The era of the ninja is well and truly upon us with the return of Shinobi.

Following the excellent Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound just a few weeks back, now it’s SEGA’s turn to bring Joe Musashi back from a long rest and put him right in the thick of an epic struggle.

Coming to us from the fantastic Lizardcube who also reinvigorated Streets of Rage with an excellent fourquel, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance sports the same inspired hand-drawn look with vibrant colors, boatloads of action and a hard-hitting gameplay loop with a solid challenge. Just like it was back in the 80s.

As Shinobi, you are the master of many arts and enact your skills across a variety of levels of varying requirements, some with a Metroidvania feel, and others that are just straight up action. In that sense it follows the amazing work DotEmu and The Game Kitchen did with Ninja Gaiden, but there’s also some clear differences between these battle-hardened warriors.

Shinobi gives players options, from selecting the level you want, fulfilling and finalising it by gathering all its secrets, to equipping a wide range of gear through amulets, katanas and Ninpo that you gather across the course of the game.

Shinobi’s combat is also less free-flow than Ninja Gaiden, acting more like a Boomer Shooter where you have to defeat enemies in order to progress through certain areas with a variety of interesting combat moves, from light attack combos to aerial slashes, kunai bursts and even deadly executions that can instakill.

Equipping Ninpo also gives you the chance to use a customised loadout of specialised elemental attacks, with Thunder, Fire, and even bombs that can be powered up by fighting and killing multiple enemies to give yourself even more advantages in battle.

This is the perfect handheld game which makes it an amazing fit for Steam Deck or Switch, just like Ninja Gaiden, but where the gorgeous pixel art of Ninja Gaiden really wowed and feels perhaps more authentic to the vintage roots these games came from, the hand-drawn animations, cut-scenes, battles and environments are just something else entirely.

From reflections in puddles, to water splashing against the sides of the path, movement, flashing lights, and even stunning skies with rich lighting, this game is just stunning. An absolute watercolor masterpiece, overlayed in wondorous ways that helps it stand apart from almost everything else in the genre over the last ten years. It’s just beautiful and yet somehow still a beautiful homage to the legacy that began on Mega Drive.

This, coupled with an energetic, high-octane, pulse-pounding score that just rips and rocks through techno tracks, slower symphonies and even some bass-belting metal. It is just something else indeed from the moment you step foot into this world to when the credits roll. This score is something else!

Control responds to it as well with fast-paced, modernised and elegant flow with the game stabilising a rock solid frame rate throughout. The action, of course, being the highlight here as mentioned with all the variety and depth available to you  and the options to customise it as you see fit.

In some levels, the platforming also really kicks into gear as you move rapidly across far distances, climb up walls, dodge lasers and projectiles, crouch through crevices and dash to freedom. The action is sharp and pacy with some sections require a good combination of speed, precision and timing. All combined with the classic metroidvania formula and providing some excellent set-pieces. Shinobi is a gift that keeps on giving with each level having a substance and identity of its own.

You see a lot of this in the variety of enemies as well, each requiring different strategies, like some you need to attack from behind, some that take pot-shots at you from afar and some that deflect incoming air strikes with pulsing electric strikes. The enemies mock you too, throwing out cocky sound bites that make you want to smash them down all the more and really grind your gears when you can’t quite put them down.

Then there’s the bosses that really test your limits with brute strength, powerful strikes

It’s not exactly the best of stories – it doesn’t need to be – but it absolutely follows the bizarre nature of its predecessors with Joe attempting to avenge his clan that have been wiped out and facing down death itself. This game’s feature points are its combat and action and that’s exactly as it needs to be. There’s a brutality to the sections, continuous retry after retry as you try to make the slightest leap, or avoid a constant threat.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance just gets it. It’s classic SEGA in every sense of the word, but it’s also very much a new entity that reinvigorates and breathes life into a series that has been dormant for far too long. It’s precisely the way Shinobi needed to make a comeback and has the right blend of substance and depth that keeps it relevant across its action-packed duration. Don’t sleep on this one!

Verdict

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an absolute masterclass of platforming and action that pays beautiful homage to the series roots while also laying many of its own. From fantastic set-piece action, to enjoyable, varied combat and lots of hidden secrets to keep you coming back. With a stunning art style, gripping score and right amount of difficulty, LizardCube just understand what it takes to bring these classic franchises back for modern audiences. SEGA are truly back with a vengeance and have given us a must-play, whether you know Shinobi well or have never met before.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is out now on PC, PS, Switch and Xbox.

Played on PC / Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch

Code kindly provided by SEGA for review purposes