The Magic: The Gathering product release schedule continues, with anticipation building for the arrival of Spider-Man next month, but there are plenty of price changes to come before then. From classic cards seeing new life and staggering value changes, to big drops for some of Edge of Eternities’ most popular cards, there’s plenty to keep up with. Here are the big shifts this week for August 28, and why they’re happening.
This Week’s Climbers
Need for Speed debuted in 2001 (the card, not the video game series) and it lets you sack lands to give creatures haste, but folks have noticed that Toph, the First Metalbender from the upcoming Avatar set can take advantage of its effects.
Toph means all nontoken artifacts are counted as lands, while also taking cards, making them creatures, and bringing them back when they die or are exiled. This means a buffet of lands to get rid of and haste to pass around. It’s up to $7 from around a dollar as a result.
Toph’s also seen Ugin’s Nexus get some attention, but as the folks at Wargamer pointed out, a potential Toph/Ugin’s Nexus combo doesn’t work. The card has been climbing in value to around $5 because players think that Ugin’s Nexus will give them a bunch of extra turns, but the card actually says ‘If a player would begin an extra turn, that player skips that turn instead.’ It’s still a cool card, but be mindful before you buy.
Terra Eternal is our final Toph synergy this week, and it’s seen a price spike up to $7 from $1 thanks to its ability to make lands indestructible. With Toph’s ability to make artifacts into lands, that means they’re indestructible, too.
Scrapheap has been around since 1999 (the good ol’ days) and gives you life for sacrificing your artifacts or enchantments. It’s simple, but it pairs nicely with Ragost, Deft Gastronaut (remember him?) because he’s chomping through artifacts all day long. Scrapheap is up to almost $8 from around ninety cents.
Repurposing Bay can work nicely with it, too, with this Aetherdrift card powersliding up to a dollar or two in the last few days, having been around 50 cents just a short time ago. It’s seeing some use in Standard right now, hence the popularity.
This Week’s Crashers
Once one of the most sought-after cards of Edge of Eternities, Breeding Pool (Borderless) is a looker, and it’s seeing a drop. Not long ago, it was well above $100, but has dropped to around $35 now and could drop further.
Ouroboroid has also seen a drop, and it’s now around $20 having been upwards of $25 in recent weeks, while Tannuk, Steadfast Second has trailed off to around $7 from double that not long ago.
If you’ve been looking for The Endstone, this card draw engine is now close to hitting $5, while Terrasymbiosis is a dollar or so less, with both cards commanding around double those fees recently.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
The school year is a-coming, and as a result, there are some great offers to be had on PCs and other gaming hardware that’s ideal for newcomers looking for some graphical grunt for creative projects during the day and something that’ll let them ‘click heads’ at night.
Cast your minds back, if you’re still able, to the year of our lord 2022 and the release of Moral Anxiety Studio’s tremendousRoadwarden. Yes, you know the one, that PC game you may not have played but certainly heard plenty about, as it garnered a whole bunch of Very Nice Reviews™.
And here, to be blunt, is another for the pile. What’s the point in mincing words? Who has time in this economy? Roadwarden is a special game, you see, one of those that stays with you long after the fact of having played it. It’s been compared, and rightly so, to the likes of the also-rather-good Disco Elysium, in how it creates an unflinching world that’s absolutely dripping in atmosphere and tiny details, a world that’s stuffed to the gills with meaningful encounters, fascinating conversations and choices that embed you in it all. Right up to your eyeballs, my friends.
What’s up, everyone? I’m gonna assume you’ve already seen the announcement trailer for Grasshopper Manufacture’s all-new title, Romeo Is A Dead Man. If not, then do yourself a favor and go watch it now. It’s cool – I’ll wait two and a half minutes.
OK, so you get that there’s gonna be a whole lot of extremely bloody battle action and exploring some weird places, but I think a lot of people may be confused by the sheer amount of information packed into two and a half minutes… Today, we’ll give you a teensy little glimpse of how Romeo Stargazer – aka “DeadMan”, a special agent in the FBI division known as the Space-Time Police – goes about his “investigations”.
