Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z Trailer Showcases Classic Side-Scroller Mode

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z might not look like a traditional entry in the franchise, but that doesn’t mean that its developers don’t know their roots. Tecmo Koei has released a new trailer for the Keiji Inafune-designed action title that showcases a new, classic gameplay mode. This side-scrolling feature harkens back to the days of the NES Ninja Gaiden games, crazy combos, and fancy graphics just weren’t all that important.

Included are single-frame-with-text cutscenes that long-time fans should appreciate, as well as some top-tapping retro music.

The Team Ninja and Spark Unlimited collaboration stars resurrected evil ninja Yaiba Kamikaze, who comes back to life only to defeat the man who first killed him – Ryu Hayabusa. The foul-mouthed player-character is a big shift from the self-serious Hayabusa, but thankfully, he shares the ninja’s love for cutting enemies up in as many creative ways as possible.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will release March 4 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.