Was it Good? - Tenchu 1

Patreon: / joshstrifehayes
Twitch: / joshstrifehayes
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / joshstrifehayes
#####
Live by Honor. Kill by Stealth.
I remember Tenchu 1 being one of the greatest ninja experiences on the Playstation 1, but does it hold up today?
I'm going to finish both characters stories, and achieve grand master ranking on every level to see how hard it really was, i'll analyse all the mechanics and level design and then ask, Tenchu 1, was it any good?
Massive thanks to the supporters on Patreon and Twitch who keep the channel alive and let me make longer form reviews like this.

[@Rhodair]

Tenchu would make for such an incredible remaster, especially the 2nd game - I remember spending more time in its level creator than any other game around those days

[@epyjacek]

May the gods of gaming hear you. A Tenchu 2 remaster with that editor included. I have hope yet.

[@Lolp821]

I don't think it would, since there are no remasters that are actually just remasters that don't ruin the feel of the original game. I think the only possible exception was Red Faction Guerrilla. In case someone says it, no, the bluepoint demon souls was not a good remaster.

[@seamustheplatypus]

Could you develop your opinion on the Demon's Souls remaster please ? I was planning on buying it as soon as I could get my hands on a PS5. That game was legendary to me on PS3 so I'm interested.

[@epyjacek]

@@Lolp821 why was it not a good remaster? I haven't played it but I'm interested in playing it.

[@curtistroy8050]

@@seamustheplatypus don't listen to him. The remaster was literally the original game with a face lift.

[@nikolasweischner3560]

I'm pretty astonished how good these mechanics are so early in gaming. Honestly makes me feel like current gen doesn't do enough.

[@axelprino]

Is not that early tho, as he said, this came out the same year as Metal Gear Solid and two years after Tomb Raider 1. Still relatively early for 3D games but not for gaming in general.

[@natyder]

Just remember that not all old games put that mutch effort like Tenchu. You can compare it to the souls game in the current gen :). I think we are in the best erea in this industry especially with indie game.

[@FelisImpurrator]

There was a lot more to invent back when no one had done it. We're still getting absolutely brilliant games. They're just the ones motivated less by profit and more by making excellent experiences.

[@dieyng]

@@natyder Christ, how can you say something like that, when every second AAA release is riddled with bugs and unfinished? Yes, there are great games coming out, but so much of it too early and concentrating too much on milking the players for every cent they can, that it feels completely wrong to call this the best era of the industry. If the devs had the means they have today, 20-25 years ago, there's no limit to what they could have achieved then.

[@natyder]

@@dieyng I think you missing my point or i didn't explain my self very well. I think now we have more accebility to have the games that correspond us and at an affordable price ( i think about Indie game) And don't tell me that back them they wasn't some shitty broken ass game came out at full price too.

[@IMGhostRogue]

One year later and I’m still waiting for that “was it good” tenchu 2 edition

[@johnwoerner1724]

Agreed....I was really excited when I heard that promise in the video as Tenchu 2 is one of my all time favorite games. Here's hoping he hears us and gets the lead out.

[@VaellinTheBard]

Ahhhh join us dmc2 anticipators

[@tonyVotino]

Don't count on it, he never does part 2

[@kaiserjoe2316]

2 had some silly mechanics. You now had the ability to drag bodies out of sight, except you weren't penalised in 2 for having your "work" discovered. Plus I'm pretty sure the levels were a lot smaller.

[@Frostwulf1313]

Tenchu was a whole vibe. I lived and breathed Tenchu. The music. The atmosphere. The gameplay. It is still my favorite period of time with the PS1.

[@aajr6739]

I literally have 2 copies of the first one.

[@naplzt4k]

same...I can still remember the epic music from the 1st stage

[@jetsilveravenger]

I absolutely adored it. It kills me that i haven't had any way of playing it for all these years.

[@Frostwulf1313]

@@jetsilveravenger same here. I would live a Tenchu collection.

[@tdoran616]

Did you play Shinobido?

[@slept-on_SP]

I remember having to play this game in secrecy from my mom, all because of the stealth executions' animation lol and now that I think about it, in a weird way it kind of added to the immersion of the game.

[@nnaheim.]

Im your Daddy

[@slept-on_SP]

@@nnaheim. Buy me a motorcycle daddy

[@slept-on_SP]

A BMW S1000RR lol

[@kreevisful]

@@slept-on_SP *B A S E D*

[@SerDerpish]

That’s pretty meta lmao

[@sirbill_greebi3811]

Me: "Why does this video about a PS1 game need to be in 4K?" Josh: "Patrons."

[@scotchmaple]

The voice acting in this game is hysterical. Random verses out of nowhere being some of the best parts.

[@benellis8844]

I have the gaurd line forever etched into my brain "NINJA!!!"

[@LutraLovegood]

@@benellis8844 Where you go?!

[@ChrisLT]

HEE EEE EEE EEE EEE always gives him chills.

[@gab0ttos]

you have to play it in japanase, that's the real voice acting from this game!

[@25xxfrostxx]

I'll always remember the voice line from the little girl if you did a bad job in the tutorial. "You're terrible! I can't stand watching you!"

[@crashfalso]

The theme from the first mission, "Punish the evil merchant" still lives rent free in my head after so many years. Played the hell out of this game as kid and I could never forget that first stage, I remember experimenting so much on it when getting a handle on the mechanics and the bass line alongside the percussion were embedded into my mind. Amazing series that I wish would make a return someday!

[@dragons_red]

It rooks rike you chose the wong pah-ty to crash. I adore this game, one of my all time faves.

[@amandajas6287]

1998 gave us this, Metal Gear Solid, and Thief: The Dark Project. This year practically set the blueprint for the stealth genre going forward.

[@vaevictis_]

And the genre never really reached that height since

[@doommaker4000]

@@vaevictis_ Thief 2 was better than 1 though

[@Anacone]

@@doommaker4000 was it that first one had zombies and second one had mechs.

[@erikw792]

@@vaevictis_ Hitman Blood Money is hands down the best stealth game of all time. The new Hitman Trilogy is also great and you can tell the developers went back to Blood Money for inspiration. Wrath of Heaven is far and away the best Tenchu game. To say 1998 was the pinnacle of stealth games is just ignorant.

