In addition to having the opportunity to try out SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance at SEGA headquarters, our team and other media also participated in an interview session with representatives of the developer. This time the interview involved the two most important figures in the project, namely Toru Ohara as producer and Takaharu Terada as director. There were various interesting topics discussed ranging from the motivation behind the revival of the franchise to deeper details of the development of this latest series.
Takaharu Terada (ซ้าย) และ Toru Ohara (ขวา)
Q: Revenge stories are a theme that never gets boring, especially in the world of Shinobi. What does revenge mean to you in a more modern context?
A: So in this game Musashi is in a desperate situation and it will continue to change throughout the game. In general, revenge can be considered something good but more often it is considered bad. But Musashi is a shinobi, so revenge is one of his duties. It is something he must do.
How Musashi carries out his revenge is the main topic of the game, and the way Musashi carries out his revenge is also one of the most prominent points. It is something that should make everyone excited. In general, I can’t answer directly what revenge means, but through this game you will probably start to realize it.
Q: It’s been 14 years since the last Shinobi game. What made SEGA decide to revive the franchise?
A: SEGA as a whole is currently focusing on reviving old IPs. That’s part of the answer. In addition, we are also trying to revive Shinobi in a pure 2D game. We are thinking a lot about how to make a 2D game that can be accepted by people in the modern era.
Of course there’s also Lizardcube who made Streets of Rage 4 and they started the talks to make Shinobi again, so that’s also a very important part of how this project came to be.
Q: What made the development team decide to go back to the side-scrolling style and retro theme besides the reasons already answered previously?
A: This goes along with the previous answer, but the main thing is that we’re working with Lizardcube, who are really good at creating amazing 2D art styles. They also made Streets of Rage 4, so they have experience in side-scrolling action games.
In addition, we also decided to take a look back at the original Shinobi series and see how it performed in the market. 2D games seem to be making a comeback, especially among indie games, and we think this could have a big impact on the scene.
Q: For example, if there are people who have never played the old Shinobi games, what would you want them to know or feel when starting this game so they can feel how special it is?
A: Shinobi is a long-running series, but this installment, The Art of Vengeance, is a game that doesn’t require players to have any prior knowledge of the previous titles to enjoy, so anyone can start with a fresh mind. What makes this series special, first of all, is Lizardcube. They have a really beautiful art style in this game.
Every character movement is hand-drawn, frame by frame. Together with the background graphics, we want everyone to enjoy this beautiful art style. Another point is that the game has very satisfying action, a good gaming feel. It’s not just a regular 2D action game, but has a very good pace and is overall very fun to play. Also, if anyone knows the previous installments, there are some homages to the old series. So old Shinobi fans should be able to enjoy it too.
One thing I want to emphasize is that the protagonist Joe Musashi is very strong. Ninjas are generally imaginary legendary figures with no fixed image, but Joe Musashi is about three times stronger than the ninjas people usually imagine. So you can defeat enemies and jump far to other platforms. It’s really fun to play as a ninja. The world of shinobi is also far beyond your expectations. For example, you imagine ninjas going through bamboo forests, that’s classic. But Joe Musashi can jump out of a helicopter with a surfboard, so everything is far beyond imagination, and that’s another point we hope people enjoy.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for this 2D style? And do you think this new 2D art will influence the future of side-scrolling games?
A: Most of the ideas came from Lizardcube and Neo2D is a term we coined, but we are still very proud of this art style. From the beginning, Lizardcube didn’t want to make a regular 2D game. They wanted to put more elements in the art, so there was the Neo2D concept from the beginning. This style is like a mix of 3D and 2D. Maybe in future installments or titles, this art style will be combined again, maybe.
Q: How has this art style influenced the genre and industry at large?
A: As I mentioned, 2D games are experiencing a revival. There are various art styles like pixel art and other unique styles. The Art of Vengeance also carries a very unique art style and that is a special point.
The visual beauty could be a new platform for 2D platform games. Usually, when making a 2D side-scrolling action game, it is estimated that the cost is cheaper than 3D. But The Art of Vengeance is completely hand-drawn, frame by frame, so the hard work is very large. In terms of its influence on the industry, I think it will be difficult to imitate this game because the workmanship is very detailed.
Q: The Shinobi franchise is known for its high difficulty, but on the other hand, many modern games tend to accommodate less experienced players. So how does the development team see this shift, and is the latest in the series being adjusted to appeal to a wider audience?
A: Shinobi is known as a difficult game, so old players will be disappointed if the game is too easy. So this game is indeed difficult. Musashi is a very strong character, so if you play on high difficulty, Musashi can handle it, but there are players who may not be able to finish the game. For that, there is an option to change the difficulty level at any time in the game menu. But the change in difficulty level depends on the player.
My recommendation is to try playing on the default difficulty first and see how far you can go. Terada-san said before that the game is hard, and I agree, but Joe Musashi is very strong, so there is that balance. Personally, Ohara-san and I are not skilled action game players, but as I played, I felt like my controls were getting better and smoother. I want players to feel like they are improving their skills as they play and feeling stronger.
Q: When playing, we were very surprised to see a giant monster in the background of the poster. For those of us who are not familiar with the series, usually the ninja theme does not involve things like kaiju, planes, or helicopters. Is this also SEGA’s approach to attracting newcomers?
A: The Shinobi series has always been like that. In the previous series, modern ninjas not only fought other ninjas, but also soldiers, kaiju, and various other things. So this is kind of a tribute to the previous installments, and it has been a characteristic since long ago.
Q: Ninjutsu has always been a big part of what makes Shinobi unique. How has that ninja technique evolved in this game? Are there any twists or surprises compared to previous games or other similar games?
A: In general, ninjutsu and fighting are more complex in this game. There’s karyu, ninjutsu that you may have seen while playing. That’s the strongest. Ninjutsu is the strongest attack. Below that is ninpo, which is a pretty strong attack.
In addition, there are regular strong attacks, regular attacks, kunai, and shuriken. These attacks can be unlocked in the in-game shop, so you can get more attacks along the way. So, ninjutsu is still in the game. What I want to emphasize for the new audience is that the attacks under ninjutsu, like ninpo and regular attacks, are what make the game’s fighting style unique.
Usually in 2D games that open new moves, there are limited slots, so if you get a new move you have to replace the old one. But in this game you only add moves, not losing the old ones. That way, you can do a lot of new combinations. This makes this game feel like a combination of a fighting game. At first it feels like a regular action game, but over time it becomes like a combination of a fighting game.
Q: There are many characters in the Shinobi franchise. Besides Joe Musashi, were there any other main characters in the game initially considered?
A: The short answer is no. We had Joe Musashi in mind as the main protagonist from the beginning. That was also Lizardcube’s idea. When we decided to revive the series, we saw that the main Shinobi installment was the Sega Genesis Super Shinobi series. So Joe Musashi was in our mind from the beginning.
Q: Do you think there’s a missed opportunity in how players can’t switch movesets?
A: We actually took that into consideration. We designed the game to be very smooth so that people can make different combinations. It feels like a fighting game, but it’s not too strict in the button order for combos. You can press different buttons at different times, launch enemies into the air, and then continue your combo from the flying enemy. There are many different ways to fight, so we want you to find your own combinations. While doing combinations, you can also rely on ninpo and do many other things.
That’s the summary of our interview with. For those who can’t wait for its release, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is scheduled to arrive on August 29 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Pre-order access also happens to be open with discounts of up to 10% available until the release date. Meanwhile, for the latest details about the game itself, you can monitor their official website HERE.
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