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/ |\ \ / / / / / |\ \ / / / / / /__\ \
/ | \ \/ / / / / | \ \/ / /\__/ / / /____\ \
/___\ \__/ \__/ /___\ \__/ \_____/ /__/ /__\
:::; ::; :; :::; :::; :; :;
:; :; :; :; :; :; :;_ ::: :;
:; :; :;''':; :; :; :; :; :; ::;
:::' :; :; :; :::' :::; :; :;
FAQ/Walkthrough
>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==<<==>>==
For Microsoft X-BOX
Version Final
By Chris Zawada
User: antseezee
E-mail: antseezee@epix.net
Created: 03/04/04
Last Update: 05/22/04
Copyright 2004 Chris Zawada
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Author's Note
----------------------------
Ninja games have always been an innovative genre full of surprises. You never
knew what would fall out of the lump-filled bag. In many cases, ninja games
have always held elements of stealth, lots of blood, and a sense of foreign
justice unforseen in other games. This is where Ninja Gaiden gets tossed into
the mix. Originally an NES classic which never truly blossomed (past the 8-bit
era), Team Ninja decided to recreate the 2D-action game back to the modern
era. Ninja Gaiden is an exclusive title only available for the X-BOX, and is
believed to be one of the most anticipated action games this year. The
following walkthrough will detail strategies, how to acquire secret
weapons/items, and a full step-by-step description of how to complete the
game. You'll also discover boss tips and elements of the sorty. Be warned as
SPOILERS are present throughout the guide. May vengeance thrive off your soul
like some Ramen Noodles cooking on the stove!
Contributing/Feedback
----------------------------
If you have any contributions, feedback, or strategies you'd like to have
added to the guide, contact me via e-mail or on GameFAQs. I'll be more than
content to add your segment of information, and will also provide credit. If
you have any questions you'd like added to the Common Questions section, ask.
I simply don't have the time to sit around thinking of questions. Provide me
with what you want to know!
---->>?>> CONTRIBUTIONS are no longer being accepted, although
I'm still willing to lay down e-mail responses when help is
needed.
Updates
----------------------------
=05/22/04= v.Final
- Rewrote Scarab #3 on Chapter 3 (thanks to Chan)
- Rewrote Control Room problem on Chapter 9 (thanks to Thomas Skovgaard)
- Added a few Common Questions
+ This is the last update for this guide.
> I'd like to thank EVERYBODY for contributing to the guide. I'm extremely
sorry if I did not answer your e-mails in quick time or stature. I'm a very
busy person trying to manage a life of my own, and items often get cluttered.
If you don't get a response to your e-mail, don't take it personal. I've still
read every single one of your e-mails, and appreciate the help received. Enjoy
the game, and may the spirit of the ninja live on.
=03/27/04= v1.1
- Proofread the entire document
- Added lists of Life of the Gods/Thousands under Chapter 5
- Added Infinite Essence point to Chapter 13 (thanks to Kyuta Syuko)
- Added alternate boss strategy for Doku (thanks to Anders Karlsson)
- Added alternate boss strategy for 2 Electric Worms (thanks to sonic hedgehog)
- Added alternate boss strategy for Flame Dragon (thanks to Phuc Tram)
- Added voice actors list to Common Questions section (thanks to DChan &
CoyDog)
+ Again, updates will be sparingly produced in the future.
> Made a quick proofread, along with a few added tips. Remember, probably no
update for awhile as nearly everything in here is flawless.
=03/25/04= v1.0
- Added Chapters 15, & 16 walkthroughs with appropriate bosses, scarab
locations
- Added alternate Alma boss strategy (thanks to Codi Kelley)
- Added several various tips (thanks to Samir Kovoor Cherian)
- Added Izuna Drop (thanks to Brian Nissen)
- Added alternate Dynamo boss strategy (thanks to AJC)
- Added Lives of the Thousand Gods for Chapter 8 (thanks to Matt Qualls)
- Added Jewel of the Demon Seal for Chapter 11 (thanks to Prodigy)
- Added Life of the Gods for Chapter 10 (thanks to Jonathan Myers)
+ Will proofread entirely, add more user submissions, common questions, and
any useful information that pops up.
> For some additional information, the guide is about 100% complete. This DOES
NOT mean the guide will never be updated again. For the most part though, the
walkthrough is complete, along with nearly every other section. I'd like to
thank all user submissions for making this possible, and this guide would be
no where near full success without your help. I still have more e-mails to
read, but don't expect another update for a week or two (unless something
important catches my eye). Might possibly add Life of the Gods, or special
item location lists as well.
=03/21/04= v0.8
- Added Chapters 12, 13, & 14 walkthroughs with appropriate bosses, scarab
locations
- Added easier method of getting past Red Room maces of Chapter 7 (thanks to
kyujutsu)
- Added alternate boss strategy for Chapter 6 (thanks to FloFlues)
- Added Infinite Essence point to Chapter 10 (thanks to Travis Greene)
- Added second reward for beetles on Chapter 10 (thanks to Phillip Rutherford)
- Added 60 Red Dragon Fiend Challenge in Chapter 12 (thanks to Wen)
+ Looking to complete Chapters 15 & 16 during the week.
> For some additional information, the guide is about 80% complete. I have
read most of your e-mails in my inbox, but I have literally over 60 to respond
to. Trying my best to respond to them during the following days - 4 day
backlog. Heh, I've gotten so many e-mails that my local server has left me
with insufficient space available. This guide will be 100% complete before the
end of March.
=03/16/04= v0.7
- Added Chapters 10 & 11 walkthroughs with appropriate bosses, scarab locations
- Added additional info on Essence & Ultimate Techniques in Basics section
(thanks to Russell Doner)
- Added alternate mini boss strategy to 2 Tanks (thanks to Avery Williams)
- Added Chapter 10 Infinite Essence point (thanks to Johnny Tran)
+ Looking to complete Chapter 12, 13, & 14 over the weekend.
> For some additional information, the guide is about 70% complete. I've been
reading and replying to your e-mails. The e-mail backlog is about 2 days, so
don't expect a response for a little bit. Next update should be around
Saturday/Sunday.
=03/12/04= v0.6
- Added Chapters 8 & 9 walkthroughs with appropriate bosses, scarab locations
- Fixed ranking system (Master is higher than Head)
- Fixed unlocking of classic Ninja Gaidens, including EASY methods of earning
them
- Added arrow targets to Chapter 2 (thanks to Valmor Hack)
- Added Chapter 6 Infinite Essence location (thanks to Stugi)
+ Looking to complete Chapter 10, 11, & 12 walkthroughs over the weekend
> For some additional information, the guide is about 60% complete. I've been
reading and replying to your e-mails.
=03/09/04= v0.5
- Life of the Gods orb is located under the bridge on Chapter 2
(thanks to Chris Hoey)
- Added alternative strategy to defeating Murai (thanks to Tyler Sick)
- Added alternative strategy to defeating horsemen (thanks to Seth [tollk2])
- Added Infinite Essence for Chapter 5 (thanks to ParadigmWarrior)
- Added Dark Dragon Blade to secrets section (thanks to Shane)
- Fixed Weapons section (thanks to Jace)
- Added Chapters 6 & 7 to the walkthrough, plus additional bosses and
scarab locations to their respective sections
+ Looking to complete Chapters 8 & 9 walkthroughs by Friday
> For some additional information, the guide is about 50% complete. I'm going
to move on, and complete the walkthrough in the following days. Expect larger
updates on the weekends. Some of the items sections are incomplete because I
haven't reached those chapters yet. Again, I'm reading through your e-mails,
just a lot of feedback to respond to, that's all.
=03/07/04= v0.4
- Scarabs can only be carried through on the same difficulty (thanks yehfang)
- Head Ninja is higher than Master Ninja (thanks to GJoker)
-> Also posted a useful way to earn the rankings (thanks to GJoker)
>> Listed Under the Original Ninja Gaidens section [Chapter 10]
- Added Chapters 4 & 5 to the walkthrough, plus additional bosses and
scarab locations to their respective sections
+ Looking to complete Chapters 6 & 7 walkthroughs by Monday
=03/06/04= v0.3
The entire guide is roughly around 30% complete. Yes, I know it's not much,
but the dire need for help out there must be sufficed. This guide will be 100%
complete by March 20th, and I'm currently working on Chapters 4-6 for an
update by Monday. Enjoy what you can for now.
=03/04/04= v0.3
Started the FAQ. I'm expecting this to be one of my best guides thus far as
this is an incredible game, and I'm sure plenty of readers out there will
require help. You can expect 100% completion around March 20th. I'm undecided
on whether or not to submit the guide partially complete (due to the high
amount of requests for the game).
- I've now added a Quick Search function to the guide. Press CTRL + F, and
type in the designated (#.#) to be quickly forwarded to that specific section
of the guide.
============================
- Table of Contents -
============================
1) Introduction
2) Game Basics
> Controls
> Ninja Actions
> Special Abilities
> Screen HUD
> Characters
3) Game Modes
> Description of each
4) Walkthrough
> Chapter 1: The Way of the Ninja (4.1)
> Chapter 2: The Hayabusa Ninja Village (4.2)
> Chapter 3: Skies of Vengeance (4.3)
> Chapter 4: Imperial City Infiltration (4.4)
> Chapter 5: The City of Fiends (4.5)
> Chapter 6: The Monastery (4.6)
> Chapter 7: Hidden Underground (4.7)
> Chapter 8: Tairon Under Alert (4.8)
> Chapter 9: The Military Supply Base (4.9)
> Chapter 10: The Aquaduct (4.10)
> Chapter 11: The Path to Zarkhan (4.11)
> Chapter 12: The Caverns (4.12)
> Chapter 13: The Fiendish Awakening (4.13)
> Chapter 14: Vengeful Spirit (4.14)
> Chapter 15: The Core (4.15)
> Chapter 16: The Dark Dragon Blade (4.16)
5) Items
> Weapons
> Scarab Locations
> Technique Scrolls
> Life of the Gods Locations
6) Enemies
> Common
> Boss Strategies
7) Secrets
8) Codes
9) The Original Ninja Gaidens
10) Common Questions
11) Copyright/Distribution/Reproduction Guidelines
12) Proper Credits
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============================
- 1) Introduction -
============================
The simple stench of revenge always manages to get its way. Ninja Gaiden is
one of the most popular ninja video game series ever created. Originally
created back in the late 1980s, its design was created for the NES. Not only
was the original Ninja Gaiden released for the system, but also two sequels
helped progress the story of a young ninja named Ryu Hayabusa. Several years
later, a developer named Team Ninja decided to reinspire the idea of an action-
packed ninja game full of moves and blood-splattering decapitations. Ninja
Gaiden is basically a new installment in the series which takes place in the
20th century. You take the role of a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa, who is a rising
warrior in his family's clan (the Hayabusa clan). Their main role in the world
is to protect a dark dragon blade from getting into the hands of evil.
Suddenly, Ryu's entire family is slaughtered by an opposing warrior clan, and
the dark blade is stolen by a mystic person named Lord Doku.
These are the beginning trots of how Ninja Gaiden starts off. However, what
makes the game so unique is the sheer fact that it's quality over quantity.
Team Ninja has literally designed this game for several years, with numerous
delays occurring that would annoy the gaming society. Ninja Gaiden combines
fast-paced action with huge combos, mature violence, and an aurora of graphics
that only the X-BOX could handle. Much like the Grand Theft Auto and Wind
Waker of the competitor systems, Ninja Gaiden has been considered to be
a "system seller" itself. This is the reason people buy an X-BOX, to play this
game. Prepare yourself for a bewildering journey of top-notch graphics,
engaging difficulty, and the life of a radical ninja.
Here's a brief excerpt from the instruction manual (credit to Tecmo):
"/'\" Prologue "/'\"
The evil Dark Dragon Blade...
A legendary sword, said to have been carved out of the bones of a Black
Dragon, it brought plague and death to the world during the age of ancient
myth. It has been sealed by those of the Dragon Lineage since the dawn of
history because of its incredible capacity for evil, made possible by the
souls of the vanquished Black Dragons that dwell within it. It is said that if
the Blade's seal were to be broken, it would gather the hatred and evil of
mankind and confer it upon the one who wields it, transforming him into the
Devil incarnate; however not even those of the Dragon Lineage who protect it
know the true extent of its power...
The Dragon Sword...
Another weapon protected by the Dragon Lineage since ancient times. This
sword, which is said to have been used by Ancient warriors to slay the Black
Dragons, is now handed down from generation to generation in the Hayabusa
Ninja Clan, the modern descendants of the Dragon Lineage. And now, the Dragon
Sword is gripped firmly in the hands of young Ninja Ryu Hayabusa...
