DESCRIPTION

Activision's well-known ninja franchise makes its Xbox debut with Tenchu: Return from Darkness. Building on the best-selling Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven for the PS2, Tenchu: Return from Darkness offers an updated design and technical enhancements.

Set in the late 1570s, players assume the role of ninja Rikimaru, Ayame, or Tesshu as they battle Tenrai and his six lords of darkness. As silent assassins, players must use strategy, cunning, and deadly stealth, along with an arsenal of weapons, to overcome the challenges and defend the Japanese countryside from Tenrai and his armies.

Tenchu: Return from Darkness features an improved fighting engine, allowing players to master combo attacks, stealth moves, and jumping attacks, all of which play out in realistic detail. Along with the fighting engine, the AI receives an upgrade, to offer better enemy intelligence and item placement.

Three gameplay modes, including single player, two player (co-op and versus), and Xbox Live are available. There are 11 stages of gameplay in story mode, including two new single-player maps, as well as six multiplayer levels. All new cut-scenes, enemy layouts, and a training mode that allows players to hone their ninja skills round out the new features list for Activision's stealth-based ninja game. ~ Damian Francis, All Game Guide