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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Saqib Shah

Ninja Gaiden 4 gets surprise reveal at Xbox Developer Direct as Ninja Gaiden 2 Black drops on Game Pass

Ninja Gaiden 4 is coming following a 13-year wait for a new major entry in the action franchise - (Team Ninja)

Ninja Gaiden fans, brace yourselves. A brand new mainline entry in the long-running Japanese hack-and-slash action series is officially in the works.

In the lead-up to Thursday’s Xbox Developer Direct, Microsoft had teased the appearance of a surprise game at the gaming showcase.

Ninja Gaiden 4 was that game. It’s coming this autumn following a grueling 13-year hiatus. To put that in perspective, two Xbox console generations have passed without a major Ninja Gaiden game.

Well, the drought is well and truly over. In fact, to mark developer Team Ninja’s 30th anniversary, the studio is opening the floodgates.

Alongside Ninja Gaiden 4, Microsoft also shadow-dropped Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remaster of the 2008 game, on Game Pass.

Not only has it been given a glow-up using Unreal Engine 5, but it also plays like a mix between the sequel and the enhanced PS3 version, Sigma 2. So, expect plenty of gory combat that allows you to literally dismember enemies.

Also, there’s the previously announced Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a throwback side-scroller that arrives this summer.

Despite building its name as an unapologetically challenging arcade platformer, it was Ninja Gaiden’s 3D reboot that redefined the franchise.

Adding a dash of Devil May Cry’s heavily stylised action while retaining the series’ hallmark difficulty, the 2004 game paved the way for what we now think of as the Soulslike genre. Its fingerprints are all over Team Ninja’s Nioh.

Enter Ninja Gaiden 4, which blends familiar gameplay with fresh twists. Set years after the poorly received Ninja Gaiden 3 in a brand-new, cyberpunk-inspired world, the story unfolds in a futuristic Tokyo thrown into chaos by a supernatural entity called the Dark Dragon.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is set in a cyberpunk Tokyo (Team Ninja)

With co-developer PlatinumGames also in the mix, players can look forward to its irresistibly over-the-top flair combined with lightning-fast, fluid combat. However, scraps with certain enemies will still feel like one-on-ones, forcing you to land precision blows like you would in a traditional fighting game.

A new protagonist named Yakumo brings a fresh fighting style with his Bloodraven Form, allowing him to unleash a powerful 'Bloodbath Kill' that slices enemies in a single strike. While past games challenged players to strategise against multiple foes, Ninja Gaiden 4 introduces large-scale, high-damage attacks to help turn the tide in intense battles.

Furthermore, there are new ways to get around, including wall jumps, rail grinding, wire-based combat and movement.

Long-time fans will be happy to learn that the series’ original hero, Ryu Hayabusa, plays a pivotal role, appearing as both a challenge and a key milestone in Yakumo's journey. All told, Ninja Gaiden sounds like it has the right ingredients for a legacy sequel.

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