Shinobi Art of Vengeance Review, Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Shinobi Art of Vengeance from developer Lizardcube is a reboot of a series with a rich history dating back to arcades in the late-80s. 

True to its long history, Art of Vengeance goes deep on 2D action platformer gameplay with a rich, colorful presentation to boot.

Of course, the 2D sidescroller has evolved greatly since Shinobi's heyday, and especially so since Shinobi 3D on handheld systems in 2011. 

How it juggles modernizations and marries them to the tried-and-true gameplay will dictate whether this is another blip before a hiatus, or something like a master returning to their rightful spot at the top. 

Graphics and Gameplay

One thing Art of Vengeance won't do is disappoint onlookers of even the non-gamer variety. 

Art of Vengeance's shocking hand-drawn art style is impressive in screenshots and downright jaw-dropping in motion. It's an embarrassment of riches in terms of contrasting colors, flashy effects, and varied locations that is never not interesting. 

The game leverages this style beyond the basic levels, too, as backgrounds with stunning depth stretch far beyond the playable area. There are 2D fighting games with fun backgrounds that can distract, then this. 

Accompanying the engrossing visuals is an incredible soundtrack, this a wild tandem of electronics and folksy instruments. The necessary combat sound effects give off an arcade vibe that fits, too. 

Controls are fluid and the character weighty as the player pulls off double jumps, dashes, wall-running and rolls. Even swapping into different combat stances with a trigger pull is a breeze and second nature in no time. 

Exploration is always encouraged, as this effort in the series leans more into a Metroidvania-style experience in which new ways open up along older paths at times. This is not always a basic left-to-right side-scroller in the traditional sense, which is a good thing.

Similarly, looking in every nook and cranny has benefits in a very real sense thanks to hidden amulets that upgrade abilities and otherwise. Finding other items means fresh unlocks in the shops. 

In combat, players initially get a Sword and kunai, with "Ninpo" magical skills rolled out over time, too. Leveraging and weaving movement into combat while recognizing and adjusting to enemy attack patterns is both a must and good time. 

Tagging an enemy can lead to a flashy execution that defeats all tagged enemies at the same time. The game practically begs players to do so, too, as more foes executed at once in a combo reaps more rewards. 

There's some unexpected buildcrafting to the combat, too. Ninpo, amulets and other features have differing qualities and traits, meaning some are more effective than others against certain types of enemies. Mixing and matching is a minigame in of itself that puts more control in the hands of players and adds some replayability, too.

Those amulets can offer combo or passive benefits, too, so a set-and-forget bonus is one way to go about things. But drumming up even bigger combos in the right situations could be the difference in besting an encounter. 

Adding it all up, combat has more depth than a screenshot or video can illustrate all that well. Different stances, effects, staggers, combo and gauge management, and quite a bit more add layers of strategy. Sure, just hack and slash can work for a time, but the depth is impressive. 

Story and More

Art of Vengeance won't do much to shock players in the narrative department. 

The short of it? Evil, big-bad corporation disrupts village, with the big bad even named Lord Ruse. Joe Musashi must go on an avenging quest for said villagers frozen in place after being turned to stone, among other fun, expected story beats. 

Story set pieces and levels can end in a boss battle. Those fights feel narratively smooth and memorable while also providing a fun challenge. They demand a player learn attack patterns and properly time engagements, all after dissecting the necessary strategy before entering the fight. 

A simplistic currency system carries along the game's progression. Spending hard-earned coin leads to unlocking new tools for traversal, combat moves and, of course, general upgrades. 

Art of Vengeance also features an Arcade mode, where players can enter previously completed levels and attempt a time trial of sorts. 

As should be expected in 2025 for the genre, the game runs well and offers up the usual suspects in the options menus to good effect. 

Conclusion

Modern-yet-old-school, Art of Vengeance is a welcome addition to the long line of engrossing 2D action titles over the last decade or so. 

Beyond the must-have evolution to match modern times for the series, perhaps most impressive for Art of Vengeance is the sheer depth to the systems in place. And that's not meant to undersell just how smooth and fun the moment-to-moment gameplay is. 

If nothing else, it's nice to see that a heavyweight can return after a long hiatus and climb right back to near the top of the pile. In an era of big gaming backlogs, subscription services and an embarrassment of riches for this particular genre, Art of Vengeance still deserves must-play status, which is quite the feat in 2025.