Ninja Gaiden 2 Recomp

Linux & Steam Deck guide

Complete setup guide for NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage (90.5 MB) on SteamOS, Ubuntu/Fedora/Arch desktops, and ARM64 Linux handhelds.

Download AppImage (v0.5.67)Title Update 3 guide
  • AppImage: 90.5 MB
  • Glibc: 2.35+ (SteamOS ready)
  • Deck FPS: 60.0 avg (57.4 1% low)
  • Deck power: 10 W
Front view of a Valve Steam Deck handheld PC running Linux
Linux x86_64 AppImage target holding 60.0 FPS average (57.4 FPS 1% low) on Steam Deck LCD

Linux & Steam Deck AppImage quick start (v0.5.67)

Release v0.5.67 provides NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage (90.5 MB, SHA-256 7b66e77df8ccc358…) built for 64-bit Linux distributions with glibc 2.35+ (SteamOS, Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora 36+) and Python 3. It bundles its own FFmpeg build for in-game movie codecs:

chmod +x NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage
./NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage

Step-by-step Steam Deck setup (Desktop Mode → Game Mode)

  1. Switch your Steam Deck to Desktop Mode and download NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage from Download & SHA-256.
  2. Right-click NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage > Properties > Permissions > check Allow executing (or run chmod +x in Konsole).
  3. Run the AppImage once in Desktop Mode. The first-start wizard uses kdialog (pre-installed on SteamOS and KDE; falls back to qarma, zenity, or terminal prompts on GNOME/Xfce) to ask:
    • Whether to keep everything next to the AppImage in Portable Mode (ideal if you placed the AppImage on a microSD card).
    • Where your World copy of Ninja Gaiden II (544307D5 ISO, Games on Demand package, or extracted folder) is located.
    • Where your Title Update 3 file (TU_1A461UL_000000G000000.00000000000O4 or default.xexp) and optional DLC folder are located.
  4. Open Desktop Steam, click Add a Game > Add a Non-Steam Game, and select NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage.
  5. Return to Game Mode, launch the game, and open RECOMP SETTINGS > Display > Aspect Ratio to select 16:10 so 3D gameplay fills the 1280×800 / 1920×1200 Steam Deck display.

Why Steam Deck Game Mode (gamescope) uses Timer pacing

  • 60.0 FPS at 10 W battery draw: At the default 1x render scale on a Steam Deck LCD, gamboozino/ng2recomp averages 60.0 FPS (57.4 FPS 1% low, 55.5 FPS 0.1% low, 0 frames over 20 ms) while drawing only 10 W for the entire Deck: less than half the 22 W draw of Xenia Edge.
  • Automatic gamescope frame pacing protection: Under Steam Deck Game Mode (and any Linux session running through gamescope), Frame Pacing: Auto automatically acts as Timer and Input Latency: Low acts as Standard, because upstream testing found that gamescope’s present-wait behavior otherwise paired frames unevenly.

Linux file paths & ARM64 Linux handheld build (AYN Odin 3 Ultra)

Path / VariablePurpose
~/.local/share/ng2-recompDefault Linux directory storing the installed game files, save data, mods/ folder, and ng2.log.
~/.config/ng2-recompStores ng2.toml (settings and chosen game folder) and ng2-pipelines.bin (recorded Vulkan pipeline list).
portable.txt → userdata/Create an empty portable.txt next to the AppImage (for example on a microSD card) to keep all game data, saves, mods and settings inside userdata/ beside the AppImage.
NG2_GAME_DIREnvironment variable that overrides the remembered game directory path on Linux.

For 64-bit ARM Linux handhelds running Ubuntu 24.04+ (glibc 2.39+, such as Armada on the AYN Odin 3 Ultra), run packaging/aarch64/build.sh after completing a native Linux x86_64 source build. It cross-compiles the ReXGlue SDK, FFmpeg 9.0.2, and ng2 into out/aarch64-dist: copy that folder to your ARM64 device, place your extracted game + Title Update 3 default.xexp in game_files/ (and DLC in game_files/dlc/), and run ./ng2.

Ninja Gaiden II Recompiled supports Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo controllers with native Xelu button prompts (plus low-latency VK_KHR_present_wait input mode):

ControllerBest For in Ninja Gaiden II RecompHardware AdvantageLink
Xbox Wireless ControllerOriginal Xbox 360 layout & promptsNative XInput mapping matching the 2008 Xbox 360 combat layoutView on Amazon
GameSir Cyclone 21000 Hz Master Ninja precisionTMR sticks, micro-switch face buttons and 1000 Hz wireless dongleView on Amazon
Sony DualSensePlayStation button promptsAutomatic PlayStation button prompt switching and crisp D-padView on Amazon
8BitDo Ultimate 2 WirelessWindows & SteamOS dock playZero-drift TMR sticks, charging dock and rear macro paddlesView on Amazon

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Sixteenth-century Japanese steel tachi blade with carved dragon horimono engraving and black lacquer scabbard
Sixteenth-century Japanese tachi blade with dragon engraving from The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Macro photograph of the Microsoft Xbox 360 ATI Xenos GPU and eDRAM multi-chip package on a green PCB
Xbox 360 ATI Xenos GPU silicon package (663 shaders pre-translated to Vulkan SPIR-V by XenosRecomp)
Desktop gaming PC workstation with dual monitors and tempered glass chassis
Windows 10/11 x64 desktop workstation for Vulkan 1.3, 8x render scale, 8x MSAA and 21:9/32:9 ultrawide

Common questions

What if my Linux desktop does not have kdialog, qarma, or zenity installed?

Run ./NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage from a terminal window: when no GUI dialog helper is detected, the first-start installer interactively asks for your game path, Title Update 3, and DLC directly in the terminal.

How do I update the AppImage when a new release comes out?

Download the new NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage from GitHub Releases (or apply a delta update using NinjaGaiden2-x86_64.AppImage.zsync) and replace the old AppImage file. Your installed game, saves, mods, and ng2.toml settings remain untouched.