Game of the Month (August 2025) Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

July was one of the hottest months I can remember, and if August continues the trend, I’ll be spending most of my free time inside with a giant bowl of ice cream playing video games.  The releases this month will give me a few new games to look forward to, but most of the ones I’m hyping about the most releases at the tail end of the month, including my August 2025 game of the month pick.  This month, I’m not going AAA, despite Metal Gear Solid Delta trying to catch my attention.  This month, I’m all about Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a 2D Action Platformer published and developed by Lizardcube and Sega.  It’s designed with colorful, hand-drawn graphics, and frenetic gameplay, much like Lizardcube’s previous release in 2020, Streets of Rage 4.  In this game, the titular shinobi, Joe Musashi, finds his village in flames and his clan turned to stone.  He seeks vengeance against the shadowy figures responsible, using all the weapons, skills and techniques at his disposal.

So why does a platformer like Shinobi: Art of Vengeance get me hyped more than games like Metal Gear Solid Delta? (also releases this month, a day earlier!)  I spent countless hours playing Shinobi III on Sega Genesis as a kid, and I’m a sucker for a good platformer.  I am also a HUGE fan of Streets of Rage 4, and I love the aesthetics that Lizardcube does both in visuals and in sound.  I’ve never played their other game, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, but it’s been on my list for quite a while. I love the idea of continuing the Shinobi series in appropriate retro-style without rebooting/remastering/reimagining the old entries. Let the earlier entries shine in their own way, and make way for an amazing re-entry to the current gen! Lizardcube, if this quality keeps up, I’m always ready to play your next love-letter to our favorite classic games.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance drops on August 29 for PS5, PS4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.