Ninja Gaiden 4 Reviews
Despite its disappointing story and bland level design, Ninja Gaiden 4's excellent combat still make it one of the best 3D action games in recent memory.
Bloody good combat carries Ninja Gaiden 4 through its more granular and extraneous "modern" additions.
Platinum clearly understands what makes the series so special and has done an incredible job building on the razor-sharp formula that we’ve all been missing for nearly a decade.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a bloody good time.
Ninja Gaiden 4 brings the series back with a bang, building on its intoxicating foundations with smart additions that further elevate its brutally brilliant combat
Over-the-top violence, incredibly satisfying combat, and an impressive challenge: this is a true, blue Ninja Gaiden experience that brings together the best of Team Ninja and PlatinumGames.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a bloody return to the most straightforward hack 'n' slash. It could have done better in terms of variety and graphics, but its absolutely insane, perfectly timed combat leaves us with one of the most frenetic and unique action games of the last decade.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a very good entry in the saga. It doesn't invent anything revolutionary, but it improves practically everything the previous entries did well and fixes many of the things they did wrong. The camera works, the combat is fluid and brutal, Yakumo is a competent protagonist who doesn't pale in comparison to Ryu, and the technical aspects are up to par. It has some flaws, of course. The on-rails sections become repetitive, the difficulty can be frustrating instead of challenging at certain moments, and the amount of techniques is overwhelming at first. But these are minor complaints in the overall context.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The grand spectacle of Ninja Gaiden 4 felt like the developers saying they wanted a proper ending for what we’ve seen out of the 3D Ninja Gaiden series, and I feel like they nailed it.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a shock to the system that reminds us of a time before Souls-likes. It's a high-octane, unrelenting, and effortlessly cool action game experience that newcomers and franchise fans alike need to play.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a true return to form for Team Ninja’s signature series. Featuring the best action you’ll find in a game this year and a great new character in Yakumo, this is a worthy successor to Ninja Gaiden II and avoids the many missteps that plagued 3. Placed well among Team Ninja and PlatinumGames’ best efforts, Ninja Gaiden 4 fully lives up to the hype and is a total blast.
Ninja Gaiden 4 hardly re-writes the rules on what these kinds of games should look like, but fans who have been awaiting the return of the franchise may prefer this first re-entry takes things back to basics to some degree. Built in partnership between Koei, Microsoft, Team Ninja, and Platinum Games, Ninja Gaiden 4 has emerged a surprisingly coherent and confident product. Stunning and stylish hack n' slash gameplay could've been backed up with more compelling characters and story beats, but for those who simply want to carve a bloody path through endless enemies — Ninja Gaiden 4 is up there with the best of them.
Some of PlatinumGames' best character action to date is muddled with a bloated first half and an otherwise uninteresting protagonist. However, as the narrative picks up, this ninja doesn't stop until long after the credits roll.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a powerful return, imperfect but full of character, capable of making us forget the years of silence with a combat system that borders on perfection in its fluidity and ferocity. The union between Team NINJA and PlatinumGames works: the action is brutal, visceral, and visually stunning, with an art direction that transforms Tokyo and its nightmares into a kabuki theater of soft lighting and blood.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a rock solid action game that delivers on what's most important - the combat. While some of the surrounding aspects are a little less successful, such as repeated environments and a forgettable story, the intense battles and myriad challenges are where the game shines, whether playing as Yakumo or Ryu. It doesn't hit every mark, but the simplistic structure, emphasis on technical combat, and even the cheesy performances combine for an action game that feels like it's from a bygone era, in the best way possible.
The arranged marriage between Team Ninja and Platinum Games has spawned a title that definitely blends what those two studios do best. Ninja Gaiden 4 is an action game that stays true to its roots while also folding in some enjoyable new ideas.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a great return for the series. Sure, it deviates from the first two entries, but has its own appeal. This is a quality Platinum Games release, which I know is hit and miss at times. Team Ninja and Platinum is a good combo and it feels good to have the series back.
Maybe Ninja Gaiden 4 could be the weird transition game that helps the franchise find a new path in future entries. Like I said before, there is a good combat loop here. It just lacks the refinement and potency that fans have come to expect from this franchise. The Ninja Gaiden stories have never been complicated or over-the-top, but this one offers very little substantive content or drama to get its hooks in you. It's not perfect by any stretch of the word, but the right person can find a good time here.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a fantastic, fun and challenging action game that fans of the genre will be coming back to many times, with tons of replay value and inevitable DLC expansions in the future. It's a shame that the story and characters are completely undercooked, but the gameplay hard-carries this game to one of the best action games of the year.
It's a demanding game, yes, but also a fair one. And, above all, it's an experience that restores that sense of pride after mastering a difficult battle, something that defines the true essence of Ninja Gaiden. For all these reasons, Ninja Gaiden 4 is one of the best surprises of the year, a title that not only revives a legendary franchise but also elevates it to a new standard within the action genre. If you love challenges, technical combat, and the purest Japanese style, this game is a must-have.
Review in Spanish | Read full review