Romeo Is A Dead Man, abbreviated as… I don’t know, RiaDM? or maybe RoDeMa, if you’re nasty? Anyway, one of the most notable features of the game is the rich variety of graphic styles used to depict the game world. Seriously, it’s all over the place – but like, in a good way. The meticulously-tweaked action parts are done in stunning, almost photorealistic 3D, and we’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink into the more story-based parts.
And don’t worry, GhM fans – we promise: for as much work as we’ve put into making the game look cool and unique, the story itself is also ridiculously bonkers, as is tradition here at Grasshopper Manufacture. We think longtime fans will enjoy it, and newcomers will have their heads exploding. Either way, you’re guaranteed to see some stuff you’ve never seen before.
As for the actual battles, our hero Romeo is heavily armed with both katana-style melee weapons and gun-style ranged weapons alike, which the player can switch between while dispersing beatdowns. However even the weaker, goombah-type enemies are pretty hardcore. You’re gonna have to think up combinations of melee, ranged, heavy, and light attacks to get by. But the stupidly gratuitous amount of blood splatter and catharsis you’re rewarded with when landing a real nuclear power move of a combo is awe-inspiring, if that’s your thing. On top of the kinda-humanoid creatures you’ve already seen, known as “Rotters”, we’ve got all kinds of other ultra-creepy, unique enemies waiting to bite your face off!
Now, let’s look at one of the main centerpieces of any GhM game: the boss battles. This particular boss is, well, hella big. His name is “Everyday Is Like Monday”, because of course it is. It’s on you to make sure Romeo can dodge the mess of attacks launched by this big-ass tyrant and take him down to Chinatown. It’s one of the most feelgood beatdowns of the year!
Also, being a member of something called the “Space-Time Police” means that obviously Romeo is gonna be visiting all sorts of weird, “…what?”-type places. And awaiting him at these weird, “…what?”-type places are a range of weird, “…what?”-type puzzles that only the highest double-digit IQ players will be able to solve! This thing looks like a simple sphere that someone just kinda dropped and busted, but once you really wrap your dome around it and get it solved, damn it feels good. There are a slew of other puzzles and gimmicks strategically or possibly just randomly strewn throughout the game, so keep your eyeballs peeled for them and try not to break any controllers as you encounter them along your mission.
That’s all for now, but obviously there are still a whole bunch of important game elements we have yet to discuss, so stay tuned for next time!
Considering it was revealed to the world with a trailer that featured four zombie-blasting soldiers singing along to Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”, I expected John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando to be much funnier than it is. Inspired in equal measure by the supernatural horror and buddy action movies of the 1980s, it is big and dumb and goofy… yet never as batshit bananas as you’d expect for a game that’s quite literally about fighting an entity called the Sludge God. But while it may not be that funny, it is fun. You may have already forgotten about that 2023 reveal trailer, but after playing three hours of its co-op missions, I don’t think Toxic Commando is going to fade into the background thanks to its surprisingly solid Left 4 Dead-alike antics.
While it is presented akin to a story campaign shooter with cutscenes, plot points, and a lore-dropping man-in-the-chair vaguely modelled after John Carpenter himself, Toxic Commando is clearly designed to be a regular destination for a team of four friends who can run through its missions on repeat. Each expedition takes place on a reasonably-sized open map, dotted with a handful of optional objectives and loot caches alongside the quest’s main goals. With no ticking timer or shrinking circle, you can take your time to collect everything, scour every point-of-interest, and generally mess around with your pals before pushing onwards to the mission’s finale. It’s surprisingly leisurely… at least until the horde applies the pressure.
