SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is the latest installment in the legendary SHINOBI series, combining classic platforming and hacking action with modern design. Players take on the role of ninja Joe Musashi, who seeks justice after his village is destroyed by unknown enemies. The game features hand-drawn graphics, diverse environments, intense combat, and a variety of bosses to challenge your skills. With upgrades, unlockable abilities, and secret areas to discover, it offers a lot of replay value. Combined with dynamic soundtracks and a balanced gameplay length, Art of Vengeance stands out as one of the strongest SHINOBI games to date.

Story and Setting

In SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, you play as Joe Musashi, who finds his village burned down by unknown enemies. From there, you’re focused on finding out who did it, while also narrowing down the best way to bring them to justice. This isn’t easy to achieve, as there are a variety of enemies and levels that present varying levels of challenge.

Shop, Gear and Upgrades

One of the great things about SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is that the game has a shop full of ninja gear, secrets, and upgrades. On top of that, you have new powers and all sorts of things to check out.

Skills and Unlockable Areas

So, even as you get deeper into the game, you’ll find yourself learning new skills, accessing new areas, and so on. I love that new skills can unlock areas that were previously inaccessible. This gives you a new reason to keep going back to the level and get a perfect score.

Secret Combat and Exploration

I also appreciate how they’ve integrated secret and elite combat into the levels. You can’t reach everything the first time, but eventually you gain the power to access them, and it becomes more rewarding and always enjoyable.

Art Style and Visual Design

For me, the highlight of SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is its art style. It’s hand-drawn and visually stunning, which makes the levels feel real. It’s amazing to travel through submarine bases, fish markets, mountains, neon cities, and the different locations given within the game.

Enemy Variety and Level-Specific Items

Of course, they usually come with specific enemy types for each level. Yes, when it comes to enemies, there are always a variety of items/things that are unique to the level, such as ropes and explosive barrels. I think this gives the game a unique feel while keeping things very interesting and enjoyable.

Music and Sound Design

Additionally, they did a great job with the music and sounds in the game. The overall sound is accurate and makes you feel like a ninja when attacking enemies. The OST of this game is also amazing, and each level has its own unique sound track. I particularly appreciate the boss battle soundtracks, but the music chosen for each level is heart-pounding and fun to listen to.

Boss Battles and Difficulty

Speaking of bosses, there are plenty of them scattered throughout the stages. There are small bosses that you can fight occasionally, but there is also a final boss that you have to face. While I personally found most of them difficult, the difficulty level is not always high. So, if you learn their attack patterns and how to dodge them and avoid their attacks, you should be able to beat them first, but sometimes it takes a little longer.

Combat Mechanics and Special Attacks

Combat is the most engaging part of the SHINOBI games, and Art of Vengeance takes it to the next level. You can get various skills and upgrades through the shop or after fighting larger enemies. There are also special attacks, so there is no shortage of ways to deal with your enemies. My personal favorite was the kunai, because you can kill enemies from a distance, which is especially useful when chasing or fighting aerial enemies.

It’s great that you can have up to 4 powerful moves and unleash them on your enemies, because you can always attack. Some enemies are protected, so these are essential, especially when you have so many enemies that you need to win. It’s all really fun, because you get to fight your enemies and feel a lot of satisfaction when you finally kill them.

Challenge, Combos, and Game Length

It’s definitely a challenge to keep up a long combo and not die, but it’s really nice to see high combos and survive. They’ve done an exceptional job of making the game’s levels not too long, not too short. Instead, the length feels just right, and you can play the levels, breathe fresh air, and come back with a fresh, new perspective.

The Good Side

• Unique game world, great visual style
• Very tactical yet satisfying combat
• Lots of challenging, hard platforming sections
• Dedicated arcade mode adds replay value

The Bad Side

• Narrative is bland and often out of your way
• Some sections artificially increase the difficulty

Conclusion

After Ninja Raiden Ragebound, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance continues to offer a great ninja platformer. However, SHINOBI stands out with its modern, hand-drawn art style, more tactical combat system, and long levels. There’s still a nice bit of mystery and collectibles to be found. The action is great, and they never shy away from challenging bosses.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance successfully brings the SHINOBI series into the 2020s, and in my opinion, it’s one of the best. Tons of action, lots of bosses, the combat system is amazing, and the visual style is extraordinary. I’ve become a huge fan of this game and I’m currently playing every level.

This is a game that, even after you’ve finished it, you’ll always want to come back to find the collectibles and secrets you missed. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is a must-play for platformers, but it’s also a good introduction to the genre for newcomers.

Review keys provided by the publisher.