Every time I sit down to write my **Ninja Gaiden 4** review, something funny happens: I find myself playing the game for an hour or so instead. Whoops.
It’s funny because at first, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the game. It’s been such a good year for Ninja Gaiden fans, though we were long overdue for a new entry. The 2000s were a strong decade for the franchise, thanks to 2004’s *Ninja Gaiden* for the Xbox, 2005’s even better *Ninja Gaiden Black*, and a worthy sequel in 2008’s *Ninja Gaiden 2* for the Xbox 360.
However, that was the last time Producer and Director Tomonobu Itagaki worked on the franchise, as he resigned from Tecmo shortly before the release of *Ninja Gaiden 2*. Fans feared that without his direction, the franchise would falter—a theory supported by the less-than-stellar reception to the original release of *Ninja Gaiden 3*.
In an ironic twist of fate, things changed for the better in 2012 with *Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge*, a launch title for the Nintendo Wii U of all things, which represented a return to form for the series. However, the damage was done. Combined with the rise in popularity of FromSoftware games and the Soulslike genre, the Ninja Gaiden franchise and Ryu Hayabusa took a bit of a nap.
Then, earlier this year, out of seemingly nowhere, during an Xbox Developer Direct, Microsoft had a surprise for us. The showcase began with that iconic Team Ninja cinematic, leading into the surprise reveal of *Ninja Gaiden 4*. Now, here we are, nine months later, and the wait has been worth it.
### Welcome Back, Old Friend
The biggest question *Ninja Gaiden 4* needed to answer was how it compares to the franchise’s legacy. *Ninja Gaiden 2 Black* did a great job of not just reintroducing the former gold standard of 3D action games, but the modern-day Ninja Gaiden franchise itself.
That said, it’s pretty easy to make a “definitive” version of a great game. Building something from the ground up in a major franchise is a risky endeavor. Introducing a new playable protagonist to replace an iconic character like Ryu Hayabusa is, to say the least, incredibly risky.
Against all odds, *Ninja Gaiden 4* succeeds. It feels like a brilliant marriage between Team Ninja and the Ninja Gaiden tradition alongside co-developer PlatinumGames and their modern flair. There’s a great amount of respect on display here, particularly when playing as Ryu, which helps fit *Ninja Gaiden 4* neatly into the franchise timeline.
I don’t feel bait-and-switched like some people did back in the day with *Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty*, when Raiden took over for Solid Snake. Instead, Yakumo feels like he’s been a part of the series since day one.
*Ninja Gaiden 4* is pure cinema.
Does Yakumo feel a little more, for lack of a better term, “anime” than Ryu? Yes. How you feel about that depends on how much anime you enjoy in your gaming experience. Is it the end of the world either way? Far from it.
In fact, playing as Yakumo, who carries some slight differences compared to Ryu, feels like a great modern interpretation of the classic Ninja Gaiden gameplay experience. During the game’s original reveal, Team Ninja stressed how the two characters handle things differently.
One key reason for this is that Ryu, controversially, only has access to one weapon: the Dragon Blade. Yes, it’s super disappointing, especially since earlier this year I enjoyed using a variety of weapon builds in *Ninja Gaiden 2 Black*. Thankfully, the modernization of *Ninja Gaiden 4*’s combat had me not caring as much as I anticipated.
What also helps is that Yakumo is able to wield a variety of weapons himself. Combined, the two offer several playstyles that can fit various strategies and skillsets, all of which come in handy.
### No Matter How You Play It, *Ninja Gaiden 4* Is A Blast
Let’s talk about those skillsets further, as accessibility has been a major talking point for Team Ninja leading up to the game’s release. Director Masakuza Hirayama has spoken on several occasions about the importance of allowing players to, well, “git gud.”
Consider, for a second, *Hollow Knight: Silksong*, a game whose frustrating difficulty was a major point of contention following its anticipated release. Rather than adopt the traditional “one standard difficulty” approach so many Soulslikes use, *Ninja Gaiden 4* offers several difficulty options for players.
These range from “we’re going to auto block and dodge for you,” all the way to “I’m gonna kick your ass, and you’re going to like it.” Against all odds, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve enjoyed my time playing on every difficulty level. Yes, even the game’s “Hero” mode, which comes with every training wheel you can think of.
Was my adrenaline racing the same way it did when playing through the game’s Boss Trials on Master Ninja? No, of course not.
Was the combat pure cinema as I racked up impressive combos? You bet.
At the end of the day, that’s the best way to describe *Ninja Gaiden 4*: pure cinema. I mean, just look at these screenshots. I’m not afraid to admit how much time I’ve spent in photo mode—and I’m someone who never wastes time in photo mode.
