Tenchu is a great game for the Sony Playstation. It's been called a ninja simulation because it contains a fairly realistic protrayal of ninjas and what they do. But there are hidden fictionous items in the game to break the mold if you feel like it.

I also like this game because it is one of the most fair video games I've played. Each guard has about as much life and deals out about as much damage as you do. Notable exceptions are demons, who are roughly twice as hardy as humans, and bosses, who do have a health and damage boost. The only quirk is that swords and other melee weapons do less damage than they should. I'll detail that aspect more in the weapons section.

This webpage is an advanced FAQ for the game. I won't tell you basic controls or tactics. I won't detail the enemies or bosses or stages. You should already know this. And there shouldn't be any spoilers left for you, either. And for God's sake you should know that victims of stealth kills may randomly lose their head or arm. So don't bug me about such things.

You can choose to play as one of two ninjas. Ayame is female and uses twin daggers or short swords (I don't know the exact name for her weapons). Rikimaru is male and carries a ninja-to. A ninja-to is a ninja's version of the katana. It's a bit shorter (and straighter, IIRC) than a katana, and so it is easier to conceal and quicker to wield than a katana.

Ayame and Rikimaru play fairly differently, due to their weapons. Rikimaru is stronger but slower than Ayame. His weapon also has more reach. Ayame is faster and weaker, and her weapons have a wider range, especially on her left side. Rikimaru is better when he's all lined up with his target. Ayame is better at close range, since enemies tend to end up beside you during combat.

While the characters seem fairly balanced, in fact Ayame comes out on top for several reasons. Most obviously, when you catch an enemy by surprise, the hit is an instant kill. This makes Rikimaru's higher damage ability useless in this respect, while Ayame's speed still allows her a great advantage in the hit-and-run tactics the ninjas use. Ninjas are, after all, known for their stealth and speed above all things. Ayame's speed is also helpful in case her surprise attack misses; she recovers from the swing faster. Another advantage of Ayame's is the canned melee combo (just tap Square multiple times). Ayame's combo has one to three more hits than Rikimaru's. While it's difficult to connect with more than 4 hits, it is possible and will do more damage than Rikimaru in such a case. A disadvatage of Rikimaru's I notice time and again is that if you use his extended reach - striking the opponent with your initial attack while fairly far away - the combo will miss. Sometimes Rikimaru is so slow that you can't call it a combo because the enemy will be able to block the next strike. Finally, I *think* Ayame is harder to spot because she's smaller, but I don't know for sure. It just seems I get seen a helluva lot more whenever I play Rikimaru.

But Rikimaru does have a miscellaneous perk. His ducking slash (press Attack while holding Stealth) will knock down his opponent, giving him a chance to heal up or escape. This is useful for preventing counterstrikes (assuming it works), as well as tossing enemies into torches, off of cliffs, into water, etc.

The weapons are fairly realistic in both theme and effect. The notable exception is the damage of characters' main weapons - or more specifically, the lack thereof. It takes about six of Rikimaru's sword swings to kill a guard, while 2 ninja stars will do the same job.

Your ninja has at his/her disposal a variety of utilities and secondary weapons. The game is very fair when dealing with these. The weapons can hit anyone, including yourself. If they're dropped, they can be picked up again. This is all also true involving your enemies. I've seen Onikage pick up a bomb I threw, throw it right back at me, then combo me off the explosion.

• Grappling Hook: This standard, reusable utility weapon allows your character a great amount of freedom of movement. You cannot strike opponents with it, nor can you aim it downward. Other than that, hold down the Triangle button to aim at a surface, and release to throw. If it can reach, it will shoot out and automatically reel you in, Batman-style.

  If you aim the grappling hook, then change your mind about throwing it, pressing Stealth will cancel the action.
  

• Shuriken are useful for killing dogs and severely hurt guards. Enough of them can kill a hard-to-reach guard, but be sure to hide before the star hits. Stars frequently bounce when they hit walls, and can still damage someone on-the-bounce, including yourself. The sound of a shuriken ricocheting alerts guards. Stars can be picked up by your enemies, even by dogs, and on occasion human enemies will use it against you in combat. Killing the one who picked up the item will release it.

