Thirteen years is a long time to wait for redemption. Ninja Gaiden 3 left the series gasping for air, stripped of the complexity and brutality that defined it. Ninja Gaiden 4 arrives as a collaboration between Team Ninja and Platinum Games, two studios that have shaped action gaming for decades. The result is a game that understands what made the series vital while injecting new ideas that feel organic rather than forced.
Near-future Tokyo drowns under a perpetual rain of miasma, the skeletal remains of the Dark Dragon suspended overhead like a curse that refuses to lift. Despite Ryu Hayabusa’s previous victories, the dragon’s corruption persists, spreading daemons and sickness across the world.
The solution lies with Yakumo, a ninja from the shadowy Raven Clan, who must break seals and resurrect the dragon to destroy it permanently. This setup provides structure for the campaign’s combat encounters, even if the narrative itself never achieves the impact it aims for. The combat, however, is where Ninja Gaiden 4 finds its voice and refuses to compromise.
The Weight of Forgettable Words
The story carries Yakumo through ruined skyscrapers, mountain passes, and neon-lit dance clubs as he hunts down seals protecting the Dark Dragon. The Raven Clan’s plan to resurrect the dragon for a final purification ritual puts them at odds with Ryu Hayabusa and the authorities, creating a conflict that should drive tension throughout the 10-hour campaign. Instead, this opposition feels obligatory, a narrative checkbox that never develops into meaningful confrontation.
Yakumo himself embodies the problem. He’s stoic to the point of emptiness, communicating through grunts, mission acknowledgments, and threats that make him feel like an edgelord caricature rather than a protagonist worth investing in. The supporting cast fares little better. Seori, the Dark Dragon priestess who guides Yakumo, has personality but no depth. Radio chatter from Yakumo’s handler and Raven Clan squad mates attempts to build camaraderie through downtime banter, yet these exchanges never establish genuine bonds between the characters. They talk at each other rather than with each other, discussing world state and mission parameters without revealing who they are beneath the ninja masks.
This shallow characterization undermines every emotional beat the story attempts. When the game wants you to feel the stakes, the groundwork simply isn’t there. You haven’t spent enough time understanding these people or why their relationships matter. The predictable trajectory of the campaign compounds this issue, following story beats you can anticipate chapters in advance. A three-chapter detour chasing an interdimensional shark exemplifies the pacing problems, grinding momentum to a halt for content that feels like padding rather than purposeful progression.
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Ryu Hayabusa’s presence offers brief respite but also highlights what’s missing. His section feels inconsequential to the larger narrative, and the paper-thin conflict between him and Yakumo never produces the dramatic friction it promises. The story exists primarily as connective tissue between combat encounters, providing context for why you’re fighting without giving you reasons to care about the outcome. By the time credits roll, you’ll likely struggle to remember specific plot points, but you’ll remember every satisfying combat encounter along the way.
The Dance of Steel and Blood
Combat in Ninja Gaiden 4 builds directly from the foundation established in Ninja Gaiden 2, taking its kinetic energy and refining it with smoother movement and a camera that actually cooperates. Light attacks, heavy attacks, and shurikens form the basic toolkit, with classic techniques like Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop returning for series veterans. Muscle memory kicks in immediately if you’ve played previous entries. The Flying Swallow lets you zip toward enemies with a leaping strike that can decapitate in a single blow. The Izuna Drop launches foes into the air before slamming them down with a piledriver that kills most enemies instantly. These techniques feel as satisfying as they always have, but Team Ninja and Platinum haven’t simply recreated what came before.
The Bloodraven Form gives Yakumo a powered-up state accessed by holding the left trigger. His weapons transform into more imposing versions: dual swords become a massive blood greatsword with extended reach, a rapier shifts into a giant drill lance, a staff morphs into a hammer that can shatter defenses. These transformed weapons come with completely different movesets, wider sweeping attacks that hit multiple enemies and break through guards that would deflect your standard strikes. The system operates on a meter that fills through regular combat and obliteration techniques performed on dismembered enemies. This creates a combat loop that rewards aggression while forcing you to think strategically about when to expend your meter.
Enemies in Ninja Gaiden 4 are relentlessly aggressive. They attack from off-screen, throw unblockables, grab you if you turtle up behind your block, and armor through your regular attacks. This suffocating pressure defines the series’ identity, forcing you into a constant dance of offense and defense where button-mashing gets you killed quickly. Understanding enemy types and crowd management becomes essential. Some enemies flash white when blocking, signaling you need a Bloodraven attack to break their guard. Others wind up red-glowing super attacks that can only be interrupted by Bloodraven strikes, creating dramatic clash moments when your timing lands perfectly.
