Shinobi Art of Vengeance confidently retools a 2D platforming Sega classic
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is on track to be one of the biggest smaller scale surprises of the year, getting Sega's classic franchise revival project off to a strong start.
Art of Vengeance is successfully reinventing the Shinobi series for a new generation, complimenting its gorgeous hand-drawn art style with tight combat and platforming.
As soon as I heard that Lizardcube – one of the studios responsible for the mind-bogglingly excellent Streets of Rage 4 – was behind Sega 's upcoming Shinobi reboot, I knew we were in safe hands. Cut to trailers and gameplay slices demonstrating the same beautiful hand-drawn art style shared between both games that I expected. What I didn't expect, however, was that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance would turn out to be one of the tightest-handling 2D action-platformers since at least Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown last year – no small feat!
In several ways, Lizardcube's new take feels like a far cry from the classic Sega Mega Drive game I remember. While in others, more flexible combat mixes with snappier platforming and bombastic special attacks to render Art of Vengeance easily the most ambitious Shinobi instalment ever.
My 45-minute demo of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance dropped me in right at the start of the game, with me donning the guise of protagonist Joe Musashi, who shortly after returning to his village has found it under attack by outside military forces. Believe me when I say that absolutely no knowledge of prior Shinobi adventures is needed to enjoy Art of Vengeance.
It's a statement I feel confident making since the stakes for Musashi's titular thirst for revenge are appropriately set almost immediately, as I rush through to save students at the local ninja school by learning how to roll, dodge, and air dash alongside traditional light and heavy attacks.
What initially impressed me most was how quick and natural it felt to battle reams of baddies. What with solid and slick beat-em-up chops already under its belt, Lizardcube has done just as good of a job making pulling off combos in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance equally as impactful.
Rolling into the air and landing a punch from above simply flows a lot smoother in a way that past Shinobi games could only ever dream of, and this was evidenced nearly right away in the opening stage of Oboro Village. I was pleased to see the franchise's trademark Kunai weapon also return, and it worked well to help me maintain my combo whenever rolling wasn't possible by letting me damage enemies located across the screen.
What became clear the deeper I delved into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, in addition to its gorgeous, comic book inspired art style of course, was how much of a Metroidvania it's turned out to be structurally.
The two levels I got to play through as part of my demo were linear in the sense that they had a start, middle, and end, true, but both were absolutely littered with secret areas (often containing precious Oboro relics) that are made purposefully awkward to get to. It makes mastering Musashi's core platforming skills a must, since relics are the only way to unlock and purchase new movement and combat abilities from the travelling vendor.
READ MORE: PlayStation State of Play June 2025 start time and how to watch the 40 minutes of major reveals
Mark of the ninja
All these extra powerful attacks and manoeuvres I was able to put to the test in the second stage of the preview, Lantern Festival, which I played in Arcade Mode free of any usual story disruptions. Easily my favourite was what's called the Shinobi execution, where after hitting an enemy's health down low enough a symbol appears above there head, indicating that they can be taken out Shinobi style instantly.
These types of execution can be chained across the screen from foe to foe, too, meaning if you hit enough people's health low enough, Musashi will dart across the screen slashing endlessly to take rivals down in one fell swoop. For a 2D action-platformer it feels wildly spectacular and cinematic.
Complimenting your move set further are what's called Ninpo, which as far as I can tell serve as elemental special attacks tied to a rechargeable meter. The first introduced centres on fire and is a good way to deal a great deal of damage in a short distance out front.
The second based on water, meanwhile, I couldn't quite work out, but temporarily surrounding Musashi in a bubble seems to indicate a type of protective effect. Regardless, the takeaway here should be that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is no slouch in the combat or traversal department, since there are multiple ways to roleplay as ninja master.
Just like a ninja master, I was pleased to learn how the platforming side of this action-platformer can still often be quite the challenge – particularly when trying to navigate optional areas. There's nothing especially difficult about hitting switches to reveal new pathways, of course, but getting there sometimes takes a lot of precision when it comes to timing wall jumps, wall slides, and air dashes.
