All of us who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s have had a decent amount of time to ponder what it is that really makes the video game ninja such a special thing. It’s the hard strikes and the proximity to magic, sure, but it’s also something else. A ninja moves with a particular lightness. No need for a foley artist to mix in footsteps, because when these characters move it’s as is icing sugar is being dusted over the soft earth. So there’s a lovely contradiction at the heart of it. Cor, it hurts when one of these people kicks you through a wall, but cor, they’re so nimble and and deft and precise – so gentle – you kind of have to forgive them for everything.
It’s this kind of contradiction that powers Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. I’ve only spent the morning with this, but please be aware: it’s a deeply good video game. The lineage is pure early 1990s school playground: Sega at its sharpest. And now Lizardcube is in charge of the design, which means the team behind reimagining Streets of Rage and – my heart! – Wonder Boy 3 is back meddling gorgeously with my formative video game memories.
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The new Shinobi is a 2D-scrolling action game far too precise and poised to refer to as a beat-’em-up. The first level sends you through a village that’s being burnt to the ground by baddies: perfect cinematic stuff in which to learn how to air dash, double-jump and blitz your foes with combos. Those foes come with swords or ninja stars – or guns, in one case, which feels like a double sting: how could you? – and while the whole thing is wonderfully hand-drawn with sharp black lines and Silver Age poses, the sense of connection makes it feel like the most pixel-perfect 16-bit game you ever played.
That contradiction, though! This Shinobi is not shy when it comes to big attacks. There are gleeful combos and a whole shop full of new moves to unlock. There are also Ninpo moves that are tied to elements by the looks of things, and a range of super-strength Ninjutsu screen-clearers, the first of which left me checking whether my eyebrows had been burnt off. If you’re looking to attack people, you are well-catered for here.
But my favourite move isn’t an attack at all. It’s the Ninja Flip, which you can trigger just after an attack. This allows you, with a squeeze of the bumper, to cartwheel over your enemy, landing behind them oh so softly, so as to continue attacking or just grant yourself some space. It’s useful in combat and it’s useful when the levels start to become more maze-like, with locked doors and switches and secrets to find.
But more than that, it just sells the other half of being a Ninja. The icing sugar softness. The ability to dance lightly through absolute carnage. It’s a show-stopping piece of dismissiveness which makes you feel completely in control of every situation. A bit like Lizardcube, in other words.
Code for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was provided by the publisher.