[@vaevictis_]

@@erikw792 it’s not ignorant, it’s an opinion and I think tench 3 is the weakest of the first 3 games. Still a fantastic game and added a few more cool things, but it wasn’t as gritty and felt silly at times. I’ll have to check out the new hot man game

[@FitzUrse]

This game was glorious. No one will ever convince me otherwise.

[@fernendo4]

Yup masterpiece

[@1STELDER]

hey check out aragami 2 . closes thing we got now days

[@xLuis89x]

if you loved the tenchu series, you will really love the ps2 game , shinobido, it's pretty much like a sequel hahaha

[@LutraLovegood]

@@xLuis89x The Shinobido series was made by the same people, so it checks out.

[@evanthesquirrel]

I showed my friends this game in college and they disparaged the AI. Dude, the dumb AI that eats food they find and forgets about you 20 seconds after you murdered their buddy.

[@chaslewis3334]

I've always loved the fact that a health potion can be knocked out of a user's hands and picked up by another person. That would've been a really cool mechanic in pvp in the souls games.

[@natrixkaizen]

I went 20 some years looking for this game and finally found it today all I had to go off of was "It was a ninja game that came out on Playstation and you could sneak around and off other ninjas" I remember being like 4 watching my cousin Aaron play the bigger map mentioned in the video. Crazy how you find something once you stop looking for it. The nostalgia 😢

[@warp302]

I feel you I remember watching my half-brother play this at like 4 or 5 and never knew what it was called till now

[@nicholasholloway8743]

Same, I couldn't remember and had to search it up

[@tesseract3966]

Tomb Raider, Rayman and now Tenchu! So glad I found this channel. The trips down memory lane are amazing!

[@quackman]

Yeah, these are all games I'd tried as a kid but was too young to really get into. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate more of the game with these vids.

[@n8doggy733]

the one that REALLY got me hard was the original Pokemon. played those games soooo much growing up

[@Practicalinvestments]

I wanna see him try super metroid, ik he was a ps1 kid but super metroid is such a great game

[@quackman]

@@n8doggy733 Ray Man drew me in this morning, now you've got me def watching Pokemon later

[@leftovernoise]

@@Practicalinvestments Would love to see him do super Metroid

[@Sakarbik]

This has been bugging me since you spoke of the jump distance, so here it goes. When you dash by pressing up twice, if you press jump instead of attack your character does a far more reaching jump, perfect to navigate rooftops

[@Shadows274]

I had to boot up my old Tenchu game because as soon as he chastised the jump distance I knew there was something off

[@willh7352]

yea its a super cool ninja jump.

[@Space_Coyote]

There's also a flip jump that can place you behind enemies facing their exposed back, high risk but useful in combat, not to mention jumping off of walls. There's more to the combat and mechanics than he highlights

[@supertaoman12]

Is it bad that I think Josh *should* know these things? I don't expect him to be a god gamer (though he did accomplish that by getting grand master in every mission) but as a reviewer he should at least know everything the playable character can do.

[@xondarium7691]

Yeah there's even a wiki telling all of the controls and special moves easy to find with a single google search

[@lydrin3975]

I remember my cousin calling me (and that alone was complicated in Ukraine at that time) asking if he should jump down the last hole before the last boss (because he did not have a memory card) 😂 freaking legendary game !

[@jamessm4401]

I really liked the fact that you could complete a level without it killing anyone. Like it wasn’t the point to murder people.

[@boredniko2406]

i love the interaction with the archer in level 5 where he commits seppuku if you play Rikimaru, but if you play Ayame, she trash talks him and forces you into a boss fight. was mind blowing as a kid because i did the run as ayame first and it was cool to find out that little interaction.

[@Jason-fv4rg]

I took the "I fear them NOT" line to be misread by the voice actor. I think it was supposed to be sincere, but worded in an archaic, formal way like the rest of the dialog. "I fear them not," but with angry emphasis on the "not" to drive it home. The voice actor decided to read it like a sarcastic American teenager... and here we are, scratching our heads about it 25 years later.

[@SS2Dante]

It's such an amazing time capsule...only in the mid nineties would anyone *ever* read "I fear them not" as "I fear them....NOT!". It's Waynes World come to life and it's just so damn funny to me.

[@hafuketo9458]

Usually it is not up to the actor, but to the voice director

[@BezoRazo]

@Jason 💯

[@DiplomatOfDirt]

@@hafuketo9458i was gonna argue that the actor did it anyway, but ur right, the director allowed it

[@Mythki11er]

I'm glad she did.

[@bigempty]

The first 3 Tenchu games are some of my favorite games of all time with Wraith of Heaven being the crown jewel of the whole series. I wish from the bottom of my heart From Software would bring back the series.

[@Wilwatersii]

It feels like they kinda struggled every other game. 1 is a gem of the PS1. Wrath of Heaven was unbelievable. 2 hurt my soul and 4 was just that bit off.

[@brandonm9132]

Yeah wrath of heaven was the one tenchu game out of the franchise that I remember playing the most, I'll never forget that awesome intro to.

[@iamfishmind]

wrath of heaven really was fantastic, it's a shame how the series was mishandled after that. it was brought back a few times, but they kept missing the mark. a good example of when devs miss the point of what made the og games so good

[@chesteradams7423]

Unfortunately, they care more about making the same Dark Souls game over and over and over, just throwing a new coat of paint and sometimes a different name.

[@bigempty]

@@chesteradams7423 Truth.

[@stevo22]

Watching this has me wanting to play Tenchu Z again! It was a fantastic game that got a bad rep which I never understood, being able to fully customise your ninja and even have it affect your ability to stealth (wearing darker clothes made you more stealthy) was just amazing! I'd love to see it on this series too

[@stevo22]

@NobleCocco203 oh shit! For real?? I've not tried to play it for years, I'm guessing the servers were taken down at somepoint and it maybe has some stupid online check... 😞

[@ChrisLT]

Really the worst part about it was the unstable connections. The gameplay was fun, outside of the repetitive mission design. Wrath of Heaven is still my favorite, and one of the reasons I was bummed the PS5 wouldn't be backwards compatible with those discs.

