Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Ninjas are so cool that I want to crap my pants...
Published: February 24, 2003
We may have missed out on Activision's full-on Tenchu event up in San Francisco a few weeks back, but that doesn't mean we missed out on Tenchu altogether. After a weekend filled with tasty ninja goodness, we're confident of two things: 1) We can kill people now, swiftly and silently with only the "thwip!" of razor sharp blade, and we can do it in dozens of different ways, and 2) Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is incredible. Any game that can reduce an ordinarily spazzy-yet-semi-normal guy to a creeping, jumping, pantomiming freak has at least SOMETHING going for it. Luckily, the PS2 version of Tenchu has a lot more than just one something, it's got a lot of everything needed to make a killer game.
We'll save the story and plot outlines for a later preview (or, more likely just the review since the game will be out in mere weeks), and just delve into the meat of the experience: the gameplay. The single biggest thing Tenchu has going for it right now is the simple fact that it's fun to play. Sure, the controls feel tight (though some of the collision detection is a little wonky at parts), and the graphics are great (more on that in a little bit), but the core of the game is just as fun as the first two games, an in many ways much more visceral and action-oriented.
Take those good controls (and a healthy stable of moves to choose from – most of them unlocked by playing well with the ones you have), spice it all up with an engine that seems quite up to the task of not only rendering all the in-game details with plenty of aplomb, but some rather detailed cutscenes as well, and throw in about every cool ninja cliché on the planet, and it's easy to understand why it's so fun to drop into those padded shoes and dispense a little pajama-wearin' justice like you pretended to do when you were eight years old.
At it's heart Wrath of Heaven is still very much the same game that the earlier Tenchu games were, meaning there's a heavy emphasis on stealth, and the whole game is centered around you maintaining it. At the end of each level, your score is tallied and the number of times you were spotted, had to duke it out with an enemy, or felt like slaughtering an innocent bystander will all count against you.
Of course, there is the ultimate trump card: the stealth kill, which helps level things out a bit. Duck out of sight, wait for an enemy to give up, and then descend upon them with pointy bits aimed squarely at their vital parts. The stealth kills can be as simple as simply slicing some poor sap's throat or as complicated as jumping onto their shoulders, plunging your sword down into their neck (yes, through their head) and then wrenching it out as you backflip off of your slain foe. They're gory, they're gruesome, and they're great. Should you find yourself hoping things don't get too repetitive, know that a) slashing someone about the cut, chest and then neck never really gets old and that b) there are enough different kills to keep things interesting time and time again.
The only real limitation we've had with the preview code is simply the fact that it's not completely open. Between sneaking around everywhere, helping paint the walls red and discovering a rather intricate plot (did we mention you can experience the game as three different characters, which helps paint a different picture of the story depending on who you've chosen), there's really no reason why we couldn't just sneak away and play this game for hours on end save for the fact that we can't yet play through the game. Luckily, the wait is short; just a mere eight days away. Check back tomorrow for updated gameplay impressions and a little more info.
We'll save the story and plot outlines for a later preview (or, more likely just the review since the game will be out in mere weeks), and just delve into the meat of the experience: the gameplay. The single biggest thing Tenchu has going for it right now is the simple fact that it's fun to play. Sure, the controls feel tight (though some of the collision detection is a little wonky at parts), and the graphics are great (more on that in a little bit), but the core of the game is just as fun as the first two games, an in many ways much more visceral and action-oriented.
Take those good controls (and a healthy stable of moves to choose from – most of them unlocked by playing well with the ones you have), spice it all up with an engine that seems quite up to the task of not only rendering all the in-game details with plenty of aplomb, but some rather detailed cutscenes as well, and throw in about every cool ninja cliché on the planet, and it's easy to understand why it's so fun to drop into those padded shoes and dispense a little pajama-wearin' justice like you pretended to do when you were eight years old.
At it's heart Wrath of Heaven is still very much the same game that the earlier Tenchu games were, meaning there's a heavy emphasis on stealth, and the whole game is centered around you maintaining it. At the end of each level, your score is tallied and the number of times you were spotted, had to duke it out with an enemy, or felt like slaughtering an innocent bystander will all count against you.
Of course, there is the ultimate trump card: the stealth kill, which helps level things out a bit. Duck out of sight, wait for an enemy to give up, and then descend upon them with pointy bits aimed squarely at their vital parts. The stealth kills can be as simple as simply slicing some poor sap's throat or as complicated as jumping onto their shoulders, plunging your sword down into their neck (yes, through their head) and then wrenching it out as you backflip off of your slain foe. They're gory, they're gruesome, and they're great. Should you find yourself hoping things don't get too repetitive, know that a) slashing someone about the cut, chest and then neck never really gets old and that b) there are enough different kills to keep things interesting time and time again.
The only real limitation we've had with the preview code is simply the fact that it's not completely open. Between sneaking around everywhere, helping paint the walls red and discovering a rather intricate plot (did we mention you can experience the game as three different characters, which helps paint a different picture of the story depending on who you've chosen), there's really no reason why we couldn't just sneak away and play this game for hours on end save for the fact that we can't yet play through the game. Luckily, the wait is short; just a mere eight days away. Check back tomorrow for updated gameplay impressions and a little more info.