----------------------------
_____________________
##### GAME INFO #####
//////////|\\\\\\\\\\
Players: 1
Developer: Team Ninja
Released: 2004
Rarity: common
Special Features: HDTV 480p, Content Download, Scoreboards, X-BOX Live
ESRB: Mature (17+)
Cover Art on box:
- Shows Ryu Hayabusa in a crouched position holding a Kunai in a serene, dark
background
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============================
- 2) Game Basics -
============================
The X-BOX controller fits fairly well to the entire Ninja Gaiden theme,
although it can feel a tad kwirky at times. For the most part, controls are
organized well, although there's a good solid hour of learning time before you
can actually master the controls. Move lists for each weapon will eventually
be listed under the Items section - Weapons, whenever I get a chance.
KEY representation for each button:
Thumbstick = left/right thumbstick pads (black)
Control Pad = left directional pad (black)
A = A button (green)
B = B button (red)
X = X button (blue)
Y = Y button (yellow)
R = R trigger (black, underneath right side of controller)
L = L trigger (black, underneath left side of controller)
START = Start button (black, center)
BACK = Back button (black, center)
Black = Black button (black, right)
White = White button (white, right)
______________
/Menu Controls/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thumbstick - selects menu items
Control Pad - selects menu items
L/R - turns page
BACK - returns
START - pauses game, exits
B - returns
X - confirms
______________
/Game Controls/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Left Thumbstick - moves character, navigation, attacks
Right Thumbstick - enters first person view mode
L - blocks
R - centers camera behind player
START - starts game, pauses, displays menu screen
A - jumps, moves forward underwater
B - toss projectiles
X - attack, interact (when available), confirm selections
Y - strong attack, charge attacks, special attacks, combos
Black - displays current level map
White - shows Karma score, plus important information
- Moving Ryu is a simple process. Tilt the left thumbstick at a greater angle
to cause for him to run, or a lesser angle to walk. Blocking allows you to
prevent physical attacks from hurting you, but stronger attacks can usually
breach through. Blocking can be combined with countering, and rolling later on
in the game. Centering the camera is useful for regaining your view in case it
loses focus. When you press START, you'll be brought to a massive inventory
menu. You can equip different weapons, use items, check your current status,
and so on.
- You may only single jump in the game, however, you can combine your jumps
with wall running, and various techniques. These are discussed under the Ninja
Actions section. Projectile weapons are ranged weapons. You'll come across a
few during the game. Once you find the bow (with some arrows), you can equip
it, and fire it from a first person view by holding down the B button, and
releasing. Normal attacks are quicker, jab-like stabs perfect for combos.
Stronger attacks are designed as finishers, or power blows to yield high
damage. They take longer time to perform though. Charge attacks, and Ultimate
Techniques are discussed later in the guide.
______________
/Ninja Actions/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Most of your gameplay in Ninja Gaiden will comprise of performing various
ninja actions. While these seem minor to most people, they are the key ways
you'll be navigating through levels, and discovering secrets later on. If
reaching a certain area looks doomed, there's always another way around it.
Experiment.
~[ Walking and Running ]~
- Tilt the left thumbstick in a greater/lesser direction to walk/run
respectively.
~[ Jump ]~
- Ryu can jump by pressing and holding down the A button. Most jumps perform
in a linear fashion, meaning he'll jump forward, and not change direction in
mid-air.
~[ Melee Weapon Attack ]~
- Both X and Y can be used for close range attacks. Y performs higher damaging
attacks which take the risk of being greater exposed. Mix the two attacks
together to form tremendous combos.
~[ Projectile Weapon Attack ]~
- You can toss projectile weapons by using the B button. Keep tapping it to
toss multiple projectiles (normally shurikens), or hold it down if you have a
bow and arrow equipped.
~[ Ninpo ]~
- This is the special type of magic you'll receive during the game. Most of
them must be purchased or discovered, however, you can use them by holding
down the Y + B buttons. Ninpo magic is split up into four categories:
--> The Art of the Inferno = (fire element)
--> The Art of the Ice Storm = (ice element)
--> The Art of the Inazuma = (lightning element)
--> The Art of the Fire Wheels = (fire element)
~[ Blocking ]~
- Hold down the L trigger to block enemy attacks. This is pretty much a
NECESSARY action in the game as most bosses and normal enemies require you to
block. Great for fending off enemy attacks whenever you perform a large combo,
or are recovering from a giant blow.
~[ Interact ]~
- You may only interact with certain objects in the game when an "Interact"
logo appears at the bottom of the screen. Press X to see what the object is,
if you can take it, or if there's some puzzle solving involved.
~[ Wall Running ]~
- To wall run, simply jump at a wall, and hold down the left thumbstick while
you're on the wall. You may only wall run for a limited amount of time, before
falling back to ground level. You may also continually wall run if you jump
while wall running onto another wall surface.
~[ Wall Clinging ]~
- When you jump towards a wall, let go of the left thumbstick before reaching
it. Ryu will temporarily grab a hold of the wall, before falling down. You may
jump from the current position on a wall cling as well.
~[ Wall Hanging ]~
- If a small ledge or railing exposes itself, sometimes Ryu can grab a hold of
it for leverage. When you hang on a railing, use the thumbstick to shimmy back
and forth. Press A + Up to jump upwards (if space is available). Otherwise,
press A + Down, to let go of the ledge.
~[ Swinging ]~
- On certain poles and twigs in the game, you can swing on them much like a
gymnist on a twisting bar. Simply jump onto the branch, and Ryu will start to
swing back and forth. Press A when your momentum is at a maximum to get the
farthest jump possible.
~[ Rolling ]~
- Better known as the Reverse Wind Technique, hold down the L trigger, and
then press a direction. Ryu will roll in the direction pressed. This is great
for eluding some of the most powerful attacks in the game, although you are
exposed if you roll into an enemy.
~[ Wind Run ]~
- Press X + A to perform a wind jump. It's basically a jump that targets
itself at an enemy. Sort of like a stun attack.
~[ Swimming ]~
- In certain levels during the game, you'll be forced to make use of your
surrounding environment. You can swim by pointing the control pad in a certain
direction, and pressing A to dive in that certain direction.
~[ Running on Water ]~
- To run across water, you must be stepping from land directly onto water.
Rapidly tap the A button, and you should "twinkle-toe" your way across the
liquid substance.
~[ Bow and Arrow ]~
- Once you obtain the bow in the game, you can equip it via the Weapons menu.
Once equipped, hold down B to enter a first person mode. Release the B button
whenever you want to release the arrow. You must estimate your target and its
distance, because the arrow will arc downward after certain lengths. You also
can only hold 15 arrows in the beginning of the game, although more arrows can
be discovered, or purchased.
~[ 1st Person View Mode ]~
- Hold down, and pull the right thumbstick to enter a first person mode from
Ryu's view. This is mainly used for finding secret holes, hidden entrances, or
places you normally cannot see with the default camera. You can invert the
controls of 1st person mode in the options menu.
~[ Aiming the Camera ]~
- If you're having trouble with the camera, or it's in a nifty location,
simply press the R trigger to center it behind Ryu's current position. Great
for aligning around corners, although the camera is a pesky enemy throughout
the game.
__________________
/Special Abilities/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Throughout Ninja Gaiden, you'll come across several items or abilities that
exceed simple slashes, and swipes. There's more to fighting then simply
attacking enemies. The following section will describe special abilities that
Ryu can possess, or come across.
________
:=/ Essence \=:
- This is basically the leftover soul energy of your opponents after defeating
them in combat. They look similar to colored energy balls that hover over the
bodies of your dead opponents. Essence can be absorbed by simply walking over
them, and there are varying sizes (with more essence provided). Essence is
also split up into three categories:
-> Yellow Essence = (mainly used for currency in the world, necessary to
buy weapons and items from shops)
-> Blue Essence = (restores Ryu's health, fairly rare)
= (counts as 2 essence when charged in for attack)
-> Red Essence = (restores Ryu's Ki bar, very rare)
= (counts as 2 essence when charged in for attack)
- Health or Ninpo power is not restored when blue or red essence are taken in
(during a charge).
- Essence released from an ultimate technique are ALWAYS yellow.
- Essence is never absorbed while attacking or blocking.
** I'd like to thank Russell Doner for some additional information on essence
as well.
_____________
:=/ Ninpo Magic \=:
- Although you already know that Ninpo magic is basically like special magic;
it's drawn from Ryu's Ki bar. His Ki bars are small logos in the upper left
portion of the screen. They light up when they currently have energy in them,
but are disposed whenever magic is used. Ki energy can be replaced by
gathering red essence orbs, or using Devil Way Elixirs. Ninpo magic is learned
through using scrolls you find in the game. Ninpo can be upgraded to higher
levels by finding upgrades, or better scrolls of a specific magic. It can be
initiated by pressing Y + B.
____________________
:=/ Wall-Based Attacks \=:
- To perform wall-based attacks, run up a wall like any other. While you're
running along the wall, press Y or X to perform a crushing move that dishes
out more power than usual. Wall-Based Attacks can be altered with combinations
of buttons, or running at different angles (sideways, diagonally). This is the
best way to deal out maximum damage without using essence, or Ninpo magic.
_____________________
:=/ Ultimate Techniques \=:
- As you progress in the game, Ryu can learn different Ultimate Techniques.
However, the only way to actually perform an ultimate technique is by using
Essence. To perform an ultimate technique, kill an enemy, and wait for essence
to rise above the body. Now, hold down Y, and wait for the essence to strike
Ryu. When it does, quickly release Y, and Ryu will perform a tremendous attack
unparalleled by any other move. Absorbing more essence will cause for a more
powerful attack, and each weapon in the game has a different type of ultimate
technique. Killing any enemy with an Ultimate Technique can sometimes double,
triple, or quadruple the amount of essence released. It acts like a
multiplier. The only problem is actually finding the time in battle, to stand
still, and charge up for the attack.
** I'd like to thank Russell Doner for the following information on Ultimate
Techniques.
__________________________________________________
{{ Quicker Ways of Charging Ultimate Techniques }}
[[ When in midair, begin charging an Ultimate Technique before hitting the
ground. When you land, the charge should be full, sucking in all essence
immediately. It works for most default jumps (simple A), and you don't
have to wait for a break in the battle to charge up for the attack. Simply
jump, then hold Y while you're in the air. It also works for spinning
techniques; simply rotate the joystick while in midair (along with the
holding down of Y).
___________
/Screen HUD/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The following section will briefly describe what the Ninja Gaiden interface
looks like, and what each bar stands for in the game.
__________________________________________________________
| |
|/$$$\======= [1] ":" [5] |
|\[3]/ ***** |
| [2] |
| |
| _ # Hit! |
|| | [6] |
|| | |
|| | |
|| |[4] |
|| | |
|| | |
||_| |
| [8] |
| ________________________ [7] |
| [________________________] X - Interact |
|__________________________________________________________|
Meaning KEY:
[1] - Health Gauge - shows your basic life bar, when it's empty, you die,
appears as a colored meter
[2] - Ki Gauge - shows Ryu's magic power, the *'s become empty when magic is
depleted
[3] - Ninpo Indicator - shows the type of Ninpo magic currently equipped,
(fire, ice, or lightning in a small circular emblem)
[4] - Breath Gauge - only appears when underwater, slowly depletes downward
as you run out of air
[5] - Item Display - shows specific status of a set item, usually arrows to
a bow, or something along those lines
[6] - Hit Count - number of times an enemy has been hit in succession, this
is how to perform large combos, higher hitting combos
yields more Karma points, essence, and bragging rights
[7] - Interact Display - icon lights up in the lower right corner of the
screen to tell you that you can press X to interact
with the object
[8] - Boss Health Gauge - only appears for chapter bosses, shows remaining
health of the pesky fellows
___________
/Characters/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
While most ninja games hardly have social interaction, Ninja Gaiden does have
a certain etiquette when it comes to character development. Most of the plot
occurs between several different characters, and their reactions to
situations. The following section will briefly describe each of the
characters. I'd like to give credit to:
Tecmo
- for these character profiles, and race descriptions.
--== RACES ==--
+~+ The Dragon Lineage +~+
- An ancient race of beings that was said to have defeated the sinister Evil
Deities in the age of ancient myth; the descendents of this bloodline came to
be known in a later age as the Dragon Ninja, the modern-day Hayabusa Ninja
Clan. The leader of these people has throughout history always carried the
legendary Dragon Sword, used to defeat evil wherever it surfaced. It is the
fate of the Dragon Lineage to be inexorably linked to their nemeses, the Evil
Deities.
+~+ Fiends +~+
- A race of monsters that is seen only rarely in the Vigoor Empire, they are
the result of a transformation in certain humans and other animals that carry
a susceptible genetic code; it is speculated that certain unique factors in
the Vigoorian environment also facilitate this phenomenon. As a result,
epidemiologists believe it to be endemic to the Vigoor Empire. The Fiends have
long been subjects of fear and awe, and a culture of Fiend worship is still
very prevalent in Vigoor. Fiends of a special rank and ability are known as
Greater Fiends.
