay consistent withNinja Gaiden. He has access to mobility options in combat that feel more in line with Ayane or a Platinum protagonist than Ryu, while also possessing massive Bloodraven Form attacks that could belikened toBayonetta’s Wicked Weaves. Nue Form executions take a visual cue fromMGR’s Zandatsu, and, perhaps most notably, Yakumo inherits both a wire-based grappling hook and the newcomer protagonist role fromBayonetta 3’s Viola. It’s no surprise that Platinum Games has left its mark onNinja Gaiden 4, but it will be interesting to see just how well it and Team Ninja’s styles mix.
