Resurrecting a beloved gaming series like Ninja Gaiden is always a tricky proposition. Anyone who might have worked on the franchise in its heyday has likely moved on to other projects or left the industry entirely. But judging by the talent working on Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, the new series entry revealed at the Game Awards, I think it’s safe to say the franchise is in safe hands. That’s because Ragebound unites two companies who know a thing or two about making quality games.
The Game Kitchen — the Spanish studio behind Blasphemous and its excellent sequel, Blasphemous 2 — is developing the game, with Dotemu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Streets of Rage 4) on publishing duties.
Right away, you can see the influence of The Game Kitchen. The studio’s signature pixel art style looks gorgeous in the back half of the reveal trailer, and it looks like the game will reward tight, coordinated play from players. As for the story, it’s set during the events of the NES version of Ninja Gaiden and stars a new protagonist, Kenji Mozu. It’s up to him to save Hayabusa Village while Ryu is away in America.
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound will arrive in the summer of 2025 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.
