<s>
is	O
a	O
1998	O
stealth	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Acquire	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
debut	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Tenchu	B-Application
series	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Sony	O
Music	O
Entertainment	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
Activision	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Rikimaru	O
and	O
Ayame	O
of	O
the	O
Azuma	O
ninja	B-Application
clan	O
as	O
they	O
complete	O
missions	O
for	O
their	O
employer	O
Lord	O
Gohda	O
in	O
Sengoku-era	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
gameplay	O
involves	O
the	O
player	O
guiding	O
their	O
chosen	O
character	O
through	O
missions	O
,	O
the	O
aim	O
being	O
to	O
remain	O
undetected	O
while	O
either	O
avoiding	O
or	O
quietly	O
killing	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Birth	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
,	O
released	O
worldwide	O
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
is	O
a	O
stealth	O
video	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
either	O
Rikimaru	O
or	O
Ayame	O
,	O
ninja	B-Application
who	O
complete	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
eleven	O
sandbox	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
items	O
include	O
health	O
potions	O
,	O
trail	O
markers	O
,	O
poisoned	O
rice	O
cakes	O
,	O
caltrops	O
,	O
shurikens	O
(	O
throwing	B-Application
blades	I-Application
in	O
Europe	O
)	O
,	O
smoke	O
bombs	O
,	O
grenades	O
and	O
land	O
mines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
Japan	O
's	O
turbulent	O
Sengoku	O
period	O
,	O
and	O
follows	O
missions	O
undertaken	O
by	O
the	O
stoic	O
ninja	B-Application
Rikimaru	O
and	O
spirited	O
kunoichi	B-Application
Ayame	O
of	O
the	O
Azuma	O
ninja	B-Application
clan	O
for	O
their	O
employer	O
the	O
benevolent	O
Lord	O
Gohda	O
and	O
his	O
daughter	O
Princess	O
Kiku	O
,	O
who	O
treats	O
Ayame	O
as	O
an	O
older	O
sister	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
several	O
missions	O
,	O
the	O
ninja	B-Application
are	O
first	O
accosted	O
,	O
then	O
fought	O
by	O
the	O
dark	O
ninja	B-Application
Onikage	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
behind	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
disturbances	O
with	O
the	O
goal	O
of	O
bringing	O
his	O
demonic	O
master	O
Lord	B-Application
Mei-Oh	I-Application
into	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Onikage	O
is	O
defeated	O
,	O
but	O
revives	O
and	O
attacks	O
a	O
final	O
time	O
as	O
the	O
ninja	B-Application
go	O
to	O
confront	O
Lord	B-Application
Mei-Oh	I-Application
and	O
rescue	O
Kiku	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lord	B-Application
Mei-Oh	I-Application
is	O
defeated	O
in	O
his	O
cavern	O
lair	O
,	O
which	O
starts	O
to	O
collapse	O
around	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
console	I-Device
was	O
released	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
and	O
while	O
Endo	O
was	O
eager	O
to	O
develop	O
for	O
it	O
and	O
approached	O
Sony	O
as	O
an	O
individual	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
turned	O
down	O
as	O
Sony	O
was	O
only	O
working	O
with	O
development	O
studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
successfully	O
pitched	O
to	O
Sony	O
,	O
who	O
agreed	O
to	O
support	O
production	O
for	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
considered	O
,	O
but	O
Acquire	O
ultimately	O
decided	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
one	O
platform	O
for	O
the	O
best	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
pitch	O
used	O
a	O
futuristic	O
science	O
fiction	O
setting	O
,	O
with	O
characters	O
performed	O
using	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
and	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
aesthetic	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
near-future	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3D	O
map	O
and	O
camera	O
systems	O
of	O
1996	O
's	O
Tomb	B-Application
Raider	I-Application
inspired	O
the	O
team	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
quite	O
close	O
to	O
their	O
initial	O
design	O
ideas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
cited	O
influence	O
was	O
the	O
early	O
2D	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
technical	O
challenge	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
hardware	O
limitations	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
needed	O
to	O
balance	O
draw	O
distance	O
,	O
a	O
stable	O
frame	O
rate	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
gameplay	O
requirement	O
of	O
seeing	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ki	O
meter	O
was	O
included	O
to	O
play	O
into	O
the	O
traditions	O
surrounding	O
ninja	B-Application
while	O
giving	O
players	O
an	O
alert	O
system	O
in	O
the	O
dark	O
environments	O
without	O
resorting	O
to	O
a	O
minimap	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Acquire	O
could	O
not	O
match	O
the	O
budget	O
and	O
scope	O
of	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
they	O
used	O
it	O
to	O
spur	O
themselves	O
to	O
making	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
setting	O
and	O
3D	O
environments	O
as	O
convincing	O
as	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
actors	O
were	O
Sho	O
Kosugi	O
(	O
