PlayStation
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
8.68 8.68 8.68 8.68 |
| Votes: | 59 |
| Reviews: | 1 |
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| Reviewer: Trashburd | Date: May 22, 2022 |
| Tenchu was a wonderful start to a long-running series, and one of the first ever stealth-focused games that comes to mind. It remains fun to this day, but it's not without some flaws.
Graphics: 8 For the time Tenchu was released, the graphics were on par with any other high quality games of the time. Models are obviously low-poly and lacking detail by modern standards, but everything was plenty clear. The game's draw distance is fairly short, however, leading to a thick fog beyond 30-40 feet away from you. Thankfully it doesn't particularly hinder gameplay. Sound: 9 The sound effects in Tenchu aren't anything special, but they get the job done. The music is excellent, in my opinion, having a different, memorable tune for every mission. The voice acting on the other hand... it's downright awful. Not particularly to the game's detriment, as it comes off being funnier than anything (especially Ayame, the female lead). All in all, good sound, bad voices. Gameplay: 7 Gameplay is where Tenchu shines, for the most part. You sneak around large-scale maps, picking off enemies with insta-kill stealth attacks. You can use various items such as a grappling hook, throwing stars, health potions, decoys, disguises, etc to help you along, some of which are found on the map and others brought with you from the start of a mission, and replenished somewhat upon completion, depending on your score. When detected by an enemy, you can face them in head-on combat, which is difficult, or flee and re-approach with stealth after the enemy has lost your position. The formula works surprisingly well! It's not without its flaws, however. Due to limited system resources at the time, enemies in pursuit of you have a habit of despawning, only to reappear out of thin air and detect you all over again. Sometimes enemies can detect you through walls, through rooftops as you wait overhead, etc. The margin of error required to get the highest rank in a mission is still generally pretty loose (I got the second highest rank at worst, replaying the game for the first time in over a decade), but the sudden, inexplicable breaking of stealth is absolutely frustrating, and something that I'm glad the newer entries in the series don't have a problem with. Overall: 8 All in all, for the first in a series that spanned half a dozen mainline games and a couple drastically different spinoffs, Tenchu is still a solid entry. I feel the series got better with its sequel and better still in the PS2 era, but the original here can be beaten in just a couple of hours, and there's certainly fun to be had. Whether you're interested in a nostalgic revisit to the game for the first time in a decade, or a fan of stealth games in general, or even if you just want a laugh at the atrociously flat voice acting, you can't go wrong checking this one out. Tenchu is a solid 8/10, and a great game in the often overlooked action/stealth genre. If you enjoy it (or want to play something that's a little better put together instead) consider checking out Tenchu 2 on PS1, or Wrath of Heaven on PS2. |
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