Ninja Gaiden 4 Review (Xbox Series X|S)

When it was revealed that PlatinumGames was helping with the fourth major entry in the Ninja Gaiden series, I had two immediate thoughts. How would the Bayonetta studio handle this kind of responsibility, and could another character really lead the next big entry in the modern series, in place of the 'main face' and video game icon Ryu Hayabusa?

Fast forward to today and Ninja Gaiden 4 has officially arrived on Xbox. Although the new protagonist Yakumo walks his own path, Platinum (under the guidance of Team Ninja) has kept the series’ identity intact without straying too far from the classic formula of hack-and-slash combat mixed with extreme levels of blood and violence. The new entry starts out in a near-future Tokyo, with the city descending even further into chaos, and it’s up to the young ninja — who is part of the Raven Clan (a rival clan of the Hayabusa Clan) — to sort it out. He’s assigned to assassinate the priestess of the Dark Dragon and well… spoiler alert, he’s quickly persuaded to keep her alive in order to break the seal on the Dark Dragon and lift the ancient curse once and for all. The only problem is, he’s now a marked man, and he’s got Hayabusa and an army of fiends and other enemies standing in his way.

Fortunately, just like the famous 'Super Ninja', Yakumo’s got all the necessary tools and training to overcome the odds. Similar to the previous entries in the series, you’ll slowly build your arsenal of weapons, starting with twin blades and eventually other unlocks and surprises along the way. Adding to this is a long list of weapon and combat skills you expand over time. If you have history with Ninja Gaiden or Platinum’s previous work, you should be right at home here. The same goes for the combat in terms of how agile the movement feels as you slice up hordes of fiends. Being the ninja-skilled gamer that I am (at least in my own mind), I was performing all sorts of stunning combo attacks in no time while parrying and locking onto enemies. Speaking of this, timing is everything when it comes to countering your enemy. You’ll want to learn how to exploit the animations of enemies, and certain moves even come with invincibility frames when timed perfectly. Team Ninja officially describes the experience as a blend of its own “tempered combat philosophy” with the “stylish and dynamic gameplay” fans of PlatinumGames have come to know and love, and when you see it all in motion, or are unleashing every move you’ve got during a boss fight, it’s sure to get your blood pumping.

Platinum builds on these combat basics with Yakumo’s new Bloodraven Form – allowing him to pull off powerful and flashy gauge attacks and executions, depending on the buttons you hit and the move set or weapons equipped. If you’re unable to break an enemy’s guard or protections, these deadly moves should do the job. And to top it off, there’s the Berserk State, acting as a lethal and bloody finisher. Once you get the hang of it all, Yakumo controls pretty much as other characters have in past entries, he’s just got some added flair, courtesy of Platinum’s stylish touches.

In between fighting, gameplay in Ninja Gaiden 4 remains mostly true to the modern series’ roots, originally started by the late Tomonobu Itagaki and his team in the 2004 Xbox reboot: Ninja Gaiden. This includes linear ‘Point A to Point B’ style progression, filled with checkpoints throughout, plenty of chests to kick open, and some additional goodies to collect. There’s a lot of platforming action too including some rail grinding, and unlocks such as the “Dragonfly Glider” and “Pond Strider” give you the chance to fly and even surf your way through part of the levels. Existing moves and platforming techniques — including wall running from previous entries — have also been brought across and adapted to the current to the pace of the forth outing, which can provide a break from fights.

Of course, it’s not always a smooth ride. As any Ninja Gaiden veteran will know, the difficulty of this series is a defining trait and in the fourth outing it extends to four options once the story mode is completed. On the harder settings, fights are fierce, and you can’t afford to drop your guard or make any foolish errors. While newcomers might prefer to begin Yakumo’s journey on 'Hero Mode' (which enables auto-guard and other assists), I’d personally recommend having a crack at a higher difficulty to get a more authentic Ninja Gaiden experience; the learning curve has always been a part of its charm.

Now, this brings us to spoiler territory. If you don’t want to know, scroll to the next paragraph... I've warned you! Right then, as you might have already guessed from the promotional art and trailers, Ryu is, in fact, a playable character in the game. This has also been directly confirmed in the marketing materials, so hopefully you’re not too surprised to see me talking about it here. You’ll be spending many hours with Yakumo before you get to Ryu, but boy is it satisfying when you’re finally reunited with the series’ legendary character. He controls mostly the same as Raven Clan’s ninja, but generally just feels a lot more powerful, as he should. He’s also got his new 'Gleam State' (like Yakumo’s 'Bloodraven Form'), he can use to break an enemy’s guard and unleash powerful moves. As he becomes playable later in the game, there’s a slightly different approach to unlocks, with some of his abilities being obtained via chests. As for his gameplay segments, you'll see him partly retracing certain areas you’ve already played as Yakumo. Fortunately, it doesn’t drag on, and the overlap of the stories only heightens the magnitude of the situation.

As for the tech on display here, the whole experience is powered by PlatinumGames’ proprietary engine. I wouldn’t say it’s quite as pretty as Ninja Gaiden 2 Black running on Unreal Engine 5, but it does enough to look the part. As for settings, you’ve got a Graphics Mode – prioritising the visuals at 30 FPS, and then there’s a consistent Performance Mode at 60 FPS. You can also specifically select a higher Performance Mode targeting 120 FPS if you have the display to make use of it and access to an Xbox Series X or supported platform. The graphics mode gets by well enough, but doesn't always provide the best picture during more heated moments on-screen. Given the general speed of the gameplay, I found the 120 FPS Mode was worth the visual sacrifice. It also seems a lot more responsive when it comes to movement, and is arguably how a game like this should be played. Apart from the visuals, there’s also a solid soundtrack throughout that adapts to the mood and speed of each moment - it all synchronizes well together!