A Furious Return to Form
The Ninja Gaiden games have a long and storied history on the Xbox platform, and without exception, every single one has been as hard as the proverbial nails. The third in the series seriously made me think about how I was slowing down as a gamer, as did Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. And so we wash up on the shores of the fourth entry, NINJA GAIDEN 4.
Imaginative name aside, does this bring anything new to the table, or is it also destined to make me sad? Well, being developed by an A-team list of studios, including Team Ninja, PlatinumGames and Koei Tecmo, and being published by Xbox Game Studios, there are a few tweaks that make it a bit more accessible to a mediocre gamer like me. The addition of an easy level of difficulty is a welcome one, but even I drew the line at auto dodge and auto block, which are options you can use on the easy level.
But what’s the rest of the game like? Grab your katana and let’s head into battle…
Gore and Glory
Ninja Gaiden games have always been good looking, and it is a great relief to see that that trend continues in NINJA GAIDEN 4. The backdrops to the levels, taking place in locations as varied as a ruined Tokyo and a forest look great, and while they are fairly linear, there are a few opportunities for looking about, which usually result in finding some secrets. The design of the enemies and our heroes is also top notch, and while Hayabusa does make an appearance, it seems to be the turn of young ninja Yakumo to carry the story.
The enemies in particular are a varied bunch, from regular ninjas to massive demons all appearing to be sliced up, and here the presentation shifts into a different gear. The sheer amount of speed and gore that results from the fights has to be seen to be believed, and the animation is unbelievably smooth and fluid. Even the animation as Yakumo gets around the levels looks great, running off walls and flipping his way up walls at dizzying speed.
The sound is also on point, with brutal, crunching impacts as we dispatch enemies, the squelch as we behead a foe, and the other incidental sounds all working perfectly. Even the sound of our footsteps as we run around is really well done, and added to various other noises and the music that fits the action perfectly, everything is very good here.
Raven Clan and Dark Dragons
Looking at the story next, and it’s still that Dark Dragon causing issues, believe it or not. We play as Yakumo of the Raven Clan, a clan that operates in the shadows cast by the Hayabusa clan. The Raven Clan has a prophecy which ties them to the Dark Dragon, and while the prophecy doesn’t run as expected, it sets us on a path that will lead to confrontation, not only with the forces of the demons, but also of the human world as well. The story is very well presented and full of twists and turns, as you might expect, but I am fearful of revealing too much here. So you’ll just have to play it yourself!
Grappling, Gliding, and Gimbal Lock
Moving onto the heart of the game, the way that it plays, and here the news is a bit mixed. I’ll start with the only real niggle I have with NINJA GAIDEN 4: the camera. You see, normally the camera does a brilliant job of showing us what is going on, and is easy to use. In big enemy encounters and general running about, it is fine. However, it is a bit slow and dim-witted when you are fighting numbers of enemies and quite often there will be one enemy left and you are reduced to panning around madly trying to find them. The lock-on function works well until you have killed the foe that you have in front of you, but then it sometimes leaves you looking at an empty expanse while the enemies poke you from behind. You will learn to work around this, but that was the one discordant note in the symphony of this game.
The actual combat is as fast and fluid as you could wish for, and the influence of PlatinumGames is visible, as there is a certain cinematic flair to proceedings that works really well. The way new enemies are introduced, via a little cutscene is great, and when the metal meets the flesh the action is almost too fast to follow. Flipping, sliding, slashing, Yakumo looks great doing all of these things, and the gore meter is off the scale, with the executions he can perform being especially brutal. There are options to tone down the gore, but to be honest, the 18 rating is there for a reason!
Traversal of the environment is also very well done, and we have a large amount of tricks at our disposal. Running on walls is old news though, as today’s modern ninja has a grappling hook and isn’t afraid to use it! He also has a tidy line in rail sliding, with sections that remind almost of Ratchet and Clank as we slide around, jumping obstacles and avoiding trains. Yakumo is a joy to control, but I’ll give you one piece of advice the game doesn’t: when using the grappling hook, he will detach himself at the optimal point and that means trying to jump off usually results in a plummet to a messy fate.
Weapons, Warriors, and Ways to Win
With a massive amount of perks and new skills to learn, and missions to be completed in each level, there is no shortage of things to work towards in NINJA GAIDEN 4. Each weapon we find now has a skill tree of its own, and using them results in the gaining of EXP. This EXP is used to unlock new techniques, and Yakumo can also learn new fighting skills from his trainer. These lessons require Ninja Coin, the in-game currency, gained from either picking up items we already have, in which case the item is converted to coins, or by completing missions and turning them in.
A Breathless and Brilliant Experience
Launching into Game Pass, NINJA GAIDEN 4 is an absolute no-brainer for any fan of a hack and slash game. It is fast, bloody and quite often breathtaking, and it looks brilliant to boot. If you can work around the camera issue then this will be very close to perfect, but as it is I have to deduct a little bit from the score.
If you like Ninja Gaiden, I’m sure this will already be on your to-do list, but for everyone else, I can recommend this if you want a challenge.
Important Links
The Dragon Sword is Unsheathed as NINJA GAIDEN 4 hits Game Pass and More! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-dragon-sword-is-unsheathed-as-ninja-gaiden-4-hits-game-pass-and-more/
Download from the Xbox Store, via Game Pass if you like – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/ninja-gaiden-4-standard-edition/9N7358JZPX1Z/0010
There’s a Deluxe Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/ninja-gaiden-4-deluxe-edition/9MZC0GX3R58G/0010
