Ninja Gaiden 4 directors talk balancing Challenges and gamer satisfaction: “Fairness between player and enemy is crucial"

In a recent interview with Automaton, the directors of the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4, Yuji Nakao from PlatinumGames and Masakazu Hirayama from Team Ninja, highlighted the importance of fairness in designing challenging games.

The pair argued that a sense of fairness is quintessential to ensure that difficult gameplay remains enjoyable instead of tedious, particularly in how player deaths are handled. In the interview, Hirayama explained that “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.”

He further explained that if a player gets killed unreasonably, it’s hard for them to reflect and think about what they could have done differently. Despite this, if the in-game death results from a wrong choice among several options, the experience encourages trial and error, prompting gamers to think, “Okay, let’s try this instead.”

Nakao chimed in and noted that the development of Ninja Gaiden 4 not only focused on making gameplay feel satisfying but also provided a cathartic release in overcoming disadvantageous odds, making for some dopamine-inducing clutches.

He mentioned that throughout the Ninja Gaiden series, enemies have always been on equal footing with the player, as they can guard, use their own throws, a balance that Ninja Gaiden 4 promises to maintain.

However, the directors acknowledged that difficulty is entirely subjective, but stressed that the “right” kind of difficulty revolves around this fairness, allowing players to learn and grow through a fair balance between offense and defense.

Hirayama added that this trial-and-error cycle is something that Team Ninja discussed extensively and is valued throughout the series.

The collaboration between Team Ninja and PlatinumGames is a step in the right direction for the franchise, with Nakao calling it a joint effort rather than one studio handing off the game to the other. The game aims to counter the trend where Soulslikes have taken center stage, focusing on high-speed, balls-to-the-wall action-oriented gameplay with super-responsive controls and mechanics.

Nakao did emphasize that Ninja Gaiden 4 won’t be a walk in the park. While providing accessibility through customizable difficulty options, the game will retain the intensity the series is known for. Ninja Gaiden 4 is set to launch on October 21, 2025, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC via Steam, with day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass.

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