Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is 2D action at its best

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has been one of my most anticipated games of the year for a few reasons. First off, I love the old Shinobi games and classic Sega. Shinobi III for the Sega Genesis is one of my favorite games from the 16-bit era.

I also adored Art of Vengeance developer Lizardcube’s last game, Streets of Rage 4. Like this new Shinobi, it brought back a dormant Sega series with some modern flair and stunning 2D art.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance releases on August 29, but I had a chance to try a couple of the game’s levels at the recent Summer Game Fest Play Days in LA. The experience justified my excitement.

Not your Genesis’s Shinobi

I don’t know if anyone is capable of making pretty 2D games than Lizardcube right now. The hand-drawn animation is fluid and graceful, and the game feels just as good to play.

Unlock with the original Shinobi titles, there is more of an emphasis on close-range combat. You still have shuriken, but you can only care a handful (five during my demo) at a time. You save them for special occasions. Slashing enemies with sword combos makes up the meat of the combat.

And that combat feels amazing. Along with damage, you can attack enemies enough to fill up a stun gauge. You can then take out enemies in that stunned state with a flashy move from Joe Musashi (the titular shinobi). It’s one of the more satisfying maneuvers I’ve experienced in an action game.

Fly like a Shinobi

The platforming feels just as good. Joe can cling onto walls and dash through the air, helping him reach places that seem out of reach.

And while Art of Vengeance isn’t a Metroidvania, it has some of those elements. The game has stages, not one big continuous world, but each level has some branching paths and bonus items. You’ll even unlock abilities later in the game that will make revisiting older areas worth your time.

Altogether, this is shaping up as a worthy return for Shinobi. Sega has an entire initiative to bring back many of its classic franchises. If more of those efforts turn out like, than Sega fans like me are in for a good time.

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