Tenchu Z FAQ
by Havoc DOW
Tenchu Z (also known as Tenchu Senran) developed by From Software for Xbox 360
Introduction
Tenchu (天誅) is the title of a popular stealth series wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja. The title is a Japanese term whose literal English translation is heaven's punishment, with 天 (ten) meaning heaven and 誅 (chu) meaning death penalty (it is notable that a rough translation of this phrase, "Wrath of Heaven" is the title of the first PlayStation 2 entry in the series). It is known for its sword-fighting, stealth gameplay, and the eerie settings of Feudal Japan. It is one of the first ninja games to incorporate stealth, a very crucial aspect of Ninjutsu that is often ignored in popular media. However, aside from featuring traditional martial arts battles, the game incorporates elements of fantasy and Japanese mythology. So far, the series has had three (one being a standalone expansion) games for the PlayStation, one game for the Nintendo DS, two games for the PlayStation 2, one game for the Xbox, one game for the Xbox 360, and one game for the PlayStation Portable.
Story
The series takes place in feudal Japan. The original story revolves around two ninja: Rikimaru (力丸) and Ayame (彩女). Both have been members of the Azuma ninja clan since childhood. The two ninja serve the heroic Lord Gohda, and work for him as his secret spies to root out corruption and gather intelligence in his province. However, the evil demonic sorcerer Lord Mei-Oh seeks to destroy Lord Gohda, and using his lackey Onikage, wreaks havoc throughout Lord Gohda's province. Although Meioh was killed in the first game, Onikage appeared in all subsequent games (except Fatal Shadows) as the archenemy of the two ninja, especially Rikimaru. Another major character who shows up frequently is Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter who is often the damsel in distress.
The storyline has been continuously expanded with the release of newer Tenchu games.
• Tenchu: Stealth Assassins is the first game.
• Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins is actually a prequel of Stealth Assassins.
• Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is a continuation of Stealth Assassins.
• Tenchu: Return from Darkness is the Xbox version of Wrath of Heaven. It contains slight graphical improvements and new missions.
• Tenchu: Fatal Shadows is a sidestory of sorts, focusing on Ayame and a new character called Rin. Occurs between Stealth Assassins and Wrath of Heaven.
• Tenchu: Time of the Assassins is the PlayStation Portable shinobi game.
• Tenchu: Dark Secret is the Nintendo DS game.
• Tenchu Z is a game in development for Xbox 360. It will feature a new create-a-ninja mode and online cooperative play.
In Tenchu Z instead of playing as Rikimaru or Ayame players create their own characters via a character editor. The player then recieves orders from Rikimaru. The plot is loosely described as follows: "Rikimaru, who is the head of the Azuma clan receives caution from Lord Gohda that the state of Ogawara seems to be plotting something. Recently they have been catching some momentum and ruling many other states. And soon they will gain unbelieveable strength and fight Gohda."
Main Characters
As the main characters are mainly player created I will just go over the main characters form the series.
Rikimaru - The current head of the Azuma clan of ninja, under the service of Lord Gohda. He wields the sword Izayoi, which is passed from generation to generation of leader of the Azuma clan. His master and predecessor as head of the clan was Shiunsai, who was killed by another member of the clan, Tatsumaru. Dedicated, honourable, and withdrawn, Rikimaru would sacrifice his own life without hesistation, something he does at the end of Stealth Assassins only to reappear in Wrath of Heaven/Return from Darkness. However, he is not to be underestimated and shows no mercy to his opponents, something he is constantly reminded of each time he thinks about the scar left over his eye by Tatsumaru. His ability to retain his composure and sense of destiny allows him to undertake missions others would consider suicidal.
Ayame - The only other surviving member of the Azuma clan, also under the service of Lord Gohda. She was the last student chosen by the previous leader of the clan, Shiunsai, who discovered that she was talented and adept at learning whatever she was taught (unlike Rikimaru) but never had the patience to master it. She is tough and kills with a cold-hearted efficiency and without hesitation. However, she has been known to show a softer side to Princess Kiku, the daughter of Lord Gohda, whom Ayame loves like a sister. Ayame's caustic tongue is as infamously sharp as her blades. She is bold and quick, yet silent and cunning.
