The hotly anticipated Ninja Gaiden 4 is finally out with critics giving out their verdicts on the newest entry in the legendary hack-n-slash title and they’re pretty much exactly what most of you have already expected. Ninja Gaiden 4 is receiving sky-high praise for it’s phenomenal combat system and overall moment-to-moment gameplay experience, which is pretty much the entire premise of the game and what it promised to deliver ever since it was first unveiled this year.
So yes, if you’re still wondering, Ninja Gaiden is indeed back with a title that’s every bit as spectacular as the series has ever been.
However, critics have found several other aspects of Ninja Gaiden 4 more lacking and perhaps a bit underdeveloped compared to the incredible combat system. One of them is the story which is pretty much bare-bones with new protagonist Yakumo whom many critics have found uninteresting and a bit bland, especially compared to series’ staple Ryu Hayabusa who has been reduced to a much more smaller role than many players had previously anticipated with only a fraction of levels (just 4) you can get to play as him compared to Yakumo (a whopping 15).
Also, Ryu only gets one weapon throughout the entire game which pales in comparison to the overall arsenal that Yakumo has in Ninja Gaiden 4 but thankfully, the combat experience more than makes up for these limitations and delivers some of the most memorable action packed moments in the game. Ryu also gets a new form which is similar to Yakumo’s Bloodraven and is highly satisfying and enjoyable.
Overall, Ninja Gaiden 4 has succeeded in bringing back the glory and the pedigree of the series in the way it matters most–in it’s fast, flashy and deep combat experience that’ll be pretty much unrivaled in this year and beyond. So if you love pure action titles with a high degree of replayability, you can’t go wrong with Ninja Gaiden 4.
And if you’re wondering, Ninja Gaiden 4 will take around 15 to 20 hours to beat on Normal difficulty which means you’ll get considerably more playtime on higher difficulty settings.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Playstation 5, Steam as well as on Game Pass.
