Tenchu 2 Hands-On: Third Ninja

It's been known for some time now that a third playable character exists in Tenchu 2, but not much is known about him. We're prepared to let a little info slip today, although not too much.

Early in the game, the grandmaster's three ninja followers gather around him at his home in the ninja village. The grandmaster tells them all that he will be stepping down and -- to everyone's surprise - that the mystery character will be heading the clan. After receiving the clan's sword, he and the other two followers disembark for Lord Gohda's castle, which is being razed by the followers of Gohda's treacherous uncle.

Later, in pursuit of Gohda's uncle out in the countryside, the character is seen battling an enigmatic female ninja. Rikimaru and Ayame watch in horror as the cliff the two combatants are fighting on breaks off and falls into the sea, apparently burying both beneath the waves.

Several stages later, Rikimaru and Ayame both come upon the mystery ninja during their respective adventures. He has no recollection of his former life but instead believes himself to be one of the four lords of the Burning Dawn order of ninja - a group that has come to plague Rikimaru and Ayame. The grandmaster, now back to leading the clan, points out that this cannot be just a simple case of amnesia and that magic must be involved.

Beyond that, we'll let this mystery character's mysteries be. He's not playable at the game's outset, and is seen only during cutscenes and video segments. When does he become available for play? How does his storyline pan out? Will his memory return? Will he survive? What's his name? We'll let you discover these answers for yourself once the game comes out later this summer. Come back tomorrow for details on Tenchu 2's level editor.