The first time I played Shinobi was in 1998. I was at my friend James' house, and we were playing Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master on the Genesis/Mega Drive. It was at a time when I loved everything about Ninjas (I was 8, alright, and I watched a lot of TMNT). I dreamed of diving from rooftops and hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike enemies like the whispering wind, so getting to control a Ninja on the TV and wielding Kunai and a katana felt like the next best thing.
If you had told me that almost 3 decades later, I would be partnering with SEGA to write about Shinobi's return on next-gen consoles, I would have probably laughed and carried on cutting down enemies to avoid starting the level again. But here we are in 2025 with a brand new Shinobi game, 'SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance', dropping on all major consoles!
It's been 14 years since we've had a Shinobi game, with the last being on the 3DS back in 2011. 14 long, Shinobi-less years, where Joe Musashi has been having a well-earned break and hung up his katana, years where we've had to make do with the likes of Jin Sakai and Wolf to keep the world safe.
But now Joe is back in one of the most beautiful side scrollers that I've ever played. It's rare that a 2D game gives me the same feeling of awe as 'Ghost of Tsushima' while channeling almost four decades of history, but SEGA have managed to do all of that and more with their new release.
If Shinobi III was the 'Return of the Ninja Master', then SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is the rebirth of a gaming legend.
And I've got good news - the Demo for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is available to play nowgnarliest, with pre-orders for the full game available to snag once you've played it through. The Demo gives you plenty of chances to check out how awesome this game is, but if you still need a little bit of convincing, then check out the Demo trailer below!
A Brief History Of Shinobi
Shinobi isn't just a game - it's a pivotal series in retro gaming history, going all the way back to 1987. You know we love a bit of nostalgia here at Retro Dodo, which is why I'm going to take you back to before the Master System and the very first outing of Joe Musashi, and the importance of the first Shinobi game in the world of side-scrolling titles. Without it, we definitely wouldn't have the likes of Dead Cells, Streets of Rage, Katana Zero, Shovel Knight - the list is endless.
Those of you who grew up with Shinobi will know the level of skill that was needed to complete this game back in the 'one-hit-K.O.' arcade days. I spent a full day replaying it on the Master System to refresh my memory for this article, and getting to the final boss felt more like a rite of passage than simply completing a game (though I'll get onto that in a little while).
It's been 32 years since Joe was the main character in a Shinobi game, which makes SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance even more of an exciting and important title!
Shinobi first started out on arcade machines in 1987 and was ported onto the SEGA Master System in 1988. In 1989, you could get it on every console from the C64 to the NES - the world fell in love with Shinobi and the Oboro clan, a story that would last the test of time and draw in new fans the world over for years to come.
It's been a SEGA stalwart ever since, appearing on the Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, and Saturn, before arriving on Sony and Nintendo consoles like the PS2, GBA, 3DS, and now the Switch. While the days of arcade gaming are now behind us, the Shinobi series has managed to keep the feel of the Golden Age of Gaming with every new title, keeping the glory days alive while influencing new generations of gamers to bring exciting side-scrollers to modern consoles.
But with 14 years of Shinobi being MIA, how does the game fit back into today's world? How does our ninja compare to those early days of the simple black suit and basic backgrounds of the first Shinobi game, or the overhead slashes of The Cyber Shinobi moving through dark and moody industrial worlds?
The Evolution Of Joe Musashi & Shinobi Characters
Joe has been through many iterations over the years; that much you can see from the stark difference between the first and newest game comparison above. Still, there have always been subtle similarities throughout the series, even when Joe has taken a back seat to give other members of the Oboro Clan a chance to shine in the spotlight.
The original Shinobi is the only game where Joe appears without his trademark ninja mask or 'zukin'. Over the years, Shinobi characters have either appeared in the white Shinobi ShĹŤzoku with trademark red sash first shown in Shadow Dancer, or the blue suit of the Cyber Ninja.
Joe actually only appears as the protagonist from 1987 to 1993's 'Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master', giving way to a ninja from another clan entirely in 'Shinobi Legions' and other members of the Oboro Clan including Jiro Musashi, Joe's Father, moving forward. Joe's legacy remains in the character's attire and also as an unlockable character in future games, however.
