Release
Thursday, February 26, 1998
Player score
80/100
Platform families
1
Editorial overview
Inside Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
What it is
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins is an action-adventure stealth game developed by Acquire and published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan in Japan and Activision worldwide for the PlayStation in 1998. Tenchu is known for its stealth gameplay and the eerie settings of feudal Japan.
Tenchu was one of the first ninja games to incorporate stealth, a very crucial aspect of ninjutsu. However, aside from featuring traditional martial arts in battles, the game incorporates elements of historical fantasy and Japanese mythology. The game also used motion capture, where actor/martial artist Sho Kosugi and his son Kane were hired as actors for the game's combat moves.
The premise
The game takes place in feudal Japan, 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 uses his demon warrior Onikage, who wreaks havoc throughout Lord Gohda's province.
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