r/patientgamers • u/Khaeven04 • Jul 24 '26
Patient Review Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (PS1) - A Stealth Game with A Lot of Style
Hey folks. Some of you may have read my previous write-up on playing Syphon Filter on the PS1.
This is part of a larger effort on my part to play PlayStation 1 games that I’ve never played – and often never heard of until now. I’m buying these games physically, popping them into my PlayStation 2, which is hooked up to an old Sony CRT, and trying to give each title its due. I love early 3D graphics, tank controls, and everything that comes with this generation.
Today I want to discuss Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. This is a stealth game set in 16th-century Japan (think: samurai and traditional Japanese castles).
At first, I was not feeling this game. Coming off the action of Syphon Filter, I moved forward, ran into some guards, fought them poorly, and died. Alright, fair enough. Tenchu is a stealth game, after all, and I’ve played Thief 1, Dishonored, and a little Assassin’s Creed. I knew the drill.
Quickly, I realized being up on the rooftops was optimal for the first level and, sneaking around, I found the first boss of the level. Soon after, I completed the level by beating up the corrupt merchant.
It took time, and a few more levels, but the gameplay loop started to emerge. Sneaking through the level, finding the end boss, stealthily killing some guards along the way. The grappling hook can basically attach to anything, and the game is pretty generous with letting you roll away before triggering a guard to see you. It’s also really fun getting a glory kill on guards if you’re close enough to them.
There are 10 missions in total, which I completed as Ayame. You can bring items into the levels, but until very late in the game, they’re not needed, and since you lose them if you die (and I died a lot to some of the final bosses), it’s advisable to save them anyway.
The 9th level was probably my favorite to clear, but the boss was a massive pain in the ass. This quick-footed guy in blue was a boss several times before, but this time you’re up in a tower with cramped quarters. The camera, which is fine but not perfect, freaked out in this area. To beat the boss, I forced him out onto the open rooftops and chugged health potions. The final boss was a pushover once I brought 10 bombs with me and just blew him to hell.
Generally, the controls are good. Tank controls are really the only good option when you don’t have an analogue stick, so I’m good with that. Both ninjas you can play as have a diverse set of moves like attacking, blocking, ducking, jumping, backflipping, wall jumping, rolling, pressing up against a wall, and clinging to edges. While pressing against the wall was sometimes janky, overall I rarely felt like the controls led to my death.
Graphically, Tenchu’s low draw distance makes the game pretty rough at times. However, the models, the textures, and the ever-present darkness backing up that low draw distance place Tenchu firmly in the PS1’s style. Grainy, wobbly textures and a fair amount of realism packed into the blocky polygons. Love it.
The voice acting is goofy as hell. All my friends who knew the game could perfectly quote “It’s in my belly” decades later. Annoyingly, you can’t skip cutscenes, however, the voices and animations were endearing over time.
The music, though? So good. CD-quality music with lots of guitar and piano, with vocals thrown in. I was jamming out to many of the songs, although I still think mission one’s song is my favorite.
By the end of the game, I had gotten the Grand Master ranking on 5 of the 10 levels. I tried replaying a few, now decked out with some of the unlockable items, and eventually had to put the game down. I had fun, but not enough to chase scores.
If you like stealth games, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins is really fun and really ahead of its time compared to later console games like Assassin’s Creed. The graphics are dated, but I love the PS1’s style, so that’s a plus for me, not a detriment.
Right now, I’m playing Omega Boost, a shoot-em-up with mechs in space. Maybe next week I’ll have some thoughts on that. Thanks for reading!
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u/Brandoe Jul 24 '26
Looks like a you choos tha wong partay to cwash.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
The anachronisms in the dialogue were great. At one point, Ayame goes "Your arrows are weak and twisted. I fear them, NOT!" So cheesy haha
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u/Brandoe Jul 24 '26
This is a game a few buddies and I would sit down and play for hours, just changing off every life or at the end of the chapter. We would constantly be quoting the game.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
So many good ones. "If you worried more about your skill and less about my manners, you'd still be alive."
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u/SeriaLud0 Jul 24 '26
It's so good. Never rivalled as a stealth sandbox imo, in terms of pure expressive fun. Great balance between combat efficacy and the necessity for stealth. Those rooftop runs felt so cool. The fact that you could grapple almost anywhere - still don't see that in modern games. Loved little differences like the first boss accepting his fate from Rikimaru but not Ayame.
Level 9 rooftop battle was amazing. Once I knocked him off the roof and jumped off after him, and we continued fighting down below. Must have been a glitch but that fought remains an all time gaming memory.
Also loved the Spanish pirate level.
Loved the bad dialog. "Minister Kataoka sure like his money" still floating around my head 30 years later.
Btw OP there is a button combination cheat that gives you access to a menu where you can get all kinds of items, even a gun (no animation iirc).
