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Verdict: Ninja Gaiden 4 is pure action with zero filler. Platinum Games nails the series feel while adding a vicious new lead, Yakumo, whose four-weapon kit lets you stitch together absurd combo strings that reward timing, spacing, and nerve. The story is soap-opera thin, the stealth is a misfire, and a few missions retread ground with Ryu Hayabusa, yet the combat is so slick and demanding that it hardly matters.
Combat that never lets up
Yakumo’s arsenal clicks into place like clockwork. Twin swords handle mid-range pressure, the staff sweeps crowds, and a playful projectile tool extends routes for style points. The Bloodraven form powers up weapons, breaks guards, and staggers unblockables, while a meter-based finisher wipes groups when the game floods the arena. Encounters are long and exhausting in the best way, pushing you to swap weapons, route recovery frames, and keep the offense rolling.
Ryu returns for a handful of missions with a precise, Ninpo-infused style, but his levels revisit old bosses and feel like bonus chapters. The only real stumble is stealth, which boils down to slow walks and easy backstabs without crouch or depth.
Pace, variety, and spectacle
Rail grinds and grapple-driven parkour break up the bloodletting, and boss designs lean into reads over gimmicks. Enemy variety could be wider and some battles overstay their welcome, but the core loop is oxygenated by the upgrade cadence and how each new weapon fills a real gap in Yakumo’s game.
Why the PC version matters
Fast character action lives and dies by frame time. On PC you can tune the experience to feel razor-clean.
PC play notes
- Prioritize consistent high frame rate. Aim for a locked refresh with adaptive sync, turn down heavy post effects if pacing stutters.
- Input first. Low-latency modes and careful controller dead-zones make parries and cancels feel immediate.
- Bindings. Map weapon swap and Bloodraven to reachable inputs, then train muscle memory in challenge rooms.
- Visual clarity over bloom. Reduce motion blur and excessive film grain for cleaner reads on telegraphs.
- Ultrawide and capture. If you record or stream, test HUD scaling so combo notifiers and meters stay visible at wider aspect ratios.
The bottom line
Ninja Gaiden 4 is relentless, occasionally exhausting, and frequently exhilarating. It cleanses the palate after NG3 and sets up Yakumo as a worthy torchbearer. Come for the tight controls, stay for the lab hours you will happily sink into mastering its combat grammar.
