Ninja Gaiden 3
Ninja Gaiden 3 is the first main entry in the modern Ninja Gaiden series not to be produced by former Team Ninja head Tomonobu Itagaki. NG3 features new game mechanics, a focus on consequence and 8-player online modes.
Overview
Ninja Gaiden 3 is the third main entry in Team Ninja's revival of the Ninja Gaiden (Franchise) franchise. Unlike the previous console entries, which saw release exclusively on the Xbox (Platform) and Xbox 360 (Platform) (and contractually remain exclusive to Microsoft to this day) part 3 was released simultaneously on both the Xbox 360 and PS3. It is the first Ninja Gaiden title developed from the ground up by Yosuke Hayashi (Person). Hayashi previously oversaw Ninja Gaiden Sigma (Game) and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (Game), which were widely criticized Sony ports of Xbox exclusives Ninja Gaiden Black (Game) and Ninja Gaiden II (Game) to get around contractual agreements and satisfy Keoi-Tecmo's desire to make it a multiplatform franchise, potentially reaching a wider audience.
Hayashi was unsure about where to take the narrative after nearly all Team Ninja members left the company by this point, including the director of the first two games, Hiroaki Matsui (Person). So Hayashi reached out to Masato Kato (Person), who created the groundbreaking mythology for the original Famicom trilogy of 2D Ninja Gaiden games. As a result Ninja Gaiden 3 has a much more thoughtful story, with a large focus on consequence, questioning what it feels like to kill so many real, living human enemies. Due to the series' notoriety for being very difficult, an easy mode called Hero Mode will be added. Due to NG3 being much more story focused than previous entries, Team Ninja added this mode for less-skilled players to experience the story for themselves. The game still features higher difficulty options, however.
Due to the overwhelmingly negative response to the game, a special upgraded version of the game, subtitled "Razor's Edge," was eventually released for the Wii U, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 and features major gameplay tweaks and online co-op.
Gameplay
Ninja Gaiden 3 was marketed to show that it has PlayStation Move (Accessory) support. Once again in Ninja Gaiden 3 players take the role of superstar ninja Ryu Hayabusa (Character) equipped with the legendary Dragon Sword (Object). The game is similar to previous entries in the modern reboot where he defeats enemies using various ninja weapons, where defense is a big focus in staying alive. Ninja Gaiden 3 focuses heavily on the Katana, while weapons from past Ninja Gaiden games will be made available as DLC.
Team Ninja have decided to change up the Ninja Gaiden formula with Ninja Gaiden 3. Quick Time Events make their Ninja Gaiden debut. The game seems heavily QTE focused, where QTEs appear to be used for climbing, dodging and disposing of enemies. The feel of cutting through an enemy has also been more intensified. The methods for disposing enemies by using QTEs have been labeled as "Steel-on-Bone" segments. There are also cinematic QTEs for defeating bosses ala God of War (Franchise). These on-screen button prompts will disappear over progress in the game.
Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi (Person) said during an E3 demo that they wanted the player to feel what it was like to cut through someone, and how it felt to perform this action. He also said that the decision for things such as using Kunai knives to climb walls was to make the player feel more immersed in the game.
Save points are no longer glowing statues, but a falcon will come from the sky and land on Ryu's arm to signify a save point, as well as replenishing his health bar. This decision was also made to add immersion to the game. Ultimate Techniques return, but how they are triggered has been changed in Ninja Gaiden 3. When Ryu's infected arm glows during battle, the player can trigger an ultimate technique that brutally slays any enemy in it's path.
For the first time in the series, there are stealth segments in Ninja Gaiden 3. There will be select moments where Hayabusa is supposed to sneak up on an enemy to perform an assassination-style execution on an enemy.
Hayashi has also announced the addition of an optional "Hero Mode" for players who find the normal game too hard. In Hero Mode, Ryu can never truly die, as he will automatically guard or evade all incoming attacks without the user even pressing the button whenever his health drops below 30% of the maximum life gauge.
Ninja Gaiden 3 also has mercy segments, where the player will decide whether to spare unarmed, surrendering enemies or not.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer makes its return from Sigma 2 in NG3. At TGS2011, it was revealed that Ninja Gaiden 3 will have an online component, which will have online 8-player multiplayer modes. So far, two multiplayer modes have been revealed. Clan Battle, which is Team Deathmatch and Battle Royale which is free-for-all. During battles, it is possible for the game mode to suddenly switch to surprise players. In addition to this, there will be "ninja trials" which are cooperative modes which can be played by 3 players.
