Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins[lower-alpha 1] is an action-adventure stealth game developed by Acquire and published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan in Japan and Activision in North America and Europe for the PlayStation in 1998. Tenchu uses stealth gameplay and is set in feudal Japan. It was one of the first ninja games to incorporate stealth, a crucial aspect of ninjutsu. In addition to featuring traditional martial arts in battles, the game incorporates elements of historical fantasy and Japanese mythology.

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
Developer(s)Acquire
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Takuma Endo
Composer(s)Noriyuki Asakura
SeriesTenchu
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: February 26, 1998
  • NA: August 31, 1998
  • EU: 1998
Genre(s)Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The game begins with the protagonists Rikimaru and Ayame training to reach an honourable rank. In the training missions the performance of the character determines their rank; ranging from Thug, Novice, Ninja, Master Ninja to Grand Master. Lord Gohda himself gives his feedback on Rikimaru's performance, while his daughter Princess Kiku speaks to Ayame instead. The playable characters Rikimaru and Ayame are only selectable as singular players and their storylines vary considerably, yet they experience the same levels and missions. Rikimaru, the oldest of the two, is the primary character in the game. Armed with a single ninjatō, he is stronger than Ayame but slower. Ayame carries a pair of kodachi and is faster and has more combos than Rikimaru, but is the weaker of the two.

The game features ten levels, all of which take place at night to compensate for the technical limitations of the PlayStation; the game's high rate of redraw is reduced by setting events at night and reducing the distance the player can see. Both characters are armed with a grappling hook which allows them to zip up to the tops of buildings and move freely across rooftops. Many bosses react differently to the two ninja based on their genders, highlighting the social attitudes at the time.

All missions, including the initial training mission, can be replayed an unlimited number of times, but Mission 2 and onwards cannot be accessed without the previous chapter being successfully completed. Three different layouts are used to distribute the enemies, obstacles and items spread on the levels' maps. On playing the training level, only several throwable deadly objects and a grappling hook are automatically selected as interactive objects. The weapon selection section contains throwing knives (kunai)/shuriken (depending on the game version), smoke bombs, caltrops, poison rice cakes, coloured rice, healing potions, grenades and mines. Advanced items on completing a mission with the rank Grand Master are known as: Super Shuriken/Kunai, Lightfoot Scroll, Fire Eater Scroll, Protections Amulet, Sleeping Gas, Ninja Armour, Shadow Decoy, Resurrection Leaf, Chameleon Spell, Dog Bone and Decoy Whistle. These are optional to use on missions but are limited to a number of objects overall. The Grappling Hook is permanently locked into the inventory and does not consume item space.

On failure, the character dies (sometimes being ridiculed by a boss) and the text "Mission Failed" appears on the screen in front of the grave of the character. All items are lost until found in future missions. If the character succeeds in their mission they are scored and ranked, while the player's time is recorded into the game's system. This score is compared to previous attempts and the scores of the partner to the current character if they have been played before. A cinematic scene happens at the end of each level revealing some of the character's personality to the player.

Mission 10 has a longer cutscene which leads to the ending of the game and credits. The player still has an option to complete the game as the alternative character as the attempts in playing each level are limitless. Some aspects can be unlocked by completing sections of the game, which can include alternative costumes for Rikimaru and Ayame. Cheats can also trigger unlockables.

Plot

The game takes place in feudal Japan,[1] introducing a pair of ninja: Rikimaru (力丸) and Ayame (彩女), members of the Azuma Ninja Clan since childhood. The two ninja serve the heroic Lord Gohda, and work for him as his secret spies to root out corruption and gather intelligence in his province. However, the evil demonic sorcerer Lord Mei-Oh seeks to destroy Lord Gohda, and using his demon warrior Onikage, wreaks havoc throughout Lord Gohda's province.

Development

A video of an early prototype build of the game was featured in Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen, showing a science-fiction type ninja game whose gameplay style was also very different from the one in the final version.[2] Famous ninja-roles actor/martial artist Sho Kosugi and his son Kane were hired as motion capture actors for the game's combat moves.

