u/G_okeY

Don’t be too hard on me. This is my first playthrough, and I’m playing the game on Hard Mode without using any items.

I spent 4 hours trying to beat him yesterday and couldn’t do it. Today I came back, gave it another shot, and beat him on my first try.

I guess I sometimes underestimate how much of a difference taking a break can make.

This game feels criminally smooth. It's basically everything I've always wanted from a Ninja Gaiden game.
All the problems I had with the NGB2 remake are just gone here. The camera actually does what I want, you get warned when enemies are shooting at you from behind, there's a proper lock-on system, and the dodge/parry/guard system feels incredibly smooth.
In general, I never really feel like I'm dying because of some cheap or unfair bullshit. The game also has an insane amount of accessibility options, which I really appreciate.
I'm honestly just happy that a lot of the problems I've had with Ninja Gaiden since NG1 finally aren't an issue anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I liked NGB2 despite its flaws (although some of the bosses on Master and those 2-3 enemy waves could feel pretty cheap), and NG1 still has an insane amount of charm despite all its problems.
But Ninja Gaiden 4 already feels way more polished and refined to me. It genuinely feels like they learned from their mistakes, and that makes me happy.