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Tenchu

Encyclopedia : T : TE : TEN : Tenchu

Tenchu (天誅) is a Japanese term literally meaning heaven's judgment. It is also the title of a popular stealth game series involving ninja. It is known for its sword-fighting, stealth gameplay, and the eerie settings of Feudal Japan. It is one of the first ninja games to incorporate stealth, a very crucial aspect of Ninjutsu that is often ignored in the media. However, aside from having traditional martial arts battles, the game incorporates elements of fantasy and Japanese mythology. So far, the series has had three (one being a standalone expansion) games for the PlayStation, one game for the Nintendo DS, two games for the PlayStation 2, one game for the Xbox, and one game for the PlayStation Portable.

Contents

Story

The series takes place in feudal Japan. The original story revolves around two ninjas: Rikimaru and Ayame. Rikimaru is a tall, silver-haired ninja with a single ninjato named Izayoi and a scar over his right eye. He is stronger than Ayame but relatively slower. Ayame is a kunoichi, or female ninja, wearing standard ninja clothes with her midriff exposed. She carries a pair of twin short swords. She is faster and has more combos than Rikimaru, but is the weaker of the two. Both are 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 Meioh seeks to destroy Lord Gohda, and using his lackey Onikage, wreaks havoc throughout Lord Gohda's province. Although Meioh was killed in the first game, Onikage appeared in all subsequent games (except Fatal Shadows) as the archenemy of the two ninja, especially Rikimaru. Another major character who shows up frequently is Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter who is often the damsel in distress.

However, the storyline has been continuously expanded with the release of the newer Tenchu series.

Other than the playable characters above, a third ninja, who is also part of the story, will be made playable if you finish all of the missions (only in Tenchu 2 and Tenchu 3). Tenchu 2 has Tatsumaru, a ninja who prefers unarmed combat though he is the original bearer of Izayoi. He is like an older brother to Rikimaru and Ayame, being much younger than their mentor but still a very powerful fighter. Tenchu 3's third character is Tesshu, a doctor by day and hired assassin by night. Like Tatsumaru, he uses unarmed combat, but his primary weapon is a set of needles used for throwing and stabbing. Tesshu can be seen in the trailer for Tenchu 360, but it isn't yet known if he will be available from the start of the game.

Characters

Main Characters Other Main Characters 
Reoccurring and Supporting Characters
Enemies

Name meanings

Gameplay

The game is played in a third-person perspective. There are numerous items to help the ninja on his/her mission, but unlockable items can be acquired if the player gets a "Grand Master" rating at the end of the level by being as stealthy as possible. Items and controls vary from game to game, but the gameplay is essentially the same throughout. Stealth is a very important element in the game, where players have to duck, crouch, and hide behind walls to avoid detection. Enemies can be killed with one hit by using Stealth Kills, and a player can avoid detection by looking at his/her Ki meter. The larger the number, the closer the player is to an enemy. If a player is spotted, the Ki meter will turn red, the enemy will alert everyone in the area, and the player is forced to fight hand-to-hand or hide somewhere until the enemies give up their search and resume their patrol routes.

Games

(1998) (2000) (2003) (2004) (2005) (2005) (2006) [link] Activision purchased the rights to this game from Sony, who originally published the game in Japan. However, Activision sold the rights to the Japanese game publisher From Software in 2004. From Software's rights agreement does not include games previously published by Activision. From Software licensed distribution of Fatal Shadows to Sega.

There was an additional Japan-exclusive release for Tenchu on the PlayStation. 100 of the best competing levels designed with the level editor of the Japanese version were put together to form a stand-alone, non-story based expansion set called . The engine and game fundamentals remained unchanged. Shinobi Hyakusen is still famous for the hardest level settings among Tenchu fans, especially because of the tight time limits and the overall lack of the items, excluding the caltrops and the throwing stars. No North American or European versions were released. Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen is not to be confused with Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen, which is the Japanese name for Tenchu: Stealth Assassins.

Trivia

External links

Official

 

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