When I was a kid, I had this handheld Shinobi game that was dedicated to the classic SEGA ninja. It was pretty bad, but for a child in the 1990s, it was captivating (despite having, like, two buttons and almost no animations). That is my history with Shinobi, shurikens and all. So, when I saw that SEGA was reviving the old franchise, I was intrigued.
And then I saw that it was going to be developed by the team behind Streets of Rage 4, Lizardcube, and I became even more excited. Streets of Rage 4 became my obsession over the summer (Platinum trophy, baby!) with Lizardcube doing an amazing job at revitalising the old side-scrolling beat ‘em up. It was an immensely promising sign for Shinobi’s return.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is that foretold return, a 2D side-scrolling action platformer with metroidvania elements. Let me tell you: this game was worth the wait.
In a world under constant threat by the ENE Corporation fronted by the evil Lord Ruse, the Oboro Clan is one of the last bastions of resistance. Joe Musashi, the titular Shinobi and the de facto leader of the Oboro Clan, has been training a new generation of ninjas, but all of that is about to change.
Lord Ruse and his army of mercenaries, ninjas and Yokai descend on Oboro Village and decimate Musashi’s home and petrify his students. As the name of the game suggests, Shinobi resolves to find Lord Ruse, take down his army of evil doers, and destroy ENE Corp once and for all. And it’s all in the name of vengeance.
The story does its job well enough, and there are a couple of twists and turns, but it isn’t the main attraction of this game. The villains, aside from Lord Ruse himself, are also fairly forgettable. The allies you gain along the way are more interesting, but I’m not going to spoil any of that here.
Shinobi shines in its look, feel, and, most of all, gameplay. The narrative doesn't get in the way, and that’s the main thing.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an action platformer that’s split into individual levels, the majority of which culminate in a bombastic boss fight. You might be thinking that you heard that this was a metroidvania, and that’s partly true. Each level (except for two special auto-scrollers) has areas to explore that you can only reach with abilities you gain in later levels. It’s awesome. If you think of it like finding all the collectibles in LEGO games, you’re not that far away.
Those collectibles range from relics that you can spend to expand shop items, coins to spend in the shop, outfits for Joe, and combat challenges that award power-ups or permanent buffs to health or special abilities. Some of these are locked behind tough platforming challenges, and I LOVED those sections. This was where all of the skills I learned throughout my playthrough merged into this amazing skill check that I had to really lock in for. I live for that sh*t. I mean, they’re no Path of Pain, but they can be really challenging.
The combat is f*cking fantastic. It feels crunchy, and I loved getting into flow states while fighting mobs of ninjas or demons. Dodge and combo, heavy combo, kunai throw, repeat. Amazing. The specials are added niceties, allowing some Yoga Flame or Sonic Kaboom abilities (pretty much anyway) or a parry, but they aren’t strictly necessary. But the last gambit mega special Ninjutsu abilities are so cool. They fill the screen with awesome hand-drawn graphics and deal massive damage. It’s the last gasp Hail Mary that got me out of a jam a helluva lot.
All that being said, I was a little underwhelmed by Shinobi’s boss fights. I mean, they all felt different and looked interesting, but the level of challenge didn’t match that of its mob arenas. With the exception of the battle against Lord Ruse and a secret boss, none of the other level-ending fights caused much trouble. I’m not a pro gamer by any stretch, so if I felt this way, better players will find it trivial.
But fear not. After credits, there are many more ways to challenge yourself with a Boss Rush mode and Arcade mode. That’s right! Just like Streets of Rage 4, you can replay all of the levels until you reach that coveted S rank. The combat and level design are so good that I am compelled to go back and do just that over the next few months (or years, let’s face it).
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is really pretty. The hand-drawn art is terrific, with Shinobi receiving a very similar glow-up to Streets of Rage 4 five years ago. The transition from pixel art to this art style is logical, because it kinda looks like how you imagined it looked when you played all those years ago on the SEGA Genesis. I mean, it didn’t, but you shouldn’t be ashamed to think that. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is immensely colorful and animated beautifully.
However, it’s the detail in the environment that strikes me down in awe, as well as how varied those settings are. From the dimly lit ambience of the Fish Market to the celebratory streets of the Lantern Festival, Shinobi captures every background beautifully. If you take a closer look behind Joe Musashi, there are hundreds of tiny details that will make you ask, “Why?” In a good way, knowing that thousands of players would miss a ninja running in the field behind you, or the look of a silly octopus shop facade. It’d be a shame not to stop and smell the… fish… once in a while.
Accompanying the insane visuals is the music, which is just a vibe. Composed by Tee Lopes (Sonic Mania) with a collaboration from Yuzo Koshiro (Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, and a boatload of others - this guy is a legend), the soundtrack evokes a traditional Japanese style, mixed with new-wave beats. It’s so good to chill out to, you know, when you’re not slicing and dicing demons and evil ninjas.
I played Shinobi: Art of Vengeance on PS5, and I can gladly confirm that I experienced no noticeable bugs, frame drops, or graphical anomalies. It was a perfect experience for all of my 14 hours playing the game (thus far).
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a triumphant return for Joe Musashi and his action-platforming ninja franchise. The combat feels like you are a badass shadow warrior on a quest for justice in a world where ninjas, mercs and demons are all out to get you, but you know they can’t touch you because you’re the freaking SHINOBI.
Maybe I felt a little too powerful in places, because the majority of the boss fights in this game were little trouble for Mr. Musashi. That was a little disappointing, with me finally feeling like One Punch Man in a video game. The narrative, similarly, was a kinda run-of-the-mill vengeance story. However, that didn’t curb my video game pleasure. Its beautiful vistas, amazing animations, and chill music only added to the experience.
But, ultimately, its replayability will keep this game on my hard drive for years to come. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has become my ongoing side project, and I can’t wait to become competent enough to complete it, becoming the unbeatable ninja that 5-year-old me always thought I’d become.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is out now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, and PC, and will set you back a poultry $29.99. It’s well worth it for that price!
Soup Rating 9/10
