Formed inside Tecmo by Tomonobu Itagaki as a team designed to work on home console versions of arcade classics like Dead or Alive, Team Ninja has evolved from being a simple subsidiary into one of the finest designers of action games and RPGs on the market. As their sensibilities and priorities shifted, Team Ninja went from simply being the Dead or Alive studio to crafting its own unique brand of RPGs and fast-paced action games.

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Whether it's the fast-paced speed and challenge of the Ninja Gaiden franchise or the deliberate pace of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Team Ninja has proven that it isn't just chasing trends but is, in many ways, creating them by working with popular IPs and constructing new, original franchises. Team Ninja is a proven team of talented people that is hitting a fabulous peak in its history, as its current crop of action games and the legacy games from its past are filled with some meticulously designed combat elements and a visceral feeling that is hard to top.

5 Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

An Excellent Combination Of Dark Souls And Final Fantasy

As Square-Enix was looking to expand the concept of what a Final Fantasy game could be, the series started to abandon the turn-based roots of the series, and new experiences were born. So, when they tapped Team Ninja to develop an action RPG that acted as a sort of re-imagining of the very first game, it seemed like a perfect match.

The end result was Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, a dazzling mix between Dark Souls and the long-running series that features some absolutely spectacular combat. This wonderful action role-playing game is a blast to play, with some challenging bosses and a sense of weight that is very important to titles like this. It is easily one of their best efforts, as the combination of Square's iconic world design with Team Ninja's flawless combat proves to be a perfect match.

4 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Blistering Combat That Encourages Parrying And Deflecting

Based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel that has influenced other games like Dynasty Warriors and Kessen, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty fuses real-world events with fantasy in a stunning and wonderful, fully realized world. Much like Nioh and the Soulslike games that influenced it, Wo Long puts an emphasis on deliberate, tactful combat that unfolds at a perfect pace.

Built around a system favoring deflections and parries, Wo Long constructs a wonderful flow where paying attention to a bar that fills up on either side determines the player's outcome in these battles. It's a fantastic, deceptively simple set-up that lets battles play out in a way that is incredible to participate in.

3 Rise Of The Ronin

Visceral And Satisfying Combat That Emphasizes The Power Of Each Swing

As its trek into completely original properties deepened with the launches of Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Team Ninja opted to create another original IP for their next project in the form of Rise of the Ronin. Set in the final years of the Edo period, Rise of the Ronin is Team Ninja's first open-world game and takes everything from their deflection focused system seen in Wo Long, mastering it into something that feels truly remarkable to play.

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Weapons have a perfect feeling of weight, with hits and slices feeling appropriately meaty. The furious feeling of metal clanging around from deflections, followed up with the gory finishing moves, is just fantastic. It is a terrific culmination of everything that Team Ninja has learned over the years, fusing its best systems into one in an altogether fabulous package.

2 Nioh

Features Well-Thought-Out Enemy Placement And Encourages Different Combat Approaches

Nioh was originally based on an unfinished script written by acclaimed director Akira Kurasowa, developed as Team Ninja's first original IP and influenced by the story of Irish samurai William Adams. Taking place at the end of the Sengoku era, Nioh pits the player up against not just other sword-wielders but demonic oni known as Yokai that roam the landscape.

Engaging with Nioh's wide variety of baddies feels great, as the flow of battles and Team Ninja's attention to enemy placement is a key component to the pace and structure. By adding in new ranged weapons from their previous efforts, including the outstanding rifles, the way the player can switch from melee to ranged in such a swift manner makes Nioh feel immediate in a way that a lot of action RPGs do not.

1 Ninja Gaiden Black

Features An Easy-To-Control Protagonist And Incredible Combat Opportunities

After the first three Ninja Gaiden games were developed by Tecmo from 1988-1991, the series took a hiatus, and series star Ryu Hayabusa found his way into the Dead or Alive series. But with the power of the Xbox behind it, a new Ninja Gaiden was developed by Team Ninja and proved to be a major reason to own Microsoft's console. It was a game changer, as the focus on extremely difficult, fast-paced action made it a perfect fit for Microsoft's edgier console.

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First released in 2004, it was reworked as Ninja Gaiden Black one year later and improved on the initial release in every possible way. Ryu feels phenomenal to control, and his moveset is a delight to master, featuring some slick combos and devastating finishing moves. Enemies are quick and agile, keeping the player on constant alert, as the back and forth between the two is flawless. This absolutely stellar action game is readily available on modern platforms, as Tecmo has done their best to preserve this master class in combat and action game design.

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