I know some of you are like me, enjoying a game that some or even most people disliked. Honestly I wouldn’t have thought of playing this one if it weren’t for Cap’n @Zerpina posting a gameplay on her YouTube channel. I really liked the series in general even though I only played three games in the series, the first two games on the PS1 and that forgettable NDS game Dark Secret.
Tenchu Kurenai or Tenchu Fatal Shadows outside Japan is the fourth mainline entry in the series of this ninja stealth game. This game introduces some firsts in the series mainly this is the first game in the series to be released by From Software as its publisher. For those who doesn’t know Sony Music Entertainment Japan was the original owner of this IP while Activision secured the license to release it internationally. After the release of Tenchu 2 Birth of the Stealth Assassins, Activision bought the IP in the year 2000 from Sony. In 2004 for some unspecified reason Activision sold the IP to From Software while Kurenai/Fatal Shadows is still in development.
Another first in the series is the introduction of a new character. A young kunoichi named Rin she replaced Rikimaru as one of the playable characters in the game alongside Ayame. Unlike in other entries in the series where you play a single character per playthrough this time however you will both Ayame and Rin alternately. The game is divided into chapters as if you played as Ayame in the current chapter the focus of the next chapter is automatically shifted to Rin.
The most important factor they introduced is in the gameplay mechanics. For the first time you’re able to do a multiple stealth kill. Some enemies are placed near adjacent to each other, with proper timing you can pull out a multiple stealth kill with some flash and badass kill animation. Be careful though because botching a multiple stealth kill may result in a one hit death. This time around some enemies can now stealth kill you. Which means you really have to rely on stealth and strategy in order to survive unscathed. It’s not as bad as you guys think it is. Pulling up a stealth kill has its own rewards other than a high rating after each chapter. If you downed an enemy using stealth they will drop some sroll(s) that you need to learn new skills(stealth kills) and alternate costumes. You may or may not learn a skill after each chapter because in order to do so you must accumulate a certain amount of scrolls to unlock one. There are total of thirteen skills for each character and some alternate costumes. There are total of twelve chapters with branching routes that can only be accessed if you took a certain route prior to the next. That and some unlockables would definitely make you busy for the time being which is a good thing.
Like I said earlier Rikimaru is MIA(missing in action) on this because the story takes place after the events of Stealth Assassins where he went missing at the end of the game. It’s one of the gripes of the reviewers alongside the complaints of unbalanced AI enemies and some wonky camera.
Earlier I talked about liking a game that most people hated, this game panned by reviewers because of the aforementioned issues I said. Some say that this game is a total letdown compared to the previous entry Tenchu Wrath of Heaven which I heard was the “peak” of the series. I haven’t played it yet so I can’t say if it’s justified or not. For me this game is a turning point for the series flawed or not it is a fine game.
The game’s story is set after the events of the first game where Rikimaru ended up missing. Ayame is tasked on investigating a hidden village of Hagakure. Upon arrival she saw the village being razed as she approaches a dying old man he muttered “Kuroya” with his last breath. Just as Ayame is about to leave Rin came and was shocked seeing her village in ruins. The two clashed swords with Ayame victorious sparing Rin’s life before she disappears. Since then their fate intertwined for one is governed by her duty and the other her quest for revenge, their paths crosses as the story moves on.
The story is one of the key elements besides the gameplay that made this a real fun playthrough. As much as I want to spoil the story it wouldn’t be right because by doing so I might deprive you of one the things that makes this game great if you should deemed to play. That or I’m just too busy (lazy) to do so.
Another thing that wowed me is the boss battles. It’s been a while since I saw a roster of irredeemable pricks that really deserved to get their butts kicked and their faces kissing the ground. One of them is Shinogi a Roronoa Zoro clone whose aim in life is to kill a thousand people. There’s also the narcissistic “rockstar”Shou who uses a shimasen(a Japanese musical instrument with three strings that resembles a guitar) with a rifle hidden inside. Those were just the few of the villains that really deserved to kick the bucket.
At the end this game sold poorly only selling about 190+ thousand copies internationally. Thankfully this isn’t the last game in the series to be released. And 2010 a PSP port of the game was released entitled Tenchu Kurenai Portable which sadly didn’t saw a release outside Japan. Like I said this one became my instant favorite and it sure made me think how this one got hated. Maybe because for some Rikimaru is the face of the series and his absence drove out the fans away from this one. Or is it because the developers approach to tell a grounded story as opposed to the epic one of its previous entry. Either way it’s been decades since we last have a mainline entry in the series as the way things are looking we have to wait a lot longer.
Thank you very much for spending time on another cringe yapping of mine.
Happy Holidays!
This is Stingy Perry signing off.
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