Lizardcube has made a name for itself through its excellent work on SEGA’s classic franchises. Wonder Boy, Streets of Rage, and Shinobi have all had their turns with the developer, and there hasn’t been a bad result yet. Fans are constantly speculating about what series it could lend its artistic flair to next. Well, how about Sonic, Yakuza, and Golden Axe all at once? No, Lizardcube isn’t staffing up to AAA levels. It’s the SEGA Villains DLC for Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, and it offers a little slice of multiversal madness for Mr. Musashi.
Before I talk about the DLC itself, I want to comment on this Nintendo Switch version. When it first launched, it didn’t look very good compared to other versions. A post-launch update made things a lot better, and if you’re on a Switch 2 in Boosted Mode I think you’ll find this version to be the nicest-looking handheld option for the game. It’s really a great game, albeit a demanding one, and I think it got lost in the shuffle when it hit so near to Silksong’s release. If you’re a Switch 2 owner and haven’t played Shinobi: Art of Vengeance yet, I cannot recommend it enough.
But that’s that, and this is this. Let’s talk about the SEGA Villains DLC, which is available for $9.99 or your local equivalent. You get five stages based around Golden Axe, Yakuza, and Sonic the Hedgehog, with one boss representing each franchise. Three of the stages are just there to serve more or less as arenas for the boss fights, while two of them are more standard-style stages with platforming and mob enemies to fight. Defeating each of the bosses will earn you a new Ninpo and skin loosely themed upon them, which are more neat than game-changing. There is some new music based on the three franchises, and some boss rush modes in case you feel like cutting to the chase for rematches.
One thing I’ll say is that this DLC is not aimed at new players. You’ll need to nearly finish the game to even access it, and the difficulty level is tuned for experienced players. Majima and Death Adder are relatively stiff challenges, and the fight with Dr. Eggman that caps the DLC off is positively fierce. The pair of non-boss stages are not quite as tense, but they line up well with the rest of the game in terms of what they offer. One point to note is that they’re generally more linear affairs than the stages from the main game. There aren’t any collectible goodies or secret challenges to look for. Just jump and fight your way through tons of enemies without losing your skin. More fighting than platforming, really. Perhaps a little too much? I suppose it’s nice to have new excuses to show off your combat skills.
All of this ultimately falls into the “nice to have” bucket rather than the “essential” one. If you loved the base game and want a little more juice to squeeze from it, you’ll likely be satisfied with what you get from SEGA Villains. On the other hand, if you’re expecting a full-on expansion, you’re not really getting that here. It’s a good excuse to fire the game up again, and I will say that what’s here pays homage to the respective franchises quite well. You get some excellent new boss encounters, some new stages to traverse, and even get some new moves and looks for your trouble. I do wish the stages were a little more fully-realized, and it’s disappointing that the only Sonic stage is reserved for the climactic boss battle. SEGA Villains isn’t all it could be, but it’s enough.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch
Review Copy Provided by SEGA
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