Platinum’s influence shows in the defensive mechanics. Perfect dodges trigger slowdown when executed at the last possible moment, giving you a window to counterattack. Parrying requires even tighter timing but knocks enemies off balance for devastating counters. Both systems integrate so seamlessly they feel like they should have been part of Ninja Gaiden’s core from the beginning. The implementation rewards mastery without overwhelming players who prefer focusing on offense. You can block and dodge your way through most encounters, but learning to parry and perfect dodge opens up stylish possibilities that make combat feel more expressive.
Weapon progression divides into two currency systems. Ninja Coins, earned from completing side missions and chapters, purchase universal upgrades that affect all weapons. Weapon EXP accumulates through combat, with better performance yielding more currency for weapon-specific techniques. This creates a steady stream of unlocks throughout the campaign, though the early hours can feel restrictive. Essential techniques like essence absorption for quick Ultimate Technique charging, or even the ability to charge beyond level one, require purchases rather than coming standard. The economy feels stingy initially, especially compared to the Deluxe Edition which grants 50,000 Ninja Coins from the start. Standard edition players must grind through the opening hours with a limited moveset before the combat truly opens up.
Hot-swapping between weapons mid-combo adds another layer of expression. You can launch an enemy with dual swords, strike twice in the air, switch to the drill lance for two more hits, swap to a third weapon to finish the air combo, then execute an Izuna Drop to bring them crashing down. The training mode lets you practice these sequences, optimizing damage and style. While this doesn’t reach the combo creativity of Devil May Cry, it provides enough variety to keep combat feeling fresh across the campaign’s length.
The Berserk Meter fills as you deal and take damage, especially when finishing delimbed foes with obliteration techniques. When full, charged Bloodraven attacks trigger Bloodbath Kills: cinematic one-hit eliminations that clear tough enemies in seconds. This resource management adds another decision point to combat. Do you save the meter for a desperate moment, or cash it in to eliminate a dangerous enemy before they overwhelm you? These choices happen in split-second windows, forcing you to read the battlefield and commit to decisions without hesitation.
Ryu’s Gleam Form offers a simplified version of these mechanics. It emphasizes rapid-fire sword strikes similar to Ultimate Techniques but lacks the weapon variety and transformation spectacle of Yakumo’s toolkit. Playing as Ryu feels competent but less dynamic, a streamlined experience that works for his brief chapters without matching the depth available to Yakumo.
Four difficulty levels accommodate different skill ranges, swappable anytime except in Master Ninja mode. Hard and Normal provide genuine challenge, forcing you to engage with the combat systems rather than brute-forcing through encounters. Hero Mode includes auto-block, auto-dodge at low health, and auto-assist for executing combos with single button presses. These accessibility options lower the barrier without trivializing the experience, letting more players experience the spectacle even if they can’t match the execution demands of higher difficulties.
Testing Your Limits
Boss battles represent a significant step forward for the series. Historically weak boss design plagued previous Ninja Gaiden games, but the fights here engage you in ways earlier entries never managed. Fighting a cybernetic samurai requires reading attack patterns and responding with parries and counters. A daemon courtesan wielding an umbrella forces you to respect her range while finding openings. A giant winged wolf demands reactive play, keeping you on your toes as it transitions between attack phases.
These encounters feel balanced, putting you on even footing with opponents who can parry, counter, and unleash unblockables just like you. The best fights come with adrenaline-pumping soundtracks featuring shredding guitars that tap into the rule-of-cool energy the series is known for. A few battles reach the quality of Metal Gear Rising’s best confrontations, creating memorable moments where your skills are truly tested.
The quality varies wildly, though. Some bosses devolve into tedious slogs against giant monsters with excessive health pools. Frustrating gimmicks undermine otherwise solid encounters: bosses that teleport constantly whenever you close distance, or enemies that spawn annoying fodder mobs to distract from their own dangerous attacks. These fights test patience rather than skill, dragging on longer than necessary without providing equivalent satisfaction.
Ryu’s section exacerbates the problem by recycling bosses you’ve already fought. These rematches come without increased difficulty or altered movesets, feeling like copy-and-paste content that pads his chapters without adding substance. It’s a missed opportunity to give Ryu memorable moments that justify his presence in the campaign.
