Ninja Gaiden 4 shifts the action from Ryu Hayabusa to Yakumo, a member of the even more shadowy raven clan, but after going hands-on with the first three chapters (plus the prologue) across several hours of play it feels instantly familiar. Perhaps that's one reason Koei Tecmo dropped the phenomenal Ninja Gaiden 2 Black re-release last year – forget the other ill-advised sequels and spin-offs, Ninja Gaiden 4 continues to carry the character action high bar forward as if 2008 just happened.
Loading Ninja Gaiden 4 up for the first time I forgo jumping straight into the story to simply mess around with the controls in training. Like extremely violent jazz, the familiar notes are all present and mine to play with. New protagonist Yakumo is just as competent as Ryu at weaving together combos across various weapons. Nab enough red orbs from felled foes, and I can still power up my devastating Ultimate Technique moves, helping to keep huge mobs at bay. Dish out enough damage, and Yakumo can lop off limbs, opening enemies up to gratifying instant finishing move kills (lest the limbless enemies grab you and blow themselves up to take off a massive chunk of health).
