Ninja Gaiden II is a sequel like any other NES Mega Man sequel, in the sense that it doesn't innovate in practically nothing and the only thing it does is to have better graphics and new powers, however, something that makes it totally superior to the first one is that the level design is better.
Although there really isn't much to talk about since my first paragraph sums it all up very well, I'll talk about this game in detail anyway.
For starters, let's talk about the story. The intro is great and the background music raises the hype a bit. But in general, the story of Ninja Gaiden II is just as good as the previous title in the way it is told and how it tries to emulate a movie, however, I think that also plays against it a bit, as it feels like they are trying to repeat the story of the previous game instead of presenting something new. Also, I'm not sure, but I liked the pixel art portraits of the first Ninja Gaiden better.
The levels, are very good, especially because now the positioning of the enemies and that of the platforms make Ninja Gaiden 2 a more balanced and reasonable experience, plus the addition of the shadow clones and that now you can climb on any wall and not only those with stairs, there is even what I call "bounties with trap", I mean, there are objects that are obtained in a very difficult way, but that often are not worth it, so yes, many times it is more convenient not to try to destroy all the lamps and see what they drop, sometimes it is better to ignore. On the other hand, perhaps something that could be considered bad is that this game is not very friendly to beginners, as it expects you to know how to play Ninja Gaiden beforehand, or that's how I perceived it, because from the first levels the difficulty is somewhat demanding, but if you are familiar with controlling Ryu it won't be much of a problem. I liked how some levels implemented some gimmicks, and it's something that makes this game never feel too repetitive and makes the levels more notable and distinguishable from each other.
Conclusion
I think it's too ironic to say this, but Ninja Gaiden II is one of the best platformers for the NES, and the only thing it had to do different from the first one was to have better level design, since from the first Ninja Gaiden the good gameplay was already there.
I can see myself replaying this game possibly in the future as it was an enjoyable experience, well, only until just before you get to the final boss fight, as it's too difficult for my liking and I would recommend avoiding it. But outside of that, the other 95% of the game is genuinely one of the best NES platformers due to how frantically paced the game is and how great it plays, I mean, very few NES games accomplish this.
Although there really isn't much to talk about since my first paragraph sums it all up very well, I'll talk about this game in detail anyway.
For starters, let's talk about the story. The intro is great and the background music raises the hype a bit. But in general, the story of Ninja Gaiden II is just as good as the previous title in the way it is told and how it tries to emulate a movie, however, I think that also plays against it a bit, as it feels like they are trying to repeat the story of the previous game instead of presenting something new. Also, I'm not sure, but I liked the pixel art portraits of the first Ninja Gaiden better.
The levels, are very good, especially because now the positioning of the enemies and that of the platforms make Ninja Gaiden 2 a more balanced and reasonable experience, plus the addition of the shadow clones and that now you can climb on any wall and not only those with stairs, there is even what I call "bounties with trap", I mean, there are objects that are obtained in a very difficult way, but that often are not worth it, so yes, many times it is more convenient not to try to destroy all the lamps and see what they drop, sometimes it is better to ignore. On the other hand, perhaps something that could be considered bad is that this game is not very friendly to beginners, as it expects you to know how to play Ninja Gaiden beforehand, or that's how I perceived it, because from the first levels the difficulty is somewhat demanding, but if you are familiar with controlling Ryu it won't be much of a problem. I liked how some levels implemented some gimmicks, and it's something that makes this game never feel too repetitive and makes the levels more notable and distinguishable from each other.
Conclusion
I think it's too ironic to say this, but Ninja Gaiden II is one of the best platformers for the NES, and the only thing it had to do different from the first one was to have better level design, since from the first Ninja Gaiden the good gameplay was already there.
I can see myself replaying this game possibly in the future as it was an enjoyable experience, well, only until just before you get to the final boss fight, as it's too difficult for my liking and I would recommend avoiding it. But outside of that, the other 95% of the game is genuinely one of the best NES platformers due to how frantically paced the game is and how great it plays, I mean, very few NES games accomplish this.
