The Ninja Gaiden franchise by Tecmo began all the way back in 1988 as an arcade game, with players taking control of Ryu Hayabusa, and almost every game in the series was known for its incredibly challenging gameplay. The series remained dormant for 12 years from 1992 to 2004, when a reboot of the franchise titled Ninja Gaiden was released exclusively on Xbox, developed by Team Ninja and directed by Tomonobu Itagaki, who is best known for creating the Dead or Alive series and sadly just passed away this month.

Ninja Gaiden went from a 2D side-scrolling platformer to a 3D action adventure, still keeping its notoriously difficult gameplay and has seen various spinoffs and re-releases. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a spinoff game, was the latest game released this year, going back to its 2D roots and was well received by fans and critics, but Ninja Gaiden 3 was the last mainline game released in 2012 and was poorly received. Now, after 13 long years, Ninja Gaiden 4 is finally here, teaming up with PlatinumGames and slashing its way onto Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC.

The fate of the city lies in the hands of the young ninja prodigy, Yakumo. Fighting his way through cybernetic ninja soldiers and otherworldly creatures, Yakumo must reconcile a destiny he shares with the legendary Ryu Hayabusa himself and free Tokyo from the ancient curse that brought the city to its knees.

Players take control of a new protagonist, Yakumo, but will also be able to play as the original and longtime protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, later in the game. With the help of developer PlatinumGames, who are best known for stylish action games such as Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Nier: Automata, players know they are in for an adrenaline-fuelled action adventure game. The game primarily focuses on combat, and there is an enormous amount of combo potential.

Yakumo begins with dual blades and will acquire new weapons as the game progresses. His weapons and combos are wild, over the top and gloriously violent, and his executions to finish off his enemies are satisfying to watch, making blood rain down from above. The controls are responsive and easy to pick up and play, with plenty of combos to unlock and master. There are a variety of different enemy types that players will encounter, from soldiers wielding guns or swords to demonic creatures of all shapes and sizes.

Occasionally, the battles can drag on and become repetitive, but it’s also possible to avoid some battles altogether. The boss battles are where things become even more intense and exciting, forcing players to strategise and plan their attacks. In true PlatinumGames fashion, Ninja Gaiden 4 is fast, furious, brutal and stylish.

Training is available anytime you meet Tyran throughout the game, a first for Ninja Gaiden games. This allows you to practice and perfect your combos at your own pace, rather than during combat. More moves and combos can be purchased with in-game currency called Ninja Coins, which is quite easy to come by. There are also optional missions that players can do, which can mostly be done by playing the game like normal, instead of being done as side missions, which can take time away from the main game.

Aside from the combat, the game has a lot of platforming segments too, which are challenging but never unfair. Players will be jumping off and running along walls, swinging with their grappling hook, grinding on rails, gliding through the air and surfing on water while avoiding hazards and enemies. The platforming segments are a lot of fun on their own and will keep players on their toes, forcing them to memorise the obstacles ahead.

Thankfully, if players fall off (which will happen a lot), the game will simply respawn players at the most recent platform at the cost of some health and let them try again. To add to the challenge, some enemies can still chase you down as you navigate the platforms, and just getting to a higher platform during combat won’t keep you safe for long.

Ninja Gaiden games are best known to be notoriously hard and not beginner-friendly at all. This made it difficult for casual gamers who wanted to experience the game’s story without its brutally hard gameplay. Thankfully, Ninja Gaiden 4 has an easier difficulty setting called Hero Mode, which was introduced in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. This allows casual players to enjoy a Ninja Gaiden game at their own pace while still getting the same thrills and excitement. Of course, players can choose to play the game as intended, and an even harder setting becomes available after completing the game for those who want to test their mettle.

The story of Ninja Gaiden 4 is a continuation of Ninja Gaiden 3. Having a new character as the main protagonist can be risky, as it’s not always well-received by longtime fans. Yakumo is one of the better examples whose design perfectly fits the game’s aesthetics, and seeing him in action makes it hard to believe he wasn’t already a character in the franchise prior to this game.

He has a no-nonsense personality and a cold demeanour, perfectly fitting of a demon-slaying and machine-wrecking ninja. He may not have a sense of humour, but supporting characters such as Misaki and Umi, who communicate with him from afar, help balance out his seriousness with their light-hearted humour.

Yakumo has a fair bit in common with Hayabusa, but the former still manages to stand out on his own. They represent opposing Ninja clans, but share a common goal, and their methods are what truly define them and make them distinct from each other. Playing as Yakumo for a lot of the game helps make Hayabusa, who has been the protagonist since the original game in 1988, feel more special, adds to his mystique and allows longtime fans to appreciate him even more.

When playing as Hayabusa later in the game, he has a completely different move set, providing a fresh new feel. How Yakumo and Hayabusa’s stories intertwine is certainly something to look forward to in the game, and it’s best that we let players enjoy the story for themselves.

When it comes to storytelling, Ninja Gaiden 4 feels minimalistic compared to other games. It puts more focus on the action and combat, which is great, of course, but it feels that the story side was neglected. In the first several chapters, there are surprisingly not that many cutscenes, and even though there are some important characters Yakumo meets along the way, the lack of cutscenes makes it hard to give you much to latch onto and the emotional moments don’t feel as impactful as they could’ve been.

Most of the story and context is told via dialogue during the actual game, but it can be hard to pay attention while you’re busy fighting enemies and navigating through platforms. The cutscenes you do get feel short and give you the bare minimum. It’s good to have a balance between gameplay and cutscenes, and the latest Ninja Gaiden game could’ve given us a little more in regards to storytelling, but it does also have a lot of replay value, so playing through again should help tie up any loose ends.

The latest game is brimming with style and personality. The graphics are the best they’ve ever looked and will take you from a dystopian-cyberpunk-like version of Tokyo, to mountains and cliffs, to traditional Japanese buildings, to large futuristic industrial buildings and more. It has a nice mix of sci-fi and dark fantasy with some inspirations from Japanese mythology, and the characters don’t look out of place, no matter where they are. The soundtrack has a mix of techno, traditional Japanese folk music, and some banging hard rock tracks during gameplay and especially the boss battles, which will really get you in the mood to hack and slash away at your enemies.

It’s been 13 long years since the last main entry in the Ninja Gaiden series, but the wait has been worth it. Yakumo is a well-designed new protagonist who doesn’t feel like he’s replacing Hayabusa at all, and it makes things exciting when the two eventually cross paths. Ninja Gaiden and PlatinumGames are a match made in heaven as the combat is some of the most fun and exhilarating around, with tons of bloodshed and dismembered body parts. The story might feel minimal, but the action-packed gameplay is where it’s at. Ninja Gaiden 4 is the Ninja Gaiden game fans have been screaming for.

Written by: Sammy Hanson