After Ninjala's continued success as a PvP title since its launch in 2020, developer GungHo Online Entertainment has decided it's time for a big change. Thanks to huge demand for co-op play from the community, game director Motoki Kaneda led the team behind Ninjala 2: The Uncharted Planet, an upcoming open-world action RPG.
I recently got hands-on with Ninjala 2 before talking with Kaneda and game designer Kazuki Morishita about the challenges of switching genres and their direct-to-service philosophy for the upcoming title.
A new PvE perspective
As a relative newcomer, I didn't know what to expect from Ninjala 2 or its signature ninja-gum action combat. So, when the tutorial taught me the basics of movement, I thought I had a handle on all the possibilities. But when I jumped into the open world, I quickly realized I had a long way to go. As I traversed the vast terrain chaining dashes and jumps along, Kazuki Morishita opened my eyes to the green rails scattered around the environment, quickly serving up your adventure.
Continuing these grind rails also opens up a dimension of verticality for exploration, which led perfectly to Morishita's next revelation: the existence of the glider. It combines seamlessly with grappling hook points, further increasing your movement speed. While the switch from PvP to PvE was bound to be tough, GungHo didn't want to lose the fast-paced nature of the first game. So how did the team strike a balance between the original ethos while diving head-first into Ninjala 2's new take on things? By listening to the community.
“We thought PVE would be the best way to dig deep and move forward [with] This IP. “In addition, we have a lot of players from the original title who love the PVP aspects, and we absolutely respect and love that,” Kaneda tells me. And that being said, there are also a lot of fans who want to play co-op with friends, or they really enjoy the story mode and want more of that solo play time. So we want to honor those requests as well. “
Thus, Ninjala 2's unique blend of ingredients brings us the excitement of a big world with the pace of an intense PvP shooter. While it took me a minute to adjust to the game's pace and control scheme, it should feel like a homecoming if you're familiar with the first entry.
But even if you've never heard of Ninjala before, it's easy to jump in thanks to the lighthearted soundtrack. I couldn't help but bounce to the lake, and that's really a big part of Ninjala 2's appeal – it's a good time. “There's this fun worldview; the whole game scene is so fun. So we wanted to expand and go deeper into all those aspects,” Kaneda explains.
Naturally, you might be wondering how they plan to expand things from here, when the switch from PvP to PvE already represents such a fundamental shift. And so far, GungHo is prioritizing the philosophy that brought us Ninjala 2: listening and responding to player feedback.
Expanding an already vast world
Ninjala benefits from a lot of source material in addition to the original game, including an extensive manga run and anime series. However, despite the wealth to draw from various means, Ninjala 2 is not relying on past success, as the team is focused on building a successful future for the IP.
GungHo seems intent on learning from the trend of prioritizing player feedback in development. “We want to hear this feedback from everyone and continue to make the game better and better by incorporating all these different voices and reactions,” Morishita told me.
However, this does not mean that players need to steer clear of the ship, as the team is diligently coming up with updates, with the trust placed in both developers and players. “Of course, the current game, I think, is absolutely fantastic in its own right and in its own state,” says Morishita. “But that being said, we just want to incorporate more feedback and make it better and better for many years to come.”
And so far, the results are impressive, as the game's cute characters and art style have a cozy atmosphere that makes it easy to get lost in the world. The only weak link so far has been the story, though it wasn't a major part of the demo build, so it's hard to say how important it will be yet.
Whether you're a fan of the original game or you're a complete newcomer like me, Ninjala 2: The Uncharted Planet has some great styles for you to enjoy. Both the combat system and the world get better the longer you play, which is always a positive sign. I can't wait to get the full experience with the game when it releases exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring 2027.