In essence, it's been 32 years since Joe was the main character in a Shinobi game, which makes SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance even more of an exciting and important title. If Shinobi III was the return of the Ninja Master, then Art of Vengeance is the rebirth of a gaming legend.
The Shinobi Timeline - 1987 to 2025
1987 - 1993
To understand how far we've come through the series with SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, I have to briefly go on a trip down memory lane to discuss the evolution of the gameplay over the years.
Back when 'Shinobi', 'Shadow Dancer', and 'The Revenge of Shinobi' came out in the 80s, arcade gameplay was all the rage. Games were shorter because there wasn't the memory available to make sprawling epics like there are today, which is why they were hard as nails. Learning by repetition was the name of the game, and when you have to start a level over again every time you get hit, you end up picking things up pretty quickly.
Don't get me wrong, these games are fun, but they're ruthless. You had to have a level of gaming ability that transcends the norm today, and stopping to relax for a second was the difference between life and death.
When we reached the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1989, health bars arrived to give you a little bit more of a chance of enjoying the game and working out strategies. Joe's getup here in 'The Revenge of Shinobi' & 'Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master' is most like his costume in SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, (as opposed to the blue getup in 1991's The Cyber Shinobi), and I kept being reminded about the many times I played these two titles while getting to experience the new demo - I told you my love of Shinobi runs deep.
The Game Gear allowed us to take Shinobi out of the house and into the world for the first time, adding extra elemental ninjas into the mix with different abilities. The graphics weren't great, but this was the early 90s, and it was still in colour - it was essentially the same feeling as playing the original Shinobi on the Switch today.
1995 - 2003
The Sega Saturn came and brought Sho with Shinobi Legions, the rogue Shinobi not part of the Oboro Clan. We saw an unnamed Shinobi, again with a red sash to tie into the series as a whole, in the Game Boy Advance game 'The Revenge Of Shinobi', which while not a port of my favorite title on the Mega Drive, is still a great game.
And then, that's where the side-scrolling adventures stop for a while, with the arrival of Hotuma as the main character in 'Shinobi' for the PS2.
The jump graphically and adventure-wise from 'Shinobi Legions' to 'Shinobi' on PS2 was like going from 'Super Mario World' to 'Super Mario 64'. With the freedom to move in 3D, new moves, wall running, and a host of new abilities, the change felt phenomenal. And while it didn't feel wholly like a Shinobi game compared to what had come before, the cutscenes and overarching narrative anchored it into the series. That's one thing that you'll find throughout every Shinobi game: a plot that grabs you and keeps you hooked.
'Nightshade' brought another member of the Oboro Clan to consoles with Hibana, the first and only female-fronted game in the Shinobi series. It was nice to hear the story of Hotsuma's female counterpart and to have Joe Musashi as an unlockable character, but by this point, a lot of gamers were longing to go back to the roots of the series and the side-scrolling gameplay that made these titles so epic. Nostalgia, as we know, is a powerful thing.
2011 - 2025
8 years passed between 'Nightshade' and 'Shinobi' on the 3DS, an adventure where we took Joe Musashi's father, Jiro Musashi, on an adventure through time to stop the evil Zeed from wreaking havoc on the land. Graphics-wise from the picture of my 3DS above, you can see SEGA paying homage to the original side scrollers in the series in this game and the eventual direction that would lead to SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance 14 years later.
Still, 14 years is a long time to wait. But was this new game worth that wait?
The short answer - 100%.
Introducing SHINOBI: Art Of Vengeance
Welcome, readers, to SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance. There's so much to take in from the picture above that you might be wondering where I should start. Tear your eyes away from the fact that there's a lightning bolt being fired by a vengeful woman from a rooftop, or that Joe is striking enemies amongst the burning wreckage of the town for a second, and take a look at the overview of the game's story below.
The Story
As soon as I heard the mention of the Oboro Clan, the entire history of the Shinobi series came flooding back into my memory. They're just as influential and important in the world of gaming as the Kokiri from Zelda or the Toads in Mario, though Joe's clan is arguably way cooler than both.
ENE Corp takes over from Zeed in this game, with Lord Ruse being one of the gnarliest bosses of all time. How do you go about defeating an enemy who is immortal? If anyone can discover a way to save the members of his clan turned to stone and to save the world from an all-powerful psychopath, however, it's Joe Musashi.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is a work of art that tops every Shinobi game that came before it. They've not just revived the series; they've reinvented it.
