Fight Eggman and Majima in Shinobi's Switch 2 Deluxe

Dr. Eggman, Goro Majima, and Death Adder walk into a ninja game. That's not a setup for a joke; it's the actual selling point of the Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Deluxe Edition heading to Switch 2 this September.

Sega announced that the critically acclaimed action platformer, developed by Lizardcube, will launch on Switch 2 on September 24, 2026. The standard digital edition will cost $29.99 / £24.99, while the Digital Deluxe Edition runs $39.99 / £34.99. Pre-orders are live now on the Nintendo eShop.

But the real draw here is the Sega Villains Stage DLC bundled into that Deluxe package. The DLC pits series protagonist Joe Musashi against three bosses pulled from completely different corners of Sega's catalogue: the evil genius Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog, the gloriously unhinged Goro Majima from the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series, and the ruthless Death Adder from Golden Axe. I love when publishers actually lean into their back catalogue like this instead of keeping every IP siloed off in its own corner. Sega has decades of iconic villains to pull from, and matching them against a ninja in hand-drawn 2D action stages is the kind of creative flex that makes a DLC pack feel like more than filler.

Three Villains, Three Eras

Think about what those three names represent. Eggman is Sega's most recognisable antagonist, full stop. Majima is a fan favourite from one of the company's biggest modern franchises. Death Adder is a deep cut from the arcade era that'll hit different for anyone who grew up feeding coins into a Golden Axe cabinet. Lizardcube clearly understood the assignment: pick one villain everybody knows, one the core audience adores, and one that rewards long-time Sega fans. Each fight presumably brings its own stage design and mechanics, and given how good the base game's boss encounters already are, I'm curious how they translate Majima's chaotic energy into a 2D ninja platformer.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance originally launched on August 29, 2025 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam. It received widespread praise, with Game Informer awarding it a 9.25 out of 10 and VGC giving it a full five stars. Lizardcube, the studio behind Streets of Rage 4, built the game around detailed hand-drawn visuals and a soundtrack composed by Shinobi veteran Yuzo Koshiro and Sonic Mania's Tee Lopes. The Switch 2 version will feature updated resolution, which should let that art style breathe on better hardware.

The physical Deluxe Edition, available for both PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 (as a game-key card), packs in a set of translucent character cards, a physical art book, the Ghost Outfit, a Medic Lite Amulet, the digital art book and soundtrack, and 2,000 in-game gold on top of the Sega Villains Stage DLC. The physical edition is already listed at retailers.

One detail that stings a little: there doesn't appear to be an upgrade path for people who already own the original Switch version. You'll need to buy the Switch 2 edition outright. Sega has offered discounted upgrades before, including a £10 / $10 upgrade for the Switch version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, so the absence here is noticeable. At $29.99 for a game that launched at the same price nearly a year ago, it's not an outrageous ask, but I'd have liked to see existing owners get something.

September 24 is a crowded release day on Switch 2, so Shinobi will have competition for attention. At its price point, though, and with the Sega Villains DLC as a genuine differentiator for the Deluxe package, it's a strong proposition. Lizardcube already proved with Streets of Rage 4 that they know how to revive a classic Sega franchise without losing what made it special. The crossover boss fights are the cherry on top, and frankly, I want to see Majima get the hand-drawn Lizardcube treatment more than I want to admit.