SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance was announced earlier this year as the next entry in SEGA’s iconic franchise. Developed by Lizardcube, this highly anticipated 2D action-platformer launches on August 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.
I spent hands-on time with a demo during Summer Games Fest last month, and it was simply the best game I played at the show. With the release date right around the corner, here are more details on why this was an incredible experience and should be on your radar if you love action games.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance follows Oboro Clan Leader Joe Musashi as he sets out on a quest to avenge the lives of everyone impacted by a sudden attack from ENE Corporation. Led by Lord Ruse, this corrupt military organization turns Joe’s students into stone and obliterates his village before setting its sights on taking over the world. Being a man of few words, Joe must use all of his skills and the help of a mysterious ally to stop Lord Ruse’s reign of terror.
The demo opened with Joe spending a few moments with his wife before heading to class. On his way, he is greeted by his apprentice, who is eager to learn a new move. They are both then interrupted by enemies invading their village. At this point in the demo, I was introduced to the basic gameplay mechanics and was ready to step into action.
The controls are incredibly satisfying and easy for anyone who loves hacking and slashing their way through adversaries. Pressing the X button allows you to jump and double jump while in midair. Using the Square and Triangle buttons lets you perform light and heavy attacks, which can be combined for effective combos. Pressing R1 allows you to perform rolls, and you can throw Kunai by pressing the circle button. I used a PS5 controller throughout my entire session, and these mechanics are very similar regardless of which platform you play on.
As I continued playing through the demo, I explored both the Oboro Village and the Lantern Festival stages. I marveled at how impressive the platforming, level design, and 2D animated art style were presented. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as we all know how phenomenal Lizardcube is after their work on Streets of Rage 4. As you progress through the story, Joe can unlock new abilities and perform devastating shinobi execution kills after building up his attack and Kunai gauges. Traversing through the world is also a ton of fun and is aided by stone checkpoints that become your new starting points if you are killed in action. It’s also worth noting that encountering various types of enemies with different degrees of difficulty kept the overall experience interesting. You’ll notice this even more in the boss battles that require paying attention to attack patterns before responding with counterattacks of your own.
The demo also showed a quick glimpse of several of the bosses you’ll have to face that are part of Lord Ruse’s army. This very brief moment, which also served as Ruse’s formal face-to-face introduction within the storyline, got my adrenaline pumping and made me eager to take them all down. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too much longer to dive back in.
Even though my time was brief with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, I’ve seen and played enough to know this will be a certified banger. If you’ve been a fan since the series debuted in 1987, then now is the perfect time to strap in and get ready for a wild run. With a great developer at the helm and a suggested price of only $29.99 and even less at certain retailers, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal and experience than this. Stay tuned for more of my thoughts when the game drops late next month.
Are you looking forward to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance? Let us know in the comments section below.
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