I sat down to play Ninja Gaiden 4 for the first time at PlatinumGames’ Tokyo Studio, and after a masterful demonstration of the game from their Director, Yuji Nakao, I was straight into the action. The game is fast-paced, very satisfyingly bloodsplatter-y and definitely made me feel like a master ninja… then I attempted the actual Master Ninja difficulty and was quickly humbled.
Master Ninja is the game’s hardest difficulty, unlocked after beating it once. Lucky for me, I had the option unlocked from the beginning of the preview, but even though I had just played the same levels, Master Ninja felt quite different. Team Ninja Director Masakazu Hirayama says this is because Master Ninja doesn’t just change stats like damage output or health: “The enemy placement will be different and the enemy waves will be different, but not only that, the (way the) enemy AI will behave will be different. They’ll be more aggressive, they’ll have different attack modes.”
The [way the] enemy AI will behave will be different. They'll be more aggressive, they'll have different attack modes.
Normally, when you first play the game, you can only choose between the difficulty levels: hero, normal and hard. I started on normal.
This game is so beautiful, and the levels are stunning. Thirteen years have passed since the release of Ninja Gaiden 3, and the new cyberpunk aesthetic shows this sequel is set well into the future. I start in Sky City Tokyo’s glowing, busy streets, running along a train as blood rains from the body of the Dark Dragon that towers ominously over the landscape.
“One of the concepts is adversity in the game,” explained Level Design & Environment Lead, Yudai Abe, in our interview, “the city itself is against the player, is against Yakumo as well. So we paid a lot of attention to being able to portray these very harsh environments within the game … the darkness is one aspect of that.”
The city itself is against the player, is against Yakumo as well.
Running through this gorgeously threatening, huge, high-tech environment, I started playing as the new protagonist, Yakumo, an emo, edgy member of the raven clan who complements this world-is-against-you, adversarial feeling. His aesthetic is immaculate, with dark ribbons flowing fluidly behind him as I beat up enemies.
He reminded me of a few different moody anime protagonists, so I asked the creative team if his aesthetic was inspired by anything.“I really used the raven as a very strong motif,” Art Director Tomoko Nishii replied, saying that she wasn’t inspired by any other works. “The ribbons, the three of them flowing, the fact that he’s all dressed in black … This isn’t exactly a visual aspect of it, but I kind of took the inspiration that as opposed to being very clean … that it’s a little bit more of a dark and dirtier image … Even the way that his eyes are sort of hidden.”
I really used the raven as a very strong motif.
While I am in awe of the look of this game, the sound design really excites me, too. As I walk through a cave, I hear the water squelch beneath my feet. As I enter the more intense part of the stage containing the first boss, the music ramps up spectacularly to the point where the singer is yelling as I slash, parry, and dodge, making me feel like a badass. “I don’t mean to sound kind of corporate, but I think in terms of being a Japanese company, being able to have an in-house composer such as myself, one of the strengths of that, is that I’m involved with the game from very early stages,” explained Lead Composer Masahiro Miyauchi. “From early on, I was able to provide music that really blends well into what everyone else is working on.”
One of the strengths of [being an in-house composer], is that I'm involved with the game from very early stages... From early on, I was able to provide music that really blends well into what everyone else is working on.
My favourite example of fantastic sound was when accessing Yakumo’s shops, large computer screens disguised as Shinto shrines called DarkNest Terminals. This game is so fast-paced, but when I stopped to access one of these terminals, bassy, chill music washed over me. Combined with the rain, it felt like a proper place to relax and stock up on things such as life elixir. To be honest, I was sad that I could only hold a limited amount, as they were so easy to access during battles to heal myself, and it didn’t take long to use them up. Essence of Rebirth was my other favourite item, reviving me when I died.
At the DarkNest Terminals, I was excited to see I could also accept a variety of missions to earn Ninjacoin. My favourite of these missions was to find Gourdy, a collectable creature that looked like a gourd with little sharp teeth. When I found Gourdy, I needed to do a quick time event to collect him. I only had to press two buttons, but I imagine these will get more difficult and fun.
As one of the first to try Yakumo’s weapon Yatousen, I had a great time with it. In his base form, Yatousen is a rapier, which I could use to not only slash enemies and parry their attacks but also dismember them in an adequately bloody fashion. When an enemy is dismembered, they can run at you and explode, but you can also perform a powerful finishing move called an Obliteration when they are dismembered, which was my favourite thing to do; it felt so amazing ripping the enemy in half. Pressing X to light attack and Y to heavy attack, I felt like I was getting the hang of things, but there are so many ways to kill enemies that I loved even more.
