Streets of Rage 4 Made Shinobi: Art of Vengeance's Combat…

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is the latest IP revival, co-developed by Lizardcube and Sega, and it is taking the series in a new direction. Much like Lizardcube’s previous titles, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance stays true to what fans have come to expect from the franchise, but it provides a modern take to keep it fresh.

Streets of Rage 4 revived the classic beat ‘em up series, also developed by Lizardcube, and its influences continue to be felt in the gameplay of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. The Best War Games recently spoke with Ben Fiquet, CEO of Lizardcube and creative director, to understand how the team’s work on Streets of Rage 4 prepared them for the combat system in the new Shinobi game.

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By Jon Richter

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Builds Upon Streets of Rage 4’s Combat

At its core, the Shinobi series has always been focused on providing an action-packed adventure to make players feel like a ninja. This was central to the ethos of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s design, letting players live out a ninja power fantasy by equipping them with powerful tools and abilities. Players are empowered by Joe Musashi’s moveset, and the game requires that they use every ability available to them to take on the diverse array of enemy types.

To lean into the fantasy of playing as a ninja, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has a richer combat system than the games that precede it, bridging the gap between platformers and the beat ‘em up genre. Fiquet explained that Lizardcube’s experience developing Streets of Rage 4’s gameplay influenced Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s mechanics:

"We developed Shinobi not particularly to make a beat ‘em up game but a fast-paced action platformer. We realized soon in the development that the fun we wanted the player to feel would be best conveyed with a deep combat system. All that we learned from Streets of Rage 4 came together to make the combat in SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance greater than before."

While the inspirations from Streets of Rage 4’s beat ‘em up mechanics are clear in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s gameplay, it never strays too far from the platformer genre. Lead game designer Fred Vincent also shared that sections of the game are dedicated to the different types of gameplay, “allowing players to transition from one phase to another seamlessly.” This ensures all facets of the game have their own space and lets players freely express their own fighting style with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s new combat system.

Combat Sequence of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance's Gameplay

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a faithful continuation of the Shinobi games, but Lizardcube’s work on Streets of Rage 4 helped the new installment find its footing. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance players can expect to face similar platforming challenges to the rest of the series and use a robust combat system reminiscent of Lizardcube’s past title.

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