Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Starting out on the Playstation, the debut of Tenchu was well received. Providing and pushing 3D stealth gameplay, the original set a high standard which the series since hasn't quite lived up to. After the original title, the developers who created it left Tenchu to other groups within the Acquire company and subsequent releases couldn't match the original premise. Having been a strictly Sony only franchise, it eventually broke ranks and found a home on the Xbox 360 and now has the next iteration in the Tenchu story on the Wii, with the original developers coming back to reign in their creation and bring it back to its former glory.

Gameplay

As the subtitle of the game would suggest, the game is all about stealth and using the shadows to your advantage to remain undetected and pull of the perfect assassination. And like the previous titles, many of the characters return along with the setting of 13th Century feudal Japan. Franchise staple assassins Rikimura and Ayame return to help Lord Gohda investigate whisperings of betrayal in his kingdom, which ultimately leads to the kidnapping of his daughter, Princess Kiku. The story is great, providing its fair share of twist and turns right up until the end, with the ending particularly being rather shocking in terms of how the game ends. You'll originally take control of Rikimura through the initial missions but with a branched storyline you won't miss out on the action that Ayame sees. It's a fantastic inclusion because it gives the gamer a fuller feeling of the story instead of merely giving them part of it, something which games can do all too often.

The game sticks primarily to ground based assassination through an over the shoulder look, akin to that of Resident Evil 4, so those hoping for some rooftop assassinations won't find them here, which is a shame because it does pigeon-hole the way in which you approach your task but there is still a good amount of variety in the way you can approach your target and the way in which you can take him out so it's not all bad. Methods can include hanging from the rafters and breaking a targets neck or hiding in bushes or shadows and waiting for your target to pass before punching them in the back and using their sword on them. The main adventure has each of its 10 missions split up into 5 parts with the final part focused on the taking out of your target while the others are used to progress toward the position of your final target. It would have been better if all the missions were continual because it would have helped with the flow of the levels and there wouldn't have been any long loading screens. Each mission has an estimated completion time but on your first go, it's likely that you'll easily spend an hour in each of the missions as it becomes trial and error, more so on the first run through. This means that although there are only 10 missions, the longevity is pretty good and because you are graded on how well you do in the missions, you'll always have something to go back to and it never feels like a chore.

Outside of the main mission, you also have an Assignments mode which consists of 50 smaller missions which ask you to do things like take out a certain amount of targets in the level or progress through it without being detected at all. It's a nice inclusion and extends the playability of the title.

Controls

The layout and control use are very reminiscent of Resident Evil 4, with the nunchuk being used to control your characters movement, the C button being used to jump and the Z button using a new mechanic known as the Mind's Eye which highlights objects that can be used to your advantage, such as fires which can be doused with your bamboo pipe or highlighting objects which you can hide in, as well as showing you the view of the guards in the levels, which is done with a single beam laser which moves from side to side showing you the area of the level that the guards are looking at so as to help you pick your path through the level. It's an inclusion that is greatly appreciated because it can be hard at times to know exactly what or where to go and where your enemies are looking. Motions are used to carry out your assassinations or for using items, which is done with a quick flick of the Wii-mote after picking the item you wish to use, although aiming is done with the analogue stick which is disappointing given the Wii-mote's IR pointer. The assassinations play out in quick time events, something which is quickly becoming the bane of the games industry, where you have to gesture with either the Wii-mote or Nunchuk in time with the on screen prompts. However, the controls do show some problems in this particular moment of the game as they can be unresponsive in recognising you prompt. It's frustrating as it can mean the diminishing of your final grade at the end of the level due to being detected.

The game also provides a duel mode which, if you are carrying a sword, kicks in when you get detected. In this, you have to defend by positioning the Wii-mote along to on screen markings and you attack by swinging the controller. In concept, it's a good idea but the controls don't work very well when defending. Much like the main game's controls, a little tightening up would have made it much better.

Graphics

Although the game is evidently not taking full use of the Wii's power, the end result is really good. Character models show a high level of detail with the only downside being that their animation is a little stiff sometimes. They all possess real time physics and so they react as they should do to assassination attempts, be it through the throwing of a shuriken or sneaking up behind them and punching them before killing them and it adds realism to the title. Environments are of a decent scale, even though they are broken down into parts for the missions, and carry a high level of detail from real time reflections on some floor surfaces to decent lighting effects, with one particular mission taking place during a lightning storm being spectacular. Brightness can be an issue with the game as it does seem a bit dark in places and so navigating the levels can be difficult.

Sound

Fans of the series may begrudge the use of dubbed voice-overs for the cutscenes and while they initially seem out of place, they do grow on you and bring you in to the game. The music, though, cannot have a grudge held to it because it creates the right level of ambience to accompany the title, changing depending on what it is you are doing in the levels.

Final comments

Is this a return to form for the Tenchu series? I'd say it's a definite step in the right direction. With the original developers in charge, they've managed to create a great entry into the series that uses what the Wii has and doesn't try to use something it doesn't. The game utilises great graphics and sound to create a perfect atmosphere for a stealth game, with only some small control niggles that really pull the game down. But even these can be overlooked because the title is great fun to play and any 'hardcore' gamer looking for something a bit more mature to play but doesn't carry the over the top gameplay of the likes of MadWorld will find what they need here.

Pro: Good graphics and sound, genuinely good fun
Con: Some control and graphical niggles hold the title back a bit
Final score: 8

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