Summary
Nearly two years ago,Segaconfirmed it was in theprocess of rebooting some of its older franchisesafter years of being hounded by fans. As great as it was to see some familiar faces, I was unconvinced by what was shown off. Golden Axe and Streets of Rage looked ropey, whileCrazy Taxi’s rumoured live-service directionand Jet Set Radio’s strange new style left me sceptical. I needed a lot more to get excited.
There was one major exception to my raised brow -Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. From the moment LizardCube’s gorgeous hand-painted brush stroke visuals popped up and Joe Musashi started stylishly cutting through enemies like a hot katana through butter, I was back on board.
It’s been a while since we saw that all-too-brief few seconds of reveal footage, but we’re finally nearing Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s release and the beginning of a new era for Sega. After playing theSummer Game Festbuild for myself, it not only seems like the perfect game to lead the comeback charge and convince non-believers, but also might end up being 2025’s best ninja game in a year with some seriously stacked competition.
That competition is, of course, three whole Ninja Gaiden games andAssassin’s Creed Shadows.
Shinobi Feels As Good To Play As It Looks
My demo kicked off right at the beginning of the game as our stoic shinobi trains one of his apprentices and fends off some basic thugs from attacking his home, Oboro Village. While I didn’t get much of a feel for what the story is going to entail beyond a quest for vengeance, I was instantly impressed by the presence of actual voice acting and dialogue, suggesting there’s a bit more going on than just beautiful, disconnected levels full of enemies to slice through.
We’ve known since Art of Vengeance was first shown off that it’s going to be drop-dead gorgeous, but the big question that remained was how it was going to play. I’m happy to report that Shinobi instantly clicked thanks to its silky smooth movement and combo-heavy battles thatpleasantly reminded me of the excellent Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Art of Vengeance isn’t a Metroidvania like some assumed, but it does have levels full of secrets and areas that can’t be reached until you unlock moves later in the game. Look, I know what that sounds like, just trust me.
As you’d expect from a master ninja, Joe has a ton of moves up his sleeves, ranging from light attacks that flow and combo into one another with ease to damaging kunai for long-range attacks. Those are just the basics as well, as I also unlocked some special techniques, like a fire ninpo attack that needed to be charged by attacking enemies and a powerful punch that dealt heavy damage and smashed through barriers to unlock new areas.
By far the most interesting move is the Shinobi Execution, which can be activated when enemies have been stunned (which is built up faster with heavy attacks) for a stylish insta-kill attack that can even be chained. In a game that’s stacked with techniques to unlock, the Shinobi Execution stands out as one of the most unique, and something that adds a nice tactical layer to fights beyond just hitting things over and over.
Ninja Gaiden Has Some Serious Competition, We Love To See It
Art of Vengeance’s combat feels great and has far more mechanical depth and challenge to it than I expected, to the point where it was even a little overwhelming. On the other hand to that first hand I didn’t mention, Shinobi’s platforming, while responsive, initially seemed a bit more basic than what I played in the first level. Thankfully, that changed quickly when we swapped over to the final bit of the preview, which took place during a beautiful lantern festival.
It was at this festival that I got to see Shinobi’s platforming going for gold as Joe jumped across hot air balloons, dashed in mid-air, and used claws to climb on walls. It was a big step up from the early stages and, combined with all the new combat moves that were introduced between the first and second level, has me hopeful that Art of Vengeance won’t run out of tricks early on.
The second part of the preview also introduced me to Arcade Mode, which adds a timer and score meter while also cutting out interactions with characters. It’s optional, but a nice touch.
By the end of my time with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (which ended as Joe pulled off some tricky platforming as a fire raged behind him), I was completely sold on what Sega and LizardCube are trying to do with the series, and certain that it’s going to be a banger. I’m still curious about how much there is to the game and whether its combat and platforming can keep on surprising me like they did here, but I’m at least confident that its foundations are incredibly strong.
As a Ninja Gaiden diehard whothought Ragebound was excellent during a recent previewand who has spent more than a decade waiting for the fourth game, I was sure Ryu Hayabusa would be my number one ninja this year. While I’m still just as excited (if a little anxious over Ninja Gaiden 4’s new direction), that ninja gold star doesn’t seem as anywhere near as certain with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance in the mix.
