Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound form a complementary pair that revitalizes the action platformer by emphasizing different strengths and balancing each other's shortcomings. Both are brand-new takes on legacy franchises developed by indie studios with relevant experience: Lizardcube (Streets of Rage 4, WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap) and The Game Kitchen (Blasphemous). Sega and Koei Tecmo intentionally partnered with fresh teams to reinterpret these series for modern audiences. Both games present 2D action platforming with fast-paced combat and tight platforming. Ragebound delivers a laser-focused, 5–6 hour, speed-oriented, twitchy gameplay experience with additional side content.
But that's exactly what happened with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, two games that complement each other so much that I'd genuinely recommend people play them at the same time. These are two experiences that revitalized the action platformer in a lot of the same ways, but lean into specific strengths. Any flaws or shortcomings of one can be met by the other, making it the best double feature we've seen in games in a long time.
What makes the release of these two games so novel is that they're both brand new takes on legacy franchises by indie studios - and that's part of why each one feels so scintillatingly fresh. What's especially vital is that both studios have a rich history of these kinds of games, and were able to leverage a unique viewpoint to redefine what these franchises mean.
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