Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins

"Despite the Naysayers, This Game is Beyond Awesome"

I've always loved ninja, (Yes, plural ninja is ninja. Japanese does not add "s" to indicate plural) and the first time I played Tenchu was when I was about 10 and I played Wrath of Heaven. My brother had it for some reason or another, and I fell for it like you would not believe. Ever since, Rikimaru has been my all-time favorite video game character, second only to Garrett from Thief and Magus from Chrono Trigger. But enough reminiscing. About the second game..

Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins

Sound: 3/10
Oy. I will not lie to you. I loathe this game's sound. The original Tenchu had (for the most part) Japanese actors speaking in English, which gave the characters a heavy Japanese accent, something I found pretty cool. Also, Rikimaru sounded like a complete badass. In Tenchu 2, there are several flaws stemming from sound. A) There is NO in-game music. Very, very weak. Every other Tenchu game (to my knowledge) has in-game music, and this Tenchu does not. B) The voice acting has taken a considerable hit. Originally, the voices were quite talented, and drew you into a world of sneaking and backstabbing. In Tenchu 2, the voice acting is a little... wooden. And C) The cicadas. Oh, dear GOD, the cicadas. So very very annoying. The screeching "chirping" noise will drive you insane for all the day-time (Why is a ninja out to play in the day time?) missions. To be honest, Sound is the only reason that I did not give Tenchu 2 a 10.

Now that I've discussed what I don't like, on to why this game is still incredibly awesome.

Graphics 10/10
Dated? Yes. Much improved over the original? Oh, yes. I'm not usually one to say that graphics make or break a game (I play very old games today, and will continue to until the day I die), but Tenchu 1 was still a mite gritty. Tenchu 2 improves on this drastically. Younger Rikimaru (As this game is a prequel) looks quite well-fleshed out, and the environs, enemies, and stealth-kills are quite pleasing.

Control 9/10
Meh. Not too hard. You don't have to grapple with the controls too much. The only thing I would gripe about would be the camera. When blocking, a player holds "Back" on the D-Pad. At some point, this is going to put your back against a wall, and the camera can get a little wonky at this point. Other than that, sneaking around, using the grappling hook, and slicing your opponent a new trachea are quite natural.

Story 8/10
Betrayal. Anger. Revenge. Nothing we haven't heard before, but it still makes for an intriguing game. It's not like anybody played the Tenchu games specifically for the story. They're for the ninja-lovers, like myself.

Gameplay 10/10
Ahh. Tenchu. Greatness. With the addition of an unlockable character for the first time in the Tenchu series, this game gives players something to strive for. The first two available characters, Rikimaru ("Strength" or "Force") and Ayame ("Colorful Girl") are quite fun to play as, although their dialogue (As I said) can come off as a bit lame. There are four new stealth kills for Ayame and Rikimaru, for a total of seven, and all seven are quite entertaining and rewarding to watch. The new guy, Tatsumaru, is also an interesting retake on the game's form, as he plays in a considerably different way. There are about 27 levels, and each character has their own set up, and all the levels intertwine into one single plot line. Very well done coordination between character stories in this game. Other than that, most people know the score. Sneaking in the night (Or at some bizarre points, the day) and bolting past a guard, or sometimes sneaking up behind him, breaking his elbow, shoulder, and back, and then flipping him over your head and snapping his neck. Ouch. The boss fights are pretty well done, except for when you get blocked against a wall. Then you may have some trouble... There are items aplenty in Tenchu 2, many of which make appearances from the first Tenchu, but several (9, I believe) are completely new ones, such as the blowgun, a personal favorite of mine.

Overall 9/10
I absolutely love this game, and I always will. The only reason I didn't rate it as perfect was because of the sound. Just turn up some AFI, and vent some rage on those samurai, ninja-style.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/11/07

Game Release: Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins (US, 08/07/00)