Gameplay mechanics will be roughly the same as they are in single player. Players will be able to engage in the "steel-on-bone" finishing mechanics, however the player being attacked will be able to defend themselves from the attack. Stealth aspects such as your character turning invisible in order to get one hit kills. Ninpo (magic) is possible to pull off by filling up a gauge during battle. Ultimate Techniques from previous games will also be possible to use on your opponents. Ranged attacks, combos as well as commiting harakiri (suicide) will be apart in the online world of Ninja Gaiden 3.
Player progression is present in Ninja Gaiden 3, offering players to increase their skill, unlocking new moves, carrying more arrows, etc. New combos and abilities with weapons will be unlocked as well. Shadow Contracts are essentially challenge, where the player must complete a contract under certain conditions (kill someone with ninpo, 5 ranged kills, etc.) for a bonus.
There will be ninja customization. Players will be able to select basic options like their outfit colors, headgear, armor and kanji to represent themselves. There are over 2000 kanji to be selected.
Three multiplayer maps have been confirmed to be in the final version of Ninja Gaiden 3, with possible DLC maps in the future. These maps will have plenty of opperunties for players to climb on rooftops, hide in the shadows, and perform all sorts of rad ninja maneuvers.
In addition to competitive multiplayer, Ninja Gaiden 3 also features co-operative trial modes for both offline and online gameplay. Similar to the trials / missions in previous entries, the co-operative mode in Ninja Gaiden 3 includes missions such as defeating spontaneous waves of enemies until all enemies are defeated.
Story
The Regent of the Mask
Masato Kato (Person), the writer for the original Ninja Gaiden (Franchise) trilogy on the NES was asked to return after being away from the series for 22 years. They do not bring back Ryu's original blue and red fabric costume however, continuing present him in the modernized black wetsuit. Naturally this sort brings about a strange tonal contradiction.
The story stars Ryu Hayabusa as usual, the super ninja who runs an antique shop by day. When terrorists strike Great Britain and hold the Prime Minister hostage, Ryu is asked to come to his aid. After fighting through a battalion of heavily-armed soldiers and even a giant tank, Ryu manages to find their leader: a powerful alchemist known as "The Regent of the Mask." Ryu fights the Regent, but the Regent places a curse on Ryu which merges his legendary Dragon Sword with his own right arm, forcing him to feel the rage of the many, many people and fiends he has killed over the years. Ryu then has to stop the Regent from unleashing his evil plans on the world, while also fighting the rage that threatens to consume him from within.
Ryu has a new half-Japanese female partner, a JSDF agent named Mizuki McCloud, who narrates the game's plot from afar. Ayane (Character) also shows up at some point in the game, handing Ryu a sword from Hayate (Character). Ryu's father, Joe Hayabusa (Character), Robert T. Surgeon and Muramasa (Character) also make cameos later in the game.
The story of Ninja Gaiden 3 starts in the Hayabusa village. Two strange visitors show up to the village and request to meet Ryu Hayabusa. The two strangers turn out to be none other than Japanese Self-Defense Force agents Mizuki McCloud and Ken Ishigami. They meet with Ryu Hayabusa and inform him of a terrorist plot in London. Unknown terrorists have occupied a section of London kidnapping the Prime Minister and his family holding them hostage. They plea with Hayabusa to work with the JSDF to save the Prime Minister. Initially Hayabusa seems dis-interested. Mizuki then plays an garbled audio recording in which a unknown terrorist names Ryu Hayabusa as their ransom for the Prime Minister. Ryu quickly agrees after hearing the audio recording and sets off for London.
After fighting through the terrorist forces Ryu locates the whereabouts of the Prime Minister. He arrives at the Prime Ministers residence and encounters the Regent of the Mask. The mysterious figure murders the Prime Minister and then taunts Ryu. After a short scuffle with Ryu the Regent gets enough of an upper hand on Hayabusa to curse Ryu with the "Grip of Murder". Ryu's coveted Dragon Blade is absorbed into his forearm causing him immense pain. His arm is quickly covered in a red growth as he writhes around in pain. The Regent taunts the injured Hayabusa and then quickly makes his leave. An injured Hayabusa makes his way to an extraction zone where Mizuki awaits him.
After being transported to a JDSF destroyer an injured Hayabusa is watched over by Mizuki. Upon awakening Ryu meets Cliff Higgins a scientist working with the JSDF and Canna who is Mizuki's adopted daughter. Soon after awakening they receive a dire message from the Regent of the Mask who claims he will destroy the world in seven days. The signal of the message is traced to Rub'al Khali desert. Ryu and Mizuki head off to try to locate the source of the broadcast in hopes of finding the Regent. Ayane meets Ryu in the desert and presents him with the Jin-Ran Maru the blade of Hayate since Ryu is without a weapon. Ryu tracks the signal to a tower and battles his way through to the top of the tower. Arriving at the top he again meets the Regent of the Mask. The Regent then reveals the nature of the "Grip of Murder" to Ryu and reveals that Hayabusa's sword was used as a medium for the application of the curse and that it will eventually kill him. Hayabusa attempts to take down the Regent but then is startled once he realizes the Regent is not the actual person but just a Hologram of him. He is then ambushed by an attack helicopter which he quickly dispatches. His arm then flares up again and Ryu collapses into Mizuki's arms upon returning to the extraction zone.
The JSDF comes upon another lead that an origination known as LOA may be tied to recent events. Ryu is dispatched to and island where a LOA compound is located. After arriving Hayabusa fights his way through a military compound and then stows away on a cargo truck headed for a LOA laboratory. After arriving at the LOA compound Ryu is greeted by the voice of the Regent of the Mask over the facility intercom. A giant T-Rex with cybernetic implants is dispatched by the Regent of the Mask to deal with Hayabusa. After dealing with the monstrosity Hayabusa finally encounters the Regent. The Regent quickly reveals his hand and a captive Mizuki is brought out by enemy soldiers. Hayabusa quickly deals with the soldiers and is surprised when Mizuki pulls a gun on him. Mizuki shoots Hayabusa.
Ryu awakens in a strange place where he is greeted by a woman who calls herself Lovelace. Lovelace reveals that she is a researcher at the LOA labs and that Ryu is in a virtual reality training simulator. Having no other choice Hayabusa plays along with Lovelace and defeats all of her simulations. Eventually destroying the machine Hayabusa makes his way further into the labratory where he discovers Canna. Hayabusa then takes Canna into his arms and sets off to search for Mizuki. Ryu then sees Lovelace escorting Mizuki in the distance. Ryu follows Lovelace and is greeted by the Regent of the Mask who has Mizuki as captive. Breaking out of the clutches of the Regent Mizuki runs over to Ryu and embraces Canna. She apologizes to Ryu for having no choice after Canna was kidnapped. Lovelace then reveals the Regent's real motives and reveals that they have taken some of Ryu's blood while he was asleep to use in a biological experiment which the regent says will birth a "god". The Regent then pushes lovelace into the dormant "egg" transforming her into a hideous beast. Mizuki escapes with Canna while Ryu battles the transformed Lovelace. Ryu dispatches of the monster and then escapes with Mizuki and Canna as the facility self destructs.
Knowing that the power the Regent weilds is great he requests to Mizuki to return to his village to speak with his father. After collapsing while walking to his village from the surrounding forest he is saved my Momiji and brought back to the village. She tells him that his father is waiting for them just outside the village and they set off to find the elder Hayabusa. On the way to Ryu's father they are ambushed by many black ninja spider clan members including the witch Obaba. Teaming up with Momiji Ryu defeats the rival clan members and makes his way to his father who gives him advice with his situation.
Cliff then tells Hayabusa that he has found what he believes to be one of LOA's main headquarters in the antarctic. Ryu battles his way to the facility through the icy tundra only to encounter Ashtear Higgins who reveals himself as the chairman of the LOA. Alongside him is Cliff who acknowledges his betrayal and hand in the now kidnapped Canna. The pair tell Hayabusa of their plot to use the girl in the creation of a "perfect being". And then quickly escape as they send a distraction to deal with Hayabusa.
Hayabusa tracks down Ishigami who tells Hayabusa Cliff and Ashtear are on a ship called the Black Narwhal along with Canna. Hayabusa is transported by Mizuki to the ship where he encounters Ashtear again. This time Ashtear attacks him. Hayabusa kills the chairmen and sets off to find Canna. Ryu finds a labratory where Canna is in a stasis in a test tube. The Regent of the Mask reveals himself and the two do battle again this time Ryu fatally injurying the Regent. After falling to the ground Cliff Higgins arrives and reveals to Hayabusa that he is The Regent's brother and furthermore the Regent is actually Canna's father and that he was controlled by an AI.
