Play Tenchu: Dark Secret Online

Summary

Tenchu: Dark Secret drops you into the role of a ninja assassin tasked with safeguarding a princess, letting you pick either Rikimaru or Ayame. The game offers more than 40 single‑player missions where you can stalk foes with a sword, set explosive traps, or craft your own weapons and items for a personalized approach. A standout feature for the DS era is its local wireless multiplayer, which lets friends duel head‑to‑head, and the Wi‑Fi option to trade, buy, or sell gear worldwide. It’s also the series’ first Nintendo‑system entry and the only one that avoided a Mature ESRB rating, reflecting a slightly toned‑down presentation. Despite these ambitions, critics panned the title, citing stiff controls, repetitive music, and graphics that never fully exploited the handheld’s 3D capabilities. Review scores hovered in the low‑to‑mid range, with Metacritic averaging 37/100. The game’s limited retail release—only through EBGames and GameStop in North America—added to its niche reputation, making Tenchu: Dark Secret a curious footnote for retro‑gaming collectors.

Storyline

In Tenchu: Dark Secret, two years after the Burning Dawn crisis, Azuma Clan ninja Rikimaru and Ayame arrive in the frontier village of Saiga on the northern edge of Lord Gohda’s domain. They intervene in a bandit raid that leaves the noble Princess Shizu wounded, and after driving the attackers away they learn she is the political bride of Lord Kagemasa of Hakkaku. Gohda tasks the duo with escorting the frightened princess safely to his castle while the village endures relentless assaults.

The ninjas soon discover that the bandit leader is Akunosuke Murai, a former Toda general, and defeat him in a fierce duel. Hakkaku’s samurai, ninja, and even undead forces are sent to retrieve Shizu, but Rikimaru and Ayame repel each wave, prompting Hakkaku to launch a full‑scale invasion of Gohda’s lands. The combined Gohda‑Akama army is forced into a slow retreat as Hakkaku’s undead troops gain the upper hand.

During the conflict the pair learn that Shizu is pregnant with a demonic spawn created by Hakkaku’s occult rituals. Possessed, she flees to a cliff and attempts suicide, only to be caught by Hakkaku, who is himself possessed by the demon Kubira. An ominous castle rises from the fog, serving as the gateway for the dark ritual.

Rikimaru and Ayame storm the castle, defeat the possessed Hakkaku and exorcise the evil from Shizu using the Azuma Clan’s ancestral blade, Izayoi. The castle collapses, the survivors escape, and Shizu returns to her father after a brief recovery. With their mission complete, the ninja head back to Gohda Castle, while Hakkaku’s province fades into history.