Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins

Gameplay

The game consists of controlling a character in a 3D environment through a third-person viewpoint. The player can use a variety of ninja tools and equipment and stealth to dispatch enemies and complete the game's missions. Missions are set in different locales at varying times of day, ranging from rural farmland, bamboo forests, mountainous regions, beaches, ships, villages and caverns. After the player completes a mission, they are given a rank depending on their accomplishments during that mission such as number of enemies killed, number of times spotted etc. High ranks are then used to unlock special gadgets that can be used in-game.

One of the game's most acclaimed features was the Mission Editor. This gave the player the opportunity to create their own missions, including level layout, deciding which characters to place in it and mission objectives to complete. It spawned a tournament in North America to find the best created mission. Due to this acclaim, the Mission Editor was later brought back and revamped for the PSP installment, Tenchu: Time of the Assassins.

Plot

The Azuma Ninja have served the House of Gohda for countless generations. Now three young ninja, Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru, must protect Lord Gohda Matsunoshin against a coup d'état attempt and a mysterious ninja group calling themselves the Burning Dawn consisting of their leader, Lady Kagami, Suzaku "The Red Sparrow", Genbu "The Green Turtle", Seiryu "The Blue Dragon", and Byakko "The White Tiger", the four Lords of the Burning Dawn. To make matters worse, the recently made leader of the Azuma Ninja Tatsumaru, goes missing during a battle with Lady Kagami. It is later revealed that Tatsumaru has lost his memory and as a result of this, has now took on the mantle of Seiryu "The Blue Dragon" and allied himself with the Burning Dawn.

The following Plot is taken from the player playing as Rikimaru

The three new Azuma Ninja's first mission has them called to Gohda castle which is under attack by Lord Gohda's uncle, Motohide and his army of samurai. After a bloody battle, which includes the death of Lady Kei, Lord Gohda's wife, and the kidnapping of Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter. Rikimaru stops Motohide from killing Lord Gohda, but refuses to strike down his unarmed opponent and in the process is wounded when he pulls a flintlock pistol on Rikimaru. Motohide then escapes from the castle. It turns out that Motohide has allied himself and his forces with a rival feudal lord, Lord Toda. After following Motohide's trail back to Lord Toda's Camp, Rikimaru is confronted by Suzaku who reveals to him that "a new age" is upon all ninja throughout the land. After battling Suzaku and winning, Rikimaru arrives in the central camp to find the body of Motohide and the decapitated body of Lord Toda. He runs to a nearby cliffside to witness along with Ayame, Tatsumaru engaged in combat with Kagami. The cliff edge begins to crumble and both are dropped into the raging sea below, presumed dead.

The following day, Lady Kagami is washed up upon the shoreline and regains consciousness, and discovers that Tatsumaru has also survived the fall. She wakes him up to discover he has lost all memory of his former life as an Azuma Ninja. She takes the opportunity and begins to brainwash him into thinking his name is Seiryu "The Blue Dragon" and he is one of the four lords of the Burning Dawn, erasing all knowledge of his previous life.

With Tatsumaru presumed dead by the Azuma Ninja, Rikimaru and Ayame continue their efforts to stop the illegal activities and operations of various criminal organisations such as bandits and thieves, who are linked in different ways to the Burning Dawn. Rikimaru discovers during the "Demon Mountain" mission that the ninja there are capturing civilians in order for them to be used as slave labour in building a giant warship called the "Fire Demon", which will be used to conquer the land by the Burning Dawn. Upon rescuing more civilians from a harboured Chinese slave junk and defeating the captain, Tatsumaru confronts Rikimaru and reveals himself as Seiryu, with Rikimaru confused and shocked at his former comrade's claims. He tries to refresh Tatsumaru's memory but is quickly silenced, claiming Rikimaru is "a mad man" and he does not know him and never has.

Rikimaru then receives a lead from a source that the Burning Dawn are using a temple near a lake as a base of operations. He is again confronted by Suzaku "The Red Sparrow". Stood aside by his lover, a female ninja known as the princess of the fireflies attacks Rikimaru but is swiftly beaten. As she crawls towards Suzaku asking for his help, he stabs her in the side of her neck with his sword. He then engages in a swordfight with Rikimaru and is again, defeated. Exiting the temple, an Azuma Ninja carrier pigeon brings word that the Azuma Ninja village is under attack by the Burning Dawn.

Rikimaru returns home to find the Azuma Village under siege by the Burning Dawn and sets about the area, slaying the invading ninja. After killing all the invaders, he reaches Master Shiunsai's house to find him dead, with Tatsumaru standing over his corpse, sword drawn. After defeating Tatsumaru in combat, Rikimaru hesitates to kill Tatsumaru and as he lowers his weapon, Tatsumaru draws his sword and slashes upwards across his eye and giving him his signature scar (as seen in the first Tenchu game) Tatsumaru then escapes with Lady Kagami, with her stating that the age of the ninja has come and that Rikimaru should join them, which he blatantly refuses. Ayame returns to the village to find Rikimaru cradling his master's body, with Ayame stating that she will kill Tatsumaru when the time comes.

The two ninja set out along with their ninja dog, Semimaru to find where Tatsumaru has gone. The trail leads into a giant bamboo forest. Nearly out of the forest, they are stopped in their tracks by Byakko "The White Tiger", one of the four lords of the Burning Dawn along with his pet albino tiger, Chiro who attack both Rikimaru and Ayame. They are both defeated and continue following the trail which leads into a giant underground cavern network. The Azuma ninja discover the cavern is the secret base used for the construction of the "Fire Demon" and promptly board the vessel as it begins to set sail.

As the warship begins attacking Lord Ghoda's castle, Rikimaru and Ayame split up to find a way of stopping the ship. Rikimaru first encounters Suzaku, killing him this time around and then confronts Lady Kagami on the bridge, stating her disappointment in Rikimaru and the others for not joining their new rebellion. Lady Kagami, Suzaku, Tatsumaru and The Burning Dawn's flagship 'Fire Demon' are swiftly defeated by the combined efforts of Rikimaru and Ayame, as well as naval elements of the Gohda army.

It is revealed in a post credits cut scene that Suzaku has been somehow resurrected from his death at the hands of Rikimaru and gives himself a new title, Onikage.

Reception

Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.