Compare Shinobi: Art of Vengeance vs Resident Evil Requiem

Accessibility options are praised for adjustable difficulty, assist settings, and sliders that make the challenge more approachable without fully flattening it.

One reviewer praised the way difficulty and accessibility were balanced rather than treating options as a pure checklist.

Enemy behavior was often praised as eerie and strategic, though one review found a later stalker overused.

Aiming evidence was mixed: Grace’s shaky aim reinforced vulnerability, while Switch 2 gyro aiming was criticized as poor for horizontal aim.

Animation quality is a standout, especially Joe’s motion, hand-drawn character work, and the way combat and traversal read in motion.

Animation quality received positive evidence through praise for Leon’s reload animations.

The hand-drawn art direction receives near-universal praise for its style, cohesion, painterly look, and strong franchise fit.

Art direction was praised for grotesque beauty and an effective old/new visual mix.

Atmosphere is supported by presentation touches such as camera framing and mood-setting scenes that help the 2D spaces feel more dramatic.

Atmosphere was a major strength, with tense staging, lighting, audio, and Switch 2 presentation preserving the mood.

Boss design earns many positive notes for memorable, exciting encounters, though a few reviewers find some bosses too easy, clunky, or mechanically weaker than regular fights.

Boss design split reviewers sharply, from excellent and varied encounters to weak, forgettable, or underwhelming boss fights.

Bug frequency is a concern in one review that reports a severe save-wipe issue, even though other technical impressions were cleaner.

Bug frequency was praised by one reviewer who reported no bugs or wall clips.

Camera behavior is praised in one review for intelligently changing framing to support mood, traversal, and visual depth.

Camera behavior was praised for making first- and third-person play feel effective, though the choice also shapes the experience heavily.

Character development is limited overall, with one reviewer liking a supporting character but another calling broader character depth minimal.

Character development evidence centered on Grace’s growth and consistency, with reviewers finding her arc effective.

The checkpoint system is praised as a quality-of-life improvement because it reduces frustration around difficult optional challenges.

Checkpointing drew criticism from one reviewer who reported being set back 30 minutes after dying.

Combat is the most consistently praised attribute, with reviewers calling it fluid, deep, expressive, satisfying, and central to the game’s appeal.

Combat drew broad praise for weight, weapon handling, Leon’s action toolkit, and entertaining encounters, though one review noted some harassment-style friction.

Content variety is strong across stage themes, optional challenges, enemy encounters, bonus levels, and replay modes, though some side segments are less loved.

Content variety was praised for breadth, though some wanted the smaller experiences expanded further.

Controls are usually described as smooth, tight, intuitive, and responsive, with a few caveats around moments where scripted control loss or platforming inputs feel awkward.

Controls were praised as responsive and purpose-built, with reviewers saying characters did what they expected and combat balanced heft with responsiveness.

The core loop is widely liked as fast, stylish 2D action with strong combat and traversal, with a few reviewers calling it great despite structural complaints.

Crafting was generally seen as strategic and interesting, especially the blood/injector system, though one reviewer found it weird.

Crash stability is strong in the PS5 review that reports no crashes, soft-locks, or freezes over a long playthrough.

Crash stability was praised in a performance review that reported no hard crashes.

Dialogue quality is uneven: one review criticizes a dull character, and another finds paused dialogue barks jarring despite fun narrative moments.

Dialogue quality was mixed between enjoyable deadpan jokes and criticism that Leon could sound corny or caricatured.

Difficulty is generally viewed as fair and satisfying, but opinions split on spikes, projectile-heavy sections, undertuned enemies, and some hard optional challenges.

Difficulty balance was mixed: some praised flexible challenge, while others felt the game had too much firepower or lacked a hardcore mode.

The motorcycle action sequence was praised as one of the most fun moments in the series.

Resource balance was praised for forcing tactical decisions about injectors, ammo, and room-clearing.

Emotional impact is limited in the review evidence, with one reviewer wishing for a stronger moment of emotional weight.

Emotional impact was a clear strength for reviewers moved by Grace, Leon, and the story’s legacy themes.

Endgame content is generally seen as useful for replay through Arcade Mode, Boss Rush, superbosses, and ranking challenges, though one reviewer sees arcade mode as padding.

