Ninja Gaiden II Black Review

In Japan, Ninja Gaiden was called Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword until localizers settled on Ninja Gaiden because it sounded cool. The name stuck and spawned an awesome series of brutal action games across multiple generations. It is the father franchise for Dead or Alive and Nioh, connecting itself with a broad, sweeping universe of characters and lore.

Tomonobu Itagaki, of Dead or Alive fame, saw potential in the series and rebooted it in 2004. To this day, gamers are unsure if Dead or Alive is a spin-off of Ninja Gaiden or the other way around. Itagaki followed up with Ninja Gaiden II, a AAA 3D action game so brutally hard and unrestrained that nothing like it will ever be allowed to be made again.

After Ninja Gaiden II came out, Itagaki left to form his own studio. He could never quite reach the insane heights of his final Ninja Gaiden game, but it probably isn’t possible. Since his departure, Team Ninja has re-released the games with tweaks and changes. Some changes are improvements, but not all. Every re-release brings something new to the table. Is this the definitive release of Ninja Gaiden II? Find out in our Ninja Gaiden Black II review!

Ninja Gaiden II Black
Developer: Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo Games
Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games
Platforms: Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (reviewed)
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Price: $49.99

No, Ninja Gaiden Black II is not a definitive release of Ninja Gaiden II. Every re-release of every Ninja Gaiden game is imperfect or missing something, yet you can’t go wrong with any of them.

The vanilla release of Ninja Gaiden II wasn’t definitive because it is grossly unfairly difficult with how players get sucker punched by offscreen rocket enemies. Want huge enemy crowds that make it hard to see what’s happening? Stick to the original.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 was a step forward and a step back. Mobs were reduced but their health was inexplicably increased. The gore was sadly censored out, but we got extra chapters with playable Momiji, Ayane, and Rachel.

Two extra bosses were added: battles with the possessed Statue of Liberty and Buddha. Some would say this was a mixed bag, but it still ranks as one of the best 3D action games of its era.

The Master Collection version of Sigma 2 has unique qualities, but what about Black II? The most notable difference is the visuals. Nobody would ever say any Ninja Gaiden game had bad graphics or needed a visual update, but Black II goes the distance and redoes everything in Unreal Engine 5, making it look incredible.

The enhanced graphics go a long way in making the gore look nastier than ever. Yes, it’s true, Ninja Gaiden Black II has finally restored the dismemberment, decapitations, and arterial spray. Dead bodies don’t disappear and this changes the feel from the Sigma version where the post-battle would be clean and polished.

Compounded with the unbelievable difficulty, intense speed, gore, and piles of bodies, expect to develop a thousand-yard-stare as Ryu trudges through a bloody aftermath. The levels of violence are legendary and the way the game is utterly indifferent to the heinous savagery puts the player in a fierce and deterministic “kill-or-be-killed” mindset.

Black II is still one of the most brutal 3D-action games around. You can’t grind a soul level or summon someone friendly to help carry you through a tough patch of thorny-dicked demons.

All you have are your reflexes and your wits. On the Master Ninja difficulty, you won’t find a more intense action game except for maybe the vanilla release of Ninja Gaiden II, which was unfair in several cases.

The action is fluent and superhumanly fast. The weapons at Ryu’s disposal are iconic and come with some of the most cruel finishing moves that border on being a Mortal Kombat fatality. Sadly, Black II missed a few features, like the Windmill shuriken and the extra mission modes are not present.

The Sigma 2 version featured two extra bosses in the form of battles with the Statue of Liberty and Buddha. These surprising and bizarre additions were welcomed and added to the absurdity of the adventure that included werewolves and gigantic ogres. Sadly, the two animated statue bosses are not present in Black II.

There might be some die-hard Sigma 2 fans who can overlook the two statue bosses getting axed, but one thing that should have never been cut is new game+.

Starting from the beginning with everything fully powered is one of the greatest joys in hardcore action games.  At least weapon upgrades are no longer gated by story progression. This makes it possible for skilled players to fully upgrade weapons early on.

Ninja Gaiden Black II should have gone all the way and included an experience more like Sigma 2 with the extra bosses. There should have been another mode that increases enemy mobs to capture the unrelenting sadism of the vanilla release.

It doesn’t make sense that this isn’t a definitive release, but then again, there has never been a definitive release of any Ninja Gaiden game. Ultimately, this is at best, another version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 with some improvements and a few cuts.

If you hate Sigma 2, this new version won’t convince you. If you enjoy tight and polished, thrilling action, you’re still going to love Ninja Gaiden Black II. Enemy mobs aren’t as sparse as Sigma 2, but you also won’t be expected to tediously kill 25 werewolves at every step in Venice.

If you never played a Ninja Gaiden game, Ninja Gaiden Black II is a great place to start. The new graphics and physics applied to the gore are awesome. The new lighting and increased poly count make the girls look really good and emphasize their curves and softness.

Almost nobody makes 3D action games like this anymore, and they especially don’t make them as unrelenting as Ninja Gaiden Black II. It may not be definitive or “complete”, but it still packs a lot of bang for your buck and offers one of the most robust action game experiences on the market. Ninja Gaiden Black II is utterly epic and will push gamers to their absolute limit.

Ninja Gaiden II Black was reviewed on an Xbox Series X using a code provided by Koei Tecmo Games. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Ninja Gaiden II Black is now available for PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

, , ,

The Verdict: 9

The Good

  • Addresses many of the issues found in vanilla Ninja Gaiden II and Sigma II
  • Unbelievably gruesome violence and savagry from Ryu Hayabusa's combat style and cruel arsenal
  • This is still one of the most fast and spiciest 3D action games ever made
  • Momiji, Ayane, and Rachel chapters are fun and sexy diversions and have impressive jiggle physics
  • Utterly goregeous and faithful remade visuals

The Bad

  • Fans of the vanilla Ninja Gaiden II will lament of the restrained enemy mobs
  • Fans of Sigma II will lament the loss of the battles with the Statue of Liberty and Buddha
  • No photo mode, no mission mode, no tests of valor, no survival mode

About

A youth destined for damnation.


Where'd our comments go? Subscribe to become a member to get commenting access and true free speech!