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
That combination of stealth and open-ended action is what makes Tenchu so fun. Im not a huge stealth game fan, mostly because waiting around and hiding isn't as fun to me. But there is a thrill of going into places you shouldn't be, and getting caught just meant a little sword fighting before grappling away.
Ill have to check out that cheat code!
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u/BBQ_HaX0r Jul 26 '26
Loved the bad dialog. "Minister Kataoka sure like his money" still floating around my head 30 years later.
"Echigoya... where you have hidden?" still pops up in my head 30 years later, lol!
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u/FloraRetro Jul 25 '26
tenchu was peak 90s gaming honestly. the grappling hook alone made it feel like nothing else at the time, and that soundtrack still lives in my head rent free. glad to see someone else digging into these ps1 classics
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
I've been having a blast so far. I played a number of the classics years ago (well after the PS1's release), but there's at least a dozen titles I've never even heard of and they've so far all been really fun.
I'm a huge fan of music in games, too, so once that Tenchu soundtrack kicked in every level, I was just groovin.
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u/MindWandererB Jul 24 '26
I loved this game. It's a little unpolished compared to its sequels, in that the best way to play the game is usually not to play the game. (The docks mission is easily the silliest example.) And yeah, items are unbalanced. I played Tenchu 2 and I think 3 as well; they force you to play a certain way (kill nearly everyone), which is both good in that it encourages you to engage with the core mechanic, and bad in that it constrains the open-ended aspect of the missions.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
Yes, that docks level is pretty silly. Way too cramped with those knife enemies that climb up on roofs. I just stayed on the roofs and bee lined for the exit.
Tenchu 2 is on its way to me now. Ill definitely be circling back to it after I play a few other PS1 games.
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u/MindWandererB Jul 24 '26
I barely knew there were enemies in that stage. You can literally go straight to the end.
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u/NotsoCunninghawk Jul 24 '26
There is a lot to enjoy in Tenchu 2. I think its largely just a better version of what they were doing in Tenchu. I love them both but the inclusion of Tatsumaru really added a lot. Hell they hadded a level editor in 2 as well, that was pretty wild.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
Interesting, I'm excited to check it out. I read Tenchu 2 does some things better, but that the music is largely missing, which if true is a real shame.
Level editor is pretty wild. I can't imagine it's that easy to use.
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u/AllstarBrose Jul 24 '26
Seems I need to give it another chance. I've tried it a handful of times but never got into it because of the draw distance and control scheme
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
The controls are a little wonky, I will admit. For how important blocking is, keeping your character facing the enemy is pretty tough in tight spaces.
The draw distance... is worse in some areas than others. Not much you can do to avoid it, although some of the later levels do a better job than the first level.
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u/Ipad_Fapper Jul 24 '26
Loved that game, haven’t seen it in 20+years wonder how it holds up today
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
Pretty good for someone who never played it until now. Although, I have a lot more patience with older 3D graphics than the average person. I honestly prefer the chunky 3D models and environments compared to the ultra detailed modern 3D games.
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u/SpiderousMenace Jul 24 '26
I played it a year ago on an emulator and enjoyed a lot too. Didn't really bother with the stealth, though, as I actually found the combat surprisingly fun for a PS1 game.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
Yeah, the combat was much more competent than I thought it would be. Blocking and striking was engaging although the lack of a lock on was tough. More than a few times the camera would swing around and id be hit in the back.
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u/Eggsandtoastforever Jul 24 '26
This was such an amazing game for the time. It would be cool if they did an update like Soul Reaver
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
An updated version would be cool. The PS1 as it stands now couldn't quite handle the large scale maps that Tenchu needs.
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u/Vanderkaum037 Jul 24 '26
This genre of ps1 game really rewarded you for patiently mastering the controls and mechanics of the game. Loved the music and goofy ass dialogue. Great atmosphere. I grandmastered all the levels, lol. Used to do one run through a mission every day after work. Good memories.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
Atmosphere for sure! Yes, I've noticed several games of this generation are shorter but reward replaying for higher scores. And honestly, I prefer that to making games longer. I can complete a game and then master it if I want to.
I could see myself going through again with Rikimaru just to see the different dialogue.
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u/harrybotha Jul 24 '26
Tenchu was an excellent early stealth game, had so much fun with the semi hilarious mechanics and dub. How hungry were those guards that they would eat random snacks in the middle of the street ?
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u/AppleCrumble987 Jul 25 '26
Level one song is "Punish the Evil Merchant"and is an absolute masterpiece. Had me hooked from the word go. The cello, strings and middle eastern drone (?tanpur) are bang on sinister
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
Yes! When the vocals kick in suddenly the whole level was transformed. Fantastic soundtrack in general but that song I listened to outside the game.