Endgame content was a repeated concern, especially the lack of Mercenaries or similarly meaningful side content.

Enemy variety is a strength, with reviewers praising the range of ninjas, soldiers, monsters, bosses, and specialized foes that shape encounters.

Enemy variety was praised through zombies with different retained behaviors and personalities.

Environmental detail stands out in reviews that praise painterly backgrounds, large-scale set pieces, and richly detailed level backdrops.

Environmental detail was praised for corridors and spaces that felt time-worn and secretive.

Exploration is divisive: many enjoy secrets, replayable routes, and rewards, while others find backtracking or Metroidvania-lite detours less compelling.

Exploration and backtracking were praised when the layouts made revisiting spaces enjoyable rather than tedious.

Facial animations were specifically praised as increasingly impressive later in the game.

Reviewers broadly describe the revival as faithful to Shinobi’s legacy while modernizing it with new structure, combat depth, and visual presentation.

Faithfulness to franchise was consistently praised as a love letter or culmination that honors Resident Evil’s history.

Fast travel is repeatedly praised for making revisits, secret hunting, and post-completion cleanup smoother rather than tedious.

Flying mechanics are mildly criticized in the glider’s case, with the reviewer saying it slows down otherwise snappy traversal.

Frame rate stability is mixed, especially on Switch, where reviewers note dips or painful frame-rate issues despite otherwise strong presentation.

Frame rate stability was praised on Switch 2 for a mostly consistent 60 fps with minor dips.

Fun factor is high, with many reviewers calling the combat, challenge rooms, and overall ninja fantasy enjoyable or easy to recommend.

Fun factor was very strong overall, with reviewers repeatedly describing the game as exciting, entertaining, and highly enjoyable.

Gameplay mechanics are praised for depth and power fantasy, though one reviewer argues an execution mechanic lacks meaningful challenge pressure.

Gameplay mechanics were usually praised for combining survival horror and action cleanly, with Grace’s sections singled out as especially strong.

Graphics quality is a major strength, with reviewers repeatedly calling the game gorgeous, beautiful, and visually impressive.

Graphics quality was consistently praised across platforms, from PS5 presentation to Switch 2 fidelity.

Handheld suitability was praised because the Switch 2 version looked and ran well both docked and handheld.

Horror tension was broadly praised, especially Grace’s early sections, though some reviews found the scares frontloaded or less intense than past entries.

HUD clarity receives a mixed score because flashy combat effects can make the player lose track of the action.

Immersion is supported by strong presentation and visual depth, though one reviewer says the game remained enjoyable without strongly resonating.

Immersion was praised through Grace’s vulnerability and how strongly it affected player behavior.

Innovation is praised where reviewers say the game evolves Shinobi meaningfully instead of merely repeating the past.

Innovation drew praise where reviewers saw Requiem as a step forward or ambitious new baseline for the franchise.

The learning curve is favorable because reviewers describe the combat as simple to engage with while still rewarding mastery.

Level design is usually praised for scale, variety, secrets, and challenge structure, but some reviewers criticize flow, pacing, or underused combat spaces.

Level design was a major strength, especially the care center’s loops, agency, and interconnected mansion-like structure.

Load times receive a positive note from one Switch reviewer who says they did not take too long.

Load times received strong praise for being nearly nonexistent.

Lore depth gets mild praise where the reviewer appreciates Shinobi’s blend of cultural mythological elements.

Lore depth was praised for giving long-time fans a lot to sift through.

Map and navigation design is mixed: reviewers like map clarity and fast travel, but some cite confusing secret tracking or unclear pits.

Map and navigation design was praised as a useful tool for tracking rooms and missed resources.

Menu usability is praised through the clean, easy-to-navigate interface that removes friction around fast travel and play.

Microtransaction impact was praised indirectly through the absence of greedy monetization practices.

Mission design is praised through comments about well-crafted stages that mix platforming, combat, puzzles, and optional routes.

Mission variety is supported by praise for fresh objectives and distinct environments across the stages.

Monetization fairness was praised because the game was described as free of greedy practices.

Movement feel is heavily praised as fast, fluid, snappy, and fun, though one Switch review notes combat can feel slower than traversal.

Narrative quality is the most mixed creative element: some call it one of the franchise’s better stories, while many describe it as simple, thin, or tonally inconsistent.

