 Review By: David Pulgar |
Developer: | K2 |
| Publisher: | Microsoft | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1-4 | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (online play), System Link |
I think we can all agree that ninjas make fascinating game subjects. Their mysterious origins, their supernatural powers, it’s like these feudal Japanese warriors knew game upon game would be dedicated to their memory. But despite the great story ninja’s provide, not all tributes live up to their legacy. Tenchu Z falls somewhere between the spectacular and the horrid; while I enjoyed the game thoroughly, issues with its gameplay ultimately made me rewrite my (never published) original review.
While playing Tenchu Z for the first time, I was fixated. Five missions into the game I was already making sure I finished each mission at the highest ninja rank and killed as many soldiers as I could. Based on the total number of points for a mission, players receive a ranking from Ninja 1 to Ninja 5. Ninja 1 means you trip on your own tabi. Ninja 5 means you’re Chuck Norris. Ninja 5’s are obviously more coveted and reward players with more gold (because your point level is higher) and special Xbox Live achievements. Unfortunately, it’s not hard to receive a Ninja 5. Even on the toughest difficulty level, achieving Ninja 5 only requires stealth killing ten or twelve enemies. I was detected seven times in one mission but, since I stealth killed all the enemies (about 15), I still finished with high marks and a good amount of gold. I don’t know what came over me at this point. I’m not one to care about achievements or a gamer score, but this time I did. I wanted to snap those 50 necks and stealth kill those 100 soldiers. I wanted to prove myself to Tenchu Z’s ninja sensei, Rikimaru, the main character from previous Tenchu titles.
This fascination with Ninja rankings and achievements wore off quickly, but it didn’t make sneaking around Japanese villages any less entertaining. New and old players alike will enjoy Tenchu Z’s updated look and new gameplay elements like custom character creation and online co-op over Xbox Live. In Tenchu Z, gamers have complete control over how their character develops. The game starts with a character customization screen where gamers can change the look of their shinobi warrior. Once finished, ninja training begins. Here, players will become familiar with Tenchu Z’s control scheme and stealth kill system.
Stealth kills happen when you get close enough to enemies without alerting them. Then, a circle of kanji appears, and it’s possible to kill opponents with a single hit while this circle is present. Players have many options when it comes to exterminating their enemies. Approaching opponents with a sword drawn leads to an automatic kill. A sheathed sword restrains your opponent. From there, gamers can choose from several options: knock your opponent out, run them through with your katana, or snap their neck. Knocking out an opponent is helpful when dealing with innocents. Killing an innocent incurs a penalty and can cost gamers valuable points. Neck snaps can be performed from a standing position or from the ground. The difference may not seem important, but pushing an enemy onto the floor before a kill can help avoid detection by passing guards.
Training can be selected at any time from the main menu and is great for testing out new skills or abilities a character has learned. Throughout the game, characters can choose from different ability upgrades available at ninja village. These upgrades are purchased using gold won from completing successful missions and include: Combination Styles, Secret Arts and Skills. Combination styles can be set in any of four available slots. Each level is activated with a different button combination, X DOWN X for level one, X X DOWN X for level two, etc. Any combination attack can be mapped to any level and the strength of the attack increases with the level. Secret Arts are techniques mapped to more simple button combinations and can range from allowing players to mimic enemy voices to lure them into death or disappear in a puff of smoke before a strike hits. It’s these skills I had the most fun with. Secret Arts add a lot of strategy to Tenchu Z. They give players different options to overcome difficult situations. Finally, Skills augment your options with more abilities. Some are always on, like Venom, a poison defender, and others require holding down a button, like Sense, which tells players how much life all enemies in view have. I should probably mention that some Secret Arts and Skills have physical requirements. Health, strength and agility are three attributes that determine your character’s overall performance. A certain number of allotted points ensure players can’t have each skill at 100 and therefore limits the types of abilities they can select. In addition to skills, players are allowed a limited number of items for each mission.
It all sounds cool, but this variety of game mechanics is what makes Tenchu Z irritating. The game’s control scheme is less than perfect. Combination style moves are difficult to separate from each other, since their button executions are so similar. And sometimes the controls just don’t respond. Mission variety is lackluster too. Three of Tenchu Z’s first twenty missions are non-assassination missions. I might forgive that if the developers didn’t cycle through the same five maps for each mission. Story is lackluster too. Tenchu Z’s entire plotline is based on cut sequences played before and after missions. As you piece things together players get a rather drab story that takes forever to get interesting (and interesting is a relative term). My sole motivation for finishing missions wasn’t to put another piece of the story together. It was to 1) get more gold to buy clothes and abilities, 2) see if I had achieved Ninja 5 and 3) increase my kill count to earn Gamer Points.
Multiplayer games of Tenchu Z are fun, but also very limiting. Primarily, multiplayer offers no new missions. Every selectable adventure is exactly like single player, but with randomized spawn points. And the same few maps kept repeating and repeating. Playing with friends somehow balances out because you’re having such a great time cutting people to ribbons though, as you forget about the game’s inadequacies.
Bottom Line:
All reservations aside, Tenchu Z is a fun game. No matter how simplistic it is, killing enemies in ninja pants never gets dull. That doesn’t mean Tenchu Z is perfect. From Software could have done a much better job implementing control schemes and adding some variety to the game. Visually, Tenchu Z is a treat and die-hard fans won’t be disappointed. However, if you’re just a passer buy, rent Tenchu Z first before spending the $60. It’s not for everyone.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 6.5 |
Posted: 2007-08-21 16:13:41 PST