Hi all, on behalf of The Game Kitchen, we’re thrilled to finally disclose the task we’ve worked on for the past two years, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. A partnership with Dotemu, Koei Tecmo Games, and Team Ninja, into which we’re pouring our hearts and souls.
When Dotemu first approached the workshop about the possibility of creating a new chapter in this famous story, the media was met with a lot of excitement. It was a once-in-a-lifetime option that couldn’t be missed.
We approached the company with a deep respect for its importance as a monument in the actions genre during two different eras: the late 1980s and the early 2000s when developing the concept. Both the traditional 2D and current 3D iterations stood out for their excellent quality, offering small game, striking visuals, wonderful music, and captivating storytelling.
Our team, a diverse group of people who grew up with Ninja Gaiden, is one of the series ‘ lasting effects on people and continues to inspire engineers. We want to create two Ragebound team members in this presentation post and discuss how their work has been influenced by Ninja Gaiden’s legacy from various perspectives.
The Penitent One’s vision came to life in Blasphemous I and II thanks to Ral Vivar, the project’s lead artist. Ral was a kid of the 1980s and has always been a devoted lover of the American ninja craze. His first meeting with Ninja Gaiden was in one of the neighborhood galleries, where he was captivated by the intricate design and extensive range of movements Ryu may execute, giving him a real hero warrior vibe. When our task was announced, Raúl was but moved that he shed tears of joy.
When it came to defining the craft design, Raúl explains that high-quality image skill was the obvious alternative, given the line ‘ roots and The Game Kitchen’s prior knowledge. But, capturing the perfect mood necessary intelligent work. Transitioning from the melancholy, classical dark story of Blasphemous to the lively, action-packed world of Ninja Gaiden called for a better cosmetic. This meant incorporating more vibrant colors and cleaner designs, which were inspired by the 90s anime’s energetic feel. Studying the classic activity sprites and reimagining them in higher resolution, unrestrained by color limitations, was a crucial step in the process in order to achieve the desired look.
Rael had to create the flexibility and velocity of a warrior with unprecedented detail, smoothness, and pixel artwork in the series ‘ 2D entries, making the animation of the accessible character challenging.
Oriol Tartarin, one of the game developers on the job, has been collaborating attentively with Raúl to establish the person’s behavior and bring the characters to life. Ninja Gaiden and Oriol initially met on the PS3 after watching his older cousin enjoy. He became enthralled by the feats of expertise that his niece could do with the controller, which gave him the motivation to get even more into the game. The players ‘ relentless actions and fluid combat that encourages them to advance with a rhythm that resembles dancing through the stage served as the driving force behind the development of the game in this fresh generation.
Building on this enthusiasm, Oriol focused on designing a person experience that captures the traditional Ninja Gaiden games ‘ fast-paced, hack-and-slash platforming action, while incorporating present, advanced 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.
This freedom of movement combined with input predictability and immediate response made it possible for the team to create combat scenarios that kept the players moving at all times. The end result is a creative design that rewards precision and momentum, creating a rhythm that keeps the action moving forward.
Both Raal and Oriol both concur that animating the player while maintaining these design pillars has been one of the biggest challenges in development. The challenge was in producing pixel art animations that, on the one hand, accurately captured the Hayabusa ninja’s signature moves while, on the other hand, responded immediately to the player’s intentions in every frame.
This required taking into account all potential move cancellations, making sure there were no mistakes made, and making sure there were no mistakes made in every 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.
It is a beautiful and difficult task to create a new 2D installment in such a renowned saga. However, this journey has been incredibly rewarding because it has such a solid foundation on which to build and a well-established team that has a deep love for the series. We hope that this new chapter’s fans will be as enthralled as we are by seeing Ninja Gaiden’s legacy continue.
In the summer of 2025, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will be available for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.