Ninja Gaiden II Black review for PC, PlayStation, Xbox

It’s been a long, long time since we’ve heard news of Ninja Gaiden as a franchise, but out of nowhere, Koei Tecmo dropped not one but two trailers for titles releasing in the Ninja Gaiden series. We saw a trailer for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4, being developed by Platinum Games, and a trailer announcing the shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden II Black. With this “new” release, old fans can jump back in to relive the second game in the franchise, while new fans get the opportunity to experience a beloved fan favorite.

Ninja Gaiden II Black is a remaster/remake of the original Ninja Gaiden 2 from the early years of the Xbox 360. With revamped visuals, the game looks incredible on modern platforms. The texture quality, visual effects, and everything else really benefited from being retouched for Unreal Engine 5.

The gameplay is still the same as the original, with the janky camera included. I had to go back and try out the original after playing the re-release to get an understanding of how similar it all is, and it’s incredible that it’s as much of a 1:1 as possible. Of course, with the addition of extra characters Momiji, Ayane, and Rachel to play as, there’s more to diversify your gameplay from the original while keeping all of the weapons and existing characters you’re used to. Ryu Hayabusa is still an absolute powerhouse with a great roster of weapons.

Combat is as challenging as ever, requiring extreme care to time your blocks and dodges to not get overwhelmed. From ranged weapons including bows and guns to throwing shuriken to melee weapons like polearms, katanas, and more, you’ve got more than enough tools to tear through your opposition. Bosses remain as challenging as ever, requiring careful timing to get your attacks in without getting shredded in the process. Of course, with knowledge of how challenging the Ninja Gaiden games can be, Koei Tecmo added in a “Hero” play style mode that helps out new players by performing certain actions automatically.

Ninja Gaiden II Black is absolutely the definitive way to play the classic and challenging title. With the stigma of how Unreal Engine 5 can treat modern releases, it is outstanding to see a game utilize the technology to recreate something lots of people have fond memories of that runs seemingly flawlessly. With availability on all modern platforms and the inclusion of its release on Xbox Game Pass, everybody has the chance to play it. Other than the camera still being quite whack, it’s a genuine must-play, especially if you’ve never had the chance before now.

Note: Koei Tecmo provided us with a Ninja Gaiden II Black code for review purposes.