Ninja Gaiden 4’s gory combat hides a goofy center
Ninja Gaiden 4 was one of several games that Xbox showed off in its games showcase over the weekend. And during its Summer Game Fest-adjacent in-person preview event, I got the chance to play it for myself. I've never played Ninja Gaiden before and was skeptical that the game's generic dark aesthetic, which feels straight […]
Ninja Gaiden 4 was one of several games that Xbox showed off in its games showcase over the weekend. And during its Summer Game Fest-adjacent in-person preview event, I got the chance to play it for myself. I've never played Ninja Gaiden before and was skeptical that the game's generic dark aesthetic, which feels straight out of 2012, could capture my interest. But after a short hands-on demo and an interview with the game's developers, I'm less wary and powerfully intrigued.
Despite the "4" in the title, Ninja Gaiden 4 represents a soft reset for the franchise. You play as Yakumo, a ninja of the Raven Clan, who must save Tokyo from corruption. The game feels like a hack-and-slash beat 'em up with extreme emphasis on the hacking and slashing. Yakumo uses a number of weapons and abilities at his disposal, including swords, throwing knives, and an ability that briefly transforms him into a demonic raven for an extra burst of power.
My time with the demo was short, consisting of Yakumo ninja-flipping through ruined city streets, fighting packs of cybernetic demons. In combat, you can string together attacks, producing visually impressive combos. One of the things that I most appr …
