NINJA GAIDEN 4 Review Summary

Exhilarating & Innovative Combat: Players consistently praise the game's combat system as fast-paced, fluid, responsive, and deeply satisfying. It introduces innovative mechanics while evolving the series' DNA, offering a unique and exhilarating experience that stands out in the genre.

Strong Audiovisual Presentation: The game is praised for its impressive modern graphics, visually appealing style, and excellent soundtrack. The music, especially during boss fights and in menus, enhances the overall immersive and engaging experience.

Accessible Yet Challenging Difficulty: The game offers a well-balanced difficulty, with options like Hero mode and free difficulty changes making it accessible for new players while still providing a peak challenge for veterans on harder modes. This ensures a broad appeal.

Modernized Ninja Gaiden Experience: The game is celebrated as a true return and modernization of the Ninja Gaiden series, blending classic elements with new ideas. It's seen as the sequel Ninja Gaiden 2 deserved, offering a fresh yet familiar feel that appeals to both veterans and newcomers.

Improved Boss Battles: The boss fights are a significant improvement over previous titles, offering challenging and satisfying encounters. Players appreciate the refined mechanics, engaging direction, and the immense satisfaction derived from defeating difficult bosses.

Poor PC Performance & Optimization: The PC version suffers from severe optimization issues, including inconsistent frame rates, frequent crashes, stuttering, and a lack of essential graphics settings. Players report unplayable performance even on high-end hardware, making the experience frustrating.

Lacks True Ninja Gaiden Identity: Many players feel the game deviates significantly from the core identity and gameplay of the Ninja Gaiden series, comparing it unfavorably to previous titles and other action games. This includes changes to combat, difficulty, and overall feel, leading to a sense of disappointment among long-time fans.

Unresponsive Controls & Camera Issues: Players report sticky, unresponsive controls and significant camera problems, including the camera getting stuck on walls and poor lock-on functionality. These issues severely hinder gameplay and contribute to a clunky, uncomfortable experience.

Tedious Combat & High Difficulty: Combat is described as repetitive, boring, and overly difficult, with long, tedious boss battles and an abundance of small, high-damage enemies. The game's difficulty feels unbalanced, requiring excessive potion use and leading to a grindy experience.

Dated Graphics & UI: The game's graphics are considered dated, with blurry visuals, low-quality textures, and inconsistent cutscenes. The UI is also criticized for being cluttered and aesthetically unappealing, contributing to a generally unpolished visual experience.

Dual Protagonist Gameplay: The game features two playable characters, Yakumo and Ryu Hayabusa, each with distinct combat styles and enhanced forms. Yakumo is the new main protagonist with four unique blood weapons, while Ryu, the returning character, has a more direct, single-weapon approach, with his moves largely based on Ninja Gaiden 3RE.

Enhanced Forms & Weapon Upgrades: Both protagonists have enhanced forms (Nueyami and Flash Blossom) that alter weapon moves and enable 'Break Attacks'. Weapons can be upgraded with experience points, and Yakumo's blood weapons offer distinct styles and ultimate techniques.

Influence from Other Action Games: The game incorporates elements from other titles, with some players noting similarities to 'Ghostrunner' due to its hyper-speed action and parkour sections. Boss battles are also compared to 'Nioh' in their design.

High Difficulty & Learning Curve: Consistent with the Ninja Gaiden series, the game is challenging, often leading to player deaths even on normal difficulty. Players need to respect enemy attacks and master the combat system rather than relying on simple hack-and-slash tactics.

New Resource Management System: The game introduces two new resources: the Bloodwedge gauge, consumed by Bloodblade combos and Ninpo, which recovers over time or by attacking; and the Rampage gauge, which builds up from taking damage or attacking and slowly depletes when inactive. These add a new layer of strategic depth to combat.

Generally good performance and optimization: Many players report excellent performance, with stable high frame rates (120+ FPS) at various resolutions and settings, even on high-end systems. The game is noted for running smoothly without stutters or significant drops for a large portion of the player base.

Specific optimization tips: Players have found that adjusting certain settings, such as 'Object Quality' to medium or turning off FSR and enabling frame generation, can significantly improve performance. This suggests some settings might be particularly demanding.

Good Steam Deck performance: The game reportedly runs well on the Steam Deck, with the fan remaining inaudible, indicating good optimization for portable play.

Missing or locked graphics options: Players noted that DLSS is locked on Quality Mode, there are no Ray Tracing (RT) options, and no frame interpolation feature. The game does have dynamic scaling and various anti-aliasing options.

FSR quality concerns: While FSR offers various modes, players note a considerable degradation in image quality when using it. Some suggest trying FSR4 as a replacement if the image appears blurry.

Mixed Reception, Strong Core Gameplay: Player sentiment is divided, with many recommending the game for its exhilarating action and complex stylish combat, especially for fans of the genre or Ninja Gaiden. However, a significant portion advises caution due to various issues, suggesting it might be better suited for Game Pass or a sale. Despite the mixed feelings, the core gameplay is often praised as a highlight.

Ninja Gaiden Legacy & Expectations: The game is frequently compared to the Ninja Gaiden series, with some fans loving it as a spiritual successor and others feeling it doesn't live up to the legacy. It's recommended for those who enjoy Ninja Gaiden or similar fast-paced action games, but some long-time fans have reservations.

Performance Issues Need Fixes: A major concern among players is the game's performance, particularly on PC. Many reviewers state they will only recommend the game or change their negative reviews once optimization issues are resolved. This indicates a critical barrier to enjoyment and broader recommendation.

Wait for Sale or Discount: Many players, especially non-hardcore fans, advise waiting for a sale or discount before purchasing the game. This sentiment is often linked to performance issues or perceived value at full price, leading some to refund their purchase.

Difficulty Adaptation Required: The game presents a significant challenge, especially on higher difficulties. Players are advised against starting on hard mode immediately, and newcomers may need time to adapt to the complex mechanics and controls.

Divergent Series Identity: Many long-time fans feel the game deviates significantly from the core Ninja Gaiden experience, particularly due to the absence of Ryu Hayabusa as the primary protagonist and changes in combat mechanics. Newcomers, however, might find it an 'okay' action game.

Minor Details & Preferences: Miscellaneous feedback includes comments on the Priestess' English voice actor, the beauty of the HUD and menus, and the game's availability on Game Pass and Turkish language support. Some players express a desire for future installments or other game re-releases.

Combat System Evolution: The combat system introduces new mechanics like 'Bloodblade combos' for dismemberment and 'Clash' as a high-risk, high-reward move, differing from previous titles. Players note changes in enemy guarding and the reduced reliance on invincibility frames.

Tribute to Itagaki: Several players perceive the game as a tribute to Tomonobu Itagaki, the former director who revitalized the series. His influence and passing are frequently mentioned, with some attributing perceived declines to his absence.

Technical Performance & Optimization: Players report optimization issues, including frame drops, and hope for future patches. Specific recommendations are provided for Steam Deck users to improve graphics and performance.