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Retro|Spective 073: Tenchu

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    Retro|Spective 073: Tenchu

    Descending from the rooftops in the black of night, slaying its foe then sliding back into the shadows is...




    Mainline Entry 01 - Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
    Formats:
    Playstation
    Known for its stealth based gameplay, this third person action series launched during the PS1 early days of 3D gamings true emergence and the stealth based genre was just on the cusp of becoming the next big thing. With various moves and a grappling hook, players used one of two characters to work through 10 levels of feudal Japanese action. The game was well received on release and was also notable for two release quirks, the first being that its original release in Japan did not include all the known content, that came from a later rerelease that added in two more levels. The second is that the game received a standalone expansion pack as well containing a total of 122 missions.



    Mainline Entry 02 - Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins
    Formats:
    Playstation
    The sequel was in fact a prequel to the original game and was largely a refinement of the gameplay. The biggest and most positively received addition was a mission editor that allowed players to create their own missions. Momentum from the original release carried over and once again a decent response critically and in sales met the game.



    Mainline Entry 03 - Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
    Formats:
    Playstation 2, Playstation Portable and Xbox
    As hardware generations changed the series made the jump with this third entry that offered three playable characters and continued the series plotline. The most notable alteration for this games releases was that of the Xbox version that was released under the subtitle Return from Darkness and saw two more missions added amidst other extras. With added polish over the previous generation entries Tenchu once again struck reviewers well.



    Mainline Entry 04 - Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
    Formats:
    Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable
    Skipping Microsofts first console this time, the series fourth entry offered little new over the previous game and reviews were more mixed for the first time.



    Spin Off Entry 01 - Tenchu: Time of the Assassins
    Formats:
    Playstation Portable
    The series debuted its first spin-off with this entry that played similarly to the existing four games but allowed players to face enemies from the franchise past. Not released in western markets, the game attempted to cover every aspect of the series including its multiplayer elements but each felt cut down or compromised in some way and once again a mixed response was the result.



    Spin Off Entry 02 - Tenchu: Dark Secret
    Formats:
    Nintendo DS
    Spin Off Entry 03 - Tenchu Z
    Formats:
    Xbox 360
    The developers had taken the series initial popularity and effectively branched out with these tie ins just at the wrong point, each undoing the good work the original trilogy had laid out. This latest spin-off was the series new generation debut and allowed players to create their own ninja who then undertook missions from characters of the main series. Despite once again emulating the same play style as previous games, it didn't go down that well.



    Spin Off Entry 04 - Shadow Assault: Tenchu
    Formats:
    Xbox 360
    A low budget action puzzler for the XBL service, this title played in a similar manner to the Bomberman games with players navigating a maze and laying traps for other players and enemies. Though a low key release it led to yet another decline in the series review scoring and reputation.



    Spin Off Entry 05 - Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
    Formats:
    Wii and Playstation Portable
    The final game in the series and though it takes things back to the original games somewhat it was inexplainably still not the game fans wanted. The set up of the game was the same as before, several characters taking down targets across ten levels, but this time primarily designed around the motion controls of Nintendo's hit console. With another swing they delivered another miss and the series had finally burnt its audience out, coming to an end far from its well thought of roots.



    Share your thoughts and memories of Tenchu

    #2
    Love me a bit of Tenchu and videogame ninjas in general.

    My overriding memory of Tenchu is that it got 82% in some random PlayStation mag and you could apply to get a demo disc of the game, so I sent off for it and got this disc though the post:


    I hammered that demo!

    Like Overboard! it was a long time after that I played the final game, but that demo gave me hours of fun, working out the best route, trying the different layouts and characters, although I liked Rikimaru more than Ayame.

    I liked picking off all the gaurds, without disturbing the cats or alerting them to your presence.
    My fave trick was to throw the poisoned rice, which didn't alert them, but they'd wander over to it, turning their backs to you, so you could perform a silent stealth kill.

    Finally, you'd meet the evil merchant and after slashing his throat say to him as he clutches his blood-spraying throat:
    "Your greed sickens me. I hope your death is a lesson to others."
    I still sometime use that line!

    "My money! My mmmmmonneeeyyy!"



    So I've played 1 and 2, but I don't think I played any others, which is a shame as FromSoftware were involved in the PS2 games.

    I tried the demo of Tenchu Z, but was underwhelmed.
    It's not on the BC One list, so I may never play it.

    I really like the grappling hook mechanism and maybe why I felt so comfy playing Lost Planet and Monster Hunter: World as they have a similar control tool.

