The team behind stellar Metroidvania Blasphemous is making the first 2D Ninja Gaiden game in 29 years

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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is due out summer 2025

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
(Image credit: Dotemu)

The first new Ninja Gaiden game in a decade - and the first 2D entry in the series since 1995 - was announced at The Game Awards 2024. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is in development at the studio behind the incredible Metroidvania Blasphemous to boot.

Take a look at the trailer below, which showcases a lovely anime intro before getting into some incredible-looking 2D action. The pixel art is absolutely sublime, and the action looks fantastic too - which you'd expect from a studio with this pedigree.

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Notably, this looks like a blend of the 2D platforming of the original NES Ninja Gaiden titles and the combo-driven character action of the post-Xbox series. In fact, that's exactly the intention, as the devs say this game "unites the classic lore and gameplay" of the 8-bit games with "the depth and intensity of the modern 3D entries. The best of both eras come together to create an epic and thrilling adventure."

This is the first new 2D entry since the (questionable) Ninja Gaiden Trilogy on SNES in 1995, and the first new series entry of any type since the (equally questionable) Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z in 2014. This series has been dormant for a long, long time, but it's tough to imagine a more perfect comeback than this. Blasphemous ranks among the best Metroidvania games, and The Game Kitchen has exactly the pedigree you'd want for a new Ninja Gaiden.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is due to hit PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, and PC in summer 2025.

Ninja Gaiden Black still ranks among the best original Xbox games ever made.

Dustin Bailey
Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.