“Darkness is destined to lift in the end. I still have much left to do” – Ryu Hayabusa, Ninja Gaiden Black 2

Long ago, before the days of Miyazaki’s Souls series, we told tales of the Hayabusa clan and how many deaths (or lack thereof) we had. In the mid-2000s, Tecmo and Itagaki-san were cooking up diabolical challenges for the Xbox brand. Between Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black, and Ninja Gaiden 2, I tasted despair and hit what I thought were the depths of video game masochism. It sounds silly to those who didn’t play these games upon their original release. There are so many games that are harder for different reasons. Yet, nothing beats hearing about a friend who was so perturbed with the game that he threw his copy through the wall. Seriously, this happened. Ninja Gaiden was more than a game, it was a cultural phenomenon.

The Ninja Returns

Now in 2025, Ninja Gaiden is coming back in full force with 3 games releasing this year! Ninja Gaiden Black 2 is the first of the three and the subject of our review today. I played the original release of Ninja Gaiden 2. This was a game I beat on standard difficulty and immediately sold it out of spite because of how “kusoge” the final level felt. Upon playing this remake though, I can thankfully say that much of the frustrating elements that drove me to virtual insanity have been removed! While I did die plenty of times, I was able to conquer Ninja Gaiden Black 2 and even started a second playthrough on a higher difficulty.

Black 2 is an improvement on many on multiple fronts. After Tecmo started to release the Ninja Gaiden games on Sony consoles, they were released with the Sigma moniker. Playing Sigma 2 felt drastically different and I wasn’t feeling what had become of the series. I took a break and eventually tried the re-release of Ninja Gaiden 3, which also didn’t restore the feeling. Ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you, Black 2 IS the feeling.

Hayabusa, Ryu Hayabusa

The game starts in a whirlwind and it doesn’t take many breathers throughout all 17 chapters. Ryu Hayabusa, the infamous Dragon Ninja, faces off against the Black Spider Ninja clan and soon the CIA, ancient demons, and more get involved in this skirmish. Callbacks to the previous game – as well as connections to the original NES trilogy for old-timers like myself – give Black 2 some strings with a sense of story. Let’s be real though; even as a sequel, Black 2 can be played as a standalone title. The story here is nonsensical and kind of haphazard, but the real reason we play is not the story, but the crazed ninja action and gore.

Ryu Hayabusa handles like a master ninja should. With proper training, he is a death machine. On his journey, Ryu will acquire multiple weapons, each with a distinct style and feel. I was partial to the Dragon Sword and Eclipse Scythe, but it doesn’t end there. There are also long-range weapons like shurikens and bows, along with Ninpo (ninja magic). Executions were the big new addition in the original Ninja Gaiden 2, which were nerfed heavily of their blood in Sigma 2, though they return in glorious gore in Black 2. It was not uncommon to see buckets of blood cover the battlefields.

Even though the combat is buttery smooth, it is almost all there is to this title. In the original Ninja Gaiden (and the revisions) there were some puzzles, platforming, and more of an adventure feel to the game. While those aspects may not have been executed to the highest extent, it allowed Ryu to be a ninja and use more of his traversal abilities. Now these abilities mainly exist to transport you from A to B without much exploration. Yes, crystal skulls are hidden throughout levels, but they don’t add much to the experience except that you gain a discount at the merchant for every 10 skulls you find, 10% for each 10.

No Longer In the Shadows

Visually, Ninja Gaiden Black 2 is a sight to behold. During the game, everything is so slick, raw, and visceral. The main cutscenes make you second guess whether or not some models are real. There are outliers though, that look very mid-2000s. It can be a bit jarring, but it doesn’t really take away from the experience. This is still a very beautiful game that relishes in its destructive madness. The sound design is not bad either. All the voiced characters feel like goofy B-movie heroes and villains, and that’s, frankly, enough. The music just exists from time to time, with some dramatic swells here and there before a decisive battle which gives the player an adrenaline boost. Sadly, none of them are the earworms present in the NES Ninja Gaiden, but nothing here is bad.

Ninja Gaiden Black 2 is a marvelous return to form for a series that has felt like it lost its identity since 2013. It retains all of the good from the original Ninja Gaiden 2 and Sigma 2, in a complex package that feels like we should have had this in 2009-10. It isn’t a perfect game, but it is a great game to indulge in ninja power fantasies for a few hours. Isn’t that what all games can be? Escapism?