Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins

Genres

Platforms

Summary

Tenchu 2 serves as a prequel to Tenchu, exploring events that take place before the original game’s story. Once more, you can take control of Ayame or Rikimaru, two loyal and noble ninja serving a kind-hearted lord in a time of conflict. As your training draws to a close, you're thrust into a conflict as you assist your lord in quelling a civil war within his territory. But appearances can be deceiving, and you'll soon discover that your most dangerous adversary was shaped in much the same way as you. Similar to its predecessor, Tenchu 2 is a 3D third-person stealth action game. This time, stealth is not the only factor that earns you rewards—how efficiently you move also plays a key role. This added layer raises the challenge of obtaining the best items, as you must now be not only silent, but also precise and almost flawless in your movements.

Storyline

The game serves as a prequel to *Tenchu: Stealth Assassins* and follows the series' protagonists, Rikimaru and Ayame, during their teenage years as they train under their aging mentor, Shiunsai, and another Azuma ninja, Tatsumaru. It explores the origin of Rikimaru's famous scar above his right eye, a detail not shown on the game's cover. The Azuma Ninja have long been loyal to the House of Gohda, and now three young recruits—Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru—must defend Lord Gohda Matsunoshin from a coup and a shadowy ninja faction known as the Burning Dawn. After being accepted into the Azuma clan, the trio is summoned to Gohda Castle, which is under siege by Lord Gohda's uncle, Motohide. In the ensuing battle, Lady Kei, the Lord's wife, is killed, and Princess Kiku, his daughter, is kidnapped. Rikimaru manages to stop Motohide from assassinating Lord Gohda, but the attacker escapes. It is later revealed that Motohide was working for a rival lord, Lord Toda. Toda betrays and kills Motohide, only to be slain in turn by Lady Kagami, the leader of Toda's ninja forces. She is the head of the rebel group known as the Burning Dawn, which is composed of four powerful ninja lords—Suzaku, Genbu, Seiryu, and Byakko—and is led by Lady Kagami. Matters worsen when Tatsumaru, the newly appointed leader of the Azuma Ninja, disappears. It is eventually uncovered that he has lost his memory and now fights alongside the Burning Dawn. Rikimaru and Ayame must now rescue Lord Gohda and prevent a ninja-led rebellion that could reignite the civil war. The Burning Dawn was born when Motohide, Lord Gohda's uncle, formed an alliance with the warlord Toda Yoshisada to seize control of the kingdom. Toda's assault on Gohda Castle led to the death of Lady Kei and the abduction of Princess Kiku. After betraying and killing Motohide, Toda himself is betrayed and executed by Lady Kagami, who then establishes the Burning Dawn. In the years that follow, the group engages in a range of illicit activities, including kidnapping, theft, smuggling, forced labor, and murder, drawing the attention of Lord Gohda and the Azuma Ninja, who seek to dismantle the organization. The conflict reaches its climax when Rikimaru and Ayame, with the aid of the Gohda naval forces, destroy the Burning Dawn's leadership and their flagship, the "Fire Demon," bringing the rebellion to an end.