Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Review

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Several iconic video game franchises from Sega have been inactive for more than ten years, but the company is now actively working to reintroduce them. One such attempt is the game Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, which sees developer Lizardcube revitalizing the vintage 2D action-platformer series for contemporary players. With a gap of 14 years since its last appearance, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance signifies the franchise’s comeback, and despite having some issues, longtime enthusiasts should be pleased to discover that it’s generally successful in bringing the series back to life.

In “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance,” our protagonist Joe Musashi, a recurring character, embarks on a vengeful mission against the malicious ENE Corporation. The narrative follows Joe’s quest for retribution across diverse settings and presents him with an engaging array of antagonists. However, the plot itself is somewhat simplistic and lacks depth to keep one fully engaged.

Joe’s gruff responses during dialogues provide some comic relief, but overall the conversations are unremarkable. The visual style could use improvement, as it leaves much to be desired in terms of engagement. Scenes in the game often feature still images accompanied by voiceovers, which can be dull and challenging to become invested in either the revenge storyline or other aspects of the game.

It’s unfortunate that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance didn’t put more effort into its cutscenes, as the game’s stunning art style could have greatly enhanced the story if it were in motion. However, even though this is a missed opportunity, the game still looks amazing during gameplay. The backgrounds are vibrant and contribute to a sense of expansiveness that many other 2D side-scrollers don’t possess. Furthermore, the character animations are so lifelike they seem like an anime brought to reality, with Joe’s movements being particularly noteworthy.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Expands Joe’s Arsenal

In “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance,” character Joe receives an expansive collection of moves that could be his largest yet, with new talents being introduced as the game progresses. The fundamental combat style is a blend of light and heavy attacks typical in this genre, but players can introduce diversity by utilizing Joe’s magical Ninpo abilities which can cause substantial damage when deployed strategically against suitable adversaries. All enemies possess stagger gauges that, when filled, allow for an instant kill regardless of their location on the screen. The game “Art of Vengeance” boasts a decent variety of enemy types to maintain combat excitement as players annihilate ENE Corp members across different screens. Some may find “Shinobi’s” combat slightly simplistic even with Joe’s expanded moveset, but there’s sufficient content to prevent it from becoming monotonous.

In the game store for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, players can significantly broaden Joe’s repertoire of moves. Besides enhancing his combat abilities, they also acquire equipment tailored for exploration and platforming. To illustrate, Joe gets a glider enabling him to soar through air currents to reach elevated spots, and he secures a grappling hook that helps him traverse chasms that would normally be impassable. Regrettably, the game lacks more of the exhilarating platforming challenges found in Art of Vengeance, which are some of its most exciting aspects.

Upon progressing through each level by using moves like slicing, dicing, and air dashes, players encounter a boss battle. In Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, these battles offer an enjoyable experience but lack the thrilling intensity one might expect. The fights are relatively straightforward, meaning players may face defeat a few times, but will soon grasp the enemy’s attack patterns and defeat the bosses with minimal extra effort. The game’s general ease presents its main disadvantage, as while it remains enjoyable from beginning to end, its simplicity prevents it from reaching its full potential.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Features Only the Best Elements of Metroidvania Games

Although I’d prefer Shinobi: Art of Vengeance to be more challenging, it remains a strong 2D action-platformer. It boasts impressive graphics, smooth controls, and thrilling set pieces. What makes it stand out is its innovative game structure, which could inspire other games in the future. Contrary to being a Metroidvania, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance incorporates some Metroidvania aspects. For instance, there are areas that players can’t access until they acquire a tool later on; however, these are always optional and do not hinder the progression of the main storyline. Each level offers its own expansive map that necessitates fast travel, but it isn’t so vast that exploring feels overwhelming.

Separating stages individually in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance maintains its essence as a Metroidvania game, eliminating frustrating aspects such as excessive backtracking and disorientation. This enhancement on action-oriented gameplay significantly improves the game’s flow. However, for players who crave it, there remains a touch of exploration reminiscent of classic Metroidvania titles, with each stage containing hidden treasures and collectibles for those venturing off the main path.

It required approximately 7 hours for me to complete Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, as it is packed with items to discover and modes to perfect that can be unlocked.

In Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, the hidden secrets and collectibles add a substantial reason to replay the game, as its main storyline can be completed in approximately 5 hours. However, for players aiming for a complete experience, they might need to invest around twice or thrice that time. The hunt for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s collectibles is an enjoyable and less stressful endeavor due to the convenient fast-travel system and user-friendly maps. This pursuit allows players to continue savoring the game’s action-packed combat even after the end credits.

If enhanced with greater difficulty and additional layers of depth, “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” could arguably become the top game in the series so far. As currently experienced, “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” offers a primarily successful comeback that will undoubtedly captivate fans of the genre for its duration. It would be exciting to witness a sequel that expands upon this foundation to produce an even more impressive and enjoyable game.

The game titled “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” is set to be released on August 29, and it will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. For the purpose of this review, we were given a PS5 code by Game Rant.

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2025-08-25 15:04