[@tethys17]

Tenchu Z needs a remake. I played that game in one sittingm iirc theres 50 missions

[@dapigudemao]

The first Tenchu had such an amazing soundtrack

[@nojroevad7655]

I agree. I love this game. Fun fact the intro song is actual in Hausa (language from North Nigeria) and not Japanese. My mind was blowing learning this

[@thesinaclwon]

The first tench was my life lol. I was 15 when it came out and had just started smoking weed. Let me tell you…….I played the ever loving shit outta this game everyday after my homework was done.

[@agentsmith1573]

@@thesinaclwon You did homework? Nerd.

[@3AHoles]

This was my biggest gripe about 2. They added so much but they took out the soundtrack. That was biggest key to the atmosphere that the original had.

[@austinchilcote6536]

You mean every tenchu game? Sadame from 3 is instant chill

[@andytenshi]

loved the tenchu series. my greatest kill moment that I still remember clearly to this day was in the last level there were 2 guards right next to each other next to a pillar I was on top of. I distracted one with a rice ball, dropped down with an arial attack removing the arm of the second guard, then quickly took a few steps to slice the throat of the first. the cinematic camera framed it PERFECTLY so as I was killing him, you could see the other guy bleeding out in the background.

[@ShinobiNeon]

Y'all need Jesus.

[@luichinplaystation610]

Feel like a ninja yet?

[@tonitapola7811]

I played so much Tenchu 2. Playing story over and over and making my own maps. I loved the story. Tenchu 3 got fighting better, specially bosses were fun, but characters and story were subpar. They even brought my boy Tatsumaru back, but he was so wrong.

[@DioDCynic]

Great description totally saw it in my head.

[@LutraLovegood]

And then they eventually added double stealth kill.

[@Metalisalearning77]

Remember renting this for a weekend & courtesy of cheat-codes (SHOCK! HORROR!) experimented with the game & had a lot of fun. But was frustrated that the combat is so clunky... But upon performing my 1st Stealth Kill that it clicked! & the fun factor increased drastically! Was able to buy it & HOLY hell is it a rewarding experience! & its also the 1st game (with the exception of Chris Huelsbeck's work on Turrican) I truly appreciated the music score! This game's music is pure magic!

[@MakoSucks]

The soundtrack alone is a masterpiece. The opening song Addua is sung beautifully in Hausa, a West African language, as suggested by the composer's wife, if I remember correctly.

[@kettufox4915]

I cannot get over the fact that he got trough the game on Grand Master rank without knowing about the dash jump

[@havenasmr5779]

Haha right? Agh the anxiety was sooo real at some moments I could feel my fingers twitching for the buttons 🤣

[@That1Outlander]

I also keep going back to when he says he finished every level of tenchu 1 100% and I'm like...does he know of layout A,B, and C haha 😂 so much content for a game like this.such a masterpiece

[@curtisjackson4090]

I WAS GETTING READY TO TYPE THIS 🤣.... Like maaan, it was mad how he was jumping the roofs and not using it.

[@Nickgowans]

He didn't use moonsault or backwards attack either,

[@gethspectre66]

@Al Paca even the crouch 180 roll lol. Bye missed half the mechanics out, didn't mention the suit he unlocked with his 1st grand master either 😬

[@bop7901]

Your “Was it Good” series is pure gold. Keep it up mate 👍

[@deadjuice1880]

27:08 That archer dude was always a bittersweet kill. RIP everytime

[@trueakuma777]

The original Tenchu: Stealth Assassins is one of my all-time favorite games for the PS1 and in general. Fun fact: I went so hardcore getting Grand Master on every stage with both characters that I even went so far as to figure out the different layouts and got Grand Master for every level layout as well! Lots of fun and a great game even today! Thanks for the great video and stay safe out there!

[@LtheOriginal]

I kinda feel like Tenchu's voice over is in the "So terrible it's great" territory. Like old Kung fu films and their dubs.

[@lesath7883]

I agree totally.

[@ncshuriken]

"Looks like you chose the wrong party to crash m8" 👺 "Come on! Come OOON! Hehehehe!" 👴

[@Nerobyrne]

Honestly, I didn't think it was good or bad. Whenever he said: "Listen to how bad this voice over is!" I was like: "Meh, I don't see it". The audio was clear, the lines weren't overly cringe, and it was relevant to the plot. Now, I've heard lines in video games that were absolutely terrible, both in old games and new ones. But really, here, I don't see it.

[@filipecordeiro7109]

@@Nerobyrne yeah felt quite mediocre to me, not good but not so bad weve heard much worse from much newer games

[@xantishayde-walker4593]

@@filipecordeiro7109 Did you hear the fat Demon guy with multiple personalities? That was pretty bad. Also, Ayame was cringe even to my teenage ears back in the day.

[@valdish9620]

45:20 I wanted to point out, Ayame being a bitch is actually an important part of her character, both Rikimaru and Ayame consider emotional attachments to other people to be a weakness as a result of the lessons they learned in tenchu 2 which is a prequel, while Rikimaru does it by being a cold professional, Ayame does it by trashing everyone she meets, both are developed from the way they were before being betrayed by Tatsumaru mixed with their already existing personalities, as young Rikimaru was always loyal and took his job seriously, Ayame was much more laid back and immature.

[@jeremyhall2727]

Pretty much 👍🏾 you said it perfectly

[@luichinplaystation610]

I hope someday to have the same knowledge of that titty ninja

[@Krystalmyth]

You're a genuine fan.

[@valdish9620]

@@Krystalmyth there's a lot to love about the series, I hope it never gets any remakes and I hope the series stays dead cause it'll get modernized mechanics and writing which would probably ruin it for me even if it was objectively improved in every aspect.

[@PoptartParasol]

@@valdish9620 that's why I am always against remakes. For now, it will only ruin most games' legacies than it will actually :improve' them. I mean look at how they "remade" resident evil 2. It's hardly even the same game anymore, not even the gameplay is the same.

[@chaoseclipse0305]

Tenchu was absolutely amazing! One of the few games I played multiple times after beating it.

[@Sinn0100]

I remember Tenchu: Stealth Assassin's very well. You see Tenchu was released around the same time as MGS. My best friend was so excited when we found out MGS was out that we went to Walmart at 3:00 AM and picked it up. I decided to buy Tenchu for myself instead. While MGS was a better game I absolutely loved Tenchu. We just got our first appointment together a few weeks prior and were ready for the pure gaming bliss that we received. Because the apartment was ours we did what we wanted and what we wanted was to create an arcade like experience in our living room. We ran 6 TVs with 2 PSXs, 2 N64s, 1 Saturn, and on 9/9/99 2 Dreamcasts. We wound up playing Tenchu and MGS side-by-side on many nights until their completion. What a time to be alive and a gamer with our own place!

