I'd like to preface this review by saying I am a huge Tenchu fan. In particular Tenchu: Stealth Assassin's, and Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. Tenchu is the game series that got me into the stealth genre, which opened the door for games like MGS, Splinter Cell, Dishonored, etc.

Over the course of the past few decades we've had games like Ninja Gaiden which brought a more combat and magic oriented focus over the stealth approach. While this is a popular gaming style it did not scratch the itch for stealth that the previously mentioned Tenchu games delivered. Mark of the Ninja brought it's own flavor and style of stealth into the side scrolling 2D and was an excellent title, but it lacked the open level design that only 3 dimensional games can offer.

When the first Aragami released it granted players a unique way of navigating the 3D maps. Using the shadows to leap from one shadow area to the next, both horizontally and vertically. There was no jumping in the original game. Combat was also shunned in favor of a more pure stealth approach offering players ways of both assassinating or ghosting levels without killing or being spotted.

Enter Aragami 2. The biggest deviation from the original game was the necessity of having to use the shadows to navigate, that is no longer the case. Instead, in Aragami 2 there is a dedicated jump button in conjunction with Shadow Leap (think grappling hook from the Tenchu games) that allows players to jump and dash around the games environment, regardless of whether there is a shadow present or not.

The combat has also drastically improved, whereas in the original Aragami combat was a death sentence. In Aragami 2 the game offers a more robust combat experience by comparison. Parrying, light attacks, heavy attacks, along with specific tools and powers to help augment the player if they want to engage in combat rather than having to flee. It is still far from having great combat encounters though, but at least the option is there for players that want to actively fight rather than escape when the occasion arises.

The game offers character customization in a variety of ways too. From armor sets that can be mixed and matched to various swords. They even have an assortment of dyes to color your character with as well. The game provides runes which can be purchased via the blacksmith vendor in Kakurega Village (which is like your home area in between missions). These allow to further customize your character by augmenting your stats like stealth, armor, stamina, attack, etc. There is also a variety of tools and potions at your disposal before each mission that you can purchase and stock up on.

There are a total of 50+ missions in Aragami 2, however maps are revisited repeatedly which can get repetitive by the end of the game. The mission objectives do get tougher though as the game progresses into it's later stages, challenging the player not to be detected and to not kill anyone. This is obtainable by the abilities you gain as you level through the ability tree. There is a good selection of abilities to add to your growing array of skills to allow you to approach mission objectives in the best way that suits you.

Overall the story was cool. Nothing mind blowing but I enjoy this type of setting and way of story telling for this particular type of game. I had a lot of fun playing Aragami 2 and it brought back a lot of fond memories of playing the older Tenchu games while also simultaneously forging new ones for this game.

I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a ninja stealth game that is trying to "scratch that itch" of older Tenchu titles. In summary, the best way I could describe Aragami 2 is like Tenchu with shadow powers. Not to take anything away from this game. I think the developers did an outstanding job with the atmosphere and the music too is spot on. I am currently working on finishing up collectibles and maybe even try my hand at the hard difficulty.

That reminds me, the devs have even added a "classic" mode, which allows the player to play Aragami 2 similarly to the original game. Sticking to the shadows and shadow leaping via the shadows. It just goes to show that the developers have listened to player feedback and incorporated a feature that the fans asked for. I think that is noteworthy & worth mentioning in this day and age when a lot of requests fall on deaf ears.

In any event, it's been a fun ride and I hope to see an Aragami 3 in the works down the line.

I'd like to preface this review by saying I am a huge Tenchu fan. In particular Tenchu: Stealth Assassin's, and Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. Tenchu is the game series that got me into the stealth genre, which opened the door for games like MGS, Splinter Cell, Dishonored, etc. Over the course of the past few decades we've had games like Ninja Gaiden which brought a more combat and magic oriented focus over the stealth approach. While this is a popular gaming style it did not scratch the itch for stealth that the previously mentioned Tenchu games delivered. Mark of the Ninja brought it's own flavor and style of stealth into the side scrolling 2D and was an excellent title, but it lacked the open level design that only 3 dimensional games can offer. When the first Aragami released it granted players a unique way of navigating the 3D maps. Using the shadows to leap from one shadow area to the next, both horizontally and vertically. There was no jumping in the original game. Combat was also shunned in favor of a more pure stealth approach offering players ways of both assassinating or ghosting levels without killing or being spotted. Enter Aragami 2. The biggest deviation from the original game was the necessity of having to use the shadows to navigate, that is no longer the case. Instead, in Aragami 2 there is a dedicated jump button in conjunction with Shadow Leap (think grappling hook from the Tenchu games) that allows players to jump and dash around the games environment, regardless of whether there is a shadow present or not. The combat has also drastically improved, whereas in the original Aragami combat was a death sentence. In Aragami 2 the game offers a more robust combat experience by comparison. Parrying, light attacks, heavy attacks, along with specific tools and powers to help augment the player if they want to engage in combat rather than having to flee. It is still far from having great combat encounters though, but at least the option is there for players that want to actively fight rather than escape when the occasion arises. The game offers character customization in a variety of ways too. From armor sets that can be mixed and matched to various swords. They even have an assortment of dyes to color your character with as well. The game provides runes which can be purchased via the blacksmith vendor in Kakurega Village (which is like your home area in between missions). These allow to further customize your character by augmenting your stats like stealth, armor, stamina, attack, etc. There is also a variety of tools and potions at your disposal before each mission that you can purchase and stock up on. There are a total of 50+ missions in Aragami 2, however maps are revisited repeatedly which can get repetitive by the end of the game. The mission objectives do get tougher though as the game progresses into it's later stages, challenging the player not to be detected and to not kill anyone. This is obtainable by the abilities you gain as you level through the ability tree. There is a good selection of abilities to add to your growing array of skills to allow you to approach mission objectives in the best way that suits you. Overall the story was cool. Nothing mind blowing but I enjoy this type of setting and way of story telling for this particular type of game. I had a lot of fun playing Aragami 2 and it brought back a lot of fond memories of playing the older Tenchu games while also simultaneously forging new ones for this game. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a ninja stealth game that is trying to "scratch that itch" of older Tenchu titles. In summary, the best way I could describe Aragami 2 is like Tenchu with shadow powers. Not to take anything away from this game. I think the developers did an outstanding job with the atmosphere and the music too is spot on. I am currently working on finishing up collectibles and maybe even try my hand at the hard difficulty. That reminds me, the devs have even added a "classic" mode, which allows the player to play Aragami 2 similarly to the original game. Sticking to the shadows and shadow leaping via the shadows. It just goes to show that the developers have listened to player feedback and incorporated a feature that the fans asked for. I think that is noteworthy & worth mentioning in this day and age when a lot of requests fall on deaf ears. In any event, it's been a fun ride and I hope to see an Aragami 3 in the works down the line.