Hey, if you're reading this, chances are that you follow me through DMC. Well, like most DMC players -- I love action games and Ninja Gaiden imo, is the only rival DMC has ever had. To give you a better understanding of my history with Ninja Gaiden, I'll share a bit about it. I'm doing so to verify that I've been playing this series almost as long as I've played DMC. Anyway, I remember first seeing information about Ninja Gaiden at E3 2002 and immediately wanting the chance to play the game even though I didn't have an Xbox.
It looked that cool.
Later in 2004, I met my best friend, BIGBADWOLF, who had an Xbox and the game. He gave me my first opportunity to play, and I was hooked. When I began to tire of DMC3, this was my new vice. I played stylishly (a new concept back then to NG), and I also played for karma. I got my friend's account to number 4 on the Ninja Gaiden Black Mission Mode Xbox Leaderboards in 2006-07. (I'm sure it's dropped down far by now). Played NG2 and 3 extensively and enjoyed them both as well, though just for the record, I think NG1/Black is the best game of the series.
Now that's out of the way, let's get to NG4. As you know, the game was released in October, and now it's December. I was asked by someone to share my thoughts, and it's taken a while, thanks to real life, wanting to do a decent job, and marinating on the whole thing. Let's start with the ugly, and then the bad, and then the good!
The Ugly
Ok. This game is hard. You're going to die a lot. And that's ok.
Anybody who's played action games of the ilk that Ninja Gaiden is of expects this. This in itself is not bad, but when combined with other negatives, it can be frustrating.
So, first is how damage is handled in this game.
In most action games, when any given attack lands on the player, the damage is relative to the difficulty. That's the norm. This is the case in Ninja Gaiden 4 as well; however, it isn't properly balanced. For example, if a boss character in NG1 or DMC does a string on the player and the player is hit with it, it usually starts with a moderate damage amount and then increases the more hits that land.
Scaling that way is good because, yes, you're punished appropriately relative to the difficulty, but it also gives you a chance to adapt, to study, and to learn why you died.
In NG4, this isn't consistently the case.
Very frequently, on higher difficulties (hell, even normal tbh), you will die in 1 to 2 hits, even if you have max health for Yakumo. Very frequently, you'll also be put in situations where you're being chipped away (at a high damage rate) by surrounding enemies while trying to avoid this damage, as well as eliminating enemies. And yes, you could be like.."But that only adds to the challenge!" And, normally, I'd agree.
But the second issue is also in play. This issue is how long it takes to get back to the action. It's 2025, and we have technology that can load games up in seconds if installed on an SSD, but loading up NG4 takes forever. In addition, you have unnecessarily long start-up and death screens. (both take forever and need to be trimmed down/skippable) I've literally fought a boss and died faster than the initial load and the second load combined.
This discourages the replay factor of the game and makes it unnecessarily difficult to truly learn and get better.
If this were a startup game by a one-person dev like Spirit X Strike, the lack of optimization would be forgivable. But this is an AAA title from 3 well-known names in the industry. At a $70 - 100 price tag, that can't slide.
Also, the camera in this game needs serious work.
If you're a seasoned NG vet, you're used to playing without a true hard "lock-on system".
NG, up until this point, has had a soft lock on system. Let me explain how the basic soft lock on system works in NG1 - 3. A soft lock on system doesn't require a dedicated button prompt to lock on to an enemy. Normally, it will default to the closest enemy to the character unless you direct your attacks in another direction with a directional input. It's a solid system and works very well for the series.
So, you're probably wondering why there's a "hard lock on system" in this game, as NG has literally never had a true one until this point. That's a great question. This game doesn't have moves that require a hard lock-on, like Bayonetta or DMC.
In DMC, utilizing the lock-on, you can get access to other moves with your weapon/style. For example, holding Lock-on towards the enemy, and melee with the Rebellion weapon will get you STINGER. Holding lock-on, away from the enemy, and melee will get you HIGHTIME. DMC staples.
Every single one of the moves in NG4 can be performed without a hard lock on. So, the question stands...why is there a "hard lock on system".
I believe the answer is a terrible camera. In my opinion, this was the dev's answer to stabilizing a very tumultuous situation, but the solution isn't perfect. Oftentimes, you'll run into situations where a wall should turn transparent to allow you to still be able to view the action, but it doesn't, and you'll risk being punished for it.
The type of hard-lock on NG4 has also isn't good for the amount of enemies it throws at you. For the most part, DMC's hard lock on system works because you can seamlessly convert to the soft lock on system by letting go of the lock on button. It's also not mapped to a weird button like the right analog stick. This allows you to crowd control effectively with little effort. Being able to single out enemies when desired and hit crowds uninterred is important.
Also, in addition to this, the targeting system needs lots of work. There will be instances where your attacks go towards an unintended target way too often.
