Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen

Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen is the sequel to Shinobido: Way of the Ninja and just like the original game it is an action stealth game similar to the Tenchu series.

The game sees titular hero Zen caught amidst an ongoing struggle for power in the Utakata-Province in ancient Japan six months after the events of the previous game. There are three concurring factions, lead by the Daimyos Ichijo, Lady Kihan and Kazama. Zen himself is on a personal quest for revenge, searching for Shu the Cypress, who not only killed his girlfriend but also threatens to open the gates of hell by assembling all of the Tenma Mirrors. Zen tries to find them before Shu and therefore also has to put up with the ongoing conflict. At some point, he gets help by Kaede, literally the living mirror picture of his girlfriend. From then on she is a playable character as well except for the main story missions.

The game consists largely of semi-random missions the player can carry out for either of the warlords to change the balance of power in the Utakata-Province. There are a bunch of different types of missions: escort ox-carts, attack ox-carts, theft missions of varying types, abduction missions as well as rescue missions, bodyguard missions, elimination etc. Successfully carrying out missions can lead to weakening one warlord (e.g his food-supply or military strength) and help another (e.g. by increasing food supplies or military intelligence). It also can lead to a change in your standing with the involved warlords. If the military strength of one warlord is very low, the player will have the option to either do a mission to protect the warlord from attacks or to kill him. As long as there is more than one warlord left, there will be a steady stream of new missions, which theoretically can prolong the came indefinitely. Real progress in the game is made by completing story missions which usually unlock as you do missions for the warlords. Gameplay-wise there is no real difference to the warlord-missions other than the inclusion of boss-fights.

All missions take place on a set number of relatively large, open maps that include palaces and cities as well as mountainous regions and villages. Like its predecessor this is mainly a stealth game, Zen is pretty weak in combat, but can get around the levels fast and silent with high and far jumps and, later on in the game, also a glide ability. There is also a crafting system in place that lets you produce different kinds of items: potions to increase health etc., trap items like poisoned sushi, bombs and mines. A different way of acquiring items is by just buying them or picking them up within the levels (e.g. as loot drops from fallen guards). Another RPG-aspect is added to the game by the way of a stat-leveling system that lets you increase your health, strength etc when leveling up, since completed missions not only net you money but also XP.