To call Ninja Gaiden 4 a hack-and-slash feels almost reductive. Stretching far beyond any gameplay we’ve ever seen from the series, Team Ninja and Platinum Games have created one of the finest action titles this year. Not only is the combat layered, varied, and versatile, it oozes style and intensity throughout. Many diehards might feel unhappy that Ryu isn’t the main protagonist. I get it. The guy is as cool as a cucumber. However, Yakumo manages to take the mantle and run with it to the ends of the earth.
As an ancient curse rises, Yakumo and his allies must put a stop to the cybernetic ninjas, mysterious creatures, and dangerous bosses in order to restore Tokyo to its former glory. It’s your run of the mill story and nothing that’s going to particularly stand out. It has some cool moments, and for those invested in the world and its narrative, you’ll get your friends chirping in every now and again over comms giving you bits of information. The inevitable encounter with Ryu Hayabusa is easily one of the coolest moments of the game, though.
While new territory is covered with introducing a new hero, seeing Ryu appear made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. While it’s so satisfying playing as Yakumo from the off, stepping back into the sandals of the famed ninja was something I couldn’t wait to do. It takes its time for it to happen, but it’s more than worth the wait. As for Yakumo, though, his moveset is glorious. There are plenty of combos to familiarise yourself with, only growing more and more with every new stage to the point combat becomes a web of opportunity and rage.
The combat goes so much further than light and heavy attacks. New moves are consistently unlockable after earning Ninja Coin to unlock them. Checkpoints littered throughout the levels let you interact with Tyran. New combat skills can be purchased, slotting in nicely to your moveset. There’s never a rush to learn them. I went through multiple levels trying to master what I already had before learning a bunch more. The learning curve is yours to shape. The more I became familiar, the more I spent, but if you have the money, you’re free to unlock as many as you want.
In base form, using your weapon can trigger some stunning combos. Battles are aggressive and relentless. Parrying is performed by striking at the right moment of an enemy’s attack. Blocking is an option, but do it too much and your guard will break. Ninja Gaiden 4 wants you to always be on the offensive. With so many enemy types and attacks, you’re always mixing up your approach in the heat of battle. There’s nothing more satisfying than finding that rhythm, destroying waves of enemies in the most stylish way possible.
That rhythm adds variety in where you attack from, too. Yakumo unlocks a grappling hook which allows you to pull up and attack from up high. Whether before the first blow or to simply get away from the ground, it comes in very handy. It’s used in traversal to swing from branches, run across walls, and more, but in combat its a blessing. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a combo interrupted by an enemy hit. The option of verticality helps to keep combos going as well as a potential breather from a heavy onslaught from the enemy.
On top of your base form, Yakumo can use Bloodraven form. This brings about more devastating attacks with a whole new wave of unlockable combat abilities. It’s easy to switch between the two forms, but successful attacks with the base form increases the gauge for your Bloodraven form. There isn’t an endless supply. Managing the two is one of many factors of your offence you’ll need to think about. Combos are a great way to damage enemies and they look phenomenal, but there’s so much more to the combat.
Ryu uses his own version of Bloodraven called Gleam form. It acts similarly to Yakumo’s, giving the head of the Hayabusa Clan more brutal attacks. It’s also used to break the enemy’s guard which, for certain enemies who have strong shields for protection, it becomes a constant beacon of light. Yet another necessary move becomes the Ultimate technique. Holding in your strong strike unleashes an automatic combo sequence that sees both Ryu and Yakumo devastate enemies in such a stylish way, which can also be upgraded to last even longer.
When cutting a limb of an enemy, you can obliterate them by slicing them in half, drilling a hole in their back, and more. Different weapons unlock the more you play, going far beyond the twin blades you start with. One of my favourites was the Magatsuhi: a staff that is both swift and savage, yet when in Bloodraven form it becomes a hammer that does significant damage. Different forms, a range of weapons, various combos, vertical combat, a satisfying parry system. Ninja Gaiden is a triumph when it comes to the gameplay, and I couldn’t get enough.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is relatively linear. There are different paths to go down in order to find items needed to complete missions or find health elixirs and other consumables. Going from fight to fight until a cutscene is pretty much at the heart of what you do. The focus is clearly on the freedom in front of your foes. For some, the combat is going to be difficult. There, I said it. It’s expected when you go into a Ninja Gaiden game. Saying that, the fourth main entry is brutal at times. Some of the fights drove me mad, but mastering your moveset helps to counter those frustrations.
There are difficulty levels for you to choose from. If a particular area or boss is proving too much of a challenge, you can turn down the heat. Call me a sadist, but I loved being challenged. Destroying one of the many bosses felt almost euphoric. It is in no way a Soulslike, but that difficulty comes at you so fast that death will come knocking unless your concentration is as high as it can possibly be. Given that combat is so frequent, I took my fair share of breaks from its intensity. Yet I always kept coming back for more.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is more than a return to form. The combat system is intricate and tricky to master, but when mastered it offers countless ways to defeat the evil you encounter. Yakumo is a fantastic protagonist, albeit cocky and brooding. The supporting cast are interesting, all offering different perspectives throughout the story. While it can be incredibly tough at times, Team Ninja and Platinum Games have done more than enough to make old fans happy and introduce new fans to a phenomenal series.
