Ninja Gaiden 4: A Shuriken for Both Sides

Thirteen years: that's how long it's been since the last main installment of Ninja Gaiden. A hiatus not so uncommon in the industry, but one that still says a lot about the difficulties the series has faced, created in its current form by the recently deceased Tomonobu Itagaki, whose imagination also gave birth to the Dead or Alive series. After the lukewarm reception among fans for the previous Ninja Gaiden 3, it seems it was Microsoft itself that knocked on Team Ninja's door to propose support for a new chapter in the saga, finally released on consoles and PC, but also within the Game Pass catalog, a detail that, as we will see, will prove very important.

The Plot of Ninja Gaiden 4

The passage of time always leaves its marks, and the first, obvious departure from previous chapters of the saga is the change of protagonist: no more Ryu Hayabusa (don't worry, you'll still have the opportunity to spend quality time with him), but Yakumo, a member of the Raven Clan, an ally of the Hayabusas, but still intent on acting alone to save Tokyo, Japan, and the entire world from the nightmare they have fallen into. Although the Black Dragon has been defeated and sealed by four mystical seals, its poisonous influence still infests the city, in the form of an endless rain of blood that relentlessly strikes the grim Japanese metropolis.

But what if the seals weren't the only solution, or rather, the right solution to forever free the world from the Black Dragon's nefarious influence? What if the Priestess was right? What if the only way to extinguish the Black Dragon from this plane of existence was to break the seals that immobilize it and purify it, according to an ancient ritual, forever freeing the world from its influence? With a completely unexpected move, Yakumo completely changes the purpose and scope of his mission, willing to risk everything once and for all to free Tokyo from a curse that literally constantly drips a cold reminder of misfortune on the city. But how will the other Clans take it? And, above all, is the Priestess telling the truth, or does she have a hidden agenda that Yakumo is unaware of?

The Combat System of Ninja Gaiden 4

Beyond the reasons that will lead Yakumo to butcher an infinite number of rival ninjas and demons, what historically matters in Ninja Gaiden is how. And quite obviously, the change of protagonist also necessitates an evolution of the combat system. Yakumo's main characteristic is his ability to change the form of the weapons he wields, transforming both their function and their destructive power. By accessing the Blood Raven Form, linked to a bar that consumes the protagonist's own blood, Yakumo can transform the blades in his hands into decidedly more imposing and lethal instruments, capable of penetrating the defenses of almost any enemy, but slower than their ordinary form. The first pair of swords, for example, can become a long greatsword in Blood Raven Form, whose reach redefines the strategic approach to combat, while the subsequent stiletto gains a rotating drill tip whose effect on enemy bodies is easily imaginable.

A further novelty compared to the past comes from the geography of the arenas where the always very crowded clashes take place, in which for the first time there are elevated positions that add a level of verticality to the action, forcing our protagonist to also defend himself from the rain of projectiles and missiles coming from the elevated positions occupied by enemies. Despite the enormous quantity of moving objects, the round indicator in the center of the screen always makes clear the direction from which a threat is coming: it is less simple, however, to neutralize it with the right timing. But we'll talk about that shortly. To complete the overview of the control system, in fact, we must also mention the inevitable combos and secret techniques (which are learned by spending Ninja Coins, a currency you will soon have your pockets full of), the parry that, if followed with timing, takes you behind the enemy, and the counterattacks, decidedly powerful and lethal in this fourth incarnation of Ninja Gaiden.

The Difficulty and Challenges of Ninja Gaiden 4

Referring back to what was said at the beginning, Ninja Gaiden 4 arrives many years after the previous installment, which at the time was met with a decidedly unenthusiastic reception, and a spin-off that failed to rekindle the flame in fans. But how many of these fans are there really? This is a legitimate question when Ninja Gaiden belongs to a genre that over time has extremized its characteristics to the point of transforming them into a gatekeeper capable of keeping out the majority of players. Does it make sense to chase the masses, lowering the overall difficulty, if the result is a failure like Ninja Gaiden 3?

With these ideas in mind, Team Ninja found itself collaborating on the development of Ninja Gaiden 4 with Platinum, the studio that gave the world some cornerstones of stylish action such as MadWorld, Vanquish, and – above all – Bayonetta. Compared to the past, however, the expanded team had to contend with a variable not present in previous equations: Game Pass. For some, the source of all industry problems, Microsoft's subscription platform could instead have played a positive role in this juncture, guaranteeing Ninja Gaiden the possibility to exist and to address the niche of players it is naturally intended for, provided some concessions are made to a wider range of users.

The precarious balance that nonetheless works, found by Team Ninja and Platinum, rests on two pillars: an entry point for everyone and a difficulty level that starts medium/high, then offering the possibility to raise the bar each time the adventure is completed. On one hand, we have the Hero level, which automates parrying (the true core of the game), allowing everyone to approach Ninja Gaiden 4 and reach the end (even those who download it without knowing anything, encountering it among the Pass offerings). On the other hand, even at Normal, the commitment and precision required increase significantly in the very first minutes of the game, while moves and techniques are explained on screen, stabilizing near the first boss and the dense groups of enemies that precede it: from here on, it is necessary to master every available tool to proceed, and the game makes this very clear.

And if you're not ready yet? You can access the training rooms by summoning Tyran every time you encounter a crow, or switch to Hero Level: the substantial immunity guaranteed by this mode allows you to study the timings and actions performed automatically by the CPU without repercussions, absorbing them until they become your own. Of course, it won't convert you into a ninja in a few minutes, but it truly represents a convenient solution both to allow everyone to progress (perhaps overcoming a battle they got stuck on), and also to improve overall. Purists will be less enthusiastic, as the Normal difficulty level is complicated for the casual player, but probably within reach for series veterans, who will likely find their challenge in subsequent runs.

A fully understandable compromise for Ninja Gaiden 4, which tries to find a balance in a genre that cannot exclusively cater to the few chosen ones capable of counting move frames (a mechanic so important for achieving excellence that it is essentially explained in the various tutorials, albeit contextualized in ninja combat). The improvement in this sense compared to Ninja Gaiden 3 is still significant; however, the need to replay the adventure multiple times to increase the challenge level must take into account a rather ordinary and flat level design, which becomes tiresome even in a single run, as the final sections involve inevitable backtracking, albeit sweetened with some fan service. In that case, it's better to rely on the frantic visual stimuli produced by the exhilarating depiction of combat shown in Ninja Gaiden 4, a riot of blows, parries, whistling blades, blood spurts, and dismemberments that compose a violent and exhilarating condensed action experience.