---------------------------------- ____ _____ ____ _____ ___ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / | / / / / / | / / / / / /__ / | / / / / / | / / /__/ / / /____ /___ __/ __/ /___ __/ _____/ /__/ /__ :::; ::; :; :::; :::; :; :; :; :; :; :; :; :; :;_ ::: :; :; :; :;''':; :; :; :; :; :; ::; :::' :; :; :; :::' :::; :; :; FAQ/Walkthrough >>==>==>==>==>==>==>==>==>== For Microsoft X-BOX Version Final By Chris Zawada User: antseezee E-mail: [email protected] Created: 03/04/04 Last Update: 05/22/04 Copyright 2004 Chris Zawada ---------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------- ============================ - 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 ---------------------------------- ============================ - 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 >>/ |>/ / pointing to in my guide. Take Ryu, and run >/ / 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 is a lifesaver, trust me). Once you saved your game, head back to the main water room, and swim down to the metal elevator. Press X to open it up, then swim inside until you're all the way in. The elevator will close and start to rise. You'll now be back in the Monk's Room, on the third floor of the Dworku Monastery. However, your entrance will be interrupted by 3 Black Spider Ninjas. Use the same tactics from before to eliminate them, but try to conserve as much health as possible when facing them. Once they're dead, read the journal on the desk. You'll find out that the monk is disgusted because someone broke in, and managed to grab the Book of Eons. He has reconfigured the safe combination, along with a gift for his daughter inside. Time to go a plundering. The combination to the safe is: 1 4 1 0 Right, Left, Right, Left - If you opened the safe combination from before, you should know how to open this one. If you're not sure, just refer to the previous combination (for the safe), located in Chapter 6, and it says how to correctly press the button sequence. Just apply it to this combination instead. Inside, you'll find a Life of the Gods. Head out through the Monk's Door, and jump down to the center arena. Before walking up to the altar, do the following: - Equip the newly found Ice Ninpo Magic, and make sure your Ninpo power is maxed out. - Have at least over 50% of your health bar present. You can go to the Monastery Archives, and kill Floating Fiends for some blue essence. >> IMPORTANT: If you go into the Archives, you'll face an overwhelming amount of Fiends - 60 to be exact (mix of zombies and floaters). If you kill all 60 fiends, you're rewarded with a Spirit of the Devils. This will allow you to upgrade your Ninpo magic by one level. >> NOTE: I'd like to thank Kevin Beech for this extremely useful tip. To make the 60 Fiend Challenge easier, equip your Windmill Shuriken, and jump down to the second floor. Head on into the Globe Room, and face your back towards the globe. Now, simply toss your Windmill Shuriken at the Fiends that pop up. They cannot reach you because of the low ceiling, and it only takes 4-5 hits to take each one out. Very efficient approach. Now, jump down to the altar, and prepare for one of the hardest boss fights in the game, up to this point. *Ryu will walk back to the center of the altar. This time however, a bright light will shine through the stain-glass windows. Alma, one of the Greater Fiends, apparently wants a taste of your true power. You'll also get a serene and beautiful picture of the Fiend's body. Let's show this corrupted mind who the boss is.* &====================-------------------===================================& ~= LEVEL SEVEN BOSS | Alma, First Form | DIFFICULTY: ***** =~ &====================-------------------===================================& ~ By far one of the hardest bosses in the game, Alma is a sheer combination~ & between powerful attacks, magic, and agility. First of all, it's best to & ~ understand her patterns of attacks. Whenever you come close to Alma, she ~ & will quickly sprint towards you and perform a combo, perform a flying & ~ diagonal kick, or cast a power beam from above that paralyzes you. The ~ & best way to counter this is to roll out of the way, or jump away from the& ~ power beam. For about 2 seconds, Alma will recover from performing the ~ & powerful kicks. Quickly perform the forward jump + Y move to slice & ~ through her, and knock her to the ground. Quickly cast the Ice Ninpo ~ & magic (when she's laying next to you), and she will get caught in the & ~ storm. She'll take several hits (10+) due to this. If you're low on ~ & magic, simply lay down a 4-5 hit combo. Now, retreat out, and repeat the & ~ process. As for her ranged attacks, she has a multiple pink fireball ~ & swirl that sends out five heat-seeking projectiles. You can avoid this by& ~ rolling twice, and then jumping at the end. Mix up your rolls and jumps ~ & as evasive moves. Her other projectile attack involves ripping off 2 & ~ stone pillars, then tossing them at you. These ones are a tad more ~ & accurate, but can be avoided by simply jumping/rolling. Whatever you do, & ~ be patient in this matchup. Keep dodging projectiles, and never get ~ & sucked in by her power ray combo. She'll scream before rushing in on & ~ physical attacks, so key in, and listen. This is a PATIENT battle. It can~ & take most players 3-5 minutes just to kill her. Also took me 10 tries, & ~ but keep practicing. ~ &==========================================================================& **************************************************************************** * Alternative method of defeating Alma (thanks to Codi) * **************************************************************************** * Just for some pointers, this method requires a full Ninpo bar with * * preferably a few Devil Elixirs as well. Right off the bat, wait for Alma * * to cast her purple fireball attack. When she does, quickly cast the * * Inferno Ninpo, and this will cause for extended damage against her (right* * after she tosses her fireballs). Not only will you be immune to the * * projectile attack, but she'll also be stunned in the process. Quickly run* * up, and lay down a quick 3-4 hit combo. Give yourself decent range to * * avoid the kick, and her beam attack. Not the most efficient way of * * defeating her, but very conservative on health, and is the easiest * * approach for those struggling against her. Note though that you're going * * to need the extra stash of magic elixirs, and high level Ninpo at this * * part of the game. * **************************************************************************** *In a furious battle, Ryu is victorious. Alma has been defeated, and her power (that radiated inside her mind) has now leaked away. A large ray is shot through the roof of the monastery. Rachel swings down via a grappling hook, and prepares to kill her only sister, but can't bring herself to do it. Suddenly, we're brought to a scene of Tairon under military alert by the Vigoor Empire. Apparently, the country is in code orange, and most of the city witnessed the blast from far away. Heavy weapons, and largely suited guards are brought in for military justice. Back to Ryu's scenario, he tells Rachel to leave because she's in danger when she's around him. Ryu walks away. However, a new man arrives, and it's Lord Doku! Rachel attempts to attack Doku for cursing her life, and the attack is fended away. Doku explains that her genetics could give her the power to be more powerful than her sister Alma, as a Greater Fiend. Doku slaps Rachel unconscience, and walks away with her. Note that her Warhammer is flung into a nearby corner.* _________________________ /Tairon Under Alert (4.8)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: * SECRETS: (2) Golden Scarabs (1) Lives of the Thousand Gods [thanks to Matt Qualls] "The battle with Rachel's sister, the Greater Fiend Alma, ended without a victor. However, the aftermath of the battle has caused the Vigoor Army to be deployed..." The courageous ninja will now be back in the front of the Monastery twin doors. A Kunai note will fly by. Go read it, and it says that you should cross the drawbridge, and reach the Vigoorian Army Supply Base so that you can take out their communications tower. If this tower is taken out, it would provide a much easier exit out of the city, and corrupt the military's organization. Start off by saving via the nearby statue, then go back into the monastery. Head back to the Altar Room, then look along the left-center portion of it. You should find Rachel's Warhammer clung along one of the corners. Press X to pick it up. The War Hammer is a fairly powerful weapon, capable of killing most enemies within 3-4 hits. The only unfortunate disadvantage is that it has a horrible attack speed, and you can get countered quite easily against. - Once you've snatched the War Hammer, you can head all the way back down to the "Holy Grail" room, where you obtained the shiny cup from before. Go back down the pit, and make your way to this room. When you head inside, you'll be surrounded by several zombies. Concentrate on killing the archer ones first (about 5-7 in total will respawn), then kill the remaining Skeletal Zombies. There should be about 60 in total. Using the War Hammer seems to increase blue/red essence that comes out of the creatures. A chest will appear in the center after all opponents have been eliminated. A Lives of the Thousands Gods should be inside. I'd like to thank Matt Qualls for this tip. ********************************************************************** ^ IMPORTANT: To get out of the chasym you're now in, climb your way * ^ back to the top of the spiral. Once you're at the very * ^ top, take a leap of faith, and Ryu will start swinging * ^ on faint black metal bars. Swing across to the Indiana * ^ Jones passageway, go back to the altar hole, and multi- * ^ bird jump to reach the Monastery Main Room. * ********************************************************************** Once you're done snooping around, leave the Monastery, and go right. Go into the stairwell, and use the nearby Muramasa Statue. I highly recommend purchasing at least 8 Elixirs of Spiritual Life (unless you're fairly confident in your own abilities). You won't be seeing one of these for awhile. Now, leave via the large Monastery Gate in front of the primary door. You'll now be in the Monastery Plaza. Suddenly, 5 Vigoorian Soldiers will pop out from the street corner. Engage, and kill them all. Vigoorian Soldiers are slightly more advanced than Vigoorian Guards. They're now equipped with assault rifles, so you'll have to block several shots at a time. At the end of each rifle is a bayonet - don't get too relaxed when approaching them for close combat. They also have a special grapple move where they lunge forward, and stick you with their bayonet, then suddenly shoot you away. The easiest way to deal with them is to block their shots until they go to reload, then lunge at them with a Y attack. Once you're up close, simply slice n' dice till they're dead. If they attack you with their bayonet, simply roll out of the way, and their lack of agility makes them easy targets on the wind. Once you've dealt with the 5 soldiers, Go up the middle pathway (to the Tracks). Again, you'll have 3 soldiers to deal with. Finish them off as before. Be careful though as certain soldiers will toss grenades from a distance if you're within their ranged attack. Use the nearby Save Statue on Drawbridge Hill, then head down. Go to the switch at the end of the street, and press X to enable it. This will lower the drawbridge. *As the Drawbridge lowers, you'll also be presented with the image of two large turret tanks, along with a few soldiers patrolling the ridge. Let's show the Army who's the boss.* Head for the bridge. You can either snipe the exposed guards with arrows, or simply charge across, and play like Rambo. I personally charge across. There are a few things to watch out for. You'll have to deal with 2 Rocket Soldiers, 3 Vigoorian Soldiers, and 2 Vigoorian Turret Tanks. Turret tanks basically are armored vehicles with machine gun turrets up top. They usually fire in small intervals, but they're always stationary. Simply run, roll, and block the oncoming bullets. Rocket soldiers are a different story. All they launch is rocket propelled missiles, meaning you have to roll under, or leap over the oncoming attack. Quickly, run up, and keep slashing. Whatever you do, don't get jammed in a corner as they will keep firing and knocking down your life. Once you've dealt with all soldiers, head to the blue-dotted door, and open it. Once inside, you'll be greeted by 3 soldiers up above. There are a few rocket soldiers, so keep your head on alert. Personally, I ran up the walls, leaped off, then quickly A + Y attacked them before they could fire again. Focus on the Rocket Launchers. If you missed the scarab from Chapter 4, it's located opposite of the Pegasus Chest in a small indentation. However, it should have been taken by now. Instead, you can either take a huge shortcut, or take the pain and suffering of more Vigoorian Soldiers. I personally took the shortcut. Whip out the War Hammer, and slam the wall at the end of the alley. Head on through, and open the chest to reveal a Great Spirit Elixir. You'll now be brought to a street right before the T-cross section (before the Military Gate). Head up the steps, and eliminate the 3 soldiers up above. Go right, then open the Skull Gate on the left. Grab Golden Scarab #1 on the ground, and open the nearby chest for an Elixir of Spiritual Life. If you need to refill on any supplies, use the nearby Muramasa Statue. It might be best to turn in some scarabs now, and see what you're rewarded with. Once you're done plundering this pitiful alley, go to the small indentation in the corner. Perform a running-wall jump to reach the area above (you must run for a bit before jumping off the wall). Then, perform another wall jump to reach the balcony above. Go into the third floor of the building, and proceed upstairs. Once you reach the open window, look on the wall for a large black/silver bow. Walk up to the exhibit, and press X. The only way to obtain this bow is to exchange your own Hayabusa Village Bow. Press Yes to do so, and you'll now have the Strong Bow. Head out, and go to the Military Gate next store. Run around for a bit, and go near the ninja's body. Take out the 2 soldiers in the machine gun turrets (I'd like to thank Samir Cherian for this tip as you'll only take fire from one turret in the isolated position), and a small cutscene will show a Vigoorian Helicopter showing up to cause some trouble. The helicopter has primarily two different types of attacks. One is a vulcan machine gun attack where it sends down an array of stray bullets. Either block them with your sword, or keeping running along (with the trail following you). To avoid the missiles, roll (when the missiles are close to striking), then jump, and jump. You should be able to avoid the oncoming sets without suffering damage. The helicopter flies away after laying down a few air strikes. Once the helicopter is gone, turn towards the fourth floor window (you peered out before), and snipe the rocket launcher soldier who pops up. Now, the door should unlock. Also, the switch to the Military Gate should be exposed. Go back up to the Skull Window, look out with the Strong Bow, and snipe the target in the tower (across from the window) with the Strong Bow. The Military Gate should open up. Before jumping down to ground level, go to the third floor balcony (of the skull building). Perform a double wall-run (around the corner from the balcony), and Ryu should land on a small hidden gap (not visible from the ground level). Grab Golden Scarab #2 on the ground. Once you've snatched that, go to the Military Gate, and head on through. Fairly easy mission. NO BOSS - Wahoo! _______________________________ /The Military Supply Base (4.9)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: *** SECRETS: (4) Golden Scarabs (3) Life of the Gods "The Vigoor Army is after a renegade element, Ryu. The Military Radio Tower is key to the Army's Organization..." You'll now be inside the Vigoorian Military Supply Base. Quite a cozy place if you ask me. Start off by saving your game via the nearby statue on the right side. Run forward into the tunnel, and open the large gray metal door on the right. Head on in, and take care of the 3 Vigoorian Soldiers. Keep moving forward, and open the left door. You'll now be near the entrance to the Supply Warehouse. Look to your left, and you should start taking fire from 2 Tower Gunners. Snipe the 2 gunners with your Strong Bow, then move up and combat the 6 soldiers nearby. Be careful though as there is a Turret Tank in the center of the battle arena. Once you've taken care of all opposing targets, go back near the exit of the tunnel. Right near the corner should be Golden Scarab #1. Near the warehouse entrance, press X on the glowing aura. You should receive the Warehouse Key. Check the crate along the warehouse wall to receive Explosive Arrows. Enter the warehouse. Once inside, you'll notice that the entire room is fairly barren. No guards, no alarms, nothing. Check the chest in the lower left corner of the room for an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Go in the depressed slot near the left side of the room, and smash the two crates to receive a Life of the Gods, and an Elixir of Devil Way. Go up the stairs, then open the chest up top to receive 5,000 essence. Continue along, and suddenly you'll hear an alarm going off. *Small robotic alert helicopters will fly out from a vent above.* These Alarm Helicopters (as I like to call them) are fairly easy to kill. Simply equip your Windmill Shuriken (or explosive arrows), and knock them off with one shot at a time. If they get within proximity, the robots will send off a blue laser that scans across the room, and hurts any organic target. Basically, this means you should avoid it. If you're hit, you'll also be knocked off the stairwell. Anyhow, continue along down the pathway, and check the crate by the second stairs for APFSDS Cores. These are basically arrows tipped with tank-core shell materials - very dangerous in the hands of a ninja. Go up the second stairwell, and hit the power switch up top to initiate all power to the room. On the top floor, run to the far end, and hit the switch to cause for platform #1 to move back and forth. Look down, and you should see some gold "aura" shining from atop one of the trains. To reach Golden Scarab #2, simply jump on moving platform #1, and jump to the middle train. From there, run and forward jump + Y towards the train with the scarab up top. This is an easy way of reaching it. >> I'd like to thank Ben Crouch for the following tip: - The easiest way to reach Golden Scarab #2 is to simply wall run along the side of the train. When you reach the height of the wall run, quickly press A, then Y. Ryu will perform a flying downward slash. However, you will elevate to a great height, then leap down on the top of the train. This IS the easiest way of reaching it (rather than the moving platforms). Once you've gathered that, jump to ground level, then head to the middle/right portion of the room. Hit the control panel along the lighted pillar to cause for platform #2 to start moving. Run back up the same stairs, and continue to where the second stairwell was. Instead of going up, jump across to moving platform #1, then jump to the middle train. Now, leap to the second platform, and from there to the opposite side. Once you're on the opposite location, open the nearby chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. Run forward, then climb the stairs, and open a chest for an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Run to the far end, now wall leap up to the top of this small cabin. Golden Scarab #3 should be up there. Head inside to the small room via the door, and grab the Map of the Military Supply Base, along with the Shutter Control Card Key. Run back down to ground level, and go to the shutter panels (looks like large gray aluminum panels). Walk up to the control panel, and press X to use the card. Ryu will now enter the "trainyard." _______________________ Locomotive Turntable } ======================== Right off the bat, you're going to be forced to deal with 8-10 Vigoorian Soldiers. Repeat the same procedures from before, and you might want to make use of some Essence attacks to rack up the bonus points. Once they're all dead, the nearby keycard door will unlock. Before heading on through though, go left, and inside a small garage outlet will be a chest containing an Elixir of Spiritual Life, along with a save point. Use both wisely. Go up to the color door (with the red/green buttons), and press X to enter. You'll now be in a vast courtyard, where several refineries surround the vicinity. Go near the center, and suddenly a cutscene will implode. *Nearby Vigoorian Soldiers will sprint and arm themselves inside armored tanks. This certainly isn't getting any easier than before.