Ninja Gaiden 4 Developers Explain Concept Art and How it Helped With Development

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With the release of *Ninja Gaiden 4* on October 21st approaching, PlatinumGames, one of the development studios, has shared some insights into the game’s creation through a new developer blog. Tomoko Nishii, the art director, discussed the importance of concept art and how it shaped the world of *Ninja Gaiden 4*.

Nishii explained that concept art for the game fell into three main categories: mood paintings, design sketches, and refined illustrations. Mood paintings helped everyone agree on the game’s overall look and feel. Design sketches were used to develop characters and environments, while refined illustrations polished those created elements for the final game.

She explained that the artwork created here isn’t usually the finished product, but it’s a vital guide for the whole team as they work, making the role of creating it very important.

As a fan, I’ve been looking at some of the concept art, and it’s really cool to see how they plan out what the game will actually *look* like when you’re playing it. They don’t just draw pretty pictures, though! They also think about where enemies will be and what parts of the environment you’ll be able to interact with. I learned that this stage of planning is often called ‘whiteboxing.’ They even showed some examples comparing the simple, blocky whitebox versions to more detailed design sketches of the same areas – it’s amazing to see how much it evolves!

Nishii explained that the striking red effect seen when a player performs a powerful move was created by an animator. The process began with planning the movement, deciding on camera angles, and creating key frames. Then, they added details and finishing touches before passing it on to the VFX team, who integrated it into the game.

From what we’ve played and seen, *Ninja Gaiden 4* looks like a stunning action game. A playable demo was recently showcased at Gamescom 2025, and publisher Koei Tecmo just released a 13-minute gameplay video. The video highlights the game’s quick combat and diverse enemies.

The gameplay video showed off a variety of weapons Yakumo can use, like a bo staff, shurikens, and a drill spear. It also featured a challenging fight against multiple enemies, including two large, heavily armored opponents that look like samurai in traditional armor. These powerful enemies wield large Japanese weapons, such as a long-reach naginata, which could deal significant damage to the player.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. You can find out how much content will be available when the game releases by checking out the latest details.

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2025-09-22 18:11