Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z , a spin-off game of the Ninja Gaiden series, follows the resurrection of ninja Yaiba, who was killed by Ryu Hayabusa. Now, he seeks revenge and learns about a zombie epidemic connected to Hayabusa's actions.
The gameplay is focused on hack & slash action with high difficulty. As Yaiba navigates through levels, he faces various enemies that can be defeated using his weapons and mastered combos. The game rewards ranking up combos, which leads to powerful finishing moves that grant benefits such as dropping health or temporary weapon pickups. Elemental enemies add a layer of strategy, as exploiting their weaknesses can lead to advantageous situations.