Review: ‘Ninja Gaiden 4’ is bloody action gaming at its finest

Ninja Gaiden’s roots go all the way back to 1988, when the action-platformer title released on the NES. Since then, it’s been an action game staple, with a variety of 2D and 3D iterations. Developer Koei Tecmo dubbed 2025 “The Year of Ninja Gaiden” because the series has seen three separate releases this year. The Ninja Gaiden 2 Black remaster was released in January. Blasphemous developer The Game Kitchen collaborated with Koei Tecmo to release Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a new 2D entry in the franchise, in July.

To round out this year’s releases, Koei Tecmo worked with Xbox Game Studios to launch the next mainline entry in the series, Ninja Gaiden 4. Despite being developed under Microsoft, the game is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and even PS5. This reflects Microsoft’s shift away from exclusive Xbox releases, opting to make the games available to more players.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is the first new mainline game since 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3, and is being co-developed with PlatinumGames, best known for titles such as Nier and Bayonetta. Despite some pacing issues and retread levels in Ninja Gaiden 4, its slick and bloody gameplay, along with a stylish aesthetic, makes it one of the best action games of 2025.

Yakumo vs Ryu in ‘Ninja Gaiden 4’
Credit: Xbox Game Studios

Ninja Gaiden 4 follows a new protagonist in Yakumo, a young and edgy member of the Raven Clan — a group that rivals the Hayabusa Clan, home of series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa. Yakumo is sent on a mission to assassinate Seori, the Priestess of the Dark Dragon. After Seori reveals how to eliminate the Dark Dragon permanently, Yakumo reluctantly enters into a truce with her, and they set off on a journey to release the shrines that confine the evil entity.

There are 19 total chapters, with some dedicated to playing as Ryu. Unfortunately, the Ryu-focused chapters are largely a disappointment. They’re retreads of Yakumo’s levels, with the same bosses. They could’ve been completely cut out to make the game more concise and impactful.

While the story isn’t really as emotional or in-depth as other games like Ghost of Yotei, that didn’t hinder my enjoyment in any way. The gameplay does the talking here.

Lots of Blood

Credit: Xbox Game Studios

Ninja Gaiden 4’s real-time combat is filled with bloody and high-octane action. Yakumo can unlock four types of weapons as the story progresses: the Takeminakata twin blades, the Yatousen rapier, the Magatsuhi staff, and the Kage-Hiruko, which is an assortment of miscellaneous weapons containing claws and shuriken. These options give him plenty of ways to slice and dice enemies to gory bits, and switching between them feels as smooth as butter, making the combat feel fluid. Yakumo has a chance to dismember enemies, which then lets him “obliterate” them, triggering a brief cutscene where he automatically kills them regardless of how much damage he’s already inflicted. These are satisfying to watch, as body parts fly across the screen.

However, obliterations can be inconsistent. While bigger enemies understandably take longer to dismember, sometimes obliterations activate on smaller enemies within two hits or what feels like ages. It’s frustrating when I’m slashing away at a small enemy and they’re just soaking up my hits like a sponge while I’m still waiting for the cue for obliteration to show up. It can occasionally ruin the flow of fights.

As Yakumo fights, he can build up his Bloodbind gauge and expend chunks of it to coat his weapons in his blood, powering them up into what’s called Bloodraven form. He can then pierce through enemy shields and even crucially interrupt bosses as they charge up their most powerful attacks. Choosing when to do so is a delicate balancing act. Do I want to deal more damage immediately, or save up my Bloodbind gauge just in case I need to break through a shield? Making these decisions on the fly during the frantic combat keeps the gameplay feeling fresh every single moment.

Yakumo also has a separate Berserk Gauge, which he can activate to enter a temporarily powerful state. This state means certain Bloodraven attacks of his become automatic kills, called Bloodbath Kills. They come with their own special cutscenes, with the screen turning red and kanji stylishly emerging. This makes the combat even more explosive and fulfilling when whole swathes of the arena dissipate in a bloody haze.

