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Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
ShadowAssassins
Developer(s) Acquire
Publisher(s) From Software
Ubisoft
Designer(s) Keisuke Kanayama
Takuma Endo
Composer(s) Noriyuki Asakura
Platform(s) Nintendo Wii
PlayStation Portable
Release date(s) JP October 21, 2008
NA February 3, 2009
EU March 12, 2009
Genre(s) Stealth action
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) BBFC: 15
CERO: C
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
OFLC: R16
PEGI: 16+
Media DVD
Input methods Gamepad
Prev game (release) Shadow Assault: Tenchu

Tenchu 4 (天誅 4 - Tenchū 4?), released in North America as Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, is the eighth release in the Tenchu franchise, and the fourth installment in the main series.

Plot[]

In the domain of Lord Matsunoshin Goda, peace has not yet been fully restored, and rumors of betrayal have been heard being whispered throughout the Gohda province. Lord Gohda calls upon his loyal Azuma ninja, Rikimaru and Ayame, to investigate the potential conspiracy. Upon discovering a secret stockpile of weapons, Rikimaru confirms that someone is indeed planning to start a war. Counselor Naotada Sekiya, Lord Gohda's right hand man, arranges for a fortune-teller to predict the future of the Gohda province. However, the fortune-teller turns out to be an impostor, and kidnaps Princess Kiku, Lord Goda's beloved daughter. Ayame gives chase and disappears into the night.

Meanwhile, Rikimaru investigates a recent bandit attack on a village in Lord Goda's domain. He discovers that a rival daimyo, Lord Mononari Tado, hired the bandits to raid the village. Lord Goda declares war on the Tado province and travels there himself, accompanied by Rikimaru, who is later tasked with assassinating Lord Tado. After taking the life of the antagonistic daimyo, Rikimaru encounters the false fortune-teller again, who introduces herself as Rinshi, a kunoichi of the Shida ninja clan. The two engage in a duel; albeit proving himself the better fighter, Rikimaru is nearly killed when Rinshi uses what appears to be a magic spell on him, but is saved by the timely appearance of Hyakubei Tachibana, a soldier of Lord Ghoda's forces. Rinshi uses the opportunity to escape, and Hyakubei helps Rikimaru back to Lord Goda's camp.

Tenchu-Shadow-Assassins-Story-Trailer 2

Rikimaru, head of the Azuma Clan, interrogates a Gohda Castle guard.

Upon hearing of their daimyo's death, Lord Tado's men surrender, and the war appears to be over. Furthermore, Lord Goda receives a message from Counselor Sekiya that Princess Kiku has been rescued. Unable to leave the Tado province just yet, Lord Goda sends Rikimaru back to Goda Castle in his stead. However, when Rikimaru arrives at the castle gates, he is attacked by the guards, who have been ordered kill Rikimaru, a supposed traitor, by Counselor Sekya himself. Rikimaru proceeds to infiltrate the castle and makes his way to the chambers of Counselor Sekiya, who has assigned Ayame as his bodyguard. The two Azuma ninja clash their blades, with Rikimaru emerging the victor. Ayame retreats, taking Princess Kiku with her. Counselor Sekiya appoligizes to Rikimaru for declaring him a traitor, and claims that it was Ayame who convinced him of Rikimaru's betrayal; he declares Ayame to be the real traitor, and orders Rikimaru to capture her.

The story then switches to Ayame's point of view. It is revealed that while she had succeeded in rescuing Princess Kiku, she was attacked by what appeared to be Rikimaru, but was actually Rinshi in disguise, explaining why Ayame believed Rikimaru to have betrayed Lord Goda. After her duel with the real Rikimaru, Ayame flees Goda Castle with Princess Kiku and takes her to a hideout, encountering and defeating Hyakubei Tachibana along the way. However, the princess reveals herself to be Rinshi in disguise and wounds Ayame, but Rikimaru arrives just in time to save her and kills Rinshi. Ayame realizes she was fooled by Rinshi twice.

Lord Goda, returning to find his castle in flames, realizes that it was Counselor Sekiya who was the real traitor all along (possibly even framing or manipulating Lord Tado in order to trick Goda into leaving his castle), and orders Rikimaru to assassinate him. After Rikimaru seemingly takes the scheming counselor's life and rescues the real Princess Kiku, Sekiya rises again and reveals himself to be Onikage, Rikimaru's old nemesis, in disguise. He admits to orchestrating the recent events and challenges Rikimaru to a final duel. Rikimaru ultimately gains the upper hand, but Onikage uses the princess as a human shield, forcing Rikimaru to drive his sword through her to kill Onikage. Ayame, who had followed Rikimaru to the castle, is brought to tears by Kiku's death.

The extended ending (attained by collecting all pieces of map in normal mode) shows Ayame speaking in Onikage's voice, hinting that she was somehow possessed by Onikage. It could mean that Onikage purposely tricked Rikimaru into stabbing Kiku, as a way to lower Ayame's self-esteem and mental defenses enough to allow him to possess her. His ultimate goal for doing so, however, remain a mystery.

Gameplay[]

Tenchu_Shadow_Assassins_Wii_Gameplay

Tenchu Shadow Assassins Wii Gameplay

In contrast to its predecessors, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins offers a more immersive gameplay experience, emphasizing stealth, strategic thinking, and the art of remaining concealed in the shadows to complete missions. The game features two playable characters: Rikimaru and Ayame. Notably, this installment streamlines various gameplay elements by removing certain items, such as the grappling hook. It restricts the player's inventory, limiting them to carry only three items at a time.

