Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Nioh 3 shogun in plate armor helmet
Action RPGs 15 years after Dark Souls, Nioh 3 faced the exact same problem and "people felt that the game was a little bit easier"
Nioh 3 character holding shining jade medallion
Action RPGs "Nioh 3 is a great game but it's not perfect," devs say in refreshing show just weeks after the acclaimed RPG's release
Nier Automata director Yoko Taro
Action RPGs Nier creator Yoko Taro thinks the indie game dev scene is "too intimidating for me to even think of entering"
Up close shot of a character from Echoes of Aincrad
Action RPGs New Bandai Namco Sword Art Online action RPG is "not a Soulslike," dev says, but it's still "very easy to die"
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem is too scary for series veteran Hideki Kamiya, who argues Capcom "should make a 'non-scary' mode"
Weapons in Nioh 3
RPGs Best Nioh 3 weapons and tier list
Nioh 3 samurai deflects an arrow
Action Games Weeks after Nioh 3's release, developer Team Ninja is being split into 3 as Koei Tecmo confirms major restructure
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
RPGs Clair Obscur Expedition 33 lead "underestimated" the popularity of side content, leading to his one regret with the RPG
Lords of the Fallen 2 knight in thorned helmet
Action RPGs "I'm not slamming FromSoftware," says Lords of the Fallen 2 dev, but CI Games' RPG has "more drives to experiment"
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem's protagonists are so different, Capcom says "it’s almost like having 2 games"
Dark Souls: Remastered
Action RPGs FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki says games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls aren't "simply cranking up the difficulty"
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert is "not a Soulslike," Pearl Abyss says, but "does that mean the game's easy? Hell no"
Nioh 3 stone demon with red eyes
Action RPGs Nioh 3 hides game-changing settings deep in the options menu, and I'm begging you to try auto-loot and extra items
A pudgy cat stands on the player's arm in Nioh 3 and emits a warm glow, with a rickety wooden bridge in the background, cropped
Action RPGs Nioh 3 review: "Brutal clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this is all demon killer, no filler"
Key art for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy with Sophia standing in front of a labyrinth-style mural with a curved sword, with the GamesRadar+ Big in 2026 brand frame
Action Games Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy "changes almost everything" about the series – and its "more trained, more physical, more offensive" protagonist proves it
  1. Games
  2. Fighting
  3. Ninja Gaiden 3

Ninja Gaiden 3 will be 'more accessible'

News
By Matt Bradford published 25 January 2011

Studio head says next Ninja Gaiden will ease off on series' trademark difficulty level

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Let's be honest - the last two Ninja Gaiden games kicked our collective asses. You know this, we know this, and apparently Team Ninja knows this because according to its new boss, Yosuke Hayashi, the studio is planning to make the third game in the Ninja Gaiden series a little more fun, and alittle less punishing.

In aninterview with Eurogamer, Hayashi explained that Team Ninjaisfocused on making the nextNinja Gaideneven more thrilling than the last,butwith less of an emphasis onbrutally punishing gameplay.%26ldquo;That's just one of the elements. It's more like having excitement from fighting an exciting boss. That is what we needed."

Looking back at the previous entries (which were then guided by ex-company head Tomonobu Itagaki) Hayashialso noted that while the games' above-average challenge was a conscious choice, the studio is intent on makingthe next Ninja Gaiden entrya little more open to players outside of the 'die-hard' demographic.

You may like
  • Ninja Gaiden 4 screenshot with a GamesRadar best of 2025 overlay "It's not a Ninja Gaiden game without Ryu": How Ninja Gaiden 4 "continues the legacy" of an arcade classic
  • Nioh 3 samurai deflects an arrow Nioh 3 devs "never considered adding difficulty settings" to the notoriously brutal Soulslike games
  • Nioh 3 shogun in plate armor helmet 15 years after Dark Souls, Nioh 3 faced the exact same problem and "people felt that the game was a little bit easier"

Asked to clarify just how easier the next game will be, he added: "Not easy ... but it will enable more people to play. More accessible. We don't plan to have Ninja Gaiden 3 only for the really good, skilled people."

Ninja Gaiden III was first announced by Tecmo Koei behind closed doors at last year's Tokyo Game show, and is expected to surface at this year's E3.

