Shinobi 3DS comes out of the shadows

Sega's venerable video game ninja Shinobi may be slipping. The stealthy ninja's latest adventure, a 3DS action title from Griptonite Games, was spotted this week while still running in stealth mode. Today, Sega fessed up, officially confirming that the game does exist and will hit stores this September.

Simply titled Shinobi, the 3DS game will follow Jiro Musashi, the father of the original Shinobi, Joe Musashi. The game will combine side-scrolling levels with 3D action sequences to pit the titular assassin against a variety of threats from helicopters to henchmen. Sega is also promising a new combo system merging melee, ranged, and acrobatic attacks, as well as the return of Shinobi's distinctive ninja magic and support for the 3DS StreetPass feature.

As leaked, development duties have been entrusted to Griptonite Games. The portable specialist is also working on the 3DS version of Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, and it has previously produced handheld versions of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Bejeweled Twist, and the Assassin's Creed series of games.

This will be the first original game to bear the ninja's name since 2002, when the PlayStation 2 reboot Shinobi hit stores alongside the Game Boy Advance remake Revenge of Shinobi. However, the 2004 PS2 action game Nightshade was a direct sequel to the 2002 reboot, and it featured Shinobi as an unlockable playable character.