Despite Sega’s acknowledgment of its existence and known plans to revive legacy franchises, little could have prepared fans for the reveal ofShinobi: Art of Vengeance. The first newShinobigame since 2011’sShinobi3Don the Nintendo 3DS,Shinobi: Art of Vengeanceis a retro-styled throwback to the series' Sega Genesis entries, and its development is being handled by none other thanStreets of Rage 4’s Lizard Cube. Notably,Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s planned release for August 2025 sees it going head-to-head against another iconic ninja franchise, likely following hot on the heels of Dotemu and The Game Kitchen’s upcomingNinja Gaiden: Ragebound.
Fans of action platformers featuring ninjas were already excited enough about the prospect ofBlasphemous' developers tackling a new 2DNinja Gaidengame, but getting a newShinobiin the same year — along with anew 3DNinja Gaidentitle from Team Ninja and PlatinumGames — positions 2025 as the “Year of the Ninja”. But outside each game being part of a legacy franchise and featuring ninja protagonists,Shinobi: Art of VengeanceandNinja Gaiden: Rageboundlook to offer different takes on retro-styled side-scrollers. From what was shown in each game’s trailer,Shinobi’s combat may strike a chord similar toStreets of Rage 4,whileNinja Gaiden: Rageboundfocuses on speed and one-hit takedowns.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden Tackle the Same Genre From Opposing Sides
Even back on the Genesis and NES,ShinobiandNinja Gaidenwere vastly different franchises, so it should come as no surprise that each series' reboot brings something different to the table. The originalShinobitrilogy,Shinobi 3in particular, presented players with a much more forgiving challenge than what one could expect from any of theNESNinja Gaidengames, as well as a focus on combat over platforming. Conversely, the originalNinja Gaidentrilogy has just as many perilous platforming challenges in store for players as it does dangerous enemy encounters, despite having a generally faster flow to how combat and traversal work.
These core differences between theNinja GaidenandShinobifranchises appear to be intact in their newest incarnations as well, withShinobi: Art of Vengeance’s combat looking strikingly similar to the combo-heavy fighting from Lizard Cube’s previous work onStreets of Rage 4.Enemies have health bars, can withstand multiple hits before being taken down, and are generally fewer in number than what was shown off in theNinja Gaiden: Rageboundtrailer. And inNinja Gaiden: Ragebound’s case, the greater numbers of on-screen enemies, use of one-hit kills, and an incentivizing “Kill Counter” seem to point to this newest 2D entry emphasizing speed and fluidity just like the NES games.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Might Offer Complementary Experiences Despite Competition
The apparent differences between theShinobiandNinja Gaidenreboots are a net positive for fans ofold-school action platformers, as it seems to point to both titles offering complementary ninja power fantasies, despite the fact that the two are technically competing for players' attention.Streets of Rage 4’s excellent combat is a good sign forShinobi: Art of Vengeanceoffering up similarly satisfying encounter design with a low skill floor and high skill ceiling, whileNinja Gaiden: Ragebound’s swift movement and insta-kill combat faithfully call back to the series' origins.
It’s also worth pointing out that both games play to their series' strengths when it comes to their art direction, visuals, and enemy designs.Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s hand-drawn visualsand mostly humanoid enemies offer a nice counterpoint toNinja Gaiden: Ragebound’s more authentically retro pixel art and demonic foes. Ultimately, fans of classic ninja action are eating good this year, andShinobi: Art of Vengeanceis a promising-looking second course afterNinja Gaiden: Rageboundarrives this summer.
