Ninja Gaiden 4 Rises: Slick Combat, Platinum Style, and Zero Soulslike Fatigue

It’s 2025 and, against every sensible industry trend, Ninja Gaiden 4 is not a soulslike. That’s the headline nobody saw coming, and for longtime fans like me, it’s a bit of a gut-punch-in the best way. Instead of chasing FromSoftware’s shadow, the once-cult classic is doubling down on what it does best: style, speed, and unapologetic, blood-soaked action. This is the Platinum Games touch, the return of Team Ninja’s surgical combat, and, if we’re lucky, a much-needed break from the sluggish endurance tests masquerading as every action game lately.

Key Takeaways: Ninja Gaiden 4 Actually Gets It

• The Platinum-ized combat brings needed fluidity, with tightly executed combos and dazzling finishers.
• No soulslike grind here-NG4 is laser-focused on pure, challenging, arcade-style brawling.
• New protagonist Yakumo isn’t just a Hayabusa stand-in; he’s the fresh face Neo Tokyo’s chaos needed.
• Environments, from neon-flooded Neo Tokyo to dreamy pleasure districts, are a playground for action, not ponderous exploration.

Why This Revival Actually Matters

Let’s be real: after Ninja Gaiden 3 crashed and burned, this series was on life support-kept alive mostly by speedrunners, masochists, and the occasional Twitter thread singing the praises of Izuna Drops past. But Ninja Gaiden isn’t just nostalgia fuel. Its specific brand of violence, its parry-or-die pacing, hasn’t really been recreated elsewhere. That makes this resurrection genuinely interesting, especially when Platinum Games and Team Ninja—both with hits and misses but always a distinct vision—are co-piloting the return.

What caught my attention immediately was that this is, without apology, modern Ninja Gaiden. The addition of Bayonetta’s Witch State-style dodging is pure Platinum, but it doesn’t dilute the core. It adds, rather than amputates. Instead of “Soulsifying” everything, the game leans into accessible-yet-hardcore design: combo-based, learnable, and punishing on harder difficulties—the very things that made Ninja Gaiden 2’s “flow state” legendary for action diehards.

Yakumo, the Anti-Hayabusa, and Neo Tokyo’s Cyber-Dystopia

There’s risk in sidelining Ryu Hayabusa, the face of Ninja Gaiden (and Dead or Alive’s sometimes-shirtless moodboard). But Yakumo isn’t a token replacement. Visually, he feels tuned for Gen Z—think less classic ninja, more cyber-idol—but his moveset goes far beyond aesthetic. Twin katana flurries, a comedically oversized tachi, and Bloodbind Ninjutsu form the centerpiece of his kit. Tactically, it’s a fresh remix: you’re building a gauge, transforming into a one-winged raven, and unleashing carnage that nods to, but doesn’t copy, the classic Ninpo arsenal.

What really lands, though, is the city itself. Neo Tokyo is drenched in neon, blood rain (seriously), and cyber-grime—a setting that, for once, fits the absurd, maximalist combat the series is known for. It’s not open-world nonsense; it’s dense, vertical, and rewarding if you’re the type to wring every secret out of a level. The side missions and detours don’t kill the pacing, either, which is my main gripe with other “reimaginings” that mistake bloat for depth.

No Soulslike, No Problem: The Old-School Action Revival We Needed

Here’s what everyone’s quietly worried about: Would Ninja Gaiden 4 chase after God of War 2018 or Wukong, slathering itself in pseudo-soulslike “weighty” controls and infinite enemy tells? The answer, as far as my hands-on preview goes, is hell no. This is sharp, quick, and often unforgiving. Every limb you sever feels earned, not given.

If you’re already burned out on FromSoftware clones—a sentiment I hear a lot lately—Ninja Gaiden 4 is music to your ears. There’s actual variety in combat, not just war-of-attrition pattern recognition. You can switch between the stylish, low-resistance Hero Mode for newcomers and straight-up brutality for veterans. Hard mode one-shots hurt, but the game wants you to improve, not just grind. And yes, the infamous Guillotine Throw and Izuna Drop are still here, still cathartic, and now easier to unlock through a revamped skill merchant system instead of scavenger scrolls.

The Gamer’s Perspective: Does It Actually Deliver?

Some skepticism is warranted. The slice of the game I played had limited enemy types—fine for now, but I want more weirdness and variety later on. And the wall-running is still the age-old pain it’s always been, never matching the fantasy of stylish traversal that lives in every player’s brain. But the camera? At last, someone fixed the damn camera. Lock-on is snappy, so the chaos feels manageable—huge upgrade over past games.

If you hated Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, NG4 probably won’t change your mind. But if you crave a new entry that’s unafraid to be itself, rather than chasing the industry pack, this is exactly what you hoped for. It’s not all nostalgia and blood: by letting Platinum’s signature style breathe within Team Ninja’s brutally efficient framework, they’ve found a balance few legacy revivals achieve.

TL;DR

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a rejection of soulslike bloat and a love letter to fast, skill-first action. With Platinum Games in the mix, it’s slick, challenging, and far from a rehash. For fans burned by NG3 or exhausted by industry copycats, this might be the high-tempo antidote 2025 desperately needed.