A playthrough of Tecmo's 1990 action game for the NES, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos.

A year has passed since Ryu Hayabusa defeated the Jaquio, avenged his father, saved the world, and got the girl in the first Ninja Gaiden ([ Ссылка ]), but evil never sleeps, and a new threat has risen.

Ashtar, the self-proclaimed Emperor of Darkness who had been manipulating the Jaquio from the shadows, is now poised to throw open the Gate of Darkness and unleash his minions on the world. He has kidnapped Irene and stolen the dark sword of Chaos, baiting a trap for Ryu, the lone ninja that stands between him and his ambitions.

The original Ninja Gaiden was hailed as an instant classic when it dropped in early 1989, and expectations were sky high when its direct sequel hit shelves fourteen months later.

And built on top of the foundation laid by the first game, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos turned out to be everything that its predecessor was and more. The storytelling had improved, the action was faster, the stages were more intricately designed, and the graphics and sound were pumped up on steroids. The developers sanded off the rough edges and improved upon the things people loved about Ninja Gaiden, and in doing so, they delivered one of the NES's biggest hits of 1990.

Magazine reviewers praised the new power-ups, the impeccable presentation of the story, the smooth controls, and the game's stiff level of difficulty. The game went on to win several awards, Nintendo Power dedicated an entire issue to the game in the form of a strategy guide, and even today, many still point to Ninja Gaiden II as the high point in the series and one of the best games on the NES.

It took the already high bar set by Ninja Gaiden and raised it several notches, further cementing Tecmo's reputation as a top-tier third-party development studio. What else really needs to be said?

Too bad that same praise can't be lavished upon its 1991 Dos PC port ([ Ссылка ]).
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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