SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance made quite the splash when it came out last year. It’s a revival of the classic series, while being a great starting point for it as well. The game was well-received across many outlets and was even nominated for best action game at The Game Awards. When I finally got around to playing it, I completely understood the praise, and I immediately wanted more. Well, it looks like I’m getting my wish in the SEGA Villains Stage. DLC for the game that may not please everyone.
The SEGA Villains Stage adds new levels, moves, outfits, music, and bosses based on different SEGA properties to the game. You must face Death Adder from Golden Axe, Majima from the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, and the the iconic boss Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog. While the DLC may seem pretty small, it has some great parts that will delight any owner of the game and fan of the respective series. There are also some parts that leave a lot to be desired, however.
SEGA Villains Take the Stage in SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance
The SEGA Villains Stage DLC takes place alongside the game. Repeated use of the death scythe has caused dimensional rifts to open, and ENE Corp has begun venturing into those rifts to expand its empire. The only way to stop ENE Corp’s plans is to enter the rifts ourselves and defeat the source of power in each one. While the premise is simple, it’s a lot of fun and will be somewhat familiar to SEGA fans. The base game had a narrative I enjoyed, and this works for the set world. I also enjoy crossovers, so the idea of having to play through levels based on games I love was always gonna put a smile on my face. I do wish it did more with the narrative besides the initial cutscene, and honestly, that’s my complaint for the whole DLC.
The DLC spans five levels that are based on three different games: Golden Axe, Yakuza/Like a Dragon, and Sonic. The initial cutscene promises a fun crossover, but sadly, you barely see it across the levels. Since they are dimensional rifts, most of the levels have these boring backgrounds that don’t resemble anything really. The levels are also not as fun or interesting as the base game. In the base game, levels are huge and fun to explore, with puzzles too. All the DLC levels are extremely linear with no real puzzles to do or collectibles to get. It’s pretty jarring after playing the base game, but the core combat is still a lot of fun.
While the levels are a bit disappointing, SEGA nailed the boss fights. This is where the DLC fully clicks and also lives up to the fun crossover potential. The backgrounds and music are phenomenal, and the boss fights themselves are not only a love letter to their respective series but offer quite the challenge. I think I died on the Death Adder more times than I did the entire game. Although difficult, these are still a delight, and I immediately wanted to fight them again. Majima was especially so fun to fight with his terrifying shadow clones. I wish the level of detail and love present in the boss fights were spread throughout the entire levels.
This Might not be Enough
My biggest criticism of the DLC is its length. The base game has huge levels, so when I heard this was gonna have five, I was excited. But you can easily do everything in this DLC in the time you can beat one or two levels of the base game. It also doesn’t feel as rewarding, even if the boss fights are great. All you get for beating it are some extra attacks and costumes, both of which I didn’t feel compelled to use. You can also unlock two extra boss rush modes, which are fun but doesn’t feel like enough. It’s currently $9.99 unless you got the deluxe version of the base game. While I enjoyed it overall, I can see why others would rather wait for a sale if they don’t already have it.
Next to this DLC was a free update that includes hardcore mode and a handful of quality-of-life adjustments. All of the quality-of-life updates are welcome, including ways to adjust combat animations, camera, and effects. There’s also a dedicated tutorial menu that’s quite nice to have when you forget what some moves can do. Hardcore mode is also no joke and lives up to its name, and I can’t wait to play more of it.
Closing the Rift
The SEGA Villains Stage DLC is a fun time, but it’s hard to recommend unless you’re already a big fan of the game and the IPs that are represented here. I loved all the boss fights, but the overall level design and length do hinder it. It also doesn’t help that the rewards for each level aren’t worth it, making the levels feel like a step down from the base game. While I still enjoyed it overall, I can’t blame anyone for waiting for a sale. The SEGA Villains Stage DLC has some great boss fights, and that’s the key takeaway from this experience. Now, if you excuse me, I want to go fight Majima again.
Disclaimer: SEGA provided a Steam key of SEGA Villains Stage for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance for review purposes.