Jan 24, 2011

[Source:Eurogamer]

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.



The 21 hardest Nintendo games ever
Abandon hope all ye that enter here...


Brutally tough and incredibly slick: a cut above

CATEGORIES
PlayStation Xbox Platforms
Matt Bradford
Social Links Navigation

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

Read more
Ninja Gaiden 4 screenshot with a GamesRadar best of 2025 overlay
"It's not a Ninja Gaiden game without Ryu": How Ninja Gaiden 4 "continues the legacy" of an arcade classic
 
 
Nioh 3 shogun in plate armor helmet
15 years after Dark Souls, Nioh 3 faced the exact same problem and "people felt that the game was a little bit easier"
 
 
Key art for Nioh 3, showing the hero standing on a rocky cliff outcrop with sword in hand surrounded by spider lilies, while looking ahead at a feudal Japan castle covered in a red energy from the sky, dark growths overtaking the nearby landscape, with the GamesRadar+ Big in 2026 branding frame
Nioh 3 is already locked in as my favorite Soulslike of 2026, feeling like Team Ninja's response to Elden Ring with its open exploration and intense yokai clashes
 
 
Nioh 3 character holding shining jade medallion
"Nioh 3 is a great game but it's not perfect," devs say in refreshing show just weeks after the acclaimed RPG's release
 
 
A pudgy cat stands on the player's arm in Nioh 3 and emits a warm glow, with a rickety wooden bridge in the background, cropped
Nioh 3 review: "Brutal clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this is all demon killer, no filler"
 
 
Two Nioh 3 warriors clash swords
Boss fights in Lies of P were so good they inspired Nioh 3's director to improve the bosses in his own Soulslike
 
 
Latest in Fighting
Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero and Kitana team up after figure skating duo's win to pull off a competition illegal move
 
 
Dragon Ball Age 1000 protagonist rushing toward the screen
Bandai Namco may have accidentally confirmed its mysterious new Dragon Ball game was actually Xenoverse 3 all along
 
 
Street Fighter 6 screenshot
Capcom tries and fails to make Street Fighter 6 fans pay $40 to watch a tournament, reduces pay-per-view price to $10
 
 
An image from Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls showing four heroes teaming up together.
4v4 fighter Marvel Tokon will reportedly only have 20 fighters at launch, and not everyone is happy
 
 
2XKO trailer still of Vi fighter reveal
Riot cuts 80 employees 3 weeks after League of Legends spinoff 2XKO celebrates launch
 
 
Teemo standing victoriously in 2XKO
I won my first 2XKO match using the power of rancid vibes, and it sold me on a game I didn't expect to care about
 
 
Latest in News
Steam logo from Valve
Valve says "more games are finding success" on Steam than ever, and nearly 6,000 made over $100,000 last year
 
 
Robert rides the elevator to work in Dispatch with his dog Beef, looking out of place surrounded by superheroes
Dispatch leads faced down publishers telling them single-player narrative games were "niche, or worse, dead"
 
 
Wonderer heads to the Spire in a screenshot from Slay the Spire 2's animated reveal trailer
Xbox lead thinks "we have been in a golden age for indies" since 2008, and it's "a fantastic time to be a developer" if you ignore all the smoke
 
 
Xbox - Future Owns
Xbox teases "some iconic games from the past" to be re-released in 2026 from its "game preservation team"
 
 
The cowboy cat from the desert in Mewgenics
Steam expert advises devs stick to the "Little League" section with friendslop before attempting anything like Mewgenics
 
 
Donkey Kong Bananza screenshot of Donkey Kong punching through the landscape with pieces of banana flying through the air
With Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo learned "it is more fun to destroy that which is beautiful"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Steam logo from Valve
    1
    Valve says "more games are finding success" on Steam than ever, and nearly 6,000 made over $100,000 last year
  2. 2
    Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man director explains how the Netflix movie differs from the show:
  3. 3
    Dispatch leads faced down publishers telling them single-player narrative games were "niche, or worse, dead"
  4. 4
    Xbox lead thinks "we have been in a golden age for indies" since 2008, and it's "a fantastic time to be a developer" if you ignore all the smoke
  5. 5
    The Future Games Show returns this week - here's how to watch

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...