Since its announcement earlier this year, Ninja Gaiden 4 has seemingly met just as much skepticism as excitement. Yes, after over a decade, we finally have a new Ninja Gaiden–but with Team Ninja and Platinum Games collaborating on its development and Microsoft publishing, is the series’ identity at stake? It’s a question that’s been on many long-time fans’ minds, as well as my own.
After all, there’s no denying that some of what makes Ninja Gaiden such a beloved series are the little quirks we overlook out of affection. And, more often than not, these are the very same friction-inducing qualities that are promptly removed when a series is remade or rebooted. At the same time, does opting to retain each and every one of these qualities prevent the game from evolving, or becoming an exciting, modern entry-point? After spending around four hours with Ninja Gaiden 4 and speaking with the team behind it at Platinum Game’s Tokyo office, I’ve come to a preliminary conclusion: Ninja Gaiden 4 is whatever style of Ninja Gaiden you want it to be.
Flexible and fluid
More so than previous entries in the series, Ninja Gaiden 4 emphasizes flexibility. If you’re a Ninja Gaiden veteran who loathes the idea of executing perfect dodges, locking on to enemies, and watching your Karma–the game’s scoring system that rewards players for executing combos–rack up in the top left corner, you can either ignore or remove all of it. At the same time, these options, an impressively robust accessibility menu, and the game’s beginner-friendly Hero mode–which auto-blocks most incoming damage–make the game extremely approachable for new audiences and those who might have been turned off by the series’ brutal reputation.
That said, you’d be wrong to dismiss Ninja Gaiden 4 itself as easy. Much like previous titles, Master Ninja mode is brutal, with higher difficulties bringing increased enemy intelligence and toughness, as well as more challenging enemy staging. However, the existence of one mode of play doesn’t negate the existence of the other, and thus Ninja Gaiden 4 feels wonderfully malleable.
“While it is true that Ninja Gaiden 4 does include these new parry mechanics and also just dodges, they’re not necessarily required for you to overcome. You don’t have to lean on them exclusively. They’re just another addition to the wide toolset that you have available,” Ninja Gaiden 4 co-director Masakazu Hirayama said. “Ninja Gaiden 4 isn’t necessarily more of a defensive game than the past Ninja Gaiden titles. They’re just a wider array of tools at your disposal and the effort to give players as much controllability and playability as possible.
“And while it may seem at first glance that the defensive techniques such as the parry and just dodge are very powerful, you might have noticed that there’s this berserk gauge, and that gauge will actually decrease if you’re being too defensive,” he continued. “The combat is designed in a way for you to have to really engage with that back-and-forth, that high-speed back-and-forth between offense and defense.”
In a way, this design choice reflects a larger theme in Ninja Gaiden 4: the merging of the old and the new. Ninja Gaiden 4 makes a very conscious effort to respect long-time fans, former protagonist Ryu Hayabusa, and Team Ninja’s original vision. At the same time, the introduction of Platinum Games as co-developer, new protagonist Yakumo, and a vastly expanded tool kit highlight the fact that this is, in fact, a reinvention. And though this has always been the case with the Ninja Gaiden series, even 4’s setting–which sees cyberpunk elements and traditional Japanese qualities come together to form a moody, cyber-ninja dystopia–exemplifies this dynamic.
Yet despite Ninja Gaiden being known for its brutality, this collision isn’t violent. Instead, all these different components complement each other and ultimately highlight what each aspect brings to the game.
Yakumo vs. Ryu
This dynamic is perhaps most obvious when switching between the game’s main characters, Yakumo and Ryu. During this preview, I finally got the chance to see how a slightly older Ryu controls. While he and Yakumo are similar mechanically and can even execute some of the same moves, there are clear distinctions in how they control. Yakumo feels lighter, faster, and dare I say a bit edgier, thanks to his Bloodraven form and ability to enter a berserk state. Ryu, on the other hand, packs a harder punch, feels more professional and precise, and comes with some of his classic Ninpo Arts in lieu of a new winged form, adding to the sense that he is truly a master ninja at this point.
“We wanted to design a character that would contrast with Ryu Hayabusa,” Hirayama said. “Ryu Hayabusa is already the apex of super ninja status, and Yakumo is this young ninja prodigy who’s starting to climb the ranks.”
“If I were to distill the differences between the two characters into one word, Ryu is powerful, whereas Yakumo is clever,” co-director Yuji Nakao added. “Both characters can utilize legacy abilities, whether it’s the Izuna Drop or the Flying Swallow. But there are these elements that really distinguish the characters in these really subtle but very noticeable ways.”
Another major difference between Yakumo and Ryu that reinforces these design principles is the fact that while Ryu sticks to his trusty blade, Yakumo has a handful of weapons to choose from, with some being more experimental than others. We were introduced to Yakumo’s drill weapon, which allows him to plunge into enemies and, well, drill; it’s silly, satisfying, and, like I said, he’s certainly the edgier of the two, so it tracks. Another reason why Yakumo has multiple weapons, however, is simply because he is Ninja Gaiden 4’s primary protagonist, so don’t expect the same level of treatment–or number of chapters–for both characters.