The final glaring reason for this ugly category is the level design. And I'm not talking from the aspect of how the game looks, I'm talking about the aspect of the enemy placement. Platinum Games decided, for whatever reason, to have multiple levels and situations where you can knock enemies and yourself "out of bounds". While this makes for hilarious, quirky gameplay opportunities, like Izuna dropping or guillotine throwing an enemy into a bottomless pit, it also makes for loads of frustration.
Especially because the space in a lot of these areas is confined and not really optimized for the type of high-speed combat that NG4 can provide. Combined with the elements mentioned above...damage scaling, load times, and camera...it gets, well, pretty ugly. NG4, from a level design aspect, is at its best in areas like the purgatory level. Where you can cut loose and not constantly worry about accidentally falling to your death.
The Bad
Platinum Games quirkiness.
I like Platinum Games overall. I believe they were the right choice for this particular job (Outside of Team Ninja doing it themselves). I believe they should've been chosen to develop DmC, instead of Ninja Theory. I believe they did a friggin amazing job with Metal Gear Rising: Revengence, especially given the time crunch that game was under. However, one thing that frustrates me about many of their games is their tendency to overstuff them with other gameplay elements beyond the main combat system.
They are notorious for this, especially in the Bayonetta series. But I believe this actually started with their founder, Hideki Kamiya. I'll probably get blocked for this lol, but Hideki used to work at Capcom, and besides the Bayo series, created DMC with DMC1. I love him and appreciate him bringing my favorite game series to life. If not for DMC3, DMC1 would be the greatest action game of all time to me. Anyways, the quirkiness I'm referring to is in that game a bit, but not to the degree that it's in Bayo and so on.
What gameplay elements am I talking about? What quirkiness? Well, in DMC1, it's the underwater swimming element. It's the first encounter you have with Mundus, which plays like Star Fox. And finally, the airplane escape. Very minimal, so it's bearable. But in the Bayo series, it's no-holds-barred. In between this great combat system, you're forced to do other things like a rail shooter, surfboard section, motorcycle section, and so forth, and so on. It takes away from the core and is annoying.
And unfortunately, it's present in Ninja Gaiden 4. In this game, it's the rail grinding/running sections (Is this Sonic?). It's the surfboarding sections. (Wave Race 64?) The Skygliding. At first, it's cool, but they spam it and integrate these elements into the levels so much that you begin to feel similar to how players felt about the Batmobile in Batman: Arkham Knight.
Don't get me wrong. I know the original NG games have a bit of quirkiness to them. Water running with Ryu, for ex. But those ideas weren't spammed, and that's what makes the difference.
I have no problem when quirkiness/creativity is embedded in the actual combat itself. For example, free ride is one of the sickest elements in a combat system to exist. Bayo having iceskates as a weapon is incredible. Being able to use slide creatively in combat in NG4 is awesome. But when you pause my action game experience to introduce a completely separate, non-optional one, you interrupt the flow.
Trials:
I understand that Platinum Games loves making its experiences the toughest thing ever imagined by a gamer, but sometimes you just want to enjoy the combat system, not be put into a do-or-die situation, lol. Having a trial that still has the appropriate difficulty, but doesn't have these hunger game elements to it like the original Ninja Gaidens would be great. If they have to, make the conditions optional. That way, if people want to tackle them, they can.
Upgrade system:
Besides buying more moves for your weapons, your weapons themselves don't get any real sort of upgrade. None for more damage, or some other stat, or even a visual difference to say that Yakumo is progressing. You can upgrade your accessories to give you more statistical boosts, but everything feels a bit rushed when it comes to this aspect of the game.
The Combat.
This is hard to explain, but I'll try. In NG1 - 3, the dynamic between player and enemy was intimate, especially in Ninja Gaiden 1. Instead of gargantuan encounters with loads of enemies on screen trying to crush you with numbers ala NG4, the enemies are fewer in number, but more cunning. This creates a back-and-forth dynamic (yin/yang), not purely reliant on numbers, enemies that spam block, and flashy warning signals, but one based on true knowledge of your character and the enemies in front of you.
Ryu's moveset had a refined yet intricate depth that is lacking in NG4. For example, in NG1, the Dragon Sword has a move where you press towards your opponent and melee, and Ryu would roll forward while slicing the air. This rolling action contains small frames of invincibility that, when timed right, could interrupt enemy attacks. Ryu used to be able to execute different combos using directional inputs. This is no longer the case.
Ryu also could launch while STAYING on the ground easily by holding Y in an XY string or forward Y. Now he has to go through a whole string just to get to a launcher where he stays on the ground. This isn't optimal nor precise.
These small nuances are lacking in NG4.
UTs are also terrible in this game, specifically the technique of on-landing UTs. Frequently, they do not come out as intended, and instead, you'll get a heavy move. This can put you in situations where you get damaged, and it's not your fault. It's especially noticeable on harder difficulties where mistakes are punished drastically, even though it's not really a "mistake" on the part of the player.
