Ninja Gaiden 4 Devs Detail Their No-Prototype Action Design Philosophy
The session offers a direct look at how PlatinumGames structures combat design, with the core argument being that thorough pre-implementation simulation prevents the rework that comes from testing systems in-engine too early.
Reporting from 1 source: 4Gamer.net.
At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames designers Takuma Ishikawa and Yuji Nakao explained how they built Ninja Gaiden 4's combat. The session stressed avoiding early prototyping, writing out systems before implementation, and defining player experience in concrete terms rather than abstract feelings. The team simulates gameplay on paper first to reduce rework.
PlatinumGames designers Takuma Ishikawa and Yuji Nakao took the CEDEC 2026 stage on July 22 to explain how Ninja Gaiden 4's combat was built. The session, titled "How to Make Non-Stealth Battle Action in Ninja Gaiden 4," covered player character and enemy design for 3D action games.
Nakao described the company's process as one that avoids "implement first, test later." He argued that few specs are truly unknowable without implementation, and that problems discovered after coding usually point to weak pre-production. The team writes out systems, maps their relationships, and builds action cycles on paper before any motion work begins.
The design starts with two concept layers: the overall game concept and a player action concept. For Ninja Gaiden 4, those were "adversity," "cruelty," and "change" for the game, and "delicate" and "bold" for player actions. Nakao stressed that concepts must describe concrete experiences, not abstract sensations like exhilaration.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.