We've got over 30 games launching on Xbox this week, but a lot of the attention has understandably been focused on two in particular - Gears of War: Reloaded and Helldivers 2.
As a result, you might have glossed over the fact that Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is releasing on August 29th, but we're here to tell you it might end up being the highest-rated Xbox launch of the next few days!
Yesterday, the reviews started going live for this one, and its Metacritic rating stands at a whopping 89 for Xbox Series X right now, placing it as the fifth highest-rated Xbox release of the year on the platform, sitting just behind the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction, and just ahead of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Final Fantasy XVI.
Here's a look at some of the reviews for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance so far:
TheGamer (5/5)
"Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a home run on the first pitch. It’s one of the most gorgeous, creative, and satisfying games of 2025 and has effortlessly clawed its way to becoming my frontrunner for Game of the Year."
Game Informer (9.25/10)
"Shinobi: Art of Vengeance should serve as a blueprint for delivering a retro-facing experience of an absentee franchise while still leveraging modern technology and game design conventions."
Push Square (9/10)
"Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is hard to fault. We can take or leave the story, the platforming is occasionally frustrating, and levels can outstay their welcome sometimes — but that's basically it. This is otherwise a brilliant 2D action platformer that looks gorgeous and plays even better thanks to kinetic, satisfying combat that feels superb when you get in the flow."
Stevivor (8.5/10)
"Shinobi Art of Vengeance is a fantastic start to Sega’s Next Level program, and one that’s easy to recommend. Priced at a budget-conscious $48 AUD and offering around 15 or so hours of gameplay, fans of the franchise or the likes of The Lost Crown will certainly dig this."
IGN (8/10)
"This is a genuinely engaging 2D action platformer, beautiful to behold and even better to play. It’s blessed with a combat system that expands in an invigorating way, as well as a healthy amount of secret side objectives that offer some serious optional challenges outside of the main story path. Like a ninja strapped onto a surfboard, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is eyecatching, deadly, and totally rad as hell."
An incredible start for this one, then! If you're interested in picking up Shinobi: Art of Vengeance on Xbox this week, it's available to pre-order right now on the Microsoft Store at a price of £22.49 / $26.99.
Better yet, you can even try it for free! Simply search for the "Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Demo" on your Xbox console, get it installed, and you'll be able to see for yourself whether it's worth your hard-earned money or not.