Walking Through Gray Corridors
Tokyo’s rain-soaked streets should create atmospheric tension, the Dark Dragon’s skeleton looming overhead as miasma pours down in a perpetual storm. Some environments deliver on this premise. Towering skyscrapers twisted by dark energy provide photogenic backdrops suitable for Photo Mode captures. Ruined dance clubs and mountain passes show environmental variety as Yakumo’s journey takes him beyond the city limits.
The actual level design, however, struggles to make these locations interesting to traverse. Exceptionally linear progression funnels you through bland rooftops, identical corridors, and generic city streets. Once you leave Tokyo, the environments don’t improve. Foggy cliffsides and samey military bases replace urban monotony with rural tedium. The architecture lacks the memorable landmarks or creative geometry that would make exploration rewarding.
Traversal mechanics provide brief respite between combat encounters. A grappling hook, wing suit, and surfboard offer light platforming as you navigate chapters. Rail grinding sections feel ripped from Sonic games, gliding on wind currents carries you over mountain ranges, and surfing through raging sewers breaks up the combat rhythm. These mechanics work fine but lack challenge or meaningful variation. The same sequences repeat throughout the campaign with minimal evolution, transforming what could be dynamic breaks into filler that pads runtime without adding substance.
Optional paths scattered through levels lead to consumables, customizable combat rooms, and side missions. These side objectives ask you to defeat a certain number of enemies, find hidden gourds, or locate secret minibosses. Completing them rewards extra currency for purchasing upgrades. While these additions encourage thoroughness, the uninspired level design makes exploration feel like a chore rather than a discovery process.
Purgatory Gates stand out as the best optional content. These challenge rooms let you set your own health handicap: the lower your health, the greater the reward. These fights provide the most intense encounters available, pushing your skills to the limit. Successfully clearing a Purgatory Gate on the hardest difficulty setting delivers genuine satisfaction and generous rewards that make the risk worthwhile.
Technical blemishes occasionally break immersion. Cracks appear in platforms where textures don’t quite align, creating visible seams and color mismatches. The breakneck movement speed sometimes causes you to clip into walls, requiring awkward maneuvering to extract yourself without restarting the level. These issues never reach game-breaking severity but remind you that polish could have been tighter.
Playing Yesterday’s Greatest Hits
Ryu Hayabusa’s section arrives late in the campaign, offering a change of pace from Yakumo’s journey. In theory, this should provide a welcome reprieve and a chance to see how the legendary ninja handles the new combat systems. In practice, these chapters feel like wasted potential.
Ryu retraces Yakumo’s steps through the same environments, fighting the same enemies and bosses you’ve already defeated. These encounters come without increased difficulty or altered movesets, creating a sense of déjà vu that makes Ryu’s chapters feel redundant. His arsenal is simplified compared to Yakumo’s growing toolkit. He’s limited to a single weapon, making combat less dynamic. The Gleam Form lacks the spectacle and variety of Bloodraven transformations. Only four Ninpo super attacks are available, further constraining your options.
What’s missing is personality. Yakumo may be a bland protagonist, but at least his mechanical toolkit creates engaging moment-to-moment gameplay. Ryu should bring the swagger and confidence of a master ninja, the kind of cool trash talk and attitude that made Dante’s sections in Devil May Cry 4 memorable despite similar structural issues. Instead, Ryu feels like a functional checklist item: “include classic protagonist in sequel.” His presence serves no meaningful narrative purpose, and the recycled content makes his chapters feel copy-and-pasted rather than deliberately designed.
These issues compound to make Ryu’s section feel inconsequential. After investing hours building up Yakumo’s abilities and learning his combat nuances, switching to a simplified version of the same systems for repeated content creates frustration rather than excitement. It’s a missed opportunity to either give Ryu unique challenges that justify playing as him, or to simply keep the focus on Yakumo throughout the entire campaign.
Beyond the Credits
Ninja Gaiden 4 provides substantial reasons to keep playing after the story concludes. Master Ninja difficulty unlocks after completing the campaign, offering a brutal challenge for players seeking the ultimate test. Any stage, boss, or Purgatory Gate can be replayed as either Yakumo or Ryu, letting you revisit favorite encounters or chase higher scores on leaderboards.
Eighteen combat trials extend the challenge with unique modifiers that change how you approach fights. Some trials disable Bloodraven Form entirely, forcing you to rely solely on standard combat techniques. Others impose continuous health drain, requiring you to balance using Ultimate Techniques to clear enemies while also grabbing life-restoration orbs to survive. A few trials prevent healing altogether, demanding near-perfect execution to succeed. These trials include enemies never encountered during the main campaign, providing fresh challenges beyond the story content.