* ========================================================================== - 2 TANKS - Mini Boss - ========================================================================== - While this isn't necessarily a boss fight, it's important to understand- = how exactly to get past the following enemies. Tanks have two different= - attacks, cannon blasts, and machine gun fire. Whenever the machine gun - = fires, hold down the block button to fend off the rounds of ammunition.= - Now, quickly pull out your bow, and equip APFSDS Cores. Launch a Core - = arrow whenever the machine gun is not firing, and the Turret is rotated= - AWAY from Ryu. Keep repeating this process, and you should be able to - = destroy the tank. Items to watch out for involve avoiding the tanks = - treads (you can get run over repeatedly), not getting too close to the - = tank (you'll get blown to pieces by the cannon blasts). To avoid the = - blast, simply jump right before the shot reaches you. Try to prevent - = rolling, as it only slows you down, and makes you more stationary for = - targeting. After you defeat the first tank, another one will roll out, - = so do not waste too much time on the first one. You may refill your = - supply of arrows (explosive or APFSDS) via two nearby crates. - ========================================================================== ************************************************************************** * ALTERNATE STRATEGY - Thanks to Avery Williams * ************************************************************************** * Right when the fight begins, run to the right to avoid the first turret* * blast. Quickly counterfire with an explosive arrow to knock the tank * * gunner off his post. During this momentary elapse, run towards the tank* * until you're 3-4 feet away along the side. Fire APFSDS arrows as the * * tank drives in circles around you. Continue doing this until the gunner* * pops back up again. Use another shot from an explosive arrow to knock * * him down, and repeat the process. This is an excellent strategy as Ryu * * is within the minimal range of the tank's turret system (meaning you * * will not be struck by a cannon blast), yet it cannot run you over. * * Thanks a lot for this strategy. * ************************************************************************** After the tanks are destroyed, an elevator will lower. Go to the elevator, but open the chest on the right side of it for a Great Spirit Elixir. Head inside to go up. Save your game via the statue to your right, and prepare for a daring boss battle. Head on up to the Overpass, and immediately pull out your arrows. Aim in the distance, and take out the two rocket launching soldiers. Reload your APFSDS Cores via the nearby crate. Walk to the center of the walkway for a surprise. >> NOTE: I'd like to thank Samir Cherian for the following tip. For the two rocket soldiers, have Ryu's back foot on the fifth step, and then switch to first person view. You can snipe the two rocket launcher soldiers without them seeing you. Much more efficient than wasting your time as an exposed target. >> *Remember the helicopter from before? It's back, with a vengeance.* &===================-------------==========================================& ~= LEVEL NINE BOSS | Helicopter | DIFFICULTY: ** =~ &===================-------------==========================================& ~ This can be a fairly hard boss if you ran out of elixirs thanks to the ~ & previous 2-tank mini boss. Starting off, the helicopter has primarily 3 & ~ attacks during this battle. You'll receive the typical missile attack, ~ & which can be avoided by rolling (before impact), then jump, jump. You'll & ~ also have to deal with typical machine gun fire (block), and a bombing ~ & run (drops bombs near center of vertical stretch). The bombing run is a & ~ rare occurrence, but happens after the helicopter goes through 3 ~ & attack cycles. Use the above methods to avoid its attacks. Simply counter& ~ fire with APFSDS Cores (do the most damage, but slower), and Explosive ~ & Arrows (faster, less damage). Note that the helo will fly under the & ~ bridge at one point, then rise up on the other side. I can usually pelt ~ & a few projectiles while it does this. Most of its missile firing runs & ~ will leave a temporary time of exposure. Fire some projectiles whenever ~ & the helicopter is standing still. For the bombing run, simply run to the & ~ side railings to avoid taking any damage. Its missile attacks will ~ & continue to get more, and more aggressive, and you'll have to deal with & ~ 2 consecutive firings. Repeat the evasion process, but make sure you do ~ & not get caught in one of the edge boundaries. & ~=========================================================================== *After being victorious in battle, we'll see a brief movie scene of Ryu pulling back on a lone arrow, and launching a final blow to cause for the helicopter to explode. Soon enough, it plummets to the ground in a fiery rage. You best not mess with a ninja.* Head on forward where the rocket soldiers were before. I recommend refilling your APFSDS Cores, and Explosive Arrows before leaving though. It's also best to resave your game via the save point from before. Go to the end of the walkway, and open the chest for an Elixir of Spiritual Life. There's also a useful Muramasa Statue, and it's best to refill your potion supply (preferably 6 now). Now, go back a bit, and position Ryu between two tall metal columns. Perform a wall jump four times until you reach the top. Golden Scarab #4 should be located on the ground up top. Open the door, and head on in. *The door will lock behind you, and a massive picture of the Military Radio Tower is displayed before us. However, before you can go on, the Vigoorian Army isn't going to let you take it without force.* **************************************************************************** * Quicker way of getting past the Radio Tower (thanks to Grimreaper187_666)* **************************************************************************** * If you don't feel like fighting a plethora of soldiers, or don't want to,* * quickly pull out your explosive arrows and aim for the radar domes. Once * * you head through the door, ignore the soldiers that pop down, and destroy* * them quickly. You can actually avoid fighting any soldiers, and the * * rocket launcher dudes if you do it quick enough. Perfect for anyone who * * needs to complete this mission in a jiffy. * **************************************************************************** Now that you're on the Rooftop, you'll be greeted by 5 Vigoorian Soldiers. Make quick use of them, as they're traditional soldiers. Once they're eliminated, quickly arm your bow, and look towards the tower. You're going to have to deal with several rocket launcher soldiers, who are positioned on the radio tower as follows: KEY: X - Radio Dome Target - Basically, snipe the Rocket Soldiers with explosive arrows. There are about _X___X___X_ CHAPTER 9 ends here, but it doesn't quite start Chapter 10 either > NOTE: If you head back down the stone elevator (back into the beetle room), you can fight off 60 more Scorpion Beetles. The reward is a second chest that appears which contains a Talisman of Rebirth. - I'd like to thank Phillip Rutherford for telling me this. >> Do so, and now make the first right you see. This should lead you to a doorway. Save your game via the statue before the doorway, and open the chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. Continue through, and you'll now be in the Hall of Balance. The game will suddenly zoom "out", and show a chest in the upper left corner of the room. To reach the area, go along the left wall, and stand on the stone walkway (that raises Ryu out of the shallow water). Now, wall run up this wall, but do not jump. Ryu will flip, and hold onto a railing. Shimmy to your right, and jump up. Open the chest for the Key of the Insect. Leave this room, and now head back to Aquaduct B2. If you're having trouble getting back up the tall ledge, wall run along the left wall, jump once to reach the wall in front of you, then jump one more time to reach the top ledge. Go back to the large tunnel where you first met the 6 Sewer Zombies (before using Muramasa's Statue). Go left, and use the Key of the Insect on the door. It should open delightfully. Head on in. Suddenly, Ryu will stand still. *A large electric worm will pop out of a narrow tunnel hole, and scream in fury. Looks like we're going to have a shocking time with this one.* ========================================================================== - ELECTRIC WORM - Mini Boss - ========================================================================== - Although this isn't the level's boss fight, electric worms are surely - = tough enough to be one. The electric worm has primarily four different = - attacks. It'll usually start off in a standing position, and launch - = large electrical balls at you. The only way to avoid these is to walk = - slowly, then quickly roll side to side right before it launches. You - = can tell the creature is launching a projectile when it jerks its head = - back. Secondly, if you stand anywhere in the water, an occasional - = electrical jolt will be surged through. Thus, DO NOT stand in the = - water. Also, if you stand too close to the worm, it will perform a - = diving attack that slams in the water. If you're standing on the stone,= - you can quickly run up, and lay down 2-3 slices before it gets its head- = out of the ground. However, its two attacks to watch out for is when it= - wiggles in a pattern, and comes sweeping down. You must LEAP over the - = sweeping pattern. It moves similar to the Level Six boss, except it = - sweeps across in one direction. After you leap over the sweep, quickly - = run up, and lay down an XXXY combo. Ryu should slash it three times, = - then lay down a kicking move. If you stand in the middle of the stone - = walkway, the worm will perform a straight melee attack where it grabs = - you with its mouth, and can deduce nearly 70% of your health. Avoid - = attack at all costs. So besides slashing it with the XXXY combo when = - exposed, also shoot Explosive Arrows, and your Windmill/Incendiary - = Shurikens at it. Both of these attacks work best when the worm retreats= - to its hole. Quickly yank out the bow, aim, and wait for it to pop out.- = You can usually lay down 1-2 hits. = -========================================================================- Don't worry, the mini boss is fairly difficult at first, but can be beaten after a few tries. Once the creature is dead, grab the glowing aura where it once was. You'll receive the Art of Inazuma (electric Ninpo). Continue through. Once you enter the small doorway where the worm once was, turn around, and use the Right Thumbstick to look above. You should see a small inlet above. Wall run up this wall, and Ryu will flip to the area above. Golden Scarab #2 is on this small inlet, in the center. Now, continue on straight through the tunnels. You'll eventually be brought back to a mainstream tunnel. Head on through to the opening, and you'll now be on Floor 2 of the Hall of Balance. Open the chest to your right for 5,000 essence. Open the chest along the left side for the Red Tablet of the Stream, and go to the opposite side for Golden Scarab #3. Continue through this tunnel, and make a right. Open the chest for a Life of the Gods. Now, head back to the Hall of Balance, and leap down. Go out the door, and save your game via the statue to your left. Go straight, make a right, and go all the way up through this tunnel. You'll eventually meet a door at the end of the hall. Open the door, and inside, engage the 5 Sewer Zombies. Once they're dead, go to the right side of the room, and position Ryu in between the two inlet walls. Bird jump 4 times (ricocheting from wall to wall) to reach the top. Open the chest above along the side wall for a Spirit of the Devils. Enter the Red Water Reservoir, and open the chest to your left for a Great Spirit Elixir. Golden Scarab #4 should be located along the right wall, on the ground. Now, head up to the red emblem on the top portion of the room, and press X. Ryu will place the Red Tablet of the Stream inside. The water below the grate will be drained out, and leads into the Hall of Balance. You'll also be met by an ambush of 5-6 Sewer Zombies. Fend them off, and leap back down to ground level. Go out the door, and head back to Aquaduct B2. In case you haven't figured it out, the only way to get back up to that ledge is to wall run twice, and leap up above. Once you're in Aquaduct B2, make a left, and go past the ninja's body from before. At the end of the hall is a door (which was sealed due to water pressure from before, but is now unlocked thanks to the drained water). Open it, and head inside. Snatch the Statue of the Water Spirit, and go back down to the water tunnels on the lower floor. Save your game, then head back out to the tunnels. Go straight up, but make a sharp right where the water meets the ground level. Check the ninja's body for Taro's Diary. *Apparently, this ninja was a part of the Black Spider Clan. They mention something about stopping Ryu before he gets too powerful. This cannot be good news.* Head to the end of the hall, and press X to place the Water Spirit Statue on the door. It'll balance out with the Earth Statue, and unlocks the door. Open it by pressing X, and head inside. Go to the end of the room, and there will be a deep shaft. You'll hear bats as well. This is a great spot for gaining essence as you have to face around 30 bats that constantly respawn. Jump down, and kill all the bats if you wish. You'll now be in the Underground Waterway. Go straight, and right when the cave appears to get wider, make a sharp left. Golden Scarab #5 is right around the corner to the left. Go into the right tunnel, and engage the 8 bats. Enter into the small water cavern, and suddenly the rocks behind you will collapse. You're now going to be in for one heck of a ride. Two electric worms will pop out! ========================================================================== - 2 ELECTRIC WORMS - Mini Boss - ========================================================================== - Use the same tactics from before on the lone Electric Worm, except DO - = NOT shoot any projectiles. The flaw with this matchup is that one worm = - usually stays in its hole, while the other one attacks. If you try to - = aim with your bow (and you're standing on the left/right sides), one of= - the worms will usually catch you blindly, and perform its gruesome - = grapple attack. Use projectile weapons that do not require aiming = - (windmill/incendiary shuriken). The best way is to simply be patient, - = and wait for one of the worms to perform the slouching attack. Leap = - over the move, and perform the XXXY combo as usual. Also, if you see a - = worm perform a diving forward attack (into the ground), run up, and lay= - down 2-3 slashes. In the meantime, you may have to deal with 2 Worms - = firing electric projectiles at the same time. Keep running back and = - forth, don't stand still, or you'll be devoured. - =------------------------------------------------------------------------= ************************************************************************** * Alternate Strategy (thanks to sonic hedgehog) * ************************************************************************** * Start off by equipping the Dabilahro, Incendiary Shurikens, and the * * Armlet of Sun. Once the battle begins, start concentrating your * * shuriken attacks on one sole worm for the entire match. Keep doing this* * until it dies. Whenever a worm gets close, whack it three times with * * the sword to lay down some deafening damage. Once the first worm is * * eliminated, equip the Windmill Shuriken, and start pelting that baby * * along with the melee attacks. With this combination of weapons, you can* * bring down the worms quicker, waste less elixirs, and overall produce * * a victorious battle. * ************************************************************************** - NOTE: Once you rid of one worm, you should then start using projectiles to lessen its health bar quicker. That way, you'll only have one target to deal with, and not be worried about getting blind sided by another. After the worms are dead, check the left tunnel passage for Golden Scarab #6. The right passage has a chest which contains a Life of the Gods. Go up the center passage, and check along the right wall for a chest containing a Great Spirit Elixir. Take care of the bats up ahead, and move on straight into the Stairstep Cavern. Battle the 5 Sewer Zombies, then jump up each of the small stones. Once you're up top, perform one jump, and Ryu will flip to the top area. Open the chest above to receive a Great Devil Elixir. A little bit further is another chest containing an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Open the large door, and combat the 15 bats in the room. Check the ninja's body for Sabu's Diary. Apparently it just has some non-sensical information about a young kid not wanting to die. Continue forward, and then kill the Flying Zombie Bees in the proceeding room. Head up into the small shrine, and open the chest for the Blue Tablet of the Stream. Now, head back to the Stairstep Cavern, but go out the right tunnel. Check the ninja's body in the new room for incendiary shurikens. Open the chest along the left wall for an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Go straight ahead, then toss an Incendiary Shuriken into the cracked wall. It should breach the area, allowing you to head on through. Go back to the tall hole you fell through, and bird jump about twenty times to get back above. From here on, I'd recommend saving your game, and go back to Aquaduct B2. Go back to the main tunnel with the insect door, but go the door on the far right end. Re-equip via Muramasa's Statue, and go right. Enter the Blue Water Reservoir, and place the Blue Tablet of the Stream in the slot. It'll drain the third and final tunnel of water. Jump down into the pit, and engage the 3 Sewer Zombies. Head on through, then jump to the bottom of the Hall of Balance. One of the temple doors was locked with metal bars, but now that all three streams are flowing, the door is unlocked. Open, and head on through. ____________________ Peristyle Passage } ===================== You'll now be in the Peristyle Passage. You have two options from here on: 1) Attempt to kill all 60 Sewer Zombies for a reward of a Thousand Lives of the Gods. The chest will appear at the feet of the tall statue. 2) Bypass them, head to the far end of the room. Stand on the brown plate of the statue, and wall jump to reach the top. Ryu will plummet down, and slam into the switch, causing for it to unlock the door to the Underground Sanctuary. If you want, you can do both steps. After you've unlocked the door, there's one more task you have to do. Go right near the entrance to this large pillar room, but wedge yourself between two pillars around the right corner. It should look something like this: P - Pillar R - Place Ryu here _________________ | | - Put Ryu between the first two pillars sharply around | | the right corner. Now, bird wall jump about 4 times | | until you reach the top. You'll notice that the one | | pillar has a section missing. You should land on top | | of the broken pillar, and Golden Scarab #7 is there. |P P PRP | This location is important as it is where you |___| |_________| receive Ninja Gaiden 3 as well (check out the secrets section). Entrance Open the newly unlocked door. You'll be in an entrance room to the Underground Sanctuary. - I'd like to thank Jonathan Myers for coming up with this tip. In the entrance room to the Underground Sanctuary, wall run along the wall, then jump above to the little walkway. Follow it around, and the chest up top contains a secret Life of the Gods. Open the next door, and kill the 5 Sewer Zombies that spawn. Go along the left wall, and enter the doorway. Make a sharp left, and Golden Scarab #8 should be on the ground. Check the ninja body for default arrows. Now, here comes the tricky part. Position Ryu to the left of the doorway, but have him face the wall where the doorway is carved into. Jump and wall run, then jump to the next wall. Jump to the third wall, and finally jump one last time. Ryu should wall run along each wall, progressively getting more height per jump. This will allow you to reach the second floor, despite the stairwell collapsing. Once above, head out the doorway, and look across. You should see a red target. Pull out your bow, and snipe the red target opposite of your position. It will lower a large stone sign. Wall run along the sign to reach across, then climb the steps. The chest up top has a Great Spirit Elixir. Go to the opposite side of the top room, and walk along the right ledge. You should see a brown tree twig sticking out. Leap to it, then swing across to reach the other side. Go to the far left side, and around the pillar is Golden Scarab #9. Go up to the centerpiece, and grab the Brand of Valor. Now, jump down to ground level, and press X on the sword slot in the ground. *Ryu will place the sword in the carved slot. Unfortunately, a large frozen bird up above will be brought to life by an old classic spell. Ryu pulls out his Dragon Blade, and prepares to kill this disgusting beast.