'Shinobi: Art of Vengeance' Review: A Game of The Year Contender

Coming out of Summer Game Fest,  Lizardcube’s Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was one of the games that was high on our list, just based on the sample size we got to experience. After playing the game in full, we can say with the utmost confidence that JOE MUSASHI IS BACK! It’s a great time to be a fan of games involving ninjas. Coming off the success of games like Assassin’s Creed: Shadows and the recently released Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, it’s Lizardcube’s turn to drop their fresh spin on Sega’s iconic video game franchise, Shinobi. Joe Musashi, the ninja of very few words, lets his sword, fists, and feet do all the talking in Lizardcube’s fantastic take on the Shinobi franchise that sees Joe hacking, slashing robotic ninjas, and putting his legendary ninjitsu skills on display to bring us one of the most fantastic 2D platforming gaming experiences ever.

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Lizardcube is no stranger to bringing back Sega’s classic games; the video game studio also put their foot in 2020’s Streets of Rage 4, so there wasn’t much pressure when taking on Shinobi. As for the game’s story, it’s fresh out of an ’80s arcade machine with Joe taking on the paramilitary organization ENE Corp, hellbent on world domination, led by Lord Ruse. Joe, who has retired to a life of solitude training the next generation of ninjas, but is forced to pick up his sword and shuriken to take on Lord Ruse after he brings drama to Joe’s peaceful village, disturbing his peaceful existence with his beautiful wife, dog, and bun in the oven.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Delivers Stunning Visuals & Flawless Gameplay

Immediately after hitting start on the game, the game’s beautiful 2D hand-drawn style, along with the slick animation, took my breath away. Joe’s movement through each level is quick, responsive, and flawless, and brilliantly delivers to the player the feeling of being one of the world’s best fictional ninjas. We marveled as he jumped over obstacles and, in the same swift move, took out an enemy with one of the techniques we acquired during our playthrough. As for the level design, Lizardcube didn’t cut any corners in that department, delivering a perfect blend of platforming and combat, stuffing each beautifully designed map with a fantastic mix of obstacles that could end your run, as well as enemies. While the game isn’t a traditional Metroidvania in essence, we appreciated that Lizardcube uniquely increased the replayability of the game by making areas in each level inaccessible to Joe until he acquires a new tool or technique, which will see you revisiting maps more than once to 100% them. The character design in Art of Vengeance, from Joe down to each enemy, should be studied because they all look gorgeous, each having its own distinctive look and movements. Especially Joe, when he does any of his attacks, specifically when he uses his fire techniques like summoning a fire dragon to take out numerous enemies on the screen. It’s such a chef’s kiss moment, that is so satisfying each time you gain the ability to execute it.

Final Verdict

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an exceptional six-hour experience from Lizardcube that is an absolute joy to sit down and get lost in. For fans of Shinobi, this is the game that you have been longing for, and for those who have never played a Shinobi game before, it will be the definitive experience for them. It’s gorgeous, and we don’t use the word lightly. Joe Musashi has never looked this good since 1993’s Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master on the Sega Genesis console. The gameplay has no flaws, the action is incredibly satisfying, the controls are seamless, and the story rocks. You would be hard-pressed to find another $29.99 game so well-developed outside of The Game Kitchen’s Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Lizardcube snapped, understood the assignment, and has a STRONG contender for Game of the Year with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. *PS5 Review key provided by the game’s publisher.*

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