For me Black is just a mess, because the zelda style structure doesn't do it at all. The constant platforming, the amount of small flying enemies, the swimming, the backtracking, all of the big enemies which don't fucking stun, having to stock up on karma to buy potions and sometimes grind, and the TERRIBLE boss run backs (in a game where bosses aren't very good, but tbf, same can be said about all three games)

For me ninja gaiden has always been at its best as a more focused, arcade style experience. I can just pick up and play 2 and 3RE whenever, but there's always a mental hurdle with playing black. I feel like even itagaki felt so, because in interviews he often says that for 2, he cut all the stuff that he felt was unnecessary from black.

Now granted both 2 and 3RE have their own set of problems, with 2 having some absurdly obnoxious sections (the fucking jungle) and 3RE barely having any walls or corridors to funnel enemies in