+~+ The Vigoor Empire +~+
- An imperialistic nation located in a land-locked area in western Asia. The
country remains shrouded in mystery due to its long-standing policy of
national seclusion. Vigoor maintains a unique belief system as its state
religion. Its leader, the Holy Vigoor Emperor, holds supreme power in both the
political and religious worlds; however, details surrounding him are slight.
--== CHARACTERS ==--
=~= Ryu Hayabusa =~=
- The main character of the game. A descendant of the Dragon Lineage, he is a
young member of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan. His father Joe Hayabusa, the head of
the clan, has left the village to train in the mountains and has entrusted Ryu
with the Dragon Sword, an ancient sword that has been passed down through
generations of clan leaders.
=~= Rachel =~=
- A Vigoorian Fiend Hunter, she is continually searching for a relative of
hers who was turned into a Fiend. She possesses genes that give her abnormal
strength at the expense of making her susceptible to turning into a Fiend like
her relative. She can sense where Fiends are.
=~= Murai =~=
- A Master Ninja possessing unsurpassed skill in all of the Ninja arts, Murai
also has a deep connection with Ryu. Although he was a member of the Hayabusa
Ninja Clan, events that occurred in the past caused Murai to leave and form
his own rogue Ninja organization, the Shadow Clan.
=~= Ayane =~=
- A kunoichi, or female Ninja, in the Hajin-Mon sect of the Mugen Tenshin
Ninja Clan. Although she was born into the ruling family of the clan, certain
circumstances forced her to be raised in partial secrecy. Highly skilled in
all of the Ninja arts, she has become an important asset for Murai at the
young age of 14. Acts as a messenger throughout the game.
=~= Kureha =~=
- One of the protectors of the Hayabusa Village shrine; she has known Ryu
since childhood. Holds one of the most important items you need through the
game.
=~= Muramasa =~=
- A wizened old man, he appears to be over 100 years old. He runs a weapon and
tool shop, but is also a renowned blacksmith. He has erected bronze statues of
himself at various locations throughout the world. You may also use him to
turn in your golden scarabs.
=~= The Dark Disciple =~=
- A mysterious figure who disguises his true identity with a mask and black
hood; his natural voice is undetectable through his machine-enhanced
vocalization. He remains behind the scenes during the events that occur in the
Vigoor Empire, observing the actions of Ryu and the movements of the Dark
Dragon Blade.
=~= Gamov =~=
- A Special Agent of the Vigoor Empire Internal Affairs Bureau; he observes
the movements of the infiltrator Ryu Hayabusa. It would seem that his interest
as an intelligence officer lies behind Ryu, however...
=~= Alma, Greater Fiend =~=
- One of the Greater Fiends, a powerful group within the Vigoor Empire, she
became a Fiend after lured in by Doku. She is Rachel's sister.
=~= Doku, Lord of the Greater Fiends =~=
- One of the Greater Fiends, he is a heavily armored dark knight. He lured
Alma into the fold and turned her into a Fiend. Pretty much the ultimate
villain for most of the game, until...you'll see.
-<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>-
============================
- 3) Game Modes -
============================
For the most part, Ninja Gaiden is a thoroughly entertaining action game. Team
Ninja decided to toss in a few extra gameplay modes which you may find to be
of interest. One of the newer inclusions is that of an X-BOX live tournament,
which is supposedly going to happen sometime around May 2004. Anyhow, this
section will briefly describe the options in the menus, and what not.
_________
/New Game/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Starting a new game in Ninja Gaiden allows you to play an adventure that soars
through 16 levels. A plot is revealed as you advance through the life of Ryu
Hayabusa, and his quest for vengeance. Levels are packed with enemies, along
with a level-ending boss. During the game, you'll collect Karma points for
your accomplishment of missions by specific parameters, and you can find
secret weapons, items, or objects to enhance your character. This is the PRIME
gameplay mode of Ninja Gaiden, and probably what you will play most.
Every new game let's you select from two types:
+ Normal
+ Hard
- It's basically the type of difficulty. Selecting a higher difficulty makes
your opponents, stronger, faster, and tougher to defeat. Very Hard can be
unlocked later in the game.
__________
/Load Game/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Allows you to continue a new game you started. You may only load from special
save statues (which you saved your progress at) that you have come across.
________________________
/Master Ninja Tournament/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This special mode can only be used through X-BOX Live. You must have XBL
hooked up, and an account activated to play. After you have selected your
gamer tag, you can then connect to see the details of upcoming tournaments.
Unfortunately, I don't have XBL, so this is one reason why my guide will not
cover the online options of Ninja Gaiden. I do know a few details though...
>> Players can compete for online rankings via their Karma rankings on
completing certain levels
>> Players should be able to compete in head-to-head matches to the death,
so that a sole Master Ninja is crowned.
>> Players might be able to download new content, such as levels, weapons,
and items.
However, NONE of this is confirmed, and most of it will occur in the future.
The next upcoming tournament is in May 2004.
________
/Options/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Let's you customize Ninja Gaiden to its full potential. Great if you want to
tune certain audio settings, or initiate subtitles.
>> General Settings = you can view your total game play time
turn subtitles on/off
choose a flag of residence (for other players during
online play)
>> Audio Settings = adjust specific channels for in-game music, sound
effects, and speech
>> Controller Settings = customize your own layout of buttons
turn vibration on/off
inverted controls, and so on
>> Video Settings = let's you alter the game window screen on your TV,
gamma settings, and brightness
>> Warnings = displays warning, copyright, and infringement laws
-<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>-
============================
- 4) Walkthrough -
============================
Believe it or not, many people consider Ninja Gaiden to be a game tougher than
it "actually" should be. Yes, it's not designed for the goomba head gamers out
there, but it certainly is challenging enough to be entertaining, time, and
time again. The following section is a walkthrough of the entire game, through
all 16 chapters. I may include spoilers here and there, so expect to see the
unexpected. Also, extra secrets may be tossed into the normal walkthrough in
case I feel they're necessary for future levels.
*The game begins with a short FMV showing the legendary Dark Dragon Blade,
and speaking of how it's actually one of the most powerful weapons in the
world. Apparently, it was carved from the bones of a Black Dragon, and has
been protected by the Dragon Lineage. Whoever possesses the sword is
exposed to great evil powers which can consume entire entities in a matter
of seconds. All of this is about to change...*
___________________________
/The Way of the Ninja (4.1)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: *
SECRETS: n/a
"In the mountains of Autumn, there is one who walks the path of the Ninja..."
You'll start off in the role of the legendary Ninja (soon to be), Ryu
Hayabusa. Your starting position is in the Valley of Shadows. Proceed up the
river, and climb the left stone stairway by jumping up the ledges. A pink note
should fly by and hit the wall. Read it (press X), and it tells you how to run
up walls. Run horizontally along the wall to cross the ledge. Then, run up the
following wall, and Ryu should grab a hold of a small ledge. Shimmy to your
right, and jump up. Read the next note, then turn around, and open the chest
to receive an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Go back to where the second note was,
and run up the wall. You should catch another small ledge. Jump up, then
proceed left. Two brown ninjas will drop down from above. This will be the
first battle you interact with in the game. They're fairly easy. Use your
blocking attacks whenever they come rushing at you with attacks (or interrupt
their attacks with a quick stab). Once you've dealt with them both, run
sideways along the wall to cross the location.
Open the next chest to receive another Elixir of Spiritual Life. Head into the
small cavern, and read the tutorial note. Position yourself in the narrow
shaft, then perform the Flying Bird Jump. Simply run and jump up one wall,
then quickly jump to the opposing wall in mid-air. If done correctly, jump one
more time to land on the above ledge. You're basically ricocheting from one
wall to another until you reach the top. Once above, run down the hall, and
make quick use of the 3 brown ninjas. Go on the wooden grate, and jump upwards
in a side-to-side pattern to reach the top. You'll now be in the:
_________________
\ Ninja Fortress }
==================
Right near the steps of this massive structure will be two foolish ninjas.
Make quick work of them both as they're the same practical enemies from
before. Run up the stairs, and all the way to the end of the hall. Open the
sliding door, and you must combat 3 fellow ninjas. Again, don't get clustered
in the middle. Try using quick slashes, and follow up with strong attacks to
finish them off. A chest inside has an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Open the next
door, and the test becomes greater as you'll face 6 ninjas (3 at a time). Use
the same technique from before, but try a few wall-jumping attacks as well.
Make sure you block to save your life supply. If your life bar is low, press
START, and try using the Elixirs of Spiritual Life. They can heal about 2/3 of
your life bar. Once the doors are unlocked, head into the next location. You
should now be inside a narrow hallway. Go up, and check out the Samurai
statue. It's missing its face. Look to the left on the drawer for a Spiritual
Life elixir, along with another one in the lower right corner (blind spot in
room). Go down the hallway, and deal with the 3 ninjas around the corner.
Open the double doors at the end, and walk onto the white dojo mat. Battle the
6-7 ninjas, then open the nearby chest for the Lives of the Thousand Gods.
It's pretty much like an upgrade item. Now, go right, and there should be a
lone pot in the corner. Look for a tall narrow carpet along the wall. Slice it
to reveal a secret doorway. Inside, you'll be greeted by 2 Brown Ninjas, along
with a special White Ninja. White ninjas can toss shurikens, so don't get too
far away. This room has about 15-20 ninjas (I'd like to thank Nick Elliott for
this tip), so quickly engage them, then run to the top part of the room. Step
on the dark-colored plates, and they're actually trap doors which will drop
you to the Underground Storehouse. Break the nearby jars for some
essence/power, and watch out for the red bats. You can slice them for essence
if you desire. Head out of the cave using the pathways, and open the chest
along the left wall for the Fangs of the Samurai. The cave should lead back to
the outside area. Jump up the platforms, and then head up along the border of
the Ninja Fortress.
Around one of the corners is two ninjas. Make sure they're dealt with swiftly
and painlessly. Continue onward, enter the doorway, and open the chest for the
Talisman of Rebirth (basically an extra life). Drop down into the hole, and
you'll be in the dojo room from before. Make your way back to where the
Samurai Statue was, and press X to place the Fangs of the Samurai in place. A
special Key of Courage will be released from his hand. Go back to the right,
but do NOT drop into the storehouse hole. Slice the tall carpet along the wall
behind it to reveal another doorway. Enter inside, then save your game on the
nearby Idol Statue. Once your game is saved, run up the stairs, and enter the
wooden walkway. Two white ninjas should be located up above. Quickly charge
them (they'll toss shurikens if you don't), and make quick work of them.
They're a tad more challenging, but white ninjas tend to drop blue energy,
which heals your life bar. After both targets have been eliminated, head up to
the Inner Sanctum doorway, and press X to open it. If you gathered the Key of
Courage (as following the instructions before), the door should open.
Proceed inside, and you'll have to take out five white ninjas. This can be a
fairly complex battle, but keep on the move, and whip out any spare shurikens
when you have free time. The door ahead will become unlocked once you've
defeated all opponents in this room. Head inside to meet the first boss of the
game.
*A large, muscular man will be meditating in the center of a dojo-like
room. Although you're not aware of his name right away, this is actually
Murai, who was a former member of the Hayabusa Clan. Murai is a master of
the Nunchakus, and ninja arts as well. Before the battle begins, you'll be
presented with an overwhelming swish, and swirl of combo attacks. He looks
tougher than he actually is.*
&==================---------===============================================&
~= LEVEL ONE BOSS | Murai | DIFFICULTY: *** =~
&==================---------===============================================&
~ Murai is a counter-like boss who tends to attack whenever you stand ~
& still too long. To defeat him, try to lure yourself close to his &
~ proximity, then quickly block his fury rage of attacks. When he stops ~
& attacking, let go of the block button, and counter fire with a few weak &
~ strikes of your own. DO NOT get caught up in any combo more than 4 hits, ~
& otherwise, he'll catch you off guard. Murai also has a close-range power &
~ attack where he twirls towards you. The only way to prevent this attack ~
& from damaging you is to do a quick strike while he's coming at you. For &
~ the most part, DO NOT overblock, otherwise Murai will grapple you to the ~
& ground with nasty moves. Try wall attacks, and charged attacks if &
~ possible. Projectiles are useless as he instantly reflects them back at ~
& you. This is a fairly tough battle for the first boss in the game. &
~==========================================================================~
**********************************************************
* Useful Tip for defeating Murai (thanks to Tyler Sick) *
**********************************************************
* Timing is essential. Charge an attack by holding Y, *
* then let go right when he's about to strike you. His *
* guard will be knocked down, and you can penetrate him *
* with 2 weak combos (roughly around 8 hits total). Jump *
* back to safety before he can strike again. Repeat the *
* process. It's a very quick, and efficient way. Just *
* takes some time to master. You can also run up a nearby*
* wall, and jump at the highest point, using a downward *
* slash for critical damage. *
**********************************************************
*Once you lower Murai's health bar to the minimal echelon, the battle will
then enter an FMV sequence. Apparently, Murai and Ryu are excellent
friends. The unfriendly welcome was just a normal test of the ninjahood,
that many would-be gamers know nothing about. The battle ends up turning
into a friendly conversation where Ryu tells Murai about how his father's
clan is protecting the Dark Dragon Blade. Murai suggests that the blade is
nothing more than a waste since no one is wielding the awesome power of
the sword, but Ryu prefers to differ. Suddenly, a young girl starts
sprinting through the Ninja Fortress. She blasts through the door to inform
both of them that Hayabusa Village is burning, and under attack! Save
your kindred before it's too late.*
_________________________________
/The Hayabusa Ninja Village (4.2)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: ***
SECRETS: (2) Life of the Gods
Bow and Arrow
"The village is burning. Before long, Ryu hears the screams of his
brethren..."
