I'd like to start this Ninja Gaiden 4 preview by recalling a story from my misspent youth. I know, I know; who cares – but stick with me here. Back in 2004, developer Team Ninja was entrusted with rebooting and reviving the Ninja Gaiden franchise. I was drawn to the blood and the brutality displayed in screenshots printed in glossy magazine spreads, and wanted to experience it for myself. I spent my allowance on renting the game for two days from Blockbuster. (For those of you under the age of 30, this is something we used to do in an era predating Steam sales, PlayStation Plus, and Game Pass). I was forced to return the game having never beaten Murai, the first boss. Embarrassing.
I tell you this now only because this the memory was prised from its vault by Masakazu Hirayama, producer and director at Team Ninja, and Yuji Nakao, producer and director at PlatinumGames, as the duo inquired about my history with the series, ahead of getting my hands-on with its first new mainline installment in a over a decade. The pair laughed, and told me to enjoy myself. By the end of the hour-long session, I was met with a round of applause from the development team. Also embarrassing.
