5-May-2004 We're crazy for stealth action right now on CVG. Still hooked on Pandora Tomorrow, we're also reliving classic Metal Gear moments in Twin Snakes for GameCube. The timing of Tenchu's debut on Xbox couldn't have been better.
Return From Darkness is a remake of last year's Wrath Of Heaven for PS2, the beautiful but frustratingly flawed game that some of us loved while others cursed. By adding online play and tightening up the AI and other gameplay issues, Activision hopes that Tenchu's lead characters Rikimaru and Ayame can at last put the old choke hold on Sam Fisher and Solid Snake.
Nice Ninja Gadgets After a heart-swelling intro, you're torn between playing as war-weary Rikimaru, and Ayame the girl ninja who looks deadlier than a scorpion. Rikimaru requires measured skill to succeed, and is ultimately more rewarding. Ayame is better at fighting her way out of trouble, meaning that stealth isn't always necessary. Both guys are equipped with ancient ninja accessories, which include shuriken, smoke bombs and blow darts. All of which are in limited supply, adding a layer of strategy - but not much.
In favour of the game, most gadgets are not only necessary but also best applied in some areas than others - a smoke bomb causes alarm indoors, but provides perfect cover for sneaking around the outskirts of a lake.
Inperfect Return Unfortunately, this ninja dream too often becomes a nightmare of infuriating control issues, camera problems and soul-destroying restart points. Your biggest enemy is the camera, which makes it hard to peer around corners and monitor adversaries - the crux of any stealth game, basically, and it sucks. There's more. When it comes to blows, your commands are somehow slower than your enemy's, and there doesn't seem to be a logical way to attack - except that blocking seems to trigger a moment of defenceless AI. Line up a stealth kill and you're quite often able to just go running up and perform it. All of this should have been sorted out for the Xbox version but it hasn't. Shame.
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