As I watch Ninja Gaiden 4 lead Yakumo instantly respond to my button mashes, hacking and slashing at heavily armored soldiers before brutally dismembering them with stylish finishers, only one coherent thought forms in my head, and it's one I immediately share when my 25 minutes is up.
"Hell yeah."
When translated, this elicits a laugh from PlatinumGames producer and director Yuji Nakao, as well as Team Ninja producer and director Masakazu Hirayama.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is one of a downright deluge of games I checked out while I was in L.A. for Summer Game Fest 2025. Shortly after watching the Xbox Games Showcase, I had the chance to play this long-hoped-for game, and so far, it's looking good.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is set in a dark, futuristic version of Tokyo, where armies of cybernetically-empowered soldiers patrol the streets. It's constantly raining, so everyone and everything is quite literally drenched in misery.
Yakumo feels fast and responsive, with no delay to any of his actions. As a trained ninja, he's capable of wall-running and grappling to vantage points with his Caddis Wire. All those tools are important, because enemies hit hard and fast.
The moment I encountered my first group of enemies, I was promptly stomped, and it became immediately apparent that Ninja Gaiden 4 isn't holding back on the difficulty front. Utilizing different techniques is crucial, and fortunately, there's plenty of different tricks to try.
"The essence of Ninja Gaiden is really having that dynamic counterplay between offense and defence and coming up against almost impossible odds with so many enemies coming at you, but being able to dig into a really diverse toolset," Hirayama says.
The core gameplay and level design in Ninja Gaiden 4 is primarily developed by PlatinumGames, with Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja providing editorial oversight. Meanwhile, the game is being published by Xbox Game Studios Publishing division, which partners on externally-developed first-party titles.
"It's been really great to work with Microsoft and be able to announce the game and have these events, as well as bringing it to Game Pass and reaching a wider playerbase" Hirayama says.
This partnership has allowed a best of both worlds approach. As I played, I could clearly see the DNA of other PlatinumGames action titles, in particular with how Yakumo dodges almost like Bayonetta as he evades attacks.
When I asked about how the team was working to make the game feel right for both longtime veterans and curious newcomers, Hirayama noted that there are difficulty options that can be changed at any time, and that the full game will have an additional stage before the demo I played that more slowly introduces various moves and combat techniques.
Players will also frequently be able to practice their moves by consulting with Tyran, Yakumo's mentor, who shows up throughout levels to teach new techniques in exchange for Ninja Coin.
"We are going against the trend and also injecting our own distinct game design sensibilities from PlatinumGames, which is the style and the dynamic expressions, but when you pick up the controller and you play, it has that responsiveness and really satisfying gameplay."
PlatinumGames producer and director Yuji Nakao
Ninja Gaiden 4 is extremely bloody, tying in gore to the intrinsic gameplay loop. Yamuko is encouraged to use Obliteration Technique to finish off wounded soldiers, dispatching them in a whirlwind of blades and limbs.
"The conversation around action games has changed quite a lot since the last Ninja Gaiden game, as Soulslikes have taken center stage," Nakao says. "We are going against the trend and also injecting our own distinct game design sensibilities from PlatinumGames, which is the style and the dynamic expressions, but when you pick up the controller and you play, it has that responsiveness and really satisfying gameplay."
While Yakumo has plenty of classic moves, he also has some completely new tricks. The showpiece is his Bloodraven form, which instantly transforms him into a demonic-esque half-raven form, greatly enhancing his damage and raw power.
As the demo continued, Yakumo also gained access to the Berserk Gauge, which fills up the more damage he deals. Entering Berserk state grants access to one-hit Bloodbath kills, which bisect enemies while turning the entire screen red and black. It's brutal and awesome to use and watch.
Longtime fans will be happy with how the game throws plenty of enemies at you and doesn't hold back on spilling buckets of blood.
Overall, I've come away extremely excited for Ninja Gaiden 4. There's a fusion here, with classic action gameplay that's still moved forward mechanically, something that seems to clearly be a result of the team-up that's brought this game together.
In particular, longtime fans will be happy with how the game throws plenty of enemies at you and doesn't hold back on spilling buckets of blood.
I'm already itching to get back to hacking and slashing in the dark future of Tokyo. I'm also curious at what point longtime series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa is slated to enter the story...
Ninja Gaiden 4 is slated to launch on Oct. 21, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud, Windows PC (Steam and Xbox PC), and PlayStation 5. Like all Xbox first-party games, it'll be included day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
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