Of all the action games to be released in 2025, perhaps no other title has as much riding on its shoulders as Ninja Gaiden 4. The first new 3D entry in the franchise in 13 years, and a follow-up to a successful return to the series' 2D roots with this year's Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Ninja Gaiden 4 also happens to be the first game in the franchise to feature a collaboration between the series' shepherds Team Ninja and legendary character action studio PlatinumGames. Throw in the untimely passing of series creator Tomonobu Itagaki, and you have a perfect storm of expectations that sets the bar high for Ninja Gaiden 4. And to its credit, it doesn't just clear it — it crushes it.
Remarkably, Ninja Gaiden 4 is as familiar an experience as it is a fresh new take on the franchise's 3D line, blending the mechanically deep and complex entries and combat that fans of Team Ninja games will recognize with a level of style and feel that is undeniably PlatinumGames' handiwork. There's a new protagonist to control, with Raven Clan ninja Yakumo stepping into the spotlight, leaving Ryu Hayabusa to take on a supporting role. That pivot turns out to be a smart play, allowing PlatinumGames to get incredibly creative with the game's combat sandbox, all while creating a future for the franchise that feels all the more important after the credits roll. Along with this year's surprise drop on Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and the aforementioned Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Ninja Gaiden 4 is the final piece of the puzzle to signal that Ninja Gaiden franchise is back and better than ever.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is definitely a PlatinumGames title, and it's all the better for it
Once Ninja Gaiden 4 begins in earnest and the opening credits begin to roll, the game makes it a point to explicitly state that it is PlatinumGames, and not Team Ninja, who is at the helm of this go around. And while that much has been known since the game's reveal, the extent of Team Ninja's involvement in the actual gaming side of things seems minor compared to how much PlatinumGames' DNA shines through in Ninja Gaiden 4s moment to moment game. Ultimately, this is a PlatinumGames title through and through, resulting in Ninja Gaiden 4 is the bloodiest, flashiest, most outrageously action-packed 3D entry in the franchise. If Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was a callback to the series' 2D origins, Ninja Gaiden 4 steps in as a glimpse of where the series can and should go from here, and it honestly feels like there's no turning back once you've experienced how satisfying it is on every imaginable level.
PlatinumGames has long been known for producing a very specific type of action game, from its earliest hits such as the Hideki Kamiya-helmed Bayonetta to more experimental projects such as The wonderful 101 and Astral chain. There's an almost undeniable sense of style that goes hand in hand with a PlatinumGames title, and it's front and center in Ninja Gaiden 4. Combat is of course the star of the show and the reason for it Ninja Gaiden 4 will keep players engaged throughout its roughly 10-12 hour runtime, and that's the main area where Platinum's DNA comes through the most. While Ninja Gaiden 4 still demands a lot from players and will actively punish you for not learning every weapon move and responding to enemy attacks with button mashing, it's much more forgiving on normal difficulty than any of the previous 3D Ninja Gaiden titles. That nod to accessibility is undeniably a PlatinumGames trademark, and it does Ninja Gaiden 4 the easiest game in the series to just jump into and immediately start having fun.
But don't worry – those looking for a real challenge are sure to find it Ninja Gaiden 4. Regular cannon fodder enemies are mostly manageable on normal difficulty, but the boss enemies are Ninja Gaiden 4 which represents the game's biggest difficulty spike. A couple of these encounters start to border on frustration (especially since repeated deaths destroy your end-of-chapter ranking), but the strategies required for victory eventually reveal themselves where none of these fights ever feel unsatisfying or like a chore to get through. On the contrary, Ninja Gaiden 4 is the gaming equivalent of a roller coaster: it offers one non-stop thrill after another, and its short campaign goes by in a flash, to where you're all too ready to jump back in for another spin. And once you've mastered the normal mode, some of the most fun to be had with the game begins with the Hard and Master Ninja difficulties — something I'm still working my way through and having a blast doing it, my first attempt at driving a Master Ninja since Ninja Gaiden Black and a vindication for PlatinumGames' debut crack at one of the more legendary action franchises.