- Before sprinting down to the village, go speak with Murai. He'll actually
teach you two different (and useful) Ultimate Techniques. These attacks can
only be performed when yellow essence orbs are lying around on the ground, but
they're useful nonetheless. The first attack is the Extinction Straight Slash.
Hold down Y until you see a yellow orb come at you, then release it before it
explodes. If performed correctly, Ryu will sprint straight forward in a blue
beam of light, decapitating any opponents in the way. Another attack is the
Level 2 version, which basically uses two orbs, yet extracts more essence from
dead bodies. Just repeat the process, and wait for both orbs to strike you at
the same time. Finally, speak with him a last time to teach you the Reverse
Wind Technique. Hold down the Left Trigger, then press a direction to roll in
that specific direction. You'll be using this often, so get use to it
(necessary for many boss battles).
Start off by sprinting out of the dojo room, and back down the usual pathway.
Run all the way back to the Valley of Shadows by leaving the Ninja Fortress
(down the front stairwell), and dropping back down to the stone caverns. Drop
to ground level, but sprint northward up the river. Check your map in case
you're lost. You're aiming for a blue dot on the northern ridge. You'll
eventually reach a "Shrine" area. Interact with the Shrine to receive the Art
of the Fire Wheels. This is the first degree of Ninpo magic you'll receive in
the game. You can enable Ninpo magic by pressing Y + B. For now though, just
leave it in your inventory. The shrine will lower to reveal a secret elevator.
Jump aboard, and press X. You'll now be lowered to a depressed canyon. Behind
the elevator is a chest containing a Great Spirit Elixir. I'd like to thank
RnTmErr for this tip. Run across the opening by wall running, then open the
chest across the gap. Inside you'll receive an Elixir of Devil Way, which can
refill your Ki power (for magic).
Proceed into the forest, and you'll engage some of your first enemies. A group
of three Samurais will come charging at you. These are slightly tougher than
the ninjas from before as they tend to block your basic combos, but they can
be penetrated quite easily. If you're surrounded, simply use the rolling
technique, or jump out of the hairy mix. If one of them drops essence, use
your ultimate technique, and lay down a fatal blow. Sometimes you can
decapitate your opponents quite easily. Once they're dead, continue forward,
and slide down the incline. Jump into the water, and swim forward. Climb out
of the water via the nearby ledge, and you'll be forced to engage several more
Samurais. There are roughly around 5 of them, except one of them is a special
magic caster. He'll occasionally toss energy balls at you from a ranged
distance. Your best option is to interrupt your fighting with the default
swordsmen, then quickly toss shurikens at him to halt his spell casting. That,
or you can focus your attacks on him first. Be careful though, he's skilled
with two small weapons as well. If he warps close to you, quickly block, then
counter attack after the furious combo.
Now that you've finished off this small locale of a group, climb the nearby
tower by pressing X. Open the chest to receive a map of Hayabusa Village. Jump
down, and continue forward until you reach a broken bridge. Jump into the
water, and turn around. Under the bridge is a Life of the Gods orb behind some
broken trash. Make sure you grab it before crossing (thanks Chris Hoey). You
can reach it by tapping A right when you touch the surface of the water. Ryu
should be able to run on the water without sinking in. After you've snatched
that, swim slightly to the right, and climb up via the small wooden platform.
Jump to ground level, then save your game via the statue. Go to the left of
the save statue to open a chest, and receive an Elixir of Spiritual Life.
_________________________
\ Hayabusa Ninja Village }
==========================
Now you're ready to save your hometown village. Charge in through the narrow
doorway, and proceed forward. You're going to have to deal with 5-7 Samurais.
Try using your Ultimate Techniques to make this battle easier than it is. Save
your Ninpo magic for the bosses later. Once they're dead, go left down the
first pathway. Check the dead body to receive an Elixir of Spiritual Life.
Head back to the main entrance, and go forward. Go all the way to the end of
the street, and a small statue head should be on the ground (looks brownish-
red). Pick it up, then return to the town entrance. Look to your left, and
there should be a statue missing a head. Press X to place the head on the Jizo
Statue. You will receive a Life of the Gods (extends your life meter after you
use 9 of them). Now, head to the middle of the town, slightly past the second
pathway. Look to your left for a few roofs and a window opening above. Jump on
each roof, and then head into the small window.
Once inside, drop down to the first floor. Look near the doorway, and pick up
the Bow. Now, check the nearby shelves for an Elixir of Devil Way, and one of
Spiritual Life. Go check out the statue, and this was actually carved by the
hands of an ancient blacksmith named Muramasa. These statues are spread
throughout the game to act as "certain" shops you can purchase items from. You
may shop, or talk to him if you wish. However, I highly recommend purchasing:
(3-4) Elixirs of Spiritual Life -- 500 a piece
Wooden Sword -- 500 essence
Once you're done browsing through, exit the building via the double doorways
opposite of the statue. Outside, you're going to have to deal with two magic
wielders, along with several Samurai Swordsmen. Your best bet is to focus on
the magic users first, as they tend to act as key support units. Block their
combos, and counter attack. Use your reverse wind technique to roll under the
energy balls, or out of danger. Check the nearby body for arrows (you can only
hold a certain amount), and equip the bow for now. Stand on the wooden mark
along the ground, and snipe the three targets near the river. Each of them
rewards you with multiple amounts (15) of blue, red, and yellow essence. I'd
like to thank Valmor Hack for coming up with this tip. Once you're about ready
to move on, head left past some burning rubble. Once you walk far enough, the
rubble will collapse behind you, and two horsemen will leap over the rubble.
This isn't exactly a boss battle, although it's fairly challenging to a
certain extent.
>> First of all, there are 4-5 horsemen to engage with in the battle. Two of
them have spears, while the others have arrows. Personally, I concentrated on
the Arrow Horsemen first as they tend to be the peskiest. Use the Reverse Wind
Technique (L trigger + direction) to roll under the stab spears of the other
soldiers. DO NOT roll into the horses, but roll near them, then quickly start
attacking the shins of the horses. After roughly around 25 shots, the soldier
on the horse should fall off. Now attack and finish off that soldier. Repeat
this procedure for the spearmen, and catch them from behind whenever they turn
their horse around. You can usually get in about 12-15 stabs by simply tapping
the X button. DO NOT use your Ninpo magic, at least not yet. Save it for the
actual boss.
******************************************************************
* Useful Tip for defeating the Horsemen: (thanks to Seth [tollk2]*
******************************************************************
* Remember the new Bow and Arrow you received in Chapter 2? *
* During the battle, equip it, and snipe the horse riders. It *
* only takes one arrow to knock a rider off their horse. The only*
* problem is finding spare time in the battle to take them down. *
* However, this is a much easier approach than attempting to *
* slash each of them off their horse. *
******************************************************************
After you've eliminated the default horsemen, jump over the rubble which cools
down. Check the body on the right for a Great Spirit Elixir, and then save
your game with the nearby statue. You can check out the Graveyard to your
left, but it has nothing of interest (as of right now). Instead, proceed
forward onto the wooden bridge. It's nukem time.
*A large wooden doorway will open up to reveal a Samurai Swordsman dressed
in massive armor. Slowly but surely, he makes his way onto the wooden
bridge along with a battle horse, and gigantic Mongolian spear-like weapon.
Let's show him who the boss is.*
&==================-------------------=====================================&
~= LEVEL TWO BOSS | Samurai Horseman | DIFFICULTY: *** =~
&==================-------------------=====================================&
~ This is a very tough battle for one of the earlier levels in the game. ~
& The Samurai Horseman also has two magic wielding swordsman by his side &
~ for most of the battle. There are two procedures you can do from here on.~
& You may either focus on killing the magic wielding warriors, and keep &
~ killing their respawned forms until they stop respawning. Or, you may try~
& to simply focus on narrowing down the horseman's life bar before it's too&
~ late. Personally, I simply focused on the horseman. Some key tips are to ~
& roll out of the way (to avoid his spear attacks), then quickly sprint up &
~ and slash his horse from behind. The energy balls from the magic users ~
& can be a real pain in the arse. If you are in desperate need of health, &
~ simply kill the magic users, and they'll drop essence. Keep doing this to~
& refill your life bar, then re-engage the horseman. Avoid jumping as he &
~ has extreme range on his attacks. If you decide to do the first strategy,~
& watch out for the horseman to strike you from behind. Roll out of the way&
~ in timed intervals when you sense he's coming towards your position. ~
& Make use of the fire Ninpo magic as well. When his life bar is fairly &
~ low, quickly cast the Fire Wheel spell, and run up to him to catch him on~
& fire. This is perfect for making the battle come to a decisive end. &
~==========================================================================~
- After you've killed him, run up to the aura in the middle, and press X.
You'll receive a Technique Scroll: Counter Attacks. You can now counter attack
opponents by blocking an attack (holding down L trigger), then pressing X or
Y. Basically, you'll attack them right after you block a swing with your
blade. Enter the large wooden doorway where the Samurai Swordsman came from.
*Yet again, another FMV sequence will open up. This time, we're presented
with Ryu Hayabusa sprinting towards the inner temple where the Dark Dragon
Blade is held. Most of his comrades are slain, and we see a large knight
gallavanting through them like a knife slicing into butter. Suddenly,
Kureha, who is one of the temple's protectors (a young girl), collapses
and dies in front of Ryu. This angers him greatly as a childhood friend
has been lost. He grips the Dragon Blade, and charges the mysterious
knight. The first attack is blocked, then countered, and the knight finally
slashes Ryu across the chest/leg. Ryu falls to the ground as a failure.
We're then presented with a black falcon flying to the scene above Ryu's
dead body. Some say Ryu never died, and that Murai rescued him. Others say
the falcon resurrected Ryu. Only time will tell...*
- I'd like to give credit to Phuc Tram for telling me that the bird was
actually a falcon, and that Hayabusa is Japanese for "falcon." I'm sure many
of you are starting to see the resembling connection.
*We're then brought back to a scene of Ryu getting dressed into a new
uniform. Murai informs him that the man he fought was actually Lord Doku,
leader of the Greater Fiends. There's some reasonable connection between
them and the Vigoor Empire. Ryu decides to hitch a ride on an airship to
get to the Vigoor Empire, where maybe he can beat some answers out of the
senseless combatants. The game then zooms to a scene of the Vigoor Empire
detecting an unwanted intruder on an airship (you). Alarms start to go off,
and a gigantic electrified man is released (as part of the defense unit).
Let's get this show on the road.*
_________________________
/Skies of Vengeance (4.3)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: **
SECRETS: (3) Golden Scarabs
(3) Life of the Gods [one because of Muramasa]
"The Hayabusa Village has burned, and the Dark Dragon Blade is gone. Ryu has
stowed aboard an Airship headed for Vigoor Empire. His goal: Vengeance..."
This level starts off with you inside your cabin quarters. Go to the table and
take the Elixir of Devil Way. Now, open your cabin door, and head out to the
door opposite of you. Grab the Spiritual Life potion on the table, then leave
this room. Go up, and open the next door on the left. Open the chest to reveal
the Airship Map. Unfortunately, your gleaming discovery will be interrupted by
two Vigoorian Guards who breach through the windows. You're going to face many
of these throughout the level, so get use to them. The white uniformed
soldiers are fairly weak, and easy to kill. Watch out for the black ones
though as they have tazers. Once you've finished them both off, leave the
room, and enter the 1-# door on the right hand side. Grab the Spiritual Life
potion, and leave. Run to the end of the hall, and engage the four surrounding
guards. When you're a certain distance from them, they'll pull out pistols and
shoot at you. Be weary of your surroundings. Use the wall to your advantage,
and try to make use of some Essence moves as well.
