‘Ninja Gaiden 4’ Evaluation: All-Fuel, No-Brakes Gaming

There’s a particular form of bliss that comes from a dumb motion recreation. It doesn’t matter if the plot works or if the impetus for slicing up unhealthy guys is smart; the one factor that issues is how good it feels to slide into the hypnotic trance of carnage together with your thoughts and physique on autopilot. The Ninja Gaiden sequence has at all times been significantly good at capturing this mentality.

The NES video games had been robust however let skilled-enough gamers lock into the rhythm of muscle reminiscence to cost by its side-scrolling platforming phases. Under the path of Team Ninja, the 3D trilogy of titles for the Xbox and Xbox 360 translated that stream state to better heights with downright brutal fight demanding razor-sharp precision.

And though the fashionable age of gaming is generally dominated by a Soulslike ethos of motion that prioritizes methodical dodging and plodding, there are numerous followers who yearn for a return to the heyday of 2000s-era slash ‘em ups. That’s precisely what Ninja Gaiden 4 (out Oct. 21) presents — after which some.

Developed in collaboration between franchise stewards Team Ninja and motion gaming royalty PlatinumGames (Bayonetta, Nier: Automata), this new technology of Ninja Gaiden goals to take the complicated mechanics of bloodletting that made the earlier entries so beloved, whereas ratcheting up the kinetics to delirious levels. A full onslaught on the senses, Ninja Gaiden 4 can typically really feel mind-numbing in its aggressively over-the-top presentation, however as soon as it kicks in, there’s no solution to break its spell.

Action gaming reborn

Formed within the mid-Nineties by the late Tomonobu Itagaki, Team Ninja made their identify with video games like Dead or Alive and the reimagined Ninja Gaiden trilogy — two sequence made well-known for being equal components tonally juvenile and mechanically complicated. Dead or Alive, specifically, trafficked extensively in intercourse attraction, pioneering 3D jiggle physics for its feminine characters’ our bodies in ways in which virtually buried its credentials as a legitimately nice combating recreation. Their Ninja Gaiden video games weren’t a lot better in that regard however at the very least spent extra time emphasizing its gory gameplay over cheesecake ogling.

PlatinumGames share most of the similar predilections at Team Ninja (primarily boobs and violence) however carved their very own area of interest because the creators of hyper-kinetic motion video games like Bayonetta that stretch the boundaries of what the human consideration span can handle. Their MO is making experiences that really feel just like the participant’s toggled on God mode even when getting their ass beat.

Together, they’re a match made in heaven. The studios’ mixed sensibilities make Ninja Gaiden 4 really feel like one of the mechanically deep fight video games both occasion as ever made, with nearly each side cranked as much as 11.

The story picks up a while after the occasions of 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3, following “Super Ninja” Ryu Hayabusa’s three-time victory over the evil Dark Dragon. But within the interim, for the reason that dragon’s demise, one thing has gone terribly mistaken. Although the beast’s soul has been sealed, its husk has poisoned the futuristic Sky City Toyko, leaving it quarantined underneath the management of a activity power often called the Divine Dragon Order (DDO), led by Ryu himself. Now, a fresh-faced ninja named Yakumo is on the rise, working to finish the darkish occasions as soon as and for all.

A member of the Raven Clan, Yakumo performs very in a different way than Ryu did in earlier video games. For one, he’s a lot quicker, in a position to nimbly minimize down droves of DDO troopers, demons, and fiends with blistering velocity. Yakumo has entry to one thing known as Bloodraven Form, which makes use of the blood of his enemies to morph his weapons into cartoonish upgrades. By holding a button, a easy katana all of a sudden turns into a 10-foot blade, or a rapier sprouts a demolition-grade energy drill — all able to viscerally dismembering and maiming foes.

Ryu himself can be playable, albeit to a a lot smaller diploma than the advertising signifies. Despite being the face of the model, the elder ninja is generally relegated to a not often seen boogeyman till late recreation; he’s not truly controllable till roughly 70 % of the way in which by the narrative. Once he seems, nonetheless, the tempo downshifts simply barely — Ryu is a bit of stronger, however he’s clunkier than Yakumo in ways in which evoke the sensation of basic Ninja Gaiden.

While it may be disappointing to some that Ryu takes a backseat within the latest entry, it isn’t the primary time. Earlier this yr, Dotemu’s 2D revival of the sequence Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound took an analogous strategy with an authentic character named Kenji, to spectacular outcomes. But there’s consolation in that Yakumo’s story is powerful sufficient to hold Ninja Gaiden 4 till its two heroes collide.

