Gameplay is S tier. Boss music is great, classic platinum games combat. Levels are unique enough to stay interesting.

Journalists marked it down because of the story but no one plays a game like this for the story, even with that in mind it's not a bad one. I wanted to get 100% but there's a major skill issue stopping me from getting past the 3rd level on master ninja difficulty.

The frustrating part is that the game itself is good. It runs great, looks fine once configured, and the gameplay is fun. That’s exactly why the opening decisions are so indefensible.

PC-hostile startup flow:
On PC, the game forces you to start a New Game before you’re allowed to access graphics settings. It launches straight into low resolution and low graphics, meaning you have to manually quit out as soon as possible just to fix presentation. This poisons the first impression for no technical reason.

Narrative pacing:
Within the first 10 minutes, the game delivers the same lore exposition twice: once via opening narration, then again in a cutscene. No new information, just repetition, which immediately kills tension.

Broken upscaler UI and platform asymmetry:
DLSS is implemented and works, but in the in-game menu it’s exposed only as an automatic on/off toggle. There are no Quality/Balanced/Performance options. DLAA is a separate AA setting that disables DLSS.
FSR, meanwhile, does expose its options properly.

On Windows, this can be partially papered over with the Nvidia App.
On Linux, the Nvidia App does not exist — so the only way to configure DLSS is manual settings.ini editing. That’s not an edge case; it’s a functional lockout caused by unfinished UI.

This makes it obvious the game treats Steam Deck (where FSR is sufficient and DLSS is irrelevant) as the reference PC platform, while desktop PC — especially Linux — is an afterthought.

None of this is lack of capability. DLSS exists. The game runs well. The systems work.
These are avoidable, deliberate design omissions that keep shipping and consistently sabotage first impressions. I’m leaving a negative review solely for that.

Ninja Gaiden 4 will make your fingers throb in good pain as you grip your gamepad. It does feel more like a Platinum Games effort than a Team Ninja one, and it's not as precise as the previous Ninja Gaidens. But it's still the best Character Action Game to come along in a long while.

The only major issue is that I don't like the protagonist, Yakumo. Like Devil May Cry 4's Nero or Metal Gear Solid 2's Raiden, this new guy takes up 90% of the game, and you only play as Ryu Hayabusa for a handful of levels near the end that recycle old areas. No new bosses for Ryu either, except for one oddity who seems like an unusual "final" boss for the true Super Ninja. (That said, the music that plays during Ryu's last level is an orchestral mashup of all of his themes from the NES games, and it's awesome.)

You can unlock Ryu for every level once you've beaten the game, but this is clearly Yakumo's show. I'm sure his K-Pop design and Sasuke personality will win SOME fans, but Character Action Games rely on the coolness and strength of their leads. Yakumo didn't cut it for me, and this is made even more evident when Ryu obliterates through all obstacles during his levels in a way that makes me wish the game had simply starred him, with Ayane serving up the role of Yakumo's Raven Clan buddies who assist him throughout his missions.

Speaking of Ayane, she shows up for a few minutes to flash her new half naked look, and Yakumo's best moment is when he tells her to ♥♥♥♥ off, lol. Oh well. Maybe this new guy will grow into the role in Ninja Gaiden 5, which I hope features more even playtime between him and Ryu.