Has slightly better balancing and design than the first game, and slightly less janky enemy spawning.
Just slightly though, still very much that archaic memory-trumps-skill design.
And once again, we have a final boss with 3 phases that send you back to the beginning of the previous stage if you die once. Oh, and all 3 phases must be done in one life bar.
Still better story-telling than the 3D games.
Just slightly though, still very much that archaic memory-trumps-skill design.
And once again, we have a final boss with 3 phases that send you back to the beginning of the previous stage if you die once. Oh, and all 3 phases must be done in one life bar.
Still better story-telling than the 3D games.
I think this is an improvement over the first game. It shares the totally miserable enemy placement that brought the original down most of all, but as a whole it looks better, sounds better, and it feels like a game you can learn. This one is very gimmicky, it likes to fuck around with your movement a lot, but there's some things to actually learn and figure out here in comparison to the first game where you just go along and hope you don't get killed by birds. I guess since the birds are still an issue it's just more problems depending on who you ask, but I think it makes this one more interesting. I can definitely see finding this one worse, but I don't know. I prefer this.
What the ....
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos came out in March/April 1990 for the Famicom and as an arcade game. As a sequel to the much beloved Ninja Gaiden, it had a lot to prove and based on the review scores of 35/40 (EGM), 8.5/10 (IGN) and 4/5 Stars (AllGame), it appears the reception was generally positive. It's also a game that was influential and progressive in multiple ways, a game that according to the Video Games & Computer Entertainment Magazine is "proof that video games are learning how to evoke players' emotions and entertain just like a movie or TV show can".
In this series you play a Ninja called Ryu Hayabusa. And as that snippet of the VG&CE review shows, this series did something few, if any, platformers did back in those days, which was putting more focus into the storytelling. The antagonist in this game is Ashtar, an evil lord who is looking to open the Gate of Darkness. Even at the time this was cliché but these games went beyond simply introducing a villain to give slight back story for why the character we are controlling goes against a barrage of dangerous enemies and hazards in each level.
There are other innovations present in this game but let's talk through the game one by one by looking at the 10 criteria by which I rate games.
STORYTELLING: Let's stick with the story for now. The first cutscene you see is Ashtar declaring his evil ambitions, followed by Ryu meeting a stranger who tells him that his love interest from the first game, Irene, was captured. Most of these scenes are presented in a pretty simple way. Most of the time, you see the still face of a character in front of mostly blank background. For Ryu, the background is often simply purple and the only movement you see is the character being pulled from left to right and vice versa. Sometimes you see a little more detail like a brick wall or the full body of a character, and in the rarest, yet prettiest of instances, the camera zooms out to show us how Ryu is observing an enemy fortress in shots that I'd call ahead of its time.
The story is advanced after finishing stages and there is quite a lot more to it than I would have thought, with a whole bunch of twists and turns throughout pertaining to characters first introduced in this sequel and one's from the original. However, twists and turns and surprises await us after seemingly every stage, so after Ryu's seventeenth "What the....?!" it starts to get stale.
Undoubtedly though, having a character humanized as much as Ryu Hayabusa surely added a lot to the experience back in the day, or at least it would have for me.
GAMEPLAY: I didn't play the first game, but I did watch a playthrough of it and also read some reviews to see what advancements had been made. In Ninja Gaiden, a side-scrolling platformer, you are equipped with a sword and slash your way through a horde enemies like those damn birds, soldiers who fire weapons, weird goblins that turn into a ball and roll into you, lizards that spit bullets and of course a bunch of bosses that appear at the end of a level.
You can jump, you can hold onto a wall and climb it (couldn't climb in the original), you can get a bunch of power ups like ninja stars, fire projectiles and duplicates of your self that stay a few feet behind your controlled character and repeat what you do (also new for this game). This feature in particular is worth pointing out. You can have up to two duplicates and you can position them in ways that can give you major advantages in battle. Since they don't take damage and disappear after a set amount of time (to my knowledge), you can, if you are skilled and persistent enough to figure it out, position the duplicates in a way that they face the enemy, while you face the other way and stand many feet away from danger. Even if you then slash in the wrong direction yourself, your duplicate attacks the enemy without any danger of repercussion. So it adds a new element that is actually very clever and can be incredibly useful.
