Why you can trust TechRuther
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Learn more about how we test.
Ninja Gaiden 4 What is, without a doubt in my mind, the best action game of 2025. Firing on all cylinders to deliver a gritty combat experience that prioritizes effective combo paths and enemy behavior – as well as learning spatial awareness – over health bars or other cheaply tricky tricks.
Review the review information
Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X, PC
Available: PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, PC
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Like his best mates, eg Devil May Cry 5 or Bayonetta game, Ninja Gaiden 4 All the tools you need to make quick work of almost any enemy in the game. But getting to that point is a skill that demands extreme skill at its difficulty level. And embarking on this journey here manages to recapture the subgenre’s best character.
If you are already one Ninja Gaiden Sir, you will be happy to know that all the staples are here. Expandable move sets with multiple weapon types, range for instant assassination attacks, and a careful balance of offense and defense are required to get the better of the legions of enemy soldiers and daemon armies that stand in your way.
It is not without its faults. Environments can be quite dull, often lacking the beautiful vistas and arena types of their predecessors – whereas earlier games often had you fighting for your life in claustrophobic spaces, in war zones. Ninja Gaiden 4 are decidedly more open and boxy. There is also a heavy reliance on the platforming parts of Rails which are heavily scripted. They may look cool, but definitely lack the challenge and thrills of the main combat loop.
These slight hiccups aside, Ninja Gaiden 4 Provides an exhilarating combat experience with strong enemy types and awesome chapter-ending boss battles. And as a bonus, while the main plot isn’t spectacular, fans of the series can expect plenty of callbacks Ninja Gaiden Universe – None though I will clearly spoil for you in this review.
Raven’s Call
i Ninja Gaiden 4, The body of the mighty Dark Dragon continues to rise above Tokyo, unleashing a rain of death and decay that threatens to destroy the city. Our new protagonist, Yakumo, is a ninja from the Raven Clan who forms an uneasy alliance with a priest named Sayuri. The partnership’s goal is to actively resurrect the Dark Dragon in order to slay it – body, soul and all – for good.
Returning series legend Ryo Hibosa, meanwhile, is none too happy at the prospect of resurrecting such a great evil. He allies himself with the Divine Dragon Order (DDO for short) to counter the Raven Clan’s plan.
This doesn’t set up Hibusa as a villain so much as it provides conflicting ways to solve the problem. This is the most interesting aspect Ninja Gaiden 4 Plot, but don’t expect Near automata The level of storytelling here. Like other games in the series, the story serves as a simple backdrop to the action, not the main focus.
Yakumo himself starts out as fairly one-note. I love its design, painfully mimicking the surface of the 2010s. Completely black and hidden in a haircut that threatens to completely cover his sight line. But they are an effective contrast to the more traditional, rational look of the hibusa. Somewhat more rebellious and unpredictable in nature.
standing in blood
That chaotic nature plays strongly into Yakumo’s weapons and abilities. While he has access to the famous Hibsa brand like the gap-closing Flying Swallow and the cranium-obliterating Azuna Drop, Yakumo has his own beast with his signature Bloodraven form.
At any time during combat, assuming you have enough gauge, Yakumo can enter a bloodraven stance by holding the left trigger. This gives power to his light and heavy attacks, but he’s also able to break through enemies’ defenses and disrupt unhitched attacks noted by a handy penalty point icon.
The best bit
What I find most amazing about Ninja Gaiden 4 is the unique imprint team Ninja and Platinum Games have left on the game through their two heroes. Yekmo is very much a Platinum-style acrobat, with a flashy and agile fighter. Meanwhile, Hibusa’s weighted style plays out much like it did in earlier titles. It’s an interesting combination that helps keep the campaign feeling fresh.
Switching between Yekmo’s base and Bloodraven forms is a skill unto itself. It’s definitely fun to rip through enemies with it already. But as the game progresses, you will be pressured to use it when necessary. Running out of bloodraven gauge means you won’t be able to deal effectively with blocking enemies or punishing charged attacks, and can leave you open to heavy damage.
Even without Bloodraven Form, you are still powerful. Hitting enemies with elemental combos can dislodge their limbs, leaving them vulnerable to an instant kill attack. Additionally, holding down the heavy attack button charges up your ‘Ultimate’ technique, which zaps the nearest enemy for massive damage and downright weak enemies.