During missions, players must exercise caution when approaching hostile units, as any careless movement could lead to detection and immediate aggression from these adversaries. If the player is spotted and subsequently attacked twice, the mission will fail. However, suppose the player has a sword in their inventory. In that case, they will have the option to engage in combat with the hostile unit. This battle system consists of two phases: "Attack" and "Defend." In the Wii version of the game, players are required to physically swing the "Wiimote" as prompted on-screen during the "Defend" phase to block the enemy's attacks. Conversely, during the "Attack" phase, the player must swing the "Wiimote" in accordance with the directional cues provided by the game to inflict damage and potentially eliminate the hostile unit.

Items play a pivotal role in Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, serving various purposes that contribute to survival or facilitate the elimination of hostile units. Among the items featured in the game are katanas, shurikens, rocks, and a bamboo tube. Katanas are versatile weapons; shurikens and rocks possess the capability to push back hostile units, potentially causing them to fall from heights or into hazardous environments. At the same time, the bamboo tube serves the function of extinguishing fires or other sources of illumination. These items are instrumental in the player's tactical approach to missions and encounters within the game world.+

Regional differences[]

In the Japanese versions of Tenchu: Shadow Assassins on both the PSP and Wii platforms, a notable feature is absent: the ability to perform a quick jump between rafters. Additionally, these Japanese versions do not offer players the option to restart specific level sections; the only available choice is to restart the entire level. However, it's worth mentioning that in the PSP version, dying does not necessitate a complete level restart. Instead, it provides an option to restart from a specific section. On the original Wii version, the absence of section restarts makes the game notably more challenging, as players are compelled to replay the entire level in the event of a failure.

Furthermore, it's interesting to note that while previous entries in the Tenchu series underwent censorship and alterations, such as changing shurikens into kunai in the European versions, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins breaks this trend by including both shurikens and kunai in all versions of the game, regardless of region. This marks a departure from prior censorship practices and aligns the content across regions in terms of these specific in-game items.

PSP port[]

In the PlayStation Portable (PSP) version of Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, the gameplay closely resembles that of the Wii version. However, several adjustments have been made to accommodate the PSP's control scheme, resulting in the removal of motion controls. Despite this alteration, some control elements similar to the Wii version have been retained. For instance, players can use the analog stick on the PSP to move their character forward, and they can utilize the D-pad to select items from their arsenal, which mirrors the functions of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

T4 BonusOutfits

Classic outfits in PSP version

Additionally, the controls for executing stealth kills have undergone slight modifications. In the PSP version, players must press the face buttons on the PSP console to initiate a stealth kill and use the analog stick to specify the direction in which they wish to act.

Notable differences between the PSP and Wii versions include simplified physics in the PSP edition, which lacks ragdoll physics and the ability to eliminate enemies by dropping bodies from above. Unlike the Wii version, the PSP iteration does not permit players to fail a stealth kill. Furthermore, some environmental objects found in the Wii version's maps, such as a box covering a secret cat passage in mission six or a burning fire in the garden section of mission 7, are absent in the PSP version. Due to the PSP's hardware limitations, specific graphical effects, such as fog, reflections, and water transparency, are also not present in this version.

It's worth noting that in all the PSP versions, except for the first Japanese release, includes unlockable costumes from the first Tenchu game for both Rikimaru and Ayame, providing players with additional customization options for their characters.

Tenchu 4 Plus[]

The enhanced version of Tenchu 4 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), exclusive to Japan, introduces several significant additions and improvements to the game. This improved version retains all the features present in the US/EU versions, such as the ability to jump on rafters, access to new costumes, and the inclusion of a "restart section" option. However, it goes further by introducing an entirely new multiplayer mode.

T4plus

Co-op kill in multiplayer mode

The multiplayer mode in this enhanced version consists of co-op missions that players can tackle either alone or with friends. Completing these missions and eliminating enemies rewards players with experience points, which can be used to enhance their characters and unlock new items, abilities, and even additional playable characters, including Rinshi and Onikage.

One notable aspect of this enhanced multiplayer mode is the introduction of new unlockable moves that can be executed during co-op gameplay. Players can also acquire abilities to eliminate enemies with shurikens or attract their attention using voice commands. Additionally, players have the opportunity to unlock Onikage's unique ability to set enemies on fire, adding an extra layer of depth to the gameplay experience.

The enhanced multiplayer mode also features various enemy variants, including ninjas and armored samurais in different colors, which contribute to an increased level of difficulty and challenge. Additionally, players will encounter unique adversaries in these missions, such as mysterious Rikimaru clones and Onikage himself.

It's worth noting that while this mode is exclusive to the enhanced PSP version in Japan, some evidence suggests that multiplayer files and character portraits exist in the regular US/EU version, hinting that this mode may have been initially intended for inclusion in the regular release. Furthermore, all characters in this enhanced version are fully voiced in English, enhancing the overall multiplayer experience.

Gallery[]

Cover Art[]

Concept Art[]

Renders[]

Videos[]

External Links[]

Tenchu Series

Main Series

Stealth AssassinsTenchu 2Tenchu 3Tenchu 4

Portable Games

Time of the AssassinsDark Secret

Other Versions and Releases

Dimensional Ninja Action MovieShinobi GaisenShinobi HyakusenReturn from DarknessFatal ShadowsTenchu ZShadow Assault

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