Review – Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

After almost two decades of the original release, it comes with the promise of revitalizing a classic of the genus Hack’n Slash that was part of a generation marked by games of this genre, being part of the trajectory of many players and influencing the entire game industry.

With updated charts and gameplay adjustments, Koei Tecmo launches in 2025 this remake to celebrate the legacy of the original title while creating a good gateway and prepares a new wave of fans for the future release of Ninja Gaiden 4 .

Reconstructed at Unreal Engine 5, the game has very well-crafted visual improvements, such as more detailed characters, lighting, and improved particle effects (read blood) and high-resolution textures that are part of richer environments in detail. Still, the update for the new generation was unable to completely eliminate a dated aesthetics and environments that could have been expanded or better exploited. Compared to the 2024 remakes, such as, and perhaps this is the least interesting in the issue of changes beyond graphic evolutions.

My ninja way of being

For those coming now, the story of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black maintains the essence of the original 2008, placing the player in the role of Ryu Hayabusa, Hayabusa clan ninja and guardian of the dragon sword. During the almost fifteen chapters of the game, you will need to face the Black Spider clan to try to prevent them from recovering an artifact capable of reviving the Dagra Dai archideon.

Even if it’s a very cliche story, the best x clamp style, the clash between dragons and demons comes only as a backdrop for unbridled blood shedding and frantic action. With refers and reworked dialogues, which contribute to greater immersion, the narrative remains the same and turns out to be a nostalgic point for fans, but newbies can be disappointed by the generic factor on ninja revenge.

The difficulty is beautiful

And because it is a very violent game, the 2025 version introduces elements that seek to please different audiences, such as the censorship option, allowing players to disable the excessive gore. Another point focusing on life improvement was the inclusion more accessible, with Hero Play Style and automatically activates the defense and dodging when his life is low, after all this is a title famous for being extremely punitive.

Speaking of difficulty, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black can make you die in the blink of an eye, between a defense and counterattack. However, Koei Tecmo has rehabmed the gameplay, improving with several improvements to make the combat even more intense. The new enemies’ AI allows opponents to be more aggressive and adapt to the style of play you develop, requiring the player to explore the combo system and enjoy the most fluid transitions between the devastating combinations.

Another very interesting addition to the game is that of dismemberment, which is directly linked to the style of coup and combo performed, allowing the enemies to end. Not to mention that these possibilities increase with the addition of new playable characters, such as Ayane, Momiji and Rachel, with their own weapons and blows, but nothing changes in the main campaign with the choice of these characters. New game modes and extra content, such as art gallery and soundtrack, have been added, but the existed multiplayer is not present.

A critical point that is worth commenting, in my opinion, is the presence of the automatic camera. As in the original, even with efforts to improve the way it follows the unfolding of the action, it is still an extra challenge when we are in more closed places or against multiple enemies. Certainly one of the biggest enemies, besides the Black Spider ninjas, will be to dodge attacks you haven’t seen or forgot to use R1 to center and rearrange what is happening on screen.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is synonymous with nostalgia and fun. Of course you will spend many moments of anger because of the difficulty, but the film action and the fluidity of this remake compensate for each invested effort. Staying true to the original, perhaps even beyond what it should, Koei Tecmo’s best choice is to preserve brutal essence, now wrapped in modern graphics and stable performance.

For fans of the series, this is the perfect chance to revisit Ryu Hayabusa, serving as a time capsule for new players to understand the origins of action games and how they evolved. What remains is the hope that the newly announced Ninja Gaiden 4 learn from the hits and errors of this remake, delivering an amazing game.