Year of the Ninja

With its 30th anniversary this year, Team Ninja has declared 2025 the “Year of the Ninja,” and their celebrations started early. New games in the series are bound for this year, with Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ragebound looking promising, but in an unexpected move, Koei Tecmo also announced a remake of the beloved Xbox 360 title. Before delving into it, I must mention that this is my first foray into the Ninja Gaiden series, but it won’t be the last one.

Firstly, while I called this a remake of Ninja Gaiden 2, this isn’t the truth per se. It is based on the original game but includes many elements from PS3’s Sigma version. It also has its share of changes compared to both, with the most important being the visual upgrade it received, as the game was rebuilt on Unreal Engine 5. Aside from testing the water with a new engine, Team Ninja’s intention behind this remake is to make it the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2, which seems to succeed for the most part.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black gives the player the mantle of Ryu Hayabusa, a descendant of the Dragon Ninja lineage. After failing to stop a kidnapping orchestrated by the Black Spider ninja clan, Ryu soon learns that the stakes are high. The enemy is plotting to resurrect the Archfiend, and many devils are wreaking havoc everywhere. So, he is led on a journey around the globe, attempting to stop their plans and save those important to him.

The story is mostly told through cutscenes, and it’s quite hectic. Most chapters in the game change the location entirely, and at times, it feels somewhat disjointed or confusing, especially to a first-time player. It’s also important to note that the story is secondary to the game. It’s not getting any awards for its writing, but the plot serves its purpose splendidly, offering plenty of cool set pieces and showing off some gratuitous action. 

Devil Trigger

Through its 17 chapters, the game features various locations, from the stunning modern Tokyo to a New York occupied by demons, from werewolf-infested canals and a gothic castle to a huge plane and a South American jungle, among others. I found the first two-thirds of the game especially satisfying because of their variety, and many of the locations recreated in UE5 are visually impressive. 

The stages are linear, with the occasional hidden or split path that usually has some collectible or a small reward. While most of what they offer are enemy encounters and boss fights, they also feature short platforming puzzles that take advantage of Ryu’s ninja skills with moves like wall jumps or wall runs. The levels aren’t especially long, most taking around forty minutes to an hour to complete, with a few being even shorter.

Apart from the variety of locations, its enemy variety is commendable, especially for a game in this genre. While you’ll encounter the pesky ninjas many times, each stage adds new enemies to the mix, keeping things fresh for the whole game. While the small enemies are easier to deal with, the bigger ones can feel like mini-bosses without an HP bar. The boss fights are also noteworthy, with each stage having at least one. Some of them are more puzzle-like, but the game also has a good amount of epic 1v1 fights that rely on the player’s skill more than anything.

Mastering the blade

The main ingredient of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is the combat. Someone can dismiss it as a simple hack-and-slash game, but it’s deceivingly complex. Its mechanics work in synergy, often scratching the same itch as a fighting game. Strings of moves and combos are available and require the player’s skill to pull through; a spectacular move you can easily learn, like the infamous Izuna Drop, can also be part of something much bigger with some effort.

As a 3D game, there are other factors to consider, like positioning and maneuverability. Ninja Gaiden is a very fast-paced game, and even the smallest enemies are aggressive and ready to disturb a combo at a moment’s notice; dodging them and taking advantage of the environment to attack them is crucial. Even the ninja arts you use during the exploration can be useful in battle, like wall running and landing on an enemy.

One iconic feature is the obliteration technique, executed after dismembering an enemy. Foes can be dangerous even without a limb—perhaps even more so, given the tricks they can pull when limbless. Due to their numbers, players may make the mistake of leaving them unfinished, but obliteration techniques instantly eliminate injured enemies, helping to control the crowd.

There are many ways to remove limbs, such as throwing enemies against walls or just dealing enough damage. After performing an obliteration technique, you seamlessly return to combat, enhancing the game's overall flow, and so the action loop continues.

Ninja Gaiden 2 constantly introduces new weapons, and while not everything is completely different, there are enough weapons to satisfy players regardless of their style. To name a few, Ryu starts with his trusty dragon sword, but he soon finds more unique weapons, like claws, tonfas, and a massive scythe. Furthermore, there are a couple of ranged options, which are perfect for taking out sniper-like enemies. Ryu also has some damage-dealing arts, ideal for taking out crowds and reducing the enemies’ numbers.

As for the difficulty of the game, there are five different modes, making it accessible to beginners and giving experts a challenge. The main story doesn’t take more than 15 hours, but its short length and the rising level of challenge make it very replayable. Someone new to the series is bound to discover more and more about the game's combat with each new playthrough.

Bloodier and prettier

The guest character stages return to this version from the Sigma re-releases, adding three other playable characters: Momiji, Rachel, and Ayane. All have roots in the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series and are also playable in the bonus Tag Mission levels. Their stages are a welcome break from Ryu’s journey, and while they don’t differentiate much from a gameplay perspective, all three are fun characters, and they're also integrated into the story.

Speaking of returning features, the flying limbs and gore have become almost integral to the series’ identity. However, the Sigma version removed the blood and significantly altered dismemberment, which upset many fans. Thankfully, both effects are now based on the original Ninja Gaiden 2, with an option to disable them. Additionally, Black’s enemy balance appears to align more closely with the original version, though it also removes some of the bosses from Sigma.

As mentioned, the biggest upgrade of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is the graphical overhaul it received. The burning question of “Is this the definitive version of the game?” can be a bit hard to answer; fans certainly seem divided on that. However, there’s no denying that the game looks gorgeous, and this version brings it to the standards of a modern game while keeping most of the PS360-era gameplay intact. All the character models look great, and a lot of attention was given to effects like fog or lighting, with the new textures and improved loading times enhancing the experience.

Conclusion

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a beautiful remake that addresses a lot of issues from the Sigma version, and it’s a fantastic introduction to the Ninja Gaiden world and its bloody action. Fans of action games are going to have a blast with it no matter their experience, and despite its new shell, it’s still a bona fide old-school action game. While I only played it once, I plan to come back to it, and it’s a title that left a strong impression despite its short length. I very much recommend it to anyone interested in Team Ninja’s games but also in the genre in general.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for this review.