  Do not try to throw a star at someone below the eave of the roof you're standing upon, for the star will hit the roof and strike you on the bounce. You'll lose your health, your star, and your stealth since your intended target will be alerted.

  Guards are alerted if they see a star in-flight. They will look to its source.

  If you aim a star, then change your mind about throwing it, pressing Stealth will cancel the action.

  To use the star in battle, face the enemy, then tap the Use button to throw it straight ahead. If you hold it to aim, human enemies will dodge.
  

• Poisoned Rice is useful for luring enemies and innocents to a location, where you may bypass or remove them. It will bounce down slopes. Guards' eyes track the rice as it bounces, so if it bounces between the two of you for some reason, you may be seen.

  The rice will only attract one character at a time. I guess that person calls dibs. Characters always make a beeline for the rice, so you may run up behind them and finish them off. Do it quickly enough and you can keep the rice.
  

• Sleeping Gas is very useful for putting innocents and dogs to sleep so they'll never see you. They will only wake up if you provoke them, or a nearby guard raises the alarm. The gas also handy for putting out a guard in solo combat, immediately followed by slicing them for an undetected kill. Since it cannot be blocked, it can even be used upon bosses for a free chance at a combo, or a breather to use another item.
  
• Ocarina is exceptionally useful for calming the guards when they see a dead body, hear a disturbing noise, or glimpse something that might be a ninja. Since the guards can see their dead comrades from farther away than they can see your crouched form, the ocarina can prevent them from running over to get a better look at the dead guy at your feet. Even if they do not see you, you cannot assassinate anyone until the ki meter returns to normal. On the hard difficulty level, this takes longer, and the guard is more likely to go for help, leaving you with two targets watching each other's back. The assassin's seven-ten split.
  
• Clothes allow you to walk uncontested among your enemies. They're useful for killing an inaccessible guard, or bypassing many of them. Dogs can still recognize you, as they don't rely upon clothing to identify other creatures.

  When you kill someone, the clothes vaporize, unless it's a dog you kill. Of course, you still have to sneak up on the dog.

  What clothes you get is either determined by stage, or randomly. They all act the same, no matter how strange a geisha girl looks when she sprints down main street with a bloody sword in hand.
  

• Speed (yellow) Scroll turns you into Road Runner. You can't go airborne with this item, so don't try flying off roofs or ramping off carts. It is most likely intended for escaping while on flat terrain. But it is particular powerful when used in conjunction with Clothes. I can Grandmaster level 2 in 20 seconds with this combo.
  
• Fire (red) Scroll causes you to spew a tounge of flame as one of the enemies do. Its reach is longer than Rikimaru's sword, and can be aimed by pressing left and right. When using it in battle, you must take into account its slow startup time. If you keep it aimed at a person, it can double hit.
  
• Dog Bone summons an attack dog to help you. The game is fair as always, so take care that you and your dog don't accidently hurt or kill one another. If you're pretending to be Samurai Shodown's Galford, this dog is not nearly as great of a fighter as Poppy.

  This is the dog that appears on Tenchu's memory card save file if viewed from the Playstation's built-in card manager.

  You can only summon one dog at a time. If you try more, the bone will just lay on the ground. If the first dog vanishes, the second bone will automatically summon another dog.

  Your dog will not attack other dogs. Or cats, for that matter.
  

• Decoy (purple) Scroll summons a little ninja statue that your enemies will attack. The scroll will bounce a little before forming the decoy. Stay out of sight when it does. The decoy bounces when it gets hit, and enemies will chase it down.

  If you're still trying to play Samurai Shodown, use a smoke bomb followed by a decoy to simulate Hanzo's "I'm a log!" teleport special move.

  Use it also to freak out innocents and cats. Cats can move it around by running into it.
  

• Smoke Bomb is primarly for use as a getaway tool, but it can be also used to get a free combo on an enemy or boss. Be warned that it rolls down slopes, lessing its use there. But at the same time, it can be rolled off of a roof into an enemies face...

