Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a beautifully hand-crafted 2D action platformer with Metroidvania elements. This title was first shown off in a teaser sizzle reel. It was one of the better announcements at the 2023 TGA (The Game Awards). This teaser, dubbed ‘Power Surge: Sega Reveal Trailer – TGA 2023’, showcased a stylish new Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Crazy Taxi, and the game in question today, Shinobi!
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a confident first outing for Sega in its attempt to revive its beloved IP. I like this bold new direction. It took nearly two years to materialize, but the extra time clearly paid off. Lizardcube (developer) created an exceptional return for the series that is as sharp as a kunai.
Developer &
Publisher // Lizardcube, SEGA
Platforms// Nintendo Switch,
Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, Steam
MSRP //
$29.99
Release Date // August 29,
2025
Reviewed On // Xbox Series X
Story in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The story begins with Joe Musashi. He is the iconic master shinobi and face of the series since its 1987 arcade debut. This time, Joe seeks vengeance for his fallen Oboro clan. The clan’s village was burned down by Lord Ruse and his cronies. Lord Ruse is the leader of the militia unit ENE-Corp and the mastermind behind their downfall. The setup is straightforward: fight through ENE-Corp and bring down Ruse.
I was left satisfied with the game’s conclusion, although it is predictable. But while the narrative is neat and provides a solid throughline, it wasn’t the main reason I kept playing. What truly drove me forward were the varied, beautiful hand crafted levels, the effortlessly fluid combo-centric combat, and the precise, fast, tough-as-nails platforming. Still, the story, although simple, works well as a backdrop, and the addition of voice acting gives it an extra punch.
Performance and Visuals
Shinobi is a beautiful game. It has a wonderful hand-drawn aesthetic, and both the enemy and player animations have a nuanced depth to them. It provides something that feels retro but with a modern polish. The environments also reflect this philosophy. The backdrops can feel ancient and rooted in Japanese folklore. Or they can look like modern dystopic cyberpunk neon colored cities. All the environments are alluring, but my favorite is Neo City. Its neon streets, soaked in moody rain, pay homage to Cyberpunk and Blade Runner, creating an atmosphere that feels both stylish and alive.
The design is excellent and can only be described as “pure craft”. The performance is also excellent. My 27 hours with Shinobi were spent on Xbox Series X. And although I do not know the exact frame rate and resolutions, to my eyes it looks like a dynamic 4K resolution at 60fps. And I did not notice any frame drops.
Slicing and Dicing – Combat in Shinobi
The combat immediately struck a chord with me. I loved it from the start. It’s incredibly fluid, and chaining combos together gives it a satisfying blend of beat ’em up accessibility with fighting game level depth. Enemies only perish once they hit the ground, which encourages you to keep juggling them and mastering your combos. Joe Musashi has a versatile toolkit. He has light and heavy attacks, a dash that works as both a ground roll and an air dash. Plus, Joe can pull off mid and long-range options with the kunai and potentially other moves that can be unlocked.
There’s also room to tailor Joe’s playstyle through the Amulet and Ninpos. Ninpo functions as special moves, and four can be equipped at once. Amulets come in two varieties: passive amulets that grant ongoing buffs, and combo-based amulets that activate after hitting certain combo counts.
Combos only reset when you take damage and are not on a timer. This, in turn, really rewards precision and consistency. For my run, I favored amulets that boost the effectiveness of healing. And the main combo amulet I generally had equipped granted bonus damage after getting a 20-hit combo. The system offers plenty of flexibility to sync amulets with your preferred Ninpo loadout, which makes combat both personal and dynamic.
We All Love Toriyama
On top of all this is Ninjutsu, which functions as the game’s super moves or ultimates. They’re powerful abilities that can turn the tide of battle. The one I relied on most was the healing Ninjutsu. Since I was usually dealing plenty of damage on my own, I found the healing far more valuable than the raw offensive options. The coolest part of pulling these off is the clear homage to Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z, with transformations that echo the iconic Super Saiyan power-ups.
Executions and Meters
It was not until a quarter of the way through the game that I realized I was not being efficient in combat. To this point, I was endlessly comboing enemies together until their health bar was depleted. However, this is when I realized enemies have an execution meter right below their health.
Filling up the execution meter is a crucial part of combat. When you fill up the meter, it leaves the enemy as marked. This conveys to us (the player) that we can finish the enemy off with a Shinobi Execution. And these executions are not only very satisfying to pull off, but also give us more rewards in terms of health, gold, and replenishing our kunai stock. It is very satisfying when you have multiple enemies on the screen marked for execution, and Joe effortlessly slices all of them up in one sweep. There is also a training room here for those dedicated to mastering all of the combat moves.
