Ninja Gaiden sneaks back onto screens with the announcement of Ragebound

thesixthaxis.com:

Well, if you wanted to get The Game Awards off to an exciting start, they managed it. That is, if you’re of a certain age that’s going to get excited about the return of one of the most iconic action series of all time – Ninja Gaiden! The all-new 2D action title is called Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, and is being produced by developer The Game Kitchen with DotEmu on publisher duties.

For anyone that’s into 2D reimaginings, that’s exciting news in and of itself, since they’re the publishers behind the stellar Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge. Meanwhile The Game Kitchen have most recently been working on the Blasphemous games, placing them perfectly for some tough but fair 2D combat.

Based on the short trailer we were all privy to, it looks like they’re staying pretty close to the original 2D art style, rather than opting for hi-res imagery, and that Ninja Gaiden star Ryu Hayabusa will return in some way. However, through the trailer he wasn’t the central character. That seemd to fall, just like the original game, to a nameless blue-clad ninja. Perhaps in Ragebound he will get a name, and his own tragic backstory to rival Ryu’s. Won’t that be nice?

Based on the trailer, there’s plenty of 2D action to indulge in, mixing brutal combat, seemingly heavy on the parries, alongside leaping, spinning, jumping and thwipping around the levels as you navigate the different areas. Modern gamers may remember the most recent 3D Ninja Gaiden games that were remastered recently, while those of us of a certain age will remember the 8-bit heyday of the very first entries in the series.

Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is due for release Summer 2025 – stayed tuned to TheSixthAxis for more on this and everything else from The Game Awards!