Ninja Gaiden Black Review

Back in Black

Ninja Gaiden is back and better than ever, or so I’ve heard, since I never really played the first one. Ninja Gaiden Black is everything the original was and more, with a slew of new additions. Included in Ninja Gaiden Black is everything from the two downloadable hurricane packs that Microsoft offered for the original Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox, as well as an expanded story (complete with new cut scenes), extra costumes, extra levels of difficulty, a new mission-based gameplay mode, and to top it all off, you can unlock the original Ninja Gaiden arcade game. Not having played the original, I can’t tell you if the new stuff warrants a new purchase, but I can tell you this: Ninja Gaiden Black is one hell of a game.

Ninja Vanish!

Or stay right where you are. I’m going to tell a ninja what to do.

Ninja Gaiden Black puts you into the shoes of young ninja Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu’s village is the resting place of the Dark Dragon Blade, which is great for the “coolness” factor, but bad when the Vigor Empire comes knocking, and by knocking I mean killing everyone in the village and steals the blade. Wasting no time, Ryu arms himself with his family’s ancient Dragon Sword (carved from the tooth of a dragon - sweet!) and sets off on a journey to bring those responsible to justice - ninja justice.

Ninja Gaiden Black is the ninja experience you’ve all been waiting for. Ryu flips, wall runs, decapitates, throws shurikens, you name it. With a set of moves this diverse, the controls do take a little time to master, but once you do, you’re in for the ride of your life. The amount of moves and combos that Ninja Gaiden Black offers makes for an incredibly deep and satisfying adventure.

On the harder difficulties, the game gets extremely difficult. Trust me, you have no idea. I’ve even heard a rumor that if you play on Master Ninja difficulty, the hardest difficulty, your face will start to melt. That’s just a rumor, mind you, but I can definitely see it happening. At first, the easiest difficulty is normal, but if you die three times in succession on level one, you’ll unlock “ninja dog” mode, which will make the game somewhat playable. Nothing comes without a price however, and in order to play in “ninja dog” mode, you’ll have to sport a bright pink armband. Not very ninja-like, if you ask me.

When I say that Ninja Gaiden Black is difficult, I mean it in the best way possible. Ninja Gaiden Black is challenging. Challenging in that it has whip-smart enemies that require you to perform precise combos. Button mashing will get you nowhere my friend.

Visuals and Audio

Ninja Gaiden Black shines in all presentation aspects. Aside from looking crisp and beautiful, it performs wonderfully given how much action usually takes place on screen. The audio, too, is spectacular. The soundtrack fits the game perfectly, as do the sounds of combat. The voice acting can get a little cheesy, but if it’s too much of a problem, you can opt to listen to the original Japanese cast.

Go Ninja, Go Ninja Go!

All in all, Ninja Gaiden Black is a near perfect action-adventure game, and by far one of the best ones out there. It’s also a perfect example of what the Xbox can pull of, given the right people. Do yourself a favor and play Ninja Gaiden Black.