Unfortunately, while the controls were lauded at the time, they haven't aged well. Slashing with your sword is unsatisfyingly inaccurate, especially when swinging at flying enemies or when jumping yourself. Since the main thing in this game is slashing, you can imagine how it impacts enjoyment. The inaccuracy can also probably be assigned to poor hitboxes. Often, the hit box of enemies is smaller than it should be, while for you, it's larger than it should be. This I have found has been an issue often back in the day and was of course more tolerable than then it is today.
Bosses are mostly actually pretty fun, but I noticed that at least one boss fight was entirely re-used from the first and the final boss battle was just so bananas that I said "fuck it" after reaching Phase 2.
Finally, it's worth pointing out that enemy placement is another annoying part to this game. At times, there is just so much going on that being hit is pretty much unavoidable, and I wish at times the game would flow better to make for a smoother experience, even if at the expense of making the game slightly less challenging.
ATMOSPHERE: This is above average for a game of its time for sure. As far as levels go, the dark area comes to mind that illuminates whenever lightning hits. Some distant shots in cut scenes, as described earlier, are actually beautiful and for the graphical limitations that were present at the time, atmospherically this definitely drew me in.
MUSIC/SOUND/VOICE: No voice acting. Music is catchy and memorable and also adds a lot to the cinematics, while the sound of your sword slashing through enemies and power up items is satisfying.
GRAPHICS/ART DESIGN: From what I've noticed, graphics are a step up from the original. The game is colorful, there is animation in wind, lightning and even beating hearts on the wall on one level, plus moving clouds during boss fights, that make the game stand out graphically. It still has a grainy look though, even for its time, more noticeably than in a different game I played in 1990 already, Code Name: Viper.
CONTENT: Playing it without save states like me and actually beating the final boss proper will take quite a while I imagine and it's fun enough if one wanted to push through. There are also more levels here than in the original from what I've read. So it's an average affair for arcade games in 1990 but what is also an average affair from that time is that the game is not bloated in any regard.
LEVEL/MISSION DESIGN: Levels are varied bring unique challenges. There is a level where wind blows left or right, making timing important to be able to progress. One level is dark and you will fall to your death if you don't wait for that lightning that illuminates the stage for a second to show you when to jump. Levels are interrupted with cutscenes, which are mostly short enough to not become tiresome and were also unique at the time. The "Game Over" screen sends you to the start of the stage you are in with 3 lives again, instead of to the first stage, which I appreciated. However, in some levels, enemy placement was wild and made for a hectic affair. Enemy spawning was odd at times as well. If an enemy spawned at the edge of the screen and you killed it without moving forward, the enemy would keep on spawning ad infinitum. So being driven backwards at any time would get annoying quickly because you would have to face the same enemies again. Overall though, level design is solid in this game.
CONCEPT/INNOVATION: As mentioned before, the duplicated Ryu's add a different element to combat and the cinematics were progressive, making this a notable game in terms of innovation.
REPLAYABILITY: You can mix it up slightly with power ups in subsequent playthroughs and of course try to beat your high score, but there isn't much replayability beyond that.
PLAYABILITY: The game worked fine throughout.
OVERALL: I enjoyed this game and it's definitely a solid candidate for the 1990 Top 5/10. I can see why it's beloved even today, but it's unlikely to attract many mega fans if someone tries these games for the first time in this day and age. In any case, it's a classic for sure.
In this series you play a Ninja called Ryu Hayabusa. And as that snippet of the VG&CE review shows, this series did something few, if any, platformers did back in those days, which was putting more focus into the storytelling. The antagonist in this game is Ashtar, an evil lord who is looking to open the Gate of Darkness. Even at the time this was cliché but these games went beyond simply introducing a villain to give slight back story for why the character we are controlling goes against a barrage of dangerous enemies and hazards in each level.
