Technologies

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Is a Sleek, Brutal Return to 2D Ninja Action

Sega’s legendary ninja Joe Musashi returns in the Shinobi revival.

The game industry has seemingly made 2025 the “year of the ninja” with the release of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound earlier in the year, as well as the upcoming Ghost of Yotei and Ninja Gaiden 4. Amid all these high-profile ninja releases, Sega’s iconic Shinobi franchise returns with what could be its best game in the series.

Dormant for more than a decade, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance ($30) does everything right when it comes to reviving the beloved franchise. It has a stunning visual style, new abilities, bigger levels, tough bosses and callbacks to older games as a treat for longtime fans.

In Shinobi, players take the role of the series’ hero Joe Musashi. The ninja was living in a seemingly peaceful village until it was destroyed by the evil ENE Corporation led by the tyrant Lord Ruse. Joe will exact his revenge on the military organization — which, naturally, is out to conquer the globe — as he uncovers the vast amount of horrors and destruction it’s responsible for.

If that sounds like a plot typical of ’80s or ’90s action movies and games, well, it is. There are some interesting storyline beats that occur throughout the game, which play out mainly in dialogue exchanges and a few beautiful cutscenes. Still, the story of this Shinobi game comes down to revenge, and that’s never a bad motivation for a ninja game.

The art of sight and sound

What struck me about the visuals of this particular Shinobi game is the smoothness of the animation. Developer Lizardcube did a tremendous job of making a 2D game look like it could be an anime without replicating an anime style similar to Guilty Gear Strive or Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. The animation of the characters is so good-looking that it almost feels unreal.

The presentation for Shinobi, in general, is just spot on. This is one of those instances where you can tell the developer was trying to replicate the look, sound and feel of an older game — from graphics to animations to even the way enemies and bosses move — to feel just like it did when older gamers like me experienced those early Shinobi games for the first time.

Playing Shinobi III at home on a Genesis (or Mega Drive outside of the US) and all the details in Joe’s movements and the electronic rock soundtrack were blowing our minds when we were 10 years old. Decades later, Art of Vengeance is doing the same to me.

Who put a Metroidvania in my Shinobi game?

My time with the Shinobi games is long yet minimal. I played the original 1987 arcade game and others in the series here and there. What I appreciate about this new Shinobi game is how it builds on the framework of the franchise’s best games: the action-platforming of Shinobi III and the swordplay in the PS2 Shinobi reboot.

It’s just so much fun to play as Joe in this game. He learns many moves as you progress, making use of light and heavy sword attacks, kunai throws and dashing. As you string these together, combos become a ballet of strikes: You hit one enemy, pursue them with a dash or switch to another target. The combo tracker quickly climbs toward a hundred, yet Joe still has more moves to unleash.

Joe also has at his disposal a series of Ninpo abilities, which are special attacks that can be equipped and activated with a specific button combination. These abilities can be found or purchased, with each requiring a segment of the Ninja Cell gauge that will replenish whenever Joe attacks opponents. There are eight in total, with varying capabilities such as using the Fire Ninpo to deal heavy damage to end combos or using the Shuriken Ninpo to wear down an enemy’s armor.

My favorite combos are extensive, but flow smoothly: start off with a few light attacks, string that into two power slashes to knock the enemy into the air, do a dash into a flying knee attack into another enemy, begin the string of weak and strong attacks, knock this enemy into the air and time it to where the first enemy is close to landing, unleash a Fire Ninpo to kill it, then jump up to do an air combo for the airborne enemy and finish it off with a Wind Slash Ninpo that should be ready after I land all the hits. Then you get to do it again.

And like in all the other Shinobi games, Joe has his Ninjitsu, or ninja magic, that builds when attacking enemies, although at a much slower rate than Ninpos. These Ninjitsus can do a ton of damage, but toward the end, I kept to the one that refilled my life bar.

The level design and enemies are new but reference older games. Levels offer plenty to explore if you have the right abilities, adding a bit of Metroidvania flavor. Each area has remarkable detail, such as the ENE Corporation Laboratory, where cutting the power midway through the level unleashes an army of bio-horrors to fend off. Exploring every spot rewards collectibles and secures a 100% completion rating.

For most of the game, difficulty rises steadily with occasional spikes from enemy numbers or environmental traps. Bosses have multiple stages, providing a challenge without overwhelming players.

Then, in the last two stages, the game ramps up to another level of toughness by trimming the number of checkpoints and flooding you with hazards that both hurt and reset your progress. Mind you, at this point in the game, you have the general rhythms of how the game flows and the spacing, but this is the point where your frustration might spike high enough that you throw a controller — consider that a warning.

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 will be released on Aug. 29 for $30 and will be available for digital purchase on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S consoles.

Technologies

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”