Once they're dead, check the aura in the middle to receive the Wing Key. Use
the key on the double doors right next to you to reach the Main Deck. Run
inside, and head around the protruding wall. Go to the upper left section of
the room, and check the ship's galley to find a Life of the Gods. Leave the
room, and head to the upper right portion. Open the door on that side. You
should be in a room filled with spewed documents. Open the next door, and
suddenly the power locks will turn red. Battle the four guards as usual, but
watch out for the black ones. Once they're finished off, leave through the
next door and you should be in a hallway. Enter the door opposite of the one
you just came through. You should now be in the Captain's room. Check the desk
for a letter.
*Apparently, the ship has been having problems whenever emergency power has
been forced to turn on. Because of the lack of power, whenever a power
shortage occurs, all power locks on the ship are unlocked.*
Check the desk again for a scrolled up map which turns out to be a Map of
Tairon. Also, you can find Golden Scarab #1 in the right hand corner of the
room. Head over to the Captain's Elevator, and use it. This will lower you to
the Fore Cabin. Run around the semi-circle room, and then use the next
elevator. The ID door in this room is locked for now. Go down the elevator,
and you'll be brought to an isolated room. You'll have to deal with 5-6
guards. If you need to, make use of your Ninpo magic, although I found simply
using Ultimate Techniques worked best. Use the counter attacks to your
advantage. Once they're dead, an aura will appear in the middle of the room.
Grab it to receive an ID card. You can now open certain powered locks on the
floating vehicle. Open the door directly behind you, and retrieve the Life of
the Gods inside the chest. Head back up the elevator, and use the ID card on
the door to the left.
Once inside, you'll have to deal with a small threat of 2 Vigoorian Guards.
Head through the following doorway, and then use the save statue on the right
to note down your progress. Before heading on straight through, you can do the
following to gain some "secret" inventory:
- Go up the spiral stairwell. Then, go down the opposing stairwell. You can
find a Muramasa Shop in a nifty location. If you want, purchase some Spiritual
Life potions (although I actually upgraded my Dragon Sword, 3000 essence). If
you talk with him, Muramasa will yank your golden scarab, and give you a Life
of the Gods. You can find out more about what you receive for handing in
scarabs (in the Scarab Locations section). Anyhow, once you're finished
shopping, head back up the stairwell. Now, make your way back to the Living
Quarters. Open the ID-card door at the end of the hallway. You'll be in a
cargo room filled with crates. Jump onto the left side of crates, and make
your way to the middle section of the room. Leap straight across, and you
should be able to reach the back part of the room. In the left corner is a
chest containing a Talisman of Rebirth, along with a chest in the right corner
holding an Elixir of Devil Way. Finally, check the small two-crate dip between
both chests for Scarab #2. Head back to the save statue, and note down your
progress.
Head on through the door, and you should be outside. Run across the small
walkway, and enter the door to reach the Middle Deck. Check the crate on the
left for an infinite supply of arrows (although you can only handle 15 at a
time). Smash the crates for some essence, then start to unwind the wench (in
the corner of the room), by tapping down X. Eventually, a few guards will
burst through the windows, and attempt to ambush you from behind. Let go of
the wench, and deal with them appropriately. Keep unwinding the wench until
the large cargo door is slightly more than fourty-five degrees open. Pull out
your bow, and snipe the 2 guards across the large gap. Run to the corner of
the door, and jump up to reach a small dangling wire. Shimmy across to the
other side, and run to the end of the current deck. Kill the black guard
around the corner, then head to the other walkway around the corner. At the
end of this walkway is a chest containing a Spiritual Life potion. Look on the
right hand side for a window with a poor repair job. Use your bow, and shoot
the window to smash it. Leap through the opening, and you'll now be in the
power source room.
Now it's nukem time. Pull out your sword, and start to slice all of the
controls in the room. Once you've destroyed most of the panels, an
announcement will start to play over the intercom:
*Announcement says that all locks have been disabled due to a shortage of
power. Emergency power supply has been initiated.*
Leave the room, and go back to the Fore Cabin. Just shimmy across as usual,
and make sure you refill your arrows on the way out. Once you're back at the
Fore Cabin, save your game. Go up the spiral stairwell, then make it back to
the hallway before the Captain's room. Head to the far end where there should
be a large metallic door (with a different kind of lock). Fortunately, the
lock is now open because you disabled the power supply. Open it, then proceed
up the stairs. Pull out your bow, and snipe the two pistol-wielders above. Go
all the way up, and you should reach a dead end. However, behind you is an
elevated platform. Go to the right or left hand sides, and then jump directly
up to reach the above area. Kill the three guards above (you might take some
fire on the way up). Look along the left wall for a large crate. Leap onto it,
then wall jump along the wall to the area above. If performed correctly, Ryu
should land in a secret ceiling area above with Scarab #3 on the ground. Run
straight ahead, and open the chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. Engage the two
guards up ahead, and go to the metal cargo box in the corner of the room
(behind a grated wall). You're going to have to do a flying bird jump to reach
the top of the metal box, then another wall jump to reach the metal walkway
above. It might take a few tries, but boost yourself off the solid to flip up
to the area above.
Run down the walkway, and there should be a ladder shaft. However, before you
can head on up, the hatch is actually locked. What you have to do is perform a
multiple wall jump to reach the part I'm talking about. Position yourself in
the center of the red shaft, then jump against the left wall, run up, and
jump. Repeat this process three more times, and Ryu should land in a red side
area. Run to the end of the hall, and hit the switch. It'll unlock the hatch
above. Now, jump down, press X to climb the ladder, and Ryu will be on top of
the airship. Unfortunately, you'll also be met by an Electrical Mofo (as I
like to call him).
&====================------------------====================================&
~= LEVEL THREE BOSS | Electrical Mofo | DIFFICULTY: ** =~
&====================------------------====================================&
~ Some players tend to have trouble with this boss mainly because of his ~
& massive power on attacks. Basically, he's equipped with a gigantic &
~ electric gun, that shoots out blasts of electrical charges in small ~
& intervals. What you should do is keep distance between him and yourself. &
~ Keep running in circles, but DO NOT jump (makes you an easier target). ~
& You can try rolling, but keep running in circles until he fires about 5 &
~ laser blasts. Suddenly, his gun will discharge, and it'll be jammed for a~
& few seconds. Quickly sprint in, and lay down a few power slashes. If you &
~ want, you can also cast Ninpo magic to assist in causing more damage. ~
& Just repeat this strategy, and keep retreating/approaching. If you stay &
~ close too long, he'll grab you, and shoot you point blank with the ~
& weapon. Also, try to keep several potions on hand when facing him. You &
~ might take a few hard hits along the way. Aside from that though, he's ~
& not as challenging when compared to other bosses faced. &
~==========================================================================~
****************************************************************************
* Alternative method of defeating Dynamo (thanks to AJC) *
****************************************************************************
* An easier method to take down the level 3 boss is to simply not let him *
* shoot. When he starts charging up, quickly sprint in and lay down a quick*
* 2-hit combo. Quickly leap back as he'll most likely take a pop swing at *
* you. After he's finished swinging, he'll start to charge up his gun *
* again. Repeat the process, lay down 2-3 hits, then retreat out. This is *
* a slower manner of defeating him, but very useful for hard and very hard *
* where taking damage is not an option. *
****************************************************************************
*Our gigantic boss will start to scream in agony as he has been defeated.
Not only is he all sliced up, but the rain causes for his suit to
malfunction. He explodes into millions of tiny organic pieces. Before he
dies though, his gun discharges and takes out a nearby Vigoorian Airship,
which leaves us with a very covert exit. However, the zeppelin starts to
burn in a furious manner. It's getting a little too hot to be standing
here for long.*
_________________________________
/Imperial City Infiltration (4.4)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: **
SECRETS: (3) Golden Scarabs
Technique Scroll: Guillotine Throw
Nunchakus
(1) Lives of the Thousand Gods
(1) Life of the Gods
Windmill Shuriken (Legendary Weapon)
Stone Tablet [Top]
"Ryu has escaped from the crash of the Airship. Spread out before him is the
city of Tairon, capital of the Vigoor Empire..."
*We're brought to the scene of the magnificent airship slowly but surely
burning down to crash on the ground. The camera then zooms out to show Ryu
standing upon a nearby power line. Using his metal wrist bands, he slides
along the electrified power source as if he was skating upon a sheet of
ice. You're now in the Outskirts of Tairon.*
Start off by saving your game at the nearby save statue. Jump to the street
below, and start to run down the alleyway. Around the corner are 3 Vigoorian
Guards, and make their existence quick and painless. Keep going down the
pathway, and a Kunai note will fly by. Read it, and it'll tell you to go visit
Han's Bar. Apparently, they have information on where you can find this Lord
Doku. Keep going forward, and you'll reach the Twin Serpents Plaza. Look to
the left for a small doorway behind an enclosed fence. Go inside, and open the
chest to receive a Great Spirit Elixir. Now, go down the left hallway, and
kill the 3 Vigoorian Guards. Yet again, nothing we haven't seen before. Open
the doorway, and you'll now be in front of the Military Gate. Go along the
left wall, and check the ninja's body for a Technique Scroll: Guillotine
Throw. It's a fairly useful move that can be operated by jumping at an enemy,
and pressing Y (while above their head). Run up to the gate, and check the
other ninja body for some much needed arrows. Go right towards the door with
the yellow dot on it.
Suddenly, three Vigoorian soldiers will drop down. One of them has a nade
launcher, so avoid the nades, and take out the usual grunts. Now's a great
time to use some ultimate techniques considering you have vast space to
navigate with. Once they're dead, head up to the yellow door, and press X to
open it. Three soldiers are on the other side, and again, make their lives
worthless. By now, you should see a "Skull" door to your right, along with a
shiny treasure chest, and golden scarab on the ground. You cannot reach this
area yet until later on in the game. Run straight down the street, but don't
go left. Keep going straight, and turn right around the corner. Go to the end
of the street to find a Top portion of the Stone Tablet. Again, this is a
puzzle you will accumulate throughout the game, so no need to worry about it
now.
Run back to the T-way from before, and three Vigoorian guards will be there.
Kill them all, and go down the steps you passed before.
- The 3 Vigoorian Guards you just fought are actually part of an infinite
respawn pool. You can check out the Secrets section on how the process exactly
works.
Once you run down the steps, a Kunai note should hit the ledge. Read it, and
it says that anything blue can solve your problems. Pull out your bow, and
snipe off the guard on the platform to your right, and straight ahead. Once
they're dead, look where the Kunai note landed. There's a small blue ledge
there. Run off the ledge, and Ryu will flip (but hang) onto the railing.
Shimmy to your right, and jump up. Open the chest to receive a Life of the
Gods. Shimmy back to where you were, and look to your right along the building
wall. Look slightly up, and there should be a highly-placed blue railing. Walk
down the steps a bit, then turn right, and wall run. Ryu will grab a hold of
the ledge. Shimmy to your left, then jump onto the guidance wire, and cross
the opening. Open the next chest for a Thousand Lives of the Gods. Quickly
pull out your bow, and snipe the 2 guards that pop out (from the stairwell you
were on before). Now, jump down to the street level. There should be a door on
your left marked with a "Lily" symbol. Remember this location. Run down to the
end of the streetway, and open the door to enter the Clock Tower Plaza.
____________________
\ Clock Tower Plaza }
=====================
The entire region looks sort of like this:
________
_________ /=========/ / Green |
] Red \ /Nunchakus/ / Door |
]Door \/ / ___________ / |
]_____ \ [Multi-Color] /Muramasa's |
\ \| Door |___/ Shop |
\ |
\ /
\ ____DOOR________________________/
| /
| |
| |
| |
| START |
Start off by taking the left pathway, then making a right at the Y. Check the
ninja's body for the Nunchakus. This is the first alternate primary weapon you
can find in the game. Unfortunately, the nunchakus don't yield a lot of
damage, nor do they have an ultimate technique. The excellent trait about them
is that they can yield high-hitting combos. Now, go right towards the green
door, and a quick cutscene will pop up. One of the doorways from before will
lock. You'll have to take care of 4 Vigoorian Guards, including two captains
(with grenade launchers). Once they're dead, prison bars will slide up from
the DOOR (listed on the map above). Run to this doorway (it's a yellow arched
doorway), and run up the stairs. Fight off the three guards in the stairwell
(block the pistols shots, and run along the wall). Then continue to the very
top. Walk past the Clock Tower, and you'll have to face 3 Black Ninjas. These
are one of your most formidable common enemies throughout the game. They're
equipped with explosive shurikens, and have fast attacks. Always BLOCK against
them. You can get more in-depth strategies under the Enemies section. Once
you've killed them, check the chest near the edge of the wall for a Spirit of
the Devils. Use this item; it'll upgrade your Ninpo by one level.
