RETRO – The first Ninja Gaiden on Xbox was one of the toughest and best action games of all time. Its excellent Eastern, “ninja-style” atmosphere combined hardcore platforming and hack-and-slash gameplay with stunning visuals tailored to the Xbox’s capabilities. It felt like a hardcore version of Prince of Persia: we could perform similar moves, but everything was faster, harder, and bloodier. In a split second, we had to dance back and forth, taking down an army of enemy ninjas, commandos, and demons. With the recent release of the remaster, we revisited this 2013 article.

Defeating the various bosses required extraordinary focus, patience, and razor-sharp reflexes; near the end, the game became almost hellishly difficult. So why am I talking so much about the first game? Well, everything I’ve said also applies to the sequel—the real difference is that this time, we have two difficulty levels to choose from…

Ryu, you never change…

The protagonist of the game is still Ryu Hayabusa, who must face the Black Spider ninja clan and various supernatural monstrosities along his journey. Ryu leaves stealth and slow, methodical approaches to AD&D-, Thief-, World of Warcraft-, and Age of Conan-style geeks. Instead, he’s all about full-on, frontal assaults, zigzagging across the screen while leaving a trail of decapitated, dismembered bodies and buckets of blood in his wake. When it comes to slicing with his katana and saving the world, Ryu Hayabusa doesn’t hold back.

Volf, the werewolf

Yes, “saving the world”… Just as Ryu doesn’t bother with sneaking around in the dark, the developers didn’t waste time with a convoluted story to interfere with this brilliant hack-and-slash game. The plot revolves around the CIA (mainly a hot, busty blonde CIA agent) fighting greater fiends and the ultimate villain, the Archfiend.

When the blonde agent gets kidnapped, Ryu enters the fray to take on the greater fiends. That’s pretty much the story in a nutshell. The developers’ lack of concern for plot is humorously exemplified by one of the main greater fiend werewolves being named Volf. That’s it—Volf. As in wolf. Subtle, isn’t it?

Hack ‘n’ Slash to the max

This game isn’t about the story but the relentless, finger-numbing, bloody action—and in that department, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is top-tier. With Ryu, you’ll dart from one side of the screen to the other so quickly that even you’ll struggle to follow his movements, let alone the enemies. Executing various bloody slashes, devastating combos, and spells is not only immensely fun but increasingly challenging. Despite the fast-paced gameplay, mindlessly mashing buttons won’t cut it—you’ll need to focus every nerve on the right attacks, defenses, and spells, or Ryu will quickly join the spirits of the ninja.

“For Master Ninjas, with love!”

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is just as incredible as the first game, but it also retains its flaws: a somewhat frustrating camera, a shallow story, and at times, punishing difficulty. The sequel isn’t quite as iconic as the first NG, but if you want to experience what Kill Bill would be like as a game, you won’t find anything better than NGS II right now.

-BadSector- (2013)

Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games, Tecmo, TECMO KOEI GAMES CO., LTD.
Developer: Team Ninja
Genre: Hack ‘n’ Slash
Release: September 9, 2009