Ninja Gaiden 3 launch trailer offers slice of Ryu's cursed life

Team Ninja and Tecmo Koei have unleashed a launch trailer for Ninja Gaiden 3, and it's pretty much everything you'd expect from a Ryu Hayabus project. Unless you were expecting gentle hugs and peaceful resolutions, in which case you're in for a huge surprise. Prepare for Ryu's next high-diving, blood-swirling, mutant-murdering ninja adventure with the video below:

The next Ninja Gaiden game sees the iconic masked ninja infused with the power of the dragon sword and saddled with saving the world from The Regent of the Mask. The sequel will include an 8-person “Clan Battle” multiplayer mode in which players can customize their own ninja and send them into 4-on-4 battles. The matches will include mini-objectives called 'shadow contracts' that, when completed, will let players level up faster and obtain more points to spend on new gear and items. The online mode – a first ever for the series – will be free for everyone who buys new, but require an online pass for fans who pick up a used copy.

Tecmo Koei's community manager, Insp. Chin, recently updated his blog with details on the Clan Battle mode and Ninja Trial co-op challenges. You can also watch our hands-on preview of the online ninja party.

Ninja Gaiden 3 arrives for PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 20 in North America, and March 23 in the UK.

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at 12DOVE until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries.