Finally got back to playing through this.
First off, I abhor stealth games. I never played Tenchu, but I've tried various stealth/action-stealth games like Metal Gear, Dishonored, Deus Ex, Assassin's Creed, Hitman, and Styx. Most of the time I abandon them after an hour or two. I want to enjoy them, but I just don't. About the only 'stealthy' games (and I'm using that term loosely) I've enjoyed were Mark of the Ninja, The Last of Us, and Sly Cooper.
Overall, I really love the stealth mechanics here. Teleporting and creating shadows never gets old. I felt that from the second I played Path of Shadows, and it's even better here. That alone is worth the experience. It's especially satisfying when you can teleport to avoid an incoming light attack and quickly stab the enemy in the back.
I went the Oni route, and tried to kill everyone my first playthrough. Missed a couple. I didn't really touch the Ghost Techniques, favoring the Shinen, Kunai, and Shadow Kills. I'm going back now for the Yurei and Kami medals, which are much easier so far.
There were some tough areas, and I died repeatedly, but I really enjoyed the stealth for once. The sandbox approach give you a lot of options that let you play the way you want to. In most other stealth games, I feel like the way I want to play is either unencouraged or punished. The art style also aided in the enjoyment - as I'm a huge fan of bold art direction and cell shading.
The boss battles were a little tough. The first one took me a while to figure out. But I really enjoyed the cover based one toward the end with the archer.
Sure, the game doesn't run perfect, the AI isn't always the brightest, and it has some rough spots, but it's an accessible stealth game with a unique approach, and a huge accomplishment from such a small team.
There are a lot of great ideas at play. Some are executed well, and some could use a bit more refinement. I could easily see Aragami being expanded upon even further to be even better. I'd even love to see Aragami become a franchise.
