Ninja Gaiden 4 Reviews
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.
Ninja Gaiden 4 revives a legacy that's languished for far too long. Its technical achievements in camera and combat movement eclipse its limited enemy and level diversity. Sure, the story is a glorified stepping stone for the future, but I'm too busy reducing enemies to a shower of limbs and bloody pulp to care.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a hard-hitting action game that's sure to satisfy genre enthusiasts, but it exchanges the franchise's complex combat mechanics for a simpler, more arcade-like experience.
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
Ninja Gaiden 4’s gruesome, lightning-fast trials respectably preserve and build upon the core of its ancestors. It should also introduce a whole new audience of challenge-seeking players to the joys of ninja limb-lopping and the pride of overcoming a blockbuster game that seems to give the player almost no quarter, even as its robust movement and deeply customizable fighting styles convey sleek, ruthless empowerment. It’s not perfect, but that sheer speed and aggression still builds a convincing case for what Team Ninja’s heroes offer that Dante and Kratos do not.
Ninja Gaiden 4 emerges as a meeting point between Team Ninja's development philosophy, which led to the series' dazzling rebirth as a hardcore action game, and that of PlatinumGames, which, over the years, has become a true pillar of the genre. The combat system is still incredibly fun and at times exhilarating, and the new features introduced to the game world allow for a more satisfying progression than in the past. Given these premises, however, it's truly a shame that the same effort hasn't been put into the narrative, which unfortunately fails to capitalize on the excellent premise of the plot and ends up being a formulaic and lackluster tale. After over a decade of absence from the scene and given the names involved in the project, it was reasonable to expect a production effort of a different caliber.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden 4 turns out to be the action spectacle we hoped for in our review. Beyond the fights, however, not everything is at its best.
Review in German | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a rollercoaster of action, with a rich combat system to master and plenty of badass scenarios to overcome. Ryu's sections don't live up to the hype, nor does the writing. Even so, this is the best action game to come out in years, and perhaps Platinum's greatest hit yet.
This year has been a banner one for Ninja Gaiden games. Usually, the adage about buses involves two turning up at once, but 2025 has seen no fewer th...
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a worthy successor to the best games in the franchise thus far. It modernises the combat without losing the spirit that made the original games so strong. While the handoff to Ryu is undoubtedly clumsy and a bit of a dip overall, Ninja Gaiden 4 is an outstanding action game that's punishing in all the rights ways.
The debut of a brand new Ninja Gaiden game after more than a decade has created great expectations in me, even more so, because this time it was a Platinum Games production. But such a long break could have created an image that is simply unrealistic. The finished product has a great combat system, but making Ryu a guest in his own game is a big problem.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Ninja Gaiden 4 has its missteps, especially during the story and with Ryu's sections, but it's still a triumphant comeback for the franchise.
Ninja Gaiden 4 delivers fast and furious action that will have you hacking and slashing through demons and cybernetic soldiers in a fun and satisfying way, but its overuse of gimmicks in its level design, lack of variety of weapons, and flat story keep this from being a game that will leave a lasting impression.
Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden 4 is fun, but not memorable -- something that extends into its general narrative. You're not there for witty banter though, nor for its plot twists and turns -- but instead to decapitate enemies as a bad-ass ninja. In that sense, Ninja Gaiden 4 does exactly what it says on the tin.
Ninja Gaiden 4 brings a bloodsport of epic proportions to AAA gaming, a must play title for fans of hack and slash, action, and anything ninja.
This is the first mainline Ninja Gaiden title that I didn't bounce from after an hour, so it must be doing something right. It's the most accessible title in the series, thanks to Hero mode and a ton of other accessibility features and options that are available, which helps.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is built on solid foundations and a clear vision. It was a bold gamble on a legendary legacy, but also an opportunity to redefine the boundaries of hardcore action combat on modern PCs and consoles. Yakumo doesn't have Ryu's charisma, and we hope the undisputed hero of the saga will take center stage again in the future. Still, PlatinumGames' touch-despite the many departures-remains pure gold.
Review in Italian | Read full review