Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance Review

If you’re as old as me then you’ll no doubt remember the Shinobi games. I recall playing them on the Sega Mega Drive and trying to conquer the levels countless times. I was delighted when I heard that the reboot was being developed by Lizardcube, who were responsible for the excellent Streets Of Rage 4 back in 2020. Published by the friendly bunch at SEGA, Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance is a blend of the classic Shinobi mechanics with a fresh design and an outstanding art style.

Shinobi Is Smooth!

I won’t be revealing any spoilers or ruining the story for any of you readers. But to lay the foundations, you’ll be taking control of Joe Musashi, who returns to the Oboro Clan village where Lord Ruse is running riot. The storytelling is pretty minimal, but still enjoyable to absorb. When it comes to the gameplay loop, it is buttery smooth, and you can instantly tell that Lizardcube have poured the same passion into this project as their last one.

There are around 14 zones through 5 stages to work through, and exploration is encouraged since there are secret areas in some levels. During the early part of gameplay, you’ll be introduced to the game’s mechanics and combat attacks. Light and heavy attacks make up the main meat of how you’ll fight enemies, but as you get used to the flow of the game, you’ll soon be pulling together combinations and using the dash and ninja roll abilities to your advantage. The Kunai returns, allowing you to throw small daggers to get one over on your enemy. Everything just feels buttery smooth, and using the Ninpo meter to bring elemental magic to attacks is the cherry on the cake. It feels joyful to play and interact with everything with slick transitions between your own choices.

Movement & Platforming

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is pretty much a Metroidvania experience and has a style similar to other strong outings, such as Prince of Persia: Lost Crown.  Running, jumping and then double jumping to reach higher points on the map makes traversal fun whilst dispatching enemies and looking for secrets in between. You can unlock more as you progress, allowing you to use a grappling hook or even the ability to glide, giving you the flexibility to attempt reaching those almost impossible spots.

The game isn’t without its environmental hazards, though, as you work through levels, you may find you have to think on your feet. Speed and precision are key as you navigate through certain areas of the maps.

Replayability Is Great!

I’d imagine Lizardcube will experiment with some more DLC down the line, potentially depending on the success of the game. I really enjoyed the expansion they added to Streets Of Rage 4, so fingers crossed for more here too. That said, once you have finished the campaign, you can dive into more to extend your experience in the following modes.

Arcade Mode – This will unlock for you after completing the campaign and will allow you to replay levels for a score. This is perfect if you want to go back and play levels to see how quick or precise you are.

Boss Rush Mode – This mode will also unlock after the campaign and will allow you to take on bosses one after the other.

LAB Secret Key Challenge – If you obtain all six secret lab keys throughout the entirety of the game, something cool will unlock, but I won’t spoil the surprise.

Visuals & Audio

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is simply a masterpiece when it comes to the presentation. The hand-designed style is absolutely stunning on a 4k screen and is on par with how great Streets Of Rage 4 looked. Each level appears to have its own style with beautiful backdrops and varied colour palettes. There are two display modes to choose from. Performance mode targets 1440p upscaled to 4k 60fps, whereas quality mode is native 4k at 30fps.

The combat animations are by far the strongest part of the game. Strikes feel impactful, and the effects that accompany them are fantastic. At all times, the game just feels like an interactive comic book awash with neon-infused and vibrant colour.

Audio design is equally as superb, with Tee Lopes taking the reins for the soundtrack. He’s been part and parcel of some of Sega’s biggest titles, starting with Sonic Mania in 2017. Throughout, the music brings some gentle nods to the previous games, whilst its high-intensity beats blend with the atmosphere of the adventure. Sound effects complement all the brilliant mechanics with combat and platforming.

Final Thoughts

Shinobi: Art of Vegeance becomes yet another classic game that has been exceptionally well recreated. I had no doubts that Lizardcube would do great work, given their success with Streets of Rage 4. It retains what made the original games so memorable and becomes a well-polished experience. It’s visually stunning, combat is super satisfying, and the story is well told.

There is plenty of bang for your buck here as well, depending on how much you want from the game. If you want to achieve everything on offer, then you’re easily going to push 30-40 hours of gameplay. But if you’re just after ticking through the levels and seeing out the story, then you’ll still have a reasonable 15-20 hours. They say it’s all about quality instead of quantity, but here you get both with a big green tick. This is a beautiful game and will be one of my most memorable of 2025 for sure. A must buy!