Tenchu director Takuma Endo cited Hideo Kojima's early 2D Metal Gear games (1987–1990) as an influence. They wanted to improve on Metal Gear's stealth gameplay by adding 3D gameplay features such as "the element of height and looking at things from different angles." During development, the game drew comparisons to Kojima's Metal Gear Solid (1998), which was being developed around the same time and released shortly after. While they could not match its high budget or production values, Endo said they distinguished their game with a more 3D approach to gameplay, compared to Metal Gear Solid's more 2D approach to gameplay rooted in the earlier Metal Gear games.[3]

Release

Japanese version

The Japanese version of the game is somewhat different from the Western version and the remake Shinobi Gaisen. The game came with eight levels (missing Cross the Checkpoint and Punish the Corrupt Minister) and each level only has one layout. The option screen, character select and level select all come with different graphics. The boss characters have different weapons and before each level there is a small amount of Japanese dialogue that gives more detail into the game. The fighting moves are also different, whereas on the later version, mashing the button for attacks is all well and good, but in this version each strike must be timed to get the full flurry of moves. The 180 degree reverse roll is also absent.

Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen

Tenchu was re-released in Japan on February 24, 1999 with many updates, including different mission layouts, all the stages seen in the American and European versions (levels 4 and 5 were missing in the original) and four selectable languages: Japanese, English, Italian and French.

The main feature of this version was its mission editor. The possibilities in creating missions were endless and it generated a special-edition disc with the 100 best missions created by Japanese players called Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen.

Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen

Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen is an expansion pack for Tenchu. It was released on November 11, 1999 for the PlayStation. It is a standalone expansion, meaning it does not require the disc for the main game. The game is based on the levels created by the users of Shinobi Gaisen. Acquire held a competition for these levels, and the best one hundred missions were collected, and ultimately formed Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen. There are also secret missions to unlock. The whole game consists of 122 missions. The theme of each mission focuses on a chosen objective. Some missions emphasise elimination, while others focus on assassination, finding a peculiar flower or protecting Princess Kiku along the way.

The game fundamentals and controls remained unchanged. However, missions in Shinobi Hyakusen are not bound together by any storyline. Playing through the missions earns the player FMV and other promotional videos, beta test captures, artwork and other behind-the-scenes material otherwise not accessible.

European version

The European release features some small changes to game graphics. Due to a ban on shuriken throwing stars in some parts of Europe at time of release, the shurikens have been replaced by Kunai knives.

Reception

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[4] It was ranked as the 54th-top game of all time by the staff of Game Informer in 2001: "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins showed the gaming world that it takes more than just dark clothes and pointy throwing objects to make it as a ninja. Forcing players to learn and utilize stealth techniques to not only excel, but merely survive, Tenchu is a challenging, nerve-wracking game that leaves you screaming in frustration, then crawling back for more."[18]

Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "The complicated and involving nature of the various missions makes Tenchu a highly engrossing, one-player adventure—the sort of thing long nights are made of."[14]

Next Generation reviewed the U.S. PlayStation version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Activision has made significant changes in the conversion, but it feels as if the developers have jury-rigged bug fixes and added filler material rather than improved the game."[15]

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins had achieved sales of over 500,000 copies in Japan by June 1998 before its release in the United States.[19] As of 2003, the game has sold 730,675 copies in the United States,[20] bringing its total sales to over 1,230,675 units sold in Japan and the United States.

Notes
  1. Tenchu (立体忍者活劇 天誅, Rittai Ninja Katsugeki Tenchū, lit. "Stereoscopic Ninja Theatrical Drama: Divine Retribution")

References
  1. "NG Alphas: Sony Music Entertainment". Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. pp. 70–71.
  2. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (PSX - Beta) | Unseen 64
  3. Mielke, James (2008-12-29). "Exclusive Tenchu: Shadow Assassins Interview". 1UP.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  4. "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  5. House, Matthew. "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  6. Edge staff (May 1998). "Tenchu (Import)". Edge. No. 58. Future plc. p. 98. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  7. Edge staff (November 1998). "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins". Edge. No. 64. Future plc.
  8. "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis. 1998.
  9. McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (November 1998). "Tenchu [Stealth Assassins]". Game Informer. No. 67. FuncoLand. p. 55. Archived from the original on September 21, 1999. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  10. The Rookie (1998). "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  11. Colin (September 1998). "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Review". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  12. Fielder, Joe (March 25, 1998). "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  13. Perry, Douglass C. (September 18, 1998). "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  14. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 43. Imagine Media. July 1998. p. 107.
  15. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 48. Imagine Media. December 1998. p. 134.
  16. "Tenchu: Stealth Assassins". Play. Imagine Publishing. 1998.
  17. "Review: Tenchu: Stealth Assassins". PSM. Future US. 1998.
  18. Game Informer staff (August 2001). "The Top 100 Games of All Time". Game Informer. No. 100. FuncoLand. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  19. Next Generation staff (June 1998). "In the Studio". Next Generation. No. 42. Imagine Media. p. 23.
  20. "PlayStation US Sales from 1995-2003". Game Pilgrimage. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
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