Much time has passed since SEGA revisited some of their most popular IPs, and a couple of years ago the company made the decision to revive most of these dormant franchises and turn them into new games for the new gaming generation. To that end, they’ve approached several third party developers who have worked on some popular titles over the years – including Paris based studio Lizardcube to work on a brand new “Shinobi” gamer.
As the developer responsible for making the critically acclaimed beat ‘em up sequel “Streets of Rage 4”, their resume speaks for itself and Sega was impressed enough to seek their help in making “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” – a beautiful Metroidvania style action platformer revival for the long dormant IP.
First teased nearly two years ago at The Game Awards 2023, Art of Vengeance is the 13th entry in the Shinobi franchise and brings back longtime protagonist and ninja master Joe Musashi as the main playable character.
Featuring impressive 2D style artwork and level design that evokes a combination of the original 2D Shinobi games’ action intensity and the RPG-like exploration and gameplay from Metroid and Castlevania games, the new game sees Joe embark on a quest for vengeance following the destruction of the Oboro clan and his village – which was instigated by the powerful paramilitary organization known as ENE corporation and its leader, Lord Ruse.
Throughout his journey Joe wields a sword and kunai – but he can learn and equip powerful magical abilities called Ninpo, fight and kill opponents progressively with a combo system, as well as execute stunned enemies with Shinobi Execution to finish them off. Players will also have to master being agile with Joe as they jump, dash, roll, and use other items to traverse different obstacles and environments filled with stage hazards and pits.
Additionally, Joe can use the gold he finds and collects to purchase items from the Yokai shop – which unlocks brand new moves and upgrades that will augment his abilities to level the playing field against powerful opponents. Through exploration, side quests can also be found that divert from the main story and allow players to unlock more powerful items they can use in the game. There’s also an additional stage Sega will release as downloadable content in the next year – which will include new bosses like Dr. Eggman from the Sonic series that Joe can face and test his skills against.
As one of the most luscious and beautiful 2D action platformers available today, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance will definitely get longtime fans of the genre impressed and nostalgic with the attention to detail and production values Lizardcube and Sega have poured into this revival of a long dormant IP. It definitely shows that two dimensional games still have a place in the gaming landscape today, and it’s readily available for all modern platforms and PC with a lot of challenges and modes unlocked to give hardcore gamers replay value and a reason to revisit this game after finishing it.
Don’t sleep on this game – it’s a ninja stealth renaissance for action games that’s been a long time coming.
