Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (1990)

1. Great game-play and presentation
2. Every cutscene is like a living digital Manga come to life, art style is impeccable
3. Infinitely re-spawning enemies that come out of nowhere is stupid and annoying
4. Can't even climb up the damn ladders properly LOL
5. Cool bossfights

If it wasn't for the ridiculously cheap enemy placement and how they respawn this would of been an instant classic. The cutscenes were so good I heard they made an anime in the 90s and I'm gonna go watch it!

8/10

Preliminary: Oh boy. The most consistent word mentioned about this game is hard. Nintendo hard. Difficulty. Etc. To top it off, I plan to play the original Japanese version, because they changed a lot about the gameplay for the international releases not just the graphics. And everything says it's significantly harder. Great. Ninja Ryuuken Den II - Ankoku no Jashin Ken, here goes nothing!

Oh great, bad momentum for mid-jump movement. I hate when platformers of this era don't allow you to at least changed the direction you're face in mid-air... And it seemed like you can't just crawl over the lip of a wall you climbed but seems you can. Just a bit clunky.

As mentioned in my rant of a status update, I hate that you can't just climb over the top of a wall you climbed. Like if you can climb walls you certainly should be able to just climb up here instead of having to do an awkward jump

That's the kind of stuff that makes me think of Ghosts n Goblins and other "gotchya" type platformers that people say are hard (indeed, they are), but it's via limiting your character's ability while having enemies capable of doing what you can't. Hard to explain, but just don't like when a game uses dated mechanics to increase difficulty, rather than matching the contemporary mechanics with clever level designs.

Yea nah I hate this. Bad controls that I am sure can be learned and loved but I'd rather good controls with excellent level design. Sorry, I know it's a beloved game but both Ninja Gaidens I could not click with, despite the neat Look and Sound.

The music is great and the background is soooo amazing so I want to push through this but uh, I cannot figure out how to climb over the top of platforms. Do I really need to jump at the top? I read the manual and all I can think of is I am supposed to hold A and go left or right, but that doesn't seem to work? Mind you I'm playing the Japanese version. Hm.

Like look at my character, you're telling me a ninja can't scale that. The closest thing the manual gets to this is this graphic which is very cool and ninja-like but you'd think he'd be able to just pull himself over the edge no? Is that asking too much? Or am I missing some very basic control for that?

Okay yea watched a video of someone who seems to know the game very well and he does what I do where you basically jump the other direction but change quickly enough to still land on the platform. Ridiculous that they didn't allow you to just climb up, tho I see how it can result in cool jump back and forth type situations.

I really liked the original Ninja Gaiden (review), and found this sequel builds on that game's successes to be even better overall.

It's still the same core idea, of course, with a few little added mechanics. Climbing's still not perfect but definitely better, since you can now actually climb walls properly and use your sub-weapons while you do it. Combat felt a bit better, too, though I'm not sure how much of that is actual mechanical refinement versus me getting more comfortable with it.

My favorite addition is these little ghost clones you can get to follow you around and copy your attacks. This can not only triple your damage output with good positioning, but also let you hit enemies while not standing next to them or with your back turned.

The level designs are all at least as good as those found in the first game, and brought some fun little gimmicks this time. A stage where you can't see until lightning strikes was fun. Also enjoyed stages where you used wind direction or slippery ice to gain momentum for some big jumps. There are still annoying enemy placements that feel very troll-y, but usually levels have a nice, fun flow to them. They're also great about giving you different sub-weapons at the exact right time when they're useful, which really had me using the whole arsenal.

Bosses were a bit more enjoyable this time as well, after being one of my minor complaints in the first game. They do repeat the general idea of one from that game later on, one that I wasn't crazy about in either game. Of course, like the original and many other games of the period, it gets extremely hard at the end with an annoying stage 7-2 going into a set of tough final bosses. Up until all that late-game stuff, I was enjoying bosses quite a bit.

So yeah, not much more to say, this is another very solid game for my "Favorite NES Titles" list. Very worth checking out after the first one.

(This is the 3rd game in my challenge to go through many known games in chronological order starting in 1990. The spreadsheet is in my bio.)

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: Replayability is not only present, but also a must if one wants to beat this game, as per design.

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.

The "Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 010 May 1990" ad for this game lists "Continue Option" as a feature. I love this whole playing through 90s games challenge. I know these things were big steps back in the day and I'm not at all trying to downplay it, I'm just fascinated by it all compared to the advances from a sequel expected in this day and age.

Looking forward to start this, though I haven't played the original and will check it out on YT beforehand

Played SNES trilogy version. I overall found this game to be so similar to the first that it seems like the developers were copying the success of the first game rather than innovating. Still, this game is mechanically better and a little easier.

I think the biggest problem I had with the game (other than the same annoying respawning enemies) were the clones following me around, which often camouflaged enemies or projectiles from me. Final boss was almost a direct copy from the first game, and the 2 previous bosses were the hardest part of the game.

