Earlier this year, the announcement of a brand new game in the Ninja Gaiden franchise, the long-awaited Ninja Gaiden 4, was met with a lot of excitement from us fans of the franchise. Even if I don’t think that Ninja Gaiden 3 is that terrible (it’s underwhelming, sure, but I’ve played worse), I’m glad we’re finally going to get an actual Ninja Gaiden sequel to take advantage of the many technical improvements seen in gaming over the past 13 years. That wasn’t the only announcement made by Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja regarding the franchise, however. A brand new remaster of Ninja Gaiden II was also announced and released at the same day, named Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.

If you thought the previous Ninja Gaiden remasters were a bit lackluster in terms of blood and gore, then you’re gonna love Ninja Gaiden 2 Black…

A confusing name, and also a confusing port, but I’m here to explain its purpose and what makes it stand out from the other remaster of Ninja Gaiden Sigma II currently available on all platforms. According to Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was developed based on fan feedback from the previously mentioned remasters. People wanted to experience Ninja Gaiden 2 the way it had been originally conceived – as in, the original Xbox 360 version. A harder, more challenging, more visceral version. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is basically a remaster in a new engine of that premise, but with additional quality of life enhancements in order to provide players with the (alleged) best version ever made of that game.

The enemy count is larger than the one from Sigma II, but not as brutal as the enemy count from the original Ninja Gaiden II, for instance. Some elements that were present in the original Ninja Gaiden II, but absent in Sigma II, are also absent, as this remaster, despite running on a new engine, is based on Sigma II code. That makes it feel a bit confusing and pointless for some players – it’s, in essence, a Sigma II game pretending to be the original Ninja Gaiden II, whilst running on an admittedly welcoming modern coat of paint.

At times, boss battles can feel like they’re easier than the insane enemy gauntlets preceding them.

That coat of paint in question is Unreal 5. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is the best-looking Ninja Gaiden game ever made, by a wide margin. It’s an excellent visual enhancement over Sigma II, both in terms of the amount of elements onscreen, as well as cutscenes. They still feel pre-rendered in a way, but look vastly better than the cutscenes from other versions of the game, even if the voice acting accompanying them sounds cheesy and amateurish in comparison. Then again, you are not playing a Ninja Gaiden game for its plot, so might as well just skip these cutscenes altogether.

When it comes to the visual enhancements, whilst I was pleased with the end result in terms of fidelity, I did notice a handful of framerate hiccups that hindered my overall enjoyment, especially whenever I decided to perform an onmyo (magic) attack. Whilst the combat is still delightful and visceral as always, the camera controls proved to be a nuisance. Nothing I wouldn’t be able to get used to after a while, mind you, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.

Unreal 5 takes Ninja Gaiden to new visual heights.

Now, even if the reduced enemy count might still feel a bit disappointing, and the level of difficulty can lead you closer to insanity, there is one thing I loved about Ninja Gaiden 2 Black: the reintroduction of blood and gore. For some reason, Sigma II felt a bit tame in this regard. In this remaster, however, Ryu Hayabusa’s outfit will very rarely look like the standard black he wears; you will be mowing down enemies at all times, with literal gallons of blood pouring onto you in a borderline ridiculous, but nevertheless delightful way. The amount of dismemberment animations is immense… and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

The bow is still a deus ex machina in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.

Some might say that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black feels a bit pointless as a remaster, considering the existence of the (cheaper and still highly enjoyable) Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. If you’re just a casual fan of the franchise, I’d argue that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black isn’t a must-own. It is, without a doubt, the best version of this game, but it didn’t feel like a complete game changer. With that being said, it’s still Ninja Gaiden II, so it’s still fun, visceral, and challenging. A great way to warm your muscles up before the eventual release of Ninja Gaiden 4 further down the line.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Reviewed on PS5.

A copy of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was provided by the publisher.