Cranked to the max, on a regular basis

From its opening moments within the neon-soaked cyberpunk-coded Sky City Tokyo, Ninja Gaiden 4 thrusts gamers into an infinite stream of pulse-pounding motion set items and infrequently ever lets up. Unlike 2D entries like Ragebound, the place most enemies will be killed with a single decisive strike, virtually each bout is a calculated battle of attrition the place every foe have to be completely sliced and brutalized earlier than falling.

Most situations start with a swarm of enemies of various sorts (melee fighters, snipers, rocketeers, and so on.) all slamming the participant directly with every little thing they’ve bought, requiring a deft steadiness of blocking, parrying, and dodging to remain alive. On regular problem, the sport is difficult, however manageable for anybody with a passing information of the 3D motion style. The key’s utilizing commonplace assaults to chop unhealthy guys as much as the purpose that they lose a limb, at which level they’re weak to an on the spot execution with a heavy assault. It’s the identical technique employed in earlier Ninja Gaiden titles, however the velocity of the bloodletting and appendage removing is now dizzying.

Yakumo has a frankly silly variety of skills to study; between common and heavy assaults, base and Bloodraven Form, floor and aerials (and plenty of, many variations), it’s virtually a full-on combating recreation. But the reality is that the extra powers are unlocked, the much less methodical the fight turns into. At a sure level, urgent absolutely anything will do one thing cool, and there’s a fragile steadiness between the sport coaching gamers to effortlessly pull off strikes as supposed and simply letting them button-mash their solution to victory.

By mid-game, most bouts will be overcome by deciding on whichever weapon sort the participant’s most comfy with and going to city. Wildly slapping buttons, it’s no tall activity to cut troopers off on the knees, decide up their mangling physique and slam it right into a crowd with a rocket-powered hammer, and seamlessly transition to the following cold-blooded kill. The recreation’s best trick could also be ensuring the consumer barely even is aware of in the event that they’re succeeding virtually accidentally or in the event that they’re simply that good; finally all of it simply bleeds collectively right into a trance-like state.

The complexity of the mechanics turns into a bit of extra obvious as harder foes start blocking and parrying extra astutely, forcing the participant’s hand to place in a bit of extra effort of their choice making. Boss fights find yourself being the areas the place it’s most evident that not every little thing will work; many of those main enemies can fly, teleport, or simply do loopy strikes that brush in opposition to the skillset of each Yakumo and Ryu, typically resulting in a relentless chase simply to get a success off.

There are different weak factors within the gameplay, too. Platforming sections normally require using one in all Yakumo’s many ninja instruments like grappling hooks, aerial gliders, and sure, surfboards. These challenges emphasize velocity above all else, though they not often really feel exact. To hold the motion at all times shifting at most velocity, ranges typically poorly telegraph the place the participant is meant to leap or dodge to, resulting in low-cost deaths even previous the primary go round. With a main give attention to throwing as a lot shit as potential on the display, it repeatedly looks like the degrees themselves overlook there’s truly speculated to be an individual controlling issues behind it.

The supposed velocity at which the sport expects gamers to function additionally belies the mediocrity of the sport’s visuals. While character fashions look strong in movement, with blood splashes masking most of what you’ll even see, there’s little or no texture or range to a lot of the world. The neon skyline of town is considerably fairly, however most ranges — from underground golf equipment to ethereal dimensions — largely boil all the way down to a sequence of tight corridors, routinely recycling their layouts. The phases develop into repetitive nicely earlier than Ryu’s chapters arrive, at which level they develop into literal repeats of the very same ranges gamers have already accomplished as Yakumo.

Despite what Ninja Gaiden 4 lacks in visible constancy and environmental selection, it’s practically unimaginable to not have an excellent time taking part in it. The sheer audaciousness of its motion is a spectacle unto itself. It’s fundamental premise of “cool ninjas doing cool shit” is de facto the sport’s backside line — throwing in a scantily clad sorceress or a caked-up king of the underworld simply provides to an expertise designed for an adolescent’s palate.

While it goes off the rails (actually at occasions), the audiovisual cacophony of Ninja Gaiden 4 harkens again to an older faculty of recreation design — one the place open-world exploration, leveling up, and distinct character builds had been completely for RPGs, and subtlety was left on the door. This is an expertise for individuals who suppose chasing demon sharks on surfboards is rad, and whose not-so-guilty pleasures embody utilizing a nasty man’s head like a soccer ball whereas EDM blasts within the background.

They’re easy joys, however efficient nonetheless.

Ninja Gaiden 4 launches on Oct. 21 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.