I didn’t expect one of the best low-key rivalries in gaming to make a comeback in 2025, but here we are. Both Sega’s Shinobi and Capcom’s Ninja Gaiden are getting 2D retro revivals this year, they’re each coming from great studios, and so far they look incredible.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was announced during this week’s PlayStation State of Play with Lizardcube in the driver’s seat. That team codeveloped Streets of Rage 4, hands-down the best modern beat ‘em up, as well as Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, an excellent remake of a 1989 classic. Art of Vengeance already has a release date of August 29 and looks beautiful in its first trailer, which shows Shinobi Joe Musashi effortlessly combo-ing through enemies and across lush, painterly levels with ease and precision.
Then there’s Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, which was announced in the pre-show for last year’s Game Awards. It’s also coming out sometime in 2025 and being made by Dotemu in partnership with The Game Kitchen, the team behind the exceptional Souls-y Metroidvania series, Blasphemous. Its first trailer showcased smooth platforming combat, vibrant pixel art animations, and tons of blood. Despite the fresh coat of paint and modern polish, it looks like the punishing Ninja Gaiden formula fans have learned to fear but love from the series’ NES days.
Both franchises moved away from their 2D roots in the early 2000s. Shinobi received a 3D sequel on PlayStation 2 while Ninja Gaiden did the same on the original Xbox. Capcom hasn’t revisited the old-school Ninja Gaiden formula since, and the Shinobi games that tried to were, uh, not great. While fans of those ‘90s action platformers have had the occasional ninja-themed side-scroller to keep them occupied, like Mark of the Ninja and The Messenger, nothing has aimed to scratch those nostalgic itches quite like these new throwbacks.
What I’m most excited for is that both Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound appear to doing things a little bit differently. The former has air dashes and all kinds of flashy abilities, while the latter seems to hew more closely to less flashy Ninja Gaiden techniques like wall bouncing. And as an aging fan raised on 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, I love any opportunity for my brain to sink back into the familiar, well-worn grooves of a 2D platformer. No mini-maps, crafting mechanics, or dense, hyper-realistic environments to parse.
And while I’m a fan of both series, I’m still a Shinobi-stan at heart. The original Ninja Gaiden trilogy is awesome but can’t hold a candle to The Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. I’m glad both franchises are getting a fresh shot at the 2D side-scrolling crown in 2025.
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