Back as a young nerd living through the 90s, there was very little I thought was cooler than a ninja. These stealthy warriors from a land far away just oozed badass vibes, and any chance I had to play as one in a video game I took. Two of the most beloved ninja series from back then were Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi, and after a lengthy absence both of these classic action platformers have for some wonderful reason been rebooted in 2025 with about a month separating their releases. Today we’re focusing on Shinobi: Art of Vengeance though, which is the first Shinobi game since 2011 and also one of the best games of 2025.
Series protagonist Joe Musashi is happily living his life with his clan when this new game opens up, now with a beloved wife and baby on the way. This is all thrown into chaos though when the evil ENE corporation finally tracks his village down and destroys everything he holds dear. Now hellbent on the titular vengeance, it’s up to Joe to run straight into everywhere ENE operates and slice his way to their ruthless leader. The reason you’re slashing through hundreds of enemies isn’t really important though, it’s how good it feels that matters.
I’m not sure there has ever been melee combat in a 2D environment that feels as immaculate as it does in Shinobi: Age of Vengeance. It’s essentially a character action game but flatter, with a selection of moves you can unleash using your light and heavy attacks in different combinations. Some combos will deal more damage to armoured foes, some will build the execution meter faster so you can finish off an enemy with a flashy kill, and you’ll unlock more options to play around with as you progress through the game. With all sorts of different enemies to bring down and dangerous arenas to fight in, you’re constantly having to adapt on the fly to survive in intense battles, and it’s fun from the first slice of the katana to the last.
Part of what makes the flow of combat so wonderful in Art of Vengeance is your ability to dodge, which enables you to move from foe to foe with ease. The dodge is also context sensitive, so can be used to gracefully hop over smaller obstacles without the need to actively jump, and even over enemies. Plenty of combos utilise dodging too, making it almost as useful offensively as it is defensively.
Although your sword is the weapon you’ll use most when faced with robots, mutants and mighty warriors, it’s not your only tool in combat. Your Kunai are incredibly useful ranged weapons, which not only easily dispatch smaller enemies but are crucial in building up the execution meters of enemies. Filling this up will mean you can instantly teleport to and kill a foe, and more importantly cause your enemy explode in a shower of health and coins. In an ideal world you’ll be killing every enemy this way to maximise your cash, which you can use to buy new combos and abilities at shops.
As you progress through the game you’ll gain access to all sorts of special abilities to help you take down ENE, all of which are a joy to use. It wouldn’t be a Shinobi game without Ninjutsu arts, and by building up a meter (which doesn’t take long) you’ll be able to unleash fire breath, giant kunai, and electric strikes that’ll carve through health bars with ease. There are also even more powerful super moves that really turn the tide of battle, as well as amulets and gear that you can choose to suit your playstyle.
There’s more to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance than fighting though. Stages are sprawling environments that feature branching paths and routes you can’t access on your first time exploring. Despite not taking place in one open world the game sort of functions like a Metroidvania, with tons of collectibles to come back for once you get later abilities like the grapple or the downward slice that smashes certain floors. It’s just as compelling to backtrack here as it is in a full on Metroidvania, and you can even fast travel around stages to make exploring easier.
There’s so much to love in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, but nothing got my blood pumping quite like its brutal boss fights. I’m not sure I’ve ever played a game with more consistently exceptional bosses before, and every single one is both a joy and a nightmare to fight. With deep movesets to learn (that evolve further as you whittle their health down) I adored putting my all into every one of these encounters and eventually coming out on top.
Despite the combat being the star of the show, Art of Vengeance has more than a few other tricks up its sleeve. Chase sections will require you to perfectly dodge your way through deadly obstacles courses with maximum tension, and are always fun. There are also bonus stages between areas that see you doing things like riding a wolf at breakneck speed. I was grinning from ear to ear every time Shinobi threw something new at me, and that was probably every ten minutes or so.
Alongside everything else Shinobi: Art of Vengeance does right, it’s also absolutely gorgeous to look at. With a hand drawn style that the Lizardcube team are known for, this game just oozes style from the moment you hop into Joe’s shoes (or possibly boots). Both enemies and environments are wonderfully varied too, and I loved seeing what visual spectacles I’d find next at the fish market and the desert hideout.
I had such an incredible time with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, and it’s hard to think of many negative aspects of the game at all. Some later stages (one in particular) are rather maze-like, and even with a map I struggled to find my way a few times which was a little frustrating. Not everyone will gel with the fairly brutal difficulty either, although a plethora of options you can customise from enemy health to respawn location after death will help with that hugely.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an exceptional action platformer that I truly never wanted to end. Its combat is spectacular from the word go, and only improves as you unlock more combo and Ninjutsu options. The exploration is incredibly compelling too, and gives you a reason to backtrack to older stages. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another fourteen years for another Shinobi game, because I’d play more right now if I had the chance.