Developed by Saber Interactive, Toxic Commando is built on the studio’s now-signature horde technology that renders hundreds of sprinting zombies simultaneously, allowing for enemies to clamber up walls like a reverse waterfall of rotting flesh. In many ways, Toxic Commando feels like a successor to the game where this tech originated, World War Z, and even features near-identical mechanics – during frequent hold-the-line defence objectives, you mow down incoming enemies with the same array of emplaced machineguns, mortars, and electrified grids. It’s just that this time it’s all rendered with a gloriously gross horror aesthetic. Who wants zombies to look like humans when they can look like lamp-eyed freaks from the death dimension?
Those freaks burst and break when they’re introduced to the hot lead dispensed by a very healthy arsenal. They’re all based on real-world guns (aside from the wildly powerful rail gun, which scatters foes like bowling pins) and divided up into your regular groups of shotguns, SMGs, sniper rifles, and other formats not beginning with “S”. Saving them from feeling utterly ordinary is how they fire with the exaggerated bravado of an ultra-violent b-movie – all sputtering muzzles, wide bullet spread, and explosive impacts. Legs are severed, ribcages torn open, and brains pinwheel out of busted skulls. It’s all as squelchy and sinewey as you’d hope from a game associated with the director of The Thing.
Your choice of loadout defines the combat experience much more than the four character classes, which feel like minor augmentations to standard FPS action rather than crucial battlefield roles. Each is defined by a single special ability – the Operator uses a drone that automatically bombards enemies for a few seconds, the Strike can unleash a barrage of energy blasts, the Medic has an area-of-effect heal, and the Defender can put up a damage-absorbing barrier. At least during my hours of play, these abilities came in handy during a pinch but did little to direct how I played. Perhaps filling out the skill tree will give each class stronger definition, but right now it seems like the regular shooting is the main event.
There’s admittedly very little new or experimental in Toxic Commando, but what’s here is genuinely good fun.
Mowing down a lot (a lot) of zombies is the crux of Toxic Commando’s objectives. Sometimes that’ll involve the genre-trademark special infected that largely work exactly as Left 4 Dead dictated (sticky ones that grab you, tanky ones that charge at you, gross ones that spit at you.) Elsewhere you’ll need to unload a belts-worth of ammunition into a tangled mess of tentacles, or use demolition charges to blow some kind of growth to smithereens. It’s mostly by-the-numbers co-op shooter fare, but across the few missions I’ve played there’s the odd one that shines brighter. One quest sees the map covered by a Fortnite-ish, life-sapping storm, and the only way to navigate between the shielded pockets of safety is to drive an ambulance that can trickle heal those sitting inside it. It’s a really coherent meshing of environment, situation, and equipment design.
Regardless of if the mission requires one or not, vehicles are as significant to Toxic Commando as its zombies and guns. The spaced-out objectives and open nature of the maps mean you’ll need some wheels to effectively cover ground, especially as that ground is so often practically carpeted by the undead. Cars like the armoured Maverick are good for both protection and doubling as a battering ram – you’ll just need to occasionally deal with the zombies who clamber aboard like particularly diseased monkeys at the safari.
All vehicles have a special ability, such as the ambulance’s healing aura or the Thunder pick-up’s flamethrower, but it’s the winch attached to all but the family sedans that really makes a difference. Essentially a grapple hook that can be fired into a variety of anchor points, it can be used to rip gates off their hinges, bust open treasure containers, and pull your vehicle up slippy inclines. See, the Sludge God, in his infinite sticky wisdom, has covered each map in great big stretches of gloop, and so without a MudRunner-lite approach you’ll be spinning tires and going nowhere.
There’s admittedly very little new or experimental in Toxic Commando, but what’s here is genuinely good fun. It’s a more open take on Left 4 Dead’s horde-filled adventures, fuelled by the same “arcane evil” feel that’s made Call of Duty’s zombie mode feel so aesthetically solid. There are some issues that threaten that fun, though. Every mission I played felt like it had had the wind kicked out of it by the final stretch thanks to dwindling resources. Health kits are in short supply, ammunition can get a little tricky, and spare parts – a currency that unlocks special weapons and defensive structures – can only be found in a limited number of loot caches. By the end of a mission it can feel like the odds are really against you, and while I appreciate the need to ratchet tension and create a challenge spike in the final objective, in a game where zombies arrive by the truckful, restocking ammo only to find you’ve been given a single magazine does feel a bit unbalanced. I was having a lot more fun during the earlier minutes, when bullets were plentiful and the blood spilled like wine, so I’m not sure if the flow and tone really mesh with the current resource levels.
