I didn’t anticipate among the finest low-key rivalries in gaming to make a comeback in 2025, however right here we’re. Each Sega’s Shinobi and Koei Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden are getting 2D retro revivals this yr, they’re every coming from nice studios, and to this point they appear unimaginable.
Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance was introduced throughout this week’s PlayStation State of Play with Lizardcube within the driver’s seat. That staff codeveloped Streets of Rage 4, hands-down the most effective trendy beat ‘em up, in addition to Surprise Boy: The Dragon’s Entice, a superb remake of a 1989 traditional. Artwork of Vengeance already has a launch date of August 29 and appears stunning in its first trailer, which reveals Shinobi Joe Musashi effortlessly combo-ing by way of enemies and throughout lush, painterly ranges with ease and precision.
Then there’s Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, which was introduced within the pre-show for final yr’s Recreation Awards. It’s additionally popping out someday in 2025 and being made by The Recreation Kitchen and revealed by Dotemu, the staff behind the distinctive Souls-y Metroidvania sequence, Blasphemous. Its first trailer showcased clean platforming fight, vibrant pixel artwork animations, and tons of blood. Regardless of the contemporary coat of paint and trendy polish, it appears just like the punishing Ninja Gaiden system followers have discovered to worry however love from the sequence’ NES days.
Each franchises moved away from their 2D roots within the early 2000s. Shinobi acquired a 3D sequel on PlayStation 2 whereas Ninja Gaiden did the identical on the unique Xbox. Koei Tecmo hasn’t revisited the old-school Ninja Gaiden system since, and the Shinobi video games that attempted to have been, uh, not nice. Whereas followers of these ‘90s motion platformers have had the occasional ninja-themed side-scroller to maintain them occupied, like Mark of the Ninja and The Messenger, nothing has aimed to scratch these nostalgic itches fairly like these new throwbacks.
What I’m most excited for is that each Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound seem to doing issues a bit of bit in another way. The previous has air dashes and every kind of flashy skills, whereas the latter appears to hew extra carefully to much less flashy Ninja Gaiden methods like wall bouncing. And as an growing old fan raised on 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, I really like any alternative for my mind to sink again into the acquainted, well-worn grooves of a 2D platformer. No mini-maps, crafting mechanics, or dense, hyper-realistic environments to parse.
And whereas I’m a fan of each sequence, I’m nonetheless a Shinobi-stan at coronary heart. The unique Ninja Gaiden trilogy is superior however can’t maintain a candle to The Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Grasp. I’m glad each franchises are getting a contemporary shot on the 2D side-scrolling crown in 2025.
Correction 2/13/2025 2:16 p.m. ET: A pervious model of this text misstated the writer of Ninja Gaiden.
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