Sega’s Shinobi: Art of Vengeance brings back the ninja action I’ve missed

I’ve got a soft spot for games that know exactly what they are. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance doesn’t pretend to be a sprawling open-world epic or a Soulslike clone, but a lean, stylish throwback to a very specific kind of action platformer – the sort you grew up playing on the SNES or Mega Drive but reimagined with enough modern touches to make it sharper. So I’ve spent the past few weeks slicing through its levels, dying a lot, learning to chain combos, and getting far too invested in seeing Joe Musashi take revenge on the shadowy ENE Corp. And you know what? I had such a blast.

For someone who have played the original Super Shinobi I and II games, the first thing that struck me was how immediately familiar it felt. Joe starts with just a katana, a few kunai, and a dash. The game throws you into its first mission with no fuss, teaching you through action rather than tutorials. You quickly learn to respect the game’s pace: rush in swinging and you’ll get punished, but stay patient and the combat becomes this satisfying rhythm game of slashes, dodges, and well-timed finishers.

What surprised me is how quickly the move set grows. Within the first hour, I’d unlocked a fire-breathing ninpo attack, a charged strike that breaks shields, and a dive kick that’s awesome for crowd control. By the halfway mark, I felt like a proper super ninja – flipping across walls, chaining aerial slashes, and pulling off screen-clearing ninjutsu when things got too much to handle. The game drip-feeds you new abilities at a steady pace, which keeps combat from getting stale, from getting overpowered too early on, and even makes you revisit old levels just to see what new paths you can open.

Speaking of levels, Art of Vengeance isn’t just a left-to-right run-and-slash affair either. Later stages turn into mini mazes, with branching paths, hidden upgrades, and the occasional nasty ambush that teaches you not to get complacent. The platforming is tight and deliberate, with wall jumps and grapples that feel snappy but still give you room to screw up. There were a few sections where I found myself cursing the map for being slightly confusing, especially when I was hunting a collectible to increase my health bar. That said, it’s never so sprawling that you get lost for long.

Combat is where Art of Vengeance really shines, though. It’s weighty without being sluggish, and the feedback from every hit is satisfying. Enemies have clear tells, and when you nail the timing on a parry or string together a multi-hit combo without getting touched, the game rewards you with buffs that make you feel truly powerful. In fact, one of my favourite moments was during a boss fight where I strung together enough hits to activate an amulet that spewed coins everywhere.

And let’s talk about those bosses. They are so good and well designed. The early ones are rightly straightforward – block, punish, repeat – but later fights demand you use everything in your toolkit. There’s one that pits you against a giant mechanised oni in a lantern-lit festival, and it’s pure chaos in the best way. These encounters aren’t brutally difficult, but they do make you stop, observe, strategise and act. Like a ninja would.

Visually, developer Lizardcube has nailed absolutely it. The hand-drawn art style is gorgeous, with a mix of cyberpunk cityscapes, neon-soaked alleys, and old-school Japanese villages. Joe’s animations are smooth and expressive, which matters when so much of the combat relies on reading movement. It’s a game that looks great in screenshots, but even better in motion. The soundtrack deserves a shoutout too – Yuzo Koshiro’s fingerprints are all over it, blending old Shinobi motifs with new tracks that thump just hard enough to keep your blood pumping.

If there’s one thing I wish was better, it’s the backtracking. Once you’ve finished the main campaign, which took me around eight hours, the game invites you to revisit earlier stages to scoop up missed upgrades and hidden ninjutsu scrolls. This is fun at first, but after a while, the map system starts to feel just a little too vague for its own good. There were times I was running laps through the same rooms trying to remember which wall I could now climb with my upgraded grappling hook. It’s not enough to ruin the experience, but completionists might find it slightly tedious.

That said, the campaign itself doesn’t outstay its welcome. By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I’d gone on a proper journey with Joe – from lone swordsman mourning his village to fully kitted-out avenger dishing out justice. The final showdown with Lord Ruse is a fitting capstone: intense, flashy, and just tough enough that beating him feels like an achievement.

What I liked most about Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is that it feels like a game with a clear identity. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone. It respects the series’ roots while adding just enough modern design to make it approachable for new players. And it doesn’t waste your time – every level, every boss, every upgrade feels considered. If this is the standard Sega and Lizardcube have set for their reimagined classics, there’s a lot to be excited about.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is now available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.