* &===================--------------------===================================& ~= LEVEL TEN BOSS | Skeletal Dino Bird | DIFFICULTY: ** =~ &===================--------------------===================================& ~ This boss is fairly easy once you note down his pattern. To start off, ~ & the flying dinosaur bird primarily has three different attacks. For the & ~ most part, it will cast out a red laser from its mouth which is basically~ & a warning sign of where, and in what pattern a fire attack will be & ~ launched. If you see the laser go straight forward, quickly run out of ~ & way, and a red pillar of flame will move ahead vertically. If you see an & ~ arc pattern, run forward or backward, and avoid the thickness of the ~ & flame. Now, to actually damage the creature, run towards him, and perform& ~ the flying Sparrow attack (forward jump + Y). If performed correctly, Ryu~ & should slice through him, causing for the bird to be stunned, or & ~ partially damaged. When you land next to him, quickly cast ICE Ninpo. ~ & This will damage his life greatly since he's a fire-breathing bird. & ~ Repeat this process to kill the bird. If you have no ninpo, simply do the~ & same attack, lay down a few slices, then retreat back. You'll know he's & ~ stunned when he lowers his head to ground level. Run around him and start~ & slicing his head. If he flies to the ledge above, don't go under it or & ~ near him. Pull out your bow, and launch explosive arrows at him instead. ~ &==========================================================================& *Once Ryu defeats the bird, it will scream in agony, and collapse in a magnificent rupture before Ryu's feet. Ryu will then proceed through the door to Zarkhan, and he'll notice the Dark Disciple standing on a watchtower high above.* ___________________________ /The Path to Zarkhan (4.11)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: ** SECRETS: (5) Golden Scarabs (2) Life of the Gods (1) Jewel of the Demon Seal [thanks to Prodigy] "Using the Aquaduct, Ryu has arrived at the moat surrounding Zarkhan. However, a great wall blocks his path into the Palace itself..." In the new area, immediately save your game via the statue to your right. Open the chest for a Map of the Moat. Turn around, and open that chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. Go to your right, down the stairs, and leap into the water below. You're going to face several large Crunch Fish during the game. These are basically fish that will try to take a "crunch" out of you, if you get directly in their path of swimming. You usually have to lay down about 7-10 slices using your melee weapon underwater. They're fairly hard to kill until you get the Speargun. Swim to the bottom of the water, and go right. Grab Golden Scarab #1 in the fence opening, and swim through. Open the chest on the far end for a Gold Medallion. Swim back to where you were, but now go straight ahead (the left path this time). Look along the left hand side for a narrow tunnel. Swim in the sewer duct (get a full breath of fresh air). When you start to see bubble, swim down, and press X to check the ninja's body. *Apparently the ninja drowned with a hidden secret. The combination to the safe is 0971.* Continue swimming on, and the new room has 2 Crunch Fish, along with 2 Alarm Helicopters. Swim straight ahead, and dive into the hole up ahead. There will be a safe up ahead, on the wall, but it's too dark to see the actual detailings, or safe dial. Swim to your right, and outside to a new room. Now, check the ninja's body underwater, and you'll find that the ninja died with a special item in hand. You'll receive the Owl's Eye. This is basically nightvision underwater. Swim back to the safe combination, and quickly enter the following password: 0 9 7 1 When it opens, swim through to the room with bubbles, and use the ledge above to reach ground level. Check the ninja body for a Spear Gun, and equip it immediately. It's basically a powerful underwater weapon, but has no use in the actual dry environment. You'll also discover a Muramasa Statue nearby. Re- equip with new potions, and any upgrades that you desire. Dive back into the hole, and swim into the new tunnel up ahead. This new area will have 3 Alarm Helicopters patrolling the area. The best way to get past them is to dodge the lasers, climb up on the nearby ground ledge, and use explosive arrows/shurikens to pop them out of the sky. Be sure to grab Golden Scarab #2 on this ledge as well. Jump down, and proceed through the new tunnel. Climb to ground level, and kill the bats that charge at you. Save your game via the nearby statue. The chest on the right has a Great Spirit Elixir, and the one on the left has a Life of the Gods. Don't go into the tunnel on ground level yet. Instead, dive back into the water, and go right. There should be a tunnel along the wall. Swim through, and when you reach the room full of bubbles, make a sharp right. Catch a fresh of breath air in the new room, then dive, and go to the right corner. Golden Scarab #3 should be along the ground. You'll also have to deal with 3 patrolling Crunch Fish. Now, swim straight ahead, and go towards the three tall metal bars sticking out of the water. Dive down, and you'll notice the center one has been torn open. Head on through, and you'll now notice the sunken ship. The game will quickly zoom in on the hand reel up top, and an opening on the bottom. Swim down, and go into the large cargo opening at the bottom. Swim to the far end, and open the chest for a Hand Crank. Now, go back up to the surface, and head around the back side of the ship. Here comes the tricky part. Wait till about 2-3 Alarm Helicopters fire their laser, then quickly swim towards, and grab onto the wooden ledge next to the water. Ryu should climb up to where the Hand Reel is. QUICKLY sprint to it, and press X to use the Hand Crank. You may also use your Windmill Shuriken to take out the alarm helicopters as they can be a nuisance, and easily knock you off the top deck. The Hand Crank combined with the reel opens up the bottom door in the hull. Dive back down, go into the hull, and swim up. In the new room, swim to the top, and snatch the Oxygen Cylinder along the left side. You can now breathe indefinitely. Swim to the right, and grab Golden Scarab #4. Head back out, and go back to the room outside of the 3 tall metal bars. Dive back down, and head towards the underground caged area. Swim through the entrance, and a chest near the middle portion of the area reveals a Life of the Gods. Continue onward, and the area will eventually curl around to a dead end. Thankfully the dead end contains a chest which has a Silver Medallion. Once you've snatched that, make your way out of the complex, and back to the room with the save point/bats. Head on through the tunnel on the ground area. You'll have to kill about 10 Flying Bees inside the room. After they're dead, press X on both the golden and silver sides of the idol. Once both are placed, the mysterious door from before will now be opened. Save your game, then dive into the water, and go right. When you reach the bubble area, head on through normally. Again, there are 3 Crunching Fish, along with alarm helicopters. Swim all the way across, and along the right wall is a giant dark rift. Swim through. In case you didn't notice, you'll now be back to where you killed the level six boss, and the water rushed through. Interesting. Once you're in the tomb room, go left, and along the wall is a small tunnel. Swim down this hole, and it leads to a T-room. You can go left if you want, for a simple save point, but I recommend going down the right tunnel. This eventually leads back to the Pharoah's Tomb from before. Before leaving this room though, swim to the top, and in the center portion is Golden Scarab #5. Swim down through the skull door, and all the way through this tunnel. It leads back to the room with the elevator. You'll also have 4 Crunching Fish to deal with. Once they're dead, proceed into the elevator shaft before the tunnel in the lower right. It should rise above back to the Monk's Room. Fend off the three Black Spider Ninjas, then read the journal on the desk. Go to the safe, and input the following password: 1 2 2 3 Left, Left, Right, Left - Inside the safe you'll find a Jewel of the Demon Seal. - I would like to thank Prodigy for discovering this secret, and mentioning it to me. Once you're done, head back down, and go through the tunnel in the lower right corner. This leads to a lone stone walkway, along with a save point. Save your game, then use the elevator to the area above. *Ryu will then walk to the center of the arena, and notice Doku carrying Rachel off. Suddenly, both warriors make eye contact with each other, and Doku drops Rachel off to the ground. This is it. It's time for Ryu to avenge his village's demise.* &=====================------------=========================================& ~= LEVEL ELEVEN BOSS | Lord Doku | DIFFICULTY: *** =~ &=====================------------=========================================& ~ Thankfully, this Doku isn't as fierce as the one you faced in the ~ & Hayabusa Village. To start off, let's sum up most of Doku's attacks. His & ~ main ranged attacks involves a unique move (to the Kitetsu), which is a ~ & sword boomarang toss. He basically tosses his sword straight out like a & ~ flying projectile. You can avoid this by rolling under it, or jumping out~ & of the way. Secondly, Doku's most damaging attack is a five-hit Ultimate & ~ technique that reveals several red flame-like attacks. Simply run away ~ & when he does this as you will take damage even when you block the & ~ attacks. If you see him stand still, and grapple his sword in a centered ~ & position, prepare to jump as he sends out a ground shockwave. Finally, & ~ Doku has a few close melee sword slashes, and a powerful sword grapple ~ & which yanks off about 60% of your life. The easiest way to defeating Doku& ~ is to basically time, evade, then quickly counter attack. Make use of the~ & Flying Sparrow attack (forward jump + Y) to easily slice through him, and& ~ knock off his life. Don't use the attack TOO often though, as his sword ~ & toss can usually catch you on a jump or two. You can also try using Ninpo& ~ such as Ice Storm, or Inferno, if you manage to get close. Inferno works ~ & best as sometimes you can catch him off guard, and knock off a small bar & ~ when he's not blocking. Aside from that though, just keep using the same ~ & attack, but make sure you evade his grapple. Doku will make a "grunt" & ~ sound right before he's about to grab you. Quickly roll out, or leap away~ & to avoid his attack. This battle is similar to Alma, although, not as & ~ dangerous. Be patient, you'll eventually win. ~ &==========================================================================& **************************************************************************** * Alternate Boss Strategy (thanks to Anders Karlsson) * **************************************************************************** * This takes some practice but it works quite well. Start running around * * Doku in circles, and try to get within close enough range so he'll do his* * toss-sword move at you. When this happens, quickly rush in, and do the * * Flying Swallow (forward jump + Y) attack on him. Jump back out, keep * * circling, and repeat. It's very effective because you can stay within * * range so that he'll keep performing this move, and you'll keep doing easy* * damage. * **************************************************************************** *After Ryu wins the battle, Doku drops his sword, and collapses to the ground. With his dying words, he tells Ryu that the Holy Vigoor Emperor has the Dark Dragon Blade. He also mentions that his hatred will not be easily defeated, and Doku gets sucked up into thin air. Before transporting away though, he mentions something about Alma, concerning the Fiend Awakening. This greatly infuriates Rachel, and she knows something keen about the situation. She uses her grapple hook, and swings away. Near the end of the scene, we see Gamov overlooking the whole incident, then runs off to report his news.* ___________________ /The Caverns (4.12)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: **** SECRETS: (8) Golden Scarabs (6) Life of the Gods (3) Lives of the Thousand Gods Stone Tablet [Left] Devil, Deity of Immorality "Although it appeared as though Ryu defeated Doku, his vengeance is still incomplete; the Dark Dragon is in the hands of the Holy Vigoor Emperor. What will become of Rachel and her sister?" Run to the middle of the room, and press X to grab the sword that Doku dropped. Congratulations, you've just received the Kitetsu. This is basically an ancient cursed Japanese sword that holds extreme power. The unfortunate disadvantage of the Kitetsu is that it has a life drain, which plummets your health bar to the absolute minimum. - NOTE: The only way to counter the life drain effect is to equip the Armlet of Tranquility, which is given to you by Muramasa after you have given him 40 Golden Scarabs. By combining the regenerative health bonus of the armlet, and the life draining effect, they can cancel each other out. Still, the Kitetsu is not the most powerful sword in the game, and is only effective if you manage to learn some of the key moves in its techniques list. After snatching the sword, you can head back down the stone elevator and save your game. Once you're ready, head back up to the fighting arena. Go straight ahead, and enter the doorway. In the lower left corner of the room is Golden Scarab #1. Once you've grabbed that, head to the north end, and hit the switch against the wall. It should lower 3 key platforms above. Now here comes the Platform Puzzle. Here's what you have to do, and the steps are listed in a numerical order. Follow them exactly, or you may have trouble getting by: __________________________ | [X] | - Head back out to the main room, jump on the | | platform, and hit the [1] switch. |[*] | - Run over, and hit the [2] switch. It should | | lower the [X] platform. | | - Go to [1] platform, and wall run to the [*] | | platform. Then, wall corner run to the [X] | | platform. |[1] [^] [2]| - Hit the [X] switch, it'll bring a platform |__________________________| over to your location. - Jump across to the stone ledge, and open the chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. - Jump to the new platform which was brought over, and hit its switch. This will bring down the [^] platform. - Leap down to ground level, and sprint over onto the [2] platform. Wall corner jump to the [^] platform. Wall run up, and on the second stone ledge is Golden Scarab #2. - Now, jump back down to ground level, and make your way back up to the [X] platform. Hit the switch there. It should bring the platform, which was brought over from before, back to its original location. - Go back to the [2] platform, and reach the [^] platform. Here comes the tricky part. Face Ryu towards the wall (where the elevator is located), but make sure you're standing on the [^] platform. Wall run to the left, jump at the corner, run again, then jump one more time. Ryu should perform a triple wall jump. It might look impossible, but you'll notice that a small stone ledge supports Ryu's third path for wall running. You should land on the platform which the [X] switch retracted from before. This is probably the hardest part in the entire puzzle. Jump across, and leap to the step balcony. The chest on the right side contains a Great Devil Elixir, and the one to the left has a Life of the Gods. Look near the left chest for a platform, and leap to it. Then, jump again to the other side. Hit the switch, and it should elevate some stone stepways below. The chest at the far end has another Life of the Gods. Make sure you snatch Golden Scarab #3 which is located at the end of this stone walkway, past the chest. Now, jump to ground level, and you can go back and save your game if you wish. Instead, head back to the room which lowered the 3 platforms, then jump up the three giant steps. Read the Kunai note which flies by. *The note says that Muramasa has something very important to tell you, and it requires your immediate presence. This path eventually leads back to Tairon, by going through the Great Bridge.* >> NOTE: If you jump back into the arena where you fought Doku (and leave the switches where they were), you can fight 60 special Red Dragon Fiends. If you manage to kill them all, a chest will appear up top, in the upper right corner of the room. Proceed up just like you did (since the puzzle is solved). Inside the chest you'll find a Lives of the Thousand Gods. I'd like to thank Joshua Carvalho for coming up with an easier method of killing the Fiends. You can stand on either platform [1] or [2], and equip the War Hammer. Now, simply perform the XY, and YY combos on the Fiends to yield decent damage, but not being exposed. Only one rare attack on their part can slip through and lay down heavy damage. This makes the battle much easier to deal with. >> Continue ahead, and you'll eventually see a nearby chest. Open it up for a great Spirit Elixir. Up ahead is one of those special situations where you can kill 60 Sewer/Zombie Fiends for a specific reward. If you manage to kill all 60, a treasure chest will appear near the steps to the Imperial Palace. Inside, you'll find a Lives of the Thousand Gods. To make the battle easier, equip the Vigoorian Flails, as they tend to make the battle a lot more easier than trying to slice through with your slower Dragon Sword. Once you're finished here, look to the left of the large door, and check the ninja's body. You'll find Saru's Diary. Apparently, he died of the poor old curse - such a pity. Open up the large door, and Ryu will remove the bolt. You'll now be on the Great Bridge. Cross over, and head into the Great Bridge Square. You'll come across a new type of enemy, which are basically Ninja Fiends. They're definately not as hard as the original Black Ninjas you faced, but they are very fast, and have ranged magic. Head on through to the Clock Tower Plaza, and enter Muramasa's Shop. *The old man will ask to see your sword. After examining it, he says that the only way for this Dragon Sword to reach its true power (and match that of the Dark Dragon Blade) is to place a special Dragon Eye in this small socket. If you remember correctly, Kureha (the shrine girl in Chapter 2) was holding a small pendant. Ryu never took it, but rather placed it on her grave. Looks like we're going to have to do some gravedigging.