Ninja Gaiden 3 Has Stealth Elements, Won't Be Like Metal Gear

The upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3 is set to really highlight the ninja nature of its protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, through stealth sections which, even if they'll require players to stop from all the traditional dismembering the franchise is known for, won't turn it into some sort of Metal Gear Solid clone.

The Ninja Gaiden series, developed by Team Ninja under the guidance of its former creative director, Tomonobu Itagaki, became famous for its over-the-top nature and emphasis on gory hack-and-slash gameplay.

With the third game, however, the new management of Team Ninja really wants to make things a bit more serious, as Ryu Hayabusa is going on a new adventure that requires more than just quick reflexes and spilling gallons upon gallons of enemy blood.

According to Team Ninja producer Yousuke Hayashi, via Edge, Ninja Gaiden 3 will showcase to its players the consequences of going on a killing spree.

"In the past, Ninja Gaiden has been about just killing. Ryu was a killing machine. For NG3, we're trying to make Ryu into a japanese dark hero," Hayashi explained. "Yes he does kill a lot of people, but in this game you'll also face the consequences of killng all those people. Feel the consequences of all those deaths."

Ryu will be a changed man in the new game, and his adventures are going to make use of his other ninja skills, besides mastering a variety of unique weapons.

"For this game, we're trying to make [Ryu] a Japanese dark hero. We want to have the player feel like he is a ninja, so we're offering up different kinds of actions that go along with that theme. We're not trying to be Splinter Cell or Metal Gear, stealth is just in there as an accent."

Ninja Gaiden 3 is currently scheduled to appear early next year, for platforms like the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, and might even appear on the Nintendo Wii U when it is eventually released.