Then again, when I’m fighting a cyborg interdimensional demon shark on a techno-disco stage, yeah, I want to spend some time in photo mode. One minute, I’m taken aback by how cool the combat looks, and the next, I’m blown away by the game’s cinematography.
While the graphics themselves aren’t as crisp and clean as I would have preferred, the game is still a visual treat from start to finish. It’s also, if you didn’t notice, delectably violent and gory, as if ripped straight from a Quentin Tarantino film.
Sadly, like a certain Tarantino film that people (incorrectly) love to hate (*Death Proof* is great), there are some moments where things slow down a little too much.
There are a lot of rail grinding sections that feel like a mix of platforming and quicktime events. They’re easily my least favorite part of the game, and in some cases, pull me out of the action a bit too much.
Yet something strange happened during my second playthrough: I didn’t hate them as much as before. Does it help that I know where I’m going, which makes these moments feel more, well, cinematic? Absolutely.
It also acts as a nice respite, letting me catch my breath before jumping into the next firefight. Are they still one of my least favorite parts of the game? You bet—at least gameplay-wise.
### Dead Or Alive
Above all else, my least favorite aspect of *Ninja Gaiden 4* is its story, which technically exists.
Now, I’m not exactly someone who plays these games for lore and world-building. I play Ninja Gaiden to be the ultimate badass Master Ninja. Still, I have to commend Team Ninja and PlatinumGames for delivering a clear-cut plot that’s at least comprehensible and easy to follow, even if some of its stakes and twists aren’t exactly earned.
I mean this in the best possible way: *Ninja Gaiden 4*’s violence reminds me of a Quentin Tarantino film. To use that term again, things venture a little too much into the realm of anime (derogatory), especially with some of its characters.
Still, the overall cinematic experience is peak anime (flattering), especially with the game’s music. The soundtrack to this game’s boss battles will make you run through a brick wall.
It keeps you going, even when you’ve been beaten down, ready to throw in the towel. It helps you dig deep, find hidden gear you didn’t know you had, and even when you’re out of items on your last legs, you find the courage to overcome the odds and deliver that lethal blow with the power of friendship and ninja training.
Only to be humbled by the game’s scoring system.
Go ahead, *Ninja Gaiden 4*, try to shame me with that subpar rating. It doesn’t matter.
### Despite Its Imperfections, I Love *Ninja Gaiden 4*
It’s truly a testament to the quality of *Ninja Gaiden 4* that I’m still talking about it. Normally, I pride myself on brevity and conciseness in reviews. Yet here I am, perfectly content to keep yapping about this game.
Ironic, since I keep staring at my Xbox controller and hearing its siren call to sit down and play. Maybe just one quick Trial. Okay, that turned into five Boss Trials and a couple of Challenges.
It’s surprising considering there are some less-than-minor annoyances with the gameplay.
Let me get this out of the way: the camera in *Ninja Gaiden 4* is miles better than *Ninja Gaiden 2 Black*, but it’s still not perfect. There are times when my character gets lost in the shuffle, and combined with an imperfect targeting system, I can get stunlocked, especially on higher difficulties.
Here’s the thing, though: it’s not deterring me from enjoying the game. More often than not, once I get into a nice rhythm, I’m not worried about the targeting system.
Are there times when I snap back to reality? Yes. Does it make me rage quit? No.
If anything, it locks me in more, especially when that fight music starts blaring.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to wrap this up and jump back into the action.
### A Note About PC Performance
One of the nice things about the Xbox ecosystem is that I’m able to play *Ninja Gaiden 4* on both console and PC. As such, I was able to swap back and forth between the two platforms during my review.
However, the move from PC to console was initially out of necessity. Performance on PC was sluggish at first, and it wasn’t due to the game’s high graphical demands.
Now, I’m not going to tout my PC specs; it gets the job done, having run *Expedition 33* flawlessly. I’m realistic about its limitations, with my 3070 and most of my hardware being about five years old.
My first thought was to lower graphics settings, but I was still experiencing sluggishness, as if the game was still installing. There was a loading animation in the bottom right of my screen.
After updating my drivers and finishing the campaign on console, I returned to PC curious about *Ninja Gaiden 4*’s performance.
Thankfully, it ran flawlessly, as if the earlier issues were just pre-release hiccups.
Visually, the game looks as good as it does on my Series X, so don’t expect a graphical powerhouse.
The more important thing here is the frame rate. While I wasn’t quite hitting the advertised 120 FPS, I was routinely achieving over 100.
Any concerns about how the game handles on PC versus consoles were quickly put to rest.
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*Ninja Gaiden 4* is an action-packed, cinematic journey that respects its legendary roots while offering fresh mechanics and accessibility options, making it a worthy addition to the franchise and a blast to play on any platform.
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