[@oni1608]

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins was THE game that got me into the stealth genre, even before MGS. I'll never forget walking into an Electronics Boutique store inside of a mall and they had this game on demo. The guy working there described it as a "ninja simulator" which replaced the traditional ninja magic and flashy combat for a more "realistic" approach. I watched the footage on the TV display and was instantly intrigued. After I purchased the game and read the manual I popped the disc into my PS1 and knew I was in for a treat. The game had grasped me from the get go and I fell in love with this new type of genre to me at the time that I had never experienced before as a console gamer. I bet you I played that game at least a dozen times if not more, and to this day, Tenchu is still my favorite ninja game. Rikimaru is the perfect personification of a ninja. The music was so stellar. It's marvelous and ties the whole games atmosphere together. I found a bootleg copy of the cd soundtrack back then on the internet and still own it to this day. When I started playing World of Warcraft back in the day I ended up naming my rogue Onikage. Everyone in the guild started calling me "Oni" for short. I stuck with that alias ever since on Steam, Discord, and YT. All my stealth or ninja type assassin characters are always named some form of Onikage even if I have to spell it slightly different. This game has left a permanent mark on me, and all other ninja games are compared to this measuring stick. Wrath of Heaven and even Tenchu Z were really fun titles as well. The closest thing in recent years that we got to another Tenchu game is the Aragami games. Although they use more magic, the reliance on stealth is still key. Another honorable mention is Mark of the Ninja, that is a fantastic ninja stealth title as well. Sadly, true stealth games starring ninja are far & few between nowadays. It's nice to see someone recognize the classic this game is, even with it's faults and shortcomings. Once I unlocked the bombs I always brought them along in my inventory to cheese the somewhat lame boss battles in the game. Otherwise, this is one of my all time favorite games even to this day.

[@kato1kalin]

I know it's not exactly ninja gameplay but I think Splinter Cell 1&2 was the pinnacle of this. You could also make a case for Thief 1&2.

[@oni1608]

@@kato1kalin Yes! I loved the early Splinter Cell games. The first one and Chaos Theory were my favorites. I didn't like the direction the series went in starting with Conviction. It became less about stealth and more about moving around fast and killing enemies with Mark & Execute.

[@kato1kalin]

@@oni1608 The early Tom Clancy games spoiled us. Chaos Theory, Rainbow 6 Rouge Spear and the first few ghost recons. Funny enough I found Dues Ex Human revolution a great stealth experience when going for the ghost achievement. I'm uneasy about the upcoming splinter cell remake as well.

[@oni1608]

@@kato1kalin Ah yes, indeed, Deus Ex Human Revolution was also a gem of a stealth game.

[@GothicDragonX]

@@oni1608 Aragami is good, Batman Arkham series, Crysis (if you go with stealth all the way through). Dus Ex especially Human Revolution and Mankind Divided. Dishonor, Dying Light, Skyrim (if it had good AI with stealth awareness) E.Y.E: Devine Cybermancy, Gunpoint, Human series, Metal Gear Series, Metro series... Middle-Eath: Shadow of..., Ronin, Satelite Reign, Sekiro, Seven The Long Days Gone, Siege Survivsal: Gloria Victis Prologue (demo), Sniper Ghost Warrior series, Styx, Thieft, This War of Mine, Vampire The Masquerade Bloodline, Watch_Dogs, Wolfensterin The New Order (stealth option). I am sure there are many more but stealth is now felt more like tacked on or after thought than being more of a core mechanic. I wish more game like Tenchu and Shinobido would take center stage again. With all that being said, yes most of the games I listed does have magic or supernatural around it, unlike Tenchu being a core mechanic.

[@Hypno2989]

This was probably my favourite ps1 game. Can’t wait for the nostalgia!

[@danielramsey6141]

No doubt! Best game for the PS1 with some fun ways to roam around each stage.

[@carrionstorm736]

This and the sequel were a large part of my teenage years. Some of my first usernames online were some variation of rikimaru lol

[@jeroenm1984]

Its up there but metalgear and tekken resident evil take the cake

[@luismurillo5855]

Have you played Ghost of Tushima?

[@howlingwolffang2221]

Had that feeling too, then the tank controls reminded me they where there too, got used to it after a sec. but man that was a brick to the face

[@EnraiChannel]

Because of From software's involvement in later Tenchus, I always half-jokingly said that Sekiro isn't souls game but a spiritual successor to Tenchu. A bit weird that you didn't seem to use the flip jump at all, or at least didn't edit it in the videos. It was very useful to traverse rooftops or jump over pitfalls. And I think the game doesn't actually have random enemy spawns. IIRC it has two possible layouts for enemies. And again IIRC you can change between them once you complete the level once.

[@OldManDoom]

I loved this game. I Grand Master’ed every level on every layout with Ayame. Even looked up the Sexy Ayame code on the school’s one computer with internet. I played the crap out of the this game. It ruled To this day the lines “Nice night!” And “If I find you!!” will always dear to my heart

[@Geezerachi]

One of the greatest games ever made! I would love this series to come back!

[@kainnak]

I would love for a new one from someone it would be amazing.

[@OrbitalShell]

What would you want from it? Isn't this basically Sekiro?

[@kainnak]

@@OrbitalShell hmm not sure having loved tenchu z on the Xbox 360 I think the mission structure and multi-player would be nice also maybe less boss battles with less combat focus and mostly just stealth. I guess kind of pike the aragami games only just idk better.

[@nicolasrusso9786]

If you haven't played it, try out Shinobido for ps2. It shows it's age now, but it's an awesome game and very similar to tenchu. You play as a ninja, but you can get to pick which lord you work for, and even create your own items between missions

[@Schaden-freude]

@@OrbitalShell LOL isn't this basically Sekiro he says. Sekiro doesn't even pretend to be a stealth game.

[@Faust_YT]

Man this brings back memories, everyone around me was talking about MGS nonstop while I was only playing Tenchu and find it more addicting.