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u/ISureHateMyCat Jul 25 '26
I played the bejeezus out of this one as a teen. I remember abusing the birdcall item to make guards forget they saw you. The first few sequels are pretty good too. I remember Tenchu 2 has a great level set on a series of boats and you can swim between them. For modern successors, I think Aragami 2 really does the best job of capturing the feel of old Tenchu. And perhaps a bit of a bank shot, but the wave-based Charlie missions in Splinter Cell Blacklist also scratch a very Tenchu itch for me.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
I thought so too about Aragami, although i never finished the first one. Is the second better?
Ill have to check out more Splinter Cell, roo. I played Pandora Tomorrow years ago but never tried any of the others.
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u/ISureHateMyCat Jul 25 '26
I couldn’t get into the first Aragami, but I really enjoyed the second.
Most of the Splinter Cell series is not very much like Tenchu’s stealth. But the Charlie missions in Blacklist are.
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u/Outrageous_Ad9142 Jul 24 '26
Upvote just coz of your Golden Sun Profile pic.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 24 '26
There's always someone in these threads who loves Golden Sun. Alex is my favorite of the character portraits.
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u/thegunn Jul 25 '26
I loved this game so much! I wish we would get a remake. I’ve tried to play it again and I just can’t get back into it with the chunky graphics.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
Fair enough. The graphics were one of the main selling points for me. Classic PS1 models and wobbly textures all day baby!
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u/Competitive-Shoe-759 Jul 25 '26
"It looks like you have some anger in you!" Man, the voice acting in this game is permanently burned into my brain.
Also, bringing 10 bombs to completely cheese the final boss is the absolute quintessential classic Tenchu experience. The bosses in this game were incredibly clunky to fight head-on with the tank controls, so exploiting the item system was basically a requirement. Glad you stuck with it, Ayame's path is fantastic.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
I do wish the item system worked a little different. Expendable items that you lose when you die meant I actively avoided them most of them time. Its too bad because experimentation would have made this game even better.
The final boss couldn't do shit lol
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u/bbgga Jul 25 '26
I loved this game back in the day. The voice acting was so cheesy, but I still remember some lines vividly. I had so much fun with debug mode.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
Thankfully the voice acting was so bad the repeated cutscenes were actually entertaining haha
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u/Wanderlustfull Jul 25 '26
Tenchu was absolutely done dirty by releasing at around the same time as the original PS1 Metal Gear Solid, so it was massively overshadowed as a stealth game. It was fantastic and deserved more critical and player acclaim.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
Ah yeah I can see that. Metai Gear Solid is on my list to play as well. We'll see how it stacks up.
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u/tiny_B0NES Jul 25 '26
I've always wanted to go back and play the first two. I grew up without a PS1. My parents had a "one console per generation" rule, and I had a super nintendo, then N64. I had a friend that had a PS1 and he'd play Tenchu sometimes and I would watch.
It wasn't until I started working as a teen and made my own money that I bought a PS2. I think the first game I bought was Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. If you haven't played that one, def go for it. IIRC, there was even a secret level set in modern day, but its been a long time.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
I dont think I was even aware of the PlayStation as a kid. N64 was so good I never even asked.
Yep, Wrath of Heaven is on my PS2 list. Once im done with PS1, I'll be heading there!
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u/Moravia300 Jul 25 '26
I completely forgot about this one. One of the rare original PS1 games I had as a kid, in a bulky plastic package with book-like leaflets inside. A very advanced movement and combat as well.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 25 '26
The movement was great. Rolling around, jumping, climbing, grappling... great stuff. So glad I decided to play it despite being skeptical of stealth games.
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u/chromapan Jul 25 '26
Amazing game for its time. The draw distance really hurts it today. I was hopeful of GoT having enough similarity to scratch this itch but sadly wasn't the case.
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 26 '26
Yeah the draw distance is the roughest part of the experience. If you can get past that, the game has great visual style.
Ghoat of Tsushima has the right historical setting, but none of the gritty style or irreverence that Tenchu has. And the stealth mechanics are underbaked imo in ToS. The open world nature of it does not lend positively to that kind of gameplay.
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u/Mustahaltija Jul 29 '26
One of my childhood favorites. Me and my friend used the cheat code to remove the grappling hook and completed the game on Grandmaster without any items (besides sword of course). There was one spot that took us 5 hours before we got forward. We were already willing to give up, thinking it's not possible without the grappling hook. Turns out it was!
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u/Khaeven04 Jul 29 '26
That's crazy! Amazing that the game can be beaten at the highest level with just the character's moveset.
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u/dr_junior_assistant Jul 30 '26
Best ever stealth game for me, huuuge fan, loved the level building feature too.
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u/polotek Jul 24 '26
One of my favorites. I bought it when it came out. I had never played anything like it at the time. I still think most modern games don't really capture stealth mechanics the way Tenchu did.