'Ninja Gaiden 4' Is Almost The Series' Best, But Has One Key Flaw

'Ninja Gaiden 4' Is Almost The Series' Best, But Has One Key Flaw

MicrosoftWith more Soulslike games getting released every year, it feels like we’ve lost something over the last decade, as more developers and companies veer away from pure action games. More and more action games are trying to cash in on the wild popularity of Souls elements, making it hard to find games that go for that high-speed, pure action experience. But Ninja Gaiden 4 is, at a glance, a return to the glory days of action games — a bone-…

‘Ninja Gaiden 4’ Is an All-Gas, No-Brakes Game That Assaults the Senses

'Ninja Gaiden 4' brings back overkill action from a time before 'Dark Souls' took over the genre

Ninja Gaiden 4 Xbox Series X Review

2025 has turned out to be a pretty good year for Ninja Gaiden. After over a decade of silence, three new games have been released. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (which I haven’t played), the phenomenal Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, and now Ninja Gaiden 4. This direct sequel to 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3 breaks from tradition somewhat. Players no longer control the venerable Ryu Hayabusa (at least initially), instead inhabiting the kote of Yakumo, a ninja from the R…

Ninja Gaiden 4 Combat Flow: How to Use Weapons, Defence and Finishers

What to knowCombat balances aggressive offence with deeply timed defensive mechanics for a high-skill loop.You’ll manage a weapon arsenal with distinct styles (speed, reach, blunt, gadgets), each suited to different enemy types.A transformation mode (Bloodraven Form) ties offence and defence together, serving as a reward loop for skilled play.Finishers (“Bloodbath Finishers”) cap off encounters dramatically, giving payoff for execution and strat…

Ninja Gaiden 4 Review: Old school in most of the best ways

Franchise fans should love this. Team Ninja is back with Ninja Gaiden 4, this time teaming up with PlatinumGames for a title published by Xbox Game Studios. Those who enjoyed previous entries in this series will find a lot to like about this new title, which is old school in almost every way. The problem is, that’s not always a positive. Despite long-time series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa featuring heavily in Ninja Gaiden 4‘s marketing, this is tr…

Ninja Gaiden 4 Revives The Franchise With A New Hero And Flashy Gameplay

Once a storied and respected franchise, Ninja Gaiden's reputation cratered with 2012's Ninja Gaiden 3, followed by an even worse Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. For nearly 12 years the series remained dormant, until an explosion of games, including Ninja Gaiden 4, put the franchise back on the map.