Tenchu revels in the atmosphere of ancient Japan, although its heroes are surely larger than life. Azuma Clan ninjas Rikimaru and Ayame are stylised renditions of the famous shadow dancers but the environments they tread pay glorious respect to the celebrated samurai era. It probably helps that the game was produced in Japan, preventing it from becoming horribly corny or such magical lore misunderstood.
As a stealth game your primary concern is to remain in the shadows or otherwise remain undetected – sneaking through bushes, balancing along wooden beams, or creating distractions. As a ninja you'll have throwing stars (Shuriken) to take down enemies from range, or a sword for swiftly decided combat. More often than not, however, you'll be executing close-range assassination moves that require nerves-of-steel timing and then some kind of action using the Wii remote and nunchuck.
