Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Review

Ninja Gaiden making its way back into our collective consciousness in 2025 was not something we would have predicted, but after the fantastic Xbox Developer Direct that not only saw the reveal of Ninja Gaiden 4, but also the shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Ryu Hayabusa seems ready to herald the return of the character action titles.

Ninja Gaiden 2 has undergone several iterations since its initial release in 2008, including the Sigma version in 2009. Unfortunately, Sigma fell short of expectations, with changes in key areas that detracted from the original experience. Now, with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, many of these past mistakes have been addressed, albeit not entirely.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black revitalizes the classic 2008 title, leveraging the power of Unreal Engine 5 to deliver stunning visual enhancements while preserving the fast-paced gameplay that fans cherish. However, a few compromises prevent it from being the definitive version.

Slice and Dice

At the heart of a Ninja Gaiden game is its fast-paced combat system, which is retained to great effect here in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. Ryu Hayabusa is a killing machine, slashing his way through his enemies like a hot knife through butter. Combat is as satisfying as it is because of the copious amounts of blood and gore. Splatters can fill hallways and pavements, while enemies can lose their arms, legs, and more.

This visceral experience is complemented by a wide array of weapons at Hayabusa’s disposal. Players can wield a katana, kusari-gama, tonfa, scythe, and much more. Each weapon has its own strengths, whether for clearing crowds or engaging in straightforward combat, but all are designed to vanquish enemies with extreme prejudice.

Hayabusa is also highly agile, capable of running along walls to reach distant areas and performing trademark maneuvers such as bouncing from wall to wall to ascend tight spaces. The iconic Izuna Drop makes its glorious return in high definition, providing yet another reason for this game to shine.

While the term Soulslike is often used, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is far from it. The worst mistake players can make is to approach the game with a deliberate, methodical style. Enemies will attack with laser-like focus, posing a challenge even on normal difficulty. Blocking is crucial, and full-on action takes center stage as players hack and slash their way to victory. It’s kill or be killed, so running at them before they can run you over is often a wise strategy.

This game is as old-school as it gets, offering a refreshing alternative to the plethora of contemporary Soulslike titles on the market. The combat in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black feels top-notch and serves as a reminder that other similar titles still have their work cut out for them if they want to compete with the best.

Shiny Shuriken and Some Chinks in the Armor

Between all the running and the killing, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black looks absolutely stunning. The transition to Unreal Engine 5 has its pros and cons, but the visual quality is undeniably a significant upgrade.

On a semi-capable PC, it is easy to crank the settings up to high or even best quality, showcasing the game’s potential without compromise. The character models, environments, lighting, and visual effects are meticulously detailed, making each encounter a visual treat. The game presents an old-meets-new-themed Japan with a sprinkle of cyberpunk accents, creating a captivating atmosphere.

As such, we can’t lie and not give the lovely ladies of the game their flowers. Because Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is based on the Sigma release, Momiji, Ayane, and Rachel all make an appearance as playable characters, each with their own weapons and levels to go through. While they may not match Ryu Hayabusa in terms of skill and competency, their varied playstyles make them enjoyable to play.

Unfortunately for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, ghosts of the past haunt the game as well, and the biggest boss of them all rears its ugly head – the camera. Whether set to low or high sensitivity, the camera movement is often problematic, making it the toughest enemy in the game. The way it snaps when panning across areas and its control in tight spaces can be extremely frustrating, and without an enemy lock-on, it can lead to some very frustrating moments.

The Sigma influence is still evident in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, with some of its infamous changes, such as the reduction in enemy count. While the blood and gore have returned, the mismatch in content highlights that this is not quite the definitive version fans were hoping for, though it does make a strong case for itself.

PC and Steam Deck Performance

Before anything else, here are the systems we used to play Ninja Gaiden 2 Black:

• Ryzen 5 5600x, 16 GB DDR4 3600 RAM, NVIDIA 4070 Super, 1TB NVMe SSD
• Steam Deck OLED

Here are the system requirements needed to play the game:

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is definitely a looker, and with the PC we used, it can run at an almost steady 80-90fps while using the best quality graphics preset at 1440p. With the proper hardware, DLSS works beautifully in this game, bumping up frames to over 120fps in balanced mode. While frame generation is an option, it does look like it adds siginificant artifacts during movement and attacks, so turning this off might be a good recommendation.

If performance is your jam, it would also be wise to turn off the ray tracing toggle. While it does make a difference in some scenes, brightening up the room, you certainly won’t miss this setting, especially with how fast the pace of the game is from moment to moment.

Tinkering with the settings in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is nothing special, as there are some basic settings like foliage, shadow quality, reflections and more. For the untrained eye, most of this things probably won’t make a big difference, but for a game that requires optimum performance, going mid to high settings will probably result in the best gameplay experience while balancing visuals, depending on your hardware.

For the Steam Deck, sticking to the lowest-setting preset is highly recommended, locking the frames to 30 with no TDP limit, and using XeSS set to balanced. Expect some pop-in and some pixel-y visual and particle effects here and there, but it is surprisingly tolerable given the capabilities of the handheld.

Using AMD FSR 3.1 will negatively impact the experience by adding movement delay, which is definitely not ideal for this type of game because it felt like playing in mud. Despite not hitting 60fps, the game can run at an almost solid 30-40fps on low settings, so it is playable in that sense despite being an Unreal Engine 5 game.

Verdict: Buy it!

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black offers a visually stunning and mechanically refined experience that both veterans and newcomers will appreciate. Combat is intense and satisfying as ever, and while the camera problems and some other aspects make the game feel like a product of its time, a game that offers unapologetic action at every turn is certainly welcome in this day and age.

*Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was reviewed on a PC/Steam Deck with a review code provided by the publisher.