The more concerning thing, though, is progression. All weapons have individual XP bars, and must be levelled up to particular milestones to unlock different modifications. When you unlock a mod, you then need to spend a currency to actually fit it to the weapon, and each one costs several thousand. I can’t help but look at the entire armoury and envision the hundreds and hundreds of hours I’d need to sink into Toxic Commando to achieve a decently functioning, varied loadout. It’s the sort of system that funnels you into picking a single favourite, rather than encouraging you to constantly switch between missions. This, combined with a trio of different currencies and palette-swap character skins, has me a little suspicious that the sludge of live-service has tainted something I’ve otherwise had a pretty good blast with. But these grindy woes can also be found in Saber’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and they didn’t stop it from being one of my favourite games of 2024.
That’s not to say I’m expecting John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando to have anywhere near the same impact Space Marine had. But, provided the full game has a solid range of missions that genuinely prove replayable, I do think the strong shooting and entertaining enemies have a decent enough chance to secure it a home among friendship groups who’d happily re-watch gloopy ‘80s horror over and over until the VHS wears out. Whether they’ll ever unlock the attachments they want for their favourite weapons… well, we’ll have to wait to find out.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Executive Editor of Features.
If you’re sick of looking at the insane pricing of Pokémon TCG at big box retailers, I’m here to help. I’ve gone through the Amazon’s latest stock updates, and I’ve found some deals that are either in-line with their current value on the collectors market, or below if you’re quick enough. ETBs, Booster Bundles, Big box ex collections, single boosters and more, I’ve got you covered in today’s daily deals.
TCGPlayer is showing up Amazon’s predatory pricing practices with Pokémon TCG, with up to 10% on some of the latest sets, including Black Bolt, White Flare, Destined Rivals and more. Still above MSRP, but its by far the best deal players and collectors are going to get on sealed ETB’s right now.
Pokémon TCG Booster Bundle Deals
Booster Bundles are even cheaper, and again from the most popular Scarlet and Violet sets. Prismatic Evolutions is 21% cheaper, Black Bolt is 22% down, White Flare is 18% and Destined Rivals is a moddest 8% down. Don’t pay more when you don’t have too.
Pokémon TCG Big Box Collection Deals
Binder boxes, special collections and more are the big box Pokémon TCG products that make great gifts that usually come with a few exclusive pormo cards and other cool swag that can only be found in these boxes. Infact, if you’re just after the bits and bats inside, you can usually find seperate listings on TCGPlayer for just that to save a few dollars.
Pokémon TCG Tins and Booster Packs
With up to 44% off booster tins, blisters and single packs, it’s an absolute no-brainer hopping over to TCGPlayer over Amazon. It’s actually amazing that some of these products are nearly double the price of the secondary market, but I’m here to save you some money after all!
Most Expensive Pokémon Cards from Japan’s Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia
Japan’s Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia Pokémon TCG sets have quickly gained popularity with collectors and competitive players alike, thanks to their focus on iconic Mega Evolutions, powerful Supporter cards, and premium artwork. High-value chase cards like Mega Gardevoir ex 092/063 and Mega Lucario ex 092/063 are priced at $664 and $444 respectively, while many others remain above the $100 mark.
These sets combine strong gameplay mechanics such as Psychic energy acceleration and hard-hitting Fighting-type attacks with visually stunning Special and Ultra Rare treatments that elevate their appeal. Booster boxes and Premium Trainer Boxes are available on TCGPlayer and include guaranteed rare pulls due to Japanese packaging rules. While the most expensive cards draw attention, more affordable options like Lillie’s Determination 086/063, Mega Kangaskhan ex SAR, and Mega Absol ex SAR offer great value with solid gameplay and collector-friendly art, making these sets a standout release for fans looking for both playability and display-worthy cards.
This Weeks Crashers and Climbers
Stellar Crown’s Illustration Rares like Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Terapagos ex are dropping fast, with nostalgia-driven hype fading as supply grows and competitive players move on. Squirtle is down about 32% since February and Bulbasaur is down 31%, both sliding because their gameplay value is minimal. Earthen Vessel and the Special Illustration Rare Fezandipiti ex are also slipping, while Terapagos ex has been hit hardest, losing over half its value.
On the other hand, Shrouded Fable cards with practical utility are steadily climbing. Hyper Rare Basic Darkness Energy has gained around 17% as Dark-focused decks get more popular, and Dusclops is creeping up thanks to its creative ability. Even the Double Rare Fezandipiti ex is bucking the trend, nearly doubling in value as competitive players embrace it. Smaller gains from Powerglass and Okidogi ex reinforce the idea that functional, playable cards are holding their ground while flashy artwork is losing steam.
METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER
Fanatical is offering Steam pre-purchases of METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER, the stunning Unreal Engine 5 remake of the legendary 2004 stealth-action game. The Standard Edition is available for $52.38, while the Digital Deluxe Edition is marked down to $59.87 (normally $79.99 — 25% off). The Deluxe upgrade comes with exclusive pre-order bonuses, 48-hour early access, and the Sneaking DLC Pack, which includes multiple alternate uniforms, masks, and cosmetic extras. With rebuilt visuals, immersive 3D audio, and modernized controls, this Cold War-era tale of betrayal, survival, and espionage is more gripping than ever.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Mirror Edition – PlayStation 5
Amazon has the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Mirror Edition (PlayStation 5, Amazon Exclusive) up for pre-order at $59.99. This edition includes the full game on disc, a collectible tuckbox, an exclusive steelbook featuring Verso and Alicia, plus three of ten limited-edition character cards you won’t find elsewhere. We gave it a 9/10, so it’s worth a playthrough if you haven’t already!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Mirror Edition – Xbox Series X
Elden Ring Nightreign Amazon Exclusive Deluxe Edition
Elden Ring: Nightreign Deluxe Edition (Amazon Exclusive) is down to $39.99 (regularly $54.99 — 27% off) on Woot. This standalone adventure in the Elden Ring universe reimagines the series’ core design with a fresh cooperative twist. The Deluxe Edition packs in extra value with additional playable characters and bosses, a digital artbook, a mini soundtrack, and an exclusive 11×17 key art poster. Designed around three-player co-op, Nightreign has you and your allies pushing back against a world consumed by the creeping night, where shifting environments, formidable threats, and massive bosses make every session feel unique. We gave it 7/10, so it’s worth a go for $39.99
Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds
Amazon has Apple AirPods 4 (USB-C Charging Case, no Active Noise Cancellation) on sale for $89.99 (regularly $129 — 30% off). Redesigned for improved comfort and stability, AirPods 4 feature Apple’s H2 chip for upgraded sound quality, clearer calls with voice isolation, and seamless pairing with iPhone. They also support Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for a more immersive listening experience.
LEGO The Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree 2in1
This 2,500-piece collector’s kit lets fans choose between building the Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild version of the iconic Great Deku Tree, complete with detailed features like posable facial expressions and side panels. The set also includes four minifigures, Princess Zelda and three variations of Link, along with iconic items such as the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and Ocarina of Time. Plus it’s over one foot tall once built!
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
Here’s some good news for RPG fans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the surprise blockbuster from earlier this year, is getting a new physical edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X. It’s called the Mirror Edition, and it comes with some new physical goodies. It’s only available at Amazon (see it here), with a price tag of $59.99 and a release date that’s yet to be announced. Read on for a rundown of everything you get with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Mirror Edition.
This is the only version of the new Mirror Edition. Alternatively, you can buy a physical version of the standard edition (see it at Amazon). That edition is available now and has an MSRP of $49.99.
In addition to the game on disc, the Mirror Edition also includes the following items:
Collectible Cards – includes 3 of 10 possible cards
Exclusive steelbook – featuring Verso and Alicia
Tuckbox
Regarding the collectible cards, there are 10 available, but you get three random cards included with your copy. The only three cards shown on Amazon’s listing page feature Gustave, Maelle, and Lune.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
A Nintendo Direct is reportedly on the way, and it’ll be taking place mid-September.
The claim originally came from SwitchForce over on X (formerly Twitter), but VGC has also heard from multiple sources that a presentation is planned for 12th September. If that’s the case, it’ll be taking place the day before the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.
Pokémon Go is introducing a new, higher level cap and rebalancing the XP requirements for existing levels — though no player will see their current level reduced.
The game’s current level 50 cap, introduced back in 2020, will rise to level 80, giving players a significant new milestone to aim towards.
But the game’s levelling curve should be smoother, developers told IGN in a pre-announcement briefing, meaning XP levels overall should be hit more frequently. This will be achieved by a rebalance of all XP levels to date, and the removal of additional, time-consuming levelling tasks between levels 41 to 50.
Indeed, players who have already earned the necessary XP will be boosted up to the new level system’s requirements when they go live on October 18 — though the exact XP amounts required post-rebalance are yet to be confirmed.
Don’t expect hitting the new level 80 cap to be easy, however. Alongside the necessary XP requirements, a fresh set of levelling tasks will be added for the final climb from level 71 to 80, ensuring only the toughest Trainers hit the game’s new top level (and there’s still plenty to grind for).
New rewards for levelling up will include fresh avatar items, plus increased storage capacity for Pokémon, items and gifts — upgrades you would otherwise pay for. (And if you’re already at the game’s maximum limit for one of these, developers confirmed you’ll still be boosted above that.)
There’s even a new boost for friends at level 70 and above, who will have an increaed chance of becoming Lucky Friends with other players.
For those keen to preserve their legacy of levelling up prior to the October 15 update, existing avatar items will be retired and made exclusive to those who already earned them (for example, the Level 50 Jacket item). A pair of new profile medals will also be available, if you reached up to Level 49 prior to the new cap being introduced, and another if you made Level 50.
To help players on their way to the new milestone, XP will be boosted in-game from today until October 14 with double XP for catching, and an additional 3,000 XP for winning raids and Max Battles. Timed Research will offer further rewards, with a tasty 7 million XP on the table.
It’s a busy time for Pokémon Go, which is also now teasing its next in-game season. A video released yesterday included confirmation that Meta Metagross would debut in the coming months, alongside the long-awaited return of Keldeo — a Mythical creature only made available once via a premium purchase for a brief time back in 2022.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
2025 is turning out to be a stellar year for fans of 2D ninja platformers. The 16-bit blood sprites have barely dried on Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s katana, and now Sega’s iconic Shinobi series has emerged from a 14-year stay in the shadows to fling a fistful of kunai straight into your adrenal glands. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance brings back the series’ slash ‘n’ dash with plenty of modern day flash. It empowers returning hero Joe Musashi with an enjoyably expansive suite of hypercharged ninja skills and presents it all in a gorgeous hand drawn art style, making for an adventure that’s occasionally hard on the reflexes but always easy on the eye. While the Shinobi series may have been in exile for an agonising amount of time, its triumphant return has been well worth the wait.
Art of Vengeance’s setup seems to have spilled straight off the circuit board of an ‘80s arcade machine. Led by the maniacal Lord Ruse, the nefarious paramilitary organization ENE Corp has achieved world domination by force, and the responsibility of toppling them falls squarely on the crisp linen-covered shoulders of Joe Musashi. Musashi had resigned himself to the simple life, mentoring young ninja students in obscurity like some sort of Obi Wan Shinobi, but when the ENE brings violence to his village he’s forced to seek vengeance on every soldier, spectre, and samurai that stands in his path over the course of a 10-hour cross-continental killing spree. It’s simple stuff for sure, but it’s really all the motivation I needed to turn the ENE forces into a series of slash test dummies, and I was perfectly happy for Musashi to let his blade do the talking. Quite literally in fact, as he only ever grunts during conversation cutscenes, which brings some welcome bursts of comic relief in between each sprawling showdown.