7.1/10

I have played some hard games but this is probably the hardest game on the NES I've played. By leaps and bounds and 1000 flying daggers. Normally i'd call something like it a good game marred by overboard difficulty, however in the case of Ninja Gaiden II Dark Sword of Chaos it's the things that make this game so hard that are interesting. The developers went out of their way to program it in ways to be difficult. (It is the NES equivalent of a dark souls 3.) But unlike most very hard nintendo games this is not one that simply brutes or low balls a player to their death. there are some cheap shots but many times it is an artform in how it manages to express its difficulty. It goes for every trick in the book and writes a few chapters I hadn't seen before. The best example is perhaps the shadow clones which follow you. Thse guys are useful and the main novelty of the game. However, not only is the utility mechanic of using them in itself really tricky but they are red and resemble the classic NES sprite flicker bug. However, as these clones multiply and follow you it makes ANY red enemy sneaking up behind you camofaluges itself in the shadow clones haphazard sprite flickering movement! Even as you watch your back it seems they always manage to sneak up anyway.

Good god, whoever though of that one is an evil genius. Also, what an awesome 'feature flaw' for the sprite flicker!

The other thing is enemies that spawn from screen edges as you scroll... Often you will backtrack a bit to dodge something and this will often spawn another enemy. Many of these spawn zones are designed to proc right in the players reflexive 'dodge area/distance', so as to simply act as a form of area denial and waste your clock rather than outright kill you (but often that can happen too) the first game was a bit like this too at times. Everything else about this game is pretty impressive. The visual aspects of the anime cutscenes are cool, and various backgrounds and animation effects are really up there. My favorite thing was when you pause the game you get all the color cycling elements preserved, its almost like a super retro screensaver. Some games from this era will have this (though they are uncommon) but I dare say few games look quite as good paused like ninja gaiden II manages to. (That train is awesome!)

So this game has two notable things going for it, its a good looking and cool game, and it has some incredible difficulty elements to it.

well worth playing (or at least trying) to any nes fan. I would highly recommend cheats.

Note: I didn't really like the first one.

History:

Prior to playing the first Ninja Gaiden for this project I've never played a game in the series before, this one included.

Expectations:

I couldn't beat the first one and I'm not expecting to beat this one either. Still, I'm excited to see what improvements (if any) have come to the already fantastic game.

Day 1:

I played for about five minutes last night, which was enough time for me to get used to the game enough to blitz through the first level pretty quickly tonight. The handling in Ninja Gaiden II feels a bit slower and looser than the fast, tight controls of the first one. Still, being able to finally climb up and down walls is awesome, and something I really wish I had the first time around.

I think I like the power-ups better this time around, too. Sure, the broken spin blade is gone, but that's fine. The after images are great, and every ability seems to have a use. After the first boss went down, I got my first cutscene. NG2 has a much more cinematic feel than the first one, and I'm digging it.

Getting through the mountain level was a feat. The wind mechanic made for some interesting moments but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the boss WHO THROWS GIANT FREAKING TARANTULAS AT YOU!!!

Spiders... man...

Stage 3 was awesome. The dark mountain with the lightning effects. This game looks really great. I spent several lives and continues getting through this part of the level, only to find myself at the second half...

This level can go straight to Hell.

Seriously, this is just stupid. Getting knocked around and off platforms, stairs that ruin jump timings... I finally had to stop after my controller started cracking.

Day 2:

So I fully expected today to be the last day I give the game. I'd make it to the same place I did last time, die repeatedly, give up, and write about it. Instead, I made it just a little further than last time...

The thing about games that generate their levels the same way every time, is that no matter how frustrating things get, or how impossible the sections seems, you can't help but "learn" every time you fail. I did, in fact, get stuck at the same place I did the other night. I decided to keep on pushing, and every time I'd change my game just a bit to adapt to the level. Eventually, I was able to consistently make it all the way through the second half of Level 3 without taking any damage. Eventually, I was able to take down the boss!

Serious Stage 2 Ghouls & Ghosts vibes here...

Stage 4 went from a fiery hellhole to the world's worst water slide. Just like the last level, I was eventually (albeit more quickly) learn the stage and make it to the boss!

The boss was interesting, but only took one death to learn it. Of course it helped that the second attamp had me with two clones and a better sub weapon.

The next stage was your obligatory ice level, where I made two failed attempts against the boss before finally calling it.

While the ability to learn and progress through the games levels still applies, it's absolutely EXHAUSTING. Every level is harder than the last, and even after this one there's two more that are even more difficult! Sure, I'd like to see the end of this game, mostly just to say I was able to beat a Ninja Gaiden game, but I'm just not sure I have the stamina for it.

I'll give it one more night to see if I can make any further progress.

Day 3:

I still love how playing this game is almost like watching an old episode of Lupin III or something. I get that vibe every time I get one of the cool Act intros above, or when Robert tells someone they're about to "Dream their last nightmare!".

