Team Ninja on feeling the violent in Ninja Gaiden 3

A portion of a Siliconera interview with Yosuke Hayashi, lead designer and head of Team Ninja…

S: Aside from bloody screenshots, we saw Ryu’s glowing red arm. What happened to Ryu?

Yosuke Hayashi, Team Ninja Head: Ryu’s right arm is a key element of the game and has been cursed by his enemies. Killing makes Ryu’s arm begin to glow red. This cursed energy can be stored and later used to attack enemies.1

S: I remember you said you wanted to demonstrate the consequences of violence in Ninja Gaiden. Is this your way of doing this?

YH: We consider gore and violence different elements. This time we wanted to show you what we think of violence. A core concept of the game is cutting through flesh and bone and when you cut through an opponent it feels visceral. Also, enemies [in Ninja Gaiden 3] are human, not demons or monsters. When you see limbs and heads falling on the ground before, those were creatures. This time you have to cut through a human being.