Its plot may be true to the uncomplicated action movie era the series was born out of, but its looks are strikingly modern. Much like developer Lizardcube’s Streets of Rage 4 before it, Art of Vengeance’s characters and environments have that painstakingly-drawn-by-hand style to them that produces consistently phenomenal results. From hulking container ships that loom in the backdrop of the fish market stage right down to the reflections in puddles that whip past Musashi’s unceasingly determined sprint, it turns out that vengeance isn’t the only art that this latest Shinobi has set out to nail. There are clear contrasts between each setting too that make them uniquely captivating to explore, from the lush bamboo forest of the opening level through to the disgustingly gloopy explorable innards of a Kaiju that seem like something straight out of a Rick and Morty episode.
No two of Art of Vengeance’s 14 levels are structured the same.
No two of Art of Vengeance’s 14 levels are structured the same, either. One stage hustles the chaos across the carriage rooftops of a speeding train, another has you stalking across the skyline of Neo City in all directions in an effort to find and rescue hostages, while another still takes you deep into a labyrinth of dark corridors in a secret ENE base where Metroid-like mutants suddenly lunge at you through the shattered glass of their stasis tanks to keep you on your toes. There’s also plenty of variety within each level, like the mountain stage that shifts from a lava-lined steelworks area to a breathless rockslide descending into a chasm. While the occasional switch puzzle or chase sequence is repeated here and there, there are enough fresh objectives to complete and unique environments to explore that the journey remains as sharp as a shuriken from start to finish. There’s even a bonus stage that reimagines the surfing level from Shinobi III, which is a welcome throwback to that brief period in the early ‘90s when there was no cooler conceivable combination to kids than a ninja on a surfboard.
Art of the Steel
Of course, all of this would be for nothing if the combat didn’t pull its weight, but fortunately Art of Vengeance’s fighting is frenetic, fluid, and consistently fantastic. Unlike Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s enemies which can mostly be dispatched with single hits, the bulk of the bad guys in Art of Vengeance have health bars that need to be whittled away with snappy combo attacks, making it feel more like a platform-based brawler in comparison to Ragebound’s more demanding, precision-based striking. Musashi can pull off a growing number of combos over the course of the campaign built upon light and heavy sword attacks and kunai dagger throws – but as I unlocked new attack chains from the in-game merchant, I was soon juggling enemy ninjas in the air with sword slashes, divebombing them with flaming jump kicks, and shredding their defenses with spin attacks like a Catherine Wheel of katana blades as my combo tally ticked towards triple figures. It all feels incredibly intuitive, and there’s reward for sequencing your attacks just right – time an execution move when an enemy is on their last legs and they disappear in a spectacular spray of blood, but also valuable coins and health boosts that are funneled straight into your back pocket.
Art of Vengeance’s fighting is frenetic, fluid, and consistently fantastic.
Each successful attack you land also fills up your Ninpo gauge, which allows you to trigger a powerful special move from four customisable slots. I tended to favour the Yoga Flame-style dragon breath to quickly wipe out the additional green health bar found on more heavily armoured foes like the riot shield-toting tank types, as well as the bomb that can be lobbed midair to stagger an enemy before you start your combo. Combined with the two amulet slots that can be equipped with a healthy variety of active and passive buffs, like a booster that increases your damage output the longer your combo lasts or a vampire ability that steadily replenishes your health bar with each enemy you dispatch, and Art of Vengeance provides a satisfying amount of flexibility in terms of being able to slay your own way.
