Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound led a new kind of retro revival wave at The Game Awards
As the first announcement of The Game Awards 2024 Opening Act, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound kicked off a retro revival trend that permeated throughout Geoff Keighley’s gaming event.
In the hours following Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s reveal, new games in series like Pac-Man, Virtua Fighter, Screamer, Onimusha, Turok, Okami, and Double Dragon games were announced. Some were radical reimaginings, like Shadow Labyrinth turning Pac-Man into a gritty action platformer, and the new Screamer game giving the cult classic 3D racer a new anime-inspired aesthetic. Others, like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, look like modern takes on a formula that was perfected in the 8-bit era.
Recommended Videos“When we began developing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, we set out to answer a key question: what made the original series so timeless?” director and producer David Jaumandreu told Digital Trends following its announcement at The Game Awards.
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Identifying an answer to that question and respecting it is important for any throwback title that’s attempting to reinvent a classic gameplay formula. The developers of games like Screamer and Shadow Labyrinth have indicated to Digital Trends that they’ve found those answers. While retro reimaginings are riskier creative endeavors than remakes, more companies and fans of retro franchises are beginning to see that opportunity more appealing.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound | Reveal trailer | Coming Summer 2025Why reinvent what works?
A remake or remaster has the benefit of already having people buy into the game concept. The
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