  While the game is usually fair, Ayame is not affected by the smoke. Perhaps she holds her breath for a while. Rikimaru covers his nose and mouth with a mask.
  

• Prayer Spell increases your strength and constitution for a while. Rikimaru's dashing stab (Up, Up, Attack) will now knock enemies airborne. The spell has a slow startup time as well. Save it for bosses, or for your Lone Wolf And Cub moments.
  
• Grenades can be aimed somewhat by using the Look button to center your target, then tapping the Use Item button. They don't fly straight as shuriken, but rather arc as rocks. They also bounce down slopes, as seen in the game's third demo. Be careful of the blast radius; you can accidentally kill yourself or innocents with it. While it is possible to kill a guard with it in one attack, it is only likely if it's an early stage, when guards have less life, and the bomb hits them squarely in the head. It is just barely possible to combo off of the explosion. Onikage can show you how this is done.

  Sometimes the bombs are duds. Pick them up and retry later, preferably before the enemy does.

  Bombs will explode other bombs in their blast radius, unless the bombs are placed on top of one another. You can set up chain combos with this. You can also kill a guard very quickly with this technique. He can't effectively see whilst being blown sky-high.
  

• Land Mines are stationary versions of the grenades. They are more powerful, and more dangerous for you to use. It is possible to lay one at a edge and have it fall down to the floor below.

  For dramatic effect, lay a land mine to the left of the Budda-like statue in level six, at the eventual landing point of Ayame when she jumps off of the statue. Later, when the first boss appears, Ayame will hop down and say, "..then I'll (BOOM!)gut you to get it!"

  Characters are unharmed from explosions and such during cinemas. However, they may be speaking whilst on fire. Cats are always unharmed, though they do turn bright orange for a while.
  

• Caltrops are useful to deter pursuers. Drop them in a doorway so the enemy cannot walk around, unless you may need to sneak through said doorway later. Face uphill on a steep rooftop, and the caltrops will sprinkle down to the ground. They can also kill an unsuspecting dog in one hit.

  A secondary use is to slow a boss while you use a health or bomb, or to control where you wish to allow him to walk. If he steps upon the last caltrop between the two of you, attack.
  

• Healing Potion restores the health of whoever uses it to full. Note the careful wording of that sentence. When the level 9 boss gets low on health, he'll whip out a potion to restore him to his full 200 points. Hit him with anything to cause him to drop it, then pick it up yourself sometime.
  
• Super Shuriken are most useful in battles with more than one opponent. Get out from between them, then lay into them like a shotgun. Mind that there are no innocents behind your targets. They do decent damage, but they do not hit as separately as they should.
  
• Armor increases your defense capability, as well as changes your character's appearance. It's useful if you keep having close-calls with boss battles. Also gives a nice change of pace if you've no real use for any of the other items on a particular stage. Its a good replacement for or addition to resurrection leaves for particularly hard stages, such as the final one.
  
• Ressurection Leaf instantly restores your character to full health upon that health hitting zero. It's like a One-Up from video games of old. Merely bring them with you and they'll work automatically when needed. They're great for hard battles, or if you just want to run around cracking heads. Mind, it does not save you from pitfalls.
  
• Colored Rice is intended to be a trail marker, as if a complete map wasn't enough. Only newbies may need this item. Having said that, don't place them near enemies as they'll pick them up.

  You could try laying them down during battle. Since characters - enemies included - automatically pick up items they walk across, you could take that opportunity to attack.

• You're deducted 30 points for killing an innocent. However, you're not deducted points for chasing an innocent around. And should that innocent consequently were to fall in the water and drown, then they should be more careful.
• It is perfectly alright for bosses and guards to kill innocents. They just need the proper motivation. Throw a Decoy into a small room with an innocent and get outta the way.
• Innocents usually run away when they see you, and guards come running in to see what's up. Sometimes, the game cheats a little here, in that as soon as the innocent goes out of range, she's immediately transformed into a guard and sent back into the fray. Killing that guard is the same as killing the innocent, except that you get more points rather than losing them. Using this tactic throws off the scoring system; it's possible to end up with more kills than the maximum possible. It doesn't work with all innocents, just particular ones.

