Codename: Tenka

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CODENAME TENKA
Developer - Psygnosis
Publisher - Psygnosis
Release date - May 31, 1997



Codename: Tenka is a first-person shooter by Psygnosis. It is also known as just "Tenka" in some other forms of release.

Gameplay



The game set in a futuristic action environment that, upon entering is immediately hostile. You engage in battle with a number of various armed flying robots, stationary turrets and bipedal creatures.

The different released versions of the game differ slightly from platform to platform and name to name (i.e. some minor differences in sound design, visual effects and map layout).

Story

Lifeforce Tenka takes place in a dystopian future where a multinational conglomerate, Trojan Incorporated, is in the process of performing presumably unethical genetic experiments. Joseph D. Tenka, the protagonist, discovers the corporation's nefarious activities and sets about bringing them and their genetically engineered army down.

Design

The weapon design differs from other similar games of the time in that instead of the player character traversing the levels, acquiring stronger more powerful weapons to add to an accumulated arsenal, weapon modifications are picked up and added to the same weapon (known as the "Self-Generating Polymorphic armoury", or SG-26) and switched between as necessary. This design choice may have been influenced by the release of the first movie adaptation of Judge Dredd in which the characters use a similar weapon system, named the Lawgiver MK II. Upon switching weapon modes, the weapon announces the selected mode in a similar fashion to that of the Lawgiver.

The weapon featured in the game is not the weapon seen on the cover art. A pre-rendered image of the games protagonist on the cover sees him standing with one leg on the title, aiming a weapon towards the viewer that resembles an AR-15 platform assault rifle with an underslung M-203 grenade launcher, which never actually appears in the game.

The protagonist is also seen on the cover art dressed in futuristic, military-style gear, reminiscent of how the Colonial Marines in the Aliens (franchise) were equipped, which, along with the weapon design, also suggests the art direction was inspired by popular franchises across other media.