Ninja Gaiden 4's Metacritic reviews are in and place it as the second-best of the main series, but it's not even the highest reviewed Ninja Gaiden of 2025. It's hard to say just how great 2025 has been for Ninja Gaiden, given the series has been dormant for over a decade (sans the Master Collection in 2021) starting off the year with a new version of Ninja Gaiden 2 pegged to be the "definitive version," and while the truth was it wasn't quite definitive, it was a great edition. Then came the excellent 2D revival Ninja Gaiden Ragebound in the summer, and it was up to Ninja Gaiden 4 to send the series home with a triple. And from the looks of Ninja Gaiden 4's Metacritic, that's exactly what's happened. At the time of writing, Ninja Gaiden 4's Metacritic score is sitting at an 83, which places it above Ninja Gaiden 3 and its Razor's Edge update (58 and 69 respectively), and Ninja Gaiden 2, which sits at a shockingly low 81 (with the frankly inferior Sigma version rated higher, tying Ninja Gaiden 4 at 83). Ninja Gaiden 4 review: "Thrilling action and deep blood powers make this the series' best and a stunning return to form" 6 hours in, Ninja Gaiden 4 has pushed me to my limit while giving me the tools to push beyond them – we are so back Ninja Gaiden 4: Everything you need to know about the new action game However, when it comes to Ninja Gaiden, nothing is touching the original's 91 and its update, which cements it as one of the best action games ever made, Ninja Gaiden Black, at 94. However, looking at the wider series, Ninja Gaiden 4 hasn't been able to claim the "best Ninja Gaiden of 2025" award, with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound coming in a bit higher at 84. Kings of infuriating brutal games now heading Ninja Gaiden 4 say fairness is the secret ingredient to difficulty: "Enemies are on equal footing with the player"