[@handsinthefire]

Played both, and both are close to my heart.

[@realtsarbomba]

I can relate, my buzz with MGS came a lot later on when gateway drugs of Tenchu and Tenchu 2 already done their bidding.

[@russellgolden7546]

Tenchu made Metal Gear a Solid feel like Pac-Man.

[@I3igI3oss1]

Feels so good reading these comments and knowing I was not the only one who had perfect and memorable experiences with this game as a kid. This game is the framework for the stealth Genre as we know it today, in many ways more than Metal Gear was. I really do hope this series gets some new titles or a remake. This is among the elite legacy playstation titles that deserves a remake.

[@maximisatwat]

10:30 Tenchu's quirky Jinglish voices is from the fact it just wasn't primarily made for Western audience. It was primarily a Japanese game for Japanese and it was hastily translated to English as an afterthought. They obviously went in pretty seriously into the martial arts side, using genuine Jitsu moves etc. They might not have thought it would be much of a hit in US. The translations are wacky and voices weird because US audience wasn't a big consideration.

[@RippahRooJizah]

A couple things about this game I experienced when I played it years ago. 1) You can get Onikage to drown himself on the 9th stage. 2) I figured out that you can actually skip the bulk of the 9th stage with the grappling hook. There is an overhang that looks like you shouldn't be able to grapple on, but you can. 3) This game has one of the best debug modes I've seen in a game

[@PSNChazwazzer]

I played with the debug more than the actual game, my first exposure to "The World" as well, took 15 years to ever see Jojo.

[@RippahRooJizah]

@@PSNChazwazzer I had a similar experience with Tenchu's "The World". It was my first time with the concept as well, although I got a bit more context sooner since I was into Mugen a bit later and, of course, there was Dio there.

[@ActionPackedJack]

@@PSNChazwazzer What do you mean "The World?" I seem to recall there being an item you could access by that name, which worked like the grappling hook but teleported you instantly. But is that something you continued seeing other places?

[@DrDipsh1t]

Used the debug mode to shoot arrows and left the enemies looking like porcupines everywhere I went lol

[@RippahRooJizah]

@@ActionPackedJack "The World" looks like teleportation but in Jojo that is simply how it looks like to most people. In reality the user is stopping time and moving. It's just someone on staff adding in a reference to something they liked.

[@spike1422]

I LIVED in this game when we I got it in late 90s. Grandmaster on every level wasn't enough for me. I had to find all the secrets and play around in every level. It was amazing.

[@demoskunk]

Playing this game as a 24 year old in 1998, being raised on the Atari 2600, NES, Genesis and SNES, my friends and I were amazed by the open-world levels and we loved the ability to grapple up to and run along rooftops! My favorite level is the mansion in the snow. It's beautiful and feels like you're really in a Kurasawa samurai film. We still quote the cutscene dialog of some of the bad guys. It's so classic!

[@daltonnunyabiz3067]

I still remember the cheat code I learned when I was 5 to pull up the universal menu. It’s a core memory.

[@crashbandicoot5636]

Tenchu has to come back. We have a lack of activity in the Stealth genre - MGS lost its soul, Splinter Cell lost its priorities, Thief had a meh remake. I'm still very proud of Hitman for their impressive comeback, Arkane are still making some of the best Immersive Sims in the industry, and Aragami is a sort of spiritual succesor to Tenchu and hell I thought GOT was going to be a Tenchu game - I miss brutal ninja kills so much.

[@james_scotland]

Well Tenchu Z was a thing on the 360 and was pretty good as well and pretty much has all of the same features as this version did, just on a newer generation

[@crashbandicoot5636]

@@james_scotland Yeah i'm aware of that one, as well as the PSP version/s but that was basically it. From what i heard, Tenchu Z didn't have great sales and reception was average to above average - I still loved watching gameplays of it though back in the day.

[@james_scotland]

@@crashbandicoot5636 Yeah it seemed quite underground that game, I only knew one of my friends having it and that was it

[@dogwalk3]

so sad about splinter cell

[@AreYouOKAni]

Well, Sekiro is in many ways inspired by Tenchu.

[@stratojunon2553]

I remember one of the Tenchu games had a map creation thingy which was just endless fun to do with a friend. You make a map, friend plays it, then you switch :D

[@neutralbuoyancy7520]

Was that Tenchu z an early xbox 360 game... I had great fun playing that with friends

[@Jianemba]

I know this one you could make your own maps

[@gunnyhighway4422]

Tenchu 2 had a map creator as well

[@hateWinVista]

Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen included custom maps created by fans that you can play around, good stuff.

[@aNsWeRkEy02]

tenchu 2 was the earliest that had that map editor

[@scottn322]

Man, this is hitting my brain in all kinds of funny ways. I loved this game as a kid, and played through it more than once, but I doubt I have played it since 2001, if even that. The voice lines, lol. Wow. Also, only recently came across your channel, and I love it so far! Your deep dives into these games are fantastic!

[@qweeq14]

Tenchu 2 is probably the only game I played once in 13 yo and then twice in 31 yo and loved every moment of it in both instances. It is probably not a huge improvement over Tenchu 1 on gameplay but its story is the best video game story for me, just how much is conveyed with clever stage direction even through the PS1 graphics is staggering.

[@SupremeModes]

A game that could really use a nice revamp. This was such epic gameplay for the time

[@lesath7883]

19:50 Nope, guards qre not placed randomly. All scenarios have 3 setups, with guards and items being placed in specific places and specific patrol behaviors (routs or turning around). It can be seen easier on the second scene, where one setup has a dog so close it can see you at your starting point, one has no dogs nearby, and a third has two dogs quite close but not on spotting dictance. This is even marked on the records screen, which keeps the time it took you to finish each level, and it shows the time for each of the 3 setups. This is even better design than having enemies placed at random, since it allows you to memorize the enemy placements, while it also keeps the random element of not knowing beforehand ehich of the three varieties will you enter into.

