Ninja Gaiden II is an action-adventure game released in 2008. It was created by Team Ninja and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game follows the 2004 title, Ninja Gaiden, making it the second 3D game in the series. It was the last game directed by Tomonobu Itagaki before he left Tecmo in 2008. The game was released worldwide in June 2008. A revised version, called Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, was released by Tecmo Koei for the PlayStation 3 in 2009 and for the PlayStation Vita in 2013. A remastered version, named Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, was released on January 23, 2025, for the PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
In September 2007, before the game was officially announced, screenshots were accidentally shared online by a Japanese Xbox 360 website. The images were removed shortly after. On September 12, 2007, Microsoft previewed the game during a press conference at the Tokyo Game Show 2007. The company confirmed the game would be exclusive to the Xbox 360, and the director, Tomonobu Itagaki, said, "Now please enjoy the world's best action game, running on the world's best hardware." On September 20, 2007, the game was officially introduced to the public with its first trailer at the Tokyo Game Show 2007 and through interviews. The game was not released in Germany because it did not receive a USK rating.
Ninja Gaiden II received positive reviews from critics. Many praised its challenging gameplay, fast combat, and intense action. However, some critics noted the game lacked new ideas. The game was a commercial success, selling 1.1 million copies worldwide by December 2008. A sequel, Ninja Gaiden 3, was released on March 20, 2012, but Tomonobu Itagaki was not involved in its development.
Gameplay
Ninja Gaiden II introduces a new combat system that lets the player character, Ryu, cut off parts of his enemies, such as their arms or legs. This causes blood to cover his weapon and the surrounding area. Compared to the first game, Ninja Gaiden II has more blood and violent scenes. If an enemy loses an arm or leg, it may move more slowly or become weaker, but it might not die immediately. Injured enemies may try dangerous tactics, like pinning Ryu down and throwing a flaming weapon at him. To stop this, players must use new powerful attacks called Obliteration Techniques quickly. This mechanic also works when fighting boss characters. Unlike other action games, players can be hurt just as easily as enemies during fights.
In addition to fighting with his hands, Ryu can collect energy from defeated enemies. These glowing energy balls, called essence, can help heal Ryu, restore his energy, or give him more money. Players can also choose to collect essence to power up special attacks called Ultimate Techniques. When Ryu is hurt, a red bar appears next to his health bar, showing lasting damage. After defeating all enemies in an area, Ryu’s health regains some strength, but only up to the level of the red bar. Items like Herbs of Spiritual Life and Save Statues can fix this lasting damage. After battles, Ryu swats blood off his weapon in a move called chiburui. This action has different animations for each weapon. Ryu can block attacks by standing still, but enemies might break through his defense. He can also dodge by quickly moving away in a move called Reverse Wind. The game includes features from the original game’s "Hurricane Pack," such as rotating the camera and charging Ultimate Techniques without using essence (though collecting essence can speed up the process).
Ryu uses his Dragon Sword in fights, but new weapons like the Eclipse Scythe, Dragon’s Claw, Tiger’s Fang swords, Tonfa, Kusari-gama, and Falcon’s Talons give players more options for defeating enemies. Ryu’s new magical attacks, called ninpo, include the Art of the Flame Phoenix, Art of the Wind Blades, and Art of the Piercing Void. Weapons and ninpo from the first game return, such as the Art of the Inferno and Vigoorian Flail. The Windmill Shuriken, Incendiary Shurikens, and bow (now called the Fiend’s Bane Bow) can now collect essence like Ryu’s other weapons to use their own Ultimate Techniques.
Plot
The game's main character is Ryu Hayabusa, a master ninja from the family of Dragon Ninjas and the current user of the Dragon Sword. One year after the events of Ninja Gaiden Black, a skilled blacksmith named Muramasa opens a shop in Tokyo, Japan. A CIA agent named Sonia visits the shop to ask about Ryu's location, but members of the Black Spider Ninja Clan attack and take her hostage. Ryu, the Dragon Ninja, fails to stop the kidnapping and quickly moves through Tokyo's skyscrapers to rescue Sonia. She tells him about an attack on Hayabusa Village by the Black Spider Ninjas, who want to steal the Demon Statue, which has been protected in the village since Ryu recovered it during Ninja Gaiden.
Returning home, Ryu finds his father, Joe Hayabusa, fighting Genshin, leader of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. The Demon Statue is stolen by Elizébet, the Queen of the Greater Fiends and Ruler of Blood, and Joe urges Ryu to retrieve it. Ryu travels with Sonia around the world to find Elizébet and the Demon Statue, facing enemies such as Black Spider Ninjas, Fiends, and three other Greater Fiends: Alexei, the Graceful Ruler of Lightning; Volf, the Invincible Ruler of Storms; and Zedonius, the Malevolent Ruler of Flame.
