Sekiro Shadows Die Twice is a game with roots. The developers, From Software, has a long line of beloved and belabored titles going back decades. In the early days they acquired the rights to a Sony Playstation exclusive that is known as Tenchu. A release from 1998, (nearly a year before Looking Glass Studio's Thief), Tenchu provided players with something they hadnt ever experience -and honestly, havent experienced since; a ninja game. Now before you say, "wait a sec theres metric s#*! tons of ninja games out there!" Allow me to elucidate. The look of the ninja has been done to death; the style, the aesthetic. Ninja gaiden is arguably not a ninja game- the protagonist looks like a ninja and is called a ninja, but lets ask ourselves a question: What makes a ninja? The answer: Tenchu. The original game spawned several sequels, the last of which worth mentioning was Tenchu Z on the Xbox. Z brought the game into the modern era with updated controls, multiplayer, full character customization. When From Software announced that they were making a new game and the teaser trailer showed that bone arm with that feudal Japanese vibe, well, many who remembered Tenchu rejoiced. Alas it was not meant to be. Instead we got Sekiro, a great game in its own right. Sekiro takes some of the best parts of Tenchu and couples them into a souls formula. But fans of Tenchu were missing the core gameplay that was the essence of Tenchu: level selection and differing enemy spawns, custom level editors, character creator, ect. Tenchu was a game about being a ninja. Yes, there were some supernatural elements, but the game experience was, by comparison, very reality oriented. Select a level, enemy layout, select your outfit and gear, and go! Each level was a playground designed straight out of edo period Japan. Stick to the shadows, watch for patterns. Take out enemies meticulously, silently, and without hesitation. This is what it means to be a ninja. Please forgive my long winded intro. I wanted to explain myself as clearly as possible, express my sincerity, explain my love for tenchu and maybe reach out to any others within earshot who might also be missing that essential Tenchu experience. My Question: How hard would it be to make one Sekiro level based on an old Tenchu map?
