Very few 16th century ninja games can surpass the legacy that the Tenchu series has forged. Other than maybe Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden, Tenchu is one of the largest ninja series to ever be created. Although unlike the few ninja franchises that do surpass Tenchu in popularity and years of existence, Tenchu games are known for being far a more realistic and accurate depiction of how real ninja operated. Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, and most other games that portray ninja and their Sengoku-era counterparts would generally put the player face to face with their enemies, battling it out in full-on fights where everyone was aware of each other and had plenty of supplies and health. One quick glance at a history book on this topic will reveal that this was not really how it went down though. Sure, face-to-face fights would certainly happen, but ninja were often covert mercenaries, whose tactics were generally seen as beneath the strict rules of engagement that samurai lived by on the surface of warfare. Sneaking by opponents, sabotage, infiltration, and using disguises were all things that the ninja would be tasked with to serve the clan leaders and warlords with whom they were aligned.
Acquire, famous for games like Tenchu and Octopath Traveler, becomes KADOKAWA subsidiary. Can this mean a revival for beloved series?
I would kill to have a Way of the Samurai game with a huge budget and modern tech... The first game was one of my greatest joys on PS2 back in the day. And I really hope From Software will do something with Tenchu... I hate that they're just sitting on the IP like it doesn't even exist.
Tenchu would be superb in this day and age. Ninja and samurai games are hot right now and more is better.
Tenchu pioneered the stealth genre but has since faded into obscurity. Here's why FromSoftware is the only one that can revive it.
"Here's why FromSoftware is the only one that can revive it."
I mean, yeah? They hold the Tenchu IP... Not like anyone else could do something with it. It's a real shame they haven't done anything with it though. Sekiro was nice, but it wasn't Tenchu. I'd much rather have had a Tenchu remake/reboot than Sekiro, honestly.
It's almost as bad as that article where someone wrote "Armored Core 6 should get the FromSoftware boss treatment".
It's like the writer had no clue Armored Core was ALWAYS made by FromSoftware from the very start of the series
I still remember kings field. That was the og fromsoft game if I remember right. Game was hard af. Alot in their games today can be traced
Or I just can't remember. This was 97 98
@shinoff
I would love a new King's Field. It's been over 21 years since the last main release though.
Porkchop,
It was pretty tough at first. I originally never heard of it. I was upstairs at a neighbors smoking and said to then hey let me check a game out. I went to my apartment threw it in and was hooked. Very fun but hard game till you get the hang of it.
I hate that that's originally what they were doing, and turned it into Sekiro instead early on.
Not without Acquire they're not.
Such enjoyment playing Shinobido on PSP and the UK PS2 game. The spiritual successor to Tenchu. Don't forget the developer. The same ones that developed the original game and Way of the Samurai.
Wasn't there a Shinobido 2 on Vita? I recall playing the series. It had some of the spirit of Tenchu, but it was just lacking something. Couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly that was. Way of the Samurai (the original) will always hold a special place for me though. There was absolutely nothing else like it when it first came out. I spent hundreds of hours playing it again and again. Which reminds me that I still need to finish WotS 4 as well...
There was a sequel. They tried some different things over time. I didn't buy a Vita though. So I didn't get to play the game. Only seen video of the sequel. But Acquire made that feel from Tenchu to Way of the Samurai to Shinobido. From didn't.
From might make a good Ninja stealth game. But it may not have the same feeling from it. As Isarai said above, From started making a Tenchu game and ended up with Sekiro. Good. But just not the same.
Great games. Imagine the mechanics,art and music of Tenchu combined with the graphics engines of Like a Dragon.
Why I Love is a series of guest editorials on GamesIndustry.biz intended to showcase the ways in which game developers appreciate each other's work. This entry was contributed by Solar Sail Games co-founder Tancred Dyke-Wells, who used to direct Nintendo's Art Academy and Battalion Wars games, and is currently at work on the open-world narrative-driven RPG Smoke and Sacrifice.
I'd love to see another Tenchu sometime. As long as it's not like Tenchu Z, I'd be happy.
Can I still hope the From Software teaser was for Tenchu...? Probably not, but man I want another Tenchu so bad...
tenchu 2 birth of the stealth assassins needs to be remade. I'd love to pull of some nice round house kicks with tatsumaru in glorious current gen tech
was an awesome series, especially tenchu 1 and 2. atleast there's ghost of Tsushima releasing this year!
Maybe they are calling it Sekiro 🤷♂️
Still waiting for a new Tenchu game.
the games just sort of got worse and worse after wrath of heaven, then they came back a bit with Tenchu Shadow Assassins, but by then it just wasn't popular anymore. but right now is the perfect time to bring it back as nostalgia for that series is at an all time high. C'mon FromSoftware, bring that sexy back
They killed the franchise by making the last game a wii exclusive. Which was pretty stupid.