‘Ninja Gaiden 4’ Director Thinks “Games Are Trending Toward Being Easier To Play”, Promises Team Ninja Sequel “Goes In The Complete Opposite Direction”
According to director Yuji Nakao, though the medium has largely turned its back on the idea of ‘difficulty’ or ‘challenge’, Team Ninja’s upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4 will buck this trend and instead remain dedicated to its player-punishing roots.
Nakao, who serves in his role on behalf of co-developer PlatinumGames, shared his intent to keep players on their toes while providing a hands-on preview of the game to Xbox Wire Japan Editor Sebastian Yamaguchi.
Following a brief run-down of deuteragonist Yakumo’s Bloodraven ‘super form’, the director pointed out how its activation by the player will lead the game to respond with a spike in difficulty, in doing so playfully explaining, “When PlatinumGames speaks to Team Ninja about this next Ninja Gaiden, we often joke that ‘We’ve made something that really doesn’t feel like a modern game—it’s just too hard.’ These days, games are trending toward being easier to play, but Ninja Gaiden 4 goes in the complete opposite direction. So don’t lose heart!”
To this same end, Nakao would explain to Yamaguchi in a follow-up interview that although he is aware of the current trends in gaming, especially in terms of the industry’s penchant for Souls-likes, he personally had no interest in denying the Ninja Gaiden franchise’s core identity.
Asked about his hopes regarding the potential impact the sequel “might have on the future of Ninja Gaiden and the gaming industry as a whole?”, the director asserted, “Speaking from a somewhat personal perspective, I grew up during the golden age of 3D slash-action games. For people of my generation, it feels like the types of games we grew up playing have become a lot less common in recent years. Instead, we’ve seen the rise of Souls-like games, which have certainly become very popular.”
“Of course, I’ve played and enjoyed many Souls-like games myself,” he continued. “But at the same time, I also think there’s some truth to the belief that ‘classic 3D slash-actions’, have been harder to find lately. Maybe it’s just my own wishful thinking, but I can’t help but feel that a lot of action game fans are starting to crave that experience again. Isn’t it about time we all dove back in? [Laughs]”
Drawing his answer to a close, Nakao opined, “I really feel like Ninja Gaiden 4 has turned out to be the kind of game that could strike a chord with those fans of the genre.”
“If it could carve out its place in the history of modern slash-action, and as a new benchmark for the genre, I’d be thrilled,” he ultimately declared. “And if Ninja Gaiden 4 could serve as a spark that reignites excitement around slash-action games, then that would be even better.”
Notably, this is not the first time Nakao has made such assurances regarding the difficulty players would face in navigating Yakumo and Ryu’s upcoming team-up.
Asked about the topic during a post-announcement interview given to Japanese video game news outlet Game-Watch, the director revealed, “Rather than providing relief for beginners, we have included options and accessibility features that make the game easier to play and understand.”
“Also, there are difficulty settings,” he added. “We have prepared a number of difficulty levels so that players can enjoy the game in an exhilarating way. However, I believe that the most important aspect of Ninja Gaiden is the tingling battle, so I have tried to keep that in mind and aim to make the game customizable so that even beginners can enjoy the tingling feeling while playing.”
Barring any unforeseen delays, Ninja Gaiden 4 is currently set to burst forth from the shadows on October 21st for the Xbox Series X|S and PC (via Xbox on PC) platforms.
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