The ninjas at From Software did a fantastic job of keeping Tenchu: Shadow Assault a secret. This Xbox Live Arcade Tenchu game came out of nowhere with an official page (thanks for the tip Ian!!) and an October 8 release date. While this game bares the Tenchu name it’s completely unlike the main games in the series. You set traps for other people to run over. This trailer shows some of the neat trap combos you can set up like ricocheting someone from springs to spear pits. This Tenchu game is essentially Tenchu Party. Rikimaru, Ayame, Rin, and the rest of the Tenchu characters got a less serious, more welcoming cute look too.
There is a single player mode, but Tenchu: Shadow Assault looks like the kind of game best played with a group of backstabbing friends. Tenchu: Shadow Assault has some kind of not clearly explained online play, score rankings, and a glimpse of the main menu has a slot for downloadable contents. The base game only costs 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Right now Tenchu: Shadow Assault is only confirmed for Japan, but don’t be surprised if it comes out on North America soon if not on the same day. So far the only Xbox Live Arcade game to debut in Japan first was Shotest Shogi.
Images courtesy of From Software.