* Anyhow, re-equip with elixirs (or any upgrades), and head back to the Great Bridge Square. Before going all the way up, go down the right alley. You should notice a large crack in a wall, along with blue glowing light. Equip a heavy weapon (War Hammer, Dabilahro) and bash the wall. Once inside, the chest has an Elixir of Spiritual Life. Wall run to the right platform, then wall run to the opposite balcony. The chest there has a Life of the Gods. Now, go back, and exit the Great Bridge Square. Cross the bridge, and you'll be back at the stairs to the Imperial Palace. Go right, and head up straight. Jump over the giant log. Check the nearby ninja body for a Map of Zarkhan. Be sure to save your game as well. Look along the right wall for three statue heads. Equip a heavy weapon, and smash the statue heads to receive Golden Scarab #4, and a Life of the Gods. You'll now be at Zarkhan Falls. Golden Scarab #5 is located in the bottom of the water pool below, along with a chest containing a Life of the Gods opposite of it (thanks to Joshua Carvalho). Dive down to reach it. Swim across, then leap into the cave behind the waterfall. Pull out a heavy blunt object, and smash the cracked wall in front of you. Head on through, and kill the 20 bats that fly down. Jump into the small pit, and check the ninja's body for a Map of the Caverns. Dive into the nearby water hole, swim through, and pop up on the other side. ______________ Ice Caverns } =============== A creature will pop up. These are sort of like dinosaur fiends, except cold orientated. Avoid their primary grapple moves, and try using heavy weapons to knock their health off quicker. Kill all 6 of them, then do a double jump to reach the area above. Check the nearby chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. Jump across the open ledge, and save your game. Jump down to the area below. Kill the 4 Sewer Zombies, then wall jump to the area above. Jump again, and smash the ice wall. Kill 4 more sewer zombies, then go right. Run up and grab the ledge. Climb, then make a sharp right turn. Perform a lone jump + Y (downward attack) to smash the small ice hole in the floor. Drop below, kill four more sewer zombies, and jump up two more ledges to reach the Ruins. Go right, and grab the Shield of Vigoor. Drop down, and wall boost back up (in the narrow column area). Perform multiple bird jumps. Go back to the area below the bridge, and head to the far side. Do another multiple wall boost to reach above. Once up top, leap across, and save your game with the same point from before. Press X on the sealed door to combine the Shield of Vigoor to successfully unlock the Magma Caverns. ________________ Magma Caverns } ================= Once inside, quickly grab the left stone tablet portion off the ground. Avoid the Dinosaur creatures which rise out of the lava. They'll spurt out fire in a radius, and also swipe at you if you get close. Grab the small clump of iron ore to the right. Now, leap over the first creature by jumping over him, then pressing A again to stun him (but also leap off of his head). Do the same thing for the second creature. Quickly rotate your camera to the right, and wall run along the right wall. But, only wall run, and Ryu should drop down to a small ledge on the right. Leap across, and grab the second clump of iron ore. Then, leap across right before the steam geysers. There are three streams of steam. Move forward as each one shoots, then wall run straight up (along the left wall) to grab a hold of the ledge. Shimmy across to the right, and wait for the steam geyser to shoot out twice. Cross it, and drop off. Run straight ahead, and leap over the Magma bridge to the other side. Grab the two clumps of iron ore, then jump back up. Go back, and now go down to your right. Four dinosaur fiends will rise from the ground below. The easiest way to defeat them is to equip a heavy weapon (preferably the Dabilahro), and use a combination of wall-run techniques. Stay mobile, these creatures are very dangerous as they have strong swipes, and can maul you down with a grapple technique. Hence why it's necessary to use heavy weapons, to actually inflict serious damage. Kill all 4 of them, then jump up to the area ahead. Slam the switch on the ground to make a stone platform rise from the lava below. Run across, avoid the first creature, then leap to the wooden twig. Swing across, and avoid the second creature. Be quick though as you only have a limited amount of time before the platforms lower. Leap across, and you can re-equip via the Muramasa Statue. Look past the statue, to your right, and you'll notice a wall protruding out of the lava (which points into a tunnel). Wall run along this wall, and leap off to the area ahead. Again, you'll be forced to deal with four Dinosaur Fiends. Grab the clump of iron ore, then jump to the platform. Open the door, and drop down to the right for Golden Scarab #6. Head back up, and you'll now be on a Balance Bridge. Basically, stand on one side for a bit to raise the part for the other side. If you need some iron ore, there's a clump right above you (from the door you entered). However, make sure you reach the elevated position above the opposite door for a chest containing 5,000 essence. Head to the opposite door, and kill the 15 bats. Continue through, up to the lava pot, and press X four times. *Ryu will drop four pieces of Iron Ore in. Eventually, the pot will boil over, and the lava will be poured into a small cog cast.* Head all the way back the same way you came, cross the lava area via the switch, then past the steam geysers. Go back out to the Ice Cavern Bridge, save your game, then drop below. Go back to that area, and you'll now notice that some stalagmites from before are gone (due to the heat of the lava). Go up to the Ruins, and grab the Cog inside the cast. You'll now have the Cog of Vigoor. Go back to where the stalagmites disappeared, and you should see a save point. Golden Scarab #7 is located on the ground, right next to this new point. Save your game, then smash the ice palette in the floor. Drop to the area below. *A large ice worm will pop out of the surface below, and prepare to gobble you up for dinner. Ryu prefers to differ.* ========================================================================== - ICE WORM - Mini Boss - ========================================================================== - A VERY easy creature which can be defeated in nearly a minute. For the - = most part, this worm will rotate around in specific patterns, and try = - to charge at you during specific times. Simply run up, use the flying - = (forward jump + Y) attack, then lay down a small combo. You can use = - Ninpo if you wish, but it's really not necessary. Simply avoid him when- = he charges at you, and run around while slashing him. Very easy; does = - not launch projectiles. - ========================================================================== After defeating him, an aura will appear in the middle of the room. Press X to grab it, and you'll receive the Eye of Ice. Go to the corner of the room, and place it with the wall to open the door. Head on through, and bird jump boost all the way up top. You should pass a chest along the way. Once you're up top, here comes the tricky part. Walk off the ledge, and Ryu will grab a hold on. Then, press Down + A to drop down. Ryu should catch a hold of that ledge from before. Press Up + A to jump up, then open the chest for a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Head back up top again. Open the door, and save your game. Head back to the Magma Caverns, and cross the lava via the stone platforms. When you arrive the place where the Muramasa Statue was, press X along the left door to insert the cog in its slot. This will unlock the door. Head on in. Open the nearby chest for a Great Spirit Elixir, and save your game. Avoid the flame to your left, and continue on. When you reach the area with the cross flames, go to your left, and Golden Scarab #8 should be located in this corridor. Go straight up (once the flame dies down), and you'll be in a new room. Open the chest for a Great Devil Elixir, and head through the narrow hole. The door will close behind you. Suddenly, a large Fire Worm will pop out. ========================================================================== - FIRE WORM - Mini Boss - ========================================================================== - Slightly harder than the previous ice worm, but is basically the same - = opponent as the Electric Worms. Think of an electrified worm, except = - replace the element with fire. The only different between the two is - = that the Fire Worm shoots larger projectiles (fire halo-like objects), = - which means you'll have to dodge the attacks even better. Just dodge - = its whiplash attacks, and slash it whenever it approaches you. Do not = - stand in the center unless you want to be devoured. You can roll out of- = the way of the fire Halos. Avoid using Ninpo though. You'll want to = - save it up for the final boss. - ========================================================================== >> NOTE: I'd like to thank coffinj for the following tip. Rather than trying to roll out of the way of the Halos, simply jump right when they are shot out of the creature's mouth. What'll happen is, Ryu will leap and go right through the ring. Much easier to dodge rather than sprinting around like a llama. After defeating the creature, leap across, and check out the aura for the Eye of Flame. Continue ahead. In the new location, check the chest on the right for a Life of the Gods. Head back to where you were, and smash the switch. It'll shut off a large flame for about ten seconds. Run straight ahead, leap to the twig, swing to the next one, and wall run twice to reach the area past the large flame. Press X on the door to open it up via the Eye of Flame. Save your game, and now head back up to the Magma Bridge. You may want to re-equip as well. Once you jump across the Magma Bridge, press X on the door to place both eyes in their respective locations. It will open up, you'll now be in a large U-shaped arena. Grab the Devil, Deity of Immorality off the stand. *After snatching the statue, a large Flame Dragon will rise from the lava below. Maybe you'd be better off putting that back on the stand? Nah, it's too late for that.* &=====================---------------======================================& ~= LEVEL TWELVE BOSS | Flame Dragon | DIFFICULTY: *** =~ &=====================---------------======================================& ~ For some reason, I found this boss particularly hard at first, but easier~ & the more times you faced him. Start off by equipping the Art of the & ~ Inazuma, and preferably the Dragon Sword. The Flame Dragon has primarily ~ & four different attacks. Its most damaging move is a dragon bite where it & ~ tries to crunch Ryu to death. This usually knocks off about 60% of your ~ & health, although it helps to tap down the buttons (to get Ryu loose from & ~ its mouth). You can avoid this by running back and forth, then leaping ~ & right before it hits you. It has a flamesphere attack which can be & ~ blocked (without taking damage, although you're temporarily stunned). ~ & It launches fireballs from its mouth, which can be evaded by rolling or & ~ jumping. Finally, it has a flame thrower attack where it sweeps across an~ & entire floor. Simply leap over the jet of flame to avoid it. Now, on the & ~ left and right sides are switches. You can stab these to elevate you to ~ & the upper area. You have two options. The boss is easier to defeat on the& ~ lower platform, but it takes a lot more time than expected. You'll also ~ & have to deal with the threat of fireballs (he doesn't launch them on the & ~ second floor). However, the bite attacks are more predictable. If you ~ & choose the upper platform, you won't have to deal with fireball attacks, & ~ but must be quick to avoid the bites. It's your choice. Regardless, avoid~ & his attacks, and the dragon will be exposed (with its head down). Strike & ~ it with a 5-hit combo, then repeat the process. You can also attack the ~ & dragon with the Inazuma Ninpo, as this does a fair amount of damage. & ~ Helps speed up the battle. This is another battle of patience. ~ &==========================================================================& **************************************************************************** * Alternate Boss Strategy (thanks to Phuc Tram) * **************************************************************************** * Rather than trying to evade and perform a bunch of goofy maneuvers, there* * is an easier way of defeating the Chapter 12 boss. This strategy requires* * a decent amount of life, but can be one of the quickest battles up to * * this point. Equip the Dabilahro, and Fire Wheels ninpo. Run as far as * * possible into the lava (next to the dragon), then cast the Fire Wheels * * ninpo. Meanwhile, try swinging away with these two combos: * * Whirling Empire Blade (X,X,X,X,X) Lv. 3 * * Flaming Hell Slash (X,X,X,X,X,Y) Lv. 3 * * At first, you may only get a few hits in. However, he'll eventually lower* * his head, leaving you with enough time to continue pounding his exterior * * shell. Make sure the Fire Wheels Ninpo keeps on burning, and this battle * * will be quick (despite slightly painful). Try entering the battle with a * * full health bar. You may never have to use a single potion, and the * * dragon can never hit you. * **************************************************************************** *After defeating the creature, the dragon will plummet into the lava below. Thankfully, it ends up dying so that you can use its lifeless corpse for a boost across the pit of lava.* Cross the body, and grab the aura for a Lives of the Thousand Gods. Open the door, and you'll now be completed with one heck of a Chapter. ______________________________ /The Fiendish Awakening (4.13)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: ** SECRETS: (2) Life of the Gods (2) Jewel of the Demon Seal "All events thus far have lead up to one place: the depths of the Palace of Zarkhan. Will Ryu be able to discover the path inside?" Start off by killing the 15 bats nearby. Run ahead, and check out the ninja body for a Complete Map of the Vigoorian Underground, along with San's Diary. Poor fellow must've died lonely. Move on ahead, and save your game. Open the nearby chest for a Life of the Gods. Inside, you'll have to deal with roughly around 20-30 Zombie Bees. Use your Nunchakus, or Vigoorial Flails to deal maximum combo carnage. If you defeat them all, a chest will appear above. Do a multiple wall jump to reach the area above. You'll discover a Talisman of Rebirth. Open the door, and you'll now be back at the Underground Waterway. Go ahead, and kill the eight newly spawned bats. Jump down, and go right. Again, more sewer zombies will spawn out of thin air. Maybe the Fiends are catching up to you? Once you head into the tunnel, about 6 more Sewer Fiends will pop up. Kill them, and head back to the tall column. A cutscene will appear. *Apparently, Gamov and the Holy Vigoorian Emperor are speaking. Gamov tells him that the Dark Dragon Blade is becoming more powerful at a consuming rate. Gamov seems fascinated by the extreme amount of power that the blade holds. The Emperor warns him not to get too greedy, and says he will be rewarded for his activities.* Wall jump repeatedly back up the long shaft. You'll now be back in the Aquaduct. Save your game, then double wall run back up to the previous Aquaduct. Run up the steps, head out the door, and you'll be back at the sewer entrance. Save your game, then climb the ladder. Once you're back at the train wreck, run down Drawbridge Hill, and hit the switch. Cross the drawbridge, and you'll have to deal with 3 Purple Fiend Zombies. These are basically mutated Vigoorian Soldiers, except they possess qualities of the Skeletal Zombies. Fairly easy. Equip a light sword, and decapitate them. Then, equip a heavy weapon (preferably Dabilahro, or War Hammer), and yield pure damage. If you manage to kill all three (they have plenty of life), an aura will appear. Check it out to receive a Talisman of Rebirth. Run down the nearby stairs, and save your game. Head through the red door, and you may combat the mutated Ninja Fiends if you desire. Run over to Muramasa's Shop, and re-equip. Now, run through the green door. Head up this street, up the stairs, then make a left. Run to the end of this alley, and open the gate to arrive at the Twin Serpents Plaza. Walk up to the pedestal near the statue, and press X three times. Ryu will place all three portions of the Stone Tablet onto their respective locations. *Apparently, the message is complete: "Offer me up before the twin-headed serpent; use me as a key to open the path. There is another who travels the paths formed in the bowels of the Earth by Dragons. These paths tie together far away places, making them but a few steps away." The two serpents will not start to rotate rapidly. A gateway is opened up which warps Ryu back to Hayabusa Village.* Go straight up, and look to the left for a stone shrine. Equip a heavy weapon, then smash the rock. Inside, you'll find a chest which contains a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Jump back into the Muramasa building (via the side roofs), then re- equip if necessary. >> NOTE: If this is your second time through the game, check the second floor of the shop for the Dark Dragon Blade. It should be stuck in the floor. Remember, this unlockable can only be obtained during this Chapter, and only on successive play, so make sure not to miss it. >> Exit the building, and you'll be back near the burnt alley. Hop over the pile of wood (where the horsemen battled), then over the next pile. Go left into the Graveyard. Walk straight up. *Ryu will walk up to Kureha's Grave (the girl who was slain by Doku), and bow silently in despair. She had died because of the greed held inside by the Dark Dragon Blade. She was also the one who wanted to give him the Dragon Eye back in Chapter 2, but he left it on her grave as part of a memento. Ryu takes the Dragon Eye, and plants it on the slot of the Dragon Sword. The Dragon Sword has now been upgraded to its final form, the True Dragon Sword. It glows as its power has been matched to that of the Dark Dragon Blade.* Once the sword has been upgraded, run to the end of the graveyard path, and you'll see a blue portal glowing. Run up to it, and press X. Now, use the next portal, open the door, and use the last portal. This takes you to the Imperial Palace. You'll now be in a wide open area. Run straight ahead, and a cutscene will eventually appear. *Rachel, the gifted Fiend Hunter, will be chained up to large posts with the Spirit of Doku behind her. Apparently, he's preparing to transform her into a Greater Fiend! Doku commands for the second form of Alma to seek out and kill Ryu.* &=======================--------------------===============================& ~= LEVEL THIRTEEN BOSS | Alma, Second Form | DIFFICULTY: ** =~ &=======================--------------------===============================& ~ Unlike her previous form (which happens to be one of the most difficult ~ & bosses in the game), Alma's second appearance is less painful. To start & ~ off, watch out for her primary grapple attack. She'll try to get in close~ & by making the usual scream, sucking blood, and slamming you to the & ~ ground. You may avoid this by simply running away from her. Use the ~ & flying sparrow attack sparingly, but don't overuse it. Instead, wait for & ~ her to charge in, then initiate an attack. Inferno Ninpo works EXTREMELY ~ & well against her, and is highly recommended during this match. Aside & ~ from that, she hardly has any damaging combos, and is fairly immobile. ~ & Use the True Dragon Sword to yield maximum damage. & ~==========================================================================~ *After bursting Alma's head a second time, Ryu sprints towards Rachel to rescue her. Alma notices that her sister is in danger, and quickly charges ahead to save her as well. Alma jumps in front of Doku's swing, suffering a fatal blow, but also saving her sister's life (along with foiling the Fiend awakening). Alma suddenly returns back to her human form, and Rachel is released from the chains. Rachel clutches Alma's naked body in her hands. Doku retreats off, and Ryu leaps below to reveal a large crack in the Pyramid's steps.