Run back down to the Green Door, and hit the lever to the right of it. This
will unlock it. Now, open the green door, and proceed inside. Again, you'll
have to face 3 Black Ninjas that drop down from above. Use the same tactics
from before, and use Ninpo Magic if the situation is desperate. Avoid powerful
attacks though, as you'll be exposed too long. You'll also receive a Kunai
note saying that these ninjas are part of the Black Spider Clan, one that
opposes the Hayabusa Clan. Make sure they do not leave the city alive. Look to
your left for a water fountain. Walk up to it, and press X to receive Golden
Scarab #1. Keep going straight, but this time, go left along the partial
stairwell. It should elevate you slightly, and guide you along a large fence
blocking in a city square. Look to your left for a small alley. Run in there,
then wall jump 4x to reach an area above. Jump across the small pit, and run
sideways along the blue-colored portion of the wall. Check the ninja's body
for Suke's Diary.
*The Diary is apparently of a ninja from the Black Spider Clan. He suffered
a mortal wound, and is about to die, but during his life, he met a "very"
beautiful woman in Tairon. Sounds like a cheesy sex novel.*
Anyhow, it's just to provide some background information about a character
you're going to meet. Grab Golden Scarab #2 on the ground, then jump across
the small pit. Open the chest to receive a Great Devil Elixir. Hit the lever
to unlock the multi-colored door below. Before jumping down below, head back
to the Green Door area from before. Rather than going left (to where that
alley was), head down the right street. Go all the way to the end, then go in
the nearby alley. Perform a running side jump two times to reach the balcony
ledge above. Drop down, and you'll be forced to deal with four black Ninjas.
Be careful though as the fighting arena is small, and has four pillars (you
can use them for shelter). Once you've finished off the ninjas, open the chest
in the far corner for 5,000 essence. Now, head back to the multi-colored door.
Open it up (thanks to the switch above unlocking it). Ryu will now be on
Pleasure Street. Move straight ahead to Han's Bar.
*A brief cutscene will show a bouncer telling Ryu that he cannot enter the
party without a ticket. He must have a ticket to enter.*
Go to the right of Han's Bar, and look along the building's wall. You should
see a bulletin board there. Press X to read it.
*Apparently, Muramasa has a contest out. Whoever purchases items from his
store can receive a ticket to Han's Bar. The contest ends today.*
- Before leaving though, a Kunai note should land against the wall (near the
corner of Han's Bar). Read the note, and it says that Ayane left a "legendary"
weapon in Tairon. Only a Ninja can reach the place of its hidden location.
Look to your right, and there should be a zig-zagged alley as shown below.
\Scarab\ To reach the area, look along the alley
\ #3 | walls for BLUE zig-zag lines. You should
>>/ |<-- Secret Weapon see the blue panels where the arrows are
>>/ / pointing to in my guide. Take Ryu, and run
\ \<< SIDEWAYS along these blue panels, but jump
\ \<< at the end of each so Ryu ricochets from
>>/ / one wall to the next. On the third and
>>/ / final panel, jump, and then press X while
in mid-air. This will give you a temporary
boost in height, which should be just
enough to reach the secret weapon.
- The secret weapon is inside a small metal chute. Press X to yank it out of
there. You have receive the Windmill Shuriken. It's basically a shuriken that
does tons of more damage, and can decapitate enemies. Also, check the power
statue to the right of the weapon to refill all of your energy. Jump down to
the alley, and run to the end of the alley to receive Golden Scarab #3.
Once you've done this, run back to Muramasa's Shop in the Clock Tower Plaza.
His store is located on one of the street corners. Enter inside, and buy
ANYTHING from him. Heck, it can be a simple arrow, or a new technique scroll.
Right before you leave, he'll hand you Han's Ticket as part of the promotion
offer you read before. You MUST read the ad on the bulletin board, otherwise,
he will not give you the ticket. Run back to Han's Bar, and an FMV cutscene
will open up.
*Suddenly, before we can enter, all of the party guests inside will sprint
out of the building. A large dinosaur creature will leap out as well,
causing pure havoc/terror. Suddenly, a very "gifted" woman leaps out, and
bashes the creature with her gigantic warhammer. She introduces herself as
Rachel, the Fiend Hunter. They both go to the rooftop, where Ryu explains
that he's currently searching for Doku, Lord of the Greater Fiends. Rachel
tries to explain that she would have killed him before if it was possible,
but apparently it wasn't. She knows nothing of his whereabouts. Rachel
then flings away using a grappling hook. A new character named Gamov
appears out of thin air, and let's Ryu know that he's been watching his
every move. Before Ryu can get any definite answers, Gamov leaps off a
building edge, and vanishes into thin air.*
[[[ NO BOSS - Wahoo! ]]]
_________________________
/The City of Fiends (4.5)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: ****
SECRETS: (3) Golden Scarabs (thanks to Ben Fellow for the last one)
"Tairon is full of mysteries: strange creatures called Fiends and Rachel the
Fiend Hunter. However, Ryu still has no clues to the whereabouts of Doku..."
You'll now be on the roof of Han's Bar. A Kunai note will come flying down.
Read it, and it tells you to go visit the Dworku Monastery. Apparently, they
might have some intel on where you can find this Doku. The Dworku Monastery is
located in the Dworku district, across a wooden drawbridge.
Open the red chest right next to you for the Lily Key. Also, save your game
via the nearby statue. Rather than using the ladder, drop down the ledge
(Where Gamov jumped off). Once you're down there, open the chest to receive an
Elixir of Spiritual Life. Start to head down the stairs (out of Han's Bar),
and you'll have to deal with 3 Vigoorian Guards. Nothing new, but I recommend
blocking until their ranged weapons run out of ammo. Run down, and open the
nearby chest for another Elixir of Spiritual Life. Keep going down the stairs,
and rid of the next three guards. Jump all the way down, and grab the Elixir
of Devil Way off of the bar. You might also notice an "Arcade Machine." This
is where you take your unlocked Ninja Gaiden cartridges to play the original
games. Make sure you grab the Map of Dworku off of the right side of the bar
as well. Anyhow, exit Han's Bar, and you'll have to deal with three Vigoorian
Guards waiting to ambush you. Proceed back to the yellow door (in the Clock
Tower Plaza), and head through. Run back to the Lily Door (which was by the
blue beams section from before). It's located along the wall. Use the Lily Key
to open it up, and you'll now be close to the Dworku District.
Continue down the alley until you reach a dead end. You'll probably see an
elevated platform, but it can't be reached from simply jumping once. Move back
a bit, then jump, and wall run sideways (along the right wall), then jump
again to reach the elevated platform. Open the chest to receive an Elixir of
Spiritual Life. Around the corner are more of those pesky Black Ninjas (three
in total), use the usual tactics from before. If you look down in the water,
you can probably see a gigantic fish swimming around. Head into the sewer
tunnels to the right, and you'll pass a door on your left that requires a
Pegasus Key. Remember this location for later. Continue forward until you
reach the red door. Hit the lever to the left of it to unlock it. You can now
use this red door to easily transport you between the Dworku District, and
Clock Tower Plaza. Save your game via the nearby statue. Go up the stairwell
to your right, and kill the three Vigoorian guards up top. Again, not too
hard, just watch out for the captain guard.
Look around to the left side for a blue-dotted door. Open it up, and head
inside. QUICKLY, sprint up along the walls to avoid the oncoming shots of the
3 Vigoorian Guards. You'll have two captains to deal with this time, so try to
get close, and use an ultimate technique. Check the chest on the left for the
Pegasus Key. Before leaving, turn around, and look to the opposite of the
Pegasus Chest. Do a double wall jump to reach a small inlet above, and inside
is Golden Scarab #1 (thanks Ben Fellow). Now, sprint all the way back to the
sewer tunnels where you passed the door before. Use the Pegasus Key on the
Pegasus Door, and it will be unlocked. Hit the lever, and it should lower the
drawbridge. Go back to the red door, and use the save point to note down your
progress.
- Before proceeding across the drawbridge, I recommend purchasing (or having)
at least 5-6 Elixirs of Spiritual Life. You can get them from Muramasa's Shop
for 500 essence a piece, and you can refill your essence by using the infinite
spawn spots on the map. The next part of the game is sort of a stretch as
you'll be forced to face numerous amounts of enemies.
Once you're ready, head up the stairs, and finish off the three guards. Cross
the drawbridge, then go left. Run up the Drawbridge Hill, and near the top, 3
Black Ninjas will drop down. These are very ferocious enemies, and I highly
recommend blocking. Roll out of the way whenever an explosive shuriken lands
near you. But do not roll more than twice in a row (you'll get plugged with
shurikens). Once you've killed them, save via the the progress statue inside
one of the buildings. Look to the right of the statue for Golden Scarab #2.
Head out, and now go down the right pathway. You'll start to walk down some
stairs. Look near the bottom of the stairs for a small alley to the left.
Golden Scarab #3 is resting in the small indentation. Move a bit further to
find another chest (along the left wall, in an alley), which contains an
Elixir of Spiritual Life. Keep going straight until you reach the Monastery
Plaza. Suddenly, the gates will lock, and you'll soon discover that it's an
ambush. Look to your left, and two guards should drop down. Finish them both
off, then 2 Vigoorian Captains will drop down. Repeat the same moves, and make
use of essence if you delight. Once they're dead, the gates will drop down.
The front gate to the Monastery is locked. Look to the left of the Monastery
for a street. Head down, and you'll get ambushed by 4 Black Ninjas. I
recommend using the back alley to your left for shelter, when you fight
them. I'd like to thank Tyler Sick for coming up with a useful way of making
it past the 4 Black Ninjas. When they appear, quickly run away from the
spawning point, and head back to the Monastery Door. Keep your camera angle
focused on them. They'll poof into a thin cloud of smoke, and when you go
back, they will NOT respawn. Thanks for this excellent tip! Kill them all,
then open the chest in the back alley for a Great Spirit Elixir. Head out of
the alley, and you'll be ambushed by 3 more Black Ninjas. Again, try using
some Fire Ninpo Magic to make the battle less painless. Go forward down the
street until you reach the Monastery Inner Plaza. Run to the far side until
you hear a rumble. Vigoorian Guards will drop down. Fight off two of them, and
an FMV sequence will occur.
*A large rumbling noise starts to pound against the ground. The two guards
stop fighting, and so does Ryu. Suddenly, a large Reptilian creature comes
out, and eats one of the guards from behind. The other guard decides to run
but is soon eaten in entirety from behind. Now it's just you against 3
Fiends.*
- Although this isn't exactly a boss battle, it's certainly like one. To
defeat the three fiend creatures, use a combination of wall attacks, and front
combos. Personally, I lured the creatures towards a wall, and waited till they
ran into it. This temporarily stuns them. Quickly wall-attack them, or run
around them, and lay down a few slashes. Personally, I only laid down about
four hits, before retreating out with a hit, and repeating the process all
over again. You can also attack the Fiends from the front, but they have a
nasty grapple technique (grabs your whole body, and takes a crunch out of it),
which yields nearly 50% damage.
>> Try to stay agile. Roll out of the way when they get close, and jump
over them in desperate situations. Use your Ninpo magic, but try to hit at
least 2 of them before it lights out. Use your potions if you have to; the
boss isn't entirely that hard.
*After you finish off the three Dinosaur Fiends, Rachel will appear from the
Monastery Wall. She's thoroughly impressed with your skills, and how you
dealt with the three fiends. She states that she became a Fiend Hunter
because Doku lured her sister, Alma, into becoming a Fiend. Rachel also
has special blood which gives her unique powers, but she risks turning into
a Fiend as well. Before she can truly state her intentions, a large
creature grabs her, and swallows her whole! The Giant Tenticle bursts
through the stone wall, and charges at Ryu. Let's get this show on the
road.*
&===================-----------------======================================&
~= LEVEL FIVE BOSS | Tentacle Fiend | DIFFICULTY: * =~
&===================-----------------======================================&
~ One of the easiest chapter bosses in the game - if you know what you're ~
& doing. To start off, the Tentacle Fiend is a giant dual-wielding tentacle&
~ boss with eyeballs spaced around its body. The easiest way to defeat him ~
& is to simply slash off both of his tentacles, and quickly attack the &
~ paralyzed blob. Repeat this process 3 times to defeat him. Another useful~
& strategy is to jump (A), then press Y. Ryu will jump and slice through &
~ the blob like butter. The best way to rid of the tentacles is to use a ~
& jump + X attack. Keep doing this to the tentacles until they fall off, &
~ attack the generic form, and repeat. The tentacles will reappear after ~
& about 10 seconds, but you can usually knock his life bar down 1/3. Also, &
~ watch out for an attack where he swings the tenticles in circles. Simply ~
& jump over the swinging tentacles, and avoid them whenever he whiplashes &
~ them at you. Very, very simple boss. ~
&==========================================================================&
***********************************************************
* Damaging Method of attack to use (thanks to DJ) *
***********************************************************
* After you've sliced off the tentacles of the creature, *
* simply cast your Fire Wheels Ninpo, and stand next to *
* the beast (while laying down blows). The blob should *
* take extreme damage, and can be killed with two castings*
* from this spell. Be weary though as the boss will launch*
* fireballs from its head if you use Ninpo. *
***********************************************************
*After you defeat the boss, an FMV appears to show Ryu dodging a tentacle
attack, then retaliating with a fierce blow that kills the creature in
whole. Rachel falls out all wet and slimy. Ayane appears to give you
message that the Fiends have been having problems recently. Perhaps it has
something to do with the Dragon Blade. Rachel spits out some information
that Doku is believed to be in a pathway below the Dworku Monastery. That's
why she came here in the first place. Ryu tells Ayane to take care of
Rachel.*
*We're then forwarded to a scene of Gamov speaking with the Vigoor Emperor.