To use Yakumo’s alternate form, called ‘Bloodraven Form’, I had to slice and destroy enemies with his rapier until I filled the ‘Bloodbind Gauge’. Once this gauge was full, I could press the left trigger to turn into this new form, transforming my rapier into a massive drill. It was extremely satisfying, and I loved shredding enemies with it. I found myself regularly holding the trigger to use Bloodraven Form and running my Bloodbind Gauge low.
According to Hirayama, it took a while to find the balance. “There was a point in development where Bloodraven Form was just, it was dominating … we of course really appreciate what PlatinumGames was doing with Bloodraven Form, but we wanted to find a way to not just have that take over, but incorporate it into the foundations, integrate it … there was a lot of adjustments and a lot of back and forth that went into that. And if you were to compare the way Bloodraven Form worked one year ago and how it works now, it’s almost completely different games.”
If you were to compare the way Bloodraven Form worked one year ago and how it works now, it's almost completely different games.
There is also a meter that, when full, allows Yakumo to go ‘Berserk’. When you use certain Bloodraven Form attacks when berserk, you perform a ‘Bloodbath Kill’, which insta-kills an enemy. Although I couldn’t access it often, Bloodbath Slaughter was my other favourite move, killing all nearby enemies with a dramatic, red, black, and white splat.
Although the preview build had them unlocked, these abilities won’t be available when first starting the game normally. Approaching a raven summons Tyran, Yakumo’s mentor, who will teach you these new moves at the cost of Ninjacoin.
Ryu Hayabusa, the second playable character, also has a bunch of unlockable moves, and as one of the first people to try Ryu’s Ninja Gaiden 4 gameplay, I wasn’t disappointed. Ryu is the protagonist from the previous Ninja Gaiden games and returns in Ninja Gaiden 4 as a temporary antagonist before becoming playable. While he keeps his moveset from the previous games, he also has a new Gleam Form, similar to Yakumo’s Bloodraven Form, which is built using his Ki gauge the same way, by hacking and slashing enemies with his dragon sword. In comparison, these attacks felt much heavier than Yakumo’s, with big, dramatic bloodsplatter sound effects.
Ryu has his own classic version of the shop, Muramasa’s Shop, and when accessing this shop, the music was still bassy but felt deeper and more badass. In contrast to fledgling, newcomer Yakumo’s questioning-his-mission storyline that made me adore him, Ryu’s aesthetic is that of a sure-of-himself, veteran, super ninja.
Unique to Ryu is his magic system, Ninpo. The two Ninpo I had access to were Art of the Inferno, which threw fire at enemies in front of me, and Art of Piercing Void, which felt like a big burst of energy. All of Ryu’s attacks using his iconic dragon sword felt very powerful and big. There is so much fun on offer with Ryu, and I feel like I will enjoy him even more as I slowly introduce myself to his moves when we have access to the full game, but in the time I had it was very fun to button-mash. I especially enjoyed the Izuna drop, where Ryu launches into the air and drops the enemy headfirst into the ground with a splat.
The bosses in this game are difficult, but with access to Life Essence and Essence of Rebirth, I was able to eventually defeat the two bosses I had access to. Something that I found helpful is that if you die to a boss enough times on normal difficulty, Tyran will appear and offer you an item to help. The experience felt very rewarding, and I was excited to defeat each one after eventually learning the attacks and blocks required. Sawing a boss in half with my weapon of choice at the end added to that satisfying feeling of finally beating them.
Although iconic, the only weapon we have been introduced to so far for Ryu is his Dragon Sword, while Yakumo has three weapons that have been revealed. I decided to ask the Directors if any surprises are in store:
NOM: “Do you think that there are a good number of weapons in the game, and is there a chance for more in the future?”
HIRAYAMA: “There’s going to be a fourth weapon, for Yakumo, that will be revealed in the future so please, look forward to that. With regards to Ryu’s weapons … We are planning to add additional weapons in, as DLC. The DLC is included as part of the Deluxe Edition … Additional weapons are included in that, with that said, that gameplay content isn’t just limited to additional weapons. There’s going to be more content. And we’ll be revealing more details about what you can expect from that content in the future.”
There's going to be more content. And we'll be revealing more details about what you can expect from that content in the future.
I enjoyed the characterisation in Ninja Gaiden 4 and would say I am already obsessed with the characters and want to learn more about them, especially Seori, a smirking, clever priestess with great eyeliner. Her relationship with Yakumo is really interesting, and I am excited to see where it leads as the game progresses. Yakumo is one of those single-minded guys who has spent his whole life chasing a singular goal , and the addition of Seori provides some great comic relief to all of his angst.
Although I didn’t witness any of Ryu’s story moments, veteran players will be excited by the fact that you can play as either Yakumo or Ryu in all challenge levels of the game, including chapter challenge, where you can play the story levels as Ryu.
