Summary
- Ever since Ninja Gaiden 4 was revealed, fans have worried that new protagonist Yakumo would take centre stage over Ryu.
- That is indeed going to be the case, as the game’s producer and director confirmed that Yakumo is playable more.
- Ryu will still get plenty of play time, however, and his moveset is said to be directly influenced by Ninja Gaiden 2.
Ninja Gaiden 4‘s producer and director, Yuji Nakao, has confirmed that players will take control of new protagonist Yakumo more than Ryu Hayabusa.
For more than a decade, Ninja Gaiden fans have been absolutely starving outside of the Master Collection re-release of the first three 3D games in the series. That sad fate finally changed last week with the reveal of the long-awaited fourth game in the series, Ninja Gaiden 4, and a remake of Ninja Gaiden 2.
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The reveal trailer for Ninja Gaiden 4 was very interesting, as it not only showcased a whole new style of gameplay that’s more in line with Platinum Games’ previous titles, but also revealed a new protagonist, Yakumo. Since the trailer focused so much on the new hero, some fans have been worried that he’ll take centre stage over Ryu.
Don’t Expect To Play As Ryu Too Much In Ninja Gaiden 4
Well, I’d love to say otherwise, but it turns out that that’s exactly the case. As pointed out by Redditor ImmaXehanort on the Ninja Gaiden subreddit, 4Gamer recently had the chance to speak to Ninja Gaiden 4’s producer and director Yuji Nakao about the new character. During the interview, Yakao is asked whether there will be an even split between Ryu and Yakumo.
In response, Yakao outright confirms that there will be “more Yakumo” during Ninja Gaiden 4, confirming that it’s not an even split and that the next game does indeed focus less on Ryu. Yakao also notes that the sections with Yakumo will act as an interpretation of the series in a “Platinum Games style”.
It’s not all bad news, though, as the interview confirms that players will be able to “fully experience” Ryu and his strength at certain points in the game, with Ninja Gaiden 2’s moveset being the base for how he controls in NG4. Here’s hoping that a chapter replay section lets us choose our character for second playthroughs.
There will be more Yakumo. However, Ryu is not pinpointed, and there is a volume that allows you to fully experience his character and strength. Ryu continues the feel of “2” as a base, and can fight using a variety of techniques such as Izuna Otoshi and Hien. – Yuji Nakao
For anyone else who’s a little cautious at the news that Yakumo will be featured more throughout Ninja Gaiden 4, cast your minds back to Devil May Cry 4 and how it introduced Nero. Controversial take here, but Nero went on to be an even more interesting protagonist than Dante, which will hopefully be the effect here as well.
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