* Equip a heavy weapon, then smash the crack in the steps. It should reveal a doorway ahead. Open the door, and you'll now be inside the Pyramid. __________ Pyramid } =========== While the Pyramid isn't exactly a mind-boggling puzzle, it's best to understand the layout of the actual location. The following is a simple map of what it looks like, along with any special items: KEY: [F] - Fire Emblem [W] - Water Emblem [L] - Leaf Emblem [O] - Other Emblem or / - doors /////////// - Before doing anything, start off by |FULL MOON| going to the second door on the left. ___________| DOOR |__________ Check the ninja's body for a Map of the | | | | Pyramid. Open the door down this hallway | / | to your left, and you'll be in the W/F | / | room. Check the nearby chest for a Great | | | | Spirit Elixir. Remove the Tablet of | ____|___ ___|____ | Water, then insert it in the other empty | /[W] [F]| |[L] [O] | slot. | / / | - You'll have to deal with 20 Scorpion | | / | | Beetles. Each time you change a phase in | | | | | | the moon patterns, these bugs will spawn | |_______| |_______| | out. Use the Flying Sparrow attack to | | | | | | make quick use of them, and yield | | | | |SAVE | maximum essence with an occasional Leads Entrance |Point| ultimate technique. to ------- - Once they're dead, the force field magic should disappear, and permit access to mirror the newly opened door. Head through the center doorway that opened, then go up, and head through the second door to the right. Note that a Crescent Moon should appear against the wall. Save your game via the save point at the end. Go back, and enter the door you just passed (to save your game). You'll now be in the L/O room. Open the chest in the left hand corner for a Life of the Gods. Walk up to the red icon, and take out the Tablet of the Flame. It should open a nearby door (to the center pathway). Walk across, and head back to the W/F room. Go to the empty slot against the wall, and place the Flame Tablet in place. Again, you'll have to deal with 20 beetles, and the moon will change to a Half-Phase. Walk up to the Water tablet, take it out, then head over to the L/O room. Place the water tablet in the L slot (or logo that looks like three circles connected to a centerpiece). It should open the door behind you. Go into that doorway, and snatch the Serpent, Deity of Creation. - Before completing this Chapter, go to the far left side, and head down the steps (towards the magic mirror). You'll eventually see a mirror that shows an altar on fire, except in reality it isn't. Equip the Art of the Fire Wheels Ninpo, and cast it once. Walk up to the Altar to catch it on fire. You'll be rewarded with an aura containing a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Now, go back to the water tablet, and take it out of the slot you just placed it in. Go back to the W/F room, and place the Water Tablet back in the emblem to the left (the water slot). Do the same for the Leaf Tablet, except make sure it goes in the Leaf logo (looks like a plant, left hand emblem in L/O room). Along the way, you may have to deal with occasional beetle ambushes for changing the tablets. After this is done, a cutscene will occur. *The Pyramid will rise to a greater height, permitting access to the Gateways of Zarkhan. A full moon will also occur against the wall.* _______________________ /Vengeful Spirit (4.14)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: *** SECRETS: (2) Golden Scarabs (1) Life of the Gods "The fate of the sisters has been decided. Ryu now heads for the depths of Zarkhan, determined to fulfill his vengeance once and for all..." You'll now start back in the same room you were at before. Go into the center channel, and go up to the full moon door. Press X to open it. Run all the way up the path. As you run along, fire lanterns will catch on fire. Once you reach a T, Ryu will notice Doku walking back and forth (behind a locked gate to the right). Go left, and save your game via the nearby statue. The chest to your right contains a Great Spirit Elixir. You may also use the Muramasa Statue to your left to refill your supplies. Personally, buy as many Elixirs, Talisman of Rebirths, and any upgrades if possible. Around the corner is about 15 bats which infinite respawn. Kill them, charge for an ultimate technique, and repeat this process to dish out huge amounts of essence. Anyhow, once you're ready, go around the corner, and press X on the portal. >> NOTE: If you speak with Muramasa via the Talk option, he says that if you're untouched in the Fiend Realm, you'll be rewarded with an item that saves your life. After you kill the enemies in the Fiend Realm, and you never get touched once, a second chest will appear with the Talisman of Rebirth. >> Once inside, you'll be greeted by the Underworld Fiend. He basically says you'll never defeat the forces of evil. You'll have to deal with 15 Sewer Zombies. Nothing fairly new; just block and counter-attack. Once they're dead, a chest will appear. Open it up to receive the Griffon Key. Use the portal on the ground to be warped back to where you were. Save your game, then head back to the T. Go to the gate on the right, and press X on it. The Griffon Key should unlock it, and allow access further. Run straight up. *A brief cutscene will show Ghost Fish popping in and out of the forest. Prepare for one of the most "annoying" common enemies in the game.* - Before heading around the corner, equip your Vigoorian Flails, along with the Art of the Fire Wheels Ninpo. + Go around the corner, and start to swing your Flails like crazy. These new enemies are called Ghost Fish. They're basically fishes that are ghosts (simple, eh?). Their only attack consists of a homing bite where they seek in on you, then attach to you and suck your life out. You can get rid of them by rapidly tapping the buttons on the controller. There are primarily 2 different ways to defeating Ghost Fish easily and painlessly. Ghost Fish can be killed in one hit, which means a VERY fast weapon usually benefits the user quite well. Constantly swing your Vigoorian Flails using the X buttons, and you'll notice how they die quite easily. Eventually, your attack will end, leaving a small window of opportunity open. Quickly cast the Fire Wheel Ninpo, and start to run towards (or away from) the Ghost Fish. They'll die in one hit from the Ninpo, and you can usually take out 20 using the easy spell. The best part about Ghost Fish is that they drop red essence more commonly than your typical essence. DO NOT be afraid to constantly cast Fire Wheels if necessary. Just make sure to pick up the red essence. + If that strategy is too complex, or you simply don't have the Ninpo, you can try this. Equip the Dragon Sword, and constantly forward jump + X as soon as you land. Keep repeating this attack. Apparently, the move prevents you from getting hit by the Ghost Fish. The swipe will kill any that dare attack you in mid air. This is a fairly cheap tactic, but it takes longer to master since you have to hit it right when you hit the ground (otherwise you'll be nipped to death). Either strategy works fine, although the first one is more beneficial (since you'll gather plenty of essence). Now that you're running ahead, make a left, and open the chest at the end. You'll discover a Life of the Gods inside. Run back out, and proceed north. Go up the stairs, and Ryu will note down that Spirit Doku goes down through the left doorway. Go right, and then make another right (check in the far corner) for a ninja body. On his body you'll find Gen's Diary. Go to the other end of this pathway, and one of the chests has a Great Devil Elixir. Head back to the path you were on before, but go left this time. Pass the door, and go down the stairwell. A new "Clipper Fiend" will appear, along with some Ghost Fish surrounding him. Lure the Clipper outside to the steps area. Attacks to watch out for include a Pincer Grapple (that inflicts 30% damage), along with a laser eye that yields explosive damage. Try equipping a heavy weapon, or something like the Kitetsu. Make use of ranged attacks, but try to get in close, and yield some wall-based attacks. Once you kill the Clipper, use your ninpo or flails to clear out the ghost fish. The chest on the bottom contains 5,000 essence. Head up on the top pathway, curl around the room, and the chest in the corner has a Key of the Lion. Head back to the door where Doku went through, and use the key. Once inside, you'll notice that Doku walks through a solid wall. Go right, and continue along the wall until you see some stairs to the right. Go up the stairwell, then open the chest up top for a Great Spirit Elixir. Go back out, and make a right. Go to the far end tunnel, and continue down. You'll have to deal with more Ghost Fish. Try to get through quickly as they will keep respawning, but make sure to pick up the essence along the way. You'll eventually come to another T. Make a left, then turn into the first left you see. Golden Scarab #1 is located on the middle of this room, on the ground. Head back out, and then make another left (the second path down). This leads to a lone chest at the end which contains a Great Spirit Elixir. Head back out to the main path, and make the third final left. Fight off more Ghost Fish, and you'll discover the Key of the Lioness in a chest at the end of the path. Once you have it, run back the same way you came, all the way back to the steps area. Head back to the Lion Door, but do not go through. Go down this path to the left. You'll find Golden Scarab #2 on the ground at the end of the pathway. Go to the middle section, and proceed down the stairs where you saw the Spirit Doku walk through. Once you're relatively close to the door, a Clipper Fiend along with several Ghost Fish will appear. The easiest way to get through this is to cast Fire Wheels once, then quickly attack the Clipper in the meantime. The fish should be easily burned by the fire, you'll deal damage to the clipper (with the fire and your blade). Act like it's a normal battle. If you run out of Ninpo, then pull out the flails, and start swinging like crazy. Once you kill clipper, head on through the door. *Once inside, the door behind you will lock, along with a pillar blocking your path up ahead. Spirit Doku will rise out of thin air, and prepare to battle you one last time.* &=======================--------------=====================================& ~= LEVEL FOURTEEN BOSS | Spirit Doku | DIFFICULTY: **** =~ &=======================--------------=====================================& ~ Believe it or not, this boss can be one heck of a mess to deal with. You ~ & should have plenty of elixirs right now (considering you refilled at the & ~ beginning of the level). First of all, the only true reason why he's hard~ & is because of how unpredictable he is. Sometimes he'll lay down a fierce & ~ combo, other times he'll simply slash once. To start off, the best way to~ & defeat Spirit Doku is to stay close to him, but to NOT be facing a wall. & ~ Most of the time, Doku will charge at you. Stay close, and when he ~ & prepares to slash, quickly jump backwards, then sprint in, and Flying & ~ Sparrow him. From there, you can usually lay down a quick XYY combo. The ~ & Kitetsu has extraordinary power when used against him. Doku will also try& ~ to suck health from you using a grapple attack. When he lunges with one ~ & fist backward, roll out of the way, then counter attack. Don't let him & ~ grab you with the flying fist either, since both attacks yield high ~ & damage, yet net low returns. The idea here is to get close, lure him to & ~ attack first, avoid the attack, then rush in with your own attack. Also, ~ & inferno ninpo works EXTREMELY well against him, but Doku is very agile. & ~ To hit him, you can attempt to lure him into one of the stone pillars ~ & placed throughout the arena. Get him caught in one of the corners, run & ~ next to him (with his back towards a pillar), then cast Inferno. You can ~ & usually nail him 60% of the time. Otherwise, he'll retreat back and avoid& ~ the attack. This battle takes a lot of items to replenish, and don't be ~ & afraid to use them. You'll get a chance to use one more Muramasa Statue & ~ in the future. ~ &==========================================================================& *Spirit Doku will cringe in pain as he has been defeated by the purely evil hero, Ryu, in a battle to the death. As Doku whispers away, he sends out a hating curse that inhabits Ryu, and slowly turns him into a Fiend. Great, now I'm turning into one of these blue freaks!* ________________ /The Core (4.15)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: *** SECRETS: (1) Golden Scarab Demon, Deity of Destruction "Doku's hate continues to slowly transform Ryu into a Fiend. Feeling the blood of the Fiends pounding in his veins, the Dragon Ninja stands before the gates to the source of all evil, the Core of the Imperial Palace!" *The pillar that was blocking your path during the Spirit Doku fight now lowers. Now we can move on to the depths of hell.* Right off the bat, Ghost Fish will start to appear in the circular arena area. Use the same strategies from before to kill them. Move ahead, and you'll enter the Palace Compound. Check the ninja body to the left for a Map of the Labyrinth. Save your game with the nearby save statue, then proceed right. The chest at the end of the path contains a Great Spirit Elixir. Now, go back left, and go up the pathway. You'll have to deal with a Clipper Fiend, along with several Sewer Zombies. Go straight, but don't go to your right (across the Imperial Core Bridge). You'll see a large door in the distance. Equip a suitable weapon, and take care of the surrounding Ghost Fish that appear. Remember that Fire Wheels Ninpo makes battling them EXTREMELY easy. Press X on the large door, and Ryu will open it up. You'll now be back on the large stairwell from before that you could not get through. Look to your left (right up top) for a ninja body. Check it to receive the Key of Decayed Soul, along with Dai's Diary. Apparently the great "leader" of the Black Spiders could not make it through. You may want to refill at Muramasa's Shop in Tairon. - To do so, run down the stairs, and open the large door at the bottom. Cross the Great Bridge, head through the square, and proceed through the green door. Muramasa's shop should be located right at the corner of the street. Here's what you're going to need for the final battle: -> At least 2 Talisman of Rebirths -> 5 Great Spirit Elixirs -> 10 Elixirs of Spiritual Life -> 3 Great Devil Elixirs -> Maxed Upgrade on Dabilahro -> Max explosive arrows, APFSDS Cores -> Return all scarabs you've gained thus far - If you simply don't have the essence to earn this equipment, then do Imperial Core runs (by killing the Ghost Fish on each floor). You'll understand what I mean later. Once you're refilled, head back up the long stairwell, and go back to the Palace Compound. Make your way back, and make a sharp left. Cross the bridge, and it should slowly rotate the camera view to twist it horizontally. Once you're at the door, press X, and Ryu will use the Key of Decayed Soul. You'll now be on the first floor of the Imperial Core. Quickly equip your Dabilahro, as you'll be forced to deal with 8 Dinosaur Fiends. These nasty creatures can bite you and toss your for fair damage. They also have a tail whip. Watch out for the enhanced fire-versions (have gray scaled skins), as these ones are tougher to kill. Try forming a 7-hit combo with the Dabilahro (kills them if performed entirely on one fiend). I think the combo was XXXXYXY. You can also use your maxed out Inazuma Ninpo to quickly shock them to death. Once they're dead, walk to the center pillar in the room, and press X. Ryu will offer the Raptor, Deity of Sentiment. Head through the unlocked door. The following stairwell has Ghost Fish that randomly pop up along your way. The easiest way to get past this area is to use the Fire Wheels Ninpo (or Vigoorian Flails). There are approximately 4-5 stairwells you'll have to traverse across, so make use of the added essence. It's perfect for essence runs, and increasing your primary source of income. The chest up top at the end of the stairwell contains a Great Spirit Elixir. Open the door up, and head inside. On the second floor, you'll be greeted by a mix of Dinosaur Fiends, and Fire Dragon Fiends. As before, equip the Dabilahro, and make quick use of them. There are more fire fiends this time though. Offer the Wolf, Deity of Wisdom on the center pillar to unlock the next area. Proceed through, and go up the steps - more Ghost Fish to deal with as well. Open the door up top, and you'll now be on the third floor. This time, it gets a tad more challenging. Equip either the Kitetsu or True Dragon Sword, and start to wreak havoc. You'll be forced to deal with a mix of Sewer Zombies and Clipper Fiends. The Kitetsu will allow you to suck some health out of the fiends, making the battle slightly easier. Try to be quick and nimble on your feet. Use the Inazuma Ninpo if the going gets tough. Hide behind the center pillar if you're facing several Clipper Fiends. Once they're eliminated, head to the center altar, and place the Devil, Deity of Immorality. Open the unlocked door, and head on up. As usual, our ghost-like friends want to play for a bit. Once you reach the top of the stairwell, open the nearby chest for a Great Spirit Elixir. - Also, look up top along the northern/right side. Drop down the ledge, and curl around the building. You'll find Golden Scarab #1 near the end of this curled ledge. This is the last available Golden Scarab in the game, and make sure you visit Muramasa (and hand it to him), if you're aiming for the 50 scarab challenge. Open up the door to head into the fourth floor. You'll have to deal with four Clipper Fiends. I found it best to use your Inazuma Ninpo. Try to lay down a few slashes, retreat out, then cast. You can always refill your red essence via the Ghost Fish stairwells. Once the targets have been destroyed, head to the altar and place the Serpent, Deity of Creation. Make your way through, and you'll now be at the Gates of Hell (appropriate name, eh?). Go to your right, and open the chest at the end for a Great Devil Elixir. The other chest near the save point has a Great Spirit Elixir. Save your game via the progress statue, and prepare for one of the final battles (not over yet, you'll get another chance to refill up if you wish). Step on the portal, and you'll be warped to the Fiend Realm. The entire battle sequence is setup like this: 1) Battle around 10 Sewer Zombies -> Fairly easy. Use the True Dragon Sword, block, counter attack, and have some chop suey fun. After you kill them all, the Underworld Fiend will warp you to the next minion. 2) Battle a reincarnated Tentacle Boss -> Same strategy as before. Two flying sparrow attacks can usually knock off one tentacle. Repeat the strategy, knock off both tentacles, then suck in the dropped essence from the organs to perform an ultimate technique. Have the True Dragon Sword equipped for a VERY damaging combo. You can also use the Art of the Fire Wheels to increase that damage. Tentacles drop red/blue essence. 3) Battle 10 more Sewer Fiends, except with interference -> The same as the first battle, except the Underworld Fiend will toss fire projectiles at you. You'll hear an "Argh!" in the background. When this occurs, quickly start running, and jump before the projectile lands on you. The boss can injure his own minions, so try to "aim" the fireballs into his own comrades. If you get in a caught situation, try to use your Ninpo (but save some for later). 4) Battle reincarnated Ice Worm -> Same as the Ice Worm from Chapter 12 (where you retrieved the Eye of Ice). This one is a tad more aggressive though when it comes to casting ice spells. Attacks to watch out for are when he wiggles his head around. This means ice spikes are going to be cast up wherever you are standing. Quickly start running and keep jumping to avoid the magic attack. Also, avoid his feet stomps, arm swipes, and head grab. Jump get behind him, lay down a few slashes, and retreat out. Ninpo is fairly ineffective against him, so avoid using it. 5) Battle Underworld Fiend -> This is an annoying battle mainly because of how "jumpy" the boss is. To start off, he basically flies around on his devilish wings, and has a few attacks. He can summon Sewer Fiends at will. You'll only face three at a maximum time. If you're surrounded, quickly cast the Inazuma Ninpo to rid of them. Inazuma is also the most effective Ninpo to use on him if you're in desperate need of attack power. Occasionally, he'll toss fireballs at you (in fours). You can roll, jump, roll, and then jump to avoid these. Usually after the projectile toss, he'll start to spin in the air. When this occurs, quickly start running, and leap out of the way as he slams into the ground. When he's stuck, run back up, and lay down a 5-6 hit combo with the True Dragon Sword. If he doesn't spin, he'll usually charge at you low to the ground. Avoid the oncoming attack (by rolling), then counter attack. ************************************************************************** * Alternate Strategy for Underworld Fiend (thanks to Kyuta Syuko) * ************************************************************************** * An easier method of knocking down the Underworld Fiend's health is to * * avoid the zombies he casts, then wait for him to perform his spinnig * * move. When he dives into the ground, cast the Ice Storm ninpo to yield * * a high amount of combo damage. This strategy works better if you can * * lure him to crash near the arena walls. Then, cast it whenever he's in * * between the wall and Ryu. He'll be partially trapped, and he'll suffer * * roughly about 20 hits. * ************************************************************************** *The leader of the Underworld will then flourish and plummet to the ground. In his place, a bright and shining aura will appear.