Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Review

I probably at this point have played almost all of Team Ninja’s games. Around 400 hours of my personal life have been spent playing Nioh, Nioh 2, and the recent Rise of the Ronin. There was one series that, for some reason, I missed playing in all my gaming years: Ninja Gaiden. Ninjas and video games have always been a match made in heaven. Who wouldn’t want to be jumping on rooftops, wielding a legendary sword, and fighting larger-than-life enemies?

That is exactly what Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is. Released on January 23, 2025, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. It serves as an appetizer for fans and newcomers to the series before the release of Ninja Gaiden 4, revealed at January’s Xbox Developer Direct. Heralded as the “definitive version of Ninja Gaiden II,” while also having features from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, which was an improved version of the former back in 2009.

The game begins with protagonist Ryu Hayabusa, a master ninja and descendant of the legendary Dragon Ninja lineage, saving a CIA agent named Sonia from a rival ninja clan, the Black Spider. Sonia informs Ryu that the Black Spider, who are working with the great fiends, plan to steal the Demon Statue from Hayabusa Village and resurrect the Archfiend Vazdah, which would plunge the world into chaos.

From my experience playing Team Ninja games, story is just a vehicle for them to progress and introduce their players to upgradable weapons/accessories, and I feel this is the case for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. You have the classical trope of Good versus Evil with no plot twists, and having a big baddie at the end for a big climactic battle is standard for action games of the past generation. There’s nothing wrong with it in my opinion, and this simplicity is welcome in a gaming world where everyone is aspiring to be the next Red Dead Redemption. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black knows what it is and has its own unique identity.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black’s protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, returns in this third-person action adventure. From the start of the game, it doesn’t pull its punches. Putting the player in the thick of its action through its immersive and addicting combat by starting off with basic, low-level abilities and weapons that can be upgraded as Ryu progresses throughout the story and gaining new weapons such as the Eclipse Scythe and a literal RPG (Howling Canon) coupled with your Ninpo (ninja magic abilities) that aid you in your fight against the Fiends.

Of course, a ninja game can’t be a ninja game without Ryu running along and jumping off walls, swinging from pole to pole, or running across water. In addition, you’ll play certain levels with Rachel, Mojimi, and Ayane to aid Ryu in his fight against the Fiends. Each having a distinct playstyle over Ryu.

This game is from a bygone era where its straightforward, no-holds-barred action with in-game cutscenes serves as the narrative to the story, which I think is lacking in games of today. As they say, less is more.

There are Earth Dragon statues littered in every level that serve as a save point; additionally, upon first use, they also fully restore Ryu’s health. Ryu’s health now restores after each encounter, up to a red gauge in his health bar that limits how much he regains. Keep in mind that this red gauge increases as he takes damage in battle.

The Story Mode for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black consists of four difficulties: Path of the Acolyte being the easiest, followed by Path of the Warrior, Path of the Mentor, and Path of the Master Ninja being the hardest. For this review, I played Path of the Warrior. On a side note, I’m a veteran of the Nioh series, and Team Ninja are known not for their story-driven games but for their deep and engaging combat mechanics. From personal observation, this game served as a prototype for what came later in their games.

Ryu has a ton of moves and combos to learn. The ability to block attacks and then sidestep or dodge backward and a unique counterattack ability specific to each weapon that allows the player to transition from defence to offence with the blink of an eye. Dismembering enemies after a successful combo looks cool but can be detrimental to the player if the enemy still stands after that, as they will cause massive damage when they do their ‘kamikaze’ attack. It’s fun and rewarding once you get the hang of mixing combos and using a weapon(s) that suits your playstyle. Either get good, or you’re not going to progress, although not to the levels of a Dark Souls git gud.

Bosses are no pushovers. I remember having to fight Elizebet for an hour just to learn her pattern of attacks, experimenting with different weapons hoping it finally pushes me to beat her. In saying that, the common types of enemies here have a difficulty of their own depending on how many of them you have to deal with at once. You cannot let your guard down even for a second.

One thing I think that needs to be highlighted is that the camera can be a little awkward at times (this issue was prevalent back in the early 2000s in almost every action game). This is specifically annoying in tight corners and when five or more enemies throw themselves at Ryu, and you will get hit off-screen occasionally.

I played Ninja Gaiden 2 Black on my standard PS5, and the game lets you choose between 60 fps and 120 fps with dynamic resolution scaling and Epic’s TSR upscaler. It is important to highlight that the game’s release is similar to the Demon’s Souls remake back in 2020: a visual remake that combines the original engine along with Unreal Engine 5. The thing that stands out for me is when Ryu dismembers enemies, showers of blood fill the air and pools on the floor, with every part of the body detailed on how the enemy moves after one part of their body is sliced. Level design is fleshed out and feels quite unique, from the gloomy skies of New York, futuristic dystopian Tokyo, and the 16th-century Hayabusa Village to the villainous realm of Netherworld. During my playthrough, I haven’t come across any game-breaking bugs.

Completing the campaign will unlock additional costumes for Ryu and the other playable characters. The player will also be able to jump to certain chapters, selecting another difficulty for high scores and personal achievements. Sadly though, there is no online leaderboard and no New Game Plus mode.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a throwback to an era where games didn’t need to be an open-world type to be enjoyable. Like an Izuna drop, it hit its target audience where it mattered. Never-ending action that’s not repetitive and will get you to the edge of your seat either in frustration or satisfaction. Combat feels fresh where you mix and match weapons according to enemy types and bosses. Every level was enough to carry the story forward, and it’s your stereotype of a good versus evil narrative, which really worked in its favour.