Tenchu sneaking onto Japanese PSPs

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, From Software's Tenchu series will arrive for the PlayStation Portable this summer. Titled Tenchu: Shinobi Taizen, the game will be released on July 28 in Japan at the price of 5,040 yen ($47).

Tenchu: Shinobi Taizen takes place shortly after Tenchu 3, and it follows the exploits of the series' hero and heroine, Rikimaru and Ayame. The two ninjas have brought peace to the land, but a new enemy is about to strike. Players will sneak, slice, and slash their ways through rivers, rooftops, and streets as they assassinate the bad guys while avoiding well-lighted areas.

The biggest feature of Shinobi Taizen seems to be the addition of a map construction mode, which was also a feature available in the 1999 PlayStation release Tenchu Shinobi-Gaisen. Players will be able to make their own missions, create buildings, and place enemies. Saved creations can then be passed around via a Memory Stick Duo.

Shinobi Taizen will feature different missions for Rikimaru and Ayame in its scenario mode. The game will also let players challenge each other head-to-head through PSP's Wi-Fi or USB connections, though details on this new multiplayer mode have not yet been disclosed. Screenshots of Shinobi Taizen suggest that players will be able to unlock additional characters, aside from Rikimaru and Ayame.

According to the Famitsu article, development of Tenchu: Shinobi Taizen is currently 80 percent complete.