Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Reviews
If you’re an old-school player with fond memories of the series, Art of Vengeance is cause for celebration—and if you’re new to it or simply a fan of action games, this is a title that delivers everything on a silver platter, wrapped in a style rarely seen today.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a very good choice for anyone who wants a fast-paced action game with plenty of exploration and platforming elements. It's not perfect, but it's fun and perfectly capable of keeping you interested in for the 9-10 hours or so that it lasts.
After Streets of Rage 4, I wasn’t sure bringing back another of the 16-bit classics would have quite the same impact, but I was wrong. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an incredibly fun action platformer, with fantastic combat design, enemy encounters, optional challenges, and the audio visual presentation to really make it sing. I’m done with the story but am already itching to get back and play the unlocked Arcade and Boss Rush modes, and whether you have nostalgia for the old days or not, this is quite simply one of the best games of the year, so get it played.
SEGA and Lizarcube have hit the nail on the head by bringing back the nostalgia of the early titles with the modern features demanded by new users of this type of game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a genuinely engaging 2D action platformer that’s beautiful to behold and even better to play
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a solid 2D action platformer with a few shortcomings that keep it from reaching its full potential.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a home run on the first pitch. It’s one of the most gorgeous, creative, and satisfying games of 2025 and has effortlessly clawed its way to becoming my frontrunner for Game of the Year.
I've found myself pretty dejected over just how little the levels capitalize on the strength of the basic action
This is Lizardcube’s finest work to date, and it further excites me for the rest of the dormant-franchise revivals Sega has planned. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance should serve as a blueprint for delivering a retro-facing experience of an absentee franchise while still leveraging modern technology and game design conventions.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance revitalizes a classic by combining excellent combat and platforming with a gorgeous art style, reaching new heights for the long-dormant series.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a fantastic experience from start to finish and a brilliant comeback for the classic franchise.
In reinventing the retro wheel, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance leads the way: a demonstration of how modern tools, accompanied by thought and talent, can be expanded upon to not just reboot franchises, but actually rebuild them in new and incredible ways. It's one thing to revisit an arcade action game with new graphics, moves, and weapons, cherry picking familiar set-pieces and nostalgic visuals; it's another entirely to create a new experience, utilising craftsmanship and a belief that the hardware can offer more.Art of Vengeance, its cadence and flow, its violence and exhilaration - and the fact it makes you feel like an absolute badass from one slain enemy to the next - is a trendsetter. Fix that frame rate, and it's pure ninja gold.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a whirlwind of combat and exploration: fast, fluid, and lethal. It forces you to learn and grow like a true ninja, with challenging confrontations and challenges. Its metroidvania-like level structure doesn't really play up these strengths, but it's the only thing that can be held against this triumphant return, for both fans of the classic franchise and newcomers.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A successful relaunch of the Shinobi franchise that doesn’t attempt to do anything startlingly new but instead makes do with being a very well-constructed action adventure.
Joe Musashi re-emerges from the shadows to reclaim his title as a shinobi master with a smash-hit game that combines the depth and speed of modern hack-and-slash gameplay with the progression and arcade structure of classic titles. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is one of the best 2D action games of 2025.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is the game that a legend like Joe Musashi deserves. Fast, frenetic and utterly absorbing, this is how you bring a long-dead series back to life. Lizardcube have set a new benchmark in 2D platforming and in the process have me salivating at the prospect of Sega franchises they could tackle next.
While I can't speak for this game in comparison to its 16-bit heyday, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a thrill that stands on its own. It's a total master class in combat depth, level design, and story moments that leave enough to the imagination without completely halting the action.
Art of Vengeance is a title capable of redefining what a 2D action platformer can offer today. Lizardcube succeeds once again, blending technique, style, and pacing with a mastery that captivates both longtime nostalgics and those approaching the Oboro Clan for the first time.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sure, the story is somewhat straightforward and there could be a touch more underling enemies to fight, but this in no way detracts from Lizardcube’s second successful revival of a classic Sega arcade series, one that takes the merits of the past and updates them to create an immensely tight modern 2D action-platformer.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is hard to fault. We can take or leave the story, the platforming is occasionally frustrating, and levels can outstay their welcome sometimes - but that's basically it. This is otherwise a brilliant 2D action platformer that looks gorgeous and plays even better thanks to kinetic, satisfying combat that feels superb when you get in the flow. If this is any indicator of SEGA's other upcoming franchise revivals, we're in for some good times ahead.