Sometimes I wonder how the younger members of the “get good” crowd would handle games from the 80s and 90s. Games that weren’t flashy or particularly deep by any metric, they were just hard. This difficulty wasn’t even particularly planned, certainly not by what we expect now. This wasn’t the difficulty of a well-constructed Soulslike. Back in the day, it wasn’t about “getting good,” as much as it was about brute forcing a game until either it gave in or you did. They don’t make whole YouTube videos about classic savagely difficult games for fun, and one series often appears on those lists. That series is Shinobi, a set of games that has been the end of many a controller over the years. This being said Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is hitting Switch 2 screens soon, and I can’t see it being any less demanding than its forebears.
SEGA of America and Lizardcube have announced that the acclaimed 2D platformer Shinobi: Art of Vengeance will be available for the Nintendo Switch 2 in both digital and physical formats on September 24th. The standard edition of the game will be retailing for £24.99, but you’ll be able to grab a digital Deluxe Edition or a physical Deluxe Edition if you so choose.
The Deluxe Editions of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance will include the SEGA Villains Stage DLC, which will pit Joe against three legendary SEGA foes. This cavalcade of treacherous villains will be comprised of Dr. Eggman from the Sonic series, the “mad dog” of Shimano Goro Majima, (Yakuza/Like and Dragon), and the ruthless giant Death Adder from the Golden Axe games.
Created in collaboration with Lizardcube, the studio behind Streets of Rage 4, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance follows the adventures of long-time series protagonist and master of the ninja arts, Joe Musashi, who arrives home from a previous adventure to find his village has been burned to the ground and his clan turned to stone.
Driven by a need for vengeance, Joe sets off on an epic quest battling hoards of enemies and larger-than-life bosses across beautiful, hand-drawn levels. These zones are rife with multiple paths to discover or unlock and packed with smooth, satisfying gameplay. There should be plenty here to keep old friends of the Shinobi series, as well as new hands coming back for more.
If you aren’t lucky enough to own a Switch 2 and really want to get back into all the ninja badassery that comes with the Shinobi series, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series S/X, Steam and Nintendo Switch. If you love ninja shenanigans or just want to become reacquainted with an old friend, you really don’t have any reason not to get involved.
