It’s been far too long, but Shinobi is back! After fourteen years in the wilderness, Joe Musashi has a new main series entry to showcase what he does best; running and jumping from left to right and killing mechanised ninjas with unstoppable style and grace. At this point, I could tease whether Lizardcube has been successful in rebooting one of Sega’s finest, but when a game is this good, it should be shouted about from the opening paragraph. And Shinobi: Art of Vengeance isn’t just good; it’s a masterclass in 2D platforming.
The ENE Corporation is up to no good, and has decided, as you do, to take over the world. The only obstacle in their path to global domination is the Shinobi Joe Musashi and his Ninja village. In a blistering opening chapter, the forces of ENE decimate Joe’s home, forcing the eponymous shinobi to go on a mission of vengeance; and for the player to have a very good time in the process.
First things first, you’ll notice that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance looks bloomin’ gorgeous. Lizardcube did an excellent job with the beautiful 2D visuals and slick animation of Streets of Rage 4, but with Shinobi, they’ve truly outdone themselves. The sumptuous movment of Joe himself is something to behold, as he darts across the screen, flipping over obstacles, unleashing a flame attack, all while his ninja garb billows in the breeze. Levels are cram-packed full of layered detail, with everything from spooky underground labs to stinky fish markets rendered with a visual flare that makes other 2D games green with envy. The character design is gorgeous too. Enemy monsters, mechs, mercs, and mutants have a distinctive and charismatic Bandes dessinées look that makes them a joy to hack apart.
Speaking of the hacking, all the visuals would matter little if the combat didn’t deliver, but thankfully, it absolutely does. Fighting is smooth, responsive, and bombastically satisfying. The only blemish in the other wise silky smooth skin of Joe Musashi is some pesky slow down that can sneak in when a whole load of explosions are kicking off on screen – hopefully an issue that can soon be remedied.
Each combat encounter is meticulously crafted, demanding that the player moves and thinks like a ninja, darting around the environment to take out vulnerable targets before focusing on bringing down bigger foes. Joe has a number of unlockable combos at his disposal, many of them bringing a welcome Dante-like juggle to proceedings, allowing you to knock enemies into the air before delivering a cavalcade of strikes and then seamlessly transitioning into one of the varied and visually explosive special attacks at your disposal. Ultimately, combat comes down to managing the space, separating enemies and fighting them on your terms, as it’s all too easy to be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers if you just button bash. Lizardcube places other demands on the player too, varying encounters by incorporating healers, snipers, and little things that take great delight in exploding in your face in order to keep things fresh. The challenge is furious but fair, pushing you to your limit and ensuring you earn your way to the boss.
Bosses are eminently memorable, each encounter testing different aspects of Joe’s ninja abilities. Be it using your newly acquired grappling hook to reach a flying foe or utilising your shield smashing abilities to break through a big bad’s defences, each bout has a reason for existing, rather than being stuck at the end of a level just for the sake of it. The bosses themselves are wonderfully distinctive too, from demons who attack you with the sword impaled in their own chest, to enormous screen smothering beasties, and a host of returning foes that are sure to please series stalwarts. Thankfully, every boss fight shares one consistent quality; they’re initially brutal, but once you’ve finally learned the attack patterns and incorporated your newest ability correctly, you can wipe the floor with your foe in seconds, leading to you feeling like a total super ninja bad ass.
Platforming is, as you would hope, precise and thrilling. Joe does double jumping, dashing, and wall climbing with easy abandon. Whilst it’s certainly challenging making your way past a cornucopia of traps, a suite of accessibility options makes the game doable for players of any ability. You can tinker with nearly every element of difficulty, even lowering the damage the traps cause so they are a mere annoyance rather than a game over causing insta-killer. But if you want unrelenting pain in your game, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has you covered. Each level can be returned to and further explored with your new abilities, we’re not talking to a labyrinthian metroidvania extent, but there’s certainly a host of secrets to be found off the beaten path.
My one small gripe? Once you’ve uncovered a secret, it remains highlighted on the map, causing confusion if your trying to one hundred percent each level. However, this frustration is eased by the smart decision to allow the place to fast travel to any save point at any time, preventing any irritation from running along the same corridors again and again to get to the bit you want to further explore. Some of these secrets are brutal combat encounters against specialist troops, whilst others offer the demanding platforming perfection last scene in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Many of these were out of reach of my abilities, but the few I did manage resulted in some darn cool new weapons, spells, and skills, each shaking up combat encounters and traversal in fun ways, so there’ll no doubt be many more treats for the skilful player to discover.
What’s the downside to all this brilliance? Well, there’s an undoubted brevity to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, you’ll see through the main story in six hours or so, depending on your ability level, and everything else in a few more. But when every minute of the experience is killer, with no filler, is that really such a problem?
