Tenchu: Shadow Assassins Tenchu: Shadow Assassins is the latest incarnation of a long running series that has arguably developed (or failed to develop) in the shadow of Metal Gear Solid since they both appeared on the original Playstation in 1998 (although Metal Gear had already been around on older platforms for sometime). Using the word ‘stealth’ to define their gameplay, they ushered in a new genre based on evasion and environmental manipulation over confrontation. Whilst Metal Gear was, roughly, set in the present day dealing with bio-terrorism and cloning in its convoluted plots, Tenchu (whose name roughly translates as ‘heavenly punishment’) derived its equally complex narratives from 16th Century Japan.

In the latest instalment, Shadow Assassins, on the Wii players once again take control of Rikimaru, head of the Azumi Ninja clan, plunged into a story of political intrigue and clan warfare. Original developers Acquire have, er… reacquired the franchise after K2 took the helm for several games, a move that has largely been celebrated as this installation has been pared back down to an elegantly simple and yet robust combat mechanic. This is no doubt helped by the Wii control, which has been subtly applied to the game to involve the player even more in the Ninja’s actions, adding a nice tactile element to the gameplay. It’s a shame then that the controls are sometimes frustratingly clumsy and unresponsive. Fortunately the guards are pretty damn stupid and there’s nothing more satisfying than hanging down from the rafters by your legs and snapping a guard’s neck with a quick jerk of the Wii remote and nunchuck.

Whilst Metal Gear has always incorporated a certain amount of action into its stealth, in tenchu the empahasis is on killing from the shadows, scoring points each level for how many hikamori (unseen kills) you can perform and how fast, giving a compelling reason for replaying the game’s chapters. The game is essentially a string of puzzles, in which you are given a certain environment filled with guards, shadowy hiding places and tools such as shuriken and even a fishing rod (used to nab keys from under guards noses) and are challenged to traverse your way to the goal (and there are usually multiple routes and multiple ways to deal with each situation). Even the combat, on the occasions when you are caught, takes the form of an elaborate mini game, in which you take turns to block and dole out blows using the Wii remote, however this aspect of the game is so cumbersome its wise to avoid being seen altogether.

There’s a purity to Tenchu’s gameplay, that when combined with an involving feudal story (which is somewhat let down by dodgy American voice acting that makes the ronin sound like high school jocks, and makes you wish there were a Japanese dialogue option) helps to forgive, or at least soften, its flaws, like the awkward controls and chunky graphics. Tenchu: Shadow Assassins is no masterpiece, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing game, especially for those enamoured with the ways of the samurai.

Words > Andrew Wensum