* Run up to the center, and grab the aura. You'll receive the Demon, Deity of Destruction. Head on up through the two center paths up ahead, and jump onto the portal. Press X, and you'll be warped back to the Gates of Hell. This is the last chance you'll get to refill your items, purchase goods from Muramasa, or get any missed scarabs. Do it now, or else hold your peace forever. Walk up to the idol near the save point, and place it in. The Demon, Deity of Destruction, will be interlocked in the ancient altar. A tall doorway will be opened up to reveal a spiral skull stairwell that leads above. Save your game before proceeding on. Remember, you should have lots of Devil Elixirs, Life Potions, and Talismans of Rebirths before proceeding on. Look above for the item list recommended. Now, wall run up the wall with the altar on it. Then, wall run up again. Start running up the steps. After a bit, a cutscene will open up. *Ryu will suddenly stop on the stairwell. It starts to shake, and crumbles down below. Ryu plummets at blazing speeds, and lands inside a field full of colorful flowers. Suddenly, he is greeted by a large statue that resembles Alma, but isn't quite her (the Vigoorian Emperor). The field then withers away, and the true battlefield is actually in hell. Ryu will then cast a spell that carves out some of the stone floor into a giant floating platform. Let's kill this Emperor, and get the Dark Dragon Blade back!* &======================---------------------===============================& ~= LEVEL FIFTEEN BOSS | Vigoor Emperor (I) | DIFFICULTY: ** =~ &======================---------------------===============================& ~ This boss is much harder than actually pumped up to be. Start off by ~ & equipping the True Dragon Sword, and the Inferno Ninpo. This boss is VERY& ~ weak to the Inferno Ninpo. Simply cast the spell multiple times, and ~ & refill your supply via the purchased Great Devil Elixirs from before. To & ~ control the moving platform, use the left joystick to swivel left/right, ~ & up/down. Hold down the L trigger to raise your position vertically. You & ~ can also jump by pressing the A button. Each time you get knocked off the~ & platform, one from below will snatch you before you hit the lava. To make& ~ the battle easy, keep casting the Inferno Ninpo. If you run out of Ninpo,~ & get close to the boss, and slash the four glowing spots on his body. They& ~ look like white glowing orbs. Each section will get destroyed after so ~ & many hits. Fairly easy if you ask me. As for his laser attacks, you can & ~ dodge one by running in the opposite direction. The other requires ~ & elevating yourself to find the gap in the lasers. If you're in danger of & ~ being hit, cast your Ninpo to protect you temporarily. ~ &==========================================================================& *After defeating the huge statue, a second form is revealed. That sneaky Emperor always has something up his sleeve. His true form revealed shows he's actually a giant skull head surrounded by tiny skulls. Very fitting for the hell scenery.* &======================----------------------==============================& ~= LEVEL FIFTEEN BOSS | Vigoor Emperor (II) | DIFFICULTY: *** =~ &======================----------------------==============================& ~ Before you attempt anything, equip the Vigoorian Flails, and preferably ~ & Ice/Lightning Ninpo. This boss basically has two main attacks. It will & ~ usually send off several flying skulls at you that nip away at your life ~ & bar quickly. Usually if you're hit early on, you'll keep getting pelted, & ~ and die quite quickly. To counter this, start swinging your flails ~ & whenever the heads get near. The fast attack speed of the Vigoorian & ~ Flails kills the skull heads quite easily. Killing the heads will also ~ & damage the boss's life bar, which is a huge plus. Secondly, equip & ~ explosive arrows, and start to shoot the boss in the distance. Keep ~ & nailing the skulls that respawn. If you run out of a certain type of & ~ ammo, switch to another (APFSDS Cores, Normal arrows). Try to nail him in~ & the distance whenever he's NOT attacking you. If he jumps on the lava & ~ platform near you, try to get in close, and lay down a few slashes. Use ~ & the ice or lightning ninpo if you desire. Here comes the tricky part. & ~ During his flying heads attack, after a bit, his giant head will fly off ~ & towards you, and attempt to bite you. This grapple attack does extreme & ~ damage, and can often spell out your doom. Keep your eyes focused in the ~ & distance for this attack, and STOP attacking the flying heads. Start to & ~ run away. If he gets close, cast your Ninpo to repel him away. ~ &==========================================================================& *The last form of the Vigoorian Emperor will crumble, and sink into the lava below. Ryu is then transformed back into his original human form (along with all other Fiends), since the Vigoor Emperor was pretty much the head Fiend. The Dark Dragon Blade that the emperor possessed is now stuck on a rock ledge above.* _____________________________ /The Dark Dragon Blade (4.16)/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DIFFICULTY: ** SECRETS: Dark Dragon Blade "Ryu has defeated the evil Vigoor Emperor, and the Dark Dragon Blade is out of the reach of the Fiends. Now, Ryu must quickly escape the depth, before the cavern comes crashing down on him!" Start off by running to the right and saving your game. Go to the nearby rocks, and hop up the three platforms. The second one might require you to hang before leaping up. Go to the narrow crevice, then wall jump back and forth to reach the area above. Leap up three more platforms, and you should see the Dark Dragon Blade jutted into the ground. Run up to it, and press X. *Ryu will delightfully yank the root of all evils, and take the Dark Dragon Blade. He slowly closes his eyes thinking that he's going to perish down here, but at least he accomplished his clan's objective. Suddenly though, Rachel swings down on her grapple hook, and screams to Ryu. Let's get this show on the road.* >> IMPORTANT: From now on, you're actually on a hidden time limit. If you don't make it past a certain area (after the Rachel cutscene), a quick cutscene will pop up showing Ryu plummeting into the lava below. At first, I thought this was part of the plot, but you'll receive a GAME OVER message soon afterwards. So, be quick after the Rachel cutscene. >> Jump down across, then wall run to the above platform. Leap to the first twig, swing across, and do this for the other two twigs. Leap onto the ledge, then grab a hold of the tiny inlet above. Shimmy across to your left, and leap up once there's some space. Continue forward leaping from platform to platform, then turn a left, and another cutscene will pop up. *Rachel extends her hand out, and Ryu leaps to it. Rachel then retracts the device, and the couple float out of the chasym above. Just as they do so, the cavern below sends up a huge gush of fire. The flames shoot the Dark Dragon Blade out of Ryu's hands, and it lands on ground level above. Unfortunately, it lands next to the Dark Disciple and Gamov just as Ryu helps Rachel to her feet. Gamov explains that the blade became more powerful as Ryu killed more Fiends and powerful creatures. The Dark Disciple set this up purposely to increase the power of the blade. The Dark Disciple then picks up the blade, and congratulates Gamov (for his job well done), by decapitating him. He then reveals his mask, and Ryu is shocked that it's Murai! That son of a traitor. Murai then prepares to battle Ryu to decide the ultimate victor of Good versus Evil.* &======================-------------=======================================& ~= LEVEL SIXTEEN BOSS | Evil Murai | DIFFICULTY: * =~ &======================-------------=======================================& ~ To make feelings quick and painless, the final boss of the game is a ~ & breeze. Evil Murai primarily has physical attacks. Right off the bat, he & ~ will toss several mini shurikens at you. It's best to jump to the sides ~ & avoid the ranged attack. Whenever you approach near him, he'll usually & ~ lay down a few various swings. Perform the flying sparrow attack (forward~ & jump + Y) to slice through him. Murai should be temporarily stunned. When& ~ you land on the ground, quickly perform the attack again, and repeat the ~ & process. Believe it or not, you can flying sparrow spam your way to & ~ victory in this matchup. If he blocks the attack, quickly jump out, and ~ & repeat the process. Watch out for Murai's ultimate techniques, as they & ~ usually compile several powerful blows stringed together. Ninpo isn't ~ & very effective in this matchup, although it will protect you temporarily & ~ from severe attacks. ~ &==========================================================================& >> I'd like to thank Kyuta Syuko for the following tip: - Ninpo is ineffective against Evil Murai mainly because he can block it using the Dark Dragon Blade. However, put on the Fire Wheels ninpo, along with the Flying Swallow, and you'll be toasting one evil bad guy. *After the final battle is complete, Murai slowly molds away as the power has been ripped from his flesh. He walks back, and plummets into the large fiery pit below. Ryu then walks up to the cause for all of this death (the Dark Dragon Blade), and tosses it in the air. In one quick slice, he shatters the DDB into several pieces, destroying its ancient power. This is why it was critical for the Dragon Sword to be inserted with the Dragon Eye - so that it could be MORE powerful than the Dark Dragon Blade itself. Ayane, the female ninja who appears throughout the game, nods in approval and walks off into the sunset. Rachel greets Ryu in a desperate plea, but all he says is that "It's over." Ryu then flies away as a morphed falcon, which relates to both his Hayabusa Clan, and the possible resurrection of himself (back in Chapter 2).* >>>>>)))))))))) CREDITS ((((((((((--------------------------------- ============================ - 5) Items - ============================ Throughout the adventure of Ninja Gaiden, our young hero will receive various items that assist him throughout his journey. As a matter of fact, items are the reason why NG is so alterable. Without them, you'd have the same old stale sword, and the same rotting game. Instead, you can now test out different weapons with varying moves, plummet the game for extreme replayability, and so on. The following section will go over each of the weapons, along with their move lists, and locations for finding such items. ________ /Weapons/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= These are your primary ways of attacking opponents in the game. Weapons act as your messenger when it comes to beaming down your hidden meaning. Different weapons in Ninja Gaiden have different attack speeds, essence withdrawal, and damage counters. Throughout the game, you can take your weapons to Muramasa's shop, and have them upgraded for a hefty price. HOWEVER, based on what Chapter you're on (during the main game), you can only upgrade a weapon so far. There are upgrade restrictions until you reach a certain part in the game. Weapons cannot be carried over into a new game after you beat the game once. ____________________ )]^ DRAGON SWORD ^[( -------------------- SPEED: *** DAMAGE: **** LEVELS: 3 upgrades LOCATION: Ryu is intially handed this weapon by his father when he left for the mountains. The Dragon Sword is believed to have been carved out of the fang of a dragon. Not only does it have decent damage, but it's one of the primary weapons you'll use throughout the game. It combines an essential mix of speed, power, and slice- like moves. It can be upgraded 3 times (only 2 by the blacksmith). The final upgrade comes as part of a plot twist. ########################################################################## _________________________ )]^ TRUE DRAGON SWORD ^[( ------------------------- SPEED: *** DAMAGE: ***** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: By far one of the best combination weapons in the game, the True Dragon Sword is quite possibly the best sole weapon in the game. It combines a necessary mix of power, speed, flexibility, and special attacks to make it worthwhile to be used in nearly any combat situation. This is obtained during Chapter 13, after it is combined with the Dragon Eye from Kureha's Grave. The True Dragon Sword has the best Ultimate Technique in the game (which performs the most damage). It also becomes MORE powerful than the Dark Dragon Blade at the end of the game. ########################################################################## ____________________ )]^ WOODEN SWORD ^[( -------------------- SPEED: *** DAMAGE: ** LEVELS: 6 upgrades LOCATION: This weapon can only be bought from Muramasa's shop. It costs 500 essence, and its primary design is for only practice combat. However, it becomes one of the most special weapons in the game if you spend, and upgrade it 6 times. It turns into Unlabored Flawlessness, which is sort of like a giant wooden oar. It costs about 107,500 yellow essence to upgrade it fully. Some people claim it becomes one of the best weapons in the game. Others say it's just a waste of money. You be the judge. The oar form updates with an entirely new move list. ########################################################################## _________________ )]^ NUNCHAKUS ^[( ----------------- SPEED: ***** DAMAGE: ** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: First obtained around Chapter 4, nunchakus are basically nunchuks. In simpler terms, they're two circular edges attached to each other by a metal chain. You'll often see them twirled around like batons, but at a much faster rate. Nunchakus are the simplest form though, as they do not have any upgrades. There are other variations of the Nunchakus which are more powerful. These are sort of like a "training" version, per say. Perfect for the highest combos in the game though. ########################################################################## _______________________ )]^ VIGOORIAN FLAIL ^[( ----------------------- SPEED: **** DAMAGE: **** LEVELS: 1 upgrade LOCATION: First obtained around Chapter 6, these are basically enhanced nunchakus. Imagine taking blades, and substituting them for the wooden poles of nunchuks. Vigoorian Flails are perfect for killing lots of monsters that surround you. They're found on a ninja's body right before you receive the Holy Grail. ########################################################################## __________________ )]^ WAR HAMMER ^[( ------------------ SPEED: * DAMAGE: ***** LEVELS: 1 upgrade LOCATION: First obtained around Chapter 8, this is basically Rachel's Fiend Hunter Axe, which she uses to decapitate foes. However, the War Hammer is a power-designed weapon, mainly for delivering knockout blunt blows. It looks like a gigantic two-handed axe, with a green/purple tip. This can be found in the destroyed Monastery, near the left side of the Altar Room. If you miss it early on in the game, you can find one later. ########################################################################## _________________ )]^ DABILAHRO ^[( ----------------- SPEED: ** DAMAGE: ***** LEVELS: 2 upgrades LOCATION: This is the most powerful sword you can receive in the game. If you've ever played FF7, it looks very reminiscent of Cloud's giant blade. Basically, a 100-pound sword capable of shredding and decapitating the largest creatures out there. Has slow attacks as a drawback. Was once wielded by Vigoorian Barbarians back in the ancient times. Costs a total of 30,000 essence to upgrade to full potential. Received after you hand in 20 scarabs to Muramasa. ########################################################################## _______________ )]^ KITETSU ^[( --------------- SPEED: **** DAMAGE: *** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: The Kitetsu is basically one of those swords that has a mysterious background surrounding it. It has been proven that the Kitetsu is no where near the power of the True Dragon Sword, and even slightly less powerful than the level 3 Dragon Sword. However, theories out there have shown that the Kitetsu grows in power the more you make use of it. It also seems to have a greater effect when facing Fiends and Doku. The sword can be found right during the beginning of Chapter 12, after you defeat Doku. ########################################################################## _________________________ )]^ DARK DRAGON BLADE ^[( ------------------------- SPEED: ** DAMAGE: ***** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: The Dark Dragon Blade is the ultimate weapon that Ryu seeks out for nearly the entire game. Supposedly it has hidden, evil powers which give the wielder unsurpassing abilities (god-like). At the same time though, it also corrupts the mind, and commits sins that only the Devil would dare. This can only be found during Chapter 13 - on your second time through (successive play). Go to the building with the weapons inside. The Dark Dragon Blade is on the second floor, in the corner of the room. Unfortunately, it is slow on attacks, and has very limited moves. ########################################################################## _________________________ )]^ WINDMILL SHRUIKEN ^[( ------------------------- SPEED: *** DAMAGE: **** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: This is the "Legendary Weapon" obtained in Chapter 4. It can be obtained by heading over to Han's Bar, and reading a Kunai scroll that comes flying into the wall. You should see a zig-zag alley with blue coloring along the walls. Take Ryu, wall run sideways on the blue areas, and jump from wall to wall. On the last jump, press X while in mid-air to give you a temporary boost to reach the area. For a more in-depth approach, please read Chapter 4 of the walkthrough (it shows how to do it, with an ASCII map). It's basically a quadruple folding shuriken, that yields lots of damage. It returns to the user like a boomerang, and if it hits an opponent, usually causes decapitation. ########################################################################## ____________________________ )]^ INCENDIARY SHURIKENS ^[( ---------------------------- SPEED: *** DAMAGE: ***** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: First obtained around Chapter 6, incendiary shurikens are crucial items in the game. They're one of the few ways to break down cracked walls. Incendiary Shurikens are basically your typical projectiles, except tipped with explosive materials. Upon impact, they explode after a small timed interval. Unfortunately, you're limited to only 15 at a time. The item can be found inside the second floor of the Library Archives, in one of the glass cases on the right. ########################################################################## ________________________ )]^ EXPLOSIVE ARROWS ^[( ------------------------ SPEED: **** DAMAGE: **** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: First obtained in Chapter 9 (near the Warehouse), these are your typical arrows tipped with explosive charges. Very similar to incendiary shurikens, except they are launched from the Strong Bow. Unfortunately, they don't yield the highest amount of damage, but are perfect for taking down multiple soldiers, or small targets. ########################################################################## ____________________ )]^ APFSDS CORES ^[( -------------------- SPEED: *** DAMAGE: ***** LEVELS: 0 upgrades LOCATION: This is the most powerful projectile you can receive in the game. First received in Chapter 9 (in the Warehouse), APFSDS Cores are arrows tipped with explosive material from the inside of tank shells. It's like taking gunpowder, and tossing an extra "BOOM!" inside. Very useful for destructive damage, and can take down the largest armored vehicles. A tad slower when launched from the Strong Bow though. ########################################################################## _________________ /Scarab Locations/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= One of the most sought out side quest items in all of Ninja Gaiden are