Ninja Gaiden 4 isnt just great; its the best game Team Ninja and
PlatinumGames have made in years

Date:
Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:00:00 +0000

Description:
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a bloody triumph, seeing its co-developers back at the top of their respective games.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Ninja Gaiden 4 is, without a shred of doubt in my mind, the best action game of 2025. Its co-developers Team Ninja and PlatinumGames doing what they do best; firing on all cylinders to provide a wicked hard combat experience that puts priority on learning effective combo routes and enemy behavior - as well as spatial awareness - over bloated health bars or other cheap difficulty tricks. Review info Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X, PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, PC
Release date: October 21, 2025

Like the best of its peers, such as Devil May Cry 5 or the Bayonetta games, Ninja Gaiden 4 gives you all the tools you need to make quick work of almost any foe in the game. But getting to that point is a skill that demands utmost mastery at its higher difficulty levels. And embarking on that journey here manages to recapture that satisfaction of the best the character action subgenre has to offer. (Image credit: Team Ninja)

If youre already a Ninja Gaiden head, youll be pleased to know that all the staples are here. Multiple weapon types with expandable move sets, dismemberment for instant-kill obliteration attacks, and the need for a careful balance of offense and defense to get the better of the armies of enemy soldiers and daemons standing in your way.

Its not without its faults. Environments can be quite dull, often lacking in the gorgeous vistas and arena variety of its predecessors - while prior games often had you fighting for your life in claustrophobic spaces, combat areas
in Ninja Gaiden 4 are decidedly more open and boxy. Theres also an over-reliance on on-rails platforming sections that are largely scripted.
They can look cool, but certainly lack the challenge and thrills of the main combat loop.

These slight hitches aside, Ninja Gaiden 4 provides an exhilarating combat experience with strong enemy variety and tremendous chapter-ending boss fights. And as a bonus, while the main plot isnt spectacular, series fans can expect plenty of callbacks to Ninja Gaidens universe - albeit none that I
will explicitly spoil for you in this review. Raven's call (Image credit:
Team Ninja)

In Ninja Gaiden 4, the corpse of the colossal Dark Dragon continues to loom over Tokyo, emitting a rain of death and decay that threatens to destroy the city. Our newcomer protagonist, Yakumo, is a ninja of the Raven Clan that forms an uneasy alliance with a priestess named Seori. The goal of the partnership is to actively resurrect the Dark Dragon in order to slay it - body, soul, and all - for good.

Returning series legend Ryu Hayabusa, meanwhile, is none too happy at the prospect of bringing such a great evil back to life. He allies himself with the Divine Dragon Order (D.D.O. for short) - one of the games main enemy factions - in order to combat the Raven Clans plan.

This doesnt so much set up Hayabusa as the villain as it does provide conflicting ways to solve the problem at hand. Its the most interesting
aspect of Ninja Gaiden 4s plot, but dont expect Nier Automata levels of storytelling here. Like other games in the series, the story serves a simple backdrop to the action, not the core focus.

Yakumo himself begins as a fairly one-note entity. I do love his design, emulating a painfully 2010s level of edginess; clad entirely in black and sporting a haircut that threatens to cover his line of sight entirely. But
hes an effective contrast to the more traditional, arguably sensible look of Hayabusa. Something much more rebellious and unpredictable in nature. Steeped in blood (Image credit: Team Ninja)

That chaotic nature plays strongly into Yakumos weapons and abilities. While he has access to iconic Hayabusa-brand moves like the gap-closing Flying Swallow and cranium-obliterating Izuna Drop, Yakumos very much his own beast with his signature Bloodraven form.

At any time during combat, assuming you have a sufficient amount of gauge, Yakumo can enter Bloodraven stance by holding the left trigger. This powers
up his light and heavy attacks, but is also able to break through guarding enemies and interrupt unblockable attacks noted by a handy exclamation point icon. Best bit (Image credit: Team Ninja) What I find most striking about Ninja Gaiden 4 is the unique imprint Team Ninja and PlatinumGames have left
on the game through its two heroes. Yakumo is very much a Platinum-style acrobat, with flashy and nimble combat. Meanwhile, Hayabusas weightier style plays a lot like he did in prior titles. Its a fascinating blend that serves to keep the campaign feeling fresh throughout.

Shifting between Yakumos base and Bloodraven forms is a skill unto itself.
Its certainly fun to rip enemies to shreds with it at first. But as the game progresses, youll be pressured to use it only when necessary. Running out of Bloodraven gauge means you wont be able to effectively deal with blocking enemies or punish charged attacks, and can leave you wide open to heavy damage.

Even without Bloodraven form, youre still powerful. Hitting enemies with
basic combos enough can dismember their limbs, leaving them vulnerable to an instant-kill Obliteration attack. Furthermore, holding the heavy attack
button charges up your Ultimate technique, which zips you to the nearest
enemy for enormous damage and outright killing weaker foes.

Hayabusa, meanwhile, feels suitably distinct. Youll get control of him around the second half of the game, and hes a lot weightier and grounded than his edgy acrobatic counterpart. His sections feel a lot more like classic Ninja Gaiden, and feel noticeably harder as a result.

