Tenchu: Fatal Shadows

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Tenchu: Fatal Shadows
Tenchu Fatal Shadows.jpg
Developer(s) K2 LLC
FromSoftware (PSP)
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Mitsuo Kodama
Producer(s) Masanori Takeuchi
Naotoshi Zin
Writer(s) Tomoyuki Hosokawa
Composer(s) Koichi Suenaga
Series Tenchu
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • JP: July 22, 2004
  • NA: February 17, 2005 [1]
  • EU: May 6, 2005
PlayStation Portable
  • JP: January 28, 2010 [2]
Genre(s) Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s) Single-player

Tenchu: Fatal Shadows [lower-alpha 1] is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by K2 LLC and published by FromSoftware in Japan and Sega in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The PlayStation Portable version of the game, Tenchu Kurenai Portable, [lower-alpha 2] was released in Japan in 2010.

Contents

Gameplay

Much like Wrath of Heaven, the previous entry in the series, Fatal Shadows uses the same engine. The ability to drag the victims' dead bodies after a kill returns, a mechanic only previously seen in Tenchu 2 Birth of the Stealth Assassins and Tenchu Return From Darkness, the Xbox port of Wrath of Heaven. Instead of increasing Kanji points after a stealth kill, scrolls are gathered, and the number of required scrolls increases as the player progresses through the story. Double stealth kills are possible when two enemies are together, and each stealth kill has a name listed below as the animation plays out.

Plot

In a time of feudal wars, Rikimaru and Ayame, two ninjas of the Azuma Ninja Clan, served Lord Gohda by returning his precious daughter, Princess Kiku, from the hands of Lord Mei-Oh. Unfortunately, Rikimaru was caught in a disastrous rockfall during his escape in an attempt to save Ayame and Princess Kiku and is still missing at this point in the story. After losing her clan member, Rikimaru, peace was maintained in Lord Gohda's lands. Several months after Rikimaru's disappearance, Ayame is tasked with patrolling Gohda's territory. One day in her travels, Ayame came across a decimated ninja village. She hoped to find survivors but arrived too late. An old shinobi she finds dies in her arms, whispering "Kuroya" with their final breaths. As she was about to leave, a young female ninja arrived and stood in her way. Her name was Rin, and she was devastated to see the village in ruins. Rin and Ayame briefly engage in combat, with Ayame emerging victorious. Ayame spares her and disappears. Since then, their fates become inextricably intertwined as the story progresses.

Characters

Rin

Rin is a playable character, and she replaces Rikimaru as the story's protagonist. The last of the Hagakure, her village was burned, and the Kuroya killed her family. She is voiced by Satsuki Yukino in Japanese and Allison Scagliotti in English.

Rin is a young girl trained in assassination and unarmed combat since childhood. She was born and raised in a small ninja village on the border of "Hagakure." After her village was destroyed, Rin sought to avenge the deaths of her loved ones, working as a hired assassin for "Lady Razor" Ogin. Upon encountering Ayame, the two briefly battle, although Rin soon realizes that the other kunoichi is not responsible for the destruction of her village. The pair then ally so that they may better achieve their agendas. Rin wields a sword called Natsume but prefers to fight in unarmed combat, much like Tesshu Fujioka and Tatsumaru. She seeks to avenge her slain kin.

Ayame

The second playable character and a longtime member of the Azuma Ninja Clan dedicated to Lord Gohda Matsunoshin and his family. She is particularly close to Lord Gohda's daughter, Princess Kiku.

Kuroya

The main antagonists are called the Kuroya, a group of rogue ninja led by Jyuzou:

Tenchu Kurenai Portable

The PlayStation Portable version of the game, Tenchu Kurenai Portable, was released in Japan in 2010. The game has been optimized for the PSP's screen size, and featured tweaked graphics and a new character costumes. [3]

Reception

Tenchu: Fatal Shadows received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Tenchu Kurenai (天誅 紅, Tenchū Kurenai, lit. "Divine Retribution: Crimson")
  2. ↑ Tenchu Kurenai Portable (忍者活劇 天誅 紅 Portable, Ninja Katsugeki Tenchū Kurenai Portable, lit. "Ninja Theatrical Drama: Divine Retribution Crimson Portable")

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References

  1. ↑ "Sega of America". 2005-03-11. Archived from the original on 2005-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ Spencer (May 25, 2009). "FromSoftware Promises Enhancements For PSP Ports". Siliconera.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  3. ↑ Tenchu Portable Dated for Japan Archived 2016-08-24 at the Wayback Machine , Kotaku, Oct 26, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (February 14, 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". 1UP.com . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ Edge staff (October 2004). "Tenchu: Kurenai (Tenchu: Fatal Shadows; Japan import)". Edge . No. 141. p. 108.
  7. ↑ "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 189. March 2005. p. 124.
  8. ↑ Walker, John (August 11, 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows Review". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  9. ↑ "天誅紅 (Tenchu: Kurenai [Tenchu: Fatal Shadows])". Famitsu . Vol. 815. July 30, 2004.
  10. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (March 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". Game Informer . No. 143. p. 132. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  11. ↑ Star Dingo (February 15, 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows Review for PlayStation 2 on GamePro.com". GamePro . Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ Gee, Brian (February 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows - ps2 Review". Game Revolution . Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  13. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (February 15, 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  14. ↑ Leeper, Justin (February 15, 2005). "GameSpy: Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". GameSpy . Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  15. ↑ Knutson, Michael (February 17, 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  16. ↑ Sulic, Ivan (February 10, 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". IGN . Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  17. ↑ Chou, Che (March 2005). "Tenchu: Fatal Shadows". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . p. 101. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  18. ↑ Gardner, Omari (March 6, 2005). "'Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'". Detroit Free Press . Archived from the original on July 30, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ Hill, Jason (May 26, 2005). "Unsettling thriller". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
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