The training mode lets you practice combo optimization outside the pressure of actual combat. Customizable combat rooms scattered through levels offer controlled environments for experimentation. These features support players who want to master the systems rather than simply complete the campaign.
Leaderboards add competitive incentive for score chasers. Comparing your performance against friends creates motivation to refine strategies and improve execution. For players who connect with the combat, these post-game systems provide enough content to justify dozens of additional hours.
The combat quality drives replayability more than any specific feature. Ninja Gaiden 4’s fighting is so satisfying that you’ll want to keep engaging with it, regardless of whether you’re pursuing leaderboard positions or simply enjoying the feel of slicing through enemies. Multiple difficulty levels ensure fresh experiences on subsequent playthroughs, scaling challenge appropriately for different skill ranges.
Spectacle and Sound
Character models achieve impressive detail. Yakumo, Seori, and Ryu look sharp, their designs capturing the cyberpunk ninja aesthetic the game aims for. Enemy and boss designs show similar care, ready to be dismembered in spectacular fashion. Excessive blood spray and hyper-violence permeate the visuals, creating a brutal spectacle that never shies away from the carnage.
Photo Mode integration works well, capturing the game’s more photogenic moments. The Dark Dragon’s skeleton looming overhead creates visual dread that photographs effectively, providing memorable images even if the environments themselves lack distinguished architecture.
The soundtrack delivers energetic tracks that complement the cyberpunk slaughter atmosphere. During important battles, shredding guitars emerge as the secret weapon, creating adrenaline-pumping soundscapes that tap into what made the original Ninja Gaiden iconic. This audio design shows Platinum’s influence clearly, recalling the best musical moments from their previous titles.
However, the soundtrack’s quality proves inconsistent. The first major boss fight and final battle feature standout tracks that elevate those encounters significantly. The middle sections lack memorable musical moments, creating a noticeable valley between early and late peaks. Some tracks feel disappointingly underwhelming given the action they accompany. The game would benefit from maintaining the energy of its best compositions throughout the entire campaign, creating a consistent audio experience rather than isolated highlights separated by forgettable filler.
Technical presentation shows occasional rough edges. Platform cracks with visible discoloration, geometry mismatches, and moments where you clip through walls remind you the polish could be better. These issues never seriously impair the experience but prevent the game from feeling as refined as the combat systems deserve.
NINJA GAIDEN 4 is an action-adventure, hack and slash game that marks the return of the iconic high-speed ninja action franchise. Developed through a collaboration between PlatinumGames Inc. and Team NINJA/KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD., the game blends Team NINJA’s intense combat philosophy with PlatinumGames’ stylish, dynamic action. It introduces a new protagonist, Yakumo, a young ninja prodigy, who must fight through a miasma-ridden, near-future Tokyo alongside the legendary Ryu Hayabusa to defeat an ancient enemy. The game is set for a final release on October 21, 2025, and is available to play on multiple platforms, including Windows (via Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It will also be a day one launch title on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Full Credits
Director (Creative/Game Director): Masakazu Hirayama, Yuji Nakao
Producers/Studio Leadership (Producers, Executive Producers, and Key Studio Heads): Fumihiko Yasuda, Yuji Nakao, Hisashi Koinuma (Koei Tecmo President), Atsushi Inaba (PlatinumGames CEO)
Art Director/Lead Artist: Tomoko Nishii
Composer/Sound Director: Masahiro Miyauchi
Developer, Publisher: PlatinumGames Inc., Team NINJA, KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD., Xbox Game Studios
Release Date: October 21, 2025
The Review
Ninja Gaiden 4
Ninja Gaiden 4 delivers phenomenal combat that honors the series' brutal legacy while introducing meaningful innovations through Bloodraven Forms and refined defensive mechanics. The collaboration between Team Ninja and Platinum Games produces some of the finest action gameplay in years, with aggressive enemies and deep systems that reward mastery. However, forgettable storytelling, uninspired level design, and recycled content during Ryu's section prevent this from achieving greatness. The exceptional combat carries the experience despite these flaws, making it essential for action game enthusiasts while leaving room for improvement in future entries.
PROS
- Phenomenal combat with deep, rewarding mechanics
- Bloodraven Form adds meaningful strategic depth
- Seamless parry and perfect dodge systems
- Excellent boss battles (when they work)
- Substantial post-game content and replayability
CONS
- Forgettable story with bland protagonist
- One-dimensional supporting characters
- Ryu's section feels recycled and inconsequential
- Restrictive early-game progression economy