    It's interesting that FromSoftware's new game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, was originally planned as a new Tenchu game, but although they own the rights, because so many different companies have developed and published it over the years, they changed direction:
    (From Software community manager Yasuhiro Kitao) - "When we originally set out to create something different from Dark Souls and our previous titles, we thought it would be interesting to make a Japanese themed game," Kitao adds. "So from that we started going in the direction of the shinobi and ninja, and of course Tenchu was an IP with that history; that was the original impetus for this project.
    "But as we developed and as we partnered with Activision, and started building it together, it started becoming its own thing and the game we wanted to make was no longer just Tenchu, so it really evolved into its own thing."

    So we were this close to a new Tenchu game, but it looks like it'll never happen.

    Comment


      #3
      I had no idea there were so many. I only ever played the first one. I remember it being a little rough but I really liked it.

      Comment


        #4
        I have owned a few of these over the years. The PSP release was the only one that let me down, the fogging was awful. Wrath of Heaven is terrific, a really cool game.

        Comment


          #5
          I only really played no.1 but got it on a HK Silver from one of my Asian trips, probably Thailand in 99 so struggled with no instructions and the language but really enjoyed the gameplay as it was a refreshing change from everything else I had played at the time.

          Comment


            #6
            The first two are really my whole experience of the franchise, it got lost amidst the crowd when PS2 hit for me, but I recall them being alright. I don't think they made the impression on me that they likely should have, considering when they came out they were ahead of the curve in many ways.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Superman Falls View Post
              The first two are really my whole experience of the franchise, it got lost amidst the crowd when PS2 hit for me, but I recall them being alright. I don't think they made the impression on me that they likely should have, considering when they came out they were ahead of the curve in many ways.
              Yeah, this is the same for me and others, based on the comments.

              It got lost after the PS1 era ended.

              Shame as the setting is great and the stealth genre is pretty underrepresented in current gaming.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by QualityChimp View Post
                It got lost after the PS1 era ended.
                Conversely, I found 3 on PS2 to be the high point of the series. I loved the first one and played quite a bit of the second one, but they were really flawed; 1's biggest problem was its low draw distance, which made some of the gameplay quite difficult when it should've been much easier. 3 finally had Mario64 levels of draw distance, so you could look out over the expansive locations and plan ahead.

                That being said, one of the biggest strengths of 1 was the music. If I recall correctly, the first game's Japanese release was really quite poor, with an irritating camera, bad controls and it wasn't the best in terms of audio. Someone at Sony America played it and saw there was something in it though, and had the game reworked with improved controls and audio, calling on the then-might of Sony Music to do the legwork.

                The music was really unique:



                Last edited by Asura; 22-01-2019, 09:09.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Yeah, it's a shame that I got out of touch with the series as it looks like they're pretty good and FromSoftware got involved starting at the PS2 games.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by QualityChimp View Post
                    Yeah, it's a shame that I got out of touch with the series as it looks like they're pretty good and FromSoftware got involved starting at the PS2 games.
                    I totally agree with one of your points though, that the genre is under-represented these days.

                    Even so, I guess Tenchu was a slightly confused product. It had these really awesome stealth and traversal mechanics, but every level culminated in a boss-fight (some having mid-bosses too) who you had to kill in straight combat, and the fighting system was never that great (it was meant to be what you resorted to when things went wrong). I think, like everyone, I tend to remember the good bits and not the bad bits.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Arguably the series also resulted in Acquire going off to start the Shinobido series after moving on from the first two Tenchu titles. I remember going to a talk by one of the guys from Acquire at the Japan Foundation in London and finding it really interesting (there's probably a thread on here about it too).

                      Also: it's far from AAA production values, but I had a lot of fun with Tenchu Z. It's great!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by fuse View Post
                        Arguably the series also resulted in Acquire going off to start the Shinobido series after moving on from the first two Tenchu titles. I remember going to a talk by one of the guys from Acquire at the Japan Foundation in London and finding it really interesting
                        I love how you always seem to be doing interesting things like this!

                        Originally posted by fuse View Post
                        Also: it's far from AAA production values, but I had a lot of fun with Tenchu Z. It's great!
                        Shame it's not on the Backwards Compatibility list for the One.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Yeah, it is a proper shame. It's one I'd definitely be up for playing. I remember trying the demo when it came out and thinking 'Eh'. I think I was far too into the shiny shiny of the new gen, and Tenchu Z very much felt like a AA PS2 game. It definitely feels like one I've overlooked though, I'd like to go back to it.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            As with many others, it seems, I enjoyed the first two games on PS1, and then drifted out of the series.

                            Loved the atmosphere of the first game, even though I was crap at it. Don't think I ever got past the sixth mission. The second wasn't as good, but it had a level editor, which I had great fun with.

                            Then I sort of lost interest. I've just picked up the DS one, and I own a couple of PSP ones, so I might give those a quick play.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Great trip down my memory lane. My and my friends rinsed the first game in senior school, spouting lines verbatim like "Your greed sickens me".

                              Which is considered the best title for the PSP?

                              Comment

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