In the original Jurassic ParkInGen scientists had to work with incomplete dinosaur DNA sequences taken from mosquitoes trapped in amber. Dr. Henry Wu explained that the missing pieces of the dinosaur DNA sequence were filled in with data from frogs. The latest Ninja Gaiden game seems to follow a similar structure: much of what has made Ninja Gaiden so unique and amazing since its 3D revival in 2004 is present in Ninja Gaiden 4but some of its genes are clearly extracted from the blood of developer PlatinumGames, the team behind action games like Bayonetta AND Defeat.
The upside to this genetic modification of the character action game is that it’s a great game, a very challenging and incredibly intoxicating modern Ninja Gaiden game – and probably the closest thing we’ll ever get to Metal Gear Rise of Revenge continued. And honestly, after 2012 Ninja Gaiden 3everything is a step forward for the Team Ninja franchise.
One of Ninja Gaiden 4the biggest departure from previous games is its hero. Series star Ryu Hayabusa is sidelined but present in favor of newcomer Yakumo, a member of the rival Raven ninja clan who has been tasked with ending the evil Dark Dragon’s curse (and for real this time!). Yakumo is younger, lighter and faster than Ryu, and jumps at breakneck speeds during battles. Yakumo has all of Ryu’s moves and more, thanks to a deeply layered, sometimes overcrowded combat system.
The core of Ninja Gaiden’s 3D combat hasn’t changed much to accommodate the modern ninja hero. Yakumo has airy and hefty attacks that chain together, can throw an infinite amount of shuriken, and can learn the series’ iconic moves like Izuna Drop and Flying Swallow to slash and decapitate enemies. But his Raven Clan ninjutsu training adds an extra layer of depth; can power up basic moves with so-called Bloodraven techniques, which deal extra damage or break the enemy’s stance. And like Ryu, he can learn modern moves in the field by spending in-game currency to acquire extended combos, advanced versions of certain techniques, and weapon-specific attacks.
Suffice it to say Ninja Gaiden 4the combat is as deep as in any other entry in the series – sometimes to an overwhelming degree. Simply speaking of how Yakumo can avoid attacks – he can block, parry his own attack, dodge, perfect block, perfect dodge, Bloodraven block, and dodge with grappling hook – there are tons of defense methods. The crime is orders of magnitude more convoluted.
I found out early on in the game that I didn’t really understand the number of techniques that were being thrown at me. When I faced my first boss, I had difficulty parrying and blocking properly, unsure of when I should risk Bloodraven’s attack to break my guard and retaliate, or charge up a powerful, unblockable attack. For far too long, I prayed that Berzerk Yakumo’s status meter would fill up quickly so that I could launch a devastating and cinematic Blood Carnage attack.
