Ninja Gaiden 4 is the slick, brutal remedy to my soulslike fatigue

The Greater Eastern Brood of periodical cicadas took flight a few months ago. The last time they emerged was back in 2008, just in time for the release of Ninja Gaiden 2. In the interim, they've missed a global pandemic, the rise of Chat GPT, and, of course, the inauspicious release of Ninja Gaiden 3. Lucky for them, they're just in time for Ninja Gaiden 4.

Consider: Ninja Gaiden is the videogame cicada. It languishes in a cocoon of cult consciousness for years, only to emerge from its dormant state and remind us all what we've been missing - except instead of 100-decibel mating calls and damage to local tree growth, we've got copious blood and dismemberment. 2025 has seen a shadow-dropped remake and a critically acclaimed arcade throwback, but the series isn't quite ready to return to ground just yet.

A collaboration between Koei Tecmo, Platinum Games, and Team Ninja should be enough to get any self-professed Ninja Gaiden fan excited, but throw in Bayonetta 3's Yuji Nakao as producer-director, and we've got the recipe for a real good time.

In the grand scheme of Ninja Gaiden's near-four decades of cultural relevance, I'm an extreme latecomer. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was a revelatory introduction to a series that had sat on my periphery for a while, and offered the perfect excuse to bring it into full focus. Where I expected a grimdark and unforgiving slog through endless waves of enemies, I found a camp action-adventure that left me utterly charmed.

Still, the intrinsic problem with remakes persists in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, in that general audiences often prefer to look to the future rather than a refurbished past. Ninja Gaiden's future is now imminent, and there's no greater proof of that than new protagonist Yakumo. He appears less like a classic ninja and more like a K-pop idol. I can't blame Team Ninja for trying to appeal to a Gen Z audience, and he makes a decent foil against the bulging muscles of Ryu Hayabusa.

Ninja Gaiden 4 takes us to Neo Tokyo, née Sky City Tokyo. The Dark Dragon's husk still hangs heavy in the sky, its blood raining relentlessly down on neon-flooded streets and corroded danchi. Where Ninja Gaiden 2 Black's Sky City Tokyo leaned into the cherry blossoms and traditional Japanese architecture, Neo Tokyo is an all-out cyberpunk dystopia. The Divine Dragon Order has control of the city, apparently allied with Ryu to ensure the Dark Dragon stays dormant.

Meanwhile, Yakumo's Raven Clan lives in the shadow of the Hayabusa Clan's legacy, nursing a prophecy to kill a priestess, cleanse the dragon, and restore peace to the world - basically doing what Ryu hasn't quite managed, despite all his efforts. "Leave it to the ravens to peck out the trash," fellow clan member Umi quips to Yakumo on comms. Unfortunately for all involved, the priestess in question is a sweet talker who convinces Yakumo to not only spare her life but, er, awaken the dragon. This will have absolutely no dire consequences, I'm sure.

I fell fast and hard for Ryu in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, but Yakumo's combat style is distinct enough that he's not a consolation prize to the real legacy protagonist around here. Where playing as Ryu is a nostalgic hug in a mug full of blood, Yakumo brings a Platinum flourish that proves this is more than just a futile bid to recapture the series' past glory.

As Yakumo, I unleash a flurry of backstabs from twin katanas, throw enemies up into the air to impale them on a lancer's drill bit, and use a comedically long tachi blade to slice through mobs in a massive horizontal swipe. His Bloodbind Ninjutsu fighting style consists of a base form to build his Bloodbind Gauge, which he expends to power his Bloodraven form. This empowered state is really where the action is, and the closest my preview comes to Ninja Gaiden's classic Ninpo powers.

I'm not flinging elemental magic around, but Yakumo's blink-and-you'll-miss-it transformation into a one-winged raven offers far more variability in combat. I can use it to break through an elite enemy's guard, interrupt power attacks, inflict a counter-stagger, or even initiate a berserk state to cut them down where they stand. Naturally, Obliteration fills the Bloodbind Gauge faster; dismemberment was a seminal part of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, but in Ninja Gaiden 4, it's the grisly centerpiece.

Dodging is also a crucial element of Ninja Gaiden's combat, but Platinum has zhuzhed it up with Bayonetta's Witch State. That's a perfect dodge slowdown effect, for the uninitiated. The side effect? Parrying and dodging take a greater precedence than blocking this time around, and the swift cadence of combat demands split-second decisions to use the right move at the right time. When certain attacks can break through your guard, why gamble on a block when you can quick-slide and reposition instead?

