Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven

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Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven / Tenchu: Return from Darkness

Developer(s)	K2 LLC
Publisher(s)	From Software Activision
Release date(s)	March 7, 2003 PS2 March 11, 2003 PS2 April 24, 2003 PS2 March 9, 2004 Xbox May 27, 2004 Xbox
Genre(s)	Stealth Action
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer, Co-op
Rating(s)	ESRB Mature (M)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is the third game in the Tenchu series. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003 and ported to Xbox in 2004 under the title Tenchu: Return from Darkness with graphical improvements and a new online multiplayer mode.

1 Storyline
2 Characters
3 External links

[edit] Storyline

The game's story follows 1 year after the events of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. After Mei-Oh is defeated by Rikimaru, the cavern in which the characters are in starts to collapse. To save Ayame and Princess Kiku, Rikimaru lifts the giant boulder out of the way of the exit, and is seemingly trapped and left for dead. However, he somehow survives this (as explained in the game) and returns to the Azuma ninja clan.

During Rikimaru's absence, Ayame goes on a mission to search for his body. This eventually leads to the events of Tenchu: Fatal Shadows, with the introduction of the new character, Rin.

[edit] Characters

In addition to the regular characters Rikimaru and Ayame, a third character is made playable in the game, but only after being unlocked.

This section includes differences between the characters in Wrath of Heaven and Return from Darkness.

[edit] Tesshu

A doctor by day and a hired assassin by night, Tesshu serves the underground organization known as Muzen. He has great respect for his boss, who orders him to kill only for justice. In the early stages of his story, he momentarily labels Rikimaru as a rival when Rikimaru steals one of his kills. Unable to forget this, he sneaks into Gohda Castle...

[edit] Rikimaru

At the age of 20 (Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins), Rikimaru pretty much develops his full character, who is brave, dedicated, responsible, loyal, and filled to the brim with justice. However, at that point in time, he is still a little naive, and only after the harsh and painful lessons of Tenchu 2, does he become merciless and un-hesitant. He remains the same throughout the rest of series, though the potential of his strength does not. Rikimaru is a deadly and stealthy ninja, and makes sure not to be spotted by the enemy.

[edit] Ayame

Since the beginning, Ayame's sense of loyalty to Lord Gohda was never as strong as that of Rikimaru's. Although she is very close to Kiku, she simply carries out her missions because that is what she had been brought up to do. This is more so evident when she leaves her lord to look for Rikimaru's body after Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. The period of Tenchu: Fatal Shadows lasted over a course of a couple of months, and during that time, Gohda was in danger of becoming vulnerable at any moment.

On the other hand, the character of Ayame changed a lot in each of the successive games: in Tenchu 2, she was a cheerful, bold and overconfident little brat, and only became bitter after the tragic events with Tatsumaru. This change is portrayed in the first game, where she becomes more withdrawn and sarcastic, unlike Rikimaru, who is passionately involved in his executions, Ayame snuffs her victims out like a chore. The latest adaptation of Ayame's personality, in Wrath of Heaven, changed from being outspoken, to quiet, passive, and emotionally unstable while keeping some diluted traits of sarcasm. This proved majorly unpopular to Ayame fans, who preferred her being more sadistic and confident.^{[citation needed]}