The 2025 Xbox Developer Direct brought many surprises, but the Ninja Gaiden revival stands out as one of the biggest. This classic action franchise is getting a resurgence with multiple new titles, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and the surprise shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. This marks a significant return for the series, absent from the scene since Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge in 2012 (excluding the Master Collection compilation). This revival could also signal a crucial shift in gaming: the comeback of classic 3D action games after years of Soulslike dominance.
Once, titles like Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, and the original God of War defined the action genre. However, FromSoftware's Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring largely supplanted this style. While Soulslikes are enjoyable, the AAA market should accommodate both styles. Ninja Gaiden's return could be the much-needed balance.
### A Legacy of Dragons
The Ninja Gaiden series was once considered the apex of action gaming. The 2004 Xbox reboot, a departure from its 2D NES roots, instantly became iconic for its fluid gameplay, smooth animations, and brutal difficulty. While other hack-and-slash games existed, Ninja Gaiden stood apart, its difficulty legendary. Many players recount their struggles against Murai, the challenging first boss.
Despite its challenge, the difficulty is largely fair. Deaths stem from player mistakes, requiring mastery of combat rhythms, movement, defense, and counterattacks. The Izuna Drop, Ultimate Techniques, and diverse weapon combos provide ample tools to overcome challenges. This demanding gameplay, ironically, foreshadowed the Soulslike phenomenon. Ninja Gaiden's challenging nature and the satisfaction of overcoming its obstacles influenced the Soulslike community’s mindset. Few action games demand such mechanical mastery. FromSoftware, and games it inspired, amplified this concept into a subgenre. However, this success may have been excessive, as Soulslikes have overshadowed other action games.
Following the Trend
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, a widely criticized PS3 port, coincided with Demon's Souls (2009). Demon's Souls received strong reviews and paved the way for Dark Souls (2011), a landmark title frequently cited as one of the greatest games ever made, including by IGN. While Ninja Gaiden 3 and Razor's Edge struggled, Dark Souls gained significant traction in the action market. Its sequels and subsequent FromSoftware titles, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, further refined this gameplay style.
The popularity of FromSoftware's mechanics influenced other franchises, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel, Team Ninja's Nioh, and Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong. While these games are generally well-received, the Soulslike model has saturated the AAA action space, leaving classic 3D action games scarce. Ninja Gaiden's return after a long absence is significant. The last major Devil May Cry entry (DMC5) was released in 2019, and God of War, revived in 2018, shifted away from its fast-paced hack-and-slash roots. The newer God of War games, while not strictly Soulslikes, share similarities.
Soulslikes feature recognizable elements: challenging combat emphasizing timing and parries, stamina management, character builds, open-ended level design, and save points that respawn enemies. This model works for FromSoftware, but widespread imitation has led to an oversaturation. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black's release allows the strengths of character action games to shine again.
The Master Ninja's Return
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black provides a refreshing change. Its fast-paced combat, diverse weapons, and the return of the original game's gore (absent in Sigma 2) make it the best version on modern hardware. While some veterans might criticize difficulty adjustments, the original Ninja Gaiden II suffered from technical issues and unbalanced design. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black offers the best balance, retaining high difficulty, restoring gore, and including extra content like bonus characters and levels (excluding the unpopular statue boss fights).
This remaster highlights what was lost when similar games declined. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Ninja Gaiden and God of War-inspired games were prevalent (Bayonetta, Dante's Inferno, Darksiders, and even Ninja Blade). The frenetic combat against numerous enemies and large bosses in a linear format was a successful formula, surprisingly overshadowed by the Soulslike model. Games like Hi-Fi Rush (2023) maintain similar mechanics, but Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a prominent example from a major developer.
Replaying Ninja Gaiden 2 Black emphasizes the unique aspects of these games. There are no "cheats," build guides, or leveling systems. It's a pure test of skill, demanding mastery of the combat system. While Soulslikes remain popular, Ninja Gaiden's return hopefully ushers in a new era for action games, providing enough space for both styles.
Ninja Gaiden 4 Screenshots
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