Metacritic Games

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (Playstation)

Tenchu is a 3rd-person ninja fighting game in which the player takes on the role of a ninja in missions requiring stealth, strategy and weapons skills. Employing unparalleled enemy artificial intelligence technology, feudal Japanese environments and a unique scoring system that rewards a player's stealth and cunning, Tenchu sets a new benchmark in the action/adventure genre. [Activision]

Activision
Fighting, Action
Players: 1
M (Mature)
Developer: Acquire
Released September 17, 1998

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

87 / 100

Critic Reviews

100	Game Revolution Just plain fantastic... One the best Japanese ports ever.
93	PSX Nation A hard, gritty adventure that should be enough to hold off the "MGS" cravings until the domestic release.
93	Gamezilla! The simplicity of the controller functions, along with a decent soundtrack, combine to make a great game for a low price.
92	Absolute Playstation The game rivets you to your seat with challenging gameplay, a thought provoking storyline and non-stop suspense as you sneak your way through level after level of action and intriguing twists.
91	Gaming Age The heart and soul of this game lies in stealth, which is splendidly conveyed through the visuals.
90	GamePro If you're a gamer who isn't' into twitch action, but you want something a little more intense than an RPG, step into Tenchu's dojo.
90	All Game Guide A brilliant and unique game that features lots of cool ninja weapons, such as throwing stars and the grappling hook, realistic Japanese scenery, stealth and patience tactics, etc. Players who like their games to be linear and planned out beforehand won't like this game; neither will the players with no patience.
90	Games Domain When games such as this are developed with such style and elegance as Tenchu, this relatively new style of gameplay can be incredibly effective and enjoyable.
90	IGN The kind of game that'll steal days of your life without you even noticing. It's absorbing, puzzling, and it's absolutely the quintessential PlayStation game. Hard-core, smart, bloody, and fun as hell.
85	Cheat Code Central Platinum It’s a generation above "Nightmare Creatures" and a half generation below "MGS".
83	GameSpot Excels in every way that counts, provides a lot of fun, and is well worth the price of admission.
77	TotalGames.net One thing that really needed attention in the Japanese version of Tenchu was the over active camera that follows your character. Skipping around with stomach-turning irregularity during fights and wandering off to give a confusing partial view of you or your opponent because it couldn't deal with nearby walls, this spoiled an otherwise very enjoyable game.
76	My Gamer Realism in games has always been a hot issue, but Tenchu achieved the perfect mixture of realistic ninja action with accompanying elements of the fantastic.
60	Adrenaline Vault A few more months spent tweaking the camera, improving the AI, and correcting the inventory scheme would have resulted in a much more enjoyable experience.