[@double_anarchy]

It actually took me a while as a child to realise there was different enemie and item layouts 😅

[@Aiveq]

isnt it what "random" in games is? there set number of set ups and it decides on one or follows strict rules to follow

[@double_anarchy]

@@Aiveq 🤣 I think your being obtuse ✌

[@Aiveq]

@@double_anarchy or you being loose? technically if you have no control then we refer to it as random and since you cant select lever set up short of restart then i think its fair to call it so. then you have speedrunners who tap door thrice and jump on one foot to get same "random" result every time so its a fake random... go figure and it can be applied in real life. i am also bored

[@lesath7883]

@@Aiveq While someone the enemy setup selection is random, that is not what was said in the video. The video said that enemy placement is random. If the placement of enemies was random, then there would be a chance that all enemies are setup in a corner of the map, leaving the rest abandoned. That is not the case. Your comment about players influencing the seed that triggers the semirandom number generation is precisely what makes these "random" numbers not random at all. Because once a player has memorized an enemy setup for a level, the player can start the level, meet the first enemy, see if it is a setup they dislike, and exit to try again. Enemy placement setup choice is part of gameplay optimization, and defeats the randomness element of being thrown at one of the three setups "at random" by the console.

[@SleepEternal946]

This is was entire childhood, props to you!!!

[@huntercoleherr]

I read once that in the 90's, a lot of game companies just sent out spreadsheets of the script with the sentences in alphabetical order and with absolutely NO direction or scene notes at all, so the actors didn't have a clue what context the dialogue was meant to be read in. It explains the wildly inconsistent delivery even from two lines back to back if they were recorded at different times then stitched together in editing.

[@juicedgoose]

That makes sense of a lot 90s game's voice acting, cheers

[@Mr.Smiley_J]

I feel like Tenchu 3: Wrath of Heaven finally makes the melee combat fun with combos and special moves, but I love the story from Tenchu 2: Birth of assassins the best of all the series.

[@firefootable]

but still is tenchu 1 the one that gave you more freedom (specially with the hook)

[@EvilIceCream333]

@@firefootable i don't get why the grappling hook bothers people so damn much. The only purpose is serves is to climb.

[@firefootable]

@@EvilIceCream333 it also serves as lightning fast horizontal traversing tool, how many times i literally shot the hook to the farthest object i could possibly do and flew right over my enemies, right over another wall, hit wherever i had aimed to and fell in an alley to quickly fade into shadows...the only grappling hooks in games i had as much fun with had been in the first two Thief games and the bungee rope in Worms...

[@RideThruSpace]

@@firefootable the grappling hook in ghost of tsushima is fun

[@EvilIceCream333]

@@firefootable sounds like tenchu 2 actually wanted you to fucking sneak around and not cheese through it....

[@Synkhan]

I cant remember if it was Tenchu 1 or 2, but I absolutely loved the stage creation system. After finishing the game, I would create this insanely intricate stages with overlapping patrols, different enemy types, and more. It was so damn satisfying.

[@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct]

That was 2

[@blapblapblapblap]

I just wish we could use campaign items in the missions mode. That being said I used to plant like 15 archers on a grid and just going to town on them until they or I die.

[@daoyang223]

and I remember putting in every boss in the map too

[@The13thGhostBunny]

Tenchu 2. Loved it! I miss the simple mission editors of Tenchu 2 and Timesplitters, tbh. I love making custom maps and missions for games, but hate having to use some complex editor to do so. Think the last game that had a fun, easy to use map editor was Doom 2016.

[@makeitthrough_]

The creators of the first two Tenchu games (so, not the equally awesome Wrath of Heaven and Fatal Shadows) made a PS2 game called Shinobido that also has a map creator in the vein of Tenchu 2

[@onishinobi7805]

I appreciate this guy, he has touched on games I thought no one else knew about. I played these when I was young. I am 34 now. Thank you for this.

[@remylebeau3089]

I absolutely love this series. I still remember the first time I played this game. Definitely had an impact on me!

[@SolidStoat]

Wait… did you just grandmaster Tenchu without ever figuring out how to long jump somersault, 180 flip jump or quick throw shuriken? No wonder you struggled with the platforming in caves 😂 Well done though, can’t wait to see Tenchu 2 and the kickass level editor.

[@FernandoRafaelNogueiraReis]

Some time ago he played a good chunk of Elsword without using anything apart from base skills so yeah, Josh is a beast but sometimes doesn't bother with some time touches a game might have to help him because he just doesn't need them.

[@ncshuriken]

Level editor on T2 - and whatever the PSP version I have is called - made both games almost endlessly re-playable, within reason. OK we've clocked the game, so now lets make our own missions and test the ninja skills of our brothers, sisters and schoolmates!

[@KnjazNazrath]

ikr? I literally bought 5 different memory cards to save my created levels onto. Some of them were even kinda fun.

[@Sevarrius]

God I loved Tenchu 2, very possibly my favourite PS1 game and the level editor was a big part of that. I spent so many hours with that editor, more than I did playing the actual game and I 100 percented all 3 characters over countless playthroughs. So much nostalgia.

[@ahardm05]

I used to make mazes with bears in on the level editor 🤣

[@macch1avello]

I loved the franchise, but the first one holds a very special place in my memory. I loved the feeling it brought, especially the music.

[@Varjuk]

The Music 🙌🦊💔

[@mactassio21]

My first tenchu game in the series was tenchu 2 and my god how I loved that game. A lot of the issues you raised in the video were fixed in tenchu 2. And it had a stage creators where you could create and play your own stages and that was amazing. It was my first time feeling like a game designer and it was super fun.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

I remember really enjoying watching my friend play this. He had amazing patience and could stealth kill every enemy and never be discovered. The music was so relaxing too.

[@Shmandalf]

Loved Tenchu 1, but I think my favourite was Tenchu Z. You could completely customize your ninja and it had online multiplayer, was really fun. Good analysis as usual Josh.

[@picklestheomnipotent4535]

i remember tenchu Z on the 360 being really fun and kinda making me wish i had more stealth games

[@Volkovic7013]

Im sorry, I just found your videos and my god, i love them. Thank you. Subbed

[@karlluigi1987]

The thing I love about this game, is how simplistic and grounded it is compared to other ninja games..

[@whyareallnickstaken]

There’s a lot in common with modern Hitman installments. Small, awesome stories contained to a single mission, picking your own way to complete the objective, valuing stealth over combat while still making combat fun, using items to distract NPCs / change their direction of movement, etc. I think there was some inspiration taken from Tenchu.

[@DamnedSilly]

@@MrNinjafreak No. Before you get carried away you have to remember Thief came out the same year and so did Metal Gear Solid. It's one of the Holy Trinity of stealth games but they were all in production at the same time.

