Ninja Gaiden Returns as a Side-Scroller Called Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound – The Game Awards 2024

Ninja Gaiden has returned as a new 2D side-scrolling action platformer called Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.

Revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with the trailer, below, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound sees new character Kenji Mozu face off against a demonic army. It’s published by Dotemu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge’s) and developed by Blasphemous maker The Game Kitchen under licence from Koei Tecmo.

Dotemu said Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is based on the NES version of Ninja Gaiden. Here’s the official blurb:

A new hero, Kenji Mozu, emerges in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. The story picks up in Hayabusa Village after Ryu Hayabusa heads to America to avenge his father’s death, as told in the NES version of Ninja Gaiden. Suddenly, the veil between the human and demon worlds has torn, opening a doorway to darkness in Hayabusa Village. Kenji Mozu, a young ninja of the Hayabusa clan, throws himself into battle, determined to protect his village and its people from a looming demonic threat in this dark and dangerous era.
Featuring a mastery of the high-speed, challenging combat the series is known for, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s side-scrolling action is immediately welcoming to newcomers – while offering a steep, rewarding sense of difficulty and intricate technical depth that will challenge the blade of even a seasoned ninja. Brutally slash through an array of fiendish foes and demons while avoiding deadly fiery traps, spike pits, chasms and more.
The young ninja, Kenji Mozu’s high-stakes quest develops with showstopping fights against powerful, boss-caliber behemoths. With upgradable abilities, hidden collectibles, optional mission objectives and more, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an engrossing modernization of the tense, satisfyingly swift battles and precise, skill-demanding platforming the series is known for.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is due out summer 2025 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. Be sure to check out IGN’s round-up of everything announced at The Game Awards 2024 for more on what’s coming to the world of gaming in the years to come.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].