Tenchu: Return From Darkness First Look

Tenchu: Return From Darkness is the upcoming Xbox version of this year's PlayStation 2 installment of Activision's popular series of ninja games. The title is being worked on by K2, the developer of the PlayStation 2 game, and it's doing more than a straight port. While the original game, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, will serve as the basis for the single-player game, K2 is doing some tweaking to flesh out the overall experience--director's cut-style. We had the chance to get a look at a work-in-progress version of the game to see how it's shaping up.

As mentioned, the core content of the single-player game will be based on the PlayStation 2 game. The story will remain the same, although the narrative will be fleshed out by including new cutscenes. Additionally, two new playable maps will be included that will address criticism of the PS2 game's disjointed storytelling. The gameplay has been tweaked some by featuring two new ninja elements. They are blinding spell, an enhancement that boosts your strength at the cost of some health, and a slick camouflage move. The camo move is a maneuver that makes your ninja press up against a wall while holding up a "sheet" that matches the wall, thus rendering your ninja virtually invisible. The catch is that you can't move while hiding. Enemy AI is being retuned to address specific issues that players had with the first game, which featured foes with incredibly short-term memories.

The biggest improvement to the game, however, is undoubtedly the inclusion of Xbox Live multiplayer support. We've always said that ninjas were cool, but online ninjas certainly add a whole new level of appeal to our favorite brand of assassins. You'll find six levels to play online with a friend in one of two modes. You'll be able to choose from cooperative team-oriented missions that involve two players who are sent on stealthy death-bringing quests, or you can engage in death matches that cast players in the roles of the hunter and the hunted.

The game's graphics have undergone some refreshment to better take advantage of the Xbox's hardware, although there hasn't been a complete overhaul. The most striking improvements can be seen in the character models for the three main playable characters, Rikimaru, Ayane, and Tesshu. Whereas the PS2 game used models that were composed of 2,500 polygons for the game graphics and 4,000 poly models for the cinematics, the Xbox game's models are based on 4,000 poly models and look very good. Lighting has also been bumped up some and takes advantage of the Xbox's robust bag of eye-candy. The two new levels, a samurai mansion and a deserted pagoda, are shaping up to look noticeably better than the rest of the game, thanks to their having been optimized for the platform.

From what we've seen so far, Tenchu: Return From Darkness is shaping up to be a strong title for the Xbox. The single-player game is good, and the Xbox Live support should add a whole new dimension to the game that should be welcomed by fans and newcomers to the series. Tenchu: Return From Darkness is slated to ship early next year for the Xbox. Look for more on the game in the coming months.