Meanwhile, the hibusa feels fit. You’ll gain control of him around the second half of the game, and he’s much more weighted and grounded than his faster acrobatic counterpart. Parts of it feel a lot like classics Ninja Gaiden, And feel significantly harder as a result.
On the defensive side, both Yakumo and Hibusa are able to block incoming attacks, dodge and parry incoming attacks. Perry is ultra-saturating here, creating a glowing aura that instantly insulates you from your own attack. Can back off. Dodding is also incredibly useful. When done at the last moment, it creates a Bayonetta-Ore ‘Dine Time’ slowdown effect that helps you space effectively and get some free achievements.
Slice and dice
You’ll be doing all of this at breakneck speed in an average combat encounter. When the game starts mixing in multiple enemy types – and even some elites – knowing how to both attack and defend becomes a high priority, and it’s a skill that’s highly rewarded. Better performance leads to higher stage ranks, which in turn lead to more currency and weapon experience to spend on lifesaving items and additional weapon techniques, respectively.
It’s not all battle, though. Ninja Gaiden 4 Occasionally breaks the pace with quest routes. These often let you tackle specific side missions, or collect hidden collectibles or take part in optional challenges for extra currency and weapon experience.
They’re good distractions, allowing you to momentarily catch your breath amid the brutality of combat. The platforming segments also achieve this, but they grow stale. Here’s a good variety, often using traversal items like a grappling hook, glider wings, and surfboards (Joe Musashi would like a word here, I think). However, these often run a little too long and ultimately just help pad the runtime of any phase. I often found myself just wanting them to finish so they could get caught up in the next batch of baddies.
Level design in general is not a particular strength Ninja Gaiden 4, Either way it certainly serves its primary purpose, but there isn’t a strong variant here. Most fields are large and square in shape. Some have different levels of verticality and let you zip with a grappling hook.
But most of the fields feel designed to your advantage. In the first Ninja Gaiden game, you’ll often struggle for space in small rooms and hallways, or have enemies charge at you from both sides or through hidden passages. There is little in the way of element of surprise Ninja Gaiden 4 – Nothing in particular to throw you off guards during most encounters. The core combat loop remains incredibly strong, but some more variety in the level design would definitely have been nice.
Thankfully, the game’s incredible boss battles aren’t always worth the effort to get through the most precarious levels. are The owners are massive and all feel separate. They feel like unique challenges in and of themselves, often requiring you to figure out which weapon types are most effective, and to deal with unexpected attacks. They’re incredibly thrilling and almost always backed by a great blood-pumping soundtrack.
Although the overall look of the levels is a bit lacking, I can’t fault the game for its visual fidelity. The character and weather effects look especially amazing. And as you might expect from these developers, the animations and combat feel satisfying.
It’s also a winner in the performance department. for me, Ninja Gaiden 4 Run at nearly 60 frames per second through the Xbox app on both Xbox Series X Digital Edition and PC. It is worth noting that this is also a ‘play anywhere’ title. That means if you buy on Xbox, you’re free to play your copy on PC as well, and vice versa (as long as your purchase was made through the Microsoft Store). It’s also available for Day One on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so it’s definitely worth checking out and downloading if you’re subscribed.
Should you play Ninja Gaiden 4?
If you play it…
If you don’t play it…
access
There is a very robust amount of options accessible Ninja Gaiden 4. For starters, if you’re not too keen on its crushing difficulty, ‘Hero’ mode offers easy combos and optional toggles for auto-dodge and block mechanics. Other in-game options such as auto-healing and quick-time events can also be enabled here.
For vision-related accessibility settings, players can enable colored highlights for both player characters, enemies, and objects in the world, which can help them stand out against the background. You can also enable a higher castrate background. On the controls front, left-handed and single-handed play options are also available.
How I reviewed Ninja Gaiden 4
i play Ninja Gaiden 4 Completing the main campaign once, for about 18 hours for this review. I went back and forth between playing on the Xbox Series X Digital Edition and my gaming PC, thanks to the Xbox’s Play Anywhere feature. On Xbox, I primarily used the Turtle Beach Stealth Axis and Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controllers for the game, while on PC, I went with the old trusty 8 Bitdo Ultimate 2.
I also hooked my controllers up to a Rig R5 Spear Pro HS wired gaming headset for more immersive audio, with my LG X OLED TV playing on an Xbox Series X display. I also played through a good portion. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Via Xbox Game Pass to get a feel for how this new game feels compared to the remastered classic.
First reviewed October 2025