The latter is a manoeuvre that can be boosted and sustained in specific instances where there is a green energy source in the air, and I'm not ashamed to admit how tough I found it to get out of one of these tricky scenarios. Were I not against the clock for the preview I'm sure I would have found the exit solution. For now, though, just know that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance's best secrets are well tucked away and require a bit of platforming skill to reach.
I came away from my Shinobi: Art of Vengeance demo impressed by just how much Lizardcube's take is less iteration and more evolution. Similar to its work on Streets of Rage 4, the studio has taken the core of what made the original games great and build upon this solid foundation for an all-new generation using an expressive art style, flexible combat, and some supremely tight platforming.
Better yet? Between new unlockable moves and the score-centric Arcade Mode, there's so much about Art of Vengeance I wasn't able to glean in just 45 minutes of playtime. If this truly is the first of Sega's new wave of reinvented classic franchises, it's certainly off to a strong start.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeanceis set to launch on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo consoles this August 29, 2025.
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Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Shinobi Art of Vengeance confidently retools a 2D platforming Sega classic
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is on track to be one of the biggest smaller scale surprises of the year, getting Sega's classic franchise revival project off to a strong start. Art of Vengeance is successfully reinventing the Shinobi series for a new generation, complimenting its gorgeous hand-drawn art style with tight combat and platforming. As soon as I heard that Lizardcube – one of the studios responsible for the mind-bogglingly excellent Streets of Rage 4 – was behind Sega 's upcoming Shinobi reboot, I knew we were in safe hands. Cut to trailers and gameplay slices demonstrating the same beautiful hand-drawn art style shared between both games that I expected. What I didn't expect, however, was that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance would turn out to be one of the tightest-handling 2D action-platformers since at least Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown last year – no small feat! In several ways, Lizardcube's new take feels like a far cry from the classic Sega Mega Drive game I remember. While in others, more flexible combat mixes with snappier platforming and bombastic special attacks to render Art of Vengeance easily the most ambitious Shinobi instalment ever. My 45-minute demo of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance dropped me in right at the start of the game, with me donning the guise of protagonist Joe Musashi, who shortly after returning to his village has found it under attack by outside military forces. Believe me when I say that absolutely no knowledge of prior Shinobi adventures is needed to enjoy Art of Vengeance. It's a statement I feel confident making since the stakes for Musashi's titular thirst for revenge are appropriately set almost immediately, as I rush through to save students at the local ninja school by learning how to roll, dodge, and air dash alongside traditional light and heavy attacks. What initially impressed me most was how quick and natural it felt to battle reams of baddies. What with solid and slick beat-em-up chops already under its belt, Lizardcube has done just as good of a job making pulling off combos in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance equally as impactful. Rolling into the air and landing a punch from above simply flows a lot smoother in a way that past Shinobi games could only ever dream of, and this was evidenced nearly right away in the opening stage of Oboro Village. I was pleased to see the franchise's trademark Kunai weapon also return, and it worked well to help me maintain my combo whenever rolling wasn't possible by letting me damage enemies located across the screen. What became clear the deeper I delved into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, in addition to its gorgeous, comic book inspired art style of course, was how much of a Metroidvania it's turned out to be structurally. The two levels I got to play through as part of my demo were linear in the sense that they had a start, middle, and end, true, but both were absolutely littered with secret areas (often containing precious Oboro relics) that are made purposefully awkward to get to. It makes mastering Musashi's core platforming skills a must, since relics are the only way to unlock and purchase new movement and combat abilities from the travelling vendor. READ MORE: PlayStation State of Play June 2025 start time and how to watch the 40 minutes of major reveals Mark of the ninja All these extra powerful attacks and manoeuvres I was able to put to the test in the second stage of the preview, Lantern Festival, which I played in Arcade Mode free of any usual story disruptions. Easily my favourite