Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is Basically a Platformer for…

The platformer genre is in the gaming spotlight in 2025 with hits like Split Fiction and Donkey Kong Bananza releasing alongside highly anticipated titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong. Among these games is Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, which steals the show as a revival of the classic Sega franchise from developer LizardCube. While Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has already made a name for itself as one of the best platformers of 2025, it also bridges a genre gap that few other games this year have.

Following in the footsteps of the series' iconic Sega Mega Drive and Genesis entries, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance showcases protagonist Joe Musashi's combat prowess as much as it does his platforming acrobatics. The fluidity of attacks nearly equals that of movement in Shinobi, making it feel almost like a fighting game as much as it is a platformer. As a result, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance makes the case for both platformer and fighting game fans to give the game a shot.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is One Part Platformer, One Part Fighting Game

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Musashi fighting a Sentry

Combos Are the Name of the Game in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Players jumping into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance for the first time will quickly find that combat is massively elevated once they start chaining attacks together. Combos in Shinobi flow effortlessly into one another in a way that 2D fighting games like Street Fighter and Guilty Gear treat as second nature. While Shinobi: Art of Vengeance doesn't go as far as including complicated directional inputs, the dependencies for some of the Combat Moves Musashi can perform offer a level of depth that fighting game fans can really sink their teeth into. Musashi's moveset includes abilities like:

Light Attacks
Heavy Attacks
Kunai Throw
Dive Kick
Shinobi Execution
Double Slash
Kunai Burst
Cannon Punch Finisher
Finishing Blow
Aerial Slash
Aerial Kunai Burst
Rising Strike
Aerial Spin
Knee Attack
Launch Kick
Spin Slash
Super Kick

To access all of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance's Combat Moves, players will need to upgrade the shop by spending Oboro Relics to unlock the ability to purchase new moves.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance All Ninpo and Ninjutsu

Adding to these combat options are Shinobi's Ninpo skills, which players can assign to specific button combinations to unleash powerful elemental attacks. Intermixing these Ninpo skills with the standard Shinobi Combat Moves unlocks a type of gameplay that blends something like special moves from Super Smash Bros. With more traditional fighting game combos.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is the Perfect Game for Fighting Game Fans to Dip Their Toes into Platformers

While the fighting game-inspired elements of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance are front and center, the platforming segments are not to be overlooked. Shinobi features almost as many options for traversing levels as it does for beating down enemies, and players will unlock Shinobi's Ningi abilities naturally over the course of a playthrough. The choice to go in this direction allows players to organically build upon their platforming skills over time, eventually balancing combat with movement in equal parts.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Karyu Ninjutsu pose

This formula for how Shinobi: Art of Vengeance presents its platforming mechanics makes the game perfect for newcomers to the genre, since the game doesn't ask the player to perform any crazy jumps or maneuvers until they are deep into the game. With Shinobi front-loaded on combat and its associated mechanics, fighting game veterans will feel right at home, especially if they're used to the beat 'em up gameplay of LizardCube's previous Sega revival, Streets of Rage 4. Learning the flow of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance through its combat makes platforming much easier, especially as players unlock new Ningi abilities like Ninja Flip, Ninja, Hook, and Glider later in the game.

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