Hadn't tried any of the Ninja Gaiden sequels so this was a new experience for me. And holy hell does it lean into the narrative of difficulty surrounding the original game with reckless abandon. If not for save states this would not have been something I got very far in. Unlike the original game which has a pretty solid difficulty curve, this one immediately throws you into what I feel is the most difficult section, where you are forced to platform and fight with constant wind pushing you every which way. The environmental hazards in general were a feature of this entry which I never could enjoy. Enemies seem placed in some of the cheapest possible spots to further frustration, and the issue of constant respawning still exists. Enemies are significantly faster and less predictable as well, making on-the-fly reflexive strategizing feel impossible at times. None of the issues would be there, however, if not for the game's hit detection. Compared to the first game, Ryu's hitbox is absolutely massive and I was constantly being hit by enemies nowhere close to touching a single pixel on my body. Similarly, enemy hitboxes seem to have shrunk to a severe degree, as I found myself whiffing direct hits on enemies, only to take damage due to this. I don't see much discussion on this when I research so maybe it was an emulation issue? Either way, it ruined the experience. I think the game would've been fun if not for this, but it happens to be a fairly crucial part of the action platforming genre, so that's a shame. 2/6