• You can't slash during the Moonsault jump (Down, Up, Jump), unless you fall a good distance. Do a moonsault off of a roof and assassinate the enemy below before landing.
• Ayame's Arial (Up, Down, Attack) can hit multiple times, especially if the opponent is trapped between it and a corner. It's also a guaranteed knockdown.
• Rikimaru's dashing stab (Up, Up, Attack) can knockdown when used with the Prayer Spell. Ayame's hits multiple times, always. I once got a 4-hit from Ayame's dashing slash alone.
• Rikimaru's ducking slash (Hold Stealth, press Attack) always knocks down and sends enemies sailing into environmental hazards.
• Hold Start, then press Select to reset the game. Useful if you're about to die, like you're halfway down a pitfall, and you don't want to lose the items you've brought with you.

• Trojan Ninja: Plant a lot of land mines from the roof in a crowded area. Then toss a decoy in the middle of them. Use poison rice to lure more enemies toward the area. Toss grenades in the fray to add to the fun.
• Bank Shot of Death: Purposefully hit a wall with a shuriken so it will hit your enemy on the bounce. Occasionally, you get to keep the star. Note that the ricochet sound alerts guards. If you're fast, throw a grenade immediately afterward, and combo them.
• Torch-Her Torture: Use Rikimaru's ducking slash or Ayame's Arial (rear attack) to knock enemies into the air and on top of torches, lava, and other open flame. Even if the opponent dies of the attack, their body will still burn. If you knock the level 6 fat lady onto the bed of candles, her body will continue to burn even though the cinema moves her elsewhere. This is particularly cute when Rikimaru says, "Burn in Hell, you heretic."
• Wall Spring: (a.k.a. Triangle Jump, a.k.a. Ricochet Jump) In narrow alleyways it is actually easier to wall spring to the roof, rather than maneuver the grappling hook. Also, if an enemy has you against the wall, jump toward the wall (not straight up) then wall spring. You'll frequently land behind the enemy and pin him against the wall. You can also attack on the way down from the spring.
• Cheap Shot: If you knock a boss on his back, like Onikage, moonsault over him and stand by his head, so when he gets up, you've got a free back shot which cannot be blocked. Using Rikimaru's knockdown attack (or even Ayame's if you can see well enough), you can knock them down again and repeat.
• Stupid Dogs: If attacked by a dog, stop and duck. They can't hit you because they always jump and attack. If you squat at the edge of a cliff, the pup will sail off, snarling and yipping.
• Holy Flying Ninjas, Batman!: Aim the grappling hook a little below the ledge you want to climb onto, so when you're reeled in you will be left hanging on the ledge. Else, you may land on top of the ledge in full view of a guard.

• You can be seen through doors, closed or not. But you can't be seen through window mesh or picket fences and the like. As a general rule, if it stops your walking, then it stops the enemies' sight as well. The inverse is also true.
• On that note, graphics and collision-detection are usually tied together in 3D games. A funny camera angle can cause popin, where some triangles aren't drawn, but they should be. You may have already learned to control the phenomenon, using it to see enemies where you shouldn't. But it's possible that the enemy's "camera" can also accidentally experience popin, allowing him to see you when he shouldn't.
• The total count of enemies at the score screen is sometimes wrong. Level 1 (and layout B) is the worst transgressor. Kill everyone in the level, then keep walking around (ignoring the innocents you've left alive) and you may find a rogue pikeman somewhere. His position and appearance, as with most bugs, is random. I've gotten two kills over maximum on level 1.
• While not necessarily a bug, the ki meter doesn't take altitude into account the way you think it might. With one exception, it doesn't take varying height into account at all. If the ki meter seems to toggle between a high number and completely off, then the enemy it is detecting is probably a floor or two above or below. This is particularly noticable in level 9.
• There is a bug which causes an enemy simply to blink in and out of existance. It frequently happens when said enemy is just at the outer range of your senses, and there are two or more nearby enemies (dead or alive). The ki meter will react accordingly. So if you were expecting an enemy somewhere, and he's curiously absent, come back later.
• Another "undocumented feature", I believe, is the dog at the top of the ramp of level 10B's start. He always faces you. He doesn't move, he won't always see you, but he always faces you squarely. The bug happens again in 9A with a female ninja on the ground beween the west wall and the house. She looks like the stand-in-place type, but when she turns, she'll turn to face you and never again face away.
• Do invincible cats count? You can place grenades, land mines, caltrops, and even decoys in the way, but to no avail. It'll still meow and alert guards all the same. I would use the cat's ultimate hatred of water and try to drown them, but I can't get them near it!
• Once in a while the pool of blood underneath a slain enemy is 4 times its normal size. This sometimes happens in the top left corner of level 6, when I use Rikimaru's ducking slash to knock a Freak onto the nearby fence, rather than over it.
• Once in a while an enemy who falls off (well, thrown off) a cliff or bridge will not fall all the way. The body will hang in midair for the rest of the stage. Sometimes the quadruple-sized blood pool will appear when this happens. I guess if they fall far enough, they make a really big splat on the ground.

