REVIEW: Tenchu: Shadow Assassins

Developer: Acquire| Publisher: Ubi Soft| Format: Wii

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

Once upon a time the Tenchu series was one of the most respected franchises on any console. The original Psone title, along with Metal Gear Solid was responsible for popularising the stealth genre. It was a moody affair, full of ninjas, violence and much sneaking about the place. In the years since the franchise has lost much of its lustre and the arrival of Shadow Assassins has gone largely unnoticed.

Shadow Assassins remains pretty much the same as previous titles in the series. You take charge of either Rikimaru or Ayame before setting off to complete numerous missions which generally involve lots of stealthy assassinations. As in previous titles direct attacks mean death. With this in mind you find yourself sneaking through the shadows, waiting for a guard to turn their back before  murdering him. The trademark violent deaths have been retained and are now even more fun given that you carry them out by waving or thrusting the Wii remote like a mad man.

Combat is significant different due to the implementation of the Wii remote. Sword fights are broken into two phases, quickly tilting the remote to defend an attack and swiping to attack. While this is all well and good in theory, the reality is something else. Blocking is a nightmare. If an enemy decides to simply use a diagonal attack then you have no means to defend. The number of times this caused a restart nearly sent this reviewer mad.

The biggest change comes not from the overhauled control system but rather from the way in which levels are broken up. You no longer have a wide open space in which to play but rather each level is now broken up into several small levels with each having a specific goal which must be completed before you can move on. This makes the game seem a lot smaller that it actually is and robs it of something which made the older titles so much fun to play. The now linear gameplay  makes everything seem confined  and as a result gamers fell like they are being led down a path rather than dropped into the thick of it and forced to find their own way.

Despite all the complaints Shadow Assassins is a decent game which has more going for it than you might imagine. The stealth sections are fantastic and  there is a lot of re-playability on offer. The restriction to carrying only 3 items makes for a far more strategic title  and as a result a far more entertaining one. Lets not forget that the game also offers around 12 hours of gameplay which in today’s market is a hell of a lot more game for you buck than most titles.

Seasoned Tenchu fans will get the most from Shadow Assassins and there’s enough to enjoy here for those not yet familiar with the franchise.