The devs behind Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound have released a lengthy gameplay commentary video highlighting one of the game's early levels and explaining some of its mechanics. Being made by The Game Kitchen, the studio behind the grim 2D action series Blasphemous, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a retro-style action game in a similar vein. Ragebound is looking to bring the popular action franchise back to its 2D sidescrolling roots, as the series has been primarily known for its 3D action ever since the 2004 Ninja Gaiden reboot.
2025 has been officially declared as Koei Tecmo's "Year of the Ninja" thanks to the release of three separate Ninja Gaiden titles. It started in January during Xbox's third annual Developer Direct presentation, where Team Ninja shadow-dropped Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remaster of the original 2008 game. It was at the same presentation that Koei Tecmo unveiled a new mainline entry in the franchise, Ninja Gaiden 4, which is being co-developed by Team Ninja and fellow expert action studio PlatinumGames. Ninja Gaiden 4 is set for release on October 21 and will be the third Ninja Gaiden game released in 2025, following Ragebound's release later this month.
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PostsWith Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound mere weeks away, The Game Kitchen has released a new 14-minute gameplay video on YouTube complete with commentary from the game's director, David Jaumandreu, level designer, Miguel Murat, and game designer, Oriol Tartarin. The video is centered around an early-game level that takes place in a demon-infested construction site, where the developers show off the game's shop and some of the types of items players will be able to purchase, like Talismans that apply buffs or Secret Arts that let players wield powerful attacks. The Game Kitchen also confirmed that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will offer a hard mode that alters parts of the level design by way of adding more environmental hazards like spikes instead of simply buffing enemy health pools.
The Game Kitchen and Dotemu Show Off More Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Gameplay
One moment in the new footage has stood out to many potential players. About midway through, an especially powerful boss demon appears in the background of the level and lets off deadly screen-spanning energy blasts every few seconds. Here, the player in the video traverses the section, dealing with enemies per usual, but making sure to get to cover before the next blast. This is a classic 2D action game mechanic that will surely add a bit more urgency to an already fast-paced combat experience. The video concludes with the full end-of-level boss fight with that same demon. The boss' health bar takes a lot of hits, so the prioritization seems to be avoiding damage and getting blows in wherever possible. The developers also mentioned level challenges, with one example being defeating the boss without taking any damage.
CloseNinja Gaiden: Ragebound will hit shelves on the very last day of the month, July 31. Fans of such 2D action games should also keep an eye on Sega's Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, which seems primed to give Ragebound some fun competition this summer, as it will release about a month later, on August 29.
