A recent comparison between the newly released Ninja Gaiden 2: Black Chapter and the 2008 original highlights the impressive visual leap achieved in the remaster.

The release trailer and accompanying gameplay footage for Ninja Gaiden 2: Black Chapter provided the perfect opportunity to compare its visuals with the original game. The results are striking, with the updated version boasting a plethora of graphical enhancements.

First and foremost, Ninja Gaiden 2: Black Chapter has undergone a complete asset overhaul. Character models, vegetation, textures, and environmental objects like buildings and rocks have all been meticulously recreated. Further visual improvements include higher quality lighting and shadows, enhanced visual effects, upgraded materials and shaders, the addition of reflections, and more detailed gore.

Unlike the original, the remastered Ninja Gaiden 2 is built using Unreal Engine 5. While it reuses animations and cutscenes from the 2008 game, nearly everything else has been significantly revamped.  The most noticeable improvements are the enhanced details, textures, and lighting.  The remaster also removes some of the alterations introduced in Ninja Gaiden 2: Sigma, such as censorship of dismemberment and gore, promising a more faithful experience to the original release.

Ninja Gaiden 2: Black Chapter is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.  Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play it on day one on both Windows PCs and Microsoft consoles.