Side-scrolling platformers have always been a hit in almost every aspect, and knowing that SEGA’s Shinobi is getting a reboot sounds like a match made in heaven. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, which initially released in August 2025, has now made its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. Lizardcube has once again proved themselves to be one of the best developers at reviving dormant IPs that have been around for more than two decades. They started off with Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap in 2017, followed by Streets of Rage 4 in 2020, and now Shinobi: Art of Vengeance in 2025.
Our original “Let’s Play & Review” is here:
First and foremost, let’s get performance out of the way. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance runs buttery smooth at a stable 60fps in 1080p on handheld, and while I’m no Digital Foundry, it definitely looks like it’s running in 4K when docked. It is a major upgrade from the original Switch, not only is the entire presentation crisper, sharper, and more detailed, but playing at 60fps is always the way to go.
Right off the bat, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance features some of the most stylistic visuals anyone could imagine. Pair that with fluid combat and the endless satisfaction of landing an instant shinobi kill, and it just feels insanely good. Its hand-painted animations and visual effects play a huge part in making the gameplay shine. Unfortunately, the story is pretty straightforward: Joe Musashi once again faces a threat to his clan, with Lord Ruse masterminding a plan to destroy and take over the Oboro clan.
Everyone should immediately switch the in-game voice tracks to Japanese, as it delivers the rawest emotion of a shinobi and makes the playthrough far more satisfying. Many of the standard enemies feel repetitive, save for a few new varieties in the later stages, and while the bosses emit a massive antagonist aura, combat against them feels pretty mid, sadly. Players will spend anywhere between 15 to 30 hours with the game, depending on whether they are going for completion or purely following the narrative.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance packs a lot of creative stages and biomes. Moving from the initial Oboro Village to a submarine base, jumping immediately to a bright neon city, and then heading out into a barren desert shows just how far the art direction went to make this game aesthetically pleasing. Speaking of individual stages, what really shines through is the replayability.
Following traditional side-scrolling combat similar to Castlevania (though less Metroidvania-heavy), it rewards players for revisiting previous stages once they acquire new equipment to traverse further for nice rewards. Some parts of the map can be quite confusing at first, but acquiring new gear opens up optional areas (marked with a purple background on the map) and awards a few collectibles per stage. Players can also scour every stage to find the ENE Elite Squad, which rewards different special amulets upon defeat. Traversing each map can be challenging—especially if platforming isn’t your specialty, and it can sometimes feel like a frustrating challenge where every mistake sends you back to the start.
Joe Musashi is such a badass shinobi in this game. Every slice and dice feels powerful in the hands of the player, and if executed correctly, you can chain almost infinite combat
combos after staggering enemies. Joe’s finisher is one of the flashiest ultimate moves you’ll encounter in gaming, filling the entire screen with a roaring dragon of flames that eliminates every enemy in sight.
Lizardcube nails the art direction in every single way. Much like how Streets of Rage 4 captured the gritty brawl of the beat ’em up genre, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance makes Joe feel like water flowing with every player input. The game achieves a near-perfect score for an IP that has been sleeping for far too long. It pairs incredible replayability with satisfying combat and a great soundtrack, encapsulating an experience that old-school gamers will resonate with while welcoming new players as well.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is out now on the Nintendo Switch 2 following its initial release across other platforms in August 2025. Thank you SEGA for the review code.
