There’s a spanking new demo out for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance and, if you’ve ever enjoyed an action-platformer, you need to stop reading this and hit download now!
From what I’ve played, the game perfectly encapsulates the power-fantasy of being a badass Ninja, while still providing plenty of challenge.
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SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance puts you in the silent shoes of Joe Musashi, the head of the Oboro clan and original protagonist form the first three Shinobi games.
As you leave your pregnant wife to go train your students, the village is attacked by the paramilitary organisation ENE Corp. — led by the evil Lord Ruse. It throws you straight into the action as you set off to avenge your clan and defeat the evil corporation for good.
The visual style of Art of Vengeance is pure eye candy with stunning hand-drawn graphics and animations that are worth the price of admission alone. The demo level is varied and engaging, moving from a bamboo forest, through burning training grounds, to a final snowy area — that’s all within one level.
The dynamic backgrounds draw your eyes with subtle action, whether it be enemy shinobi running in the distance or flames licking at the support beams of the dojo.
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Combat is fast, flashy and fun. You can chain combos of light and heavy attacks, throw kunai for a long ranged attack, perform hard-hitting Ninjutsu and Ninpo attacks, or carry-out brutal executions on your foes. Combos can be enhanced and extended by purchasing upgrades from the Yokai Shop, which also has new Ninjutsu abilities for the right price.
Enemy and boss designs were great and the combat animations and particle effects made every slash of the katana feel badass. There are also optional combat challenges to test your skills, throwing waves of tough enemies at you for the promise of a shiny reward.
The SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance demo has tight and precise platforming, often asking you to be perfect with your jumps to get enough height to clear deadly spikes, or cover enough ground to leap over a chasm. It never feels unfair though, and the most challenging platforming sequences appear to be optional extras, rewarding you handsomely for the effort.
I enjoyed the design of the one level I played; there are plenty of secrets to sniff out and even some Metroidvania elements that tease you with out-of-reach rewards.
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All in all, I was thrilled with what the short demo offered up. It was superbly polished with fun combat, tight platforming, and plenty of challenge. I’m itching to get stuck into the whole game later this month.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance releases onto consoles and PC on August 29th.
