By Anthony Swinnich on July 1st, 2008

The game continues the adventures of Ryu Hayabusa, member of the Dragon lineage and all-around badass. It appears that his efforts to stymie the fiends’ attempt to rule the world in the first game weren’t thorough enough, and the ones he left behind have formulated a new plot for global domination. Their plan involves stealing a demonic statue from the Hayabusa clan, a duel with Ryu’s father, resurrecting the archdemon archfiend... you know, a lot of what made up the story of the original two Ninja Gaiden titles on the NES. That’s not a bad thing, however, as the original Xbox installment did little to pay homage to its roots. The inclusion of so many of the past games’ elements brings a warm feeling of nostalgia to a game that will coldly kick your ass up and down the block.

Seriously, Ninja Gaiden II isn’t for the weak-willed or those prone to send their controllers through the air like a shuriken. Even the game’s easy mode, Path of the Acolyte, is capable of not just handing you your ass but charging you double to get it back. Most of the time, it’s your fault if your life bar is closing in on the left side of the screen. The combat has a heavy emphasis on blocking, dodging and waiting for the right moment to strike. The enemies are ruthless, intelligent and plentiful, so this tactic is all but necessary. But there are several moments where the game forgets to provide a fair and well-designed challenge, swallowing half your life bar and all of your fun. Segments where projectile firing enemies attack you from off screen and from multiple directions are a too frequent toward the game’s middle, and bosses occasionally ignore your razor-sharp steel in order to provide you with front row seat to a well-animated barrage of attacks. At least the game doesn’t make you sit through choppy and poorly put together attacks when it decides yours don’t count.

The level design has improved over the previous game and provides a linear path from start to finish. Backtracking is a thing of the past, save for a return to an altered version of a level late in the game. This is mostly a positive thing, unless you happen to miss one of the many weapons or secrets. In the Xbox original, you could return and pick up what you missed but not here. Also, the game’s heavy reliance on keys and keycards is tiresome. Early in the game you come across a locked door, only to find the key at the top of a flight of stairs in a treasure chest located 25 feet from where you were denied access. That’s just lazy and superfluous game design. At least that door was in a modern complex, which says nothing for the numerous locked wooden doors throughout the game. This guy can launch demons twice his size 15 feet with a kick – you mean to tell me he can’t boot in a locked door?

Another thing this game improved is the weaponry. The first game had multiple weapons, but only three or four of them were worth your time and money for upgrades. The problem was mostly with the big weapons – they were just so damned slow. Just about every weapon has validity in Ninja Gaiden II, from the lowly tonfas to the mighty scythe (or as I came to call it, the Volf-sickle). There are few things as satisfying as knocking an enemy to the ground and tearing his head from his neck with a gigantic hook. The new health system works also works well. Dispatch all the enemies in an area and your heath will automatically recharge, though you may have taken enough damage that it won’t all recharge. The health items are limited to three each, which is a good number when put into context with the challenge level.

There are several technical issues with the game, though nothing game-breaking. While I didn’t experience any game freezes, there are widely documented issues with boss battles that glitch and force the player to restart. Slowdown occurs occasionally, but it’s usually a welcome trait to the battles it accompanies, specifically during an epic staircase battle late in the game. It made the fight feel like an old-time Hong Kong movie, complete with dismembered limbs and heads rolling down the stairs.

Hopefully a patch will address the game’s technical shortcomings, because the action is triumphant. The improved level progression and completely useful arsenal improve the Ninja Gaiden formula, so it’s a shame that Team NINJA has all but left Tecmo; it would have been nice to see what was next. Whichever team takes over the series has a fantastic framework to build upon. They just need to work on the cheaper sections of game design and contrived puzzle elements. As it stands, Ninja Gaiden II is the best action-brawler for your buck on the current systems.