Ninja Gaiden 4 sets Yakumo up as a worthy successor to Ryu Hayabusa's legacy
It's probably safe to say that most players don't play Ninja Gaiden game for story. But while Ninja Gaiden 4s story isn't going to win any awards, it's serviceable and an interesting continuation of the series' story that picks up not too long after there Ninja Gaiden 3 stopped. More importantly, however, it establishes Yakumo as the shoulders on which the next era of Ninja Gaiden franchise could sit. It might seem sanctimonious to suggest that any other hero could wear it Ninja Gaiden franchise in the same way that Ryu Hayabusa has since 1988, but Ninja Gaiden: Rageboundis Kenji and Ninja Gaiden 4's Yakumo definitely proves that there is room for more than just one Master Ninja in the series.
The end of Ninja Gaiden 3 saw the dark dragon once again defeated, but the inability of a member of the Dragon Clan to truly defeat the evil enemy has resulted in its corpse being suspended over a futuristic Tokyo, generating a mass of rain that summons devils to nature and puts the city on lockdown. But while Ryu Hayabusa and the Divine Dragon Order (a paramilitary organization dedicated to the protection of Sky City Tokyo) are busy keeping the world safe from the infamous enemy at the gates, a young Raven Clan ninja named Yakumo sets out to fulfill his clan's prophecy by slaying the dark dragon once and for all. And in truth Ninja Gaiden mode, what appears to be a simple “search and destroy” mission quickly becomes much more complicated, especially as Yakumo and Ryu find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.
That conflict is at the center of Ninja Gaiden 4s story, which serves as a metaphor for the game in general. Ryu's efforts to prevent evil from seeping into our world have ultimately failed, and Yakumo's mission cements him as the new generation of ninja capable of completing the job. There are plenty of twists and turns that fans of the series and the action games will likely see coming a mile away, but how Ninja Gaiden 4s stories make it feel like a passing of the torch from one generation of ninja warriors to the next – a fitting meta-commentary on the game's place as what could very well be the first title in a new line of 3D Ninja Gaiden game.
Between Ragebound and Ninja Gaiden 4, 2025 is the “Year of the Ninja”
In addition to its combat having PlatinumGames undeniable style, Ninja Gaiden 4 has plenty of other gameplay aspects that will feel familiar to fans of other character action titles. As in previous 3D Ninja Gaiden games and other Platinum titles such as Bayonettadefeat enemies in Ninja Gaiden 4 earns players' currency (“Karma”) which can be used to unlock new combat techniques, purchase restorative items, or unlock new slots where you can equip accessories that enhance Yakumo's abilities. This kind of “RPG-lite” progression is a hallmark of the character action genre which is a new one Ninja Gaiden The game wouldn't feel complete without it, so it's great to see it make a return Ninja Gaiden 4 along with some of the other, newer elements the title introduces to the franchise. One of the most surprising parts of the Ninja Gaiden 4s levels is the amount of platforming that players will find themselves in, which is incredibly smooth, responsive and satisfying. The levels themselves can be somewhat linear, but that linearity is often broken up by wall running, grappling and grinding on rails across the skyline of a futuristic Tokyo.
All to say, Ninja Gaiden 4 feels like the complete package fans of the series hope to see from a new entry. Its combat may not satisfy hardcore purists who feel that way Ninja Gaiden Black and the original Xbox 360 version of the Ninja Gaiden 2 is the pinnacle of the series, but I'd argue that it places more emphasis on pure fun than any of those titles ever did.
About like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Ninja Gaiden 4 takes the best parts of the series that players remember—a tough but fair challenge, outrageous enemy designs, and a refusal to shy away from bloody, water-soaked combat—and updates them just enough without completely trying to reinvent the wheel. It proves that Ninja Gaiden franchise is ready for a new golden era with new perspectives steering the ship, and it has positioned itself as one of PlatinumGames' best titles and probably the best action game of 2025.
- Released
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21 October 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes
- Publisher
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Xbox Game Studios
- A stunning return to form for the Ninja Gaiden series' 3D entry that almost surpasses its predecessors
- Fluid and responsive battle sandbox that is amazing to use
- Yakumo is an exciting new protagonist and a perfect torchbearer for future Ninja Gaiden games
- Visually impressive character models and environments that showcase PlatinumGames' descriptive penchant for elegant style
- Some boss battles provide difficulty spikes that can prove frustrating
- Levels can sometimes be too long and contain too many narrow, linear paths
