Do not shoot the messenger – I am simply saying, do not anticipate a lot from Ryu’s playable story segments in Ninja Gaiden 4. Over the previous week or so, I have been capable of play by and beat Ninja Gaiden 4, and I might say most of my expectations have been topped by the flashy new motion sport. As Yakumo, it delivers all the things I would like from the fight and extra, however PlatinumGames did verify that there have been two playable characters earlier than launch: newcomer Yakumo and veteran Ryu Hayabusa. I can simply level towards the worst gameplay segments in Ninja Gaiden 4‘s story, and people are those the place you play as Ryu.
However I do need to be clear: NG4 is an efficient sport and, as a complete, I might suggest it. I would just suggest it with the caveat that your expectations for Ryu ought to be on the ground. Fortunately, it’s a comparatively quick phase of the sport, taking on solely a handful of chapters in Ninja Gaiden 4. It is value noting that there is extra to Ryu than simply these chapters, on the very least, but it surely nonetheless seems like he is a facet character in a franchise his identify carries. SPOILER DISCUSSION FOLLOWS.
Ryu’s Position within the NG4 Story Defined
With out going additional into spoiler territory than I’ve to, it turns into abundantly clear within the earliest hours of Ninja Gaiden 4 that Ryu really is the “main problem and progress milestone” for Yakumo that PlatinumGames urged he’d be. Yakumo carries with him the conceitedness and self-righteousness one would anticipate from a less-seasoned warrior, believing himself to be Ryu’s equal from the start. The conflicts that emerge between the 2 are clearly one between a seasoned veteran and a prestigious upstart, and the story places them at odds fairly shortly. There are a number of causes for this, however as gamers progress by the story as Yakumo, they have to full 4 aims. All through this, it’s constantly urged after which outright confirmed that the priestess Seori put these 4 aims in place—with Ryu’s assist.
After spending your entire sport clearing these 4 aims, the playable segments for Ryu are flashbacks to establishing these 4 aims. In different phrases, it is simply repeating the content material that is already been performed. It surprises no gamer that every of these 4 aims ends in a boss battle, and it is these exact same boss fights for Ryu. Making it a little bit worse is that it goes backward, which means the final goal that Yakumo finishes is the primary one which Ryu arrange. Gamers face one main boss again to again, first as Yakumo and then as Ryu, after which proceed to repeat ranges to get to the opposite bosses. The one silver lining right here is that every goal is shortened for Ryu, maybe chatting with his energy, but it surely’s not like gamers should be satisfied that Ryu is the higher ninja. Altogether, it is one of many shortest segments of the sport, however the brevity, the repeated boss fights, and the truth that it has no actual narrative bearing imply Ninja Gaiden 4 would have been higher if these ranges have been lower.
How Reducing Playable Ryu Would Have Made Ninja Gaiden 4 Higher
The pacing can be massively improved, for one. These flashbacks happen instantly following one of many greatest story beats in Ninja Gaiden 4, interrupting the pure storytelling. Maybe the purpose is to create distance from that second and what follows, which in and of itself is transient in comparison with the remainder of the sport, but it surely would not actually accomplish that. It seems like repeated content material shoved in between the decision of the 4 aims and the ultimate boss. Secondly, it provides nothing to the gravitas of the story both. If there was one thing new revealed right here, then maybe enjoying by the content material would have been value it, however there’s not. Seori’s position within the 4 aims is made clear early within the sport, and it’s implied all through the sport that Ryu was concerned in it. The flashbacks serve no function narratively aside from to elucidate possibly one element, which is stretching the necessity for clarification.
Ninja Gaiden 4’s Story Construction
- Prologue and Set-Up
- Full Goal One
- Full Goal Two
- Full Goal Three
- Full Goal 4
- Massive Story Second (Cutscene)
- Repeat Goal 4, Three, Two, and One as Ryu
- Ultimate Chapters of the Recreation
On condition that nothing of significance or something new occurs in Ryu’s boss fights or story chapters, it feels very very like an afterthought shoved into the sport for fan service. Now, there’s completely nothing unsuitable with fan service, and having playable Ryu in Ninja Gaiden 4 solely makes logical sense. However the reality stays, chopping his chapters would have made it a greater sport. Moving into Ryu’s footwear shortly goes from a surge of pleasure to worries that all the things feels very acquainted to “Oh, so that is what we’re doing. All of this. Once more.” The way in which the story unfolds, I might be extra interested in what Ryu was doing throughout the remainder of the present-day sport as an alternative of those flashbacks. The story and pacing would have been extra fascinating if every goal for Yakumo (which is roughly three chapters) was adopted by an authentic present-day chapter for Ryu, as an alternative of flashbacks.
With out that, outright chopping Ryu’s chapters would have labored too, together with his position as a playable character simply being an endgame unlock. It already is, successfully, however his story chapters aren’t crucial for that. Because it stands, he seems like an arbitrary story reward as an alternative of an precise one as gamers head into Ninja Gaiden 4‘s higher difficulties/endgame content material.
Ryu’s Endgame Content material in NG4
To reiterate, I appreciated and suggest enjoying Ninja Gaiden 4. For me, it is an excellent 8/10 sport. I simply suppose this a part of the story hurts it total and stops it from being an important and even superb expertise. The moment-to-moment fight is tons of enjoyable, the content material choices are fairly good, and the general story is not revolutionary however is greater than serviceable. I do not essentially suppose extra Ryu would have fastened it, however I wished higher Ryu content material than flashbacks. Gamers, I might argue, deserve greater than the Tremendous Ninja’s major content material being flashbacks.
Nevertheless, as soon as gamers get previous these chapters and wrap up Ninja Gaiden 4‘s story, Ryu will be picked as a playable character. Gamers can repeat chapters, do Purgatories, full trials, and so forth, which suggests not less than there’s extra Ryu than within the story chapters. However for his playable story segments, it is onerous to not be disenchanted by how he is handled.
- Launched
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October 21, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Robust Language, Suggestive Themes
- Writer(s)
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Xbox Recreation Studios