was what's called the Shinobi execution, where after hitting an enemy's health down low enough a symbol appears above there head, indicating that they can be taken out Shinobi style instantly. These types of execution can be chained across the screen from foe to foe, too, meaning if you hit enough people's health low enough, Musashi will dart across the screen slashing endlessly to take rivals down in one fell swoop. For a 2D action-platformer it feels wildly spectacular and cinematic. Complimenting your move set further are what's called Ninpo, which as far as I can tell serve as elemental special attacks tied to a rechargeable meter. The first introduced centres on fire and is a good way to deal a great deal of damage in a short distance out front. The second based on water, meanwhile, I couldn't quite work out, but temporarily surrounding Musashi in a bubble seems to indicate a type of protective effect. Regardless, the takeaway here should be that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is no slouch in the combat or traversal department, since there are multiple ways to roleplay as ninja master. Just like a ninja master, I was pleased to learn how the platforming side of this action-platformer can still often be quite the challenge – particularly when trying to navigate optional areas. There's nothing especially difficult about hitting switches to reveal new pathways, of course, but getting there sometimes takes a lot of precision when it comes to timing wall jumps, wall slides, and air dashes. The latter is a manoeuvre that can be boosted and sustained in specific instances where there is a green energy source in the air, and I'm not ashamed to admit how tough I found it to get out of one of these tricky scenarios. Were I not against the clock for the preview I'm sure I would have found the exit solution. For now, though, just know that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance's best secrets are well tucked away and require a bit of platforming skill to reach. I came away from my Shinobi: Art of Vengeance demo impressed by just how much Lizardcube's take is less iteration and more evolution. Similar to its work on Streets of Rage 4, the studio has taken the core of what made the original games great and build upon this solid foundation for an all-new generation using an expressive art style, flexible combat, and some supremely tight platforming. Better yet? Between new unlockable moves and the score-centric Arcade Mode, there's so much about Art of Vengeance I wasn't able to glean in just 45 minutes of playtime. If this truly is the first of Sega's new wave of reinvented classic franchises, it's certainly off to a strong start. Shinobi: Art of Vengeanceis set to launch on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo consoles this August 29, 2025.
The Courier
26-05-2025
- The Courier
The best games from Dundee's ZX Spectrum in 1990 - as beloved Speccy entered 'twilight era'
The end was nigh for Dundee's ZX Spectrum in 1990. The home computer produced by Dundee Timex workers was nearing the end of its commercial life after Sega and Nintendo burst on to the scene. Did it go out with a whimper? The Spectrum of Adventure author Tom Christie says there was still gas in the tank. 'By now, programmers had learned how to squeeze every scintilla of power out of the machine's creaking processor, and it seemed hard to believe that any original games were still to arrive for the famous system at this late stage,' he said. 'And yet, somehow, game designers were still able to come up with the goods. 'While the ZX Spectrum may no longer have been cutting-edge, it could still boast a vibrant, highly creative, and community-driven gaming scene, with a dedicated fan base across the UK and beyond. 'This was something of a twilight era for these early computers, but the gaming scene remained active and imaginative, with some surprisingly inventive games.' Tom has chosen 10 classic games to arrive on the platform in 1990. These include the popular SimCity and the brilliant Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge. How many of these games can you remember? Turrican was one of the most hotly-awaited titles of 1990. The shoot 'em up released by Rainbow Arts won big with magazine awards. It involved blasting through five alien environments. 'The game boasted huge levels which invited players to go exploring rather than encouraging them to complete each stage in a linear way,' said Tom. 'The mutant warrior hero was robust enough to handle anything thrown at him.' The tagline was: 'Never forget: shoot or die'. Crash magazine described Turrican as 'one of the best Speccy games seen this year'. The long-running Sim series all started here with SimCity. Tom said: 'It's easy to forget that this game appeared on the Spectrum in a hugely ambitious port released by French company Infogrames. 'All of the classic options were there. 'As mayor, the player had to balance their communities between different zones, while having to keep citizens happy with reliable services. 