Hello, everyone! We are Lead Composer Masahiro Miyauchi and Lead Sound Designer Yusuke Konishi, and we represent the sound team behind NINJA GAIDEN 4.

The game is finally out! Did it leave some stings? Have you been enjoying it?

Our entire sound team worked hard to deliver the ultimate combat experience to you all through the sound and music of NINJA GAIDEN 4. This time, we’d like to talk about some of the key areas where we focused our efforts to achieve this concept, specifically through our music composition and sound design.

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■The Musical Core of NINJA GAIDEN 4
As this marks the first new entry in the series in a while, we hope it will become a turning point for how the franchise can be expressed. So, we aimed to incorporate a diverse range of musical sensibilities into this title. From the very start of development, my goal as the main composer was was: Celebrate NINJA GAIDEN 4 and the birth of a new Master Ninja though the coolest, most murderous soundtrack possible.

Adrenaline-pumping music was essential to complement the game’s core combat. We took the guitar sound from past entries and expanded upon it, pushing the boundaries with heavy and technical metal sounds like “Djent” and “Metalcore.” These genres naturally convey intensity, but they also sometimes evoke heart-wrenching delicacy and introspective messages. I thought that pairing this kind of musical expression with a game about young and powerful ninja like Yakumo fighting against the world would feel both incredibly fresh and just plain cool, so this was my secret plan.

Have you had the chance to check out this trailer yet? Some of you might have seen this and thought, “Vocal tracks in NINJA GAIDEN 4?!” And you’d be exactly right. With Team NINJA’s kind permission, vocal tracks indeed appear in this installment.

And the vocalist? None other than… Victor Borba!

Victor Borba

Victor is known for his captivating singing voice that blends power with delicacy, and has been involved in various game soundtracks in recent years. We’re thrilled he lent his talents to NINJA GAIDEN 4. He not only sang but also wrote the lyrics. We combined our ideas together to create incredibly passionate tracks, so I hope you enjoy them!

I could talk about the music forever, so I’ll wrap it up here.

For now, I’ll pass the mic over to our Lead Sound Designer, Yusuke.

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■Sound Design for NINJA GAIDEN 4
One of NINJA GAIDEN 4’s core game concepts we’ve kept during development is “excitement and cruelty.” To embody this concept, I aimed to create powerful, exhilarating combat sounds that feel visceral and satisfying. To most clearly explain this concept, allow me to introduce to you a bit about the sounds in the Obliteration Technique.
First, have a look at what the “Obliteration Technique” looks like in this latest installment.

For the overall sound design of Obliterations, we particularly emphasized the below three points:
– Weapon individuality and exaggerated gore
– Rhythmic impact
– Overall “Obliteration flow.”

Through sound design that exaggerates weapon individuality and gore, players can experience the ninja’s masterful skill in destroying the bodies of their enemies using a diverse range of weapons and their unique characteristics, all through the power of sound. In addition to that, we crafted the sound design to rhythmically build up the flow from the start of the Obliteration to the final finishing blow. We hope that you can feel the satisfaction of defeating an enemy after a fierce battle and the sheer superhuman strength of Yakumo and Ryu Hayabusa through each Obliteration executed in game.

Furthermore, not only are the Obliteration sound effects designed to be more powerful and flashy than regular attack sounds, but the actual game features an adaptive sound mix where the volume of music and ambient sounds is temporarily lowered during Obliterations to emphasize these effects. This is the kind of meticulous sound control that helps give the struggle against relentless waves of enemies in NINJA GAIDEN 4 the dynamic, punchy, and exhilarating combat experience that the series is known for.

■In Closing
We hope this blog has helped convey at least some of the appeal of NINJA GAIDEN 4! Now don the mantle of sound for yourself, and head to the battlefield! See you around!

Masahiro Miyauchi Joined PlatinumGames as a Music Composer in 2020. Served as composer for music production on “BAYONETTA 3” and “Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon.” For our latest title, “NINJA GAIDEN 4,” he took on the role of lead Composer and handled a wide range of responsibilities, including music supervision, composition, and implementation.

Yusuke Konishi Joined PlatinumGames as a Sound Designer in 2019. Served as lead Sound Designer on titles including “Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon,” and our latest title, “NINJA GAIDEN 4.” He holds a number of responsibilities, including sound effect direction, audio production and implementation, sound feature development within the game engine, and overall sound mixing.