Tenchu: Fatal Shadows

"One kills for honor, One kills for revenge....I kill them all!"

INTRO
''Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'' is the latest installment of the greatest ninja simulation series ever created. You once again get to revisit feudal Japan and immerse yourself in true ninja gameplay as you assassinate, deliver messages and perform other missions that involve stealth, tact and most of all patience. Although using the same physics engine from Wrath of Heaven, Fatal Shadows is a worthy installment with several great improvements over its predecessor.

STORY 8/10
In ''Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'' you assume the roles of two female ninjas, Ayame and Rin(No Rikimaru this time). Since the story takes place right after Tenchu:Stealth Assassins and before Wrath of Heaven, Ayame is out patrolling the land when she stumbles upon a decimated ninja village. After some investigation Rin appears and assumes Ayame to be the culprit who commited this tragedy and so they face off. However they soon discover that a more sinister force is at work and therefor become more allied in their effort to uncover the truth. The storyline consists of 12 chapters or 18 missions that alternate between our two feline ninjas. The missions consist mainly of assassinating someone, saving someone, infiltrating and or delivering items. Additionally there are several branches in the storyline that will make gameplay even more unique.

CONTROLS 9/10
The controls have not changed much since Wrath of Heaven with camera controls being the only noticeable restriction. As with WoH, you again have the ability to reconfigure the entire control scheme to your liking which is a nice touch. But why, oh why can you not toggle "Camera Invert" on or off? This seems like such a big oversight on K2's part. For those of you who are used to the series this may frustrate you a bit at first but you will quickly adjust. Truthfully after 2 or three missions you'll never think about it anymore unless you go back to WoH. Beyond that the responsiveness of the controls are set up very well. Every button is used and used effectively. Add to that a slew off unlockable special abilities and weapons/items and you'll be in ninja heaven in no time.

GAMEPLAY 9/10
Gameplay is every bit as good as it was in WoH. Difficulty has also been stepped up quite a bit which is a great thing! You have multiple combat maneuvers that are very easy to learn as well as the use of a grappling hook that will allow you fly almost anywhere within a level. You can scurry along rooftops, Grapple onto ledges, swim and slither along walls all while trying not to be seen by the enemy. There are also multiple special abilities that you can unlock as you progress through the game collecting scrolls and that keeps the gameplay fresh throughout the story mode portion of the game. In essence your goal is to remain undetected as you make your way from point A to point B while silently dispatching your enemies along the way by use of several breathtaking Stealth Kill animations. Just don't spill the blood of the innocent or you'll lose precious points that can cost you more unlockable item inventory/Grandmaster Rankings. Abilities include being able to cling to ceilings, Wall Runs, Cheetah Sprint, Mind Control and many others. The enemies A.I however is still mediocre at best. Within seconds of being spotted and taking evasive action they simply forget all about you and resume their pre-ordained patrol patterns. One definite improvement is that if an enemy is in a heated battle with you, more will join the foray. In previous installments another enemy would be just up ahead and not even know swords were clashing like lightning in the night. This time around that won't be the case. Lastly, there are also a wide variety of special weapons and items available which will grant you even more flexibility in how you choose to dispose of enemies. Items include your basic staple items like Healing Potions and Shuriken along with unlockable items such as, fireworks, camouflaging outfits that mimic the enemy, Demon Gloves, Wasps Nest, Spinner etc. etc. To sum it up in a sentence or less this game freaking rocks! Seperate modes include a tutorial, level select where you can swap characters for any mission, and Boss Battle Mode which lets you relive those battles from bosses you've defeated in the story mode portion of the game.

GRAPHICS 8/10
Since the game uses the same graphics engine from its predecessor you cannot consider it groundbreaking. However it is more than acceptable and the environments and animations are beautifully detailed right down to the smallest decoration. The backgrounds in the various levels feature realistic foliage, running streams, beautifully rendered interiors and even the sky is alive with moving clouds and storms at times. The characters and enemies also look amazingly fresh and alive in every aspect. There is some glitchiness here and there but if you are a long term Tenchu fan then the overall gameplay experience will wash any visual shortcomings away from your perception.

CAMERA 8/10
The Tenchu series has always allowed you much more camera freedom than most other games. By simply holding the ''L1'' button you can totally control the camera from a first person perspective. Also by using other buttons you can lock the camera onto your nearest enemy which helps you out in boss fights and really just makes life a little easier than in older generation Tenchu games. My only gripe with the camera is that this time they have not allowed you to toggle the inverted camera on/off. It is a little weird to get used to pulling down on the analog stick to look/aim upwards but as was mentioned earlier, after a few missions you'll adjust and think no more of it. Another problem often occurs when you are turning while moving or dragging a body around a corner the camera won't automatically adjust. However, a quick press of the "L1" button should rectify that. Overall I think the camera could have been designed a little better, at least as good as WOH's but again, after a short while the comfort zone will adjust to this issue.

FMV's, MUSIC and SFX 7/10
The cutscenes in ''Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'' are almost as as good as they were in WOH. Again, using the same engine restricts you to the same limitations but some of the preview scenes reminded me of a daytime soap opera. (e.g. Next of Tanchu: Fatal Shadows....."). Voice Acting was sub par in my opinion and also the narrator didn't really move me too much this time around. However, turn the Japanes dialog setting on and you'll be treated to a much more feudal japan feel with the one exception being that you probably won't understand very much of whats going on. The storyboard sequences in the background in between missions are really cool although after a few missions you'll be sick of seeing the same story boards over and over again. The Stealth Kill animations are once again unique and most impressive with an option to trigger and additional xray or flash sequence if you time it right. The battle sounds and guards struggling for their last breath is also very realistic and the background sounds are also again very believable. Last but not least the soundtrack is akin to that of WOH. Tenchu 1 still holds the record in this department but Fatal Shadows does pull it off well.

REPLAY VALUE 10/10
''Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'' has a tremendous amount of replay value as is customary with the Tenchu franchise. For starters there are three distinct enemy layouts per mission. Then you have unlockable bonuses that are unlocked after beating every stage on every difficulty with each character. Throw in the difficulty levels for each layout and you are looking at an unbelievable 324 mission variations. There is also the Boss Battle mode which allows you to revisit bosses you've already defeated in the game. Sadly there is no multiplayer this time around and yet again no Mission Editor. The story mode can be beaten in about 8-12 hours (Grandmastered of course) but GM'ing all of the layouts will take you much longer than that.

OVERALL 9/10
Overall this Tenchu game is a most worthy contender in the Tenchu tradition of great games. There are a few little flaws here and there in terms of A.I. and Camera controls but other than that it plays seemlessly and is a very enjoyable gameplay endevour. Anyone who has played Tenchu before must have this installment. Anyone who hasn't played Tenchu before must at the very least consider renting this game if nothing else. I think the game is worth every penny and totally recommend it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/05, Updated 02/23/05