The past few years haven’t been a great time for Koei-Tecmo’s premier ninja Ryu Hayabusa.Dead Or Alive 6left fans cold with its monetization practices and bare-bones content. Meanwhile, his flagship series,Ninja Gaiden, got left in the lurch afterYaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, andNinja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, Team Ninja’s apology for the regularNG3’s lackluster gameplay.
Since then, Hayabusa’s usually been seen in playable cameos, like in theWarriors Orochiseries. But there are rumors flying around thatNinja Gaidenmay be receiving a reboot. Team Ninja have clarified that it’s not currently in the works. However, fans would be happy to see Hayabusa swing his Dragon Sword in style once again. If it was in the cards, a reboot would have to avoid these pitfalls to please the fans.
6Where’s The Blood?
The likes ofBayonetta,Devil May Cry, andMetal Gear Risingaren’t exactly trips to Disneyland. But compared to Team Ninja’sNinja Gaidengames, they may as well be Mickey Mouse games.Ninja Gaidenhad the gore of a classicGod of Wargame withDMC-esque intricate action. It was violent enough that its original releases in Europe and Japan had to be censored, removing the swift decapitations.
This might be whyNinja Gaiden 3toned it down significantly, turning out more T-rated than M. The gamesdon’t necessarily need bloodto succeed. However, removing a hallmark feature is always going to get some complaints. Part of the reasonRazor’s Edgewas more favored was because it brought back gore and dismemberment. A reboot will have to keep it bloody to some degree or another.
5Wonky Camera
Camera function in games is rarely commented on for how good it is. It’s one of those invisible features that’s only really noticeable when it’s bad. Not that the overlooking view of the classicGod of Wargames or the over-the-shoulder view of the newer ones are to everyone’s tastes. Still, they work because they fit within the level design.
BothNG3andRazor’s Edgefell short in this regard because the camera was much more awkward. It stuck too closely to Hayabusa, making the enemies harder to see, and making platforming much trickier than it needed to be. It’s a little basic to say, “make camera good,” but it’s something that requires just as much attention as the combat and level design.
4Same Old Moves
Dynasty Warriorsand similarMusougames aren’t exactly as complex asNinja Gaiden. However, one of the reasons they thrive is because of their variety. Their best entries see multitudes of characters use different weapons, different moves, and combos. Meanwhile, the less impressive ones reuse them across multiple characters. Still, that’s not to say a newNinja Gaidenneeds hundreds of playable characters to catch on. It just needs to spice up Hayabusa’s move list.
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Give him some new skills and weapons to unlock as he progresses through the game. It’s not the most revolutionary suggestion, butNG3did falter in this regard with a lacking set of skills compared to prior entries.Razor’s Edgefixed this by making the Scythe weapon available on the disc, alongside additional ninpo magic and an extra playable character in Ayane. Maybe a reboot could give the rest of Hayabusa’s harem, likeRachel or Momiji, some attention.
3Drag Out Fights
A newNinja Gaidengame could have the best move list in the world with the smoothest animations and most stylish combos. However, it wouldn’t matter if all the game’s mooks and bosses could be taken out with the same basic hits. The series was known for giving players a challenge,being harder than its rivalswhile on base difficulty. It was the hack n' slasher fan’s hack n' slasher, so to speak.
But again,NG3faltered here, because many of its encounters were somewhat uninspired. When it wasn’t providing near-endless goon rushes, it was reusing boss fights, all of whom fell to the same tactics as before. There wasn’t a need to mix it up beyond boredom or curiosity. Time isn’t always on the developer’s side in creating new encounters, but the final game ends up suffering if the enemies aren’t diverse or challenging.
2Ninja Gai-Dumb
Ninja Gaiden’s stories haven’t exactly beenBroken Sword, let alone Shakespeare. However, its dramatic elements have been a selling point since the series’ original NES games. They were some of the first games to use cutscenes to tell its story than relying on text boxes and gameplay. So, it has a pedigree to maintain. But not every story sticks with the player, at least not for the right reasons.
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Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, Spark Unlimited’s take on the series, gave players an edgy new protagonist coming back from the dead to seek revenge against Hayabusa. It’s a fine premise for a game. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t so grand. Yaiba was a foul-mouthed dullard surrounded by characters who would be more at home in adisappointingSaints Rowgame. ANinja Gaidenreboot would be better off sticking to the main series' martial arts movie-like tone than attempting comedy.
1Being Too Slavish to the First Two Games
This list has been rather harsh onNG3,because it was a rather notorious disappointment. That said,Ninja Gaiden 1and2are nearly 20 years old each now. They’ve received differentSigmaupdates, and have been packaged together in various collections, but have still received criticism. As fine as they are for fans who are used to their controls, they’re somewhat stiff and outdated compared to the latest games. Classics can only go on for so long until people want something new.
For example,Yooka-Layleedisappointed fans because it played too much like the N64 platformers it was trying to emulate. Ittook on their flawswithout enough modern conveniences to make up for them. So, if Team Ninja were to reboot the series, they could still look atNG1and2. However, they’d also have to look at every other hack n’slash game made sinceRazor’s Edgeto see what to adapt to, what to improve, and what to leave behind. Otherwise, it could risk being a throwback instead of providing a new direction for the series.
