Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Teases Controller-Breaking Difficulty

Game ZXC

PC Gaming

By Arron Kluz

Published Apr 7, 2021

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection bundles together three titles from the Ninja Gaiden series that is well known for its extreme difficulty. It has been years since a new entry in the series released, and developer Team Ninja recently set out to remind fans just how much punishment they should prepare themselves for.

The Ninja Gaiden series started in 1988 as an action-platformer for the NES that was praised for its tight controls and cinematic story. The series was then revived in 2004 when it was reimagined as a 3D action stealth game for the original Xbox. The new games were again praised for their tight controls, and quickly became acclaimed for their difficulty.

Now, the first three titles of the revived Ninja Gaiden are returning in the form of Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection includes Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. In a new tweet, Team Ninja said the collection is "probably going to make U buy a new controller." The tweet highlights the game being tough as nails, as well as having high-speed action gameplay, "the most iconic ninja," and as being the reason players would call their older siblings to beat a boss.

The tweet is a fun bit of marketing, and undoubtedly has some truth behind it. The Ninja Gaiden series is notorious for its difficulty and is well known for having some boss fights that truly test a player's willpower and skill. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection seems like a great way for new and old players to get in on the punishing fun.

The Ninja Gaiden series holds a special place in gaming history as well as for Team Ninja, which was put on the map as a premier developer when it launched the series revival. Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda has talked about how important Ninja Gaiden is to the developer, so it is great to be able to see it honoring the old games in a way it, as well as fans, can appreciate. There is hope among the community that Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection performing well enough could lead to an entirely new entry in the series, but Team Ninja has remained coy about this possibility, so fans will just have to bide their time and see.