Shinobi: Art of Vengeance receives near-universal critical acclaim

Back during the 2023 Game Awards, SEGA officially announced that they would be bringing back many of their classic franchises, including but not limited to Jet Set Radio; Crazy Taxi; Golden Axe and more. One of the most exciting revivals is the upcoming SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance. With the game mere days away from launch, review embargoes have now been lifted – revealing SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance as being one of the highest rated games of the year so far.

With a Metacritic score of 88 and an Open Critic rating of 87, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is officially a hit – marking a grand return of the series after more than a decade.

For the uninitiated, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is a brand new 2D action platformer based on SEGA’s classic and now nearly 40-year-old franchise. Developed by LizardCube (known best for their work on the excellent Streets of Rage 4), the platformer offers a stylish and attractive “hand-drawn look” alongside slick combat across “more than a dozen unique and visually striking stages.”

Described by critics as “nothing short of incredible;” “a wonderful revival of the long-dormant franchise;” and “one of the most gorgeous, creative, and satisfying games of 2025,” SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance represents a strong revival for one of SEGA’s oldest franchises.

Of course, nothing is perfect, with the primary complaints held against the game being its relative lack of challenge/depth – though this is in some ways subjective.

Regardless, if you haven’t checked out the demo back when it released, you might want to give it a go ahead of SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance’s official launch this Friday, the 29th of August.

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KitGuru says: Did you have high hopes for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance? Is classic SEGA officially back? What were your thoughts on the demo? Let us know down below.

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