Killing Me Stealthily, With His Sword... (Tenchu Stealth Assassins (PS))

Member Name: scream4bruce

Product:	Tenchu Stealth Assassins (PS)
Date:	27/09/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stealth kills are satisfying, top soundtrack, much fun to be had with items

Disadvantages: Graphical glitches, camera struggles in combat, AI not well rounded

The technical troublings of Tenchu did not go unnoticed to its makers thus it was tweaked so that its release outside of Japan - to be titled, 'Tenchu: Stealth Assassins' - would be worth the wait.

Tenchu took stealth gaming to new heights, literally - with the grappling hook you can reach for those rooftops. But beware falling into the pits of frustration. To avoid detection from the enemies, there's a stealth button for sneaking about, and along with the gift of the second sight - or is that the third-person view (ha!), a sixth sense in the shape of the Ki meter allows players to know the proximity of a presence as well as their awareness.

Whilst the cut-scenes cannot be skipped, the (deliberate?) dodgy dialogue and dubbing makes these sequences memorable. Graphically, it's not great - looking rough, with patches of pop-up problems, but ready. There is a mix of good and bad quality FMV sequences. The soundtrack in this game is stunning.

It pays off to be patient and kill by stealth. A successful surprise attack on the enemy sees to an instant-kill and one of several bloody sequences which are, dare I say it, as satisfying as they are stylish (thanks to the motion captured animation). When it comes to combat, backing off becomes block on being attacked. Whilst the camera sometimes shows signs of struggle, the battle system is strong, what with multiple moves including mid-air attacks, whereby the skilled survive. Overlooking the enemy's selective sightedness and memory, there is reason to be suspicious of their AI, which sometimes sees to suicide.

Rikimaru and Ayame play differently, but their missions are pretty much the same. Similarly, don't get your hopes high for the ending. However, Tenchu has terrific replay value. Each mission sees to three layouts so that the strategy for a stage is not sussed out so soon. Reaching for an improved ranking has its risks, but rewards in special items which can then be of aid, and are also as amusing as the normal items to see in action. Thus overcoming the loss of items when the mission is a failure (though reaching for the reset can rectify this).

Although both can give you away, you can kill dogs but not cats. Doing so does not drop your score. Maybe it should. Anyway, aside from the hilarious blood effects being by the bucket-loads, there's a scene where some guy commits seppuku hence the BBFC 18+ rating. Tenchu is a flawed title, but with patience, the frustration can turn to fun.

Summary: Tenchu: Stealth Assassins for PlayStation