Narrative quality was polarized, with some calling the story strong or captivating and others finding it disappointing, messy, or thin.

Onboarding is praised for easing the player into each move rather than overwhelming them with the full combat kit at once.

Onboarding was praised for easing players into story and lore without demanding deep series knowledge immediately.

Originality is praised where reviewers call the revival fresh for the series rather than a simple nostalgic retread.

Originality was mixed: reviewers liked the structure and perspective split, but several felt the game was safe, familiar, or too referential.

Pacing is mixed: several reviewers like the length and steady tool rollout, while others say long stages, revisit loops, or samey rhythm weaken momentum.

Pacing was the most discussed tradeoff: many praised the action-horror balance, while others found the character split lopsided or jarring.

Performance optimization varies by platform and context, with PS5 impressions strong but Switch-oriented reviews noting optimization and frame-pacing caveats.

Performance optimization was generally strong, with multiple reviewers calling performance solid or flawless.

Platform-specific support was criticized on Switch 2 for not meaningfully using mouse, touchscreen, or useful gyro features.

Platforming is often praised as tight, precise, and rewarding, though several reviewers flag optional challenge rooms or late-game traversal as frustrating or inconsistent.

Polish is praised where reviewers highlight the game as well put together and visually refined.

Polish was praised in reviews that saw Requiem as a polished, confident fusion of old and new Resident Evil.

Progression is praised for steadily adding moves, abilities, upgrades, and customization that keep combat and traversal evolving.

Leon’s progression system was viewed positively as a fairly fleshed-out way to build out his arsenal.

Protagonist appeal is positive where Joe Musashi is described as a compelling, badass ninja fantasy rather than a talkative character.

Protagonist appeal was strong where reviewers called Grace the standout lead.

Puzzle design receives a mild positive note for being logical and not slowing the action down.

Puzzle design landed unevenly: one review liked the body-part riddles, while another said puzzles lacked focus overall.

Replay value is strong for completionists thanks to collectibles, secrets, stage revisits, Arcade Mode, Boss Rush, ranks, and unlockables, though not every reviewer loves revisiting.

Replay value was mixed: several reviewers liked unlocks and repeat runs, while others lamented thin post-game offerings or weaker second playthroughs.

Save reliability is split: one review praises frequent saves, while another reports the serious problem of a save being wiped twice.

Side character depth is weak in the evidence focused on Ankou, whom one reviewer calls dull despite liking the broader visual design.

Sound design is mixed: impact feedback and combat audio are praised, but one reviewer strongly disliked the harsh radio or speaker filter.

Sound design was repeatedly praised as a major driver of fear and atmosphere.

The soundtrack is mostly praised as energetic, fitting, and memorable, though one review finds it weaker than the visuals and Genesis-era expectations.

Soundtrack quality was praised for tracks that complemented Leon’s action-heavy sequences.

Stealth was mostly praised for making Grace’s routes tense and tactical, though one reviewer found stealth options limited.

Tutorial quality is positive where one reviewer says the early tutorials made combat options easy to understand and apply.

The upgrade system is praised for meaningful amulets, combat additions, and flexible build choices that alter playstyle.

The upgrade system received positive evidence for its weapon-upgrade structure and replay incentive.

User interface design receives praise for being clean and easy to navigate.

Value for money is positive overall, especially for combat-focused or completionist players, though one review frames value as more moderate for players skipping side content.

Value for money received direct positive evidence from a reviewer who called the game super worth it.

Visual effects are praised for stylish Ninjutsu, cinematic flourishes, audiovisual impact, and bold combat feedback.

Visual effects quality was praised through the game’s extreme gore and violent presentation.

Voice acting receives mixed-to-positive reactions: some reviews praise the performances, while others call the English voices merely fine or jarring.

Voice acting was mostly praised, especially Grace’s performance, but one review found her delivery manufactured.

Weapon balance was praised because different weapons had clear uses and opportunities to shine.

World-building is weak in the evidence that explicitly says not to expect captivating world building from the campy action story.

World-building was praised for making the setting feel grotesquely alive.

Writing quality is mixed-to-weak, with reviewers describing the script as fine, tropey, or not especially nuanced.

Writing quality drew strong praise from reviewers who felt Requiem delivered some of the series’ better character work.