[@slynt_]

Old Hitman games were a lot better. The modern ones are too linear and "streamlined", there isn't the same range of player freedom in how to finish the level

[@monstarstevo7307]

I loved that game. So much planning went into everything.

[@mcvc]

"tomb raider with swords" articulates why I loved this game exactly, really glad to discover this content.

[@barlazyjj7872]

There is a code to replace the English dialog with Japanese (keeping English subtitles), but it doesn't start until level 2. Ninja film star Sho Kosugi was the motion capture performer for Rikimaru, and his son Kane was Onikage. One of the best soundtracks & games from the PS1.

[@Conster489]

Josh if you’re reading this, I’d just like to say I really appreciate these videos on multiple levels, I’m sure a lot of effort goes in to filming, recording, editing, writing and playing these games. And I’d like to say that while I do actually watch these videos all the way through as I love the topic and the content. They also help me get to sleep during a difficult time for me so thank you for these great videos and I really hope you continue to do them.

[@ardent9422]

This is my absolute favorite game of all time, I remember it fondly and miss it dearly, I would give just about anything to play it again now. Watch you play through it and speaks so fondly of it has brought a tear to my eye. Tenchu 2 fixed many of the design flaws you spoke about and had you sneaking about in the day time, I hope you'll play that one so I can see it played again and hear your thoughts on it.

[@CrackedFingersGaming]

Tenchu 2 video when?! Loving this series and I've only just discovered your channel!

[@megasoniczxx]

You know, considering how many ninja games we get, we rarely ever get any where a ninja is actually being a ninja instead of some battle god who can take any and all enemies with very little or no stealth required. Looking back at games like these also make me realize that as far as gaming has come over the years, technological advancement will never be able to overcome the sheer creativity of an idea that is taken to its logical zenith like this was. Enemies being able to hit each other for instance is such a cool mechanic but I could probably count on one hand the amount of games that do that.

[@ncshuriken]

Yea man, a ninja series where we actually had to play like a ninja instead of a Japanese Rambo superhero on steroids, growth hormone, coke and speed... and LSD.

[@LOCATIONREDACTED]

@@ncshuriken Everyone in Sekiro thinks they're fighting deadly roosters, but they're just in a village tripping balls with a stick.

[@ncshuriken]

@@LOCATIONREDACTED 😂

[@monkfishy6348]

Mark of The Ninja. Aragami 1 & 2. Shadow Tactics.

[@Rich7714]

Exactly, that's why I don't agree with what he says at 20:25, saying "You want to be the stalker, hunting, killing; you don't want to be escaping!". Actually, remaining completely undetected is exactly what a ninja is - hence the escaping items in the game.

[@CIkler]

This was and still is one of my all time favorite games, the soundtrack was amazing!

[@Zapone1986]

You could make a long jump upfront with up + up + Triangle. Also you could do a backflip. Nice video, it was the first PlayStation game I had and bring me so good memories.

[@xDmindless]

Tenchu series was so flipping cool. Wrath of Heaven was a gem

[@Dagoth_Ur_1]

This game is brilliant, lack of lock on makes it as awkward as Nightmare Creatures, you have to be precise in the combat, but it's badass. And the music was ahead of it's time. Oh if you press forward - forward - jump you do a big front flip. If you press back - forward - jump, you do a mid air turn (in Tenchu 2 at least this is also a brutal stealth kill) PS: if I could suggest a was it good game, Syphon Filter! Or for something truly special, Legacy of kain: Soul Reaver.

[@micshaz]

Nightmare Creatures, now that's a name i haven't heard in a long time.

[@samjuan4899]

I think it works on its favor. Making the 1-on-1 combat a bit difficult to control incentivises stealth kills.

[@suncommander7102]

I second Syphon Filter

[@Cevanth]

He already did a "Was it Good?" of soul reaver, it's called "Retro Review - Soul Reaver 1"

[@Dagoth_Ur_1]

@@Cevanth that's great, thank you, I didn't know there was another channel

[@thatlonzoguy]

so glad tenchu is being appreciated still, 1 and 2 were a big part of my childhood

[@takafumiarisawa70]

Did you ever get to play Shinobido for the PS2? if not man oh man you should. It's basically Tenchu buy way more fleshed out and the OST is fantastic.

[@paulevans6076]

Another PS1 game that I wish was more appreciated is Syphon Filter

[@myhandsspeak1925]

Sameeee

[@seanoggy5889]

My aunt bought me this for Christmas as a young boy, she just saw Ninjas somewhere on the cover and thought it would be cute. It was a very scary game to play for a child but it absolutely blew my friends and I away at the time, we still talk about it to this day.

[@iamnoman85]

This video was how I found your channel. Great review, and great channel! I would love to see a review of Tenchu: Fatal Shadows from you. It was another favorite from my childhood.

[@RyleeStrange]

There are actually a number of jumps never explained in the game. Including side jumps, a long jump forwards, a long jump backwards, as well as a really clever twisting jump where you land facing the opposite direction. melee can be a game of leapfrog should so choose. Just uhhhh make sure there are no low ceilings near any of those bottomless pits as you long jump over them...

[@purebaldness]

48:22 - the ninja armour helps against bosses. Having it benefit stealth would not only be too powerful but it'd not make much sense either

[@JuniperMe]

Tenchu is so good, I only ever had the "Thailand Special Edition" version though and it froze at a certain point so I've never finished it 😅

[@XxRipperRooXx]

I know this is a old comment, but why is it special?

[@judesheckelberg5135]

Tenchu was amazing. Still hoping for a direct sequel for current gen.

[@mightyaripage]

“It is a shame we could not fight as allies” proceeds to jump over his bleeding body

[@mattjindrak]

What's he supposed to do? Spoon with him?

