Full review on X - https://x.com/Lightsyde/status/2067546057114853429?s=20 (word limit restriction here)
I will start with the bad, because I prefer to end on as positive a note as possible.
The BAD: ISSUES 1, 2, and 3.
I enjoy DMC5 a lot. When I’m having an amazing time with DMC5, the strongest desire in my head is usually “I wish Vergil had more combos”. But the game is designed in such a way as to only have one melee attack button, the rest relying on directional input, inevitably limiting the combo pool. It is an acceptable issue because DMC, IIRC, has always been like this, so it’s the game’s legacy.
Meanwhile, Ninja Gaiden has always had two melee attack buttons and utilized this feature to great effect with a plethora of diverse combos that reward you for mastering them, but what does Platinum Games do? Reduce this excellent system to a button-mashy variant in order to introduce the directional combo system into Ninja Gaiden (It already had this system, so rather than “introduce”, “emphasize and develop” is more accurate). I would have no problem with the latter if the former wasn’t being sacrificed for it. It feels like a slap in the face to every other Ninja Gaiden game. If it weren’t for the aggressive nature of enemies in Ninja Gaiden, I’d be able to button-mash my way to victory while absentmindedly thinking of other things, just like I could when playing Nier Automata. If you go to the “Combat Skills” section of Ninja Gaiden 4 and look at the moveset for executing the Izuna drop and compare it to every other move in the “Combat Skills” section, you will immediately notice how Ninja Gaiden’s legacy has been treated. Not only have the starting character’s combos been reduced to “how many times do I press X before I press Y”, none of the combos are named.
Names matter, and not naming the combos diminishes them by making them more forgettable and more inconsequential, just like the combos in Bayonetta 2, which are all utterly forgettable once you remove combat skills from the discussion.
The BAD: ISSUES 4 and 5
I’ll state it straight out - Platforming does NOT belong in Spectacle Fighters. It does not. One could argue that God of War and OG Bayonetta have platforming. True, but the platforming in these games adds nothing to the overall fun factor of both games, and until I see platforming implemented in a way that elevates the rest of a Spectacle Fighter game in terms of Hack and Slash FUN factor, I will forever hold this stance. It is because Flying Bird Flip, Invisible Path, Shadowless Footsteps, and Ninja Run are all parkour and NOT platforming that they ADD to the Ninja Gaiden and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance experience and do not detract from it.
The next issue is Ryu’s available weapons. Considering the fact that one of the main reasons for the backlash that OG Ninja Gaiden 3 faced was due to Ryu’s missing weapons, Platinum Games should have known better, but they fell into the same damned trap. Need I say more? Not everyone is a fan of swords. Even you are, the diversity of weapons was always a huge part of the draw of Ninja Gaiden. Not extra missions, but diversity of unique weaponry. Any game can give extra mission content. Only Spectacle Fighters can give you weapons that are extremely rich in combat depth, which includes combos and various ways of integrating them into a chosen play-style. Weapons in Spectacle Fighters multiply combat options… Such an easy way to satisfy the fans, but it was straight up neglected in favour of nickel-and-diming players.
The BAD: Issue 6 (REDACTED)
Flash over substance. Now, I’ve made it clear how much I love Ultimate Techniques. They add something to Ninja Gaiden that specially and uniquely belongs to the franchise. I believe that most people who criticize UTs do so from the perspective of well-earned elitism, and it is precisely why I generally don’t take criticism of UTs and Ninpo seriously. I would caution elites and veterans who do so because if you argue from the perspective of elitism, you are doing so at the expense of everyone who wants to get into the game but feels intimidated. And they DO FEEL INTIMIDATED, I can’t stress this enough. Before Ninja Gaiden 4 came out, PiratNation made a post to promote it, and there were a lot of people talking about how they couldn’t possibly fight on the level needed to play the game. I tried to encourage some by saying they should master the prior games before 4 came out, but they were unresponsive, with the general tone being that the game is too unapproachable. THIS is why I’m going to take my own advice and not go into detail about the true ISSUE 6 (wasn’t UT or Ninpo).
I have other issues, but I judge them to not be important enough to affect my rating, so I won’t mention them. Let’s move on to the good
The GOOD
1 - Weapon switching. It feels so impossibly good to switch weapons in the game on the fly. This is one of the only things the series has truly been missing, and it adds an unbelievable level of dynamism to the game, just as it does to DMC5. Only positives here, and I CANNOT praise this enough!! It added a limitlessness to Ninja Gaiden that is just what the doctor ordered. I’m very pleased and grateful to Platinum Games for this addition.
2. - Camera. What can I say? The game adds so many camera and targeting options. Pain point issues from Ninja Gaiden 2 are a thing of the past. I would have preferred the freeform camera and targeting mode from the prior games, paired with the ability to lock on to bosses, because I keep having to switch. All in all,, a definite positive and I’m grateful for what is there.
3. Perfect Dodge. I love dodging, so the inclusion of perfect dodge really hit my sweet spots. The afterimages of perfect dodge, coupled with mirage and directional changes is something I’m totally drunk on. I cannot get enough of it.
4. Mirage, Gleam, Bloodbind. All great additions to the game that increase combat options and depth, especially for veterans who thirst for something new. My only gripe with this is how they might complicate things for new players.
5. Orb drops. One of the things I love about the game is the ability to force enemies to drop orbs. Very handy.
6. Like all great Spectacle Fighters worthy of the label, Ninja Gaiden 4 carries the legacy of the genre - games that become more fun the more combat is mastered, due its rich combat depth and potential player expression.
Final Thoughts: I would urge
@platinumgames
and
@TeamNINJAStudio
to keep changes minimal going forward. Fan familiarity is too important, and it’ll be hard to ensure commercial viability without it. This also includes the decision to gate Ryu as a playable character until late into the game. If people shy away from sequels because their expectations are not met, this trend I mentioned about the Steam charts will continue. Devil May Cry 5 has a lot of differences in the character play-styles of the new characters, but playing as Dante and Vergil is almost the exact same thing as with previous entries, and it works for them; changes should be handled very carefully going forward, as they have been a serious flashpoint for players, especially from Ninja Gaiden 3 and after. DMC5 selling 13 million copies is not an accident, and it’s proof that the niche game excuse is no excuse. Please the fans, and price the games better.
NINJA GAIDEN 4 FINAL RATING: 9.4/10. (Fans of Spectacle Fighters can add more points depending on how much they disagree with my criticisms.) I urge those on the fence to give this game a shot; it’s worth it.
A link to my Ninja Gaiden 4 Playthrough. - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeaVZ3WXJCFdQwTB3rje05BLmSZpAUfev
May good fortune rule over you,
Peace live in your heart,
And the stars watch over you.
