Microsoft, Team Ninja, and PlatinumGames grabbed the headlines with the announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4 at the recent Xbox Developer_Direct presentation, but it wasn’t the only Ninja Gaiden game to take the spotlight. No, Koei Tecmo also showcased Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an enhanced remaster (or remake) of the classic 2008 action title. Here, we’re going to go over everything that you should know about it, starting with some core, basic details about the original Ninja Gaiden 2 itself.
STORY DETAILS
Ninja Gaiden 2 is set one year after the events of Ninja Gaiden Black, and once again puts players in the shoes of series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa. As the game kicks off, the master ninja crosses paths with a CIA agent named Sonia, who informs him of an impending attack on Hayabusa Village by the Black Spider Ninja Clan, who wish to get their hands on the Demon Statue. Unsurprisingly, things escalate, and Ryu finds himself on a globe-trotting, brutal, action-packed journey.
COMBAT DETAILS
Fans of character action games will emphatically tell you that Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of the best and most spectacularly well-designed games in the genre- which, of course, means combat is priority number 1. The game places quite a bit of focus on dismemberment (which we’ll speak more of in a bit), and is, of course, notoriously punishing, which means precise timing, clever combos, and blocks are key. Ryu can also absorb essence dropped by slain enemies and use it to heal himself.
WEAPONS
Ninja Gaiden 2’s weapon variety is among its biggest strengths. Ryu’s Dragon Sword serves as his primary weapon, but throughout the game, players also use dual katanas, giant hammers, scythes, claws, shurikens, tonfas, and more. Ranged weapons such as bows, canons, machine guns, and gatling guns are also included, while Ryu is also capable of unleashing a number of magical abilities.
REMAKE OR REMASTER?
Koei Tecmo has officially dubbed Ninja Gaiden 2 Black a remaster, though there’s a case to be made that it might be more than that. At the very least, it’s a very comprehensive and thorough remaster, and also moves the game to an entirely different engine. Whether or not you could call it a remake is debatable, but then again, there’s no shortage of remakes out there that are essentially one-to-one recreations (or close enough), from 2020’s Demon’s Souls to the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
UNREAL ENGINE 5
As we touched on, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black moves the game to a new engine. The original Ninja Gaiden 2 was built on an internal, proprietary engine, but the remaster was developed using Unreal Engine 5. Koei Tecmo says the engine “has been utilized to create stunning current-generation graphics, allowing players to immerse themselves more deeply in the story’s world.”
ENHANCEMENTS
So exactly what sort of visual and technical enhancements can we expect from the game? Well, as its reveal trailer showed, it’s a significant graphical upgrade over the predecessor, with effectively the entire game and all of tis assets having been overhauled and redone. Meanwhile, as per the game’s official Xbox store page, it also features support for ray tracing, HDR10, and VRR.
RESOLUTION AND FRAME RATE
In addition to its visual upgrade, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black 2 also touting impressive visual targets. On Xbox Series X, for instance, the game is capable of running at up to 4K and 120 FPS, as per its aforementioned store page. Presumably, the same is also true on PS5. The game’s PlayStation Store page also confirms that it is PS5 Pro Enhanced.
WHY NINJA GAIDEN 2?
Why exactly are we getting a Ninja Gaiden 2 remake (or remaster) out of nowhere (not that we’re complaining)? According to Team Ninja head Fumihiko Yasuda, Ninja Gaiden 2 was chosen in particular because it stands even now as one of the best action games around, and to reassure fans who might be concerned about the future of Ryu Hayabusa (who isn’t the main protagonist in the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4). Speaking to Xbox Wire, Yasuda said, “he biggest reason for developing Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was to address the concerns of core fans who might be wondering, ‘What’s going to happen to Ryu Hayabusa?’ We also wanted to give players something to enjoy as they wait for the release of Ninja Gaiden 4. We chose Ninja Gaiden 2 because it stands as one of the most solid action games in the series. We added ‘Black’ to the title to signal to fans that this is the definitive version, much like Ninja Gaiden Black was for the first game.”
INCLUDES SIGMA 2 CHARACTERS
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is based on the original 2008 title, but that doesn’t mean it will be ignoring the 2009 re-release Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Chief among the Sigma 2 elements and features included in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black are three of the former’s additional playable characters in the form of Rachel, Momji, and Ayane.
INCLUDES HERO PLAY STYLE MODE
Koei Tecmo is billing Ninja Gaiden 2 Black as the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2, as evidenced by its aforementioned inclusion of Sigma 2 characters. In addition, Sigma 2’s Hero Play Style Mode is also coming back. Effectively an easy mode, it enables higher damage output and easier dismemberment, while also enabling auto-blocking and auto-evade for a brief window anytime Ryu’s health drops too low. Ninja Gaiden 2 can be a brutally difficult game, so Hero mode’s inclusion is definitely a nice option to have, for those who want a more relaxing experience.
LENGTH
As a faithful recreation of the original Ninja Gaiden 2, you can expect Ninja Gaiden 2 Black to be roughly the same length- which means it’ll be substantial enough. As per HLTB, the action title can be anywhere between 15-25 hours long, depending on how you play it and how much you choose to engage with its optional offerings.
ENHANCED DISMEMBERMENT
Dismemberment is a big part of the combat in Ninja Gaiden 2, as we’ve touched on, and this remaster doubles down on that. According to Koei Tecmo, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black features enhanced and remastered dismemberment and gore elements in order to “enhance the action experience”. If that stuff makes you queasy, however, the game also features a toggle for dismemberment in the options menu, making for what Koei Tecmo describes as a more “toned down” experience.
PC REQUIREMENTS
What sort of a rig will you need to run Ninja Gaiden 2 Black on PC? As you’d expect, the requirements are fairly reasonable, more or less. On minimum settings, to run the game at 720p and 60 FPS, you’ll need either an i5-8400 or a Ryzen 5 3400G, along with either a GeForce GTX 1060 or a Radeon RX 590, and 12 GB of RAM. Meanwhile, on recommended settings (1080p/60 FPS), you’ll need either an i7-8700 or a Ryzen 5 3600 XT, along with either a GeForce GTX1080 or a Radeon RX 5700XT, and 16 GB of RAM. On either setting, you’ll also need 85 GB of storage and an SSD.
PRICE
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is, of course, available now, with Koei Tecmo choosing to shadow drop the game on the day of its announcement itself. Available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the remake is being sold at a price of $49.99.
GAME PASS
Those who wish to spend even less money on the remake have the option to do that as well. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is also available via Game Pass, which means those subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, or the original base console tier (which is no longer offered) can download the game at no additional cost.
