Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is one of those odd mash-ups that could only happen in a video game. The game has both zombies and ninjas, it is being developed by both a Japanese and American studio, and the visual style is somewhere between American comic book and ultra violent Japanese anime.
If that wasn’t mashed up enough, things just got mashier. Today, Tecmo Koei unleashed a large batch of screens that show off some of the unlockable costumes, including Beck of Keiji Inafune’s Kickstarter darling, Mighty No.9. The costume based on a game that hasn’t even come out yet seems like an odd choice… unless you know who is making this game.
Yaiba is under development by both Team Ninja, the creative team behind Ninja Gaiden (minus creator Tomonobu Itagaki), and Comcept USA. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because Comcept USA is the studio doing Mighty No. 9. The studio was founded by Megaman creator Keiji Inafune, who also created Dead Rising (that has traditionally had an unlockable Megaman costume), so this makes perfect sense when you think about it.
While this game does feature the traditional hero of Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa, you play as another ninja named Yaiba, with a robotic arm and badass attitude. Speaking of the titular character there’s also another kind of ti–uh… there’s also Miss Monday.
The third reveal from today’s announcement was the addition of Ninja Gaiden Z mode; a throwback to the original side scrolling arcade beat ’em up.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z promises to be crazy, loud, and stupid… so of course I absolutely love it. If I didn’t know any better I would swear this game was being made by the master of crazy/loud/stupid Japanese games, Suda 51. Be prepared to rocket punch zombies in the face with your cyborg arm March 4th on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