[@icehockeylover189]

A couple of my co-workers and I, while working at a bagel shop, would occasionally assassinate each other with various baked goods and call out "stealth kill!" Sometimes the victim unawares would question the shadowy bread ninja upon seeing the method of their demise: "did you just stealth kill me with an everything bagel?" and inevitably receive the cold, matter of fact reply: "yes...yes, I did." In other words: Tenchu played a significant role in our 20 year old lives lol

[@glenngriffon8032]

One of the very, extremely rare moments of bonding between my half brother and i was over this game and how much fun the stealthing was. I remember one time I was washing the dishes when he came up behind me and grabbed hold of me, mind you he was a solid foot taller than me and much stronger, he throws a hand over my mouth, puts his other hand flat against my throat and acts out the throat slice motion. I actually caught on instantly to what he was doing, and act out the stiff death animation of a guard while making the closest thing to the blood sfx i could. That was one of maybe three times in the twenty years i can remember with him that we "played" like that. So it's a good memory.

[@kyleblackburne2870]

I just loved the satisfaction of doing the moonsault off a roof into an insta kill 👌🏻 perfection

[@z0rrer0]

Nice review! Thanks. I hope this franchise is not forgotten and they release a new one soon ^_^

[@TheEmanueleCastelli]

I looooved Tenchu!!! I almost forgot about this game! Thank you for bringing back memories 💜

[@KishinZephrite]

One of the most fun expereince I had in gaming was doing hard playthroughs of both characters without stealth. It washed away any anxiety of getting spotted and it felt like an early Souls game. I still love it.

[@SnivyTries]

I wish if you did it "loud" if you got every kill, used no stealth items (rice balls, throwing starts, etc), and fought every foe directly, it would reward you with a "Samurai" rank

[@KishinZephrite]

​@@SnivyTries Instead, the game says "you will bring shame" and label you a thug for the effort XD

[@Nerobyrne]

@@SnivyTries Knowing what a Samurai was made me cringe so hard at this comment 🤣

[@danknfrshtv]

The Last Ninja defined ninja gaming for me as a kid way back in the day, but then Tenchu comes along and takes the crown. Great memories of this one.

[@neverghostgaming]

That music at 36:40 was traditional 80's Hung-fu horror action soundtrack.

[@bagusadhywicaksono250]

An underrated gem, this game bring back so many memories. Came out around the same time as MGS1 but I prefer the stealth mechanics and atmosphere in here. Even though its quite janky and mired with technical limitations of the PS1. I still think that the first one is the best. The franchise became more polish but also progressively more action oriented and less atmospheric. Apart from the atmosphere and stealth, I also love the unique music. And then there's the ending, boy do I cry a lot at that ending. Thank you Josh for bringing this up, more people should know/play this game. Side note: I wrote this as I watched the video, holy hell the voice acting is atrocious 😅. I played the Japanese version and it sounded so much better. Also I think the ending presentation is different than the western version.

[@jaygarcia6388]

defenitely not underated

[@bmo419]

This was great. Had me re-living my early teens playing the hell out of this game back in '98-'99. Wish they were still making these games. FromSoft (who currently owns the IP iirc) actually started making a new Tenchu game somewhat recently but it turned into something else entirely during the course of development. That something else was Sekiro. Just some interesting trivia. Can definitely see the Tenchu DNA playing Sekiro, particularly in how Sekiro moves compared to Rikimaru, etc. Sekiro was great, but definitely would've loved a new Tenchu after all this time having been around for the original games.

[@KSharp2]

Agreed. Sekiro was great but I would have enjoyed it twice as much if it were actually Tenchu. It's pretty much the same game but with a different protag and less stealth.

[@theWIIISEguy]

Sekiro is cool n all but they should really just make a new Tenchu entry.

[@sprtnp19]

Tenchu was one of my favorite series growing up. I really enjoyed seeing you play through and speak to the mechanics and gameplay. I saw you’re working on a Tomb Raider 2 was it any good video. Here’s hoping you can get around to Tenchu 2 sometime in the future. Cheers!

[@UndrState]

Seems like you missed out on one of my favourite moves . Back , Forward + X , the Moonsault flip ! Great video BTW .

[@theWIIISEguy]

One of my favorite games in my childhood ps1 days. It deserves a new title. 👏

[@KiaAzad]

I have fond memories of Tenchu, specially Tenchu 2 and it's level designing. My friends and I would make levels for each other to complete. In a way, watching them struggle in your creation was more fun than the game itself.

[@fairhall001]

I made a comment just like this before scrolling down. the map editor took Tenshu to another level.

[@Josith13]

Pretty damn robust editor for a ps1 game, too. I guess it must not have been digestible enough for ADHD plebs as it's rare to see in games since

[@spiraljumper74]

@@Josith13 Speaking as a guy with ADHD, I love a good level editor, in fact, I get completely engrossed in them. Maybe look up how ADHD actually manifests in different people? Dick.

[@martinez5566]

I was terrible at this game, but absolutely loved it. You're 100% right, when you're in it, you are a ninja. Truly the best days of gaming. We hadn't yet been spoiled with amazing graphics, there was always another experimental masterpiece around the corner, and you even got demos from magazines to help you refine your decision on what you wanted for your birthday or Christmas (because those were the only times you could get a new game)

[@GUIDOFROMNY]

This video brought so many memories from back when i was a kid. I cant remember where I picked it up but I remember buying it and fell in love the first time i played it.

[@ubermenschmexa]

This game had one of the most amazing and memorable soundtracks I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. And, if I remember correctly, it had Robert Belgrade (Alucard's original voice) as the narrator between missions. I only ever played Tenchu 1&2 and Fatal Shadows, and for a long time I yearned for a similar game. Thank God for Ghost of Tsushima.

[@KSharp2]

You consider GoS more of a successor than Sekiro?

[@ubermenschmexa]

@@KSharp2 Never played Sekiro. But apart from the open world elements of GoS, yeah I consider it a succesor.

[@KSharp2]

@@ubermenschmexa Sekiro is a very hard (but beautiful and rewarding game). If you've never played it, I highly reccomend. It is the direct successor to Tenchu. You'll feel like the name should have been on the box.

[@ubermenschmexa]

@@KSharp2 Never been a fan of the (stupidly named) "soulslike" games. That's what threw me off from trying it. But if I see it on sale I'll give it a try. I don't know anything about the game save from the name and the developers.

[@KSharp2]

@@ubermenschmexa It's closer to Tenchu than a dark souls game. Actually, the lack of dark souls elements put a lot of people off who were expecting it. Plays very much like a modern Tenchu. With that said, it can still be pretty hard in the combat, so it's not casual friendly, but you can stealth kill like 90% of the regular enemies and get stealth kills on some bosses that take half of their health before the fight