Hi everyone, on behalf of The Game Kitchen, we’re thrilled to finally reveal the project we’ve worked on for the past two years, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. A collaboration with Dotemu, Koei Tecmo Games, and Team Ninja, into which we’re pouring our hearts and souls.
When Dotemu first approached the studio with the possibility of developing a new entry in this legendary saga, the news was received with incredible excitement. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that couldn’t be missed.
While creating the concept, we approached the franchise with a deep appreciation for its significance as a landmark in the action genre during two distinct eras: the late ’80s and the early 2000s. Both the classic 2D and modern 3D iterations stood out for their exceptional quality, offering tight gameplay, striking visuals, memorable music, and captivating storytelling.
The series has left a lasting impact on players and continues to inspire developers, including our team: a diverse group spanning generations who grew up with Ninja Gaiden. In this presentation post, we’d like to introduce two members of the Ragebound team and share how Ninja Gaiden’s legacy has shaped their work from unique perspectives.
Raúl Vivar, the lead animator of our project, is the talent behind bringing The Penitent One to life in Blasphemous I and II. As a child of the ’80s, Raúl grew up amidst the Western ninja craze and has been a passionate fan ever since. His first encounter with Ninja Gaiden was in the local arcades, where he was captivated by the detailed graphics and the vast array of moves Ryu could perform, making him feel like a true ninja warrior. When our project was announced, Raúl was so moved that he shed tears of joy.
When it came to defining the art style, Raúl explains that high-quality pixel art was the obvious choice, given the series’ roots and The Game Kitchen’s prior experience. However, capturing the perfect mood required thoughtful effort. Transitioning from the somber, baroque dark fantasy of Blasphemous to the vibrant, action-packed world of Ninja Gaiden called for a brighter aesthetic. This meant incorporating flashier colors and cleaner shapes inspired by the dynamic feel of ’90s anime. A key step in the process was studying the original game sprites and reimagining them in higher resolution, unrestricted by palette limitations, to achieve the ideal look.
Animating the playable character was also a challenging endeavor, as Raúl had to capture the fluidity and speed of a ninja with a level of detail, smoothness, and pixel art quality never seen before in the series’ 2D entries.
Oriol Tartarin, one of the game designers on the project, has been collaborating closely with Raúl to define the player’s actions and bring the characters to life. Oriol’s first encounter with Ninja Gaiden was on the PS3, watching his older cousin play. He was mesmerized by the feats of skill his cousin could perform with the controller, sparking his own desire to dive into the game. The relentless action and fluid combat that pushes players to move forward with a rhythm that feels like dancing through the stage became a foundational inspiration for crafting the gameplay in this new iteration.
Building on this inspiration, Oriol focused on designing a player experience that captures the classic Ninja Gaiden games’ fast-paced, hack-and-slash platforming action, while incorporating modern, sophisticated combat mechanics. The goal was to create a seamless flow where players could chain offensive moves and evasions without interruption, resulting in a dynamic, ninja-like spectacle. Moving effortlessly across the stage, whether on the ground, walls, or in the air was crucial to the design.
Combined with input predictability and immediate responsiveness, this freedom of movement allowed the team to create combat scenarios that keep players constantly in motion. The result is a dynamic design that rewards precision and momentum, ensuring a rhythm that constantly drives the action forward.
Both Raúl and Oriol agree that one of the greatest challenges during development has been animating the player while staying true to these design pillars. The difficulty lay in creating fluid and detailed pixel art animations that, on the one hand, faithfully depict the signature moves of a Hayabusa ninja while, on the other, responding instantly to the player’s intentions in every single frame.
This required considering all possible move cancellations and creating seamless transitions between actions, ensuring smooth combinations throughout every possible move. Achieving the right game feel has involved a lot of back-and-forth, adjusting animations, timings, and mechanics to strike the perfect balance between satisfying responsiveness and breathtaking spectacle.
Creating a new 2D installment in such a renowned saga is a beautiful and demanding challenge. However, with such a strong foundation to build on and a well-established team that shares a deep love for the series, this journey has been incredibly rewarding. We hope that fans feel as excited as we do to see the legacy of Ninja Gaiden live on in this new chapter.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will be available for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 in the Summer of 2025.