These things aren't bugs, but they are kinda weird sometimes.

• Cats' meowing will wake up sleeping guards. I've also seen a cat wake a guard by barrelling into him at a full sprint. I think a cat once caused a guard to go on alert by running off the rooftop and landing on his head. (That was in the top right corner of level 1.)
• I've seen the stealth cut-scenes get abbreviated, or sometimes the character finishes way too soon. I once did a Street Fighter 2-in-1 combo. Rikimaru went to do the throat slash animation, but then immediately aborted with the dashing stab, presumably for similar reasons that SF fireballs cancel normal moves. The effect was interesting, as if he had done a Dim Mak ("Death Touch") attack. Never been able to reproduce it.
• I've seen the voices and sound effects not match up with the text during a cinema. The CD had trouble reading the disc for a moment, which is why.
• I've been the victim of a seven-hit juggle. Those level 8 native americans - I mean, demons - are nasty!
• Every level has two or three items available for pickup. Level 8C has 5!
• Level 1B is one of the buggiest levels in the game. It also has the most number of animals - 2 cats and 4 dogs.
• Level 8 is not nearly as linear as it appears. Always check the hidden alcove just above and left of the natural bridge for enemies or items.
• You can stand on the outside edge of that balcony (above the river) in the bottom left corner of level 9.
• I've seen a guard take falling damage - on level 1 (layout C). He fell out of the loft above the (dead) subboss's room. I guess he either tripped over me on the way down, or was in the middle of a swing and misstepped, or landed on the subboss's sword. The fall did 10 points of damage.
• The level 9 female demons, if you stop a toe-to-toe fight with them long enough, will do a little dance to taunt you.
• I once saw a level 8 native american - I mean, demon - while walking around calmly, suddenly go up on his tiptoe, hop into a forward flip really close to the ground, and land on that tiptoe again.
• Ayame, if jumping toward someone while in battle and attacking on the way down, will sometimes both hit and be blocked simutaneously. I think that's cool that the game treats her daggers as two completely separate weapons, instead of cheating and making them act as one. Too bad the super shriken don't do that.
• I've seen a guard turn to face Ayame while she was attempting to backstab, but she did a long jump, and I guess she was so high that she was above his line of sight, for he didn't see her until her daggers found their mark. Springy, spritely, spiteful little b*tch, isn't she?

I put my records up so they serve as a backup in case the memory card gets whacked. Whenever you attain a new Rank for a level, the old points and time for that level are both erased. If you score at a lower rank, the points are obviously lower, but the time isn't kept either. If you score the same rank, then the points and/or the time will get replaced. They work separately. So a 20-minute Grand Master will replace the score and time for a 10-minute Master Ninja.

I personally think that Tenchu is a fairly easy game, even on its Hard difficulty level. I don't have any problems fighting 2 or 3 enemies at once, unless they catch me in a corner with a 12-hit combo. (That is not an exageration. It happened.) Boss battles are annoying, even though they give a feeling of closure to the level. Makes you feel like you actually accomplished something.

