Ninja Gaiden 4 Review - Explosive Ninja Action Returns
Reviewed On: Xbox Series X
Also On: Xbox Series S, PC, PlayStation 5
Genre: Action-Adventure
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Team Ninja, PlatinumGames
Release: October 21st, 2025
Rating: M
The definitive ninja action-adventure franchise returns with NINJA GAIDEN 4! Embark on a cutting-edge adventure where legacy meets innovation in a high-octane blend of style and no-holds-barred combat.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a return to form for the over-the-top franchise after a long hiatus with the last all-new mainline title, Ninja Gaiden 3, being released in 2013.
That's not to say that Ninja Gaiden fans have been starved the entire time. In fact, just this year, we received Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remaster of the original Ninja Gaiden 2, and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a brand new side-scrolling action title that brought the series back to its 2D roots.
I became a fan of the series when the original Ninja Gaiden 2 hit the Xbox 360 back in 2008 and quickly fell off of the sequel Ninja Gaiden 3 as it failed to meet expectations and disappointed quickly with the series legendary protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, removing his mask in the early portions of the game-a decision that immediately turned me off from the title.
But as time has passed and the games industry has shifted to a more modern model focused on player retention and never ending games, I find myself often yearning for traditional game experiences with a linear story, some unlockable content without swiping a credit card, and with fun at the forefront.
So when Ninja Gaiden 4 was announced as a collaboration between Team Ninja and and PlatinumGames, I was eager and excited to see what they could cook up.
After rolling credits on the game last night, I am beyond happy to announce that Ninja Gaiden 4 meets the criteria that I just listed above and managed to exceed my expectations by making me fall in love with the new protagonist, Yakamo.
Ryu Hayabusa is a staple in my mind for gaming protagonists. To put it simply, the dude is a badass, and the thought of swapping to someone new was something I was a little concerned about. Thankfully, the game does have a significant portion dedicated to playing as Ryu Hayabusa, and once you clear the game, you're able to replay it in its entirety as the original master ninja.
However, Yakamo manages to stand out all on his own by providing an entirely new set of tools, weapons, combos, and abilities that make him feel like an excellent complement to the more traditional playstyle of Ryu. Sure, his personality is 'edgy anime character', but it's Ninja Gaiden... would you really want it any other way?
The game structures itself in the same way as previous 3D Ninja Gaiden titles. You watch a cutscene that has characters doing really cool action pieces or spilling exposition that points you to your next objective, and then you're running off to kill fiends, daemons, and D.D.O. officers for the next 30-60 minutes until you reach your objective which is usually guarded by a boss that has the sole purpose of sending you to the game over screen - over and over again.
That's right, Ninja Gaiden 4 is a difficult game. Who would've thought?
The developers did opt to include a "Hero" difficulty setting that makes the game easier by turning on various assist functions and lowering the difficulty over all and I'll be honest, I was tempted on multiple occasions to swap to this mode in order to progress. Yet, I persisted.
I am not a fan of overly difficult games. Soulslike titles are the one genre that I really struggle to get into due to the high difficulty curve and the slower, more methodical combat.
When I'm playing a game, I like to be hyper-aggressive, constantly barraging my foes with a series of attacks that leave them staggered and stunned as they try to catch up to what's going on before ultimately falling. As I've gotten older, this has become a lot harder for me to execute, yet I think that the focus on this fast and frenetic style of gameplay is what separates the Ninja Gaiden titles in my mind.
Despite the difficulty and despite my multiple visits to the game over screen as Umi yells out "YAKAMO!!!", I found myself clicking the retry battle button rather than lowering the difficulty because I was able to do a little bit better each time while still maintaining a hyper aggressive combat style.
The developers also throw stubborn players like myself a bone by having Tyran, Yakamo's mentor, give the player various health items after they fail an encounter a certain number of times, which meant the more I failed, the more supplies I had to tackle the fight with.
Sure, this style of play was more attrition than skillful combat, but it still felt incredible each time I finally managed to clear an encounter and left me with a sense of accomplishment that I don't often feel in other more relaxed titles - and I think this is why the game shines.
Well, it's one of the main reasons the game shines at least.
PlatinumGames definitely understood the assignment when it came to continuing the legacy of the Ninja Gaiden franchise. They made sure to include all of the series staples that fans adore and have come to expect...
- Fast and flashy gameplay.
- Difficult encounters.
- Brutal finishing moves.
- Interesting and diverse weapons.
- Awesome music.
- Badass cutscenes.
- Great boob physics.
By sticking to this core design philosophy, PlatinumGames has managed to create a Ninja Gaiden title that, at most times, is hard to tell was created by a different studio. While this is likely in part due to Team Ninja's assistance and guidance on the project, I don't want to downplay the standard that PlatinumGames achieved by making a truly special and true to form title.
On the opposite side of the coin, this will likely lead to newer players to the series feeling a little shocked by how unapologetic the game is to being a Ninja Gaiden title.
What I mean is if you've never played one of these games, and you're used to more modern titles, you may be caught off guard by how direct the writing is when a character you don't know asks Yakamo "Are you really going to keep this up?" and without breaking his stride he simply says, "Fuck off" and continues on his way to kill more monsters. Cutscene over. Action resumed.
My only real complaint with the game is that even though Yakamo gains access to a diverse arsenal of weapons and each of them has their own unique sets of combos, power-up moves, and finishers--none of them feel properly powerful.
This becomes extremely obvious once you take control of Ryu Hayabusa who, by all accounts just feels so much stronger than Yakamo. Despite the latter having access to multiple weapons and having the ability to use his blood to transform them into even cooler weapons, the damage output never really seemed to match Ryu and the Dragon Sword.
On one hand, I'm a fan of this, because it makes Ryu feel like the absolute badass that he is and gives the players a legitimate power fantasy when they take control of him. On the other hand, the bulk of the game is spent playing as Yakamo, and as I mentioned earlier, he's a great character that I fell in love with as the new Ninja to be, but I wish he had a bit more power to him as you level up the arsenal.
Beyond that, my complaints are few and far between.
Ninja Gaiden 4 was exactly what I wanted it to be. A fun, fast, loud, and epic action game that let me slice and dice hordes of enemies before challenging me with really fun and interesting boss fights.
PlatinumGames did an incredible job of reviving the 3D side of the series and I really hope we don't have to wait another 12 years to see it again.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is everything I wanted it to be.
PlatinumGames successfully revives the long-dormant franchise with a new entry so faithful to the originals that it is often hard to tell a different developer worked on it at all.
Epic action, challenging boss fights, a killer soundtrack, and great boob physics all left me feeling right at home as I uncovered the path of this new Raven Clan Ninja.
Brought down only slightly by the underwhelming power of Yakamo's arsenal, Ninja Gaiden 4 shines as a new action game that focuses on fun and gameplay above all else in the modern gaming landscape.