Aside from players getting a new 2DNinja Gaiden, one of the most exciting parts ofNinja Gaiden: Ragebound’s reveal was learning that The Game Kitchen would be handling development. The Game Kitchen has steadily made a name for itself as an adept studio within the Metroidvania genre, thanks to bothBlasphemousand its sequel, and one of the many questions aboutNinja Gaiden: Rageboundwas whether the title would be a Metroidvania or a more traditional action platformer. WhileRageboundis more akin to the classicNinja Gaidengames on the NES, The Game Kitchen has learned plenty of lessons from its experience onBlasphemousthat it brings to the title.
Following a preview event where we got to go hands-on with an early build ofNinja Gaiden: Ragebound, we sat down with the game’s director and lead pixel artist to discuss how the title compares to The Game Kitchen’s work ontheBlasphemousseries, among other topics. Notably, the leaps made in the company’s art pipeline and design processes betweenBlasphemousandBlasphemous 2helpedNinja Gaiden: Rageboundbe a title that remains faithful to its old-school roots while still implementing modern touches, resulting in an action platformer that should feel right at home to fans of the classic 2DNinja Gaidengames, theBlasphemousseries, or both.
Why The Game Kitchen Opted to Make Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound a Traditional Action Platformer
The prospect of theBlasphemousdeveloper handlinga Metroidvania gamewithin theNinja Gaidenuniverse seems like a natural fit. According to director David Jaumandreu, the team realized early in the development process that a more traditional, level-based structure would be essential to honoring theNinja Gaidenseries' legacy. Speaking on the decision to makeNinja Gaiden: Ragebounda traditional action platformer versus a Metroidvania game likeBlasphemous, he notes:
“Taking the series back to its 2D roots, it was clear to us from the very beginning that a traditional stage-based structure made more sense than the Metroidvania style we explored in Blasphemous. The Ninja Gaiden series has always been defined by its incredibly fast-paced movement and combat, constantly pushing players forward, and we wanted to preserve that momentum. While our experience with Blasphemous certainly influenced aspects of level design, our goal was to capture the essence of the originals while modernizing them for today’s players.”
The slower, more methodical pace of theBlasphemousgames that applies to both its combat and progression would have potentially felt too slow for aNinja Gaidengame. Accordingly, combat is another area whereNinja Gaiden: Rageboundmarks a departure for The Game Kitchen from its work onBlasphemous, with Jaumandreu admitting that the switch from a weightier, more deliberate flow to something faster-paced was “definitely a challenge.” He elaborates:
“Adapting to a much faster, more immediate combat style required rethinking our approach, focusing on animation canceling and ensuring every player action had an instant, responsive feel. We went through multiple iterations of the character’s attack animations until we were fully satisfied with how the moves flowed together, creating a combat system that felt both fluid and impactful.”
While combat might feel much faster inNinja Gaiden: Ragebound, it retains the same fluid animations and vibrant pixel art thattheBlasphemousgamesare known for, definitively marking it as another project from The Game Kitchen.