Golden Scarabs. Golden Scarabs are basically an extremely rare treasure hidden, or scattered throughout levels. You must accomplish special tasks just to reach them. They are very desired by collectors, however, the blacksmith Muramasa has a keen sight for them. Whenever you find scarabs, go speak with Muramasa (at one of his statues), and select the TALK option. You'll hand over your current scarabs, and he usually hands out rewards for the total amount: 1st Scarab - Life of the Gods 10 Scarabs - Spirit of the Devils 15 Scarabs - Armlet of Benediction (increases yellow essence from bodies) 20 Scarabs - Dabilahro (giant two-handed sword) 30 Scarabs - Armlet of Fortune (increases red essence restore power) 40 Scarabs - Armlet of Tranquility (slowly increases Ryu's health) 50 Scarabs - Ninja Gaiden (original classic) - I'd like to give credit to Anonymous for the rest of the scarab rewards. >> Just for your information, there are NO scarabs in Chapters 1 or 2. All scarabs can be found from Chapters 3-16. >> Scarabs CAN BE carried over to your next game on the SAME difficulty. So you could collect all 50 on one game, or all 50 over the second time through. However, you cannot use the successive play option by going from Normal, to Hard difficulty. >> 50 Scarabs unlocks the original Ninja Gaiden game. _____________ /**LOCATIONS** =============== _ __> Chapter III (3 total) #1 - In the right hand corner of the Captain's room, near the Main Deck. #2 - Once you retrieve the ID card, head back to your Living Quarters. Open the nearby power-cell door right next to your state room. Jump on the crates, and head to back portion of the crates. The scarab is located in a small two-crate pit in between two chests. #3 - Make your way to the gas compartment (room filled with metal objects), and you have to climb 3 stories. First, jump up and eliminate the 3 guards. Now, look along the left wall for a large metal crate. Jump onto it, then wall jump off of the wall it is facing. If performed correctly, you should wall jump to a secret "compartment" above with the scarab on the ground. Chapter IV (3 total) #1 - In a water fountain past the Green Door, near the Clock Tower Plaza. #2 - Head through the Green Door, and proceed along the left wall. Go up the left pathway, then look for an alley. Do a flying bird jump four times to reach an alley area above. Navigate through this top area until you reach a ninja's body. The scarab is on the ground nearby. #3 - Near Han's Bar, in an alley marked with blue streaks along the wall. Head to the end of the alley, and the scarab is located on the ground. You can also obtain the legendary weapon here. Chapter V (3 total) #1 - To the right of a save statue, on Drawbridge Hill (in Dworku District). #2 - Move to the right of the save statue on Drawbridge Hill. Head down the stairs. The second scarab is located in a small alley at the bottom of the stairs, along the left wall. #3 - Go to the blue door near Drawbridge Square, and proceed up to where the Pegasus Chest was. Turn around, and you're going to have to do a double/triple wall jump to reach a small inlet where the golden scarab is. I'd like to thank Ben Fellow for coming up with this tip. Chapter VI (6 total) #1 - On the second floor of the Monastery Archives, inside one of the glass casings. #2 - Located on the corner of the ledge that let's you reach floor 3 of the Monastery Archives. #3 - On the third floor of the Monastery, along the inner roof portion, on the far left side behind the metal fence. #4 - Located on the ground, after you drop down the hole to the Underground Cemetery. #5 - In the Underground Cemetery, when you first encounter the flying bees, on one of the corner ledges in the room. #6 - In the lower right hole on the wall, in the room before the Tomb of Eons. Chapter VII (4 total) #1 - In one of the coffins, inside the Coffin Chamber, after you defeat the Skeletal Dinosaur. #2 - Immediately to your right, on the ground, when you enter the Suspension Bridge Room. #3 - Inside the Blue Room, at the far end of the pit, behind one of the pillars. #4 - In the water-filled room with the elevator, near the bottom of the ground, after you're tossed in by a huge blast of water. Chapter VIII (2 total) #1 - On the ground, before the Military Gate, right after the Skull Door. #2 - Go to the same Skull room, and bird leap to the top balcony. Perform a double wall jump off the top corner, and Ryu should land in a hidden indentation. The scarab is located here. Chapter IX (4 total) #1 - Right outside the exit of the tunnel, to your left, around the corner. #2 - On top of a train cart in the warehouse, can easily be reached by jumping from the middle train cart (via the moving platform), then forward jumping + Y to reach it. I'd like to thank Howard Family for this suggestion. #3 - On top of the small room in the top floor in the Warehouse, where you get the Map, and the Shutter Control Card Key. You must wall jump to reach the top. #4 - After the Overpass, on top of the two columns you must wall jump to get up top. Chapter X (9 total) #1 - Inside the Blue Water Reservoir room, in the center of the water pit. #2 - After you kill the first electric worm, on an inlet above the doorway you walk through. Wall run up this wall, and Ryu will flip into the inlet. #3 - On the second floor of the Hall of Balance, on the ledge opposite of where you entered. Walk across the pathway to reach it. #4 - In the Red Water Reservoir Room, along the right portion of the wall. You must wall jump 4x to reach this area, explained in the walkthrough. #5 - Near the beginning of the Underground Waterway, right around the sharp left corner of the entrance to the caves. #6 - After you kill the two electric worms, in the left tunnel passage on the ground. #7 - On top of the broken pillar in the Peristyle Passage, before entering the Underground Sanctuary. Use your right thumbstick to look for a pillar that is missing a block. Then, wall jump between two pillars to reach the area. #8 - Inside the Underground Sanctuary, on the first floor, room on the left along the ground. #9 - Inside the Underground Sanctuary, on the top floor, on the left side (behind a pillar), of where you receive the Brand of Valor. Chapter XI (5 total) #1 - Right in the beginning, dive in the water, and near the right side of the wall is a scarab. #2 - After the first Muramasa Statue you encounter, on a ground ledge in the proceeding room. #3 - In the area between the Sunken Ship, and caged building, in the far right corner next to the entrance tunnel. #4 - In the hull of the ship, along the right wall, after you open the door with the Hand Crank. #5 - In the Pharoah's Room, pasted on a wall in the center top portion. Chapter XII (8 total) #1 - In the first room right after the Doku fight, in the lower left corner, near a slab of stone. #2 - On the stone ledge above the elevator which brings you to the fighting arena. Refer to the Chapter 12 walkthrough on how to reach the ledge via the platforms. #3 - Located at the far end of the stone ledge, which can be reached via the platforms above. It's located on the same stepway of the switch which elevates the stone patterns to reach the next area of Chapter 12. Refer to the walkthrough. #4 - At the save point before the Zarkhan Falls, there are three statue heads along a wall. Equip a heavy weapon, and smash the statue heads to receive one of the scarabs. You'll also receive a Life of the Gods for doing this. #5 - At Zarkhan Falls, in the bottom of the water pool before the actual waterfalls. #6 - After the Muramasa Statue in the Magma Caverns, through the first door, in the right side of this new room. #7 - After you cast the Cog of Vigoor, some ice stalagmites from before will melt and reveal a new save point. The scarab is on the ground right next to the save point. #8 - After you insert the cog, and head on through. At the area with the cross flames, it's located in the corridor to the left on the ground. Chapter XIV (2 total) #1 - Before the pathway that leads to the Key of the Lioness, the first room off the path. It's located on the ground in the middle of the room. #2 - After opening the Lion Door, make a left. At the end of this path is the other scarab, on the ground. Chapter XV (1 total) #1 - On the stairwell, to the entrance of the fourth floor. Drop down off the right ledge. Run around the curled path; the scarab is on the ground at the end. __________________ /Technique Scrolls/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Throughout the game, you'll come across various articles of information which permit you to learn new moves and streaks. Technique scrolls are basically just that, items which let you learn new moves to conquer the evil of the world. Some may be obtained from defeating bosses, while others are discovered in hidden locations. The following is a brief list of where each can be found, along with their performing function. #| Counter Attacks |# RETRIEVED from: Chapter 2 Boss, in center of bridge COMBINATION: L (while blocking) + (X or Y) - Ryu counters with an attack while your opponent is swinging aimless attacks towards you. Great as it's quicker than releasing the block button to manually swing your sword. #| Guillotine Throw |# RETRIEVED from: Chapter 4 Ninja body, to the left of the Military Gate COMBINATION: A (while jumping) + Y - Ryu should jump towards an enemy, then pick up their head, and fling them vertically while in mid-air. Causes extreme amount of damage, and produces one heck of a neck strain. #| Izuna Drop |# (thanks to Brian Nissen for providing this info) (thanks to David Clamage on a correction) RETRIEVED from: Muramasa's Shop (1000 essence, first available Chap. 3) COMBINATION: XYXXXY - Ryu should grab the enemy in mid-air, and then slam them down to the ground for massive damage. No, this isn't a butt squash Yokozuna slam. ___________________________ /Life of the Gods Locations/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Throughout the adventures of Ninja Gaiden, you will come across minute items called Life of the Gods. Whenever you collect 9 of these, and use them all, it will extend your life bar a little bit. These are similar to Thousand Lives of the Gods, except they instantly extend your life bar. Collecting Life of the Gods is another similar hobby to collecting scarabs, as they too are hidden in secretive places. The following section will list where you can find all 27 Life of the Gods throughout the game (totals to three health bar extensions). For information sake, there are also 10 Thousands Lives of the Gods in the game, but most are rewarded from Fiend Challenges or boss battles. _____________ /**LOCATIONS** =============== _ __> Chapter II (2 total) #1 - At the broken bridge, with the waterfall. Run across the water (by tapping A as soon as Ryu's feet hit the surface of the water). You must be on a ground surface parallel to the water surface. It's located in a chest on a small inlet. #2 - Once you reach Hayabusa Village, go to the far end of the main road and grab the Jizo Head. Go back to the statues by the entrance, and press X to replace the head to one of the statues. You'll receive a Life of the Gods as a reward. Chapter III (3 total) #1 - Once you reach the dual-stairwell room, the LotG is located in a chest, in the upper left portion, in the Ship's Galley. #2 - After you receive the ID Card, enter the door directly behind you, and a LotG is inside the chest. #3 - Return at least one scarab to the Muramasa Statue on the level, and you'll receive a Life of the Gods as a reward. This one can be ascertained anywhere during the game, but first during Chapter III. Chapter IV (1 total) #1 - Once you're past T-route, and you see a Kunai note land next to a blue ledge, leap off onto this ledge. Shimmy to your right, then jump up. The item is inside the chest. Chapter VI (2 total) #1 - Right near the beginning of the level, in one of the two chests where you start. #2 - In the Underground Cemetery, where the large Bee room is. It's located on a small platform across the room. I found it easiest to reach on your way back up (when you go to face the Level 6 boss). When you leap up, jump onto the middle ledge, then wall run to the nearby platform. You'll have to wall jump, then run, and drop off onto the ledge with the chest containing the item. If you're having trouble understanding, check the Chapter 6 walkthrough, and it might be able to describe it easier. Chapter VII (2 total) #1 - Right when you enter the Suspension Bridge Room, in the left corner, on the ground. #2 - Inside the Monk's safe on your second visit. The password is: 1, 4, 1, 0 - Right, Left, Right, Left Chapter IX (3 total) #1 - Inside the Warehouse, in one of the two crates along the middle pathway. Smash them to receive the item. #2 - After you battle the 3 normal Vigoorian Soldiers in the stairwell, go down, then make a sharp turn into the small inlet. It's inside a chest in this inlet. #3 - After the train crashes, check the nearby chest for it. Chapter X (3 total) #1 - On the second floor of the Hall of Balance, after you receive Golden Scarab #3, continue through the tunnel. Make a right at the Y-turn, and it's located in a chest. #2 - After you kill the 2 electric worms, check the right passage for a chest containing it. #3 - In the entrance room to the Underground Sanctuary, perform a wall run, and leap up to the wooden walkway above (where the bats flew down). Follow the walkway to a chest containing it. Chapter XI (2 total) #1 - After you swim to the tunnel (where you insert the gold/silver medallions), it's located in a chest (to the left) before the shrine area. #2 - It's located in a chest, in the middle of the bar cage maze, where you obtain the silver medallion. Chapter XII (6 total) #1 - Once you reach the top of the puzzle platform room, it's located in a chest to the left on the first stone balcony you reach. #2 - From the first stone balcony, leap across, then at the far end is a chest containing the second one. #3 - At the Great Bridge Square, go down the right alley, and bash the cracked wall with a heavy weapon. Wall run along the side wall, leap up, then wall run across to receive another one inside the chest on the ledge. #4 - After you leap past the logs, which precede Zarkhan Falls, smash the statue heads to the right. The fourth one is in one of the heads. #5 - Dive into the pool before Zarkhan Falls, and there's a chest opposite of the Golden Scarab at the bottom. You'll find it inside the chest. #6 - After you defeat the Fire Worm, continue into the next room (with the large whisking flame where you have to swing across). There's a chest to the right which contains it. Chapter XIII (2 total) #1 - Near the beginning of the level, in the Zombie Bees room, it's inside a chest. #2 - In the Pyramid Puzzle, make your way to the L/O room (Leaf Tablet room). It's located inside a chest in the lower-left corner. Chapter XIV (1 total) #1 - The first time you encounter Ghost Fish in the forest, make a left past the wall, and it's located in a chest at the far end. ---------------------------------- ============================= - 6) Enemies - ============================= In the world of Ninja Gaiden, enemies are your most ruthless combatants. Although the environment can be considered an enemy as well, in most cases, it aids you in numerous attacks. Enemies are the primary reason you became a Ninja, to defend against threats with evil intentions. Understanding what you're going up against, and how to defeat it decides every little ounce of victory. This section will describe some of the common enemies throughout the game (along with brief strategies), as well as boss strategies. _______________ /Common Enemies/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ___ ___ /X=X Brown Ninja /X=X ----------------------- One of the first true enemies you meet in the game. Brown ninjas first spawn on Chapter 1, inside the Ninja Fortress. Fairly easy to kill as they have many "slash" combos, but not much aerial style. No ranged attacks make them easier to kill than some of the poor ants crawling around outside. ___ ___ /X=X White Ninja /X=X ----------------------- Sort of like a "captain" of the ninjas in the Ninja Fortress, White Ninjas are slightly tougher to defeat. When provoked from a certain range, they'll toss shurikens at you. They also have decent jumping skills, and a few more powerful combos. Most white ninjas drop blue essence. ___ ___ /X=X Samurai Swordsman /X=X ----------------------------- First met during the attack in Chapter 2, Samurai Swordsman are sort of like "advanced" basic ninjas. They have much better defensive techniques, and also moderate combos as well. However, they're not that strong, and their life bar is only mediocre. You can make quick work of them by blocking their combo, then simply counter attacking. That, or wall based attacks shred them to pieces. ___ ___ /X=X Samurai Magic Caster /X=X -------------------------------- Again, like the above enemy (and met in Chapter 2 as well), except like a Captain variation. Magic Casters are larger versions of Samurais, except they are equipped with two fang-like daggers. They have a nasty close range five- hit combo. Also watch out as they teleport three times whenever you get close to them. After they teleport, they try to attack you from a blind spot. In a ranged position, they launch large energy balls at you. Most of the time, they drop blue essence. ___ ___ /X=X Vigoorian Guard /X=X --------------------------- One of the more common enemies for the first half of the game. Vigoorian guards wear white suits, with black segments here and there. Their primary choice of weapon is an electric-tazer sword that acts as a saber. They're fairly weak though with a low life bar, and can be decapitated by most power blows. No real strategy here. Watch out though as they fire pistol bullets from a lengthy range. ___ ___ /X=X Vigoorian Captain /X=X ----------------------------- One of the tougher, albeit worthy guards in the Vigoorian army, captains are much tougher, and have a grenade launcher on long ranged attacks. Their combos also can consist of four to five moves. Run up close to them, for them to pull out their melee weapon, then block their attack. DO NOT block too long as they will use a grapple move on you. Once you block their combo, counter-attack with your own, and make sure they explode into a pile of blood. ___ ___ /X=X Black Ninja /X=X ----------------------- Probably the toughest common enemy in the game for the sheer fact of their nuisance-like abilities. Black Ninjas are part of the Black Spider Clan, one that opposes all movements of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan. You'll first meet them throughout the streets of Tairon (Vigoor Capital). Black Ninjas are VERY fast, and have EXTREMELY annoying explosive shuriken attacks. They look like small bombs that detonate after a few seconds. Be careful as they throw explosive shurikens often, and without mercy. The only TRUE way of stopping Black Ninjas is to block, and keep blocking. You can deflect any tossed shurikens at you. They do not have grappling techniques, so block all you want, then quickly counter attack. - Some players try to get all of them grouped together, block, then counter with a large power swing that has plenty of radius. Try using the Dragon Sword when facing Black Ninjas. - Some players claim that using Nunchakus is much better, but I prefer to differ. The damage amount simply doesn't count up. - Whenever an explosive shuriken lands near you (but not on you), roll out of the way to avoid the explosive radius. Keep blocking though to prevent further attacks. Avoid any attack that requires plenty of charging time. These ninjas are fast, and primarily use three different combo attacks (leaping twirl, five- hit combo, four-hit combo). Just remember to BLOCK, and counter attack. - A fairly easy way to kill Black Ninjas is to run vertically up a wall, then perform a Y attack. Just keep spamming the attacks to kill them. I'd like to thank Samir Kovoor Cherian for this tip. - Another way of defeating Black Ninjas is to hold down the L trigger during the entire battle. Now, start repeatedly tapping the X and Y buttons as fast as you can. Whenever the ninjas get close, and your block hits their attack, Ryu should Counter Attack. This is a very efficient method as you will not take damage (unless a shuriken hits a wall, and explodes nearby). You hardly expose yourself, as it conserves health. I'd like to thank Dirk for coming up with this tip. ___ ___ /X=X Zombies /X=X ------------------- First met in Chapter 6, these are small