Ninja Gaiden 4 Launch Day: Ryu Returns in a Bloody Ninja Adventure

Ninja Gaiden fans, sharpen your blades, the long-awaited Ninja Gaiden 4 slashes onto shelves today, marking a triumphant return for Ryu Hayabusa after over a decade since Ninja Gaiden 3. Developed by Team Ninja in collaboration with PlatinumGames and published by Xbox Game Studios, this reboot amps the series' signature brutality with fast-paced, malleable combat that lets you switch styles on the fly between dodge-heavy agility or parry-focused precision, while also introducing accessibility options like Hero Mode for newcomers.

You'll play as Ryu or the nimble Yakumo across dedicated chapters, unleashing combos in neon-drenched cyberpunk cities, natural environments, and bullet-hell boss arenas that demand pattern mastery and weapon swaps. The story weaves and intriguing tale with beautiful action set pieces like wall-running chases, all wrapped in cinematic gore and stylish animations. It's a tough, satisfying hack-and-slasher, and that's before we even get to to Master Ninja difficulty. It should be enough to keep your thumbs throbbing for days.

Critic Reception: Great Action, but Room for Improvement

Ninja Gaiden 4 has debuted to generally positive reviews, earning a Metacritic score of 83 based on 36 critic reviews across platforms, highlighting the game's "wonderfully malleable" combat and "immensely satisfying" bosses as standout features. High marks come from GamesRadar+ (10/10) for its "excellent hack-and-slasher" thrills and TechRaptor (9/10) for robust accessibility.

However, some ding it for level design repetition and enemy variety lacks, with Push Square (7/10) noting it "drags on." Steam user reviews are "Very Positive" at 87% from 654 early players, praising the gore and fluidity but echoing critic calls for more diversity. Overall, it's the second-best 3D entry in the series, though not 2025's top Ninja Gaiden (that title falls to Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound).

Pick up your Sword and Play

Ninja Gaiden 4 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). Priced at $69.99 standard or $89.99 for the Deluxe Edition with extra skins and an artbook, if you go for the physical edition. Also, as this is an Xbox Game Studios game, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get day-one access.

Check out the launch trailer

What do you think is Ninja Gaiden 4 your next ninja fix? Let us know over on X (@gameminr) or Facebook, and happy slashing.