Many of Sega's classic IPs have been dormant for over a decade, but the company is making an overall effort to get them back. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Is part of this effort, with developer Lizardcube, which has the task of restarting the classic 2D action platform franchise for modern audiences. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Marks the return of the franchise after a 14-year absence, and although it has its shortcomings, long-term fans are happy to know that it is a most successful resuscitation.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Stars Franchise Mainstay Joe Musashi when he goes to war with the rich one company. Joe's pursuit of revenge takes him to a number of interesting places and sees him square with an exciting lineup of villains, but the story itself is barebones and largely uninteresting. Joe's rough cruel in response to everyone who talks to him is entertaining, but otherwise the conversations are bland and the presentation leaves much to be desired. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Scenes usually consist of still images with voiceovers, which are not fun to watch and make it difficult to care about the revenge plot or anything else that happens in the game.
It's a pity to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance No more invested in its cuts because its striking wonderful art style would have raised the story of it was in motion. It is a missed opportunity, but at least Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Looks fantastic during the game. The lively backgrounds are incredible and help to give the game a sense of scope that some other 2D page rollers lack. The character animations are like an anime comes to life, with Joe's movements that look particularly impressive.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance expands Joe's Arsenal
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Gives Joe what is probably his biggest movement so far, with new new abilities added when the game is in progress. The basic combat system is a mixture of light and heavy attacks that are typical of the genre, but players can mix things with Joe's magical ninpo attacks that can cause a lot of damage when used at the right time against the right enemy. Enemies have all stag meters who, when full, can trigger an immediate death from where they are on the screen. Revenge Has a nice amount of enemy variety to keep the battle interesting as a player slaughtered a CORP member from one screen to the next. Some may find ShinobiThe fight a little too basic even with Joe's expanded movement, but there is enough there that it does not get boring.
Players can extend Joe's arsenal of movements greatly Shinobi: Art of Vengeance in the store, but they also get tools that are more for exploration and platform. For example, Joe gets a glider that can be used to ride air currents to higher places, and he also gets a gripping hook that allows him to cross gaps that would otherwise be impossible. Some of RevengeThe most exciting moments come from the platform challenges, so it is a stamp that there are no more of them.
After players and cubes and air strikes through each level, they are treated with a boss struggle. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance BOSS fighting goals are fun and where most of the game's challenges lie, but they do not really reach the level of excitement you hope for. The battles are too simple, so while players can die once or two, they will figure out the attack patterns and be able to kill the managers with a little extra effort. The general lack of challenge is Shinobi: Art of Vengeance: S's biggest disadvantage, and although the game is still very entertaining from beginning to end, its simplicity is what ultimately holds it back from reaching its full potential.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has only the best parts of Metroidvania games
While I wish Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Be tougher, it's still a solid 2D action platform. It looks good, controls well and has some spectacular sets. It also has a rather unique structure that I would not mind seeing other games copy in the future. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Is not a Metroidvania, but it still retains Metroidvania elements. Like a Metroidvania, there are areas that players cannot reach until they get a tool later, but these are always optional and do not prevent players from developing the main history. Each level has its own map big enough to need fast travel, but not so large that exploration is overwhelming.
To make the ladder independent allows Shinobi: Art of Vengeance To maintain the best parts of Metroidvania games while losing annoying things like excessive backtracking and the tendency for players to get lost. This helps Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Keep focus on the action and do wonders for the game's stimulation, but there is the Metroidvania style exploration for them as lack the. Each step is full of secrets and collectibles for those who are willing to get off beaten.
It took me about 7 hours to roll credit on Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, but the game has many collectibles to find and unlock positions to master.
Shinobi: Art of VengeanceSecrets and collectibles give the game significant replay value, which is good, as the game is otherwise quite short. It would not be unreasonable for someone to beat Shinobi: Art of Vengeance In about five hours if they focus on the main history, but those who want to get 100% look at spending 2-3 times that amount. Hunting Shinobi: Art of VengeanceS collector's item is a rewarding, relatively stress -free experience thanks to the generous fast -paced system and useful maps, and it gives players an excuse to continue to enjoy the game's rapid battle after the credits.
If Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Be more challenging and had more depth for that, it would potentially be the best game in the franchise so far. As it stands, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Is still a mostly triumphant return that will keep genre fans carefully maintained while it lasts, and it would be good to see a follow -up based on its basis for creating something even bigger and better.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Reviewed on PS5
7/10
- Published
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August 29, 2025
- Developer
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Lizardcube, tough
- Number of players
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1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
- Wonderful images in anime-style
- Satisfying battle and platform
- Takes the best parts of Metroidvania game while dumping the worst
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Launches August 29 for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.