'The game was just as addictive on the Speccy as it would be on other platforms.' The city management game cost £9.99 on release. Your Sinclair's magazine review stated that the game was 'beautifully simple in concept and hangs together perfectly.' Tom said Activision produced something quite original with Time Machine. The player takes on the role of an eccentric scientist who must 'manipulate history' through five different time zones. Tom said: 'Professor Potts is cast adrift in time, and his every decision can have vast implications – for instance, failure to safeguard a species of clever little mammals will mean that the human race never comes to evolve. 'The game certainly wowed the reviewers of the time, with Sinclair User noting that Time Machine was an absorbing and innovative game. 'It also highlighted its excellent mono graphics.' The game cost £9.99 on release. Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge was a highly playable racing game. There was even a two-player head-to-head mode to race against a friend. Tom said: 'It was a big hit on later systems so Spectrum owners may well have been surprised by how well the game translated to their computer. 'Gremlin Graphics were long-time veterans of the Speccy. 'The third-person perspective works well with smooth gameplay throughout. 'The racing retains the excitement of the game's more powerful versions.' Crash magazine said it was 'one of the best two-player car simulations around.' This puzzle game was heavily hyped by publisher US Gold. Tom said the game played 'like an inspired cross between Thrust and Asteroids'. He said: 'The player has control of a spaceship which must nudge spheres – each of them containing a shape – into each other with force and momentum. 'If the spheres contain identical shapes, they will disappear on impact, but if the shapes are different then smaller spheres will be produced which must also be dealt with. 'It may sound simple, but in execution it could be maddeningly difficult to master.' Crash magazine described E-Motion as 'frustratingly addictive'. And now for something completely different… Were you a fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus? Tom said: 'One of the most surprising game licenses of 1990 was an adaptation of the surreal 1960s sketch show that immortalised the dead parrot. 'Published by Virgin Software, the game was based on Terry Gilliam's bizarre animations – only now repurposed as a sideways-scrolling shoot 'em up.' Reviewers were as impressed as they were mystified. Sinclair User commented: 'There's enough gameplay to keep you engrossed even if you don't know what the hell's going on.' The Spectrum tape included a free Mr Gumby badge. Gremlin Graphics' famous mascot Monty Mole was back in 1990. This was the sixth title in the series. Monty was given a Hollywood-style makeover in this superhero-inspired platformer. He was faced with five different alien environments to tackle. The hapless mole had been called upon to save an alien planet from disaster. Hidden rooms were craftily positioned on each level. Sinclair User said: 'It offers a stiff challenge, full of colourful graphics.' Super Off-Road went down well with gamers at the time of its release. The game was published by Virgin Games. It was endorsed by professional off-road racer Ivan Stewart. Tom said: 'The arcade original had been a brightly-coloured affair. 'Meanwhile, the Spectrum version was monochromatic, making it occasionally difficult for players to keep track of their car. 'That said, the game was never less than fast-moving or addictive.' Your Sinclair agreed. They said it was 'the best super sprint-type game ever seen on the Speccy'. The Last Ninja series had a huge fan following on the 8-bit systems. Tom said System 3 Software produced something special with this Remix edition which was an updated version of Last Ninja 2 from 1988. He said: 'Using an isometric view, the player can employ ninja fighting skills against enemies, improvising weapons and gathering useful items as they go. 'With brilliant stylised backdrops and an atmospheric playing environment, this was a real treat to explore.' Crash said the game was a clever arcade adventure with appealing graphics. Rainbow Islands was a classic platform game. Players could fire rainbows that had multiple uses: to act as weapons, create makeshift platforms, or collect items to increase their score. Tom said: 'Arguably one of the most perfect arcade conversions ever released, Rainbow Islands first hit the coin-ops in 1987. 'Ocean Software brought it to the Speccy in 1990. 'The Spectrum version retained the large, colourful sprites of the original, along with flawless scrolling and excellent in-game music. 'The expansive multi-level worlds also carried over from the arcade version.' The game won several awards from the trade press at the time. 'Rainbow Islands was the kind of game that saved the best for last,' Tom said. 'It showed that the revered Speccy still had life left in it even at this late stage, which is why – even all these years down the line – retro gamers are still enjoying these titles.'
The Sun
12-05-2025
- The Sun
Brits urged to look in lofts for 7 retro video games that could make you a small fortune – a Nintendo set is worth £4k
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