As a die-hard SEGA fan, seeing the company revive its legendary franchises has been a sight to behold, with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance leading the charge. The series is coming back, and it’s only fitting that our very own Lord Cognito went hands-on to experience this modernized take on arcade ninja magic.

Magic in the Making – Shinboi: Art of Vengeance

Before we go into this preview proper, it’s important to honor the journey our ninja master went through to experience Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.

SEGA had a big presence at Summer Games Fest, featuring the following games: Sonic Racing CrossRoads, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, and Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2.

Not having any appointments available, Lord Cognito respectfully asked the SEGA PR team present every day at the event to play Shinobi.

Having the patience and will of a master ninja, he played Art of Vengeance on the last day of Summer Games Fest. To say I’m happy that my SEGA brother was able to experience this upcoming release would be an understatement. But do the teams at SEGA and Lizardcube honor the series with this latest installment?

Ninja Soul – Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Preview

After playing the demo, Cog was able to go over some major highlights that made the experience one to keep a firm eye on.

Silent Heroes

Something he noticed right away was how the story was presented. While the supporting cast spoke to Joe Musashi, the ninja master remained silent. Outside of grunts, the game lets the animation work express Joe’s personality.

It’s a move that works well for adapting an iconic character to the modern age, something Cog appreciated as a fan.

Masterful Action Combat

Based on the gameplay footage SEGA provided, alongside Cog’s impressions, it looks amazing. Melding elements across the entire Shinobi series, it’s a 2D action platforming experience any fan could appreciate.

One example was Shinboi 3’s Dive Kick attack returning, with Cog alluding to other iconic elements from the franchise returning.

Joe’s newest move is the Shinobi Execution. This ability lets the Ninja Master destroy any enemy once their Execution meter fills up. This, paired with other returning and new moves, creates an exciting combat system.

Teaching a Ninja New Tricks in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

One of the biggest gameplay changes from prior Shinobi titles is the inclusion of Ninja Stances. These are special attacks that Joe can pull off, with the demo Cog playing having a fire-breath attack; however, the iconic Ninja Magic returns, in the form of Ninjutsu moves.

These abilities are screen-clearing attacks that look stunning with one having a fire dragon fly through enemies.

Ninja Crash Course

One cool thing that Cog noticed during his demo session is that Art of Vengeance will have a skill tree. This is seemingly linked to unlocking new Ninja Stance attacks and new Ninjutsu moves. This will help the exciting combat feel fresh, as it already looks amazing from the gameplay SEGA shared with us.

Joe Musashi vs Kozaru

Cog’s demo session ended with a boss fighting against Kozaru, a monkey creature. He was impressed with the boss utilizing unique mechanics, talking to the player throughout the fight, and encouraging combat mastery.

Closing Thoughts on Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

As a SEGA fan who loves their franchises, seeing Shinobi: Art of Vengeance honors what came before it while adding new wrinkles to the tried-and-true ninja action, making it a sight to behold.

We at Lords of Gaming can’t wait to see more from SEGA and Lizardcube’s latest collaboration, so stay tuned for future updates on Shinboi and other SEGA games!

Closing Thoughts from Lord Cog and King

Here are some closing thoughts from Cog himself on his experience with Art of Vengeance.

My experience with it, it exceded what I thought Art of Vengeance was. It’s not a simple callback game, play it safe. They are going of high level movement, high level platforming, and the most beautiful art style I’ve ever seen.

And King added this to Cog’s comments.

It seems like that they are at a renaissance stage, going back to older IP’s that are iconic to SEGA, going back to that essence. Seeing Shionbi in this state, and after leaving the session, seeing the team excited at your (Cog) reaction to the demo, was absolutly insane. Shinboi is back. Cog is happy, and I’m happy.