Tenchu: Return From Darkness

In all honesty, there's not a single thing about this version that stands out as superior to "Wrath of Heaven" (PS2). [Apr 2004, p.105]

For a game that challenges you to outthink and outmaneuver your opponents, it's a shame that Tenchu's enemy A.I. is so awful and the camera control so twitchy and unyielding. [May 2004, p.83]

Sure, the AI’s nowhere near present standards. Granted, its graphics engine is severely outdated. And, yeah, it’s not breaking any records in the sound department either. But therein lies its charm. If you’re like me and have been a longtime fan of the series, you’ll find this one as comfortable to slip into as a well-worn, unwashed pair of jeans.

Unfortunately, this ninja dream too often becomes a nightmare of infuriating control issues, camera problems and soul-destroying restart points.

It’s been surpassed in both it’s genre, and it’s subject matter, so once again it seems that Tenchu will stay in the dark world of the cult classic, and have to wait for it’s next instalment to possibly burst it’s way into the minds of more gamers.

Yeah, the stealth kills are pretty cool, as is the story, but with enemies having an IQ of a raisin, the stealth kills aren’t very satisfying. You just don’t have to work for it in any way.

About average for a stealth-action game.

A mélange of disappointment and elation. The gameplay, graphics, and overall experience all present a grabbag of experiences, some good, some bad.

If you can get past the atrocious camera and shut out the screeching voice acting, there's a pretty neat game waiting for you. Just don't trade in "Ninja Gaiden" to get it, eh?

Even with new levels, added extras and a new multiplayer mode with Xbox Live support, it really doesn’t scrub up and match the polish of some other recent titles.

The music is great, and as in past Tenchu games, manages to mix traditional Japanese instruments with some more modern electronic sounds.

The open-ended levels seen in the original Tenchu are replaced with mostly linear levels that have artificial bottlenecks, forcing the player to follow specific paths.

Though the visuals may be showing their age, the gameplay in Return From Darkness is just as strong as it was in the PlayStation 2 version, if not stronger thanks to the Xbox-exclusive features.

Not a masterpiece by any means, but good ninja fun.

A lackluster port with average graphics, a poor camera system and stupid AI.

Controls in this game feel clunky. Add a few truly lackluster modes on Xbox Live and you have a game that should, by all rights, be a budget release. [May 2004, p.97]

Unfortunately its graphics, sound effects, AI, and various other things are way below par.

Suffers from the same bad camera angles and shoddy AI prevalent in the original. [June 2004, p.12]

There isn't a lot that stands out except the obvious online features a good level design, and decent stealth action.

Despite displaying some excellent game play ideas the overall execution and presentation lets the title down. The controls being overly fiddly don’t help matters and the lacklustre combat fails to inspire.

There's a hell of a lot of content, with the three available characters having distinct missions with several enemy layouts. [May 2004, p.89]

Mildly compelling. [May 2004, p.90]

Tenchu isn't a particularly complex beast, and it doesn't take long to get the most out of it, so it's a nice alternative if you're bored of creeping around gloriously detailed locations pretending to fight terrorism. On the other hand, only a few shiny surfaces and high-poly models stand between this and the visual mediocrity of most PS2 titles.

It feels very much like a first attempt, although this is in fact the third in the series.

Easily the easiest game of the series, Tenchu: Return From Darkness may look better and have a few new features but it's a somewhat dumbed-down version of last year's "Wrath of Heaven" (PS2).

While it's more about the art of being a ninja than the hack 'n' slash escapades of Ninja Gaiden, Tenchu is hampered by mediocre graphics, bad camera control and a host of other niggling faults.

Sadly, Tenchu on the Xbox has been out-stealthed by "Splinter Cell," and out-ninja'ed by "Gaiden."

Today, however, against titles that employ both stealth action and Ninja-style tomfoolery to a better and more engaging level, it's a title that would best fit for a rental, rather than a purchase.