Rikimaru	O
)	O
,	O
Naoko	O
Kamio	O
(	O
Ayame	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Kane	O
Kosugi	O
(	O
Onikage	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kitagawa	O
supervised	O
the	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Noriyuki	O
Asakura	O
,	O
who	O
would	O
gain	O
notoriety	O
through	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Rurouni	O
Kenshin	O
anime	O
adaptation	O
and	O
had	O
worked	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
hardware	O
on	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
of	O
Crime	B-Application
Crackers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Murase	O
also	O
performed	O
on	O
the	O
track	O
"	O
Tenchu	B-Application
Suite	O
-	O
aminina	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
album-exclusive	O
composition	O
with	O
lyrics	O
by	O
Sumie	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
February	O
26	O
,	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
had	O
no	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
Tenchu	B-Application
outside	O
Japan	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
stealthy	O
depiction	O
of	O
ninjas	B-Application
clashing	O
with	O
the	O
action-oriented	O
Western	O
portrayals	O
,	O
but	O
American	O
publisher	O
Activision	O
was	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
successfully	O
pitched	O
for	O
the	O
rights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Galka	O
remembered	O
Tenchu	B-Application
being	O
seen	O
as	O
a	O
big	O
risk	O
for	O
Activision	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
gameplay	O
innovations	O
and	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
censored	O
to	O
replace	O
shurikens	O
with	O
throwing	B-Application
blades	I-Application
due	O
to	O
laws	O
prohibiting	O
kunai	B-Application
use	O
and	O
display	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Western	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
February	O
22	O
,	O
1999	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	O
Shinobi	O
Gaisen	O
,	O
with	O
cover	O
art	O
drawn	O
by	O
manga	O
artist	O
Hiroaki	O
Samura	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
opening	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
standalone	O
expansion	O
compiling	O
one	O
hundred	O
user-created	O
levels	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
that	O
same	O
date	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	O
Shinobi	O
Hyakusen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
was	O
very	O
successful	O
both	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
overseas	O
;	O
by	O
2003	O
it	O
sold	O
250,000	O
units	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
over	O
1.4	O
million	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
would	O
be	O
Acquire	O
's	O
best-selling	O
title	O
until	O
the	O
2018	O
release	O
of	O
Octopath	B-Application
Traveler	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ranked	O
as	O
the	O
54th-top	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
by	O
the	O
staff	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
in	O
2001	O
:	O
"	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
showed	O
the	O
gaming	O
world	O
that	O
it	O
takes	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
dark	O
clothes	O
and	O
pointy	O
throwing	O
objects	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
ninja	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forcing	O
players	O
to	O
learn	O
and	O
utilize	O
stealth	O
techniques	O
to	O
not	O
only	O
excel	O
,	O
but	O
merely	O
survive	O
,	O
Tenchu	B-Application
is	O
a	O
challenging	O
,	O
nerve-wracking	O
game	O
that	O
leaves	O
you	O
screaming	O
in	O
frustration	O
,	O
then	O
crawling	O
back	O
for	O
more.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
complicated	O
and	O
involving	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
various	O
missions	O
makes	O
Tenchu	B-Application
a	O
highly	O
engrossing	O
,	O
one-player	O
adventure	O
—	O
the	O
sort	O
of	O
thing	O
long	O
nights	O
are	O
made	O
of.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
titles	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
that	O
codified	O
the	O
stealth	O
game	O
genre	O
,	O
alongside	O
Thief	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Project	I-Application
and	O
Metal	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Solid	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
Tenchu	B-Application
helped	O
establish	O
Acquire	O
as	O
a	O
company	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
would	O
also	O
limit	O
their	O
titles	O
to	O
a	O
Japanese	O
aesthetic	O
for	O
some	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
demanded	O
a	O
sequel	O
for	O
Western	O
players	O
,	O
which	O
Acquire	O
developed	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Birth	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Activision	O
acquired	O
the	O
Tenchu	B-Application
IP	O
and	O
gave	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
next	O
title	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Wrath	I-Application
of	I-Application
Heaven	I-Application
to	O
K2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Acquire	O
would	O
not	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
until	O
2008	O
's	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
.	O
</s>
