Ninja Gaiden 4 Game Review – The Next Generation of Ninja

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a short action-adventure game developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames and is the fourth installment in the reboot series (the seventh game in total). The main series follows the ninja Ryu Hayabusa, but this game introduces a new ninja called Yakumo who you play as for the majority of the game. He is tasked with the death of the Dark Dragon as its husk has plunged Tokyo into chaos, but he quickly uncovers that there is far more to the legend than he knew.

With help from unexpected allies, a chance to play as Ryu, and an ending you won’t expect, Ninja Gaiden 4 was a solid game. In my review, I’m going to go into the details of the story, the gameplay, the overall experience, and discuss other aspects of the game. This is NOT a spoiler-free review!

The Story of Ninja Gaiden 4

At the end of Ninja Gaiden 3, Ryu Hayabusa defeated the Dark Dragon and stopped it from destroying the world, but was unable to destroy it completely. The dragon husk remained coiled around Tokyo and was drowning the city in a cursed rain that allowed the underworld to seep into the city. The city was evacuated and placed on quarantine, protected by the Divine Dragon Order and Ryu himself.

Yakumo, a young ninja from the Raven Clan, sneaks into the city with the task of killing the Dragon Priestess, Seori, believing that it will fulfill the prophecy to defeat the Dark Dragon. However, he learns that the seals holding the Dark Dragon in place must be broken before he can defeat it for good and killing her now would achieve nothing. He agrees to spare her for now and they go together to break the seals, slowly bonding as they work towards a common goal.

With each seal that is broken, the darkness in the city grows, and there are more enemies in each level you have to defeat. Ryu also appears as an adversary because he does not want the Dark Dragon to be released, but he hesitates because he does not wish to harm Seori. Once the seals have been broken, Yakumo learns that Seori does have to die as her body holds the soul of the Dark Dragon, but he hesitates because he cares for her now.

Now, with Seori exposed and vulnerable, Achilles reveals himself and kills her, leaving Yakumo in a rage, fighting Achilles head-on without hesitation. Ryu arrives and we go back in time to play as him, learning how he met Seori and what his deal with her was. Once we catch up to where we left off with Yakumo, he goes off to defeat the Dark Dragon for good and free Tokyo from the chaos.

I enjoyed the story and the build-up to the twists worked well without giving anything away too early. Seori dying in Yakumo’s arms was tragic though, and I held out hope until the credits rolled that there might be a way to bring her back. The story wrapped up nicely, and Yakumo was a great addition to the series.

The Gameplay

Yakumo’s fighting style is drastically different from Ryu’s style. Yakumo uses the “Bloodraven Form” which is a more tactical style from Ryu. While you play as both at different points of the game, you’ll immediately notice the difference and have to adapt when switching over, especially for those familiar with Ryu. Both styles were fun to play, though, and the final battle with the Dark Dragon was a fast-paced, epic fight with stunning visuals and effective use of new weapons.

Since the game is short, you get weapon upgrades and new skills quickly as you play, making it easy to run through areas and defeat enemies as they come. The fighting visuals are beautiful and gory, leaving no mistake when you defeat a demon!

What Lies Beyond?

Overall, this was a great game to play. I loved the story from start to finish, even with a sad ending, and the graphics were stunning. I would have loved for it to be longer, but these games are generally pretty short.

A DLC pack title The Two Masters is available to play, adding three chapters set after the main story, a challenge mode, and additional weapons, stages, and enemies. As of this post, there are no updates on a fifth installment in the series.

Ninja Gaiden 4 was nominated for Best Action Game at The Game Awards in 2025, won Best Action Game at the Ultra Game Awards in 2025, and received favorable reviews from critics. It is available to play on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.

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