Tenchu: Return from Darkness Preview

There are times when what dwells in the dark, or lurks in the shadows can be a force for good.

A guard stands in an open courtyard, turning every so often to peer into the gloom of night. His back turns and a shadow detaches itself from a wall, moving quickly. A short blade appears in one hand of the shadow, snakes around the neck of the guard and quickly draws back.

A mist of blood showers the pavement and the lifeless body of the guard falls to the ground. The ninja, revealed, slinks back into the shadows and continues the search.

Activision, and K2 have teamed up for Tenchu: Return From Darkness, a stealth ninja action title for the Xbox releasing in March.

GameZone.com was invited alone into the shadows to take on the role of a ninja, and gladly took up a katana to end the world of living shadows.

The game has several modes of play: a tutorial (which basically outlines the control elements without offering much in terms of practical experience), the story mode,  Xbox Live and multiplayer action as well.

There are two characters to play as – Rikimaru and Ayame. The nice thing about this title is that the opening missions for each character are, while somewhat playing off the same theme, are different. And each mission has different map layouts for replayability.

For Rikimaru, you are on a path to punish a merchant who is using village girls for his vile purposes, coercing the villagers to basically sell the young girls into slavery. The setting is a village, and you will have to wend your way through the buildings, and find a path that is not always accessible by merely opening doors. You may have to crawl through tunnels, for instance, or find aerial egress to the right areas. For Ayame, the adventure revolves around the same theme – rescuing young girls – but the setting is a forbidden temple area in the  Bamboo Forest.

Both characters need to rely on stealth to achieve their end goals. Blinding running through the map is a certain way to end up impaled on the end of the spear of the guards. And guards, and bosses, are not the only obstacles. There are animals as well, trained or wild, that will try to impede your progress.

The graphical quality of this title is quite good. There are some issues with the free-look camera, but for the most part, players will be able to peer around corners and locate targets. The animation is also well done. Control elements are fairly straightforward although the preview version seems to have some problems with targeting for ranged attacks.

The audio track has both good and bad moments. This is a game that is decidedly eastern in mood and setting, but the voice-overs are western. At times it sounds like a westernized martial arts movie. Remember those Hong Kong-produced Bruce Lee movies that were re-dubbed in English. If so, you get the idea.

Tenchu: Return from Darkness is primed for a solid experience as a stealthy yet lethal ninja title. With diverse missions, a nice set of game options and wonderfully rendered animation, Tenchu will be a title worth looking for upon its release.