Ninja Gaiden 4 Review – Master Ninja

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I launch into hordes of enemies with Ryu Hayabusa’s iconic Flying Swallow, instantly decapitating a demon before turning to the rest. The fight quickly becomes a blur of fast combos, devastating Izuna Drops, and powerful throws, all fueled by charged-up special attacks. I effortlessly deflect blows, slice through limbs, and unleash a spectacular, bloody ballet. Developed together by Team Ninja and Platinum Games, Ninja Gaiden 4 successfully captures the core, fast-paced combat that defines the series while also introducing fresh and exciting new elements. It’s unmistakably a Ninja Gaiden game from Team Ninja, but you can definitely feel Platinum’s influence, resulting in a thrilling sequel that was well worth the ten-year wait.

The next Ninja Gaiden game takes place in a future Tokyo, now a desolate city constantly drenched by a poisonous rain caused by the remains of a massive creature called the Dark Dragon. Although Ryu previously defeated a powerful god, true peace won’t come until this cursed rain stops, leading to a quest to destroy the Dark Dragon permanently. Most of the game puts you in control of Yakumo, a new, young ninja from a secretive clan. He’s a serious and thoughtful character who shows more emotion than Ryu, but unfortunately, like previous games in the series, Ninja Gaiden 4 doesn’t quite deliver a captivating story.

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The game features a team communicating with the main character, Yakumo, offering background information and setting the scene. While this adds a fresh look at the world of ninja clans, the supporting characters feel underdeveloped, and the overall story is fairly simple. There’s tension between Yakumo and Ryu, even though they’re supposed to be working towards the same thing, but this conflict isn’t explored deeply, and Ryu’s part of the story doesn’t feel important. The game also has pacing problems, including a slow section where you spend three chapters pursuing a shark from another dimension. Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden 4 tells a story that isn’t very memorable after you finish playing.

Even though the story isn’t perfect, it does give the game a solid framework. To bring back the Dark Dragon, Yakumo must defeat several demons and destroy the seals guarding them. This setup is reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden 2, which also heavily influenced the fast-paced combat in Ninja Gaiden 4. Whether you play as Yakumo or Ryu, fighting feels incredibly smooth, responsive, and quick – it truly captures the essence of Ninja Gaiden, but with improved movement and a much better camera. The game features light attacks, heavy attacks, and shurikens, and if you’re a series veteran, pulling off combos and special moves like the Izuna Drop will feel instinctive. It’s like playing Ninja Gaiden 2 Black again – the muscle memory just comes back. Ninja Gaiden 4 builds on this familiar foundation and then expands it with new and refined gameplay mechanics.

Both Yakumo and Ryu can enter a more powerful state by holding down the left trigger. This lets them use slower, but stronger attacks, fueled by a meter that builds up as you fight and defeat enemies. This powered-up form is useful for breaking an enemy’s defense or stopping a powerful, glowing attack. Successfully interrupting these attacks with precise timing creates a spectacular clash and opens the way for a devastating combo.

Yakumo’s Bloodraven form turns his weapons into powerful tools like longswords or huge drills, letting him perform broad, sweeping attacks. Ryu’s Gleam form focuses on quick, continuous sword strikes – similar to his special Ultimate Technique, which both characters can use. You can also unlock new weapon skills for each form, giving you two distinct fighting styles with tons of amazing combos to keep enemies on their toes. Combined with Platinum’s focus on stylish defenses like parries and perfect dodges, Ninja Gaiden 4 feels like a significant step forward for the series’ already impressive combat.

Ninja Gaiden 4 clearly carries the legacy of Team Ninja’s previous games, but you can also feel the influence of PlatinumGames, resulting in an exciting sequel that was worth the long development time.

The defensive mechanics feel natural and intuitive. Holding the right trigger blocks attacks, and you can smoothly shift into a dodge using the left stick. The way parries and perfect dodges work feels like they’ve always been a key part of the combat system. Dodging just before an attack lands briefly slows down time, letting you quickly counter. While trickier to execute, especially against multiple enemies, parrying works similarly – blocking at the perfect moment staggers your opponent, creating an opening for a powerful attack.

Combat in Ninja Gaiden 4 is fast-paced and challenging, with enemies constantly attacking. Mastering the balance between dodging and dealing damage is key to success, and simply pressing buttons won’t get you far. While you don’t need to learn every combo, understanding different enemy types and numbers is crucial. Once you do, you can start using more advanced techniques – like knocking enemies down with throws, charging special moves with aerial attacks, and performing powerful combos from wall runs, or even taking out enemies before they notice you.

The boss fights in Ninja Gaiden 4 are a significant step up for the series, which historically hasn’t been known for strong boss encounters. It’s a welcome surprise that these battles are genuinely challenging and test your skills. Each fight, whether against a robotic samurai, a dangerous courtesan with an umbrella, or a massive winged wolf, is fast-paced and feels fair, requiring you to master parrying, countering, and dealing with unavoidable attacks. The only drawback is that during Ryu’s part of the game, you have to refight some bosses and revisit areas you’ve already been to. These repeated fights aren’t any harder or different, making that section feel a little repetitive.

Beyond fighting, PlatinumGames’ style shines in how you move around rainy Tokyo. You’ll use tools like a grappling hook, wingsuit, and even a surfboard to get around, with some simple platforming challenges in each area. Whether you’re jumping between train car rails, riding wind currents, surfing through sewers, or grappling across rooftops, travel is always fun, though not overly difficult. The game also hides optional routes within its levels, leading to useful items, areas to customize fights, and side quests – like defeating a certain number of enemies or finding a secret item – which reward you with money to unlock new combat abilities.

After you finish the main story, you can revisit and replay any of the combat challenges. You can also replay individual chapters and try out different trials as either Yakumo or Ryu, choosing from four difficulty settings. If you enjoy the combat, there’s a lot to keep you playing, and leaderboards give you an added reason to improve your scores and compete with others.

I finished Ninja Gaiden 4 quickly, but I immediately wanted to play again. It’s a fantastic action game filled with over-the-top violence, satisfying weapons, and incredibly stylish combat. This game completely redeems Ninja Gaiden 3 and makes me wish there were more games like it – games like Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta were the kings of the genre before the recent popularity of Souls-like games. Every improvement feels significant, building on an already strong base and making the already amazing combat even better. With Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance also releasing, 2025 is shaping up to be a great year for ninja games.

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2025-10-21 02:10