There are other innovations present in this game but let's talk through the game one by one by looking at the 10 criteria by which I rate games.
STORYTELLING: Let's stick with the story for now. The first cutscene you see is Ashtar declaring his evil ambitions, followed by Ryu meeting a stranger who tells him that his love interest from the first game, Irene, was captured. Most of these scenes are presented in a pretty simple way. Most of the time, you see the still face of a character in front of mostly blank background. For Ryu, the background is often simply purple and the only movement you see is the character being pulled from left to right and vice versa. Sometimes you see a little more detail like a brick wall or the full body of a character, and in the rarest, yet prettiest of instances, the camera zooms out to show us how Ryu is observing an enemy fortress in shots that I'd call ahead of its time.
The story is advanced after finishing stages and there is quite a lot more to it than I would have thought, with a whole bunch of twists and turns throughout pertaining to characters first introduced in this sequel and one's from the original. However, twists and turns and surprises await us after seemingly every stage, so after Ryu's seventeenth "What the....?!" it starts to get stale.
Undoubtedly though, having a character humanized as much as Ryu Hayabusa surely added a lot to the experience back in the day, or at least it would have for me.
GAMEPLAY: I didn't play the first game, but I did watch a playthrough of it and also read some reviews to see what advancements had been made. In Ninja Gaiden, a side-scrolling platformer, you are equipped with a sword and slash your way through a horde enemies like those damn birds, soldiers who fire weapons, weird goblins that turn into a ball and roll into you, lizards that spit bullets and of course a bunch of bosses that appear at the end of a level.
You can jump, you can hold onto a wall and climb it (couldn't climb in the original), you can get a bunch of power ups like ninja stars, fire projectiles and duplicates of your self that stay a few feet behind your controlled character and repeat what you do (also new for this game). This feature in particular is worth pointing out. You can have up to two duplicates and you can position them in ways that can give you major advantages in battle. Since they don't take damage and disappear after a set amount of time (to my knowledge), you can, if you are skilled and persistent enough to figure it out, position the duplicates in a way that they face the enemy, while you face the other way and stand many feet away from danger. Even if you then slash in the wrong direction yourself, your duplicate attacks the enemy without any danger of repercussion. So it adds a new element that is actually very clever and can be incredibly useful.
Unfortunately, while the controls were lauded at the time, they haven't aged well. Slashing with your sword is unsatisfyingly inaccurate, especially when swinging at flying enemies or when jumping yourself. Since the main thing in this game is slashing, you can imagine how it impacts enjoyment. The inaccuracy can also probably be assigned to poor hitboxes. Often, the hit box of enemies is smaller than it should be, while for you, it's larger than it should be. This I have found has been an issue often back in the day and was of course more tolerable than then it is today.
Bosses are mostly actually pretty fun, but I noticed that at least one boss fight was entirely re-used from the first and the final boss battle was just so bananas that I said "fuck it" after reaching Phase 2.
Finally, it's worth pointing out that enemy placement is another annoying part to this game. At times, there is just so much going on that being hit is pretty much unavoidable, and I wish at times the game would flow better to make for a smoother experience, even if at the expense of making the game slightly less challenging.
ATMOSPHERE: This is above average for a game of its time for sure. As far as levels go, the dark area comes to mind that illuminates whenever lightning hits. Some distant shots in cut scenes, as described earlier, are actually beautiful and for the graphical limitations that were present at the time, atmospherically this definitely drew me in.
MUSIC/SOUND/VOICE: No voice acting. Music is catchy and memorable and also adds a lot to the cinematics, while the sound of your sword slashing through enemies and power up items is satisfying.
GRAPHICS/ART DESIGN: From what I've noticed, graphics are a step up from the original. The game is colorful, there is animation in wind, lightning and even beating hearts on the wall on one level, plus moving clouds during boss fights, that make the game stand out graphically. It still has a grainy look though, even for its time, more noticeably than in a different game I played in 1990 already, Code Name: Viper.
