Fans have been clamoring since the reveal of Ninja Gaiden 3 at the Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. Team Ninja has remained eerily tight lipped about the new game, releasing only the above image and saying that it alone summed up the new direction they were taking the series in.

Regarding the image, Team Ninja Head Yousuke Hayashi said in a recent interview:

"He seems to be doing something with right hand. Also, there's something not normal about this hand. It's covered in blood, but there's something unnatural regarding the blood."

Whatever he's hinting at is flying right over my head. When asked about the direction in the game, Hayashi responded:

"Ninja Gaiden 3 is a numbered title. We're developing it with the idea of restarting at the beginning, saying 'We'd like to make an action game that's most interesting for the current era.' With this meaning, it's going to be a game that's not bound by the past more than necessary. Of course, we will be valuing the past, but, in a good meaning, we'd like to make it into a game that's not tied down by the past."

This runs parallel to the new direction Team Ninja talked about earlier. I hope the team treads carefully because as Final Fantasy XIII has shown, changing the past isn't always the best idea for a longstanding series. Ninja Gaiden 3 is expected to release next year.

[Famitsu]