Using the grip of murder to subdue Ryu Cliff pulls the dragon sword out from within Hayabusa and then merges it with Cana who is in the stasis tube. The blade bonds to Canna transforming her into a being Cliff describes as "The Goddess" the enormous creature tears the ship in half and Hayabusa makes his escape from the sinking vessel.
The creature rampages to Tokyo as Ryu and Mizuki try to intercept the monster. They are headed off by Cliff who reveals his plans to use Cana to destroy the world and rebuild a new one. He then transforms himself into a hideous monster and attempts to thwart Hayabusa's sabotage of his plans. Cliff starts to get the upper hand when he is suddenly felled by Leo Higgins the father of Canna and formerly the Regent of the Mask. The pair set off to find the Goddess. After reaching the creature Leo disables a force field surrounding the creature. He then goads Hayabusa into a final fatal confrontation. With is dying breath Leo removes the curse on Ryu's arm and asks Ryu to save his daughter.
Hayabusa then does battle with the gigantic creature eventually besting the creature and saving Canna in the process. After returning Canna to her mother Mizuki Hayabusa heads back to his village.
Characters
The series' protagonist, and a descendant of the powerful Dragon Ninjas. His lethal skill, honed through battles with countless enemies, knows no equal. Responsible for the destruction of the Archfiend and the decline of the Black Spider Clan.
A newcomer to Ninja Gaiden, she is a Flight Officer in the Special Security Unit of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. She takes direct orders from her superior Ishigami and accompanies Ryu throughout his missions. She's half-British, half- Japanese, and serves as Ryu's partner during the story.
Ishigami
Mizuki's superior and the officer of the External Affairs division in the Japanese Ministry of Defense. When he learns of the armed uprising in London, he seeks the help of Ryu Hayabusa.
A young ninja and ally of Ryu Hayabusa. Raised in isolation in the Hajinmon sect of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, she is an eternal outsider, trusting very few and keeping all others guessing about her next move. She helped Hayabusa in his quest to destroy the Archfiend by retrieving the Eye of the Dragon Sword. She is a playable character in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge.
The last of the Dragon shrine maidens, and the sister of the late Kureha (Character). She helps the wounded Ryu to ease his curse and accompanies him on a trip to see his father, Joe Hayabusa. Such a journey requires fighting through an army of Black Spider Clan ninjas.
Weapons
As of April 17th 2012, Ryu Hayabusa can access a total of 3 different weapons during story mode.
- Great Scythe (resembles the Eclipse Scythe from Ninja Gaiden II (Game))
- Metal Claws (resembling the Falcon Talons (Object) from Ninja Gaiden II (Game))
- Dragon Sword (Object)
The player begins with the Dragon Sword (Object) in Chapter 1, then is given Hayate (Character)'s Jinran-Maru by Ayane (Character) at the start of Chapter 2. The sword is then lost at the end of Chapter 4 and replaced by The Blade of the Archfiend taken from the grave of Genshin (Character) during Chapter 5.
The swords carry an interesting leveling system as there is no in game menu or system to evolve Ryu's combat techniques or powers. But as the player gains the new sword iterations, they are given access to stronger techniques. For example, the Izuna drop that can be used when handling the Dragon Sword (Object) or Jinran-Maru is replaced by the Underwold Drop after obtaining the Blade of the Archfiend.
Collector's Edition
The Collector's Edition of Ninja Gaiden 3 included the following:
- "Unmask" Art Book
- Soundtrack CD
- "Duel of the Masked" Figure
- Premium Dead or Alive 5 demo featuring Hayate (Character), Ryu Hayabusa (Character), Ayane (Character) and Hitomi (Character).
- A copy of Ninja Gaiden 3.
First run copies of Ninja Gaiden included the exclusive Dead or Alive 5 demo. However, two characters are limited to each system: Ayane and Hayate for PS3, and Hitomi and Ryu for the Xbox 360. Purchasing the Collector's Edition unlocks access to all four characters.
Settings
Stages and setpieces are set in slightly more real-world locations, unlike previous Ninja Gaiden games. There is no mention of the Vigoor Empire, and there are scenes where Ryu travels around London and a "mysterious wooden city" set in the Rub' al Khali ("Empty Quarter") desert within the Arabian peninsula.
Similar Games
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- Name
- Ninja Gaiden 3
- Release Date
- March 20, 2012
- Platform
- Xbox 360 (Platform)
PlayStation 3 (Platform) - Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Action (Genre)
- Theme
- Fantasy (Theme)
Martial Arts (Theme) - Franchise
- Ninja Gaiden (Franchise)