Although his identity is kept secret, he has arrived just in time to see
what's going on. Ryu has become stronger and more powerful than expected
in the short amount of time.*
____________________
/The Monastery (4.6)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: ***
SECRETS: (6) Golden Scarabs
(2) Life of the Gods
Incendiary Shuriken
Stone Tablet [Right]
Raptor, Deity of Sentiment
"It is said that there is a secret path leading to the Palace of Zarkhan
underneath the Dworku Monastery..."
Our young adventurer starts off in the courtyard of the monastery (where the
former blob resided). Turn around; open the two chests in the mushy grass to
reveal a Life of the Gods, and a Great Spirit Elixir. Use the Save Statue as
well to note down your progress. Enter the stairwell, and go upstairs. Open
the chest above for an Elixir of Spiritual Life, then you'll have to fight off
about 8 Bats in the catway above. Cross the walkway, then jump down to the
stairwell, and go down. If you need to buy anything, there's a Muramasa Statue
down below. If I were you, I'd buy at least 5 Spiritual Life Elixirs for later
on. Head outside, and you're going to meet your first new enemy - a zombie. DO
NOT confuse these with the Skeletal Zombies. About four of them will pop out
of the ground. They look sort of like brown/red roots of a tree, however, they
attack is small combos. Most of their attacks are predictable, and they lunge
forward. The easiest way to kill them is to simply block their combos, then
retaliate with your own fury of blades. Careful though, they do have excellent
dodging skills. Once you've killed them all, open the chest to the right for
an Elixir of Devil Way. Go to the front portion of the courtyard, and open the
Monastery Gate. A bolt will be removed, and you'll now be in the Monastery
Inner Gate. Kill the three surrounding zombies, then proceed back into the
Monastery. It's better to unlock this door for now, in case you need to come
back here later.
Use the Save Statue to your right, then go inside the Monastery's Front Door.
This is where it starts to get interesting. Once inside, climb either flight
of stairs. Open the chest between both stairways for an Elixir of Spiritual
Life. Run up towards the altar, and you'll now be in Altar Hall. You'll have
to face 2 Floating Fiends (new type of enemy), along with 5 Zombies. Floating
Fiends look sort of like ghost with giant scythes. They have teleportation
skills, and a powerful physical attack. They'll also cast a magic spell which
lights up on a circle on the ground, then slices you when you step on the
circle. The easiest way to finish them off is to do an A + Y attack (slice
through them), then quickly lay down a few hits. When they teleport, quickly
block (as they'll attack you from behind), or roll under them. Floating Fiends
can summon Zombies at will, so it's best to focus your energy on them. Once
they're dead, check a lower left cove (by three pillars) for a chest which
contains an Elixir of Devil Way. Go up to the altar, and press X.
*Those without faith will be doomed to wander the depths forever.
Apparently, we're going to need some object to place on the altar to get
by.*
Look to the lower right cove of the room for a small wooden door (behind three
pillars). Enter the door to a narrow room. Proceed into the next door. You'll
now be in the Monastery's Archive. It's basically the library of every
traditional medieval church. Unfortunately, you'll be forced to battle 2
Fiends, along with zombies as well. Again, use the same strategies from
before, and use the library walls for enhanced attacks. The door and metal
grate should unlock after all enemies have been eliminated. Look along the
bookshelves, and press X to pluck out the blue books. There are (4) History of
Vigoor books I recommend you read, just to provide some background information
to the storyline. The fourth book is on the second floor. There's also another
book on the Emperor, Lord of All Creation. Once you're done browsing through
the periodicals, go up to the second floor where the six glass cases are.
Smash the cases with your sword, and press X to take the item inside. Here's
what each glass casing contains:
_______ ___________
|Golden | |Incendiary |
|Scarab | |Shuriken |
______ ________
|Empty | G L O B E | Empty |
|______| | |
_______ __________
|Stone | |Spiritual |
|Tablet | |Life Elix.|
- Here's some new information on what you should receive. Golden Scarab #1 is
located in the upper left casing. You'll receive a new projectile weapon - the
incendiary shuriken. You can now break fragile walls by tossing one at them,
or use it as an explosive weapon (much like the pesky black ninjas). Please
note that you're limited to only 15 for your ammunition, but more can be
gathered by purchasing them from Muramasa (100 Essence a piece). The Stone
Tablet section is the [Right] portion, and now all you're missing is the left
portion. The GLOBE has no known function, as of right now.
Once you're done picking up the scraps, go around to the edge of the second
floor of the archive. The camera view should "shift" slightly to reveal a
ledge above. Perform a flying bird jump off of the book case to reach the
above area. Grab Golden Scarab #2 on the corner of the ledge. Now you're on
the third floor of the archives. Run around till you see a cracked wall. Toss
an incendiary shuriken to blast the wall, and clear the path to freedom.
You'll have to deal with 2 Floating Fiends, along with 4 Zombies, so get use
to killing them. Once they're dead, enter the door, and you'll now be on the
third floor of the Monastery (along the roof ledge). Go to your right, and
drop down on the horizontal beam below. The chest near the end has a Great
Spiritual Elixir. Jump back to the main location from before, and now jump to
the far right chest (behind the metal fence). You can find an Elixir of
Spiritual Life in that one. Proceed to the left side, and jump on the parallel
horizontal bar. Inside the item protector is a Great Devil Elixir. Finally,
Golden Scarab #3 can be found on the far left location behind the metal
grating.
Once you're done collecting the goodies, enter the door opposite of the one
you came from. You'll now be in the Monk's Room. Read the book on the table.
*On the 27th day of the 12th month, blah blah blah...Apparently the emperor
gave him an item he has treasured so much that he placed it in a safe. At
the end of the entry is Left, Right, Right, Left.*
Also, check the placeholder to the right of the desk for the Raptor, Deity of
Sentiment. Go to the safe (looks like a button along the wall), and press X.
You'll now be brought to a screen which shows the safe dial in the center. The
safe system works like this.
X - Acknowledges a selection for a #
B - tries again
L - hold down to turn safe lock to left
R - hold down to turn safe lock to right
The password to the combination is:
2 7 1 2
Left, Right, Right, Left
To input it in the safe, hold down the Left Trigger until the dial hits the
number 2. Press X to acknowledge the number, and a blue light will beep on.
Now, hold down the R trigger until you reach the #7. Again, press X. Hold the
R trigger down until you hit #1, press X. Hold down the L trigger till you hit
the #2, and press X. Once all four buttons are blue, the safe will open to
reveal the Book of Eons.
Before you can leave though, some sacred guardians will attack you. Take care
of the 2 Floating Fiends and zombies, then the door will unlock. Head back,
and jump down to the altar statue. Press X to place the Book of Eons on the
altar. A coffin above the altar should slide open. Run up to it, and
select "Yes", to jump down. Ryu will then jump down to the Underground
Cemetery.
_______________________
\ Underground Cemetery }
========================
Fight off the 4 bats that attempt to kill you, then grab Golden Scarab #4 off
the ground. Check the nearby ninja body for some Incendiary Shuriken ammo.
Save your game via the nearby statue. Enter the narrow hallway, and you'll be
inside the Hall of Doom. The following area is very reminscent of the Indiana
Jones movie, but I'm sure you get the picture. Inside the narrow hallway is a
giant "unstable" stone. Run the other way, and toss an incendiary shuriken to
blast the hole away. Unfortuantely, you'll also erupt the unstable boulder to
follow in your place. Start sprinting away from the boulder. You'll first have
to deal with three spike pits, each of which get progressively longer. Wall
run and jump to get longer distances on each jump. Three pillars will also
fall down. Simply run under the adjacent edges where space is available.
Finally, you'll have three more pits to dodge (careful though as one of the
spike pits is partially extended/retracted). Once you make it to the end, Ryu
will grab a hold of a nearby beam, and the boulder will plummet to eternity.
Swing across by pressing A when your momentum is directed forward. Save your
game via the nearby statue. You're now in the Great Babel Hall. Open the
nearby chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. Now, you can either slowly but surely
walk down the spiral stairwells, or use a nearby gateway, and drop down a bat
hole. Keep walking down till you reach an area where two metal gates are
(along with an old dusty altar). You'll have to deal with roughly around 5
Zombies, so keep your guard up, but ensure their deaths. Once they're dead, go
down the left doorway, and you'll see several flying bee zombies. Personally,
I'd use your windmill shuriken if you have it handy, and simply slash them
with that. Jump to the bottom of the bee room, and ensure that you kill all of
them. Before leaving though, search one of the corners, and do a flying bird
jump to reach the ledge above. Golden Scarab #5 is located on this small ledge.
Head down the pathway, and continue down the spiral. Save your game via the
nearby statue, and you'll notice a large base chain at the bottom of the
chasym. Kill the 5 zombies near the base chain, then continue down the nearby
doorway. You'll start to notice that little tombs are carved into the wall.
When you round the first corner, Golden Scarab #6 is located in one of the
lower right tombs. Proceed forward, and you'll now be in the Tombs of the Eon.
There's going to be a lot of bats. Quickly take care of them all, then jump
down the ladder shaft. Open the chest at the end of the pathway for an Elixir
of Spiritual Life. Continue forward till you reach a room with a giant switch
in the middle. Jump in the air, and press Y to perform a flying downward slash.
*Ryu's sword should jab into the switch, causing for it to depress. The
elevator will start to lower down to the depths of...the undead.*
Five zombies will drop down from above in order to ambush you. Quickly fend
them off as they're nothing new, just an old stack of papers. Once the
elevator reaches the bottom of the shaft, open the door. Head on through, then
look to your right. Check the chest for the Vigoorian Flails (thanks to Donald
Grames for correcting me on this). These are one of the most interesting
weapons you will receive in the game. They're basically two short scythes
connected together to form a nunchaku-type object. Once you're awed to death,
continue down the hallway. Open the door, and proceed towards the cup in the
center. Suddenly, you'll be ambushed by roughly around 15-25 bees. Quickly
equip your Vigoorian Flail, and fend off the vial creatures. Most of them can
be killed within a matter of seconds thanks to your new weapon. Once they're
all dead, we'll be presented with a very enjoyable cutscene.
*Just when Ryu thought that was it, centipedes will start to jump down from
the ceiling above. Suddenly, the catepillars start to land inside the
bodies of dead creatures, and this resurrects them. Ryu is now surrounded
by about ten blood-hungry undead souls.*
- Congratulations, you just met Skeletal Zombies. These creatures aren't too
hard to kill if you focus on your objectives. Skeletal Zombies are slow, but
have a tremendous grapple attack if you fail to accomplish one task. Before
fighting them, perform the A + Y move (where Ryu slices through them while in
mid-air). Use this move to decapitate the creatures, then FIGHT them much like
any normal creature. Skeletal Zombies carry large weapons, but they usually
only swing them once in a while. Now that they have no heads (they're
practically blind), keep slashing them, and they'll eventually die. Use their
essence to combine for ultimate attacks which will make the battle much
easier. After you've killed all 15 zombies, quickly grab the Holy Grail cup on
the pedestal.
You better get outta here in a hurry, otherwise you'll be a pile of bones. The
door will unlock once you've finished off the remaining skeletal undead. Our
new objective is to head back to that old dusty altar above, where you can
place the Holy Grail cup. Head back out the door, except you'll now be greeted
by a hallway full of Skeletons. You can fight these creatures if you wish, but
I preferably ran past them, and avoided the arrows as well. Once you reach the
end of the hall, open the door to get back onto the elevator. Slam the switch
to go up, except a few skeletal zombies will drop down. Eventually, they'll
also stand on the inner switch (which prevents the elevator from going up).
Kill them, then slam the switch again. Once the elevator reaches the top,
climb the ladder shaft you jumped down before. Run back out to the base chain
shaft, and here comes the challenging part. There are several zombies near the
base chain (which I usually ignore). However, as you continue up the spiral,
there's eventually an area with three Skeletal Archers. You can either:
--) Attempt to arrow down the archers
--) Jump across, avoid/block the arrows, and leap to safety
--) Jump across, kill one archer, jump to the next, kill one, repeat
--) Toss 3 Incendiary Shurikens per skeleton (thanks to Samir Cherian)
I personally combined steps 2 & 3. I leaped across, killed the first archer,
then wall runned & jumped, and finally seeked shelter from the previous
arrows. It's challenging because by now you're probably low on arrows (and it
takes about 3 to take an archer down - thanks to Samir Cherian). The archers
respawn if you kill one, but fall all the way down to the bottom of the
chasym. If you need health, go down to the base chain area, and kill some
zombies for blue essence.
