At this point, Lizard Cube has cemented itself as perhaps the best developer of 2D action-platformers that are based on old IP given a fresh new lick of glorious paint. Streets of Rage 4 was a god damn masterpiece of brawling, and now Shinobi: Art of Vengeance seeks to dethrone it as the new king.
Welcome back Shinobi protagonist Joe Wusashi, a name that still makes me laugh because of how….well, un-shinobi-like it sounds. It’s the kind of name I imagine for a tax accountant whose closest encounter with a sword was the butter knife at dinner. Even funnier is how Joe communicates purely through grunts for the entirety of the story, made even better by the fact that everyone else speaks normally. Joe is a man of few words, preferring to let his katana do the talking, even as the bosses he encounters deliver menacing monologues.
Available On: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2
Reviewed On: PC
Developed By: Lizard Cube
Published By: SEGAReview code provided by SEGA
But then, who can blame him for keeping his trap shut in a world that is so clearly insane? Joe’s peaceful life as the leader of the Oboro Clan is rudely interrupted by ENE Corporation and its leader, Lord Ruse, who lay waste to the village, turns many of its people into stone and terrorises the rest with an army of supernatural and hi-tech forces. Oh, and Lord Ruse is running around with powers he stole from the literal Grim Reaper, because why the fuck not.
Really, the story is as thin as a shoji screen, an excuse to indulge in an uber-slick, absurdly fun 10 hour experience that’s packed full of satisfying combat and platforming. And it sure helps that it looks so good, to boot. Despite the insanity of what’s often on the screen, like weird demons and Joe riding a missile through a building like he called the world’s best Uber service, the plotting and characters are entirely forgettable. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is just happy to be a globe-trotting, arse-kicking videogame-ass videogame, and I’m here for it.
Controls tend to make or break games like this, so I’m happy to say that Shinobi’s are sharper than Joe’s sword. Jumping, dashing and running up walls all feel terrific and super responsive. Platforming is the secondary focus behind fighting, so I’m pleased that the developers have clearly spent a lot of time dialling in the movement so that it is a pleasure to get around. It means even as new movement tricks are introduced, like special ninja claws and even a glider – and the platforming sections become a little tighter and trickier – the game never feels unfair. Failure is never the game’s fault – it’s always clear what you did wrong.
The platforming is pretty forgiving, mind you. Getting stabbed by pointy wall spikes or falling into a laser because you missed the timing for a jump dumps you back a few seconds, minus a little bit of health. In fact, the whole game is more lenient than I was expecting, given its arcade roots. There are no lives to worry about and thus no game-over screen, and you’ll probably breeze through the game without too much of an issue. Die-hard fans of the games might find this off-putting (a proper hard mode would be very welcome), but I enjoyed the game’s difficulty – I got to feel pretty badarse, while still dying a few times. Bosses, though, do need some tweaking because I typically killed them on the first attempt.
Combat is built around combining simple light and heavy attacks, each hit feeling meaty and impactful. A little screen shake, a pleasing sound effect and some nice effects really sell the blows and their strength. Joe can also toss out Kunai to help deal with ranged or flying foes, too. As you progress, you can purchase even more moves to add to your repertoire, turning Joe into a meat-grinder of the highest order, comboing moves together to tear through health bars.
Enemies have three different meters to track: health, armour and a special execution gauge. That last one is obviously the most unusual, letting you perform flashy insta-kills when it’s filled. Best of all, executions will affect every enemy on screen who has their meter filled, so with a bit of planning (or a lot of luck) you can wipe out a screenful in one go. It’s absurdly fun to pull off.
You’ve also got special Ninpo attacks thrown in for good measure, powered by eviscerating the many demons, ninjas, bird-people, flying horse heads and other foes who are unfortunate enough to get in the way of the human blending machine called Joe. These special Ninpo moves come in different flavours such as a flamethrower that’s good at dishing out regular damage, or something like a bomb which can rip through armour.
Finally, there’s a small selection of super special moves you can bust out, provided the slow-filling guage is maxed out. These powers fill the screen, ranging from fiery serpents that decimate everything to a beautiful healing goddess, which quickly became my go-to power for getting myself back in the fight.
Not all the powers are made equal, mind you. Both the specials and the Ninpo abilities have a few duds that don’t seem worth choosing. .
Considering how utterly gorgeous the art style is, I was a little disappointed how often the backgrounds were bland, such as corridors made out of cargo containers. It would be absurd to ask for every single second of the game to be filled with beautiful backgrounds, but I still felt like the game too often resorted to boring corridors.
Those moments are rare, though, and for the most part, Shinobi: The Art of Vengeance is visually tremendous. Lizard Cube’s art has been nothing short of amazing across their games, but this one might just take the cake. Heavy use of black ink and heavy brushstrokes help evoke a Japanese vibe that’s only fitting given the game, and that’s topped off by superb animations. You could easily freeze time at any given moment and be greeted by what looks like a painting. And Lizard Cube give us plenty of variety, too, from sandy deserts to creepy underground layers to neon cities.
There’s plenty of extra stuff to do in the game, because as you gain new abilities like the ninja claws or a shield-shattering attack, you can go back to old levels and unlock new areas to explore. There are tokens to discover which open up more things in the shop, special challenges that pit you against stronger foes, platforming challenges and more.
On top of that, there’s Arcade and Boss Rush modes to unlock as well. All in all, I’d say there’s around 15 hours of content here if you want to see and do absolutely everything, and considering the style of game and modest £25 price tag, that feels reasonable to me.
In Conclusion…
Lizard Cube have done it again. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance doesn’t quite dethrone Streets of Rage 4 as their crown jewel, but it’s a damn fine challenger — a katana-sharp platformer that proves the old ninja still has plenty of fight left in him. Joe Wusashi might grunt his way through a story thinner than a shoji screen, but when the controls feel this good, the art looks this stunning, and the soundtrack slaps this hard, who cares? Welcome back, Joe. Accountant name or not, you’re a legend.
