NERDAGES
Ninja Gaiden 4 Review: Futuristic Fury, Familiar Finesse
Eric Poole | Posted: 10/26/2025
(Credit: Platinum Games | Official Blog Page)
I’ve wrapped up my run of Ninja Gaiden 4 on Xbox Series S, clocking in just under 10 hours on normal difficulty. After years of waiting and a summer remaster that didn’t quite hit the mark, I’m happy to say this entry feels like a solid return to form. It’s fast, brutal, stylish, and unapologetically old school where it counts. It’s not perfect, but it’s exactly what I hoped for when I first saw the trailer.
Performance and Gameplay
First off, Ninja Gaiden 4 performs extremely well on the Series S. For a game this fast-paced, stability is everything, and I didn’t experience any noticeable frame drops or crashes. In a year where many modern titles stumble at launch, that’s worth calling out.
The combat system is as tight as ever, fluid, deliberate, and deeply satisfying. Every move feels precise, and the weapon variety keeps things interesting. The camera still struggles during chaotic mob fights, but one-on-one duels are where this game truly shines. Each encounter feels like a test of timing and focus, the kind of combat that reminds you why this franchise is legendary.
The parkour system deserves credit too. It’s quick, flashy, and usually intuitive. There were moments when the path forward wasn’t totally clear or a few annoying ranged enemies tried to grief me mid-wall-run, but overall it adds a great layer of mobility to the gameplay loop.
Boss fights are a major highlight, not too long, not too easy, and not the kind of damage sponges that slow momentum. Every encounter feels fair and skill-based, and the pacing across all of them hits the sweet spot.
Switching between playable ninjas also adds welcome variety. Ryu, as always, feels like the ultimate super ninja, and alternating between characters keeps the combat fresh without breaking rhythm.
Where It Falls Short
The biggest letdown is the story. It’s not terrible, just not memorable. Like previous Ninja Gaiden titles, it jumps between multiple ninja storylines that eventually intertwine, but the revelations don’t land as hard as they should. The nonlinear structure makes it harder to stay emotionally invested, and by the end, it just feels like background noise to the excellent gameplay.
Balance is another small gripe. There are several sequences where you’re forced to take on multiple bosses back to back without a chance to restock healing items or buffs. The game does compensate by slowly refilling consumables after repeated deaths, but that approach feels artificial. A smarter inventory or checkpoint system could maintain the challenge while preserving the sense of accomplishment.
Late in the game, you unlock a new weapon mapped to the D-pad’s upper-left angle, which sounds fine until you actually need to use it mid-combat. It’s an awkward input choice that breaks the flow of combat and can cost you in tougher fights. At higher difficulties, it’s the kind of detail that could make or break a run.
And while rare, I also ran into a few AI hiccups early on, enemies getting stuck behind walls or attacking cover geometry while I was safely tucked away. It’s a minor issue, but seeing that kind of pathing bug in 2025 feels like a step backward.
Final Thoughts
Ninja Gaiden 4 doesn’t reinvent the franchise, but it doesn’t need to. It delivers fast, precise, and brutally satisfying gameplay wrapped in a sleek futuristic Tokyo aesthetic that mostly works. The camera issues, unremarkable story, and minor mechanical quirks keep it from greatness, but what’s here is pure, well-tuned action.
If you’re a longtime fan, you’ll feel right at home, and if you’re new, the inclusion of easier difficulty modes makes it far more approachable than older entries. It’s available on Game Pass, and at a modest 32 GB install size, it’s an easy recommendation for subscribers.
You may not binge it to completion in one weekend, but this is the kind of game that’s perfect to keep installed and return to for quick bursts of high-skill, high-adrenaline action.