Ryu tracks Elizébet to South America, where she gives the Demon Statue to Infernal High Priest Dagra Dai to resurrect the ancient Archfiend, Vazdah. Elizébet fights Ryu and is defeated, but she claims she will return. Genshin explains that the Fiends aim to bring Vazdah back from Mount Fuji, a place tied to both the Black Spider Clan and the Dragon Lineage. Ryu returns home, telling Sonia not to follow him.
At Mount Fuji, which is on fire, Ayane arrives with the Eye of the Dragon, a gift from Joe Hayabusa. Ryu attaches the relic to his Dragon Sword, restoring it to the True Dragon Sword. He climbs Mount Fuji and finds Genshin waiting at the crater's entrance. As the mountain erupts, Genshin reveals he never cared about the Archfiend and that their final battle has begun. The two fight until Genshin dies, and Ryu jumps into Mount Fuji. Elizébet appears over Genshin's body, trying to revive him as a Fiend, while Ryu descends into the mountain.
Inside Mount Fuji, Ryu defeats Zedonius, Volf, and Alexei, rescues Sonia, and tells her to stay put. He then finds Genshin, now a Fiend, for a final battle. Ryu defeats Genshin, who admits his actions were to strengthen the Black Spider Clan and expresses respect for Ryu before dying. He gives Ryu the cursed Blade of the Archfiend. Elizébet scolds the Black Spider Clan for losing, but Ryu attacks her and cuts her into dust using the Dragon Sword and Genshin's blade. He says the Archfiend had more to live for than Elizébet ever would.
Ryu travels deeper into the Underworld and defeats Dagra Dai, who nearly finishes resurrecting Vazdah. Dagra Dai offers his life to Vazdah, and the Archfiend is reborn. Ryu defeats Vazdah, but a drop of Ryu's blood revives the creature, which ascends to Mount Fuji's summit. During the eruption, Ryu fights Vazdah in a final battle and wins. He reunites with Sonia, and they watch the sunrise together at the mountain's peak.
In a post-credits scene, Ryu places Genshin's Blade of the Archfiend into the ground and bows in respect for the Black Spider Overlord. He looks one last time before disappearing into the fog. The story continues in Ninja Gaiden 3 and its expansion, Razor's Edge.
Development and release
Initial images of Ninja Gaiden II appeared on the Japanese official Xbox 360 website on 11 September 2007 but were taken down shortly after. On 12 September 2007, Microsoft held a press conference at the Tokyo Game Show 2007, confirming the game’s existence and stating it would be exclusive to the Xbox 360. Game director Tomonobu Itagaki said during the event, "Now please enjoy the world's best action game, running on the world's best hardware." Eight days later, on 20 September 2007, Ninja Gaiden II was officially shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2007 with the first released trailer. The localization was managed by Team Ninja member Andrew Szymanski, working with AltJapan Co., Ltd.
A demo of Ninja Gaiden II was made available on Xbox Live in Japan on 31 May 2008 and in Europe and the United States on 8 June 2008. The game was not released in Germany because it did not receive a USK rating. A revised version called Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009 and for the PlayStation Vita in 2013.
In an interview with IGN before the release of the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection in 2021, which includes the Sigma versions of the first two games, Team Ninja head Fumihiko Yasuda said the developer could not recover the original game code from Xbox platforms. Because of this and the extra features in later versions, Team Ninja had no plans to remaster Ninja Gaiden Black or Ninja Gaiden II.
An Unreal Engine 5 remaster of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, titled Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, was later created to give players "something closer to the original Ninja Gaiden 2." It returned to the original upgrade system and level of violence, increased the number of enemies, and removed some bosses and modes from Sigma 2. The game was announced and released on 23 January 2025 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
Reception
Ninja Gaiden II received "mostly positive reviews" according to Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. In Japan, Famitsu gave it scores of 9, 9, 8, and 8, totaling 34 out of 40. Famitsu X360 gave it scores of 10, 9, 8, and 9, totaling 36 out of 40.
GameZone gave it a score of 8.8 out of 10, calling it "one of the best action games to play this year." Edge gave it a score of 8 out of 10, describing it as "interesting and fun to play again and again" and noting that the game shows Team Ninja's skill in creating action games. GamePro gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10, calling it "smooth and exciting," but also saying the camera was hard to control and the difficulty levels were uneven.
GameSpot nominated it for the "Worst Sequel" award in its 2008 video game awards, which went to Dynasty Warriors 6.
On August 28, 2008, it was reported that Ninja Gaiden II had sold over one million units. By December 2008, it had sold 1.1 million units worldwide.