Bosses
There are a ton of bosses to face, and each stage will contain a different and varied boss encounter. These were highlights of the experience as I looked forward to each encounter with glee. The intro to these encounters shows off beautiful key art with a stylish depiction of the boss we are facing.
My favorite boss encounter came in Zone 4’s stage, The Desert, against the Beastmaster. What made this fight so memorable was its escalation. You don’t just face him once. He appears throughout the level, each encounter layering in new mechanics and raising the intensity. By the final showdown, it isn’t just a duel, it’s a gauntlet. The Beastmaster pelts you with projectiles and attacks, while also summoning smaller enemies that come at Joe. This forces constant movement. I had to juggle glider use, air dashes, and platforming while threading in my own attacks. It demanded complete mastery of the Ningi tools I’d picked up to that point. The fight felt like the culmination of all my training, and when I finally landed the decisive blow, the payoff was incredibly satisfying
Metroidvania-Esque Level Design
The game is separated into locations and stages. The locations are split up into zones, and inside each zone will house the stages. The stages employ a checkpoint system that also acts as fast travel points. It is fair in the fact that you can fast travel to any checkpoint in the stage, even if you are in combat. And you can choose which point to fast travel to from the world map. The cool thing here is that the stages inside the zones can be chosen in whichever order.
Although not touted as a Metroidvania, here is where the Metroidvania elements creep up. The levels often have interweaving paths. And not all of these paths are accessible at first. They require specific Ningi. The Ningi, which are the game’s mobility actions, are dished out gradually. And you do not earn all of them until about 75% of the way through the golden path.
Some areas in the early stages are locked off until you acquire new Ningi abilities, which in turn encourages backtracking to fully explore and complete them. While most of my playthrough was flawless, I did hit one bug during this process: the map occasionally failed to display my current location correctly. This led to a few frustrating moments of wandering blindly, relying on my in-game awareness to track down unexplored areas and hidden secrets.
Purposeful Collectables – Side Content in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The biggest surprise for me out of everything is the way the collectables are presented. And there is quite a bit to search for in these levels. But the beauty of it is that each collectible or secret serves a purpose. The Oboro relics that are found are used to expand the offerings available at the shopkeeper. Finding a secret chest may house an upgrade to Joe’s health bar or an upgrade to the kunai count. Or you may find a powerful new Ninpo technique to use in battle.
Each stage also includes optional battle challenges that reward you upon completion. The map itself is color-coded: yellow highlights the main path, while purple indicates routes to secrets or rift portals. These rift portals contain the game’s toughest platforming and combat trials, pushing your skills to the limit.
My only nitpick lies with the checkpoint placement. It often feels inconsistent. At times, checkpoints are clustered too close together, while in other spots they’re frustratingly far apart. This uneven spacing became especially noticeable in the later stages, where dying meant retracing long stretches of difficult gameplay.
Stylish and Upbeat Music
The music in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a stylish fusion of upbeat retro-techno and modern hip-hop with punchy 808s, crafted by veterans Tee Lopes and Yuzo Koshiro. The soundtrack perfectly complements the fast-paced, combo-heavy gameplay, accentuating every fluid attack, dash, and Ninjutsu with energy and flair. This makes each encounter feel cinematic and exhilarating. My favorite track in the title plays during the Neo City stage. The level itself is a vibe, and the techno-hip hop mix perfectly complements its neon, rain-soaked aesthetic.
Accessibility in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The game has all the modern sensibilities I, as a player, can ask for. There is button mapping, language options, and most importantly, an Accessibility tab. The options here are all in efforts to make the game as easy or hard as you want. You can change everything from how much damage the enemies output to changing the rules for how ‘game overs’ are handled.
I opted to play on the base shinobi difficulty and kept all the options on default. The base difficulty made for a challenging and rewarding experience. Although there are accessibility settings, there is no option built in for gamers with disabilities. Something like slow motion or adjusting game speed, colorblind modes, or options for additional visual and audio cues are not present.
Final Thoughts on Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Art of Vengeance is a triumphant return for the series. Leveling up the formula with excellent traversal and combat. Its richly layered, hand-drawn backgrounds are as inviting as they are detailed. Lizardcube has modernized the series while honoring its 1987 roots, forging a fresh path for Joe Musashi that respects the lessons and legacy of their peers and predecessors. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is sharp, fluid, and pure, and a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern design.
Score: 9/10
Note: The game was provided by the publisher for review.
Pros
- Combat with depth
- Precise challenging platforming
- Collectibles worth collecting
- Fun and varied boss battles
- Dialogue has voice acting
- Great accessibility
- Gorgeous hand-drawn aesthetic
- Locked frame rates
- Fair amount of content
Cons
- The story is straightforward
- Some minor map bugs
- Uneven checkpoint placement
