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Tenchu 2: Birth Of The Stealth Assassins





STORY


The series takes place in feudal Japan. The original story revolves around two ninja: Rikimaru and '''Ayame'''. Rikimaru is a tall, silver-haired ninja with a single Ninjato named Izayoi and a scar over his right eye. He is stronger than Ayame but relatively slower. Ayame is a Kunoichi , or female ninja, wearing standard ninja clothes with her midriff exposed. She carries a pair of twin short swords. She is faster and has more Combos than Rikimaru, but is the weaker of the two. Both are members of the Azuma ninja clan since childhood.

The two ninja serve the heroic Lord Gohda, and work for him as his secret spies to root out corruption and gather intelligence in his province. However, the evil Demonic sorcerer Lord Meioh seeks to destroy Lord Gohda, and using his lackey Onikage, wreaks havoc throughout Lord Gohda's province. Although Meioh was killed in the first game, Onikage appeared in all subsequent games (except ''Fatal Shadows'') as the archenemy of the two ninja, especially Rikimaru. Another major character who shows up frequently is Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter who is often the Damsel In Distress .

However, the storyline has been continuously expanded with the release of the newer ''Tenchu'' series.

  • ''Tenchu: Stealth Assassins'' is the first game.

  • ''Tenchu 2: Birth of the Assassins'' is actually a Prequel of ''Stealth Assassins''.

  • ''Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven'' is a continuation of ''Stealth Assassins''.

  • ''Tenchu: Return from Darkness'' is the Xbox version of ''Wrath of Heaven''.

  • ''Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'' is a side-story of sorts, focusing on Ayame and a new character called Rin. Occurs between ''Stealth Assassins'' and ''Wrath of Heaven''.

  • ''Tenchu: Shinobi Taizen'' is the PlayStation Portable shinobi game.


Other than the playable characters above, a third ninja, who is also part of the story, will be made playable if you finish all of the missions (only in ''Tenchu 2'' and ''Tenchu 3''). ''Tenchu 2'' has Tatsumaru, a ninja who prefers unarmed combat though he is the original bearer of Izayoi. He is like an older brother to Rikimaru and Ayame, being much younger than their mentor but still a very powerful fighter. ''Tenchu 3'''s third character is Tesshu, a doctor by day and hired assassin by night. Like Tatsumaru, he uses unarmed combat, but his primary weapon is a set of needles used for throwing and stabbing.


CHARACTERS

Main Characters
  • Rikimaru - The current head of the Azuma clan of ninja, under the service of Lord Gohda. He wields the sword Izayoi, which is passed from generation to generation of leader of the Azuma clan. His master and predescessor as head of the clan was Shiunsai, who was killed by another member of the clan, Tatsumaru. Dedicated, honourable, and withdrawn, Rikimaru would sacrifice his own life without hesistation, something he does at the end of ''Stealth Assassins'' only to reappear in ''Wrath of Heaven''/''Return from Darkness''. However, he is not to be underestimated and shows no mercy to his opponants, something he is constantly reminded of each time he thinks about the scar left over his eye by Tatsumaru. His ability to retain his composure and sense of destiny allows him to undertake missions others would consider suicidal.

  • Ayame The only other surviving member of the Azuma clan, also under the service of Lord Gohda. She was the last student chosen by the previous leader of the clan, Shiunsai, who discovered that she was talented and adept at learning whatever she was taught (unlike Rikimaru) but never had the patience to master it. She is tough and kills with a cold-hearted efficiency and without hesitation. However, she has been known to show a softer side to Princess Kiku, the daughter of Lord Gohda, whom Ayame loves like a sister. Ayame's caustic tongue is as infamously sharp as her blades. She is bold and quick, yet silent and cunning.

  • Other Main Characters (specific only to one game)

  • Tatsumaru (''Birth of the Stealth Assassins'') A former member of the Azuma clan, whom Rikimaru looked up to and Ayame loved. He was the original wielder of Izayoi, and leader of the Azuma clan until he lost his memory and became an enemy of the Azuma. After killing most of the clan, including Master Shiunsai, he eventually killed himself after fighting Ayame during an attack on Gohda Castle.

  • Tesshu (''Wrath of Heaven''/''Return from Darkness'') - A doctor by day and an assassin by night. He is not a trained ninja and not under the employ of Lord Gohda, like Rikimaru and Ayame. Tesshu works as a mercenary for a underground vigilante organization known as Muzen that murders only if it serves justice.

