Ninja Gaiden is not a game that respects you. It does not ease you in. It does not offer generous checkpoints or a forgiving difficulty curve. It presents Ryu Hayabusa, the Dragon Ninja, and it presents the enemies, and it steps back and watches what happens.
What happens, initially, is that you die.
The Ninja Gaiden Master Collection brings Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge to PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC. Released June 2021.
Why Ninja Gaiden matters
The original NES trilogy pioneered cinematic storytelling in games — cutscenes with voice and narrative before most games attempted either. The early 2000s Xbox reboot by Team Ninja redefined what a character action game could be. Fast, fluid, demanding, and deeply satisfying once mastered.
Ryu Hayabusa became the measuring stick against which all other video game ninjas were judged. Most were found lacking.
The three games
Ninja Gaiden Sigma refines the original Xbox release with additional content. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 adds co-op and new playable characters. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is the most controversial entry — a significant improvement over the original Ninja Gaiden 3, though opinions remain divided.
The collection is not perfect. Online multiplayer is absent. Some performance issues exist. But as a way to experience one of gaming's most demanding and rewarding character action series, it is the definitive option on modern hardware.
Honest advice
Start on Normal. There is no shame in this. The shame comes only from those who never start at all.
Kage has completed all three. He does not discuss the number of attempts required.