Ninja Gaiden 4 Developers to Fix Boss-Fight Flaws from Previous Entries

Unlike the series’ core combat—where players face waves of ordinary foes—some boss encounters in earlier games felt like stubborn “walls” you had to bash through to move on. Ninja Gaiden 4 producer Fumihiko Yasuda says the sequel will offer far more engaging boss fights that address those past shortcomings.

In an interview, Yasuda remarked that Ninja Gaiden 4 has a tone similar to Ninja Gaiden 2. That likeness stems from Yuji Nakao of PlatinumGames—the game’s director and producer—being a big fan of the 2008 hack-and-slash entry.

Although previous installments delivered satisfying combat flow against standard enemies, boss battles were not as popular. Yasuda acknowledges this was partly due to Team Ninja’s missteps and adds that fans often seem to prefer fighting regular foes over bosses.

Based on those observations, Team Ninja asked PlatinumGames to increase the number of ordinary enemies during on-rails sections. Yasuda says this change helped restore the feel of a classic series entry.

As for bosses, Yasuda assures that those fights will be “much more interesting than in past games.” The team carefully debated each encounter—including difficulty—and ultimately found a balance between fun and challenge for players of all skill levels.

Ninja Gaiden 4 launches on October 21 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Source: iXBT.games