The upgrade system is straightforward. By killing enemies, you earn NinjaCoin and Weapon Points to purchase abilities and items to expand Yakumo’s skillset. Sure, it’s not as immersive as finding shrines across an open world like in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows or Ghost of Yotei, but this simple approach fits an action game like this perfectly.

Cyberpunk Tokyo

Credit: Xbox Game Studios

While robots and machines have always been part of the Ninja Gaiden universe, Ninja Gaiden 4 leans much more into the cyberpunk aesthetic than previous games, giving it a distinct identity that separates it from its predecessors. This is reflected most in the game’s user interface and menus, which take on a more tech-infused design, like looking through a computer screen.

Ninja Gaiden 4 even offers an in-game explanation of the constant downpour enveloping Tokyo, which is a popular trope in the cyberpunk genre. Even though Ryu has killed the Dark Dragon numerous times, its cursed husk remains and ravages Tokyo with an eternal corrosive rain. Only a direct descendant of the Dark Dragon, which Yakumo is, can truly kill it. It’s a clever way to integrate existing lore with cyberpunk influences, resulting in more believable and immersive worldbuilding.

Ninja Gaiden 4’s straightforward level design still offers plenty of room to explore. Sometimes you’ll come across a diverging path, and following it leads to things like a treasure chest filled with helpful healing items, side quest areas, or even a Purgatory Shrine. Side quests typically involve killing a specific group of enemies hidden somewhere in the level. They’re worth completing for their rewards, which can be as simple as NinjaCoins or an item that can increase Yakumo’s maximum HP. Purgatory Shrines are challenge stages that players can enter to test their skills against waves of enemies. Similar to side quests, these are worth taking on for their rewards.

Credit: Xbox Game Studios

In between certain sections, you’ll skate on rails or surf on a board to the next part of the level, all the while dodging obstacles like oncoming trains and ducking under traffic signs. They’re fun distractions to balance the game’s constant combat, but can quickly become annoying since accidentally missing a railing causes you to restart a little ways back and lose a small portion of HP. There are also instances during these sections where you’ll have to fall into wormholes, which can be difficult to judge the distance of, and failing to land these also leads to losing HP. This unfairly leaves me underprepared for the next combat encounter since my HP is lower than it should be.

Ninja Gaiden 4 also has a surprisingly robust set of accessibility settings. Not only are you able to adjust the subtitle font, but there are high-contrast elements that make it easier to see parts of the game. The visual options include things like changing the color of enemies and interactable objects, making them much more distinguishable. These implementations rival the accessibility suite tools found in PlayStation’s first-party games, and hopefully that continues with future Xbox-published games.

After completing the main campaign once, you’ll unlock Chapter Challenge mode, where you can play as Ryu throughout, instead of during his dedicated levels. This gives the game a lot more replayability, as Ryu’s playstyle is quite different from Yakumo’s — including the use of ninjutsu to unleash magical attacks like fireballs. Additionally, there are Trials that you can take on where you participate in unique boss fights under special conditions. After you’ve mastered the gameplay, these are fun ways to apply what you’ve learned in one final bout.

Is ‘Ninja Gaiden 4’ worth it?

Credit: Xbox Game Studios

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a worthy next entry to one of the most fabled action franchises in gaming. While it’s not without its flaws, such as underwhelming Ryu chapters and frustrating rail sections, its best parts more than make up for them. The fast-paced and gratifying combat feels refreshing in an age where more games are heading towards slow-paced Dark Souls-like gameplay. There’s plenty of replayability with the Trials and Ryu’s post-game inclusion, too.

Ninja Gaiden 4 will also be available on Xbox Game Pass, although Microsoft recently announced a price hike, with its first-party published titles now only available via the most expensive $30-per-month Ultimate tier. The game is rather short, taking about 10-15 hours to complete, depending on how good you are. So if you have an Ultimate subscription, Ninja Gaiden 4 is certainly worth it, along with the rest of the Game Pass catalog.

NINJA GAIDEN 4 – Deluxe Edition – Xbox Series X|S and Windows [Digital Code in Box]

$89
at Amazon

NINJA GAIDEN 4 – Standard Edition – PlayStation® 5

$69
at Amazon

Ninja Gaiden 4 (for PC)

$69.99
at Steam

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