Fat Ninja

News of Tecmo’s plans to bring the much beloved Ninja Gaiden series to Nintendo’s stylus-slingin’ DS handheld came as little surprise to me. Team Ninja’s head ninja in charge, Tomonobu Itagaki, has long expressed an interest in working with a handheld. Given that I sold my PSP, I was glad to hear that they were going with the Nintendo DS.

From what I’ve read, Itagaki & Co. are looking to use the DS’ touchscreen capabilites to maximum effect. Holding your DS vertically, like a book, you’ll control Ryu Hayabusa completely with your stylus. Touching the screen and dragging the stylus will control his movements, while tapping it twice will turn him around. In addition to controlling movements, you’ll also use the stylus to wage combat by poking enemies. Of all of this, however, the coolest bit I’ve read so far is that in order to use Hayabusa’s more mystical talents, you’ll use the stylus to trace out kanji characters (See top image).

The whole concept that Team Ninja is going for here is, in my opinion, exciting. It’s been a while since I was excited about a DS title, and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Swords may just help rekindle my love for Nintendo’s unconventional handheld. I’ll admit, I had some doubts about Team Ninja managing to maintain the speed and ferocity of gameplay that has become the series’ trademark. However, Itagaki quelled these fears in his recent interview with 1Up.com, saying:

Let me tell you something that will surprise you. The Ryu Hayabusa present in Ninja Gaiden DS is the speediest of all the Ninja Gaiden games in existence. And when I say “in existence,” go ahead and assume I also mean projects currently in development. When I say “speedy,” I don’t just mean fast in a cheaply implemented way. Anyone can simply speed up the animations. This is speed as it pertains to those elements that are so dear to me — interactivity and responsiveness. I don’t know how many times you would want to scratch across the screen of the DS in the space of a second, but rest assured that Hayabusa will constantly and flawlessly keep up with your every input. That’s the kind of game it is.

I haven’t found any details on when Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Swords will release, but until then, I will be waiting with bated breath.

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