CONTENT: Playing it without save states like me and actually beating the final boss proper will take quite a while I imagine and it's fun enough if one wanted to push through. There are also more levels here than in the original from what I've read. So it's an average affair for arcade games in 1990 but what is also an average affair from that time is that the game is not bloated in any regard.
LEVEL/MISSION DESIGN: Levels are varied bring unique challenges. There is a level where wind blows left or right, making timing important to be able to progress. One level is dark and you will fall to your death if you don't wait for that lightning that illuminates the stage for a second to show you when to jump. Levels are interrupted with cutscenes, which are mostly short enough to not become tiresome and were also unique at the time. The "Game Over" screen sends you to the start of the stage you are in with 3 lives again, instead of to the first stage, which I appreciated. However, in some levels, enemy placement was wild and made for a hectic affair. Enemy spawning was odd at times as well. If an enemy spawned at the edge of the screen and you killed it without moving forward, the enemy would keep on spawning ad infinitum. So being driven backwards at any time would get annoying quickly because you would have to face the same enemies again. Overall though, level design is solid in this game.
CONCEPT/INNOVATION: As mentioned before, the duplicated Ryu's add a different element to combat and the cinematics were progressive, making this a notable game in terms of innovation.
REPLAYABILITY: You can mix it up slightly with power ups in subsequent playthroughs and of course try to beat your high score, but there isn't much replayability beyond that.
PLAYABILITY: The game worked fine throughout.
OVERALL: I enjoyed this game and it's definitely a solid candidate for the 1990 Top 5/10. I can see why it's beloved even today, but it's unlikely to attract many mega fans if someone tries these games for the first time in this day and age. In any case, it's a classic for sure.
enemy placement sucks BALLS on this one.
This game is quite an ambitious follow-up to the original, with new additions such as stage hazards which I found to be a fun enough novelty, and the shadow clone power up, which was fun at times but quite difficult to control. The cutscenes and story is just as awesome as the original, with some breathtaking shots, and this game boasts a soundtrack just as good as the original.
Unfortunately, the hit detection in this game is much worse than the original. I have not found much information on this topic (for some reason, not many people talk about this???), and what information I did find online does not come to a consensus, but to my understanding Ryu's hitbox was made larger but either his sword's hitbox is smaller than in the first game or the enemy's hitboxes are smaller. Either way, what this results in is loads of instances where an attack that would have made its mark in the first game ends up whiffing here, leading to a lot of unfortunate situations. I really don't understand why the hitboxes needed to be messed with. A perfect example of consistency within a series in terms of hitboxes is the Castlevania series. In Castlevania 1-3, the hit detection is pretty spot on with the whip from title to title, so you don't really need to mess with your timing or muscle memory. You could make the argument that its fine and you just need to learn and adapt to Ninja Gaiden II's style, but I just really don't see why things could not have remained consistent within the series, especially since we have examples like Castlevania to look at.
I can't finish my thoughts on this game without mentioning the absolute insanity that is the final boss. In classic Ninja Gaiden fashion, the final boss has three forms, and if you die on one form you are booted back to the beginning of 7-2, but if you make it back you get to start on that form. Fair enough I guess, but the absolute bullshit comes when you find out that if you try to beat all three forms in one go, THE GAME DOESN'T REFILL YOUR HEALTH IN BETWEEN FORMS. So if you have one bar of life left after beating the first form, you start the second form with one bar!!! Absolute horseshit. The first game's trio were punishing but AT LEAST on your first try they had the courtesy to refill your health after each form. I have completed Ninja Gaiden's final boss, all three forms, in one go before, but I have never been able to do the same with Ninja Gaiden II.
All of this, combined with enemy placement and level design that can get absolutely insane and unhinged, makes an experience that in my opinion is a measure more difficult than the original (people apparently think this is easier than the original and I honestly just don't see it at all). This game has many elements I love, mainly stylistic, but its ultimately hampered by the many issues above. If not for the unlimited continues and me being a whore for really hard NES games, Ninja Gaiden II would be rated much lower.