I'm trying, off and on, to get a Perfect on every level. When I find the maximum number of points per level, I'll post them.

I hear that Tenchu 2 is being made. Here's a list of things I'd like to see applied to it.

Technical Improvements:

• Camera Improvement: The camera jumps around a bit, especially when it's pinned against a wall during a fight. It tries to maneuver itself around the terrain, but doesn't do a great job. Sometimes it'll end up in the leaves of trees obscuring the action. It would be nice if obstacles between your character and camera would turn translucent ("ghost-like") as done in other games.
• Looking Around: When holding down the View (look-around) button, you can only look around within a 180-degree field. To look behind you, you must release the button, turn your character around, and hold View again. This even holds true if you're against a wall; the game "remembers" the way you were facing when you pressed against the wall, and the camera acts accordingly. View should simply turn your character with the camera, or at least if the camera tries to go out of its 180-degree region.
• Lock-On Camera: A feature I'd love to have is the ability to lock the camera onto an enemy, so that it pivots around your character while aiming in the direction of the opponent you've locked onto. This would be useful when during surveillance from the roof. Also, when in battle, the left/right directions would change from rotate-in-place to circle-around-the-enemy - the "pitchfork" configuration used in Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Legacy of Kain 2: Soul Reaver.
• Dual-Analog Control: While the vibration function is supported, analog is not. It would be great to, say, use the left stick to turn the charater/look around and the right stick to walk forward/backward/sideways. L3 would fire the selected weapon and R3 would probably roll/dash. Or maybe roll/dash is on the extrema of the stick, and R3 does Stealth mode. The controls would be completely configurable so we won't worry about it. But this kind of analog configuration allows things like circle strafing both while in battle and while sneaking and many other useful maneuvers.
• Link Support: Tenchu would make a great 2-player cooperative game. While split screens are great and all, they tend to limit what can be done in each screen. Playing Rikimaru on one console and Ayame on the other would be so cool. Especially if the ninjas *aren't* working together, in which they must be wary of the other assassinating them from behind. Not even the rooftops would be safe!
• Skippable Cinemas: Why can't we hit X or START to skip the cinemas? Some, like the intro to level 5, are a little too long to sit through time and again.
• Graphical Improvement: Fix the blatant pop-up and texture-perspective problems. It needn't be perfect, but it does need to be better. Plus, the occasional bug of being spotted through a wall needs to be corrected.
• Tune AI: The AI is pretty good, but a few touch-ups would be nice. For example, an alerted guard shouldn't calm down, then immediately be re-altered when he discovers the dead body he was already standing on. Plus, after the first time you are spotted, all the guards eventually become aware of a ninja in the compound, and security is tightened up. Also, the first level should be the easiest : drunk guards.

Design Improvements:

• Drag Bodies: Guards are alerted when they discover a dead body. It would be great to be able to drag the bodies somewhere reclusive. The blood stain would remain, but it generally goes unnoticed unless the guard is alerted to something and starts looking around.
• No "Victory Dance": While the closeup of an assassination is neat, it takes longer than it should because of the stupid little dance the character does afterward.
• Realistic Blood Sprays: Too much blood sprays from a slain enemy. If it was realistic I wouldn't mind, but it looks ridiculous.
• More Weapons: The Blowgun is the most requested weapon I hear about. It can double as a snorkel (and so, we add Hiding in Water), and traditionally the blowgun is sometimes actually the ninja's sword sheath. Poisoned darts knock out a person for a minute or so.
• Kicks: Besides adding a bit of variety to the combat, it would subdue Innocents so they'll stop spotting you. Of course, I guess darts from a blowgun could instead serve in this respect.

New Selectable Items
• Blowgun w/poison darts: aimed like shuriken; KO's victim for about a minute, but no other damage; also doubles as snorkel (press Stealth while in water) removing time limit for submersion
• Grappling Hook: can also strike enemies, yanking them toward character (single pull, hook releases & returns)
• Tripwire trap: a trip wire is shot g.hook-style into a far wall, and attached to an explosive or gas trap where the character stands.
• Firecracker: a special flashy grenade that will sit inert in a fire for a minute, then suddenly, noisily, and brightly explode, attracting attention
• Can use any aimed item while in mid-air, largely thanks to analog.