Of course, fast-paced combat comes with its own set of problems, and Ninja Gaiden's camera has historically been a law unto itself. I'm happy to report that Ninja Gaiden 4's camera is the best it's ever been: snappy and responsive, with an optional 'hard' lock-on for those times where you want to target a particular foe in the middle of a crowd. I can't say the same of the wall run, which continues to be as finicky as ever; when I want to run vertically, I'll inevitably run horizontally, and vice versa. You can't have it all, I suppose.

Whether I'm Yakumo or Ryu, Ninja Gaiden 4's move list is extensive yet nowhere near as convoluted as DMC-style combos. We're still very much in the territory of Ninja Gaiden and Bayonetta, where inputs are a calculated button-mash and controller face buttons are intuitively mapped to specific directional movements. Additional moves are now unlocked via a skill merchant rather than technique scrolls, and my preview build has all moves unlocked. This necessarily means I'm robbed of the chance to master combat skills organically, but I can't complain too much when my beloved Guillotine Throw, Flying Swallow, and Izuna Drop are at my fingertips.

On Hero and Normal modes, Ninja Gaiden 4 offers an accessible experience for anyone new to the series, or otherwise lets the old-timers tap into a switch-your-brain-off-style 'flow' state. However, like all the best action games, victory in Ninja Gaiden 4 is the bare minimum. Hard mode and above demands a careful observation of positioning, environmental interactables, and enemy weapons - in short, it's Ninja Gaiden 4 at its most authentic. At the highest difficulty, I am one-shot by enemy power attacks. It teaches me two fundamental lessons: one, that it's not enough to hack-and-slash my way through enemy attack cues at this level, and two, practice makes perfect. Thankfully, Ninja Gaiden 3's training mode makes a welcome return.

It certainly helps that Ninja Gaiden 4's challenge mode includes a combined chapter and character selection menu. Replaying story chapters as Ryu not only offers what one might consider a 'classic' Ninja Gaiden, but it also doubles as a reprieve from the story-specific dialogue chatter of Yakumo and friends; instead, I'm left to focus on developing my combat prowess and beating my previous record.

Ninja Gaiden 4 has a forward momentum that's as relentless as it is refreshing. Neo Tokyo's levels are linear enough to stay true to the series' arcade roots, though there are enough detours to complete side missions or pop open treasure chests if you're the type of player who prefers to go through every level with a fine-toothed comb. Simply put, it only feels like you're running down an endless corridor if you want it to be - and when your final grade takes into account your clear time, the directional clarity is a relief.

My biggest takeaway from Platinum's level design? Everything remains in service to the combat. Verticality isn't solely predicated on uppercutting enemies into the air. Instead, I leapfrog over security drones, use a grappling hook to swing over the battlefield, zip across to wall handholds, and exploit the myriad rooftop vantage points afforded by Neo Tokyo's imposing urban sprawl.

The temptation to incorporate soulslike-style mechanics in revivals of old-school action games has been a common trend over the last few years. Consider 2018's God of War, which cannibalized just enough in its rebooted combat system that it's a very different beast from what came before it. This elision of action and soulslike gave us Black Myth: Wukong, but it's also instilled anxiety among players of a certain age. Will Ninja Gaiden fall under the sway of FromSoftware's influence? Will Onimusha: Way of the Sword?

There's no question that appetites have shifted. I still can't get enough of soulslikes, but for many, they've become the equivalent of Bruce Bogtrotter's chocolate cake: an endurance test of overconsumption, where every bite is the same. Thankfully, Team Ninja understands that fatigue implicitly, and has resisted the urge to follow its contemporaries down that well-worn path. Ninja Gaiden 4 is unapologetically Ninja Gaiden, from its hail of flying limbs and Jackson Pollock-style blood spatter to its Tom of Finland fashion sense and dour retro-futurism.

Ninja Gaiden 4 hasn't forgotten its DOA roots, either. Priestess Seori's robe is held together by shibari rope, while the big boss of this preview build is a kimono-clad daemon that resides in Neo Tokyo's pleasure district. My one disappointment was the limited enemy designs in the portion I played. I'm sure later levels will bring more variety, but as enjoyable as mowing through endless waves of D.D.O Stormtroopers can be, it's a far cry from Venetian werewolves and spider ninjas.

If you didn't enjoy Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, then I highly doubt that Ninja Gaiden 4 will be enough to change your mind. Aside from a few Platinum-isms they're fundamentally the same. However, if you're looking for a brand-new action game free from soulslike mechanics, then it's well worth checking out. And if you're an established fan still licking the wounds inflicted by Ninja Gaiden 3, then consider this a return to form. It's a good time to be a cicada.