Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
Developer(s)	Acquire
Publisher(s)	JP: Sony Music Entertainment Japan WW: Activision
Director(s)	Takuma Endo
Producer(s)	Masami Yamamoto
Programmer(s)	Daisuke Hisamatsu
Artist(s)	Koshi Nakanishi Kensuke Yamamoto
Writer(s)	Takuma Endo
Composer(s)	Noriyuki Asakura
Series	Tenchu
Platform(s)	PlayStation
Release	JP: February 26, 1998 NA: September 14, 1998 EU: October 30, 1998
Genre(s)	Stealth
Mode(s)	Single-player

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins^[a] (published in Japan as "Rittai Ninja Katsugeki: Tenchu") is a 1998 stealth video game developed by Acquire for the PlayStation. The debut entry in the Tenchu series, it was published in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, and by Activision in the West. Following Rikimaru and Ayame of the Azuma ninja clan as they complete missions for their employer Lord Gohda in Sengoku-era Japan, the gameplay involves the player guiding their chosen character through missions, the aim being to remain undetected while either avoiding or quietly killing enemies.

Production began in 1996 as Acquire's first project, with the aim being to create a then-uncommon game using only 3D graphics, in addition to focusing on stealth over action. The team faced multiple technical challenges, and director Takuma Endo ended up taking on multiple roles within the production including scenario writer. It met with positive reception from game journalists, with praise focusing on its mission design and focus on stealth. It was also a commercial success, selling over one million units worldwide by 2003, and having estimated sales of five million across all versions by 2019. A sequel, Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins, released worldwide in 2000.
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