Unfortunately, the hit detection in this game is much worse than the original. I have not found much information on this topic (for some reason, not many people talk about this???), and what information I did find online does not come to a consensus, but to my understanding Ryu's hitbox was made larger but either his sword's hitbox is smaller than in the first game or the enemy's hitboxes are smaller. Either way, what this results in is loads of instances where an attack that would have made its mark in the first game ends up whiffing here, leading to a lot of unfortunate situations. I really don't understand why the hitboxes needed to be messed with. A perfect example of consistency within a series in terms of hitboxes is the Castlevania series. In Castlevania 1-3, the hit detection is pretty spot on with the whip from title to title, so you don't really need to mess with your timing or muscle memory. You could make the argument that its fine and you just need to learn and adapt to Ninja Gaiden II's style, but I just really don't see why things could not have remained consistent within the series, especially since we have examples like Castlevania to look at.
I can't finish my thoughts on this game without mentioning the absolute insanity that is the final boss. In classic Ninja Gaiden fashion, the final boss has three forms, and if you die on one form you are booted back to the beginning of 7-2, but if you make it back you get to start on that form. Fair enough I guess, but the absolute bullshit comes when you find out that if you try to beat all three forms in one go, THE GAME DOESN'T REFILL YOUR HEALTH IN BETWEEN FORMS. So if you have one bar of life left after beating the first form, you start the second form with one bar!!! Absolute horseshit. The first game's trio were punishing but AT LEAST on your first try they had the courtesy to refill your health after each form. I have completed Ninja Gaiden's final boss, all three forms, in one go before, but I have never been able to do the same with Ninja Gaiden II.
All of this, combined with enemy placement and level design that can get absolutely insane and unhinged, makes an experience that in my opinion is a measure more difficult than the original (people apparently think this is easier than the original and I honestly just don't see it at all). This game has many elements I love, mainly stylistic, but its ultimately hampered by the many issues above. If not for the unlimited continues and me being a whore for really hard NES games, Ninja Gaiden II would be rated much lower.
Gave me everything I wanted from the first game, aside from the scaled down difficulty. Fast paced action platforming through beautifully animated levels accompanied by an adrenaline pumping score and fun gimmicks that help keep the levels fresh. Sprinkle in an over the top story with campy, B-movie vibes, and this game has won me over.
Hadn't tried any of the Ninja Gaiden sequels so this was a new experience for me. And holy hell does it lean into the narrative of difficulty surrounding the original game with reckless abandon. If not for save states this would not have been something I got very far in. Unlike the original game which has a pretty solid difficulty curve, this one immediately throws you into what I feel is the most difficult section, where you are forced to platform and fight with constant wind pushing you every which way. The environmental hazards in general were a feature of this entry which I never could enjoy. Enemies seem placed in some of the cheapest possible spots to further frustration, and the issue of constant respawning still exists. Enemies are significantly faster and less predictable as well, making on-the-fly reflexive strategizing feel impossible at times. None of the issues would be there, however, if not for the game's hit detection. Compared to the first game, Ryu's hitbox is absolutely massive and I was constantly being hit by enemies nowhere close to touching a single pixel on my body. Similarly, enemy hitboxes seem to have shrunk to a severe degree, as I found myself whiffing direct hits on enemies, only to take damage due to this. I don't see much discussion on this when I research so maybe it was an emulation issue? Either way, it ruined the experience. I think the game would've been fun if not for this, but it happens to be a fairly crucial part of the action platforming genre, so that's a shame. 2/6
Easily the best Ninja Gaiden out of the NES trilogy.
- Enemy placement is a lot better.
- On a casual playthrough, boss fights are more interesting than in the first one -where a lot of them basically consisted of spamming the attack button and tanking the damage-, this is true but for the last fight in which case NG1 has a better final boss (NG2's final boss is basically copy pasted from 1 lmao)
- The gameplay mechanics were improved and now you can climb walls -which was really awkward in the first one- plus you have the clone ninja ninpo (which is awesome btw) and controls feel more responsive.
- Found the enemy design to be more interesting.
- Enemy placement is a lot better.