NOM: “What would you say to really hardcore Ryu fans? Like, why should they give Yakumo a chance?”
HIRAYAMA: “Even with a new protagonist in Yakumo, we set out to make sure that he feels distinctively Ninja Gaiden and that he blends into the Ninja Gaiden core combat and gameplay feel and the sense of controllability and responsiveness. If you play each character, you’ll notice these distinct differences between them, but both of them fit into the overall Ninja Gaiden game cycle. At Team Ninja of course we cherish Ryu Hayabusa, and that’s why we ensured that he’s playable … I look forward to new players picking up the controller, playing as Yakumo and really experiencing this character who provides new, dimensions into Ninja Gaiden, but it still feels quintessentially Ninja Gaiden and then, of course, you can play Ryu Hayabusa he gives you that traditional, core, ninja kind of gameplay feel.”
I look forward to new players picking up the controller, playing as Yakumo and really experiencing this character who provides new, dimensions into Ninja Gaiden, but it still feels quintessentially Ninja Gaiden
Speaking of new dimensions in Ninja Gaiden, rail-grinding through the levels is very fun. Ninja Gaiden 4 mixes rail grinding with wall running, throwing shuriken and swinging like Spider-Man using one of the pieces of Raven Gear called a Caddis Wire for a very fun experience. I enjoyed using this gear at the end of a rail section to swing from a drone and assassinate a DDO soldier.
“There was a lot of effort into really striking, a good balance between the combat sections and the rail sections and how the rail sections, like, provide a sense of cohesion and a sense of propulsion, so it doesn’t take away from the combat scenarios,” PlatinumGames Director Yuji Nakao informed me, “There’s always the sense of, you know, being pushed forward, and it doesn’t take away from the emphasis on the combat, which you’d expect from an integrated game.”
You can do assassinations by pressing Y when an enemy hasn’t noticed you, which I loved doing. The only part of the moveset I found a little clunky was sliding, with the same button used to run also being used to slide. In places where I was running from the Divine Dragon Order and had to slide under a gap, I found myself having to run back and attempt a slide multiple times. Fighting, however, feels very fluid and satisfying, so this was a minor issue.
If you are looking for more of a challenge, there are a bunch of things you can do in Ninja Gaiden 4 to add to the experience. One of those that I admittedly stumbled into, thinking I had accidentally accessed a part of the preview build I wasn’t meant to, were the optional, difficult battles hidden around the game called ‘Purgatory’. You can choose what to wager in these battles, including max health. “It’s kind of an evolution of the Tests of Valor that were in previous Ninja Gaiden games,” said Hirayama. “The idea of having players choose the level of risk for that reward, that was something we included to kind of, stoke the flames of challenge.”
The idea of having players choose the level of risk for that reward, that was something we included to kind of, stoke the flames of challenge.
I also got to try the new, never-before-seen Challenge Missions, where I could fight against the bosses I had fought in the story and receive a ranking. This mode has an option called ‘Death Wish’, which removes all of your character’s upgrades. “In the full release, there’ll be missions outside of just boss fights. So you have to fight in groups of enemies under special conditions that differ from what you experienced in the story mode,” explained Hirayama.
All of this felt like a great amount to explore, and when asked how long it would take to beat the game, Hirayama replied: “Your first playthrough, you can expect about 15 to 20 hours. But, like I mentioned before, after you beat the game once, you unlock Master Ninja difficulty and then, of course, outside of the story mode, there’s also the challenge missions and also chapter challenge as well … so there’s going to be a robust amount of content for players to sink their teeth into after they complete their first playthrough.”
After 4 hours with this game and beating the two bosses on normal, I felt amazing. I am not normally someone who enjoys grinding through games, but this didn’t feel tedious. I actually want to dive back in as soon as I can, spend some time with this, and really get a grasp on the techniques so I can become a TRUE master ninja and defeat the game at its hardest. But if you are worried that it may be too hard for you, Hirayama has some advice.
“If you enable Hero Mode, it’ll automatically enable auto-assist features, so there will be auto-guard and there will be auto-dodge … The intention behind hero mode wasn’t just to make the game easy, it’s actually a tool that players can use to help them level up and develop their skills. So, once they feel like they’ve gotten a feel for the general flow of combat, they can actually go into the options, disable auto-guard, and then once they feel like they leveled up, after that, they can switch the difficulty to normal and then to hard … Ninja Gaiden is a challenging game and there are players who are worried that it might be too challenging. I want them to rest assured that there are tools present there for them to utilize to help them develop, as a player and really become a master ninja themselves.”
Interview portions of this feature were translated from Japanese to English. NextPlay was provided travel by Xbox Game Studios to attend this preview event of Ninja Gaiden 4.
Ninja Gaiden 4 releases on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 21, 2025.