“There are dedicated chapters for Ryu Hayabusa in the story of the game. In terms of the ratio, it leans more towards Yakumo since he is the protagonist,” Hiriyama said. “But after you beat the game, it will unlock Chapter Challenge, where you can play all the chapters as Ryu Hayabusa. Likewise, can play as Yakumo in Hayabusa’s dedicated chapters.”
Fortunately during my preview, Platinum took the liberty of unlocking the game’s Chapter Challenge mode, meaning I got to take both Yakumo and Ryu through the handful of included chapters, challenges, and boss fights. Doing so further drove home the differences between Yakumo and Ryu, as with Ryu I noticed that I completed objectives more quickly, but with Yakumo I had more combo-building fun. Both characters felt equally viable and fun to use, hopefully meaning that players won’t dread playing through chapters that are initially bound to a certain character.
Bullet hell boss battles, cyberpunk cities
After going through the game’s first chapters and completing a few challenges, I opted to face off against two of Ninja Gaiden 4’s first bosses: a lightning sword-wielding commander and the Kitsune Cortesean. Though neither one was abnormally brutal, both offered up the same vital lesson: Unless you’re playing on Hero mode, you cannot get through this game if you’re just button-mashing. Whereas the fights your ninjas stumble into can be overwhelming thanks to the sheer number of strong and intuitive enemies tossed your way, these bosses were overwhelmingly powerful, and thus required me to pay attention, learn attack patterns, and intentionally move about the arena while utilizing my environment.
I had a great time with both of these enemies. Each felt appropriately challenging on normal difficulty and were immensely satisfying to take down. That said, traversing my environment while doing so was not as enjoyable. Due to Ninja Gaiden 4’s arena sizes, I frequently found myself a bit annoyed as I tried to grapple to safety only to be just out of reach of one of the designated grappling areas. Granted, some of this could be attributed to user error, and large arenas are necessary considering Platinum (naturally) adds some of its iconic bullet hell-style combat moments to the game, such as in the Kitsune Cortesean fight. That said, it still felt a bit stilted and made traversal feel slightly less fluid for me.
The locations I explored in Ninja Gaiden 4 didn’t vary too much from one another visually. All of them were set in a rain-drenched, dystopian Tokyo, and lean into cyberpunk visuals, complete with shadows, grime, and neon lights. That said–and although I would have loved to see variation in environments to help break things up–those included in the preview were striking and featured plenty of vistas, cinematic imagery, and interesting set pieces, such as the gargantuan, floating dragon skeleton that ensnares the city.
I was ultimately reassured by both the introduction of traditional Japanese elements as the story unfolds and the game’s directors that not all of Ninja Gaiden 4 will take place in Tokyo’s gritty underbelly. According to Hiriyama, Yakumo and Ryu will get the chance to dismember their enemies in more natural environments, too.
“The game itself takes place within the greater Tokyo area, but within that area there are also stages other than the cyberpunk aesthetic,” Hiriyama said. “There are stages set in more natural environments, such as forests or caves. There’s other environments as well. If you notice in Stage 1-3 of the build, you might have noticed that there’s more of this traditional Japanese aesthetic in the stage environment, so you can expect that kind of variety in the full game.”
That being the case, I’m certainly excited to see more of Ninja Gaiden 4’s Tokyo. But what I’m most anticipating about its full release is something the Ninja Gaiden series’ isn’t typically praised for: its story and characters.
Unlikely allies–and enemies
It’s still early days, but I am intrigued by the story Ninja Gaiden 4 is setting up. Though nothing of particular interest happens in the game’s first chapter–which, it should be noted, is the same one that was revealed during this year’s Summer Game Fest–Ninja Gaiden’s prologue establishes several fun relationship dynamics. For starters, Yakumo is a member of the Raven Clan, a rival clan to Ryu’s Hayabusa Clan. Things are further complicated when we discover that, in the seven years since Ryu essentially failed to completely kill the dragon whose corpse hangs over Tokyo and causes the city’s blighted rain, he has since aligned himself with the Divine Dragon Order, the Raven Clan’s enemy. As such, when Ryu and Yakumo finally might, it seems likely it will be as enemies.
The prologue also introduces us to Ninja Gaiden 4’s main heroine, the Dragon Priestess Seori. It took me all of one scene to completely adore her and the dynamic she has with Yakumo. Whereas Yakumo is quiet, edgy, and serious, Seori is filled with confidence, charm, and humor, making their forced pairing excruciating for him–even if she is exceptionally pretty. On the surface, their relationship feels a lot like Cloud and Aerith’s from Final Fantasy 7, so naturally, I’m eager to see where things go.
Fortunately for me (and all you extremely patient Ninja Gaiden fans), we won’t be waiting much longer to see how things play out. Ninja Gaiden 4 is scheduled to release on October 21 and will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, Ninja Gaiden 4 will be available to play at no additional cost on day one.
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