Tenchu: Stealth Assassinsis an action-adventure stealth game developed by Acquire and published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan in Japan and Activision in North America and Europe for the PlayStation in 1998. Tenchu uses stealth gameplay and is set in feudal Japan. It was one of the first ninja games to incorporate stealth, a crucial aspect of ninjutsu. In addition to featuring traditional martial arts in battles, the game incorporates elements of historical fantasy and Japanese mythology.
The game begins with the protagonists Rikimaru and Ayame training to reach an honourable rank. In the training missions the performance of the character determines their rank; ranging from Thug, Novice, Ninja, Master Ninja to Grand Master. Lord Gohda himself gives his feedback on Rikimaru's performance, while his daughter Princess Kiku speaks to Ayame instead. The playable characters Rikimaru and Ayame are only selectable as singular players and their storylines vary considerably, yet they experience the same levels and missions. Rikimaru, the oldest of the two, is the primary character in the game. Armed with a single ninjatō, he is stronger than Ayame but slower. Ayame carries a pair of kodachi and is faster and has more combos than Rikimaru, but is the weaker of the two.
The game features ten levels, all of which take place at night to compensate for the technical limitations of the PlayStation; the game's high rate of redraw is reduced by setting events at night and reducing the distance the player can see. Both characters are armed with a grappling hook which allows them to zip up to the tops of buildings and move freely across rooftops. Many bosses react differently to the two ninja based on their genders, highlighting the social attitudes at the time.
All missions, including the initial training mission, can be replayed an unlimited number of times, but Mission 2 and onwards cannot be accessed without the previous chapter being successfully completed. Three different layouts are used to distribute the enemies, obstacles and items spread on the levels' maps. On playing the training level, only several throwable deadly objects and a grappling hook are automatically selected as interactive objects. The weapon selection section contains throwing knives (kunai)/shuriken (depending on the game version), smoke bombs, caltrops, poison rice cakes, coloured rice, healing potions, grenades and mines. Advanced items on completing a mission with the rank Grand Master are known as: Super Shuriken/Kunai, Lightfoot Scroll, Fire Eater Scroll, Protections Amulet, Sleeping Gas, Ninja Armour, Shadow Decoy, Resurrection Leaf, Chameleon Spell, Dog Bone and Decoy Whistle. These are optional to use on missions but are limited to a number of objects overall. The Grappling Hook is permanently locked into the inventory and does not consume item space.
On failure, the character dies (sometimes being ridiculed by a boss) and the text "Mission Failed" appears on the screen in front of the grave of the character. All items are lost until found in future missions. If the character succeeds in their mission they are scored and ranked, while the player's time is recorded into the game's system. This score is compared to previous attempts and the scores of the partner to the current character if they have been played before. A cinematic scene happens at the end of each level revealing some of the character's personality to the player.
Mission 10 has a longer cutscene which leads to the ending of the game and credits. The player still has an option to complete the game as the alternative character as the attempts in playing each level are limitless. Some aspects can be unlocked by completing sections of the game, which can include alternative costumes for Rikimaru and Ayame. Cheats can also trigger unlockables.
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