Ninja Gaiden 4 (PC) Review

The last time I remember the excitement of playing a game of the genre hack and slash one of them is when playing the Devil May Cry series. There, even without memorizing what buttons to press for certain combos, we can perform any attack according to our own playing style. This is one of the interesting points of Ninja Gaiden 4, a new series that has been long awaited by Ninja Gaiden Series fans.

The crowd of fans arrived to me as someone who had just entered the series. Ninja Gaiden 4 became one of the games that I personally think showed that the complexity of the game hack and slash it's there: for those who want to try more. For those who just want to play casually and to their heart's content? You can still do that. The way the game introduces the game mechanics at the right moment is an attraction in itself, even if it's something that needs to be addressed in future installments.

Pluses and minuses: Almost “infinite” combos”

Game genre hack and slash Ninja Gaiden 4 generally has a wide variety of combos that can be executed, but not all of them can provide versatile types of combos in various situations. Ninja Gaiden 4 can be said to provide a wide variety of combos that stem from the different types of weapons you have as well as combos that apply generally to all weapon types. For each weapon, there are also specific moves that can be accessed by paying some sort of points, which are earned as the battle progresses. In addition, there is a form of bloodraven which is a semi-permanent form with its own (limited) bar, which will provide a new moveset for almost every moveset in the original weapon type.

This variety certainly illustrates the complex (albeit flexible) types of moves that players can perform in various situations. On the plus side, based on my own experience of only being able to remember a fraction of the moveset amidst the chaos of battle, I still managed to win the fight just fine. The minus points include the same thing, which is that this complexity may not all be used. In fact, not all points can be enough to unlock the entire moveset of each weapon (based on personal experience from the beginning to the end of the main story), so New Game+ is needed to gain even more additional points.

Fortunately, this game can be completed fairly quickly. My personal experience of completing this game on “normal” difficulty took approximately 15 hours, and that includes trying to explore and completing some missions that require players to do mini-boss fights. Doing speedrun Ninja Gaiden 4 also looks quite easy, especially the “walls” between fights sometimes exist or not. Based on some players who have played the Ninja Gaiden Series for a long time, Ninja Gaiden 4 is one of the hardest in normal difficulty. This is also understandable, considering checkpoint and HP recovery items can be consumed very quickly at times (especially after boss battles).

Very “hype” pacing of narration and combat”

With a heavy heart, I have to agree with the minus points of Ninja Gaiden 4's story that are widely discussed on various forums, not because the story is bad / confusing, it's just that there are many plot holes which could have been supplemented to provide clarity on the story, especially for those who got into the Ninja Gaiden series for the first time. Who is Yakumo? Why is there a Hayabusa? What is this world we're walking through? These are just three of the stories that weren't properly explained. Of course, most sequel stories have callback from the previous series, but even Ninja Gaiden 4 from start to finish does not provide so many moments to explain it.

But of course, this is greatly helped by how Ninja Gaiden 4 presents itself. sequence The combat and mechanic introductions are very immersive. In terms of level design, the battles in Ninja Gaiden 4 are generally divided into smaller fights in each specific area, whether minions, mini bosses, or main bosses. Ninja Gaiden 4 includes a wide variety of traversal and platforming to decorate the transition from one main area to another.

We can also see that regardless of how “random” each main area is, each area has its own uniqueness that looks detailed and well thought out. Plus, in addition to the transitions between scene smooth, each scene has quite a bit of action, so the general gaming experience still feels hype and fast-paced. Even so, the storyline feels linear, so free exploration doesn't really feel “free”, except for some specific paths for hidden missions.

Speaking of “hidden”, there is a kind of dungeon named purgatory, This is a game where players can engage in 2-3 phase battles in one specific place, in order to earn the value of the game's currency. In general, these fights are pretty standard, consisting of fighting standard minions and bosses that appear in the area. For added challenge, players can temporarily sacrifice HP bars for greater rewards (this does not include the game difficulty level chosen at the time).

Conclusion

If there is a calculation for “combat satisfaction” points, perhaps Ninja Gaiden 4 is arguably one of the best in its class. With the genre hack and slash, Ninja Gaiden 4 looks well-prepared to keep the hype going from start to finish, from area to area, corner to corner. The world of Ninja Gaiden 4 themed “Tokyo of the future” is also visible in each area which is so diverse and pleasing to the eye. However, it is hoped that Ninja Gaiden's story in the future will be considered more carefully, so that each character gets the best experience. spotlight A more complete explanation, so that there is an attachment between the player and the identity of this game itself.

Pros

• Varied and flexible combos for various situations
• Immersive design of each level and engaging

Disadvantages

• Lack of story explanation about certain characters
• Design between levels that are not so clear in continuity