Shinobi: Art of Vengeance — Summer Game Fest Hands-On Preview

I grew up on Shinobi.  I’m talking “wow, is that Spider-Man?” copyright-infringing early arcade days Shinobi.  The ninja got right with the law and then found life on a variety of consoles, coming to define some of the very best ninjitsu movements in a videogame time and again.  Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi was one of the reasons I bought a Sega Genesis.  Sure, Phantasy Star and Shining Force were my addiction, but when I wanted fast paced ninja action, there was nothing better.  I played Nightshade, The Revenge of Shinobi, Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master, and pretty much everything in between, but Joe Musashi has been employing ninjitsu to stay hidden since the aforementioned Nightshade, minus coming up for a quick mission on the 3DS.  You can imagine my surprise when Sega invited me to sit down and try Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. This game was nominated for Best of Show – let’s talk about why.

It was immediately apparent the visual look and feel LizardCube was trying to evoke – a hand-drawn almost sticker-style comic book in motion.  Given that this is the team behind the well-received Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, this comes as no surprise. Infused with the best parts of that signature classic Sega look, the game looks like a fantastic blend of 2D hand-drawn manga and clean parallax backgrounds.  Just watching Joe run through the mist reveals a shocking amount of subtle animation in Joe’s gi, rippling and flapping as he executes high-speed attacks on his foes.  I might be dating myself here, but Joe and some of his foes take on a lanky almost Aeon Flux-like appearance.  When you tackle a boss, you’ll be treated with gorgeous and even more detailed close-up cinematics.  Coupled with a buttery smooth 60fps at 4K and this game is a real looker. 

The demo featured two playable stages that offered a cross-section look at the game’s combat, platforming, and presentation. The first level re-introduced Joe and his role as the head of the Oboro clan.  While teaching a student, Tomoe, the school is attacked by a man named Lord Ruse and his paramilitary organization ENE Corp.  His troops are as relentless as they are cruel, and fearing the Oboro Clan, he uses his troops to launch an all out assault to eliminate them. With his clan and family at risk, it’s time to go to war. 

I was immediately locked in.  The combat is frenetic and smooth, easy to pick-up-and-play, but a challenge to master.  Joe has light and heavy attacks, as well as ninjitsu, a dash, a jump, and more. You can button mash your way through fights, but if you take a moment to learn the rhythm of combat, you’ll very quickly feel like a ninja yourself.  Chained attacks, precision dodges, and ninjitsu combine with a handful of finishing attacks that has Joe taking out scores of foes in spectacular fashion.  Better still, there’s now a rechargeable attack system tied to elemental Ninpo.  

Standard attacks flow effortlessly into each other. Light slashes combo into heavier finishers.  As you stun and strike enemies without being hit, you build stylish combos that culminate elemental attacks. These remind me of move sets from games like Hades, but here you have far more granular control over how Joe’s attacks evolve.  During the demo I unlocked a familiar fire wheel attack, as well as a lightning-based counter attack that triggered if I pulled off a perfect dodge.  Rather than unleashing these constantly, you’ll need to build them up and use them tactically.  These can be augmented with various amulets you’ll uncover to tailor your attacks to match your particular playstyle.  I’m all about setting the world on fire, and the game was more than happy to let me do that.  Being able to eventually master the controls to take to the air, cut down foe after foe, leaping off of them using combinations and never once touching the ground was as satisfying as it was cool.  

Beyond your finishers, you’ll also utilize Ninpo.  Ninpo, better known as Ninjitsu, are room-clearing super attacks, like the ninja magic in earlier Shinobi games.  These don’t seem to regenerate until the level is cleared, but they can certainly turn the tide in the case of an emergency.   

Eventually I came face to face with a boss, the first of which being a massive fire-coated ape-like creature.  It was certainly a skill check, testing if I’d learned how to move effectively, dodge perfectly, break shields, and utilize my weapons and skills at just the right time.  Reading their patterns and reacting will be crucial to success – this is not a button masher.  

The second level revealed more of the traversal mechanics of the game.  I was able to use double jumps, air dashes, dive kicks, grappling, wall-runs and climbs, and every other trick in the book to work through branching paths and unlockable abilities that allow for revisiting areas.  While the game is still fundamentally a level-based, stage-oriented action platformer, the additional verticality, hidden platforms, and alternate routes showcased how revisiting areas is going can be rewarding.  It may not be one large map, but I did have immediate Dead Cells vibes, and that’s very high praise indeed.  

From the slick traversal, layered and deep platforming, the gorgeous presentation, the absolutely STELLAR soundtrack, and the high challenge, it’s clear that Sega and developer LizardCube have an absolutely stellar action platformer on their hands.  Whether you're a returning Shinobi fan or new to the series, this is one to watch.  Best of all, you won’t have to wait very long – the game launches on August 29, 2025, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, and PC via Steam. The standard edition will retail for $29.99, with a Deluxe Edition priced at $39.99, which includes additional costumes, a digital artbook, and early access to a bonus challenge mode.

Keep it locked here at GamingTrend.com for all of our hands-on time at SGF and all the Shinobi news leading up to launch.