Despite Sega’s acknowledgment of its existence and known plans to revive legacy franchises, little could have prepared fans for the reveal of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. The first new Shinobi game since 2011’s Shinobi 3D on the Nintendo 3DS, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a retro-styled throwback to the series’ Sega Genesis entries, and its development is being handled by none other than Streets 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 upcoming Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
Fans of action platformers featuring ninjas were already excited enough about the prospect of Blasphemous‘ developers tackling a new 2D Ninja Gaiden game, but getting a new Shinobi in the same year — along with a new 3D Ninja Gaiden title 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 Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound look 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 to Streets of Rage 4, while Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound focuses on speed and one-hit takedowns.
Related
Old School Ninja Gaiden Fans Have a Lot to Look Forward to With Ragebound
The announcement of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a pleasant surprise for fans of the NES trilogy, and it seems like the title is in good hands.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden Tackle the Same Genre From Opposing Sides
Even back on the Genesis and NES, Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden were vastly different franchises, so it should come as no surprise that each series’ reboot brings something different to the table. The original Shinobi trilogy, Shinobi 3 in particular, presented players with a much more forgiving challenge than what one could expect from any of the NES Ninja Gaiden games, as well as a focus on combat over platforming. Conversely, the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy 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 the Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi franchises appear to be intact in their newest incarnations as well, with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance‘s combat looking strikingly similar to the combo-heavy fighting from Lizard Cube’s previous work on Streets 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 the Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound trailer. And in Ninja 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 the Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden reboots are a net positive for fans of old-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 for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance offering up similarly satisfying encounter design with a low skill floor and high skill ceiling, while Ninja 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 visuals and mostly humanoid enemies offer a nice counterpoint to Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound‘s more authentically retro pixel art and demonic foes. Ultimately, fans of classic ninja action are eating good this year, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a promising-looking second course after Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound arrives this summer.