Deepening your combat options even further is the Ninjutsu gauge, which fills as Musashi takes damage or collects rage orbs from fallen foes. This turbocharged update on the original games’ ninja magic is pretty slow to replenish, and as a result I tended to keep it up my sleeve until I reached each end-of-level boss, since it can greatly turn the tide of battle – either offensively, like dealing health bar-halving damage with flaming dragon blasts, or defensively, such as bringing a flatlining Musashi back from the brink with a revitalising wave of water.
Perhaps as a result of my strategic deployment of these super special moves, I didn’t really face too much resistance from any of Art of Vengeance’s bosses on the hardest Shinobi difficulty setting, but that’s not to say they weren’t still plenty of fun to encounter. Although the returning Mandara from the original arcade game is a bit clunky and probably should have remained trapped inside a dusty Master System cartridge, elsewhere there are some hugely entertaining battles with big bads to be found. My favourites are the twin mutants in the ENE laboratory that combine into one towering freak like a pair of kids trying to sneak into an adult movie, and the monster-conjuring beastmaster in the desert level that surprises you with minotaurs and griffins to force you to deftly maneuver from the land into the air and back again. The majority of these boss battles bring each stage to a climactic close, and typically reward you with another ability-enhancing trinket to further tweak Musashi’s skill set with.
Running Hack and Forth
To be clear, Art of Vengeance’s 14 main levels are not interconnected, so it’s not structured like a classic Metroidvania. However, while there isn’t any compulsory backtracking required to complete the story, there are still plenty of compelling reasons to return to earlier levels as you unlock new abilities for Musashi over the course of the journey, which in turn open up sizeable new areas to explore that were otherwise blocked off the first time through. A charged up punch for shattering Yokai barriers, ninja claws to scale walls and overheads, a glider to take advantage of updrafts, and even a grappling hook aren’t just crucial for reaching the story’s conclusion, but also for sniffing out all the secrets in each stage. Even though I’ve rolled credits on the campaign, I’m still steadily working my way towards 100% completion of each level and having an absolute blast doing it.
Some of these secrets are as simple as tokens to unlock more goods at the merchant or new costume colours for Musashi – I’m pretty partial to slaughtering ENE goons draped in cherry blossom pink myself – but there are also up to three Elite encounters to find in each level which drop you into an intense arena fight against hardened hordes like some sort of sword-swinging Super Smash Bros. battle. Clearing every Elite encounter in a level will grant you a new amulet to equip, further enhancing Musashi’s attack power or his ability to heal, which become invaluable buffs against the late game bosses.
My favourite optional extra, however, are the rift challenges. These typically punishing platforming tasks demand pinpoint chaining of Musashi’s double-jump, air-dash, and wall-running abilities in order to clear formidable Super Meat Boy-style obstacle courses of spinning sawblades and swirling jets of fire suspended over bottomless pits. They’re deathtrap-lined levels that are often fiendish but yet to become too frustrating thanks to the instant restarts and level design that’s fierce but ultimately fair.
Retracing my steps through Art of Vengeance’s stages to search for secrets has also highlighted some of its minor shortcomings, however. I don’t love the way that enemies seem to respawn instantly once their patrol points have disappeared off camera, drawing me into unnecessary additional fights as I doubleback in search of a specific spot. But what’s really annoying is the way the pause menu map doesn’t seem to indicate whether falling down a gap between platforms will mean you land safely on the ground below or instantly lose a chunk of health and respawn back on the platform above. It brings an unwanted element of trial and error to the otherwise obsessive hunt for secrets.
That said, I ultimately really admire how Lizardcube has structured Art of Vengeance, in the sense that it’s made its most challenging combat and platforming sections entirely optional for the most part. If you just want to focus on the story, you’ll find a 2D ninja platforming experience that’s challenging enough but a touch more approachable on its default difficulty setting than the comparatively trickier Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. But if you do want to put your skills to the test, there are those optional Elite battles and rift challenges to dive into, along with Boss Rush and timer-based Arcade modes to unlock for the more serious speedrunners. (Conversely, there are a number of accessibility settings to make life even easier should you still find yourself struggling.)
