A surprise for everyone last week was the return of Ninja Gaiden. The classic series that dates back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System has been missing in action since 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor’s Edge. After nearly 13 years, a former king of the genre is set to return with a new entry co-helmed by a returning Team Ninja and Nier: Automata’s Platinum Games.
To tide people over until Ninja Gaiden 4 hits, Team Ninja shadow-dropped Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a gorgeous, Unreal Engine 5-powered remake of the 2008 action game. It’s currently free on Xbox Game Pass and is more than just a novel walk down memory lane. It’s a deeply engaging and joyful action game that feels especially refreshing in today’s landscape.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is about as over-the-top as it gets. Its opening moments see protagonist Ryu Hayabusa running through a futuristic Tokyo to track down a kidnapped federal agent. Every escalating bit of action-heavy choreography, like Ryu standing atop a skyscraper antenna and crashing through the top floor of an adjacent skyrise, will make you grin. And in between those bits you’re engaging with some of the fastest, bloodiest combat ever designed.
Ninja Gaiden is its own brand of action game. It doesn’t stray from other action combat series that have evolved since 2012 like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. You have a light attack, a heavy attack, a range attack mostly used to chain moves together, and a jump. Where Ninja Gaiden 2 Black differs is in what it demands from players. You have to be quick and reactive to what’s happening.
The very first fight in the game is like being doused with a bucket of cold water. Enemies are relentless. They’re not trolling the player with feints that leave you open for attacks (though there is a fair share of fake-out enemies with surprise attacks, hiding around corners). They’re not lumbering enemies to attack with clearly signposted offense. They’re ninjas who are always on the attack, trying to gain an advantage. Attacking and stringing together combos of your own is the best, most reliable way to stop the constant onslaught. And doing so is immensely satisfying, as Ryu must completely dismember enemies to dispose of them.
That’s not to say it won’t reward careful consideration in combat. There’s a measuredness to Ninja Gaiden 2 Black that feels unique to the series. While you’re slicing and dicing an enemy, you must balance reading the quick movements of the enemies surrounding you. Blocking is most effective when you’re anticipating certain strings of enemy combos. Learning how to teleport out of the way of danger and immediately follow with a strike of your own is a tricky practice, but practice makes perfect here. Like any good action game, every move must have intent. But those moves and the decisions you must make as a player are happening at a faster pace than most other action games. You must consider your next move as you execute your last.
Factor in the gallery of weapons at Ryu’s disposal, each of which has its own combos, abilities, and feel, and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black quickly reminds you why it is considered one of the deepest, most endlessly replayable action games ever made. While this fact is widely understood by the sickos who played this series on older consoles, it’s a necessary reminder in a gaming landscape ruled by the Soulslike.
It’s not to say I’m over the Soulslike. I love those mechanics and many of the games that use them. I wouldn’t want them suddenly erased from modern gaming. In recent years, we’ve seen tremendous games like Another Crab’s Treasure and Lies Of P excel by adding twists to the familiar formula. And I imagine there’s still a ton of mileage to get out of the Soulslike-style game.
But when every other game with sword combat has borrowed so liberally from the strafe-focused, dodge-heavy mechanics From Software popularized, it’s nice to play something without any of those concessions in mind. There’s no locking onto enemies in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. No parries to master or flashes of red to warn the player of incoming unblockable attacks. You aren’t even given the reprieve of a shield that lets you take a step back and consider your next move. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is its own beast entirely, with its own rules that all feel rewarding to master.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black does have its fair share of quirks. After all, it is a game from 2008. The camera feels as wonky as it did 17 years ago. If you’re not constantly checking your surroundings, enemies will regularly attack from off-screen, ruining your combos. Running around and platforming these can feel disorienting as non-combat controls take some getting used to. None of these aging quirks break the game. But these are both aspects that I suspect will get ironed out in the fourth game.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black brings back a forgotten approach to action games at a time when most games are still adding their special twist to what feels like a standardized formula. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black demands that players meet it on its terms. It can be ruthless, even rude in how it demands this. However, if you’re willing to go along for the at times difficult ride, the journey is some of the most fun you’ll have playing an action game right now.
