Ninja Gaiden 4, the highly anticipated sequel developed by PlatinumGames in collaboration with Team Ninja, is set to release on October 20, 2025. The game promises to blend the stylish action of PlatinumGames with the classic feel of the Ninja Gaiden series. The game features two protagonists: Yakumo, a new character designed by PlatinumGames, and series veteran Ryu Hayabusa.
Yakumo brings a fresh perspective to the series with his unique Bloodraven Form, which transforms his sword into a powerful crimson blade. Ryu, on the other hand, maintains the authentic feel that fans have come to expect from the series. During a demo at Summer Game Fest Play Days, the game showcased its brutal and fluid combat, with cinematic finishers adding an extra flair.
Players must master both offense and defense, blocking, dodging, and parrying attacks to succeed against waves of aggressive enemies. Yakumo’s traversal abilities, including wall running, grappling, and swinging across gaps using his Caddis line, add dynamic and varied movement to the gameplay.
Ninja Gaiden 4 gameplay unveiled
Side quests, such as killing enemy quotas or collecting sentient jars called Gourdys, further enrich the experience. The collaboration between PlatinumGames and Team Ninja has been described as seamless, with both studios having high mutual respect for each other. “We have huge mutual respect for each other; it’s an honor to work together on this game,” says PlatinumGames director Yuji Nakao.
Team Ninja director Masakazu Hirayama adds, “We wanted to inject PlatinumGames’ unique, stylish approach to action into Ninja Gaiden 4 while retaining the gameplay feel that longtime players expect from the series.”
Despite the rise of Soulslike games in recent years, Team Ninja is committed to bringing back the intense and responsive gameplay that Ninja Gaiden is known for. “Ninja Gaiden is about having high-speed, pure action gameplay. So we are going against the trend in that way,” says Hirayama.
With the introduction of a “perfect guard” system reminiscent of the parry mechanic in PlatinumGames’ Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Ninja Gaiden 4 aims to add a fresh layer of strategy to combat while staying true to the series’ roots. Fans of the series can look forward to an exciting blend of innovative mechanics and classic gameplay when Ninja Gaiden 4 releases on October 20, 2025.
Deanna Ritchie is a managing editor at DevX. She has a degree in English Literature. She has written 2000+ articles on getting out of debt and mastering your finances. She has edited over 60,000 articles in her life. She has a passion for helping writers inspire others through their words. Deanna has also been an editor at Entrepreneur Magazine and ReadWrite.