- On a casual playthrough, boss fights are more interesting than in the first one -where a lot of them basically consisted of spamming the attack button and tanking the damage-, this is true but for the last fight in which case NG1 has a better final boss (NG2's final boss is basically copy pasted from 1 lmao)
- The gameplay mechanics were improved and now you can climb walls -which was really awkward in the first one- plus you have the clone ninja ninpo (which is awesome btw) and controls feel more responsive.
- Found the enemy design to be more interesting.
Banger
I thought this was slightly easier than the first, but I'm not sure if it's because they toned the difficulty down or because the game was just designed better. I think it's the latter.
Good but a bit too gimmi-Fuck it! Best damned action-platformer on the system. It fixes the few things wrong with the first game and enhances the good.
a technical marvel for the nes. a bit too gimmicky and inconsistent, but still a worthy follow-up to ninja gaiden
fuck this game
pretty much what i thought of the first ninja gaiden. still a great story, gameplay tight as always, still jamming sound, and the difficulty is a bit more manageable but still hard. still excellent
7/10
7/10
why did i think this game was harder than 1 as a kid? the stage hazards aren't really hard at all. shadow clones are a godsend and can destroy bosses if you can get to them without dying, and the final boss doesn't fucking send you all the way back! graphics are superb for the NES, and dont get me wrong this game's still hard, but this is a lot more manageable then the first game.
Although I appreciated the wall climbing, clones and other additions; the level gimmicks mostly fell flat, and the game generally less memorable than the first.
Better than the first I believe although it is not very hard. The ninja clones are a good idea and the stage design is varied. The music and controls are great with good boss fights similar to the first. I could play this one any day.
I remember back in 2021 I thought about playing this game since I played the first game in 2020 but that just never happened. I almost didn't do it this year either but I watched a video about the game and said it was one of the best for the Famicom (and also the peak for the entire franchise) so I thought why not.
Sadly the game just doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong it's a good game but I'm starting to think this series just isn't for me. I still hate the sword you have in these games, I swear the hitbox on it is awful. Though you do get some nice sub weapons to use and they even improved the fire wheel this time around. I also really love the shadow clone item you can get.
I wish I could say I love the level design but its hit and miss for me. It might have been better to play the NES version because the Famicom one is harder apparently. I also still don't really care for the enemy placement and respawn for them either, it's still pretty bad.
The game's presentation is still top notch as Tecmo was improving even more since the first game and there's still those cool cutscenes though I've seen them in the past already so I went and skipped them for my playthrough. I also really like the music in this game.
In the end, I guess maybe I could give it another try someday but I still wish I could rate it higher, I almost feel bad giving it only a 7/10. This is still a better game then the first in my opinion but it still wasn't as fun as I was hoping. I will say though it's odd how this game never seems to get rereleased anymore. It wasn't chosen for the NES/Famicom Classic and it's also still not on NSO. Odd.
Sadly the game just doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong it's a good game but I'm starting to think this series just isn't for me. I still hate the sword you have in these games, I swear the hitbox on it is awful. Though you do get some nice sub weapons to use and they even improved the fire wheel this time around. I also really love the shadow clone item you can get.
I wish I could say I love the level design but its hit and miss for me. It might have been better to play the NES version because the Famicom one is harder apparently. I also still don't really care for the enemy placement and respawn for them either, it's still pretty bad.
The game's presentation is still top notch as Tecmo was improving even more since the first game and there's still those cool cutscenes though I've seen them in the past already so I went and skipped them for my playthrough. I also really like the music in this game.
In the end, I guess maybe I could give it another try someday but I still wish I could rate it higher, I almost feel bad giving it only a 7/10. This is still a better game then the first in my opinion but it still wasn't as fun as I was hoping. I will say though it's odd how this game never seems to get rereleased anymore. It wasn't chosen for the NES/Famicom Classic and it's also still not on NSO. Odd.
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos is everything the original Ninja Gaiden set out to be but more. A wilder story, more unique Ninja powers, more level and enemy variety, but also all the issues of the first game mixed in and amplified. It makes for a much more mixed experience, one that feels like it's taking a step forward from the first game while firming rooting a foot two steps back.