On the defensive side, both Yakumo and Hayabusa are able to block, dodge, and parry incoming attacks. Parries are ultra-satisfying here, creating a
flashing glint that lets you immediately hit back with an attack of your own. Dodging is also incredibly useful; when done at the last moment, it creates a Bayonetta- esque Witch Time slowdown effect that helps you effectively reposition and get some free hits in. Slice and dice (Image credit: Team Ninja)

Youll be doing all of this at breakneck speeds in the average combat encounter. When the game starts mixing in multiple enemy types - and even
some elites - knowing when to both attack and defend becomes a high priority, and its a skill thats heavily rewarded. Better performance leads to higher stage ranks, resulting in more currency and weapon experience to spend on life-saving consumables and additional weapon techniques respectively.

Its not all combat, though. Ninja Gaiden 4 occasionally breaks up the pace with avenues for exploration. These often let you tick off specific side missions, or gather hidden collectibles or take part in optional challenges for additional currency and weapon experience.

These are nice distractions, allowing you to momentarily take a breather in between ruthless bouts of combat. Platforming sections achieve this, too, but these do grow stale rather quickly. Theres a good variety, often making use
of traversal items like a grappling hook, glider wings, and a surfboard (Joe Musashi would like a word here, I think). However, these often run a bit long and ultimately only serve to pad out any given stages run time. I often found myself just wanting to have them over with to get stuck into the next batch
of bads.

Level design in general isnt a particular strength of Ninja Gaiden 4, either. It certainly serves its basic purpose, but there isnt a strong variety here. Most arenas are large and square-shaped. Some have differing levels of verticality and let you zip about with the grappling hook. (Image credit:
Team Ninja)

But most arenas feel designed to your advantage. In prior Ninja Gaiden games, youd often struggle for space in smaller rooms and hallways, or have enemies charge you from either side or via hidden passageways. Theres little in the way of the element of surprise in Ninja Gaiden 4 - nothing to especially
catch you off guard during most encounters. The core combat loop remains incredibly strong, but a bit more variety in level design would definitely have been nice.

Thankfully, the games incredible boss fights are always worth trudging
through the most uninspired levels to get to. Bosses are massive and all feel distinct. They feel like unique challenges in and of themselves, often requiring you to figure out which weapon types are most effective, and having you deal with unpredictable attacks. Theyre incredibly thrilling and almost always backed by a superb blood-pumping soundtrack.

While the overall look of levels are a bit dull, I cant fault the game for
its visual fidelity. Characters and weather effects especially look stunning. And as you might expect from these developers, animation and combat feedback are satisfyingly on point.

Its a winner in the performance department, too. For me, Ninja Gaiden 4 ran
at a near-immaculate 60 frames per second on both Xbox Series X Digital Edition and PC via the Xbox app. Its worth noting that this is a Play
Anywhere title, too. Meaning if you buy on Xbox, youre free to play your copy on PC, too, and vice versa (so long as your purchase was done via the Microsoft Store). Its also available day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so its definitely worth checking out and downloading if youre subscribed. Should you play Ninja Gaiden 4? (Image credit: Team Ninja) Play it if...

Youre up for a challenge
Ninja Gaiden 4 is hard. Really hard. Multiple difficulty options do exist, including an easier Hero mode, but to be eligible for stage rankings and some unlocks youll need to be playing on Normal or above. But its here where the games combat and punishing difficulty come alive in such a satisfying way.

You miss classic character action
Ninja Gaiden 4 hearkens back to a time before soulslikes became the de facto action game archetype. Countless combos, character upgrades, and lightning-fast combat are the order of the day here.

You love PlatinumGames brand of thrillingly fast combat
I havent enjoyed a PlatinumGames-developed title this much since 2019s Astral Chain on the original Nintendo Switch. Whats here in Ninja Gaiden 4 is a stylish, expertly-paced combat loop that seriously rewards mastery of its
many layering systems and combos. Its brilliant stuff.

You want to witness two legendary developers at their best
Team Ninja and PlatinumGames is a match made in heaven. The formers
calculated approach to combat design meshes perfectly with the latters
prowess for set pieces and style. Its a wonderful partnership that I hope we get more of in the future. Don't play it if...

Youre easily frustrated by demanding combat
Ninja Gaiden 4 doesnt pull any punches at its higher difficulties, and even Normal presents a significant challenge for first-time players. The easier Hero mode is a decent way around this, but you do lose much of the games appeal here with a watered down combat experience. Accessibility

There's a very robust amount of accessibility options in Ninja Gaiden 4. For starters, if you're not overly keen on its crushing difficulty, 'Hero' mode offers optional toggles for easier combos and auto dodge and block mechanics. Other game related options such as auto healing and quick-time events can
also be enabled here.

For vision-related accessibility settings, players can enable color
highlights for both player characters, enemies, and objects in the world, helping them stand out against the background. You can also enable a high-constrast background. On the controls front, options for left-handed and single-handed play are available, too. How I reviewed Ninja Gaiden 4

I played Ninja Gaiden 4 for around 18 hours across for this review,
completing the main campaign once. I went back and forth between playing on Xbox Series X Digital Edition and my gaming PC thanks to Xboxs Play Anywhere feature. On Xbox, I primarily used the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot and Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controllers for play, while on PC, I went with the old reliable 8BitDo Ultimate 2 .

I also hooked my controllers up with the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS wired gaming headset for more immersive audio, with my LG CX OLED TV for display while playing on Xbox Series X . I also played through a good chunk of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black on via Xbox Game Pass to get a grip on how this new game feels in comparison to the remastered classic.

First reviewed October 2025



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