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.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance ❘ Launch Trailer Watch on YouTube
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 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.