Behind the Blade: Developer Interview Reveals the Revival of SEGA’s Legendary Shinobi Series in SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance

One of gaming’s most iconic ninja franchises is making its return. We recently had the opportunity to interview Producer Toru Ohara and Senior Director Takaharu Terada to discuss SHINOBI: The Art of Vengeance, the highly anticipated revival that brings Joe Musashi back to center stage with a stunning new visual approach.

The upcoming title marks a significant shift for the series, trading 3D action for hand-drawn 2D artistry while maintaining the intense, challenging gameplay that made Shinobi legendary. Through a translator, the development team shared insights about bringing this beloved franchise into the modern era while staying true to its roots.

The Return of a Legend

The decision to revive Shinobi wasn’t made lightly, and it came from multiple converging factors. “SEGA, as a whole, is currently having a movement to revive previous IP. That’s part of the answer,” the developers explained. But beyond corporate strategy, there was a creative vision driving the project. “We’re trying to revive Shinobi in a purely 2D game. We definitely thought a lot about how to make a 2D game palatable for people in the modern age.”

The revival also came about through collaboration with LizardCube, the studio behind Streets of Rage 4. “LizardCube who has made the Streets of Rage 4 and they also initiated the conversation about creating Shinobi once again and so that’s also a very good part of how this project came to be,” they noted. This partnership proved crucial, bringing together SEGA’s vision with LizardCube’s proven expertise in modernizing classic franchises.

The timing felt right for another reason too. “2D games are seeming to be having another moment in the gaming scene, especially in indie games, and we thought that maybe it would make a big impact on that scene,” the team shared, recognizing the current renaissance of 2D gaming.

Unlike previous entries that adopted 3D gameplay, The Art of Vengeance returns to the series’ side-scrolling roots with a revolutionary twist. The game features what the developers call “Neo2D” – a unique art style that blends traditional 2D animation with modern visual techniques. “This goes along with the previous answers, but the biggest one is that we’re working with Lizardcube, who makes wonderful 2D art styles and are very proficient in making 2D art games. They’ve also made Streets of Rage 4, so they have experience in the side-scrolling action games,” they explained.

The visual approach is painstakingly detailed. “Each of the character movements are drawn by hand, one frame by one frame. Along with the background graphics as well, we’d like everyone to enjoy the beautiful art style,” they said. This commitment to craftsmanship means every animation is individually crafted, creating a visual experience that stands apart from typical 2D games.

Welcoming New Players While Honoring Veterans

One of the biggest challenges facing The Art of Vengeance is balancing accessibility for newcomers with the series’ reputation for punishing difficulty. The developers are confident they’ve struck the right balance while maintaining the series’ identity. “Shinobi has been a long running series but this installment, the Art of Vengeance is a game that you don’t really have to know the previous titles in order to have fun with the game so anyone can come with a fresh mind,” they assured prospective players.

However, the game doesn’t compromise on the challenge that defines Shinobi. “Shinobi is known as a very difficult game to play, and so previous people who had played previous installments, if they play and if the game is too easy, they’d be let down. So the game is difficult,” the team acknowledged. They’ve built in safety nets for struggling players: “There are people that might not be able to clear the game so in that case, we have an option for changing difficulty. So you can change the difficulty any time within the game menu.”

Despite these options, they encourage players to embrace the challenge. “What I’d like to recommend is just play on the default difficulty setting and see how far you can go,” they suggested. The team believes in the transformative power of perseverance and skill development.

Ohara shared their personal journey with the game: “Me myself I’m not a very proficient action game player. However, as I play the game, I notice that I get very better at the controls, and I feel like I’m becoming more fluent in the game action. I’d like the players to also feel that sense of getting better throughout the game, and just have a sense of becoming more powerful.”

The Power of Joe Musashi

Central to the Shinobi experience is protagonist Joe Musashi, who returns as the undisputed star of The Art of Vengeance. There was never any question about who would lead this revival. “The short answer to that is no, we have been considering Joe Musashi was the main protagonist from the beginning. This has also been the idea from Lizardcube as well,” the developers explained when asked about considering other characters. “When we thought about reviving the series, to us, the main Shinobi installment is from the Sega Genesis Super Shinobi series. So Joe Musashi was the protagonist in our minds from the start.”

But this isn’t just any ninja – Joe Musashi represents something beyond traditional ninja mythology. “The one point I’d like to point out is that the protagonist Joe Musashi is very very strong so ninjas in general is sort of like a almost like an imaginary sort of legendary type of figure and there’s like not really like a set image of ninjas but Joe Musashi is about like three times stronger than the ninja that you have in your head,” they explained with enthusiasm.

The game’s world reflects this over-the-top approach to ninja action. “The whole the world of the shinobi is kind of like it definitely goes over your expectations so when you see when you imagine a ninja going through bamboo forest like that’s pretty much like a typical ninja but then he jumps off of a helicopter with like a surfboard and so yeah everything’s just kind of defeats your imagination and that’s also another points that I’d like people to enjoy,” they added, highlighting the series’ commitment to exceeding player expectations.

