Critics just don't understand this one. They didn't even play it. . .
Bad: Not for everyone; some frustrating enemy layouts; if the game slows down, it really slows down; no third character.
Known in the East as Tenchu Kurenai, Tenchu Fatal Shadows (I'll call it Kurenai because it's a much better name) is not a follow up from Tenchu San/Wrath of Heaven. Fans of the Tenchu series has been divided now for some time and are allways arguing about the series' current state and its future. Half of the fans want the series to scrap it's aged but still true formula while the others think its just fine and the developers should not change just because of its peers such as Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid. K2, Tenchu's new developer has opted to keep the series the way it is and continue to refine its engine (as seen with Tenchu Shinobi Taizen for the PSP and the upcoming Tenchu Senran for the Xbox 360). I personally am fine with that. Because if the developers were to make a Tenchu game that has too much emphasis on realism and story would make the series a sell out, dissing it's loyal fans for the sake of trying to fit in with MGS and Splinter Cell.
Everything that made Tenchu a success back in 1998 is still intact with Tenchu Kurenai. The feeling of suspense and excitement is still here; that feeling you get when you are trying to kill two guards in the same area without being seen; trying to hide your kill before an approaching guard sees it; placing a cleverly placed trap like poison rice on a path of a guard and to see that guard eat the trap; the thrill of performing a double stealth kill; all of those and more, are still present in this game. There have been some tweaks made to the formula; for example the eneymy guards are more vicious than ever. Some guards will continously follow pursuit of you if you get caught. If you land right in front of a ninja guard, they will kill you in one strike. The stages are much smaller in this game than in San's but that creates a playing field that is far more difficult to get a grip on. The enemies are closer to each other than ever before which creates an emphasis on when to strike your kill at the right time. The bosses in this game very easy, all you need are caltrops and the tides are all in your favor.
Tenchu Kuernai has only two playable characters. One is Ayame, the female ninja from the previous Tenchu games and the other is Rin, a new assasin created for Tenchu Kurenai. Rikimaru is not in this game as the storyline dictates that the setting takes place between the original game and Tenchu San. While both characters are very agile and are skilled at killing, Ayame and Rin are just as different as Ayame and Rikimaru. Ayame has the upper hand on confrontations with faster and harder hitting combos, she can also sense where enemies are located better than Rin and manuever much faster. Rin on the other hand, is better at the art of deception by having the ability to mimic nature by making her self invisible or being able to cry out animal sounds to fool enemies. It is unfortunate that there is no third part involved, I would have love to see Tesshu (who makes an appearance) have a few missions just for the sake of having more stages.
Asside from the lack of a third member, Tenchu Kurenai is no slouch on mission counts. The game has a total of 324 mission layouts spanning 3 difficulty levels. Finishing all 324 mission layouts will take months to complete. Some of these missions are also very hard so take your sweet time and patience.
The graphics look great. The game runs on a very smooth 60 frames per second but on some levels, you'll encounter slowdown which really slows the game down. Thankfully, these occasions are very rare and usually will stop if you look at the floor or something that will not put a constraint on the PS2 hardware. The stages are full of detail from fruit baskets on a prayer altar to the embroidery on a guard's clothing. The presentation is fantastic. Before you move on to a mission, you are treated to a film noir cinematic telling the story.
Make sure you turn the voices to Japanese as the English dubs are horrid. The sound effects are serviceable if a little bit low on the sampling rate. The music fits the game perfectly, some stages has music that reminds me of those 60s and 70s martial arts movies.
Tenchu Kurenai is a perfect example of a game that is for only its hardcore fans. You either understand this game and love it or you don't. It's an incredibly fun addition for the series and quite frankly, if the formula ain't broke, why fix it?