Tenchu 4: The Stealth Action Genre Makes an Unseen Comeback

The resurrection of the once-glorious action series Tenchu appears to be for real, thanks to the upcoming release of Tenchu 4 on the Wii.

The stealth action series had its innovative roots on the Playstation platform in the late ‘90s, but began to flounder not too long after developer Acquire, a master of ninja/samurai combat game play, was not asked to develop the sequels Tenchu: Return from Darkness and Tenchu Z, which tanked on the original Xbox and Xbox 360, respectively.

Now, with the return of Acquire, hopes are high for the new game in this forgotten series that helped define the modern stealth action genre, preceding even Metal Gear Solid.

The thought of ninja-stealth game play controlled by the Wii nunchuk is pretty revolutionary in and of itself. The game is slated to be released on October 23rd in Japan, but word on the North American release is yet to be heard.

Despite the lack of hard facts concerning the game, there is a tangible excitement over the Tenchu 4 trailer. Many great aspects of the game appear to remain intact, especially the famed stealth kill. Interesting side note: the Tenchu clip just so happens to sync with the Wu-Tang Clan. Don’t believe it? Just check out some of Masta Killa’s slashing rhymes played over Tenchu’s ninja-stealth combat.

This developing news will probably rekindle fond memories of stealth game play in an eerie feudal Japan setting in fans of the original, but it is just as likely to bring about head scratching from those who have forgotten the series or, even worse, remember the embarrassment that is Tenchu Z.