New Moves
• While in air, press Jump to do a kick (KOs victim for a minute, plus a bit of real damage). Press Stealth to do the moonsault (the 180 flip). Press Attack while close to initiate new cut-scene.
• Can attack downed opponents. This isn't about honor! Jump, then attack on the way down. But, characters do get up faster than in the first game. Their life depends upon it.
• While hanging from ledge, press Stealth to grab enemy & yank off. Press Triangle to use item (hangs by one hand). Press Attack to swing weapon at ankle level (sweep), or initiate new cut-scene. If applicable, press Jump to push off wall-face and flip up on top.
• Left analog joystick replaces D-pad for movement. L3 toggles Lock-On movement, in which up/down get closer/farther from targeted enemy, left/right circle enemy, and facing enemy is automatic.
• Right analog joystick always does view/aim, even while moving. R3 toggles Lock-On camera, in which the camera will pivot about your character, keeping the target in view.
• Viewing will turn character if moved far enough. Can also view downward until looking behind (& upside down) for when on a ledge, so you can lean over & look underneath the ledge.
• Forget the map. Pressing Select makes a noise, which causes a guard to come investigate.
• Drag dead bodies away by holding Select while standing over them.

New Difficulty Levels: The difficulty level also varies the amount of realism. Certain features can be toggled on/off.
• Ch'i meter can indicate distance even during alert modes.
• Ch'i meter can indicate direction.
• Ch'i meter can be turned off.
• Melee damage realism - swords can kill in a hit or two.
• No blocking - instead parry opponent's attack by attacking the attack.
• Guards are drunk.
• Once alerted, guards will stay on alert for the remainder of the mission. Stealth kill by cut-scene from behind only.
• Footprints left behind.
• Can accidentally cause snow to fall off of roof edges, causing guards to look up.
• Witnesses: score reflects how many people saw you & lived to tell about it
• Guard calls to dead guard, "No sleeping on the job!"

Interactive Story: Branching storyline allows for mission & ending variation. While most missions are Failure=Death, some can be truly failed. Missions with a time limit can be failed. Accidentally killing a needed ally is failure. Revealing hidden stages & characters makes up a part of the interactive story.

New Game Modes:
• Kamikaze mission: Enemies invade Lord Gohda's castle, attempting to assassinate him. You volunteer for the honor of single-handedly detaining/destroying the many enemies, giving Lord Gohda as much time as possible to escape.
• Lone Wolf (& cub) : (Twisted Metal-like) Many of the major NPCs, one or two of which being human-controlled, fight it out in a stealth deathmatch. Attacks from behind do more damage, as does head/neck shots. Traps are useful. Sometimes, traps in a level are pre-laid.
• Layout editor: previously an esoteric option in the Debug menu, now a user-friendly editor appearing when all layouts for all stages have been completed at least once
• 2-player (probably Link) modes!!
  • Normal : player 2 controls 'bad guys'
  • Co-op : 2 ninjas, 1 mission (normal game, but with help)
  • Intersection : 2 ninjas, 2 missions (player 2 has different mission; either paralleling or opposing player 1's mission)

