Ninja Gaiden 4 directors say a 'sense of fairness' is vital for difficult games: 'If the player gets killed unreasonably, it's hard for them to reflect and think about what they could've done'

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo)

Ninja Gaiden 4 will be arriving this month—and while I'm not as experienced with the series as, say, fellow PCG writer Wes Fenlon, I am downright curious to give it a proper try. The earlier Gaiden games were a smidge before my time, but the older I get, the thirstier I am for a challenge—and I have heard many tales of Ninja Gaiden's brutality that have me thinking I might just arrive fashionably late.

I'm also enticed by the words of directors Yuji Nakao and Masakazu Hirayama in an interview with Automaton. Speaking to the publication, they've repeatedly emphasised that fairness is a key component to making difficult games a good time instead of a high blood pressure simulator.

Nakao explains that Team Ninja and Platinum Games have "focused not only on making the action feel satisfying, but also on offering the cathartic release of overcoming disadvantageous odds, that was a core part of development." Hell yeah, you know I love some cathartic release—not like that. Stop giggling.

Hirayama adds: "I think fairness between the player and enemy is crucial. Whether or not a death feels like it was your fault is a huge part of maintaining that sense of fairness.

"If the player gets killed unreasonably it's hard for them to reflect and think about what they could've done differently. But if they die because they made the wrong choice among several options, they'll think, 'Okay, let's try this instead.'"

Hirayama is speaking my language. I'm a bit of a soulslike freak, and the more I play difficult action games, the more I see them as a puzzle—and delight in discovering some countermeasure to an ability or moveset that seems like a bunch of bullcrap on my first go (or ten). Gimmie a well-built wall to slam my head against, and I'm in heaven.

"That kind of trial-and-error cycle requires a fair dynamic between offense and defense to work," he continues. "That's something we talk about a lot at Team Ninja, and it's something we've always valued throughout the series."

Nakao agrees: "I envision it as a game where a certain level of challenge or hardship is scattered throughout. That sense of catharsis you feel when you overcome those challenges is something I truly value." Guess I'll finally be giving Gaiden a go when it drops October 21.

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.

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