Part 27: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 - Chapter 14

The best chapter of Ninja Gaiden II Vanilla is now made into the most disappointing, uneventful chapter in Sigma 2. At least I made sure to end the boss fight with a well deserved Izuna Drop.

Genshin-a Go Go, Baby!


So this chapter is the biggest example of Sigma 2's general changes impacting it the hardest. Because the game can't put out the same number of enemies as before, they don't throw anything at you except some demon wolves right before the first stage statue. And making sure that we don't get to use any actually good projectile weapons, we don't get the Windmill Shuriken or any excuse really to revisit Kureha's Grave. The most positive note that can be said, as shown in the video, is that the biggest bullshit enemy encounter near the graveyard is considerably less bullshit, instead throwing a few Rasetsus at you with no incendiary shurikens interrupting matters. But the biggest underlying feeling from this chapter is that, more than the reduced numbers, is the feeling that the team really just stopped giving any thought to actual enemy placement and how to ramp it up in intensity. You need to give the player SOME sense of escalation in challenge, which the vanilla game does a good job of even if the encounter design has problems of its own in that.

At least you'll get a glimpse of the underworld for the final few chapters and hopefully appreciate the crazy vistas. Even if it's a short trip.