Tenchu Z 天誅 千乱 is the eighth game in the Tenchu series.
In a departure from the rest of the series, the plot of Tenchu Z does not involve demons or mythology. Instead, it is set in a fairly realistic depiction of Feudal Japan, albeit with exaggerated abilities for the ninja characters. The country of Gohda, where the Azuma clan of ninja reside under the service of Lord Gohda, is on the brink of war with the neighboring country of Ogawara. As a new recruit in the Azuma clan, the protagonist is sent to assassinate those who are assisting Ogawara, including army officials and spies who have infiltrated Gohda, as well as recover stolen items and rescue prisoners. In between thwarting Ogawara's plans, the protagonist also receives (mostly optional) missions in which he/she eliminates bandits and unscrupulous merchants.
There is no connection between Tenchu Z's plot and those in the previous games, nor are there any returning characters with the exceptions of Rikimaru and Lord Gohda. Chronologically, the events in Tenchu Z are the latest in the series.
Gameplay
Gameplay is relatively the same as the previous games in the series. The main difference is that, as mentioned above, players create their own character and unlock new skills, items and clothing for him or her as the game progresses. Only one fighting style is available: a ninjato that can either be set with slower but more damaging attacks (the same as Rikimaru's in previous games) or faster and weaker attacks with different animations. The unlockable skills however are more varied, with most of them making their first appearance in the series while others return from previous games with some tweaks. Certain skills can be upgraded twice, enhancing the protagonist's abilities beyond those of the characters from previous games.
Enemies can now hear the protagonist's footsteps if he or she runs too close to them, and they may hear the footsteps from a greater distance if the protagonist runs on noisy surfaces such as a puddle of water. They can also smell the protagonist if he/she falls into a cesspool (only found during some missions; after the protagonist emerges from the cesspool, a brown haze surrounds him/her, indicating that he/she can be detected by smell at a certain distance) or is covered with blood from an earlier fight. Unlike the previous games, lighting is also a factor here as the protagonist is less likely to be spotted while standing or crouching in a dark area.