Of all the characters that debuted on the Nintendo and were forgotten, it seems that Ryu Hayabusa got tossed aside with no reason. Ninja Gaiden was an innovative game with a high level of difficulty and a play style that had not been seen at the time. When 1990 rolled around, Tecmo gave fans a sequel that kept the high quality of the first game while adding several improvements. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos was the best game of the original trilogy.
Ryu destroyed Jaquio in the first game, but it seems that he was just a foot shoulder for a bigger evil. Ashtar, a evil lord, decides to open the Gates of Darkness. Robert T. Sturgeon, an America special forces agent, tasks Ryu with stopping the upcoming invasion by defeating Ashtar and his Sword of Chaos. Ryu has a personal reason as well, as Irene Lew has been captured. Ryu’s battle will take him to many strange areas, as well as off world.
Ninja Gaiden was a difficult game, and the sequel does not take it easy on players. Additions are added which give Ryu more of a fighting chance. The ability to clone and have that cone deal additional damage is added. This might sound like a cheap gimmick, but it was fantastic. The clone would follow the player perfectly and could be suspended in mid air to attack if the player was resting on a wall. Just make sure you watch your ninja meter.
The cutscenes were still top notch. In the early age where cutscenes were used primary at the beginning and end of the game, Ninja Gaiden II followed the original with scenes after every few levels. They were well drawn and looked better then anything out at that moment. Level design got an upgrade as well, as Ryu traveled to different locations. The game even added a stage where you fight on top of a moving train. The enemies and bosses were still the Lovecraften horrors from the first game.
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos was the last game chronologically in the trilogy. The third game actually took place between one and two. It was the perfect combination of difficulty, story telling and new improvements. Ryu did get a second life in a modern revival of the series, but it was just missing something. The Ryu I remember was in this game, fighting outwardly evil and trying not to lose his last life.
