If you are an old player of 2D horizontal action games, then 2025 will definitely be a big surprise – because the two classic ninja IPs “Shinobi” and “Ninja Gaiden” will return to the 2D stage! These two games are not only a strong return of 2D horizontal action, but also allow the two old rivals of the classic Ninja series to once again stand in the arena to compete!
SEGA’s 《Shinobi: Art of Vengeance》 Developed by Lizardcube, the team behind high-quality remakes of Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap.
KOEI TECMO brings 《Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound》, the development team is The Game Kitchen, the studio that has created the soul-like horizontal action masterpiece “Blasphemous”, this time published by Dotemu.
- “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” – Gorgeous combos and explosive artistic style
- Release date: August 29, 2025
At this week’s PlayStation State of Play 2025 event, “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance” was officially released. In the trailer, ninja master Joe Musashi uses smooth air sprints and gorgeous skills to destroy enemies along the way and shuttle through picturesque level scenes.
This time Lizardcube presents the game in a unique hand-drawn art style, making every scene look like a perfect fusion of Japanese ink painting and classic 16-bit games. In addition, the game’s combat system is also more flexible, giving Joe Musashi unprecedented fluidity through air dash, combos and enhanced skills.
- “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound” – extreme challenge, brutal battle returns
- Release date: 2025 (exact date to be determined)
Compared with “Shinobi: Art of Vengeance”, which focuses on gorgeous action and painting style, “Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound” is more inclined to the high-difficulty combat and precise operation familiar to hardcore players. The game is developed by The Game Kitchen. This team has created the soul-like horizontal action masterpiece “Blasphemous” in the past. This time it combines the classic“Ninja torture style” fighting styleBrought it back!
Judging from the trailer, the game’s platform jumping, wall rebounding and extreme combat are all a return to the pure style of the 8-bit era, but the graphics and animation are much more detailed than before. The combat is fast-paced, the scenes are rich in details, and the enemies are still killing people without blinking an eye. It completely inherits the high-difficulty gene of “Ninja Gaiden”!
Whether you like smooth skill combos and gorgeous graphics (Shinobi), or you prefer hardcore battles that challenge yourself and survive with precise operations (Ninja Gaiden), these two games will bring different styles of ultimate ninja experiences in 2025.
2025: The golden renaissance of 2D ninja games!
Since the 2000s, both “Shinobi” and “Ninja Gaiden” have moved to 3D, with “Shinobi” having a 3D version on the PS2, and “Ninja Gaiden” becoming an action game classic on the Xbox 360. But in 2025, these two major IPs finally returned to the 2D horizontal action stage, allowing players who were obsessed with this type of game to relive the most classic pleasure.
For old players who like nostalgic games, this time is not only a reappearance of memories, but also the return of the golden age of 2D action games – who is the real ninja king in 2025?
source:KOTAKU