Evolution of Combat and Ninjutsu

The Art of Vengeance introduces a more robust combat system than previous entries, building layers of complexity that reveal themselves over time. “In general, the whole ninjutsu and the battle has become more complex in this game,” the developers explained. The hierarchy of attacks creates a clear structure: “There was the karyu, the ninjutsu that you have probably seen when you played. And so, that is the biggest one. Ninjutsu is the biggest, strongest moves. And then, below that is the ninpo, which is the next strongest moves. And then, below that is the regular strong attacks and light attacks, and also the kunais, or the shurikens.”

What sets this system apart from typical action games is its progressive nature. “These regular attacks, you can unlock them throughout the shop, so you could get more attacks along the way,” they explained. Unlike many games that force players to choose between moves, Shinobi takes a different approach: “You just gain more moves along the way. So you don’t lose any moves. And with that, you could do new combos, like a lot of new combos.”

This expanding moveset creates an evolving gameplay experience that grows more complex over time. “And it kind of feels like more of a fighting game along the way. And that is a very exciting part of this game. In the beginning, it might feel like a regular action game. But along the way, it gets more of a feeling of a fighting game, kind of hybrid,” they noted.

The combat system prioritizes fluidity over rigid execution requirements. “We designed the game to be as fluid as possible so people can enter in different combinations. We’ve mentioned that the game kind of feels like a fighting game, but it isn’t too strict in a sense that you need to press certain buttons in a certain order to make a combination. We didn’t make it too strict like that, so you can press different buttons in different timings, and you can launch enemies into the air, and then you can continue the combo from the flying enemies. You can do many, many different combos in this game.”

The system encourages experimentation and personal expression. “There’s just very different ways to approach the battles, so we definitely want you guys to figure out your own combinations. During combinations, you can also incorporate ninpos within the combinations, and you can do just many things,” they explained.

Staying True to Shinobi’s Wild Spirit

For newcomers surprised by the game’s kaiju battles and helicopter sequences, the developers want to make clear this isn’t a departure from tradition but rather a return to the series’ core identity. “The answer to that is that the Shinobi as a series has been doing that since way back. So the Shinobi series, the previous installments, the ninja was like a ninja in the current age. And so other than fighting other ninjas, Musashi in the previous installments had been fighting armies and kaijus and all those different things,” they explained.

This eccentric approach has always been part of Shinobi’s DNA and represents a deliberate design philosophy. “And so in that sense, it’s sort of like an homage to the previous installments. And yeah, it’s what has been done since before,” the team confirmed. The wild, over-the-top scenarios aren’t accidents but carefully crafted experiences designed to subvert expectations and create memorable moments.

The Art of Revenge

At its core, The Art of Vengeance is a story about revenge, though the developers are keeping the narrative specifics carefully guarded. “So in this game, Musashi enters into a really sort of desperate type of situation and the situation changes throughout the game,” they teased, suggesting a dynamic story that evolves alongside the gameplay.

The theme of revenge isn’t just narrative window dressing but central to understanding the character and his world. “In general, vengeance or revenge can be considered maybe a good thing but more of a bad thing in general. But Musashi is a shinobi, so revenge or vengeance is one of his jobs. That’s something that he’s got to do,” the developers explained, positioning revenge as both moral complexity and professional obligation.

The way Musashi approaches this duty becomes a defining element of the game. “How does Musashi serve the revenge is definitely the central topic of this game. The way that Musashi serves the revenge is one of the most accented points of this game. That is something that everyone should be excited for,” they emphasized.

Looking to the Future and Industry Impact

While the developers couldn’t reveal specific details about future Shinobi projects, they hinted at bigger plans while maintaining appropriate caution. “At this point we can’t say any details as a whole company we are kind of sort of figuring out how to put the spotlight on Joe Musashi as a character and right now the game has not even been released yet it’s going to be released in August so yeah we can’t really talk about the future that much,” they said.

The series’ flexible nature means future installments could take many different forms, a freedom the developers see as both opportunity and responsibility. “Shinobi as a series has not been that very consistent in a way because the protagonist has been changed throughout installments and throughout different titles, as well as enemies. There hasn’t really been a coherent type of story or world building. In a sense, Shinobi is a very free, very fluid IP,” they noted.

The developers believe their approach could influence the broader 2D gaming landscape, particularly in how developers think about visual presentation. “2D games in this era has many different art styles, like pixel arts, and also like unique art styles, and this, the Art of Vengeance also incorporates a very unique art style, and I think that would be definitely a special point of this game,” they explained.

A Challenge to Players

As the interview concluded, the developers issued a direct challenge to players while emphasizing the inclusive nature of their creation. “This kind of goes in conjunction with the previous answers, but this game, this installment of the game is going to be enjoyable for both fans of the series and for new people that are just introduced to the series. We’d like a lot of different people to have fun with the game,” they said.

Their final message combines confidence with challenge. “It would definitely be a better game than expected. It’ll definitely go over expectations, and so as I said previously, the game is a very difficult game, and so this is sort of like a challenge from us to the players to see if you can beat the game, and so please, I’d like you all to serve revenge,” they concluded.

SHINOBI: The Art of Vengeance is set to release in August 29, 2025 bringing Joe Musashi back to slice through enemies with style, power, and that signature Shinobi flair that has captivated players for decades.

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