Even with the difficulty spike, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a remarkable 2D action game. For $30, it provides substance and fun, and Lizardcube escalates difficulty just enough to make finishing a level satisfying. If you're rebooting a 2D action franchise to appeal to fans of its older games, Art of Vengeance is a perfect example of how to do it.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance revitalizes a classic by combining excellent combat and platforming with a gorgeous art style, reaching new heights for the long-dormant series.

Thankfully, the ho-hum plot is genuinely the only bad aspect of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. The game itself plays like a hybrid of the old Shinobi games, many modern platformers, with some light elements of Metroid sprinkled in.