PlayStation Pro 2 - Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven Preview

An exclusive one minute long Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven trailer has been added to the media section below. We also have three exclusive screenshots of some of the levels featured in the game. Enjoy!

As a child, I loved dressing up as a ninja. When Halloween came around, I would dust off the old ninja costume that my mother had bought me and I would excitedly run around the neighborhood collecting as much candy as possible. Now that I've taken a look at the latest Tenchu game, I can't help but get all warm and fuzzy inside. After all, unless you were into Barbie dolls, you probably wanted to be a ninja too when you were younger.

Once again, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven has you taking the role of either Rikimaru, Ayame and another secret character that can be unlocked after beating the game. Each character will control slightly different from each other, so choosing a ninja that will fit your style is key to being successful in the game.

One major complaint that many people had with the last Tenchu game are the sluggish and somewhat awkward controls. Rest assured, Wrath of Heaven will play much better than its predecessors. For instance, there is now a lock-on button. The camera system has been improved as well so that you can get a better look of your surroundings. This is integral to being a worthy stealth assassin.

In order to learn new moves and skills, you have to fill your kanji meter in the bottom half of the screen. The more stealth kills you perform, the more the meter fills up. If you completely fill up the meter, you will earn a new special move, such as the ability to fake your own death to lure enemies closer to you so that you can kill them. All in all, there are about nine special moves that you can learn.

New to the series is a two player co-op and deathmatch modes. In co-op, both players must work together to earn as many stealth kills as possible without being seen by the enemy. In deathmatch, both players use his or her best stealth skills and try and kill each other. There are five unique multiplayer levels and abilities earned in the single-player mode can be transferred to the multiplayer games.

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven features nine large single-player levels, with each one designed to offer multiple missions paths. Lastly, there are multiple game endings to help with the replay value. Despite all of the new additions to the game, Wrath of Heaven will not include a level editor like the previous Tenchu games. You also cannot swim or drag dead bodies to avoid being discovered. Damn.