Tenchu: Fatal Shadows is the latest entry in From Software's Tenchu franchise, which is best summed up as a ninja sim. The game was known as Tenchu Kurenai when it was released in Japan earlier this year, and it marks a decidedly different spin on the Tenchu formula. While you'll still be skulking about and killing folks as always, this time out you'll be doing it exclusively with a lady's touch. The game will feature female ninja Ayame seen in the previous Tenchu games, and newcomer Rin in an original adventure set in old-school Japan. We had a peek at the Japanese version of the game at Sega's offices after it was announced that a US version of the game would be released.

　　Ayame is back, but where is Rikimaru?

　　Fans of the Tenchu franchise may find themselves wondering where ninja poster boy Rikimaru is for this outing of ninja action. The answer is that our boy has gone missing, which is why Ayame is dispatched to find him. Along the way she meets Rin, a young female mercenary, and in the tradition of "Thelma and Louise," the two set off on an adventure that's light on bar hopping and heavy on killing.

　　While much of the gameplay in Tenchu: Fatal Shadows should be familiar to fans of the series, there have been a number of tweaks to it, which end up offering a unique experience. You'll unlock new moves by using scrolls that are dropped by enemies. The moves will now cost a certain amount of scrolls, forcing you to get as many as you can by killing your foes. The best way to earn scrolls is by using one of the game's new moves, the dual stealth kill, which is easily as fun as you make think. If you time your move properly and you are in the right position, you can take out two enemies at once, which looks as cool as it sounds.

　　You'll find all-new ways to get your kill on.

　　The graphics in the game are looking solid and a touch cleaner than the last Tenchu game on the PS2. Ayame and Rin look good, thanks to a good amount of detail on their character models. The assorted enemies are also looking sharp and they certainly bleed nicely. The environments in the game serve as good highlights for the pair, as their dramatic lighting and architecture make excellent photo ops. While there won't be any dramatic changes to the graphics, the US version of the game will address some of the slowdown issues seen in the Japanese game.

　　Tenchu: Fatal Shadows is currently slated to ship early next year for the PlayStation 2. For more, check out our news story and our media page for footage of the game in motion. Check back with us soon when we'll have more on the game.