In the original Jurassic ParkScientists at InGen had to work with partial dinosaur DNA sequences extracted from mosquitoes trapped in amber. The missing parts of the dinosaur DNA sequence were filled in with data from frogs, explained Dr. Henry Wu. The latest Ninja Gaiden game looks similar: much of what has made Ninja Gaiden so unique and awesome since its 3D revival in 2004 is present in Ninja Gaiden 4but some of its genetic makeup clearly comes from the blood of developer PlatinumGames, the team behind activities such as Bayonetta And Win.
The benefit of this genetic modification of the action-character game is a gorgeous, deeply challenging and viscerally intoxicating new Ninja Gaiden game – and it may well be the closest thing we'll ever get. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance continuation. And, frankly, after 2012 Ninja Gaiden 3anything is a step forward for the Team Ninja franchise.
One of Ninja Gaiden 4The biggest difference from past games is its main character. Series star Ryu Hayabusa is sidelined but present in favor of newcomer Yakumo, a member of the rival Crow ninja clan tasked with ending the evil Dark Dragon's curse (and this time for good!). Yakumo is younger, lighter, and faster than Ryu, jumping into battle with incredible speed. Yakumo has all of Ryu's moves and more, thanks to a deeply layered, sometimes overwhelming combat system.
The core of 3D Ninja Gaiden's combat system hasn't changed much to accommodate the new ninja hero. Yakumo has light and heavy attacks that chain together, can throw endless shuriken, and can learn iconic moves like Izuna Drop and Flying Swallow to cut and decapitate enemies. But his training in Crow Clan ninjutsu adds an extra layer of depth; he can enhance basic moves with so-called Blood Raven techniques, which deal extra damage or break the enemy's stance. And like Ryu, he can learn new moves in the field by spending in-game currency to purchase extended combos, advanced versions of certain moves, and attacks using specific weapons.
Suffice it to say, Ninja Gaiden 4The combat in this game is as deep as any in the franchise – sometimes to a stunning degree. Just in terms of how Yakumo can avoid attacks – he can block, parry with his attack, dodge, perfect block, perfect dodge, Blood Raven block, and dodge with his hook – there are a variety of defense methods. The crime is much more complicated.
Even during the passage, I realized that I actually did not understand the huge number of techniques used on me. When I faced my first boss, I struggled to parry and block correctly, not knowing when I should risk Blood Raven's attack to break through the guard and retaliate, or charge up a powerful, unblockable attack. For far too long, I've been praying for Yakumo's Berserker Status Gauge to quickly fill up so I can unleash the devastating and cinematic “Bloody Massacre” attack.
But after too many failed attempts, I realized I just needed to lean on Yakumo's evasion ability, which has notes of Bayonetta's Time of the Witch. This little discovery opened my eyes to a new approach to Ninja Gaiden 4: Clarify what I'm capable of and change my approach often, rather than relying on my aging reflexes and idealistic ideas about parrying to overcome difficulties.
Luckily, Team Ninja and Platinum provide new combat techniques and the opportunity to learn them at low stakes over the course of approximately 15 hours of play. Whenever I was introduced to some new combat or weapon technique, I could quickly jump into the training ground to learn that new skill instead of foolishly learning it in real combat.
Team Ninja and Platinum offer many of these concessions. In addition to frequent training and education sessions, Ninja Gaiden 4 offers a simple mode, kindly called “Hero Mode,” that auto-blocks and auto-dodges, allowing me to learn combat context clues, understand the in-game camera quirks, and focus on enemy placement while I learn more advanced combat skills. After a while, I switched from Hero difficulty to Normal difficulty, potentially saving myself several hours of frustration.
Image: PlatinumGames, Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios
Ninja Gaiden devotees can turn off all of this in-game assistance, including a soft lock option that makes it easier to target a specific enemy. And they can eventually switch to Ninja Master difficulty if they find the game too easy. I don't think many players will do this, but since the depth of combat is present in Ninja Gaiden 4as well as the depth of the problem.
Even on normal difficulty, Ninja Gaiden's legendary difficulty level is showcased. Team Ninja and Platinum have even refined combat encounters to adapt to the number of players approaching previous games, notably allowing certain enemies to block the game in the air. To counter them, players will have to rely on Blood Raven's moves to break down their defenses or find new ground-based moves, ensuring that even series veterans will have to rethink their approach to combat.
Yakumo has an extensive toolbox when it comes to weapons as well as related techniques. The Crow Clan ninja starts out with a pair of blades, the Takeminakata, but over time expands his weapon set with a rapier (which turns into an absurd drill spear when imbued with Blood Raven's powers), a staff that also becomes a hammer, and an assassin's toolkit (bombs, large throwing stars) that includes a pair of mechanical arms filled with blood. So while Yakumo may not have the same laid-back cool and reverence as Ryu, he absolutely wins on gear alone.
Image: PlatinumGames, Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios
For Ninja Gaiden fans who really want to spend time with Ryu, Ninja Gaiden 4 offers limited options. There are a few remastered story missions that feature a playable Ryu, and chapters can be replayed as the ninja master of the Hayabusa clan, but if you're expecting a lot of personal interaction with Ryu, you'll want to replay Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.
With new characters, tough challenges, and tons of techniques to master. Ninja Gaiden 4 is a fun sidestep that helps modernize the 3D ninja action formula (and just a few months after updating the 2D version, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound), and also gives fans of the platinum tariff such Astral chain, Nier: Slot MachinesAnd Win something new to chew on. This may not be the Ninja Gaiden you remember, but it has good blood running through its veins.
Ninja Gaiden 4 will release on October 21st on PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X. The game has been reviewed on PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by Microsoft. You can find More information about Polygon's ethical policies can be found here..
