Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is coming out later this week, and it’s already a critical darling, getting plenty of rave reviews. Developer Lizardcube has done another phenomenal job with this action sidescroller, and SEGA is already preparing some post-game support. Having this and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound proves that you can’t kill a good ninja franchise.
But how do you follow up an acclaimed 2D game with hand-drawn visuals? Nothing about the franchise’s future outside of DLC has been confirmed, making fans wonder if this re-release is one and done. Personally, we think the company should consider going back to 3D to show just how versatile this series can be.
Yes, a new 3D Shinobi game would be another character-action title, but is that so bad?
Artful Vengeance
Critic reviews and demo impressions show that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance succeeded because of the series’ fast-paced gameplay. Killing multiple foes with your sword, kunai, and ninpo is a really addictive gameplay loop, especially when you chain all of those options together. The fact that it has Lizardcube’s beautiful hand-drawn visuals is just icing on the cake.
Without sounding too bold or trying to downplay the difficulty of game development, this same fast-paced combat can be replicated in 3D. Tecmo demonstrated this with their acclaimed 3D Ninja Gaiden games, with a fourth entry coming out soon. More ninjas are always a good thing, so bringing the series back to 3D, while keeping the speedy killing, would be ideal.
PS2 Nostalgia
The 2002 Shinobi game originally launched with mixed reviews, but is seen as a cult classic now. It was a little overindulgent with the violence, but this character-action game controlled well and was pretty stylish. Who didn’t like killing a group of enemies, striking a pose, and seeing them disintegrate into bloody guts?
Although 2002 Shinobi doesn’t seem that similar to Art of Vengeance, they do share that faster combat aesthetic this series is known for. I mentioned that mechanic where you kill enemies and strike a pose, but you can only do this if you’re fast enough. That shows speed and skill are still an integral part of this franchise, blood and edgy visuals notwithstanding.
Balance Is Key
Fans can have a preference on how SEGA should handle Shinobi, with some wishing it were still a shoot-em-up with kunai instead of bullets, but a new 3D one can learn from Art of Vengeance and the 2002 PS2 game. Keeping that fast-paced gameplay and putting it in a whole new dimension would be mind-blowing to some, especially since the series has been mostly 2D.
Only time will tell if SEGA will actually put some effort into a full 3D Shinobi game again, as the company is mostly busy with Yakuza, Persona, and Sonic. Since character-action games are slowly becoming more popular again, we think SEGA should give it another go in 3D.
And if they don’t? We wouldn’t mind an Art of Vengeance sequel, that’s for sure.
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