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In the past two years, Ninja games seem to have made a comeback. ININ, Sega, Dotemu, and others have all thrown their names into the arena. Thus far, the quality of each company's aforementioned games has been high from what we've been shown. And in the case of ININ and Dotemu, we can literally play their offering as of the writing of this article. Right now, no matter which retro revival ninja franchise you favor, you're guaranteed a quality game.
On August 29, 2024, developers Natsume Atari and Tenjo Project, along with publisher ININ Games revived a Nintendo Entertainment System classic. That classic was Shadow of the Ninja. Back in the day, this was one of the more enjoyable 2-player co-op games. And it still holds true now in the modern era. This game blends both action and puzzle elements. What results in a rare couch coop in this day and age. Currently, this one is available for all major platforms. I know on PlayStation you can download the demo. But to be honest, just do yourselves a favor and buy this. Yeah, it's that good.
In late August 2025, Sega will be bringing back their classic ninja franchise in the form of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance for all major platforms. The game has a cel-shaded look, and the action is speedy without seeming unbearably fast (if that makes sense). The developer, Lizardcube, has certainly done the franchise justice. It's been a long time coming since we haven't seen a new Shinobi game since the 3DS days. Lizardcube did Streets of Rage 4 justice, so I expect nothing less with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.
In July 2025, the next game in the Ninja Gaiden franchise was released. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound brings the series back to the 2d roots that started with the original trilogy. The game has a retro-style look combined with fast gameplay. Developer The Game Kitchen and publisher Dotemu, with Koei Tecmo's license, are treating a new, modern audience to the 2d style of Ninja Gaiden gameplay that those of us ancient people (NES era gamers) grew up on and enjoyed.
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