Seeing a new 2D Shinobi game so shortly after the new 2D Ninja Gaiden game wasn’t on my bingo card. While the previous sidescrollers in the series were simpler, more arcadey affairs (appropriate since the series started as an arcade game,) Shinobi: Art of Vengeance handles things differently. It handles things so differently that it doesn’t really feel much like a Shinobi game at all, which is simultaneously good and bad depending on who’s asking. But between its terrific visuals and extremely satisfying combat, the game is well worth playing despite some wonkiness with the hitboxes and frustrating design elements.
There’s a surprising amount of story here and all of the game’s dialogue is fully voiced by a good cast (that sadly can’t pronounce Musashi’s clan, the Oboro Clan, correctly.) A man named Ruse has stolen the powers of the Grim Reaper and is using them for his own ends, so it’s up to Jou Musashi (once again spelled “Joe” for non-Japanese audiences, even though that was never his name) to put a stop to him. If anything, there’s too much talking present, as I didn’t particularly care about what the game’s characters had to say (Musashi himself mercifully only communicates in grunts.)
If you’ve played Shinobi: Art of Vengeance‘s demo, then you already know that it’s a combination spectacle fighter, set in individual stages with lots of exploration potential. Musashi finds upgrades while exploring that grant him access to areas in earlier stages that he couldn’t get to before, so it’s fun to go back and grab things. The game makes this incredibly easy too, as you can freely warp to every checkpoint you activate. Collectibles found in the levels are used to unlock new items for purchase in the store, which include new moves and the like, so exploration is very much rewarded here.
The combat is Shinobi: Art of Vengeance‘s strongest suit. Musashi only has a sword and kunai, but the action feels fantastic and powerful. You have a lot of control over enemies, although you don’t have a great number of combos, so you’ll frequently be making use of the same ones. Personally, I tended to use a launcher, followed by aerial attacks, and then I’d kick enemies back to the ground which bounces them, opening up to a further juggle. Combos are mostly of the “press the heavy attack button after 1-4 light attacks for a different attack,” but the combat here feels intuitive and easy to grasp, even if the heavy attacks can feel a tad slow in certain instances.
Musashi also has access to a bunch of special attacks that use up a single cell, although I didn’t usually find the game demanding enough to use most of these. Musashi can jump, double jump, wall jump, dodge roll (which grants fewer i-frames than you might expect,) use a glider, and air dash. He’s very mobile here, which is a boon as Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has a lot of challenging platforming in it. It leans more into combat, but there’s a good mix here. Despite the fact that it’s probably less of a platformer than Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, the platforming is more difficult than it was in that game.
There’s a solid amount of enemy variety here as you’ll fight humans, demons, robots, and more while making your way through the game’s stages. The stages vary in verticality quite a bit, as some are mostly just a straight shot from left-to-right and others require a lot of moving upward to navigate some decently large spaces. Everything in the game from the characters to the level elements is represented by gorgeous vector art that you’d expect from developer, Lizardcube. Most levels culminate in boss battles which I thought were weirdly easy compared to the levels that precede them, as Musashi can absolutely tear most of them apart in short order.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance isn’t quite free from frustrations, however. Upon hitting environmental hazards, Musashi’s position is completely reset. The game features 10 challenge rifts that are needed to unlock a stronger sword. These often reset you to the beginning if you hit a single hazard, but this facet also rears its head during the occasional chase sequence in the levels where making a single mistake kills you. It’s an odd choice that makes the gameplay feel more obnoxious than need be. Adding on to that is the fact that some of the more demanding platforming sequences can be sloppily designed in spots.
This isn’t ever-present, but sometimes you’ll need to memorise what you’re meant to do to make it through, or you’ll have to take leaps of faith, since you can’t move the camera independently. There are some sections in challenge rifts where I struggled solely because I couldn’t see enough of the area to understand what I was even supposed to do. Then there’s the fact that the hitboxes on some of the hazards (the spikes in particular) are off. I’d find myself getting hit even though I was clearly not touching them. Granted, everything here is perfectly doable, but I also love Super Meat Boy, so take that how you will.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance took me about 12 hours to 100% and will probably take you about 9 or so if you just want to play through it once without tracking down every last upgrade or collectible. Once you beat the game, there’s an extra boss to fight (provided you’ve collected all the items needed to unlock it,) a boss rush, and an arcade setting for each of the main levels. These make it so you can’t teleport and must play the level from start to finish, all while being graded all the way up to an S rank. There’s no real reason to do this unless you just want to S rank everything or get all achievements, though. Sadly, there are no difficulty modifiers for if you’d like a harder game, meaning that you’ll have to do arcade levels with a maxed-out Musashi, which makes early fights giant pushovers.
I enjoyed my time with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. It has a good amount of content, wonderful visuals, and some really fun gameplay. If you’re hoping for something that reminds you of the classic Shinobi games, you won’t find it here, but if you like flashy combat and nimble platforming, alongside plenty of exploration, there’s a lot to like here provided the game’s frustrations don’t turn you away at the dojo door.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance: Gorgeous and packed with satisfying action and platforming, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a worthy addition to the series, even if it doesn't resemble previous games much at all. – Andrew Farrell
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