Team Ninja knows how to make a Ninja game. Trust me on this. Ninja Gaiden is a series hailed for its deep, precise and rewarding style of combat, and rest assured that the newest title, Ninja Gaiden II, doesn’t stray from the path of excellence that team head Tomonobu Itagaki has laid down in past years. If you don’t think “combat” when you hear Ninja Gaiden, you think “insane difficulty,” and on the whole that hasn’t changed much either. Nonetheless, Ryu Hayabusa is back, shinier than ever, and while this game takes steps forward from the last Gaiden title and definitely feels like a sequel, there are some serious shortcomings that need addressing.

To set the mood, let me take you away to the magical land of what is apparently a futuristic Japan, though you wouldn’t know it based on the traditional feudal housing in the quaint riverside village where our protagonist dwells. It’s a secret place. Yes, those of the noble Dragon Lineage live in the Hayabusa village at the base of Mt. Fuji, and watch over the resting place of the Arch-Fiend. Their enemies, the Black Spider Clan, have shaken hands with the evil creatures of the underworld, and become embroiled in a plot to awaken the source of all evil, the Arch-Fiend himself, from his eternal slumber. To do this, the Four Greater Fiends have been released upon the world, each wielding his own elemental specialty and taking up refuge in a different corner of the globe. It’s up to Ryu, the heir of the Dragon Sword, to hunt them down and stop the horrible plot.

I hope that wasn’t too whimsical for you, though, if you did find yourself carried away I assure you it was due to my stirring narrative, not the yawn-worthy content. The truth is that if you’re one to pursue what I’ll reluctantly call high narrative in games, Ninja Gaiden II may not be for you. If you pay attention, it’s enough to get Ryu from point A to B, but character development remains unchecked on the Team Ninja “to-do” list. How Sonia, the female protagonist (complete with a watermelon satchel on her chest) exchanges maybe five words with Ryu through the course of the game, and falls madly in love with him by its conclusion is a question that will remain forever unanswered, and not in a cool artistic way; they just don’t tell you why. Characters in this game don’t have emotions, only goals. Whenever one of them gets a chance, they’ll fill you in on just why they’re doing whatever it is they’re doing. I’m sure Ryu appreciates it, but as the omniscient player I’m already aware of why the bad people are doing bad things, and I’d just like to get on with the head-cutty-offy.

I may as well get it out of the way and talk about the reportedly abhorrent camera the game features. You can’t click anywhere these days without finding an interview, review, or rant about how terrible it is. It’s not that bad. The majority of the battles have you up close and personal with melee-based enemies, and with the exception of an odd crippling angle, there’s no harm done. The problems come later in the game, when every enemy is gifted with an automatic rocket-launcher, and you have to deal with constantly being flipped over and knocked down by off-screen foes. For god’s sake, please let me zoom out! I cry, but to no avail.

The combat, as mentioned earlier, is first class when you can see what you’re doing. The enemies are well animated and all together pretty-looking, and the system in place for guarding, counterattacking, and combo input works flawlessly. The pace of the fighting can be intimidating at first, but with practice a mastery of this system really makes the art of fighting properly a beautiful thing to behold. The fluidity of both Ryu and the enemies’ attacks make a random encounter seem like a perfectly choreographed fight scene from an anime. For fans of this genre, it’s also worth mentioning that the enemy AI and fighting style feel very unique. In games like Devil May Cry or God of War, feats of the same variety can be easily accomplished against flailing, helpless foes. In Ninja Gaiden II, the enemies (particularly the human ninjas) really feel like they know what they’re doing; their strikes are focussed and planned, their rage is intense, and they always capitalize on your mistakes. Upon severing a limb, they abandon caution and charge you (or crawl at you) balls-out, willing to end their own lives for a chance at taking yours. That feeling really came through for me, and combat was a truly dramatic experience.

The selection of weapons provides yet another level of depth to the already unfathomable abyss that is NGII combat. With eight to choose from, each one appearing as an unlockable as the game progresses, your particular style can be catered to. With changes as obvious as close-range vs. long-range, power vs. speed, and high hit frequency vs. single attacks, every player should find their perfect fit. On top of having completely different fighting styles each weapon also has its own selection of Obliteration Techniques (finishing moves). After a limb has been removed from an enemy, pressing the Y button while facing the enemy initiates a small cinematic attack for the length of which Ryu is invincible. All the nasty, excessive gore you ever dreamed of in a game can be found within these brutal finishers. My personal favourite involved the Eclipse Scythe (a massive grim-reaper style weapon wielded with two hands) being used to pierce an enemy, throw him into the air, and slice him in half–diagonally–with an upswing just before he hit the ground.

I don’t need to tell you that this game is difficult, even on the lowest setting. The “Easy” mode is nowhere to be seen; for your first playthrough, you can choose between the Path of the Acolyte (Normal Mode) and the Path of the Warrior (Hard). Upon completion of the Warrior’s Path, you unlock a higher difficulty, and a fourth, nigh impossible mode awaits your completion of after that. The game is still difficult, though it’s a great deal more playable and accessible in this area than the last iterations of the Ninja Gaiden series. Your life bar now recharges to a certain point after clearing a room of enemies, at least allowing you a chance to catch your breath. Some encounters are easier than other, but there is a stark contrast between boss battles. The nameless, giant monster bosses at the end of 75% of the levels were very cruel to me. Featuring a slew of unblockable attacks, constantly flipping camera angles and throws that do inhuman amounts of damage, they were a real treat. The fights with the Greater Fiends, however, were incredibly simple! A few easy blocks and there would be a clear break for you to input your most deadly combo. Literally two or three of these would be enough to dispatch the demigods, and it was the same for all of the human-sized major enemies featured throughout the whole story. I’m not saying I’m upset that I didn’t feel like taking my own life after fighting these guys, I just wish that they’d make the giant armadillos and dragons a little friendlier.

People seem to have adopted an “it could have been better” attitude toward this game. Sure it could’ve, but there are a lot of good things that Team Ninja’s done here to refine their already fantastic combat system and action gameplay. A pop-up menu for items and weapons goes a long way, as you no longer need to pull yourself out of the action with loading times and flashy menus. The platforming features are fluid and add a nice touch of stealth/ninja class to the experience, and reinforce the maneuverability of Ryu, reminding you that he’s not just a killing machine–he’s so much more. Fans of the series owe it to themselves to indulge in a little obliteration, and all action fans can find something very worthwhile here. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see fans of Dante and Kratos converted to the banner of Ryu Hayabusa after slicing a demon’s face off.