Once you make it past the archers, go to the top of the spiral and save your
game via the statue. Go left into the bat room from before, and you'll have to
take down several bats. Now comes some tricky jumping. Go to the corner ledge
(where you found the scarab from before). Now, do a flying bird jump, and leap
up to the ledge. Jump from the ledge, and wall jump up until you reach the
next ledge. You should now be under a small stone pillar, but there should be
a stone opposite of you. Jump to it. Look to your left for another ledge. Do a
wall run, and jump only once (continue to run along the wall). You should drop
off next to a chest. Open it up to receive a Life of the Gods. Head back to
the center stone walkway, and repeat the wall-run, jump, run technique to
reach the area above the middle stone pillar. Once you're there, simply jump
across to reach the stone hedges (you leaped down to reach the bee room) from
before. Hobble your way up, and go back to where the Old Altar was. Press X to
place the Holy Grail on it.
*Right when you expect peace and tranquility, the opposite happens. The 4
candles surrounding the altar light up, but so does the gigantic creature
that was laying in the center of the shaft. Apparently, the Holy Grail
gave the creature life. It's time to take that life back.*
&==================--------------------====================================&
~= LEVEL SIX BOSS | Skeletal Dinosaur | DIFFICULTY: ** =~
&==================--------------------====================================&
~ This boss is actually considered to be one of the easier bosses in the ~
& game for the pure and simple fact that he's predictable. However, the &
~ reason why he's so hard is because you don't have any potions. By this ~
& point in the game, most people have hardly any health (due to the pesky &
~ zombies). First of all, the Skeletal Dinosaur has five different attacks.~
& He can tail whip you (when positioned with hind legs). You may dodge this&
~ by simply jumping over it once, then jumping over as the tail comes back.~
& He can perform a tremendous bite move (if facing you with his head). Roll&
~ to the side of the screen, and go nowhere near the center. He'll also ~
& perform limb attacks, such as an arm swing, or leg kick. Finally, his &
~ most used attack is a ranged bone toss, where he launchers sharp bones ~
& at you with extremely high speeds. The easiest way to defeat the boss is &
~ to position Ryu fairly far away from the legs. You must attack the four ~
& limbs of the boss, until the bone coverings fall off. Use your windmill &
~ shuriken, and constantly toss it at the limbs. This is much easier than ~
& attempting to get in close, and attack manually. Keep your eyesight &
~ focused on his main attacks, and avoid the head/tail attacks. If you do ~
& not have the Windmill Shuriken, use ninpo magic, and burn the legs. You &
~ can swipe at them if you wish, but many of his attacks will hit you. Roll~
& out of the way of the bones projectiles as he increases their speed. &
~==========================================================================~
****************************************************************************
* Alternative method of defeating Skeletal Dinosaur (thanks to FloFlues) *
****************************************************************************
* If you're low on elixirs, and simply don't have the ninpo or life to *
* spare, try this technique. Use the flying sparrow attack (forward jump + *
* Y), and use it in a side-to-side motion to attack the limbs of the beast.*
* It drains his health fairly quickly, and only leaves time for a few *
* attacks on his part. Retreat whenever he attempts to bite at you, or *
* swipe with a nearby limb. Watch out for the tail whip as well. This is a *
* better approach, than trying to get in close, and use a long combo. The *
* bone shards might catch you when you land from one of the flying attacks,*
* but it's still useful for people out there with a lack of potions. *
****************************************************************************
*Once all the bone sheaths have been cracked off of the creature's exterior
shell, his body weight is too much to support for his tiny limbs. The
creature will plummet to the depths of the undead hell. When the strange
beast lands, it places a crack in the wall, where small amounts of water
seep through.*
_________________________
/Hidden Underground (4.7)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DIFFICULTY: ***
SECRETS: (4) Golden Scarabs
(2) Life of the Gods
(2) Lives of the Thousands Gods
"A dark underground world, leading deeper and deeper. Does the path to
Zarkhan truly exist?"
Now that the prehistoric beast is dead, go and grab the brightly shining aura
in the middle of the room. You'll receive a Lives of the Thousands Gods. Run
down the spiral stairs to the bottom of the chasym where those three large
base chains use to be. Apparently, the large creature knocked through the lid,
and allowed for expansion to the secret underground path. Jump down into the
Coffin Chamber. Scroll around the room, and inside one of the small inlet
coffins is Golden Scarab #1. Look for a wall that looks out of the ordinary,
and open the doorway to move onward. You'll immediately be met by 3-4 Skeletal
Archers. Quickly focus on killing one, then rolling, and wall running to avoid
the arrows. Eliminate all of them, then continue onward, and you'll find a
Muramasa statue.
- On a side note, you may now upgrade your Dragon Sword to level 3 if you
wish. I'd also recommend purchasing at least 8-10 Spiritual Life Elixirs (as
you will need them).
Run through the stairs, then open the chest at the bottom for the Map of the
Hidden Underground. Use the nearby save statue to note down your progress.
Continue forward into the Suspension Bridge Room. Look immediately to your
right for Golden Scarab #2. Then turn around (to your left), for a chest which
contains a Life of the Gods. Once you've gotten them both, walk across the
bridge. I'm sure you were expecting this.
- I'd like to thank Dougg09 for the following tip.
>> NOTE: If you jump off the bridge, rather than running across, you can
actually help yourself in the long run. After you make your way back
up top, you can then cross the bridge back, and re-access the Muramasa
Statue to refill your equipment. This is VERY useful as you can equip
for the boss battle with Alma, rather than being stranded like most
players. The only thing you'll miss out on is the cutscene with the
zombies smashing the bridge.
>>
*Out of nowhere, you'll be surrounded by Skeletal Zombies. One of them slams
their weapon down onto the bridge, causing for it to lose its support, and
plummet below. Ryu lands in the middle of a large pit, where several
Skeleton Zombies surround him. Let's kick some butt.*
You do NOT have to combat the skeleton zombies if you wish (although I
recommend doing so, to prevent further confusion). Now, look to your right,
and enter the BLUE door.
____________
\ Blue Room }
=============
Once inside, quickly kill the nearby archer right in front of you. Check the
ninja body for arrows, and equip your bow. Look across the long gap, and you
should see 2 Skeleton Archers in the distance. They can hit you from here.
What I did was jumped down to the pit below, and his behind one of the small
pillars. From there, pull out your bow, and shoot 4 arrows at each skeletal
archer until they die. Once they're both dead, run to the end of the pit, and
look behind the two support beams to find Golden Scarab #3. Also, check the
chest in the pit below to find a Great Spirit Elixir. Head back upstairs, and
now look across. As you can see, there's no path to reach the area. However,
look on the maces, and you'll see red targets. Now, turn your view up, and
rotate it to the right. Along the right wall (up top), is a red target. Shoot
this target with an arrow to cause for a "blue" aura path to open up. This is
how you cross the small pit, via the blue light path. The only problem is that
you're going to have to dodge the flying maces (or simply shoot the red
targets above them to slow them down).
- Personally, I just shot the red target on the wall, then sprinted across.
The path only stays up for a limited amount of time, and wasting arrows to
slow down maces is a silly waste of time. Simply run forward, go right,
forward, left, and then wall run along the left wall to make it past the small
gap. You may have some trouble with the jump in the middle mainly because of
the glitchy camera angle, but focus, and you should get the job done. Careful
for the maces though. If you run out of arrows, keep reloading via the nearby
ninja body.
Once you make it across, press X to tap the blue orb, and open one slot
protecting the blue/red door. Before leaving though, check the ninja's body,
and refill on arrows. Head back to the main room, and you'll be greeted by
more creatures. You may kill them if you wish, or simply ignore them for now.
Open the red door, and you'll now be in the red room.
___________
\ Red Room }
============
Now that you have maxed out arrows, quickly turn the left corner, and you'll
be forced to deal with 3 Skeletal Archers. Take out the one in the middle,
along with the 2 others across the pathway. Once they're all dead, open the
chest to your right for a Great Spirit Elixir. Also, jump into the pit below
to discover a chest which contains a Great Devil Elixir. Now, to get past this
part, you're going to have to time your jumps.
- Avoid the first mace by running by. There are several spike pits located
along the pathway. You'll have to jump over these, but time your jump so that
you do not get pelted by a mace. Focus on the maces first as these will be
your biggest problem during the cross over. The last part of the narrow
pathway involves three swinging maces, and two timely jumps. Leap across to
the small space in the middle, quickly leap again, then ROLL to avoid the
final third mace.
***************************************************************************
* Alternate Method of getting past the maces (thanks to kyujutsu) *
***************************************************************************
* One of the safest ways to get past the first mace is to simply take Ryu,*
* and shimmy across past the spike by holding onto the ledge. While you *
* simply run past it, this is a much better failsafe method. Hop back up *
* once you're past the first mace. Now, for the last three maces, it takes*
* some hefty concentration to master the jumps. The next strategy is *
* cheap, but you'll need some health to spare. Wait for the first mace to *
* swing by, then press X + A to wind jump forward. You should land on a *
* spike trap. It should poke you once. Quickly move forward IN FRONT OF *
* second mace. You'll now notice that the spike trap will not keep poking *
* up. The traps will only poke you once if you manage to stand in front of*
* the next mace. Time your second jump with the same method. Repeat this *
* process for the last jump. Just be sure to stand in front of the next *
* mace, otherwise the traps will not be disabled. This method is much more*
* safe (despite a loss of some health), and can be less aggravating. *
***************************************************************************
Once you're across, tap the Red orb to unlock the red side of the door. Now,
head back to the main room, and open up the multi-colored door. Once inside,
walk to the center of the room. Unfortunately, you'll be greeted by a gigantic
Tentacle Blob. It's deja vu all over again.
- Although this isn't the boss fight of the level, this tentacle has the same
strategies as the one from Chapter 5. Slice off the two tentacles first, then
attack the creature with slices. I'd recommend saving your Ninpo magic for the
final boss battle. The only difference between this one, and the previous
tentacle is that he's more aggressive. Watch out for his massive swirl attack
where he rapidly twists his tentacles. There's not much to do but retreat, and
wait for him to stop swinging them.
*Once the vile beast is dead, a series of stones will jut out of the wall.
You may use these to reach the area you were going to before.*
Before leaving though, grab the Lives of the Thousand Gods on the ground. Head
back out to the main room, then run to the corner where the pillar popped out.
Position yourself between the small spacing of the wall, and the actual
column. Perform multiple wall jumps to reach the area above (Ryu should bounce
about 10 times). Run up to the throne chair that Ryu was destined to reach
before, and interact with it to receive a Jewel of the Demon Seal (it allows
you to upgrade an actual magic spell to the next level). Now, go to the right
doorway, and head on through. Save your game via the nearby statue, and now
enter the Great Corridor. Down below are 2 Archers, which I recommend taking
out with your bow (or simply charging them like Rambo). Six Skeletal Zombies
will also surround them. Concentrate on eliminating the archers first, then
decapitate the zombies, and finish them off. Check the ninja body on the
ground for the Art of the Ice Storm. Finally, we're getting some variation in
our Ninpo Magic. This is one of the ice elements, and it can be upgraded 2
more times.
Now, walk by the two dog statues. You'll now be in the Chamber of Everlasting
Sleep. If you attempt to approach the Pharoah's Tomb, it will rise (as part of
a secret trap). Go to the lower right corner of the room, and there should be
a switch on the floor. Slam it with your sword (still jump + Y), and the tomb
will now lower. Go to the lower left corner now, and perform a running wall
jump. Run along the wall so you can reach the ledge where the tomb is. You
should land on a gray stone. Now, walk over to the tomb, and press X to snatch
the Wolf, Deity of Wisdom. Also, press X again to grab the Skull Key. Use this
newly found key on the door to your right to get the heck out of this place.
Start to run down the tunnel.
*Remember that old water crack from before? Apparently it has sustained too
much pressure. The crack will fall apart, causing for a huge gush of water
to plow towards Ryu. Ryu attempts to hold on in disgust, but is quickly
sucked in, and shot out into a large room filled with water.*
Before you do anything, press A to dive down, then swim towards the bottom. Go
towards the golden object on the ground, and press X to receive Golden Scarab
#4. Get a fresh breath of air, and swim into the golden tunnel (not the
elevator, yet). Keep swimming. You can tap A to swim faster using the breast
stroke, or simply hold down A to paddle with your feet. Once you reach the
other end, there will be an old stone elevator that apparently isn't working.
However, save your game via the nearby statue (this 