It’s been a long wait. A decade plus since the last proper mainline entry of the Ninja Gaiden franchise, and suddenly here we are again , blood, blades, ninjas, mayhem. With Ninja Gaiden 4, the series returns not just with familiar traditions but with a significant shake-up: this time the reins are held by PlatinumGames, with legacy developer Team Ninja in an advisory role.
And the difference you feel isn’t subtle. From the moment you enter the game to the last boss drop, this feels like fastest-gear Ninja Gaiden: traversal rockets, combat whips, enemies vanish under combo storms. If you thought Ninja Gaiden 3 was fast, bring a stopwatch for this. PlatinumGames’ action DNA is poured into this incarnation: countless weapons, brutal style, gleaming finish, and a pace that demands you lean in.
What’s remarkable is how it maintains the series’ identity while reworking so many moving parts. Ryu Hayabusa, the name that defined the franchise, is here. He slashes again. But the spotlight goes to a fresh face: Yakumo of the Raven clan. He’s built for this speed-obsessed engine: dual katanas, ranged gadgets, a drill-staff, explosive grenades, wingsuit kickoffs, surfboard launches; all at your thumb’s beckon. And when you activate his Bloodraven Form, yes, that’s a new mechanic, the screen explodes in crimson flares and foes collapse under its reach. It’s showy, sure, but when a game this fast gives you showy in service of gameplay, I’m in.
Yakumo
Yakumo cuts an entirely different figure than Ryu. Where Ryu stands as tradition incarnate, the older ninja whose legend precedes him, Yakumo is the mirror pushed to the extreme: faster, leaner, built for motion rather than legacy. He’s a Raven-clan operative, entrusted with new duties in a Tokyo ravaged by demonic incursion and cursed rain from the underworld’s return. His style is aggression with control: flick, dodge, launch, slash, vanish. With the Bloodraven Form mechanic you shift that tempo even further: by filling the gauge you unleash “bloodbath” kills, instant splits, wide arcs, weapon transformations that tilt the field entirely. This form is exclusive to Yakumo and changes what “combo” really means here.
And as you advance, you unlock more weapons: double katanas for speed, a box of ranged gear for crowd control, a lethal drill-staff for lockdown damage. Each weapon feels distinct and really affects the way you demolish your enemies. Later still, Ryu enters the fray as a playable character. He’s the Ryu you recognise but upgraded: smoother, sharper, leaner; the veteran who doesn’t lumber, he darts. His parry and deflect system is crisper this time, thanks to PlatinumGames’ polish. For longtime fans, you effectively get two styles: the Yakumo rail-gun fury, and Ryu’s surgical precision. The narrative stakes are higher too: Tokyo’s underworld collapse, the Dark Dragon’s shadow looming, the Raven clan’s role recalibrated. It all plays out across a structure borrowed from the classics (chapter-boss-chapter) yet re-engineered for constant forward motion.
Combat, traversal and boss encounters
If you came in looking for old-school Ninja Gaiden toughness, you’ll find it. If you came in hoping for a refined modern action experience, you’ll find that too. Boss fights are the highlights: each chapter builds you up with platform sections, traversal bursts, waves of enemies, then drops a boss who’ll test your skills to the verge of insanity: weapon switching, form usage, learning patterns, executing under pressure. It’s not cheap; when you fail you know it’s your fault, because every tool is on the table. The game emphasise “fair challenge”, enemies act with your capability in mind, so dying means you need to adapt, not rage.
Traversal is slicker than ever: wall-runs, wingsuits, surfboard rides, zip lines are all part of segments that used to feel like set-pieces but now feel integral. You’re not just fighting, you’re constantly moving. The speed of Yakumo’s actions, the momentum of transitions, the way combat flows into traversal and back, it all keeps you in motion.
For newcomers there’s Hero mode: auto-parry, auto-dodge, reduced damage; a decent bridge into the chaos if you just want to soak in the story. But drop into Normal or Hard and the game bites back. Repetition creeps in occasionally: some enemy waves reuse templates; some boss patterns echo past chapters. If you play long sessions you’ll sense it. But the weapons variety, traversal shifts, dual-protagonist system keep the rhythm fresh long enough to avoid fatigue for most of the run.
Authentic but modern ninja experience
Ninja Gaiden 4 absolutely feels like Ninja Gaiden, you recognise the DNA: Izuna Drop returns, Flying Swallow flicks appear, wall-run launches, instant kills. But wrapped in a modern skin. The cast includes familiar series faces and weird Ninja Gaiden absurdity: from shark-infested sewers to disco-demon arenas, yes it still leans into the over-the-top. But now the absurdity blends with hyper-polish: fast visuals, intense animations, smooth FPS, razor-sharp responsiveness. On Xbox Series X the build held up: no stutters, transitions crisp, combat zones free of glitches in my run. That said, if you play long and lean in hard you’ll spot where structure remains familiar. Some bosses ask endurance more than innovation; some traversal loops feel templated. But in balancing tradition with velocity, the game largely succeeds.
What delights is how the absurd meets the serious: you’re a ninja, yes, but you also traverse an underworld-infested Tokyo, you fight demon lords, you surf down rain-soaked highways. The single-player loop is large, detailed, and unapologetically action. Exploration, weapon mastery, upgrades, secrets, high-score runs, they’re all here. It’s not an open world, and it never pretends to be. It’s linear in structure but layered in execution, and that suits its DNA just fine.
Conclusion:
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a comeback. It’s fast, it’s furious, and it honours the legacy while turning up the tempo. Yakumo leads the charge with new mechanics, Ryu anchors it with familiar weight, traversal soars, combat slashes, bosses challenge. It isn’t flawless, repetition, some structuring echo past entries, and if you binge it you might feel the edges. But what it does best, it does with conviction. For fans of pure, no-nonsense action games, this hits hard. For those new to the series, it provides an accessible entry point without diluting the punch.