So I started the game up just before 11pm and didn't expect to accomplish much. Stage 1 is still easy and Stage 2 is still brutal, but it only took me two tries this time. I had to relearn the third stage, with the lightning and whatnot, but after a couple attempts was able to make it through to Stage 4, which I ran through surprisingly quickly!

Before I knew it I was back at the ice level, Stage 5, where it only took me two attempts to take down the boss I was stuck on the other night!

Stage 6 dropped me in Ghosts and Goblins...

This stage was all kinds of frustrating, but after reaching the halfway point it was just a short, straight run to the boss. This was great because it meant when the boss killed me, I basically just kept getting free attempts. Stage 6's boss was a revamp of a boss in the first Ninja Gaiden that gave me a ton of trouble.

It took a few tries, but I was eventually able to outrace him and move on to the final stage!

The first half of Stage 7 was actually pretty easy, if not a bit messy. The problem came from the second half, which was just all kinds of hell. I did eventually make it through though, where I met the final boss, or at least his first form.

When you die to this boss, you start at the beginning of the second half of Stage 7, which is like saying if you die to King Koopa in Mario Bros., they send you back to 8-1... Given that, I was only able to make two more failed attempts against the boss before my hands finally gave out.

A for effort, but it's time to move on I think.

Conclusion:

So close! I think given a few more days I probably could have done it, or fairly easily on an emulator with save states... Still, I actually had a LOT more fun with this game than I thought I was going to. The slight handling differences from Ninja Gaiden were initially very off putting, and I thought the game was going to be much more frustrating as a result. Instead, I got used to the fairly quickly, and began slowly progressing through the game.

As a 90's NES it looks amazing, with minimal sprite flickering and zero lag that I can remember. The music is also AMAZING and could easily give Mega Man 2 a run for its money.The level design is really good, and quite clever is some areas. It's also intentionally crushing. This is made even more apparent by them giving much more thought to the power-up system. No more broken jump spin attacks to cheese level sections or bosses with.

All in all I found Ninja Gaiden II to be fantastic, and definitely deserving of its higher ranking than its predecessor. I even plan on revisiting it at some point to see if I can't get it beat finally.

Liked:

- Great graphics and amazing music.
- You can climb up and down walls!!!
- Solid platforming and great level design.
- Much more solid power-up system than the first game.
- Great 80's anime storyline.
- The difficulty was steep, but extremely rewarding.
- "Jungle Rat" Robert!!!

Disliked:

- The difficulty was SO steep that some sections did feel a tad cheap.
- Stage 2 Mountain Spider Ninja Boss is nightmare fuel... and a real pain to fight.
- Birds.

Personal Score:

Day 2:

So I fully expected today to be the last day I give the game. I'd make it to the same place I did last time, die repeatedly, give up, and write about it. Instead, I made it just a little further than last time...

The thing about games that generate their levels the same way every time, is that no matter how frustrating things get, or how impossible the sections seems, you can't help but "learn" every time you fail. I did, in fact, get stuck at the same place I did the other night. I decided to keep on pushing, and every time I'd change my game just a bit to adapt to the level. Eventually, I was able to consistently make it all the way through the second half of Level 3 without taking any damage. Eventually, I was able to take down the boss!

Serious Stage 2 Ghouls & Ghosts vibes here...

Stage 4 went from a fiery hellhole to the world's worst water slide. Just like the last level, I was eventually (albeit more quickly) learn the stage and make it to the boss!

The boss was interesting, but only took one death to learn it. Of course it helped that the second attamp had me with two clones and a better sub weapon.

The next stage was your obligatory ice level, where I made two failed attempts against the boss before finally calling it.

While the ability to learn and progress through the games levels still applies, it's absolutely EXHAUSTING. Every level is harder than the last, and even after this one there's two more that are even more difficult! Sure, I'd like to see the end of this game, mostly just to say I was able to beat a Ninja Gaiden game, but I'm just not sure I have the stamina for it.

I'll give it one more night to see if I can make any further progress.

Day 1:

I played for about five minutes last night, which was enough time for me to get used to the game enough to blitz through the first level pretty quickly tonight. The handling in Ninja Gaiden II feels a bit slower and looser than the fast, tight controls of the first one. Still, being able to finally climb up and down walls is awesome, and something I really wish I had the first time around.

I think I like the power-ups better this time around, too. Sure, the broken spin blade is gone, but that's fine. The after images are great, and every ability seems to have a use. After the first boss went down, I got my first cutscene. NG2 has a much more cinematic feel than the first one, and I'm digging it.

Getting through the mountain level was a feat. The wind mechanic made for some interesting moments but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the boss WHO THROWS GIANT FREAKING TARANTULAS AT YOU!!!

Spiders... man...

Stage 3 was awesome. The dark mountain with the lightning effects. This game looks really great. I spent several lives and continues getting through this part of the level, only to find myself at the second half...

This level can go straight to Hell.

Seriously, this is just stupid. Getting knocked around and off platforms, stairs that ruin jump timings... I finally had to stop after my controller started cracking.