Keiji Inafune Working on Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Now this one’s a shocker. Keiji Inafune, famously known as the co-designer of the legendary Mega Man franchise, has announced his involvement in Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. Announced at Tecmo Koei’s pre-TGS 2012 event, the game is a visually stylized entry in the Ninja Gaiden franchise, with the protagonist of the title out for revenge – on series mainstay Ryu Hayabusa. You see, the main character here was apparently killed by Hayabusa at some point, and now he’s been brought back to life to get some payback in the most bloody of fashions.
Not much is known about the game in regards to details, but it can be seen from the trailer that Yaiba will utilize cel-shaded graphics, and will also have enemies of the undead variety to slice and dice through on your mission of vengeance. Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m getting a distinct Killer7 vibe here with the stylized visuals and violence; in any case, it’s exciting to see Inafune involved in Ninja Gaiden. This may be the project that brings the franchise back to glory and removes the sour taste that Ninja Gaiden 3 left in our mouths, and we could all use something to wash that nastiness away.
