'Shinobi: Art of Vengeance' Is Stylistically In A Class All By Itself

Source: Lizardcube / Sega / Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Ninjas are once again dominating the video game space. But they all never looked as good as Joe Musashi does pulling off all those awesome ninjutsu moves in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.

For those who have been playing video games since the 80s (I just aged the hell out of myself), Shinobi has been a fixture in the gaming space since 1987, first slicing his way into arcades before heading to home consoles.

Zapping to the present day, Sega has handed the keys of the classic franchise to Lizardcube (Streets of Rage 4, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap), and they have delivered what could be one of the most visually impressive games of 2025 with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance immediately shot to the top of my list when it was first teased in 2023 during a supercut trailer released by Sega, highlighting all the classic IPs it was bringing back.

At Summer Game Fest Play Days, I was fortunate to get hands-on with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, and I can say without an inch of doubt in my soul, it was one of my favorite experiences at Play Days.

Being A Ninja Never Felt This Good

Source: Lizardcube / Sega / Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

I got to experience 30 minutes of the yet-to-be-released title in a two-stage demo. For full disclosure, I did not play the second level, which many other people who did play it describe as a combination of the game’s combat and platforming mechanics, due to another appointment.

Still, I managed to gather as much information as I needed about this game in the first level of the demo, which takes place at Oboro Village, the home of Joe and his clan, and serves as a reintroduction to Joe and his skill set.

You get a brief tease of the story, which features your typical villain, in this case, Lord Ruse—a super villain in all senses—who has taken control of the planet. It’s up to the legendary ninja to take him down.

Things go left, and a peaceful moment between Joe and his wife is interrupted when Lord Ruse’s ENE Corporation burns down Joe’s village, sending him on his quest for revenge.

In the initial stage, Joe is only armed with his legendary katana, Oborozuki, and kunai, but he does acquire several new skills as I breezed through the stage.

Joe Musashi Has A Powerful Skill Set

Source: Lizardcube / Sega / Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Controlling Joe is smooth as hell, pulling off moves feels rewarding every time, and the combo system allows players to chain attacks, allowing you to feel like a ninja like never before.

Also, the game is gorgeous, I caught myself saying damn during several moments of the demo, especially when using Joe’s Ninja and Ninjutsu stances which giving you access to powerful abilities.

Holding the shoulder button puts Joe into different stances, allowing him to execute more signature moves. You can stylishly take out staggered foes with the Shinobi Execution, which will bless you with additional rewards.

Joe can also blast a powerful fireball at enemies with a skill called Fire Ninpo. The Water Nimpo is an ability that is more defensive in nature, which puts a water shield around him, allowing him to parry incoming attacks.

Source: Lizardcube / Sega / Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Finally, when Joe hits the Ninjitsu stance, he can perform the Karyu, which is a devastating screen-clearing attack that engulfs all nearby enemies.

Overall Impressions

Source: Lizardcube / Sega / Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance isn’t a triple-A game, and won’t cost as much as one either, but it has the potential to be one of the best games of the year.

It’s a beautiful, hand-drawn experience that’s buttery smooth and breathes new life into a long-dormant franchise, and we’ve only experienced just a taste of this game.

In a world where games like Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the forthcoming Ninja Gaiden 4, and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound exist, Sega’s Shinobi: Art of Vengeance can stand out from the bunch because it has something those games don’t: STYLE.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance slashes its way onto PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on August 29.

1. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

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2. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

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3. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

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4. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

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5. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

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