The return of Joe Musashi feels both fitting and long overdue. Sega’s iconic warrior has finally stepped back into the spotlight with Lizardcube’s Shinobi: Art of Vengeance after more than a decade away, reviving a classic and reimagining it for a new audience.
The first thing that strikes you is the visual style. Every stage is built on hand-drawn backgrounds brimming with life, layered to create a sense of depth while keeping the side-scrolling purity intact. Tall grass bends in the wind, flocks of birds dart across the sky, and weather shifts in ways that affect both mood and tone. It often feels closer to watching a moving painting than playing a video game, with each new location capturing a different mood.
The narrative focuses on Musashi’s quest for revenge against the demonic being that destroyed his clan. The storytelling is light on dialogue and heavy on atmosphere, letting the environments do most of the work. Each stage feels like a chapter in his journey, and the changing scenery conveys his path as clearly as any cutscene. Those looking for a deep storyline will find it lacking, but the restraint keeps the focus where it should belong, i.e., on the gameplay and presentation.
The action matches and even exceeds the game’s presentation. Musashi moves with precision, and the combat system blends the immediacy of classic hack-and-slash design with a more modern combo structure. Light and heavy attacks can be chained together, juggling enemies into the air before finishing them with charged strikes or abilities. The steady addition of new skills keeps the fighting fresh, encouraging experimentation right up until the very end.
The enemy roster is diverse, ranging from rival ninjas and armed soldiers to mechanical beasts and yokai drawn from folklore. Encounters feel varied due to the mix of enemies on-screen, and boss fights stand out as highlights, combining dramatic spectacle with attack patterns that demand timing and focus.
The combat’s most distinctive feature is the execution system. Some attacks don’t deal much damage but instead charge a special bar. Once filled, it lets Musashi unleash a devastating multi-kill that wipes out groups of enemies in one clean sweep. These incredible-looking executions grant bonus rewards like health and extra coins, making them worth pursuing. The system adds an additional layer of strategy, encouraging players to weaken foes without killing them outright. It’s an approach that rewards patience and precision over mindless button mashing.
The game unfolds across twelve main stages that carry Musashi from his dojo to deserts, mountains, ruined cities, and beyond. While the structure is mostly linear, each level includes hidden routes, upgrades, and relics that expand the shop inventory. Some obstacles can only be passed once you’ve unlocked new abilities, and a fast travel system makes it easy to revisit earlier stages for extra secrets. It doesn’t turn Art of Vengeance into a full exploration-driven game, but it gives the sense of a world worth retracing.
Platforming sections appear regularly, but they serve more as pacing breaks rather than punishing challenges. They give the action room to breathe rather than testing precision and reflexes. Despite this, the mix of combat and movement ensures that each stage feels distinct and memorable.
A typical run through the main story takes around eight to ten hours, though hidden relics, branching paths, and the Ankou Portals provide reasons to dive back in. For players who enjoy pushing themselves, the Boss Rush and Arcade modes add strong replay value, with the latter rewarding speed and efficiency through higher scores. These extras keep the game from being a one-and-done experience.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s only noteworthy shortcoming is in how the challenge eases off in the later stages. Early on, the combat pushes players to use executions smartly and time their attacks well. By the end, with a larger set of abilities and upgrades, battles become more trivial, and executions shift from being strategic tools to mere stylish bonuses.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance succeeds in bringing Joe Musashi back for new audiences. The combat is fast and fluid, the execution system gives it a unique identity, and the hand-drawn art is some of the best in any modern side-scroller. Levels are straightforward but filled with secrets, and optional challenges extend the life of the game well beyond the campaign. The softened difficulty curve late in the story is the one misstep, but it doesn’t take away from how strong the rest of the experience is. Whether you’ve followed the series since its arcade roots or you’re discovering Musashi for the first time, this is a revival worth playing.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Game Information
- Price: $29.99
- Publisher: SEGA
- Developer: LizardCube
- Platform: PC, PS5 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
