Ninja Gaiden 4 marks the return of one of the most satisfying (and boundlessly difficult) genres in gaming, and does it with flying colors all around. Not only is it a gleeful return to form for the venerable action series, but the game also serves as a coming-of-age entry for the Ninja Gaiden formula, bringing several major adjustments that result in the combat system being more accessible to newcomers without losing any of it’s depth.
And in a recent developer blog, Ishikawa, the lead game designer who has worked alongside Director Nakao to oversee the gameplay in Ninja Gaiden 4, breaks down several gameplay elements such as the aggressive enemy behavior which is a staple element of the series plus multiple boss encounters which also double up as extended tutorials for the combat system. The post also offers deeper insights behind many gameplay elements in Ninja Gaiden 4 and how the developers have sought for the right balance which would make the combat feel encouraging and not overly punishing, though it is quite unforgiving in many areas.
“Firstly, when creating the enemies for NINJA GAIDEN 4, our core principle was: “Make enemies for the NINJA GAIDEN series, not just any other action game.” I believe that enemies in the NINJA GAIDEN series lack mercy or compassion to a satisfying degree. To properly carry this signature NINJA GAIDEN feel over to the enemies in this game, we made sure they didn’t spend much time standing around. Attacks from off-screen are as relentless and unforgiving as ever, whether on the ground or in the air. After all, it’s a fight to death with the player, so of course enemies would go for the kill, even if they’re not visible on-screen.”
Overall, if you’re currently playing Ninja Gaiden 4 or are a longtime fan of the series, you’ll definitely enjoy reading the developer blog post which goes in detail on the philosophy behind it’s enemy design as well as boss battles. Plus, there’s also some highly useful tips for battling several enemies which will surely be helpful if you’re currently having trouble with the game.
