We were fortunate enough to ask some production questions and even a DOA5 question of Team NINJA director, Yosuke Hayashi.
This is the first time Ninja Gaiden has featured online multiplayer in the form of Clan Battles. How did this idea come about, and was there anything you wanted to add to this mode that didn’t make it into the final game?
We all felt uneasy at the fact that online deathmatch was being monopolized by shooters. We felt that online deathmatch was something that action games such as Ninja Gaiden 3 could do and something they deserved to have.
The simple mode was a starting point that we will continue to build on moving forward, to build an even greater online experience.
What challenges did Team NINJA face while developing online multiplayer mode for Ninja Gaiden 3? Were you able to use your experience with online play in DOA to make NG3 online even better?
The online mode in Ninja Gaiden 3 uses very different tech compared to the online mode in Dead or Alive. The very thought of having several people battle it out against each other at the same time is different to a fighting game.
We got staff who were experienced in online game development of other games to come together and make this happen. I think that most players will not have much experience with a pure action game running on a 4 vs. 4 deathmatch engine, so it will be a fresh, new experience for players.
Ninja Gaiden 3 features multiple instances in which the player controls Hayabusa as he walks (and sometimes crawls) toward an enemy. In other games, these instances would be part of a cinematic. What made you decide to give the player control in these situations?
We really wanted to make sure players felt connected to Hayabusa and to feel what he is feeling at that moment. We believe that the game experience would be very different if players had no control over the character in these instances.
Previous Ninja Gaiden games featured a variety of weapons and Ninpo, and the ability to upgrade weapons. However, this is not a focus of Ninja Gaiden 3. How did this change come about?
We felt that it was important to change the way the game flows in order to show the substance of the story and Hayabusa also needed to wield the katana in order to establish this. However, we do realize that fans want other weapons as well, so we are doing something about this.
Difficulty has always been a strong selling point for the Ninja Gaiden series. It seems that what creates this challenge has changed somewhat in Ninja Gaiden 3, compared to previous games in the series. Can you talk about how you approached the difficulty of the game during development?
In a game series such as this one, the players’ skill level range gets wider and wider for each iteration of the game. Players who have been playing since the first Ninja Gaiden will be much more skilled than players coming into the series right now.
It is for this reason that we want to make Ninja Gaiden 3 have broader appeal to more action gamers. And at the same time, we want to give our hardcore fans what they desire. And to also create different entry points for players with different skill sets.
In the past, the easiest difficulty mode was called “Ninja Dog.” However, in Ninja Gaiden 3 it is now called “Hero.” What caused this change?
In the Hero play style, enemies will not take it easy on you. In the past in Ninja Dog, enemies were less aggressive. In Hero, enemies come hard at you and you can take them down like a “hero,” hence the name of this play style.
Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive have always had some crossover. Ayane makes an appearance in NG3, as well as Hayate’s sword. Will we see more of this cross over in the future—perhaps with DOA characters getting more involved in the Ninja Gaiden games, or someone like Joe Hayabusa in the DOA games?
We want to expand the Team NINJA lineup with a broader vision in mind. Stay tuned to Team NINJA guys!
Most fighting game demos release a few months before the game. However, the DOA5 demo is releasing almost a year before the game (which has fans very pleased). What made you decide to include a DOA5 demo in Ninja Gaiden 3 and will we see another demo closer to the release of DOA5?
We wanted our fans to come into contact with the demo early and we wanted them to give their feedback on the game. We are really looking forward to hearing back from our fans about the demo and we will also have heaps of new info about DOA5 soon.
Team NINJA talks to top DOA players to get insight into the community and potentially make the games better. Have you ever thought about talking to the top Ninja Gaiden players?
DOA is a fighting game and to create an awesome fighting game you need to have good communication with fans. In Ninja Gaiden, we try to give a new surprise to players each time, so we feel that it is not that important to talk to players so actively. We want players to feel surprised when they boot up the game.
Have you ever considered making games like Ninja Gaiden with characters other than Ryu Hayabusa? Perhaps a new franchise starring Momiji or Joe Hayabusa?
We think that Ryu Hayabusa is the star of Ninja Gaiden and that everyone wants to play as him, so we have not thought about this possibility.
Thank you very much for you time!