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The characters and environments benefit from the attention to detail. Ayame’s facial expressions change depending on what is happening. After she makes a kill she is breathing hard and has a sombre expression. The visual upgrades are stunning. It is a gorgeous game, one of the best if you enjoy the Asian feel in gaming. There are many new move sets that add excitement to the whole realistic ninja experience. The close-up cut scenes when you are being attacked make your heart beat faster. The details of this game are very intricate. I loved how the little red Japanese maple leaf pops up when you breathe underwater while sneaking.
Rikimaru is no longer in the game which is fine by me. Instead there are two Female characters. Yeah! In the story-line, Rin’s ninja village burned to the ground. She swears an oath of vengeance and sets off on a quest to hunt them down. Along the way, Rin is assisted by Ayame. The missions alternate between Ayame and Rin. While each mission is fairly straightforward, they do branch a bit here and there. There are many ways to approach the puzzles, and you can climb or smash many items in the environment. The new map screen is very helpful and actually keeps up with the movement of the characters.
There are many items and weapons which are easily accessible right on the screen. Such as the grappling hooks, poisoned rice balls caltrops, smoke bombs, and shuriken. the weapons are not customizable which is a shame. Ayame uses her signature twin wakizachis, and Rin uses a big katakana to attack with. The game-play relies heavily on sneaking up on enemies and then taking them out from behind. Unseen and unheard. The stealthy mode matches well for female ninja assassins who are normally outmatched in a head on combat. Rolling, stealth walking and creeping allows you to get close to the enemies’ before slitting their throats. You want to avoid being spotted. All you need to do is go back around a few corners (and not get lost) and the pursuers’ will forget about you. The odd touches such as the chickens or cats that alert the townsfolk are amusing.
All of the Tenchu games have had camera problems. Unfortunately this one does too. Sometimes it is impossible to turn your character around. The cut-scene enhanced moves make it difficult to get your character positioned for battle. I wish that it had a fighting engine more like Soul Calibur. Trying to stand and fight can create some of those controller issues. There is nothing more frustrating than hacking away at a wall while the enemy scores hits on the characters back. This game is even more difficult than the previous Tenchu games. As I said this is a hard game. At one time that was desirable and made the game experience last longer. These days a game with this complexity is rare. but of all of this one is by far the best. The many improvements make the game flow better.
Good stealth kills result in enemies dropping red scrolls. Collecting them unlocks a variety of additional ninja moves the heroines can use. I would like a multiplayer option for coop play. there just aren’t enough two player games out there. The soundtrack in Fatal Shadows is one of its best features. I have to give this one a coveted 9 out of 10.
Here’s an interesting looking <a href=”http://www.tenchu.de/english/kurenai/”>European Tenchu website </a> and at the official site you can play a little <a href=” http://<a href=” http://www.sega.com/gamesite/tenchu/content.php “>shuriken flash game </a>
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