The opening scenes of the game depicting Joe leaving his wife and moving through beautiful fields to the burning remnants of his village are so poignant. As I've said multiple times in different ways, this game is stunning, and the way it evokes thoughts and feelings as you play is phenomenal.
Defining features – What's New In SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance.
There's plenty of talk about the artwork coming up, folks, so I'll leave that for the next sections. One of the things that I love about this game is the sheer number of combos you can rack up in combat, combined with rolling to dodge enemy attacks. It's no longer a case of throwing one Kunai and moving on; you can move as fast and frenzied as your ninja skills allow.
Speaking of which, Joe has a lot of new tricks up his sleeve too, utilising a Ninja Hook to get to greater heights or move through areas quicker, and a Glider to get across huge gaps safely.
Shinobi games have always championed special moves to defeat all of the on-screen enemies in one go, but not in as spectacular a way as this. The Shinobi Executions are something truly special to behold, really channeling the mystical, magical element of the Ninja as opposed to just their prowess with a katana. While the Ninpo abilities are there to amaze you, the Ninjutsu cut-scenes will give you goosebumps every time you use them. I legitimately shouted 'YES' the first few times I saw them!
Having a shop to buy items from is something that old-school Shinobi fans certainly won't be used to either, but it's a great place to buy new abilities and items to help you on your quest, adding in the kind of feature we've become used to when levelling up and upgrading skill trees in games like God of War.
Already, you're starting to see that SEGA have added in lots of quality of life features to Shinobi that are things we've come to expect in our modern gaming world, but not to the detriment of the IP. Everything here adds to the experience instead of taking away from the brilliance of its history.
The Characters
We're introduced to two characters early on in the game other than Joe - his wife, Naoko, and Tomoe, a member of the Oboro Clan under Joe's teaching. Other than Lord Ruse, there is also a 5th amazing character that you might have seen from the clips in this article, and as a dog lover, he's the one I'm most excited about.
Yamato is Joe's canine companion whom he can ride into battle in certain stages. Notice the red sash too? He matches Joe's Ninja outfit perfectly, a very nice design touch from SEGA.
I'm a big fan of the game ĹŚkami, which literally means 'wolf'. Wolves are messengers from the gods in Japanese culture, symbols of power and strength, so to have one join Joe in his quest to save his people can only be a good thing! The inclusion of Yamato also pays homage to Joe's canine companion in Shadow Dancer; SEGA really don't miss a trick when it comes to making us feel nostalgic!
Art Of Vengeance Editions & Where To Buy Them
Shinobi Art of Vengeance is available to pre-order in digital and physical form now, with a release date of August 29th, 2025, though you can play the Demo right now!
- Digital Editions are available to pre-order on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, & PS5. Standard editions will cost $29.99/ÂŁ24.99 RRP, while Digital Deluxe editions will cost $39.99/ÂŁ34.99 RRP. Pre-order through the SEGA website to get 10% off, the Original Arcade Outfit, and a Fortune Hunter Amulet.
- Digital Deluxe Editions come with a starter pack, a special SEGA Villains Stage, a digital art book + soundtrack, and the chance to play the game 3 days earlier than everyone else.
- Art of Vengeance is also available to pre-order in physical form from Amazon in a standard edition.
Art Of Vengeance – The Gameplay
Here it is, folks, the moment you've all been waiting for. And before I go any further and start talking about controls or the intense action in this game, I want to talk about the artwork.
For those of you who have skipped through to read about the game and not the history of the series (shame on you!), then I'll say again that I've never seen a side-scroller as beautiful as this. Just look at the still above - the striking comicbook-esque visuals, the layers to the image, the use of colour to create depth. Make no mistake - Art of Vengeance is a work of art that tops every Shinobi game that came before it. They've not just revived the series; they've reinvented it.
As I said earlier, standing in the very first level and seeing blossom coming past the screen and the grass waving, the mountains in the distance - the level of detail just isn't what you think of when you think back to growing up with side-scrolling Shinobi games, but Sega have managed to take the series back to its roots in a truly unique and special way.