Tatsumaru (Birth of the Stealth Assassins, Wrath of Heaven/Return From Darkness) - A former member of the Azuma clan, whom Rikimaru looked up to and Ayame loved. He was the original wielder of Izayoi, and leader of the Azuma clan until he lost his memory and became an enemy of the Azuma. After killing most of the clan, including Master Shiunsai, he eventually killed himself after fighting Ayame during an attack on Gohda Castle as punishment for his crimes after regaining his memory. However, he would be resurrected years later and enslaved by Tenrai and became one of his Lords of Darkness. But Tatsumaru managed to break free of Tenrai's influence and aided Rikimaru and Ayame in defeating him, at the cost of his own life.
Tesshu (Wrath of Heaven/Return from Darkness, Tenchu 360) - A doctor by day and an assassin by night. He is not a trained ninja and not under the employ of Lord Gohda, like Rikimaru and Ayame. Tesshu works as a mercenary for a underground vigilante organization known as Muzen that murders only if it serves justice.
Rin (Fatal Shadows) - A young kunoichi whose hidden village was ravaged. When she comes across Ayame, who had come to the village in search of the missing Rikimaru, she initially believes Ayame is the murderer of her kin. Rin wields a sword called Natsume, but prefers to fight in unarmed combat, like Tesshu and Tatsumaru. She seeks to avenge her slain kin.
Gameplay
The game features the largest single player campaign in the series to date, containing 50 missions with different difficulty settings and objectives as well as a multiplayer online campaign that features four-player cooperative play through Xbox Live.
The game is played in a third-person perspective. There are numerous items to help the ninja on his/her mission, but unlockable items can be acquired if the player gets a "Grand Master" rating at the end of the level by being as stealthy as possible. Items and controls vary from game to game, but the gameplay is essentially the same throughout. Stealth is a very important element in the game, where players have to duck, crouch, and hide behind walls to avoid detection. Enemies can be killed with one hit by using Stealth Kills, and a player can avoid detection by looking at his/her Ki meter. The larger the number, the closer the player is to an enemy. If a player is spotted, the Ki meter will turn red, the enemy will alert everyone in the area, and the player is forced to fight hand-to-hand or hide somewhere until the enemies give up their search and resume their patrol routes. The KI-Meter has also been upgraded with a sound, smell and light meter.
A new key feature is the customization of your Ninja. Choose to change facial features, hairstyle, tatoos, head accessories, tunics, pants, arm accessories, footwear, weapon sheathes, and more.. The game's character edit features are quite in-depth, allowing you to use gold obtained by doing well in missions both in single player and multiplayer to purchase new aesthetic styles for your ninja, new abilities, items to use during missions, and different special attacks to use in combat, in addition to combo-editing abilities. As you complete more missions, more articles of clothing may become available for purchase The key element of disguise, however, is a special ninja power-up called “Impersonation,” which allows you to temporarily steal the identity of your victim in order to better evade detection and blend into the environment.
I will add more updates as soon as I gain more information from playing time with the game.
Achievements
1 Secret Mission Cleared (20) Clear 1 secret mission.
2 Secret Missions Cleared (20) Clear 2 secret missions.
3 Secret Missions Cleared (30) Clear 3 secret missions.
4 Secret Missions Cleared (40) Clear 4 secret missions.
5 Secret Missions Cleared (50) Clear 5 secret missions.
Cleared Story (50) Clear the story.
Mission 10 Cleared (20) Clear up to mission 10.
Mission 20 Cleared (30) Clear up to mission 20.
Mission 30 Cleared (30) Clear up to mission 30.
Mission 40 Cleared (40) Clear up to mission 40.
Mission 5 Cleared (20) Clear up to mission 5.
Mission 50 Cleared (50) Clear up to mission 50.
Copyright
This FAQ is the property of myself Havoc DOW. The use of any part of this FAQ without prior permission from me is strictly prohibited and will lead to legal consequences, and me chasing you with a katana.
You have been warned!
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