The 2025 Tokyo Game Show held by Xbox gave glimpses into many highly anticipated games, including the latest in a long line of action games, Ninja Gaiden 4. The Ninja Gaiden series dates back to some of the earliest console days, with the franchise receiving multiple additions and experiments throughout its lifetime. Ninja Gaiden 4, produced by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames, promises to be the most expansive in the series so far.

The trailer begins with Joe Muntal introducing the unique difficulty options of the new game, backed by footage of the combat movement of the main character, Yakumo. The game boasts dynamic difficulty settings that modifies more than just numbers. On higher difficulties, enemies are more aggressive and operate using advanced AI, making each setting a different experience. The easiest difficulty, Hero Mode, allows players to access assist features that can automatically guard against and dodge attacks in order to familiarize themselves with combat or enjoy the story. The assist toggles can be changed during a playthrough to allow players to customize their difficulty or practice focus.

The trailer also revealed a separate training mode that encourage practice for the game’s combat systems. This practice is in service of preparing the players for Master Ninja mode, the hardest difficulty with the added restriction of needing to be chosen at the start of the game. The dynamic AI is turned to maximum aggression in this mode, attacking the main character all at once, requiring players to always be aware of their surroundings.

After an explanation of the different difficulties, the trailer focuses in on a combat encounter on Master Ninja difficulty to show off the movement. Yakuma makes use of his blood-based abilities and slashes during the sequence to eliminate a group of enemies that have him surrounded. The trailer ends by reaffirming its open nature to players of all skill levels. Ninja Gaiden 4 is set to release on October 21st.