  • Rin (''Fatal Shadows'') - A young Kunoichi whose hidden village was ravaged. When she comes across Ayame, who had come to the village in search of the missing Rikimaru, she initially believes Ayame is the murderer of her kin. Rin wields a sword called ''Natsume'', but prefers to fight in unarmed combat, like Tesshu and Tatsumaru. She seeks to avenge her slain kin.


Reoccuring and Supporting Characters
  • Lord Gohda - The lord whom the Azuma clan serves without fail.

  • Princess Kiku - Lord Gohda's daughter. Her mother, Lady Kei, was murdered when Kiku was a child. She is like a younger sister to Ayame.


Enemies
  • Onikage

  • Meioh

  • The Burning Dawn



NAME MEANINGS


Ayame (彩女) = "Colour woman"

Eigorou Tajima (田島 英五朗) = Rice Field Island, Serene English Five

Ganda (巌陀) = Rock ??

Izayoi (十六夜) = "16th Night"

Kagura (神楽) = Mind Ease

Kiku-hime (菊姫) = "Chrysanthemum-princess"

Dr. Kimaira (機舞羅) = Machine, Dance, silk

Matsunoshin Gouda (aka Lord Gohda) (郷田 松之信) = Village Rice Field, Pinetree of Faith

Meioh (冥王) = "Dark King"

Naotada Sekiya (関谷 直忠) = Gateway Valley Honesty Loyalty

Onikage (鬼陰) = "Ogre Shadow"

Rikimaru (力丸) = "power, circle"

Rin (凛) = "Cold"

Tatsumaru (龍丸) = "Dragon, circle"

Tenrai (天来) = heaven comes

Tesshu Fujioka (藤岡 鉄舟) = Wisteria Hill, Iron Boat

Ukyo Jinnai (陣内 右京) = Within Ranks, Right (direction) Capital


GAMEPLAY


The game is played in a third-person perspective. There are numerous items to help the ninja on his/her mission, but unlockable items can be acquired if the player gets a "Grand Master" rating at the end of the Level by being as stealthy as possible. Items and controls vary from game to game, but the gameplay is essentially the same throughout. Stealth is a very important element in the game, where players have to duck, crouch, and hide behind walls to avoid detection. Enemies can be killed with one hit by using Stealth Kills, and a player can avoid detection by looking at his/her Ki meter. The larger the number, the closer the player is to an enemy. If a player is spotted, the Ki meter will turn red, the enemy will alert everyone in the area, and the player is forced to fight hand-to-hand or hide somewhere until the enemies give up their search and resume their patrol routes.


GAMES


'''' ( 1998 )

'''' ( 2000 )
  • Platform: PlayStation

  • Developer: Acquire

  • Publisher: Activision


''Tenchu:Wrath of Heaven'' ( 2003 )

''Tenchu:Return From Darkness'' ( 2004 )
  • Platform: Xbox

  • Developer: Prosoft

  • Publisher: Activision


''Tenchu:Fatal Shadows'' ( 2005 )
  • Platform: PlayStation 2

  • Developer: K2

  • Publisher: Sega


''Tenchu:Shinobi Taizen'' ( 2005 )
  • Platform: PlayStation Portable

  • Developer: K2

  • Publisher: From Software

  • Other: Not yet released outside of Japan


''Tenchu:Dark Shadows'' ( 2006 ) {Link without Title}

Activision purchased the rights to this game from Sony , who originally published the game in Japan. However, Activision sold the rights to the Japanese game publisher From Software in 2004. From Software's rights agreement does not include games previously published by Activision. From Software licensed distribution of ''Fatal Shadows'' to Sega.

There was an additional Japan-exclusive release for ''Tenchu'' on the PlayStation. 100 of the best competing levels designed with the level editor of the Japanese version were put together to form a stand-alone, non-story based expansion set called ''''. The engine and game fundamentals remained unchanged. ''Shinobi Hyakusen'' is still famous for the hardest level settings among ''Tenchu'' fans, especially because of the tight time limits and the overall lack of the items, excluding the caltrops and the throwing stars. No North American or European versions were released. ''Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen'' is not to be confused with ''Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen'', which is the Japanese name for ''Tenchu: Stealth Assassins''.


EXTERNAL LINKS


Official