Bad enemy placement and clumsy level design is more pronounced here than it was in the first game, and some of the newly introduced level gimmicks are just atrocious. Trying to navigate Ryu through a level where wind currents can push him towards and away from platforms would be difficult to manage as it is, but throw in some abysmal enemy spawns and you've essentially created a torture device disguised as a game.
Ninja Gaiden II is all around much harder than the first. The difficulty kicks up rapidly, and the final boss fight is not only an intense three phase gauntlet, but one that sends you completely back to the start of the level if you die, which you almost certainly will. The developers apparently account for this because they do throw you a bone: each time you get back to the boss it starts on whatever phase you progressed to last. That's... considerate, I guess? I think it would've been better if they dropped a health item between phases considering each one is already incredibly tough, but it's better than sending you back and starting you out at phase 1, so that's nice. Thank you, Tecmo!
Yet, despite my grievances, it's more Ninja Gaiden, and I'm gonna keep playing this crap. There's still plenty of moments where the game feels just as good as the first, even if it is overall a more uneven experience. Definitely not my favorite in the series and one I tend to skip over when I replay these games, but I can't find it within me to say it's a bad game.
Bad enemy placement and clumsy level design is more pronounced here than it was in the first game, and some of the newly introduced level gimmicks are just atrocious. Trying to navigate Ryu through a level where wind currents can push him towards and away from platforms would be difficult to manage as it is, but throw in some abysmal enemy spawns and you've essentially created a torture device disguised as a game.
Ninja Gaiden II is all around much harder than the first. The difficulty kicks up rapidly, and the final boss fight is not only an intense three phase gauntlet, but one that sends you completely back to the start of the level if you die, which you almost certainly will. The developers apparently account for this because they do throw you a bone: each time you get back to the boss it starts on whatever phase you progressed to last. That's... considerate, I guess? I think it would've been better if they dropped a health item between phases considering each one is already incredibly tough, but it's better than sending you back and starting you out at phase 1, so that's nice. Thank you, Tecmo!
Yet, despite my grievances, it's more Ninja Gaiden, and I'm gonna keep playing this crap. There's still plenty of moments where the game feels just as good as the first, even if it is overall a more uneven experience. Definitely not my favorite in the series and one I tend to skip over when I replay these games, but I can't find it within me to say it's a bad game.
Relentlessly energetic, challenging, and bombastic. A true NES classic and a testament to the system's ability to produce intricate action games and lavish narratives.
Son bossda böyle bir orospu çocukluğu yapmasalar 4 yıldız verirdim
Si te pillo con mis ninjas
I owned this one as a kid. Didn't get very far but I still liked it. Really liked the city stage at the start. Playing it now I still like it although I think I prefer 1.
Improves on every aspect of the original, and though it's more difficult it's a lot less frustrating due to the overall better design. It's not without its faults though; there's still a couple of difficulty spikes (7--2 is a nightmare), and there are still a few questionable design choices, like sending you back to the beginning of the stage after dying to the final boss and not replenishing your health between the final boss stages. Still a damn good game, and one of the best on the NES.
its ok but they totally stole that lightning gimmick from spectre knight's stage in shovel knight
Technologically speaking, it’s hard to argue that Ninja Gaiden 2 is anything but superior to the first game. It looks better and controls much more smoothly, with new level gimmicks and a more fleshed out story to keep the experience fresh. The tradeoff was that with all the fancy new additions, the tight focus on action with momentum was lost. Falling platforms, wind effects, or levels lit only by flashes of lightning are neat to see on the NES, but gimmicks like these should serve to enhance the core gameplay rather than supplant it. Unlike Ninja Gaiden, caution is a very viable strategy, with new power-ups that are strong enough to let you brute force most challenges as long as you can avoid falling into a pit. Again, these power ups are cool and fun to use, but once the novelty wears off, it doesn't give you the same level as the first game. It may have its strengths, but there’s a reason why this isn't known as the Mario 3 of its franchise.
The first stage's music is gloriousness. THE END.