Tenchu: Stealth Assassins dates back to 1998, and is set in feudal Japan. The reality of ninja has been butchered horrendously by popular culture in the last few decades, but Tenchu seemed to handle it with some integrity.
As either Rikimaru or Ayamé, you serve Lord Matsunoshin Gohda, his daughter Princess Kiku and his adviser, Naotada Sekiya. Gohda cares more about the lives of his people than conquering places and this seems to makes him a frequent target. Missions involve the likes of dispatching lecherous abusers who would only bribe their way free of punishment, delivering secret plans and removing an enemy clan's ninja from the roofs of the castle while alarming nearby cats.
It is true that you later go on to fight a mystical Lord named Mei-Oh who has a cactus-shaped sword (Shichishito), but I stand by the integrity statement.
You can select a variety of authentic and interesting items, being rewarded with more kinds when your missions are successful, and having them withdrawn when you fail. My favourites are undoubtedly the resurrection leaf, saving your ass when your health bar is emptied, tetsubishi/ makibishi (caltrops), the bone that summons beloved canine Semimaru, and the armour.
I personally prefer to reserve items until boss battles, especially when getting close can lead to being slashed repeatedly without pause. The health potion may come into use before then, and poison rice can be useful for distracting guards. If you're quick and dispatch them before they get to it, you can keep reusing the same ball.
I find that the coloured rice is almost completely useless. I don't think you ever need to mark your route.
International versions of the game seem to have the shaken/ hira-shuriken as the default throwing weapon, whereas the English version has the crimson blade/ bo-shuriken. I did once ask my Ninjutsu Sensei why this could be, and he thought it may have been because shuriken with more than three sharp points are apparently illegal whereas flat metal with a single point is not (rubber training shuriken with multiple points are fine though).
The bottom left of the screen features your health bar and Ki meter:
? = a human or animal is nearby and completely unaware of you. The size of the ? and the number indicate how close they are.
! = You've been spotted. They will gradually approach to get a better view of you. You still have the option of ducking out of the way.
!? = Suspicions have been aroused. You may have made a loud noise or maybe an enemy body has been discovered. Keep still until they forget about you.
!! = Innocents are alarmed by you and guards are trying to kill you. You can either fight, or have the option to hide until they forget.
The game has a training level and ten missions. While the playing time until completion isn't all that long if you rush straight through, I believe Tenchu has great replay value. You can wander around and take multiple routes through a level, seek out hidden items, earn specials and find opportunities through which to use them. You can challenge yourself to complete the whole game without getting spotted once (except for by the mandatory bosses, of course). There's an interesting extra in the form of being able to listen to the music tracks and the sound effects via the options menu at any time.
I never played as Rikimaru for long as I always found him to be quite slow and cumbersome. Ayamé is by far my favourite (in fact I've stolen her name for my daughter), and I found her in-game dialogue, although of course now dated and corny, more entertaining than that of Rikimaru's. Her two tantō seem much more fluid to use. Tenchu does have its control difficulties, mainly making the player feel as though they have to push down hard on the directional buttons to get a result. Turning during a battle can be tricky.
Noriyuki Asakura's accompanying compositions - the Hausa opening song perhaps the most famous - are timeless and fantastic. He remains my favourite composer.
The Japanese and international versions of the game are very different, with the former missing two of the missions. Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen was later released, featuring the missing missions. It also included a level creator (that included with Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins was my first real step towards creating games). Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen was a version comprising player-created missions.
I'm not quite sure what it is that keeps me so fond of Tenchu after all this time. I can play missions often without feeling boredom. It has a very strange charm to it, and I think you'd like to have it.
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