Image: DotemuAfter rinsing through Blasphemous 2 in 2023, we immediately turned our attention to the future and began to dream about what a potential third game in the series might look like. How little we knew. Of course, another Blasphemous may still be on the cards at some point, but for now, developer The Game Kitchen has instead opted for Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a brand new 2D title in Koei Tecmo's storied ninja series. It's a huge win for the studio, and judging from our recent hands-on experience with an early build, Ragebound is also shaping up to be a big win for fans, too.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube808kWatch on YouTube Yet despite The Game Kitchen's clear mastery of pixel-art visuals and side-scrolling gameplay, just how did this fledgling studio manage to bag one of the most beloved action series of all time? We sat down with David Jamandreu, producer and game director of Ragebound, to find out... Nintendo Life: Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a very different project for The Game Kitchen. Can you tell us how it got started? David Jaumandreu: We were basically contacted by Dotemu. They said that they loved the work that we did on Blasphemous and they had the opportunity to make a new 2D entry in the Ninja Gaiden series and they thought that our team was a good fit for it. We're huge fans of the series, so we immediately jumped into creating the best pitch that we could deliver because we knew it was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we definitely wanted to get it. So we worked on the pitch, and we were super lucky to convince Dotemu that we were indeed the team to do the work. Note: Shortly after this interview, we gained a bit more information from Dotemu's CEO, Cyrille Imbert, about how the idea for a new Ninja Gaiden project first came to fruition: "Dotemu's team had been thinking about how to create an exciting new Ninja Gaiden game for a while, in a way that could channel the classic fun of the series while still feeling fresh and modern. Koei Tecmo was enthusiastic when we approached them with the idea and were very appreciative of our initial vision. Once we knew Koei Tecmo was open to the idea, we asked ourselves which partner would excel with bringing the idea to life - and after meeting with The Game Kitchen, the rest is history." Image: Dotemu What kind of challenges did the team face in creating a new game in an established series? It had its challenges, so we had to adapt in multiple aspects. The licensing is kind of a new thing for us – some members of the team have had previous experience with IPs, so were more used to it – but for the core team, it was a first. So learning this way of working that everything needs approval in terms of like history, background, etc, it was kind of a challenge. But I don't think it's been that complicated, in the end. We've been really lucky that cross-communication with Dotemu, Koei Tecmo, and especially with Team Ninja, which have been the ones kind of overseeing the project, has been really smooth. So yeah, it changes in the sense that it's not our IP and that we have to consult most of the important decisions that we're taking. But we're lucky that it has been a really smooth process. And then there has been a lot of adaptation in terms of game design. We've gone from Blasphemous, which is more of a Metroidvania, to a more classic stage-by-stage structure in Ninja Gaiden. And also in terms of mobility and combat, Blasphemous is a game with heavy attacks with a lot of commitment to moves, whereas Ninja Gaiden is ultra-responsive with lots of canceling. So it was also quite an adaptation in those terms. How much creative freedom were you given from Team Ninja with Ragebound? We had a lot of creative freedom. So it was basically more a process of us presenting our stuff and [Team Ninja] kind of commented like, "Oh we love this," or, "Have you tried this or that?" So yeah, there was a lot of creative freedom. Image: Dotemu What kind of research did you have to do with the series? Do you have any Ninja Gaiden experts on the team that you had to consult quite a lot? Yeah, it's kind of funny because our team has a big range of ages. So there are people from the late '70s to people of the '00s. So when the project came in and Dotemu contacted us, Raúl Vivar, the animation director, shed some tears. He said he's from the late '70s and that "Ninja Gaiden was so my thing back in the day, I can't believe this is happening." Blasphemous is a game with heavy attacks with a lot of commitment to moves, whereas Ninja Gaiden is ultra-responsive with lots of canceling. So it was also quite an adaptation And for other guys who were maybe born in the '90s, they're thinking more about the 3D Ninja Gaiden series. So yeah, the team was super psyched about it, and we certainly had a lot of knowledge of the series. But even with all of that, we of course had to go back to do a lot of research, play all the classics again, especially in terms of story, characters, and lore, so that we were able to create something that was respectful. And in that sense, Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja were really helpful. Whenever we had doubts, they were able to step in and confirm any questions. So that was really useful. Can you talk a bit more about the new protagonist, Kenji Mozu? Did you consider having Ryu Hayabusa be the main character? We actually started in terms of story and where to set the game. Because we had the 3D series, which takes place before the 2D series, but we were given the mission of reviving the 2D series. And so we started to think about what kind of story we're going to tell, and where are we going to set the game. We shifted immediately to the original NES game. We asked ourselves which was the best known game or the one that people have more memories of. That was the first thing to get. And so we came up with the idea of a game that goes back to the first one. So when we were exploring character, we saw that Ryu has gone through a lot in the 3D series. Now his father just supposedly died and so he's going to America. So then we came up with the idea of maybe creating a brand-new character; one that respects the legacy of Ryu and has a relation not only with Ryu but all of the rest of the characters. We also wanted a character that has some space to grow, because Ryu's a f***ing master, he's done all the deeds in the 3D series. It made a lot of sense both for us and for Koei Tecmo. So yeah, that's more or less how it came to be. Image: Dotemu And what about Kumori, the secondary playable character? Well, we really wanted to put some of the 2D and 3D series on the table, and the Black Spider clan is so, so iconic, so we thought if we have the opportunity to control someone from the Black Spider clan, wouldn't that be the coolest thing? And so that's how Kumori was born. She and Kenji have an entwined relationship of hate and necessity to keep themselves alive. The Blasphemous games contain some pretty hardcore violence; lots of blood and gore. Did you feel obligated to tone this down a bit for Ninja Gaiden? No, that was really a choice. So when we analysed what made the series great, of course there was no gore in the original series, and so we really focused on that. Then when we brought things from the 3D series, we thought, 'Yeah, blood has to be there.' But when we were exploring how to express that and how to please fans of the series, we found that the slow moves and executions from Blaphemous just didn't fare with the speed of what Ninja Gaiden is. So that's why we approached it with the flashy flying limb stuff, putting some splashes on the wall, etc. It very much goes hand in hand with the kind of fast gameplay that we wanted to portray. Can you give your thoughts on Ninja Gaiden 4 so far? And will there be any kind of crossover between the two titles? I can't say anything about the latter [laughs]. To be clear, they're two different games by two different studios. In terms of what we think about it, we're just super excited. One of the things that's been really hard is just knowing about it for more than two years and having to keep our mouths shut! I really love that PlatinumGames is behind it because I'm a great fan of their games. And we were kind of surprised to see that there was also a new co-protagonist there, too. So we thought, 'Wow, that's super cool, we're getting two new characters in the Ninja Gaiden series,' so yeah, we're super eager to get our hands on that game. Image: Dotemu And finally, what do you make of the Switch 2 so far? Are you hoping to support it in the future? We're really excited about it. All of the team members are super hardcore Switch users, and as indie creators, it's kind of a go-to platform. Having more raw power on hand is going to be really exciting – we're going to keep doing what we're doing, but y'know, go one step further in terms of graphics, tech stuff, etcetera. So we're really happy it got announed and we're really eager to jump on it as developers and as gamers. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. A huge thanks to David Jaumandreu for taking the time to speak with us. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is heading to the Nintendo Switch later this year. You can check out our hands-on thoughts in our preview: Slice 'n' dice Related Games See Also Share:0 1 Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Switch 2's Backwards Compatibility List Provides Updates On Two Titles Here's what you can expect Feature: "It's Huge For Us" - Devs Talk Switch 2 Reactions, Dev-Kit Disparity, Future Plans What devs make of Switch 2