Imagine running along a rooftop at night, leaping from tile to tile as you avoid all detection, and finally unleash all your fury on an unsuspecting dog! Beautiful stuff indeed and hey all you cat lovers (or haters) will be happy too. If you are into the ninja ‘thang’ like I am, then you will love your stealth action and more to the point, this title. Going back a few years I remember grabbing control of the original Tenchu at a mate’s house one night and knew I was playing something special. I did not know what it was at first, but a few sleepless nights later I was hooked on Rikimaru and his quest of something or other. Saying this, the quest really wasn’t paramount at the time - it was all about the game play. Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven has drawn the best features of the first two games and upped the graphical ante to come up with a third outing of katana slashing goodness. Graphics Visually, it is the best out of three – it is both beautiful and atmospheric. But it balances good graphics without slowing down the frame-rate which is a plus. Quite often I find myself taking a time-out in a mission, and have a look-see around the area just to soak in the atmosphere that this title offers. Gameplay This is where it all happens – the gameplay element is the strongest of all its attributes. Running along rooftops is truly thrilling, especially when you know that guards are walking around the streets below. Sneaking behind a guard and performing any number of ‘stealth kill’ moves provides a just reward for your patience. In fact if you manage to successfully perform these ‘stealth kills’ and fulfill a given quota you unlock a special move, and enhance your range of skills. Mastering these new skills and adopting them into gameplay will give you a nice advantage and allow you to be that much more versatile when selecting your method of attack. There is definitely a strategic element in the game, when you must check the locations of all the guards and decide how and who to systematically rid the area of. This is not as simple as it sounds either as you must get rid of the enemy without another guard noticing, otherwise they will get suspicious and take a look around the area. If there is one thing that does bother me about the gameplay, it is the fact that the guards still don’t continue to pursue you or search everywhere once they have been alerted or have actually spotted you. If you disappear long enough, they just give up and go back to their post without giving you a second thought. I think that this is an attribute that the developers need to address if they want to create a more realistic enemy, and here’s hoping. This is however, one of the few downers of the game as I believe it has the goods to carry you through for the full extent of its stealth adventure. Overall This title is a worthy addition to your gaming library and one which you will be able to go back to again and again for pure stealth magic. There are many replay features in this game as well as a multi-player option which is really quite cool (especially dual stealth kills!). If you have never played a Tenchu title before, I suggest you go out there and find a copy of Tenchu 1 and 2 or PSone and give them ago too.
i have to start by saying wrath of heaven is a good game, it can be frustrating at times but deffinatly addictive. it can prove to be quite difficult at times especially near the begining of the game for first time pl... Read Full Review
I paid: $30 I would pay: $40 Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is pretty much exactly like Tenchu on the PSX. The graphics are better, there are more abilities and weapons, and a new character, but it's pretty much the same t... Read Full Review
