Why blasphemous developers are the perfect choice

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the latest entry in a long-running series that has been running for 36 years. Koei Tecmo brought protagonist Ryu Hayabusa to arcades, Nintendo Entertainment System, original Xbox, Xbox 360, PC and more. Hayabusa is not only a star of his own franchise, but also a staple of both Dead or Alive and Orochi Warriors. The ninja's fast and precise action will be easily elevated by Blasphemous developers, The Game Kitchen.

Although many games have the Ninja Gaiden brand, continuity can be very complicated. The original arcade title was not intended to be a franchise and offers very little setup. Hayabusa should just be part of the cast of Dead or Alive. However, when the fighting game exploded, Koei Tecmo tried to reconcile the stories of the third and sixth generation titles. It is now up to each player to decide whether the publisher was successful.

Fast-paced action from arcade to consoles

Can the real Ryu Hayabusa stand up?

The first game to be named Ninja Gaiden was the 1988 arcade beat-em-up. You play as an unnamed ninja (or two, with a second player) hired by the United States government to rescue the president from Nostradamus' relatives. Most of the game's story takes place in the USA. To stand out from other arcade games, the ninja can perform various moves through buttons and movements, similar to fighting game franchises like street fighter.

The real highlights were the three NES titles, which gave Ninja Gaiden a more cohesive plot, and many consider them above reboot titles. Ninja clan leader Jo Hayabusa – renamed Ken in English – challenged a rival ninja in an open field, but died when the two warriors jumped on each other. This same scene is referenced in Furious trailerindicating that the events are important.

Jo's son, Ryu Hayabusa, seeks to avenge his father's death. Through his search he meets CIA agents Foster and Irene Lew, who led him to the murderer, Bloody Malth and, in turn, to his master, Jaquio. Jaquio's death sets Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos. Another dark lord, Ashtar, believes that Hayabusa is the only obstacle in his path to world domination. Ashtar kidnaps Irene and challenges Hayabusa to fight him. After killing Ashtar and reviving Jaquio, Ryu and Irene begin a new life as a couple.

The original planned final title was Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom. Promote schemes with a man named Clancy. The two want to take control of an interdimensional rift and harness its power. They manipulate Hayabusa, but Irene comes to his rescue and allows the ninja to defeat them. Outside of some ports, Ninja Gaiden it was practically finished.

However, one of the games' main programmers was Tomonobu Itagaki. When developing the first Dead or Alivehe decided to include Hayabusa as an Easter egg. Dead or Alive was praised for its fighting mechanics, but was also criticized for its excessive sexualization of characters such as Kasumi and Tina Armstrong. But with success Dead or Alive 2Microsoft and Tecmo have been on board for a Ninja Gaiden revival on Xbox.

The 2004 Ninja Gaiden reboot was originally intended to be a new continuity, featuring more blood and links to Dead or Aliveincluding special appearances by ninja Ayane. But, Ninja Gaiden 2 It has a small reference to NES games. The secret agent, Sonia, is just an alias for Irene Lew and that she will cross paths with Ryu again. Eventually, a shared timeline was made showing that the NES games take place after all Ninja Gaiden 2004 and Dead or Alive games.

The future with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

A new series or a unique game?

The announcement of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound It wasn't too shocking. It was revealed months ago that a new Ninja Gaiden the title was in the works. But the big news was the choice of the developer, The Game Kitchen, famous for its beautiful soulslike Blasphemous and its sequels. This implies that the action will be very tight, filled with challenging boss fights and lots of secrets.

The main question is whether The Game Kitchen will follow the same continuity or bring new ideas. In the trailer revealed at The Game Awards, there is a depiction of the duel between Jo and Bloody Malth, although neither combatant dies visibly. Ryu still uses his iconic design from the 2004 series, but he doesn't take the field alone. Instead of, he appears to be the mentor of a new hero, Kenji Mozu.

Will players only control Kenji throughout the adventure? Hopefully, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound includes a means of unlocking Ryu Hayabusa with a unique and powerful moveset. Blasphemous had a variety of skins, so giving Kenji the appearance of Ryu or Jo might be enough.

Everything we know about Ragebound

Ryu Hayabusa is busy, meet Kenji Mozu

In addition to the trailer, a statement from the publisher Dotemuwebsite about Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Clarifies that Ryu Hayabusa is currently visiting the United States to fulfill Jo's will. During his absence, demons begin to invade Hayabusa Village. Kenji Mozu, a student of Ryu, is the first to take up arms and fight the demonic hordes.

According to the publisher, The Game Kitchen wants the best of both worlds. The NES games were self-contained levels, but Furious it could be a more open world with fast travel. Platforms and powers should be important, while there are deadly boss fights with spectacular moves. From the gameplay footage, the game also appears to be on the right track.

In the first shot, Kenji effortlessly cuts through two red demons, along with a kill meter visible in the upper right corner. In the next scene, Kenji dodges a shuriken launcher, slashing at a different enemy above and then attacking the first attacker. Then, Kenji deflects a projectile and attacks his attacker. Afterwards, Kenji uses his attacks to launch himself towards a suspension bridge above. In the fifth scene, Kenji is completely surrounded, but dances around his enemies to kill 13 people.

The trailer features many other examples of action and platforms. One of the main things to note is the amount of enemies that dress similarly to Bloody Malth and other enemies from the past. Ninja Gaiden titles. The final scene ends with Kenji facing a large monster, which sets off the intense confrontation found in Blasphemous. Hopefully more footage from the battle royale will be released.

Source: Dotemu/YouTube, Dotemu