New Stages:
• Hidden stages: some stages have hidden somewhere in them a piece of paper - an enemy message. Finding this and completing the stage with it allows going to a bonus stage.
• Titanic Shipment: Lord Gohda learns of a large shipment of guns, money, and supplies going to his enemies. You are to board the ship and sink it. Can do this via killing all inhabitants (ship floats into rocks & sinks) or by setting off a large explosion (ship catches fire & sinks).
• Thunderstorm: Under the cover of a storm, you are to destroy a secret enemy armory full of gunpowder and other weapons.
• Forest escape: pursued by (or invading) a ninja clan, you make your way through the canopy of a great forest. Don't fall or it's death.
• Find contact ninja: one of the enemy guards (chosen randomly) is actually a ninja in disguise. You must confront that ninja, in private, to get information. [How to identify him? Showing yourself to everyone until someone doesn't attack won't work.]
• Catch the Enemy: an important enemy is attempting to leave town *now*. You must find & kill him before he and his retinue saddle up & ride out. This mission has a time limit.
• Dis/Honor: after dispatching many of his guards, an important NPC yells into the open air an honorable challenge. Refuse his duel, and he'll send a bunch of ninja to find you. You are already standing behind & above him, and can easily leave, or jump toward him & fight.
• Field Decision: you overhear a conversation of something important happening right now. Without time to ask Lord Gohda, you must decide whether or not to pursue.
• Spy: Two of Lord Gohda's enemies are going to have a meeting. You are to infiltrate the house where they meet and listen in on conversations between them and their servants & guards. Being seen is a great liability. At one point, money is exchanged and a servent is sent to lock away the money. For the brief time the safe is open, the character may access a bonus document, revealing a new hidden stage.
• Dark Forest: On the way to infiltrate an enemy ninja hideout, you must bypass the numerous traps. This stage is a "get to the other side", but a multitude of land mines & trip wires replace guards. Also, there is a very large, very hungry wolf roaming the place.
• Destroy the Clan: Having assassinated Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda orders the execution of all members of the enemy ninja clan. You are to exterminate everyone & everything.
• Hit & Run: One of Lord Gohda's powerful rival lords has his castle built into the side of a mountain, with only a heavily guarded path leading to it. You are to use the 'human kite' to fly into the compound [land at the peak of the tallest building], accomplish your mission, and fly out again [by returning to the peak & reusing the kite]. This is the last stage for the demon PC; he wishes to withdrawal from humanity, and this castle is perfect, once the vermin are exterminated.

New Characters: Allow hidden characters. Perhaps they are fought during the game, but if you beat them in a certain way (i.e., with a subduing jump kick, or by pushing into water or off of cliff, etc.), they eventually "join" your side. They all can be played in the Lone Wolf battle mode.
• Myojinsoga-style swordsman.
• Archer: grappling hook replaced by arrow+line (a minor graphical change). Stealth kills from distance by placing arrow into back of neck (a la Minister Kataoka & his unfortunate bodyguard). Can melee attack by either punching w/bow, or a kick (it's a fairly weak attack). Can't block[, but can parry?].
• Geisha Girl: a ninja uses her disguise to get close enough for assassinations. Weapons are the throwing dagger-darts (one of the super-shuriken), probably poisoned. Or a wire for strangling. Also, may use an area-effect spell/poison involving cherry blossoms.
• Demon: No weapon; uses open hand attacks + side kicks. Grappling hook replaced by a big jump. Can attack normally whilst in this big jump; jump kick particularly powerful. Normal jump kick re-launches him into air. Also possesses an aim-able red ch'i attack, which sets victim on fire. Ducking attack is a double-hit sho-ryu-ken. Neck-slice cut-scene replaced by 2-finger poking the sides of the neck (a la Xena).
• Electric Line guy: uses a g.hook-like line as main weapon (aimed). If hits, he electrifies his enemy until they can break the line (takes longer to do if the line is attached from behind). Could also yank enemy around a bit, if possible. (Have you ever seen the anime "Ninja Scroll"?)
• Polearm expert.
• Ninja w/cat claws: g.hook replaced by ability to scale plain walls.
• Ninja w/jitte: moves similar to Ayame, but stronger, combos shorter, and can break enemy weapons. Has ponytail. Is part of enemy ninja clan, but when that clan is eliminated by Lord Gohda's orders, and you do not kill him (subdue?), he becomes ronin. Eventually joins your side.
• Sharpshooter w/revolver: Needs a second to reload his gun after 6 shots.
• Large Wolf: from booby-trapped stage. Is faster than all other characters. Double-tap & hold to run very very fast. Can jump quite high while running (good thing, too, as it can't use tools like grappling hook). Can charge an enemy, attack goes for neck and knocks down. Has stealth, rolling, and climbing maneuvers. Senses are sharper (the enemy-detection meter works at a higher level - such as telling direction).