It's a stealth game made to be PORTABLE.
In Tenchu you're expected to be playing on a home console, in a relaxed environment, on a large screen and with refined controls. In Shinobido it's just the opposite: you're expected to be playing in short intervals, on a small screen with limited detail, and confined controls.
What this means is that it's not jam-packed with all the fluff and flash that a console game would have, it's much more stripped down for quick no-nonsense play. On the flip side of that, there's a lot more emphasis on preparation, politics, and menu jumping that keeps things interesting between missions. Figuring out which sect to support can be a fun game in itself, and you kinda get to play the role of "The man with no name" and play sides against each other a little bit.
Alchemy is very tricky to figure out, and even after beating the game I still don't fully understand it. Although, by the end of the game I was finding myself making some pretty incredible items, as there are very few limitations on item strengths. From there you can either let it concentrate, or dilute it, and then decide what you want to make out of it.
If you're looking for a game that gives you the satisfaction of sneaking up behind enemies and taking them out, this game only provides some of that thrill. It's a departure from the norm, but not a bad one.