Ninja Gaiden II

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos is a side-scrolling action-platformer developed and published by Tecmo in 1990 for the NES. The sequel follows Ryu Hayabusa one year after his defeat of Jaquio, who was merely a pawn for the new villain Ashtar, Emperor of Darkness. Ashtar has kidnapped Ryu's friend Irene Lew and wields the evil Dark Sword of Chaos to open the Gate of Darkness. Gameplay retains the original's "Cinema Display" cutscenes but adds new abilities: Ryu can now climb up and down walls freely and attack while clinging to them. The biggest addition is the Phantom Shadow technique—collecting orange ninja symbols summons up to two invincible shadow clones that mirror Ryu's moves, tripling his attack power. New environmental hazards include strong winds affecting jumps, flowing water, and slippery ice.

NES

Technically, Ninja Gaiden II improves on its predecessor with smoother controls. Jumping has a slightly slower, more floaty feel that is easier to control. The wall-climbing fix was widely praised, though Ryu still cannot pull himself onto ledges from ladders. Environmental effects like the iconic lightning-strike level are technically impressive, with lightning continuing to flash even when the game is paused. The game runs at a consistent framerate, though some sprite flicker occurs when clones and multiple enemies fill the screen. The soundtrack by Ryuichi Nitta and Mayuko Okamura is excellent, with a hidden "Musicruise" sound test. Contemporary reception was very positive: Nintendo Power awarded four stars, and Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the improved cutscenes and challenge. Retrospective critics call it "a challenging experience the likes of which gamers in the 8-bit era lived and died for."