I really like the fact that the characters have that Viewtiful Joe-style outlining to them to make them stand out too. It's all very cleverly done and a joy to play, with smooth cutscenes and a vast range of different areas with contrasting themes to explore.
I suppose some of you might have been wondering why I went into such detail about the arcade elements of the previous games above. Well, I wanted to give anyone who hasn't played a Shinobi game a feeling of how the series started so that they would be well-equipped when it came to playing the new one. And I'm pleased to say that while there are similarities, some things have changed for the better.
As you might be able to tell from the picture below, the health bar is here to stay. Gone are the days of the one-hit K.O. or the time limit hindering your chance to take things steadily - the game is so much more fluid and allows you to enjoy the experience of exploring Joe Musashi's world as opposed to throwing your controller across a room in a fit of despair.
That being said, there is a nice balance of combat, exploration, and areas that test your skill and patience. It's the perfect evolution of an arcade game in 2025, with challenges that the OG Shinobi gamers who know no fear can take on, or that new players who just want the storyline can avoid.
Obviously, there are a lot more buttons on my Nintendo Switch Pro Controller than there were on the Master System controller, which means that there are far more attacks and combos for me to pull out of the bag. See the 'hit counter' above? You can get extra attack power if you keep those hits up, and by rolling and pulling out combos, you'll make that hit counter rise as well as powering up special moves like breathing fire, throwing Kunai from the air, or summoning a big 'ol dragon to scorch everyone on the screen. And yes, that is as awesome as it sounds.
When you're not dispatching ninjas, there are multiple areas where you're tested with wall climbing and dashing, something I did a lot of on the PS2 Shinobi game. Zooming from wall to wall, clawing my way up surfaces to jump over poisonous spikes or flames - it's everything a Ninja game should have and provides that element of learning by repetition that the early games championed without making it the whole identity of the game. The jumps are fluid, the battles engaging, and I've not had any issues with janky or stuttering controls once while playing.
Action-wise, it's everything I would have hoped for. The fights feel more fast-paced than they did when I was just picking off enemies in The Cyber Shinobi and more like enhanced versions of the skirmishes in Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. While the artwork is new and the gameplay much more vast, it still captures the essence of a Shinobi game, and that's what's made me the happiest while playing it.
Why We Needed The Return Of Shinobi
Shinobi is one of the greats. It's up there with the best in the business, with the PAC-MANs, Sonics, and Donkey Kongs of the world. We needed the return of Shinobi for so many reasons, but mostly because it's a classic series that deserves to be studied, played, and enjoyed by future generations of gamers for many years to come.
I love 3D games and the worlds they create, but if there's one thing that Art of Vengeance has shown me, it's that there is endless scope for side-scrolling developers and budding artists to create games with so much depth and beauty to them like we've never seen before. This game should excite and influence devs to build on the successes of titles like 'Dead Cells' and 'Hollow Knight', and to push the boundaries of side-scrolling games even further.
On a personal level, however, and one that many people will agree with, we needed the return of Shinobi because it's been gone far too long. It's a beloved IP that many of us have grown up with and one that I could see going from strength to strength in the future, with a release schedule that mimics that of the '90s.
There has never been a better time for Ninja games, especially with the arrival of 'Ghost of Yotei' coming imminently. And as Joe Musashi was the original Ninja back in the 80s, he deserves to be front and centre in the front of everyone's minds once again moving into 2026 and beyond.
Why You Should Buy Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The job of a Demo is to leave you wanting more, to leave you counting down the days until the release of the full game as though you were a kid waiting for Christmas, and to make you think about it at every given moment. For me, it did just that, and I can't wait till August 29th to carry on Joe's adventure.
If you played Shinobi and loved it back in 1987, then you need this game. If you're looking for other Ninja adventures to play after completing 'Ghost of Tsushima', then you need to play this game. Heck, if you just came here because you saw a picture of Yamoto the wolf and thought 'he looks cool', then you need to play this game. The artwork, the combat, the narrative, the collectibles and challenges - they're all perfectly crafted, and it's definitely shot to the top of my favourite side-scrolling titles list.
It's great to see Shinobi back with Joe Musashi at the helm for so many reasons, and it makes the lifelong Shinobi fan in me incredibly happy to have it on my Nintendo Switch 2. Don't forget that you can access links to play the Demo right now and get your pre-orders in from the SEGA website!
