Welcome to Ninja Gaiden 4 week on Player 2. Thanks to Xbox, Matt Hewson was able to fly to Tokyo to spend the day with Platinum Games and get a host of inside info on the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4. Join us over the coming days for previews, videos and interviews as Matt dives deep into the upcoming action title.
Ninja Gaiden 4: Hands-On Preview
Ninja Gaiden has always had a place in my heart. I enjoyed playing the original NES titles at a friend’s house way back when I was a little one, so when the first 3D version hit the original Xbox, I was in day one. Boy, that game sure kicked my ass, but it still stands as the hardest game I ever beat. Ninja Gaiden 2 didn’t have quite the same impact, but it was still one hell of a game that I loved dearly. Sadly though, Ninja Gaiden 3 was a bit of a misstep, something that really didn’t do the other 3D titles justice at all. I thought that was the end of it. Team Ninja had moved onto Soulslikes with Nioh, and the appetite for pure action experiences among gamers seemed to be shrinking. So imagine my surprise when earlier this year, Xbox announced Ninja Gaiden 4 (NG4), a joint op between the franchise owners, Team Ninja and action game specialists Platinum Games.
The question remained, though, would it recapture the glory of Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2? Well, thanks to a quick trip to Tokyo to spend the day at Platinum Games, I can say for sure that things are looking really, really promising.
The first thing I discovered is that NG4 has been designed with both new and returning players in mind. The classic series protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, is here in all his cool ninja glory, but he is not the person that players will be taking charge of, at least not at first. No, players will be in control of Yakumo, the most promising ninja from the Raven clan. Yakumo is charged with sneaking into Tokyo, a once great city that has been destroyed as a result of a giant dragon’s death and the constant corruptive rain that is pouring out of its carcass, and finding a way to destroy the dragon once and for all. But things aren’t so simple, and before long, Yakumo has his perspective changed and a new mission in front of him.
Using Yakumo will be familiar for returning players, but offers up enough in the way of variation to make him feel unique to Ryu (who I also got to control). Yakumo seems to be flashier, using multiple strikes where Ryu tends to use stronger, more efficient attacks. The two combatants use the same base moves like traversal and a few shared combat techniques, but they really are quite different from each other, and that bodes well for the variety in the game. This is also a smart move in regard to bringing new fans in. Players who have no history with Ninja Gaiden will be able to jump in with Yakumo and not feel like they are missing out on huge chunks of backstory, but returning fans who have lived and breathed Ninja Gaiden for years will still get the satisfaction of taking their main man Ryu through his paces. Often this sort of split approach can dilute the experience, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here, as both characters are as fun to control as each other.
The gameplay itself is classic Ninja Gaiden in feel, yet with the quality of life features you would expect. The first thing I noticed was the camera, something that was a bit of a nightmare in the old games. Here it snaps around nicely, not getting stuck on the environments, no matter how fast-paced the action is. Speaking of action, both of the characters have some classic moves returning, things like the Izuna Drop and Flying Swallow return, which made me instantly feel at home. My muscle memory kicked in, and I was driving enemies headfirst into the concrete from a great height every chance I got. On top of the returning moves, both Yakumo and Ryu now have access to a special meter that charges as combat goes on. For Yakumo, it enables his Blood Raven form that transfers his two weapons (dual-katanas and a rapier) into harder-hitting alternative versions. In Ryu’s case, this meter controls his magical Ninpo attacks as well as allowing him to use Gleam form, a mode that allows for super-fast, multi-hit attacks from both the ground and the air.
There is undoubtedly a lot to learn here, and even returning players will find a host of new things to wrap their fingers around. Luckily, NG4 includes an amazingly robust training mode that teaches the players everything they need to know, from basic attacks to the super advanced combos. It, in a lot of ways, reminded me of a training mode from something like Street Fighter, allowing players to set conditions so they can really master everything the game has to offer. That’s not to say you won’t be able to get through the game by just learning as you go, but in my experience with the four levels I played, I think spending some time in training is going to only enhance your time, especially as you tackle the harder difficulties. One thing is for certain, though, this is a visceral, tight and engaging action experience, the like of which we don’t see often anymore.
I found the level design a real treat too, with a host of different layouts, traversal options and exploration to be had. The levels feature mini-missions that offer up in-game currency as a reward, so it pays to go off the beaten path and explore every nook and cranny. There was even an amazingly well put together on-rails section that saw Yakumo grinding on rail lines, dodging oncoming trains and avoiding other obstacles in his path. It was almost akin to a level found in a modern Sonic game, you know, with a killer ninja instead of a spikey blue speedster. I found this level to be an absolute blast, and it really acted as a bit of breathing space in between the rather intense action present in the rest of the game.
After I had completed the small story section I was given access to, I could then dive into challenge mode, which allowed me to replay levels and boss battles with Ryu as opposed to Yakumo. This section is a dream mode for leaderboard chasers and speedrunners, with a score given at the end of each level based on how well players did in a number of areas. I can see this adding a ton of playtime, and what’s more, I found my skills improving with each run, to the point I was able to get through all of the levels available on hard. The next level up, Master Ninja, is something else entirely, and while I tried it briefly and got my ass whipped, I did have the pleasure of watching someone else tackle it, and it was an amazing sight. I can see those who love a real challenge relishing this level, but it is nice to know that there are modes for normal humans, too. I would say the difficulty overall feels on par with Ninja Gaiden 2, so if you managed to get through that one, you should be ok here.
My key takeaway from my time with Ninja Gaiden 4, though, is the masterful job that Platinum (under the guidance of Team Ninja) have done at making NG4 feel like a classic Ninja Gaiden title, yet at the same time bringing it into the modern day with quality of life updates and new features. This is often a hard balancing act, but from what I have seen, Ninja Gaiden 4 has achieved this admirably. I have to say, after such a long time away and the miss that was Ninja Gaiden 3, I was a little sceptical that NG4 could recapture past glories, but after playing it, I no longer have any such worries. NG4 is shaping up to be a pure masterclass in action gaming, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the whole game when it releases on the 21st of October on PS5, PC and Xbox.
Matt Hewson was the guest of Xbox at Platinum Studios in Tokyo, Japan.