NG4 is more floaty. NG4 is more combo-based. And its direction no longer feels like the true essence of Ninja Gaiden. One of the reasons I loved Ninja Gaiden was that it had an opposing design philosophy to DMC (At least from DMC3 on). They both were "stylish" but in different ways. Ninja Gaiden was about using the minimal options you had in the most optimal way. Whereas, DMC3 was about using a large amount of options in the most inefficient way (optionally, meaning you can still use a few options optimally if you desired) - just because.
Now, it seems the difference between NG4 and the DMC series has been blurred. It seems that NG has been highly influenced by DMC and other modern action games, instead of making its own path. That's disappointing.
The Bosses.
Contrary to most people, I actually like most of the bosses in NG4. My complaint isn't with them (except for a few, like the tank, and the fish), it's with their two-stage implementation. This implementation feels like an unnecessary form of making a fight longer. It would've been more efficient for the boss to unlock the new moves and patterns the lower their life bar gets -- like most other action games. Or if they wanted us to fight the same boss again, but with a new moveset, repeat the boss fight later on, ala NG1 Alma or Murai.
The Good.
Now that you've read all of the ugly and the bad, you're probably thinking I hate this game. I don't.
There's a bit of ugly and bad. But there's also good.
I know that I mentioned the combat in the bad section, but it's also in the good section. And that's a good thing, since the core aspect of a game is the gameplay, and for action games, that usually ends up being the combat. The game features numerous amazing ideas. For example, I initially thought that the gravity of the game and its moonlike quality would be a hindrance. In some forms, it is, but overall, it allows you to do things that you couldn't do if it kept the original gravity.
Things like launching an enemy near a wall, running up said wall, and continuing to juggle them. This is something you can't even do in any DMC game unless you have mods. It also takes Ninja Gaiden standard moves and enhances them in cool ways. Air Guillotine throw is amazing. Flying Swallow has been given more traversal usage than before.
Although some of the "Ninja Gaiden" essence of depth is removed, what's there is substantial. You have several different ways to parry, which I love. You can block parry, attack parry, and there are perfect dodges. As somebody who loves these kinds of systems in action games, and who actually liked intercept despite how "broken" it was in NG Hurricane packs - I'm pleased. There's multiple forms of movement that require awareness and skill as well.
Dodge offset, a technique most famously in Platinum Game's Bayonetta series, makes a return here. And it's implemented in unique ways. By holding the dodge button and attacking, you can continue a combo. The most obvious use that's placed before you is the ability to continue doing a string after "interrupting" by dodging, negating the interruption. But if you look further, you'll notice that with Yakumo, you can get a discount on the cost of Blood Raven moves by executing them this way, or Gleam moves with Ryu.
And that's just the beginning.
There's a lot of tech for this game, and most of it was found rather early. Sometimes that can be a bad sign, but people are still playing and trying to push the game forward, which is good. (Check out MasterNinjaRyu, Dino, MartinG, Inceet, GameBreakerGod, Raeng, PennyWize for some good NG4 Gameplay) We'll have to see if it has legs, however.
Yakumo, as a playable character, is actually pretty good overall. Which is important, as you'll spend most of your original playthrough using him. But when you finally get to play Ryu (something that takes forever), you might wonder if it's worth it. In many ways, surprisingly, yes.
The reason this is listed under good is that Ryu, although he has only one weapon in the Dragon Sword, actually feels just as good to play as Yakumo. This is due to the depth of his gleam mechanic. When mastered, the gleam mechanic allows you to cancel pretty much any of Ryu's actions. This allows for an amazing amount of creativity in how you arrange strings and react to the enemies around you.
The foundation of a great action game is here, and that's what's most important. With some games, you don't get the absolute best version of it when it's initially released, but with some tweaking, something special can be achieved. In all honesty, if this had another name or was titled in an offshoot way, I think a lot of hardcore fans would be kinder to it.
Music
The music may not be Ninja Gaiden-y but that doesn't mean that it's not good. Especially in the heat of battle, some of the tracks really get you going and into it. Probably because it's the same guy who worked on Metal Gear Rising's tracks.
Conclusion
Overall, I like this game. Despite its many flaws, and the fact that its identity as an authentic Ninja Gaiden game is questionable, I still enjoy it. As I've gotten older, I've realized that devs aren't going to keep making your favorite game. This hit me hard as a younger player, going from DMC3 to DMC4. Each iteration of the game will be different from the last. Sometimes, drastically so. It's up to the players themselves to be like water and adjust to whatever terrain is in front of them. It took me a while to get to that state; hopefully, others will do so in time so that they can enjoy aspects of any game they play, whether it matches their vision or not.
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