Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos — stories left

Reviewers said that the game's visuals and controls were improved over its predecessor while maintaining a high level of difficulty for players, but the plot was criticized for being more generic and predictable.

The game first appeared in its September–October 1989 issue and again in its November issue; they noted the new levels, power-ups, and an "explosive story that's loaded with twists and turns".

He said that the game was going to take the series "one step further than before".

The game was shown to the public for the time at the Winter 1990 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in which Nintendo Power gave "four star ratings for its great cinema scenes and challenge".

They said that at first look the game had better cutscenes than the first Ninja Gaiden game, and they noted the great and diverse gameplay and high level of challenge.

In March 1991, the game was nominated for the "Nintendo Power Awards '90" in the following categories: "Best Theme & Fun"; "Best Play Control"; "Best Hero" (Ryu Hayabusa); "Best Bad Guy" (Ashtar); and "Best Overall".

In a 1991 issue of Game Players in its list of Annual Awards, the game received the "Game Player's NES Excellence Award" as one of the best NES games of 1990.

Electronic Gaming Monthly founder Steve Harris said that the game improved on its predecessor's gameplay, graphics, and cinematic cutscenes; he praised the diverse level environments and the new abilities that Ryu has received, but he noted that some power-ups from the first Ninja Gaiden game were missing in this one.

Ed Semrad called Ninja Gaiden II one of the best video game sequels to ever be released; he referred to the graphics, difficulty, gameplay, and storyline as "near-perfect", though he pointed out that the game does get very difficult in the latter levels.

In 1997 Nintendo Power listed Ninja Gaiden as the 49th on its "100 Best Games of All Time" list.

The same year, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed the NES version as 88th on their "100 Best Games of All Time", saying it was "easily the best" of the three Ninja Gaiden games which had been released at this point, citing its gameplay, storyline, music, and the body-splitting ability.

They said they were not including the SNES compilation in the listing because they felt the changes it made to the gameplay and music made the game worse.

Kosydar stated that the game was fun, but mild criticism was noted for the difficulty, describing the final boss as "nearly impossible".

Austin Shau from GameSpot compared the game with the first Ninja Gaiden game as examples of "mean-spirited games" on the NES with high, unforgiving difficulty and excellent controls and gameplay.

He said that the visuals are better than those in the first game with the usage of "dynamic environments" such as speeding trains, and he praised the game's fast-paced sound.

Reviewers said that the game's difficulty remains high as with the previous Ninja Gaiden game.

Thomas stated that the sequel is not any easier to beat than its predecessor and that players will still get frustrated, especially with new environmental features such as blowing wind and rain and absolute darkness in which flashes of lightning illuminate the platforms.

Reviewers said that the game's visuals and controls were improved over its predecessor while maintaining a high level of difficulty for players, but the plot was criticized for being more generic and predictable.

In the magazine's January issue, Steve Harris praised the game for its new power-ups, scrolling backgrounds, and more detailed cinematic cutscenes.

Electronic Gaming Monthly founder Steve Harris said that the game improved on its predecessor's gameplay, graphics, and cinematic cutscenes; he praised the diverse level environments and the new abilities that Ryu has received, but he noted that some power-ups from the first Ninja Gaiden game were missing in this one.

In a retrospective review, Allgame editor Aaron Kosydar praised the game.

He said that the visuals are better than those in the first game with the usage of "dynamic environments" such as speeding trains, and he praised the game's fast-paced sound.

He and IGNs Lucas Thomas praised the improvement in the controls from its predecessor, more specifically Ryu's ability to freely climb up and down walls and use special weapons while on the walls.

Reviewers said that the game's visuals and controls were improved over its predecessor while maintaining a high level of difficulty for players, but the plot was criticized for being more generic and predictable.

Ed Semrad called Ninja Gaiden II one of the best video game sequels to ever be released; he referred to the graphics, difficulty, gameplay, and storyline as "near-perfect", though he pointed out that the game does get very difficult in the latter levels.

Kosydar stated that the game was fun, but mild criticism was noted for the difficulty, describing the final boss as "nearly impossible".

Austin Shau from GameSpot compared the game with the first Ninja Gaiden game as examples of "mean-spirited games" on the NES with high, unforgiving difficulty and excellent controls and gameplay.

Reviewers said that the game's difficulty remains high as with the previous Ninja Gaiden game.

The game first appeared in its September–October 1989 issue and again in its November issue; they noted the new levels, power-ups, and an "explosive story that's loaded with twists and turns".

They said that at first look the game had better cutscenes than the first Ninja Gaiden game, and they noted the great and diverse gameplay and high level of challenge.

Electronic Gaming Monthly founder Steve Harris said that the game improved on its predecessor's gameplay, graphics, and cinematic cutscenes; he praised the diverse level environments and the new abilities that Ryu has received, but he noted that some power-ups from the first Ninja Gaiden game were missing in this one.

Austin Shau from GameSpot compared the game with the first Ninja Gaiden game as examples of "mean-spirited games" on the NES with high, unforgiving difficulty and excellent controls and gameplay.

He said that the visuals are better than those in the first game with the usage of "dynamic environments" such as speeding trains, and he praised the game's fast-paced sound.

The game first appeared in its September–October 1989 issue and again in its November issue; they noted the new levels, power-ups, and an "explosive story that's loaded with twists and turns".

In the magazine's January issue, Steve Harris praised the game for its new power-ups, scrolling backgrounds, and more detailed cinematic cutscenes.

The same magazine previewed the game in its "Pak Watch" section in their March–April 1990 issue.

In a 1991 issue of Game Players in its list of Annual Awards, the game received the "Game Player's NES Excellence Award" as one of the best NES games of 1990.