brown twig-like creatures which remind you of pitiful ghosts. Their blood looks greenish, however, don't fear, these creatures are fairly easy. Most normal zombies have quick rolls, and defensive maneuvers, but lack powerful combos. Most of their combos consist of simple two-three slashes, which can easily be blocked, then counter attacked. These creatures can also be summoned by Floating Fiends. ___ ___ /X=X Floating Fiends /X=X --------------------------- First met in Chapter 6, these are ghost-like Fiends that are fairly large. They always float above you, so you're going to have to use aerial attacks for the most part. Floating Fiends also can teleport-dodge your physical attacks. The easiest way to defeat them is to perform a flying A + Y attack (to stun them), then lay down a few blows while they're stunned. Fiends can summon zombies, so it's best to focus your energy on them. Their ranged attack involves casting a blue aura, which slices you if you step on it. ___ ___ /X=X Flying Bee Zombies /X=X ------------------------------ First met in Chapter 6, these are giant brown-like bees, which can be found in the Underground Cemetery. They're not hard opponents though, as they slowly fly towards you in an attempt to sting you. Can be destroyed with a few hits from any weapon, and Nunchakus/Flails work extremely well against them. ___ ___ /X=X Skeletal Zombies /X=X ---------------------------- First met during Chapter 6, Skeletal Zombies are more fearful than their actual toughness. They look like enlarged skeletons, but without any flesh. Most of them wield large warhammers, axes, or bows. The easiest way to kill them is to perform the A + Y move to decapitate them (Ryu slices through them while in mid air). Now they're blind. Simply slash them, and they'll eventually die. If you do not decapitate them, they can perform a grapple move which yanks off half of your health. Also, most Bow Skeletals cannot be decapitated (because the bow blocks the attack). Simply slash them about 12 times to kill them. Bow skeletons should be your primary concern as they have ranged attacks. ___ ___ /X=X Vigoorian Soldier /X=X ----------------------------- First met in Chapter 8, these are olive green armored soldiers that are deployed by the Vigoorian Army. Sort of like hardcore grunts, Soldiers are equipped with automatic machine guns (with extendable bayonets). Soldiers are skilled in long-range weapon use (firing rifles, tossing grenades), and also have a second variation (rocket launchers). Rocket launching soldiers are more dangerous though, considering the explosive potency of missiles. The easiest way to defeat Vigoorian Soldiers is to get up close, roll to the side, then lay down a light swipe. Most can be killed within 3-5 hits (depending on your weapon use). Decapitations are quite common. ___ ___ /X=X Alert Helicopter /X=X ---------------------------- First met in Chapter 9, these are small metal flying robots that have red flashing alarms. Their main attack involves shooting a small, yet annoying blue laser which sheds tremendous knockback upon impact. The easiest way to kill them is to equip the Windmill Shuriken, and toss it whenever they get within close range. Another fairly useful method is to shoot explosive arrows at them. ___ ___ /X=X Sewer Zombies /X=X ------------------------- First met in Chapter 9/10, these are almost the same as the original zombies introduced during Chapter 6. However, Sewer Zombies are almost like Fiends, with a purplish/blue glow. They have similar moves, except they attack in higher combos (3-4 hits), and have a powerful aerial kick. The best way to kill these is to block their combo, then counter attack. Flying attacks are not very useful. ___ ___ /X=X Scorpion Beetles /X=X ---------------------------- First met in Chapter 10, these are basically largely-sized beetles that have huge pincers. They have a fairly annoying grapple attack which can suck down your health quite quickly. The secret to defeating them is the Flying Sparrow Attack (forward jump + Y). Keep repeating this attack, combined with ultimate techniques to rack up huge amounts of essence. Ninpo also works very well (fire based). ___ ___ /X=X Crunch Fish /X=X ----------------------- First met in Chapter 11, these are basically gigantic shark-like fish which "crunch" you to death using their jaws, and small scale hands. You'll only find them in water areas, Crunch Fish usually swim back and forth in set patterns. Their only attack involves a grapple lunge where they grab you, then munch away. It can usually knock off around 30% of your life bar. The best method to kill these creatures is to equip the spear gun, and launch 2-3 spears to kill them. You can also attempt using your Dragon Blade, or melee weapons underwater, but it takes several hits. ___ ___ /X=X Ninja Fiends /X=X ------------------------ First met in Chapter 12, these are pretty much morphed Black Spider Ninjas that aren't as tough. They look sort of like brown-cladded thugs, except their heads resembled wolves. They are extremely fast, and have a few damaging grapple moves. Watch out for their ranged fireball attack. However, they're fairly weak, and can be killed with a few combos, and swipes placed at the right moments. ___ ___ /X=X Soldier Fiends /X=X ------------------------- First met in Chapter 13, these are rare fiends which are cross hybrids of Skeletal Zombies, and Vigoorian Soldiers. Imagine mutating them together in a purplish mix, along with the soldier's weapon used as a swinging weapon. The easiest way to kill these fiends is to decapitate them (use the forward jump + Y move), then equip a heavy weapon, and lay down pure damage. ___ ___ /X=X Ghost Fish /X=X ---------------------- First met in Chapter 14, these are one of the toughest late game enemies you'll meet up with. Ghost Fish are basically spiritual fish that float around throughout the depths of hell. What makes them so tough is that they swarm towards Ryu, and leech off of him for health. While they can be destroyed with one hit from any weapon, you'll usually have to deal with 5+ at a time. The easiest way to defeat them is to equip the Vigoorian Flails, and simply swing them around yourself with X attacks while progressing through the level. If they charge at you, start swinging like crazy, and you'll see the essence pile up like a fudge pie. Also, try equipping the Fire Wheels Ninpo, and use it often. Ghost Fish often drop red essence. So in a sense, you can keep casting Fire Wheels (which kills them instantly), and run through them like butter. Make sure to pick up the essence. Finally, if you're dry on both sides of the scale, equip the Dragon Sword, and perform the forward jump + X attack. Do it right when you hit the ground, and keep doing it. You'll be untouchable. It takes some practice to master though, and there's a small minute second of exposure when you hit the ground. ___ ___ /X=X Clipper Fiend /X=X ------------------------- First met in Chapter 14, these are one of the more uncommon fiend enemies you'll meet that are actually challenging. Basically, they look like a larger version of a sewer zombie, except they have two large pincers, and one eye. Their most lethal attack involves a laser that trails with explosive fire that does hefty damage. They also have a close grapple attack that slams you into the ground, along with a two-hit combo. The easiest way to defeat these beasts is to use the Kitetsu, or preferably something versatile. You'll need a weapon with fairly fast attack rate, but enough power (or moves) to utilize your surroundings. Avoid the laser by jumping back, or to the sides. Quickly run up, lay down a few hits, then retreat out. Avoid the grapple by rolling out of the way. Ninpo may be your best solution if you're facing multiple amounts. _____________ /Boss Enemies/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Usually at the end of each level is a Chapter Boss who is MUCH stronger than your traditional adversary. In many cases, these bosses can be the sole reason why you fail, or prevail in a level. The following section will briefly describe the styles of each boss, along with "short" strategies to defeat them. Please read the walkthrough for in-depth strategies. ___ ___ /O=O Murai (Chapter I) /O=O ----------------------------- Murai is skilled with the Nunchakus, and twirls them like a beach towel. Not only that, but he has massive muscles, the ability to perform grapple attacks, and can reflect projectile attacks. Here are some key tips: - Block his initial four/five hit combo, and wait till he recovers back to his normal stance. Quickly counter attack with four hits of your own. If he starts to block them, let go of your combo, and jump the heck out of there. Repeat this procedure a few times. - Lure Murai towards a wall, then quickly run up the wall. In the meantime, press Y to perform a wall-jump power slash that can yield lots of damage, yet prevent a counter-attack on his part. Repeat this procedure. - DO NOT try to jump over Murai. His Nunchakus have extreme range, and tend to hit you while in mid air. Not much else you can do. ___ ___ /O=O Samurai Horseman (Chapter II) /O=O ----------------------------------------- A fairly tough boss that relies upon the help of his magic-tossing minions to do the dirty work. This battle takes place on a wide wooden bridge, along with roughly around 12-14 Magic Wielders (only face two at a time). The horseman himself is equipped with a very long scythe-like weapon, except it has Mongolian origin. - Kill all of his magic casters first. Twelve of them will respawn (not infinite), but you will be forced to deal with the main boss attacking you from behind. The magic casters drop blue essence which can replace your health; that's a plus. After they're finished off, you can focus on the boss by catching him from behind with sword slashes, or shooting arrows at him. - Focus on the boss primarily. Use your fire ninpo magic, and get very close. Try to catch him on fire, then get at least a six hit combo in. Repeat this procedure, or use the A + Y slice-through attack. Whenever he reaches the end of the bridge, his horse will studder around. Slash the horse in the tail (in the front you'll get trampled). I recommend killing an occasional spell caster to give you some blue essence, rather than constantly wasting potions. ___ ___ /O=O Electric Mofo (Chapter III) /O=O --------------------------------------- Probably an easier boss than most people make him out to be. Looks like a large cybernoid - mix of human and machine. Besides his huge mechanical suit is a large electric ray gun that shoots out bolts of lightning. Your fighting arena is on top of the airship. - Start off by getting a decent amount of distance between you and the mofo. Keep circling him, but DO NOT jump, and try not to roll. Both of these maneuvers actually slow you down in a sense. After he fires off four or five rounds, he'll be forced to recharge his gun. Rush in for the attack, and slice him a few times. Repeat this process for victory. - You can also try staying close to him the whole match, and using Ninpo magic. However, he has a nasty grapple attack which yields a point blank shot that takes extreme damage. Whatever method you feel is quicker. ___ ___ /O=O Tentacle Fiend (Chapter V) /O=O -------------------------------------- Looks like something out of a 50s horror film. Basically a giant green blob with eyes spread throughout its body, and two large swinging tentacles (damn anime fetishes!). - Simply attack both tentacles, and slice them both off. Once they're off, quickly attack the blob creature until the tentacles respawn. When they do, repeat the process, and he should die after 2-3 attempts. The tentacles actually drop red essence, so you may want to make use of your essence magic (or charge up for an ultimate technique) when he's exposed. Be weary though as using Ninpo on the creature causes for him to retaliate with a fiery attack out of his head. ___ ___ /O=O Skeletal Dinosaur (Chapter VI) /O=O ------------------------------------------ Take Jurassic Park, and enhance the whole experience with a magnifying glass. The Skeletal Dinosaur is an old prehistoric beast found inside the Babel Hall (in the Underground Cemetery). At first, it's nothing more than a giant skeleton. However, once you add the Holy Grail to the Altar, the creature is brought to life. It has four limbs which must be disabled. - Attack each of the four limbs. After each limb takes enough damage, a bone covering will fall off to reveal a weird flesh-like skin. The creature has two primary attacks: a tail whip (that goes back and forth), and a head bite. To avoid the head bite, roll to the side of the screen. Jump over the tail whip once, then again when it returns. He'll also attack you with a paw scratch, and leg kick if you get close. Try using the Windmill Shuriken (if you have it), and just stay back with some hefty distance. Keep tossing the Shuriken (it takes decent damage away). If you don't have this weapon, run up, perform a combo, then retreat back. Repeat the process. Most people struggle because they do not have any potions when facing him. ___ ___ /O=O Alma, First Form (Chapter VII) /O=O ------------------------------------------ One of the three Greater Fiends, and a powerful hybrid warrior. Originally the sister of Rachel, she was dragged in by Doku and transformed into a Fiend. She looks like a huge swirl of blue, purple, and pink colors. Her transformed shape yields obtuse angles, and vuluptuous curves. Don't be glorified by the beauty however, she's one of the hardest bosses you'll face early on. - Alma attacks via close-range, and projectile attacks. She has two main spells, a purple multiple fireball spell, along with a two pillar toss. You can avoid both by rolling, and jumping in mixed combinations. When you approach her, she will: - Cast a shining ray under her. Quickly run away from this, and wait for it to disappear. - Charge at you, and attempt a powerful combo. - Perform a flying diagonal kick that slams the ground. Avoid this moves, then perform the forward jump + Y attack to slice through her. This will stun her, and knock her to the ground. Quickly cast your ninpo magic (preferably the Ice Storm), and she'll take multiple hits. If you have no magic, slice her a few times with a weak combo, then retreat out. DO NOT get caught in any close combat with her, or you'll be ripped to shreds. Be patient, do not block, and always run back and forth (unless attacking). ___ ___ /O=O Helicopter (Chapter IX) /O=O ----------------------------------- Ever wonder if a medieval warrior could take down a million dollar aircraft? Now's your chance. The Vigoorian Helicopter is basically similar to an Apache attack helicopter. It's equipped with special missiles, a vulcan machine gun, and the ability to launch bombing runs. - The easiest way to take down the helicopter is to lay down as many explosive/APFSDS shots you can before it turns around to fire. To avoid the missiles, simply roll (before impact of missiles), then jump, and jump again. Block the machine gun bullets, and run to the side (out of the way) of the bombing run. Try to get as many of these shots in as you can before it starts going mobile again. Not too hard, it's just that most players get worn down by the tanks first. ___ ___ /O=O Skeletal Dino Bird (Chapter X) /O=O ------------------------------------------ Pretty much your typical dinosaur bird, except magnified in a huge exoskeleton, and finally released from its fossil form after millions of years. This large creature breaths fire, and shoots it out via red lasers. Also possesses a terrible sonic attack, and can suck you in with the large swinging of its wings. - The easiest way to eliminate the Skeletal Dinosaur Bird is to use Ice Ninpo magic, combined with the Flying Sparrow Attack. Quickly rush in with a forward jump + Y, and Ryu should stun the bird momentarily. When you land next to it, cast the Ice Storm spell, and the bird will take severe damage. Repeat the process to finish off. If you run out of Ninpo, slash it with your sword, but jump away to avoid its melee attacks. You can avoid the fire attacks by seeing where the laser gleams, then running away, or towards the creature. ___ ___ /O=O Lord Doku (Chapter XI) /O=O ---------------------------------- For the most part, this is the person Ryu seeks out during the game for vengeance. Lord Doku is the leader of the Greater Fiends, and a very powerful person he is. Not only does he possess great combat skills, but his genetic power only enhances the gleam that emits from his face. Lord Doku looks like a giant black knight, with blue auras glowing out of specific body parts. - The easiest way to defeat Lord Doku is to concentrate on using the Flying Sparrow Attack (forward jump + Y), combined with the XXY combo on counter attacks. Avoid his sword projectile by rolling under it, then quickly charge in and lay down a few powerful stabs. When he performs the five-hit ultimate technique, run away as you'll take damage during blocking, and the hits are tremendous. If he makes a grunting sound, roll back to avoid his devestating grapple attack. You can also use Level 3 Inferno Ninpo, or something of similar statute to lay down powerful hits. ___ ___ /O=O Flame Dragon (Chapter XII) /O=O -------------------------------------- Probably one of the few isolated bosses you'll face in the game. The Flame Dragon is basically a large dragon spawned from the fiery lava pits below. It has tremendous composure, and breathes fire like natural air. Besides its ferocious size, it also has a temper prone to attacking intruders that dare take the Devil Deity. - The easiest way to defeat the Flame Dragon is to be patient. DO NOT be tempted into running into the lava, and running towards the Dragon. The key to this matchup is avoiding its attacks, then capitalizing on when its head is bowed forward/down. You can fight him via the lower or upper platform. The upper one requires more reflexes, but allows the battle to be much quicker. The lower platform is a more cautious approach, but can also be more threatening (via the extra flying fireballs). When it performs its flame thrower attack, leap over the jet of flame, and wait for its head to bow down. Lay down about five hits, then back away. It helps A LOT if you have Inazuma Ninpo, since you can constantly spam, and knock its health down fairly quickly. Regardless, continue to be patient, and the battle will be yours. For its ferocious bite attack, you might have some trouble dodging. Leap out of the way, then quickly counter strike. ___ ___ /O=O Alma, Second Form (Chapter XIII) /O=O -------------------------------------------- Not as difficult as her previous form, but the second appearance of Alma still packs a punch. She basically looks like her previous form, except mutated with a scorpion spider (and a cracked open head). Alma now possesses greater physical powers, but lacks the ranged attacks she previously had. - The easiest way to defeat Alma in this matchup is to wait for her to make the aggressive move first. Occasionally, she'll charge at you with a ground attack. Leap to the side to avoid the attack, then retaliate with the Flying Sparrow move. From there, cast the Inferno Ninpo (should be maxed out by now), and it'll do extreme damage to her. Keep repeating this process. Attacks to watch out for are her grapple slam (makes a screaming sound), projectile toss, and when she floats in the air. Not as difficult, and she blocks a lot less. ___ ___ /O=O Spirit Doku (Chapter XIV) /O=O ------------------------------------- Probably one of the harder bosses mainly because of his pure randomness. Spirit Doku looks like a sky blue aura that has risen out of its grave. This was originally the soul of the Greater Fiend, Doku, but now is simply a moving piece of matter (as you defeated his physical form). Spirit Doku has a much larger sword, is quicker, and capable of more powerful attacks. - Attacks to watch out for are when Doku tries to grab you with his fist, or sends out a flying fist. Both attacks will grab you, and a grapple attack will be performed (which yields heavy damage). Jump out of the way, or roll to avoid these. He'll start to yell when he's about to perform his seven-hit Ultimate Technique. RUN away when he does so. The best strategy to defeat him is to stay in close, and wait for him to lunge forward with an attack. When he does, jump backwards, then run in AFTER the attack is performed. Use the Flying Sparrow attack (forward jump + Y), then lay down a small three-hit combo (XYY). It's best to use the Kitetsu in this matchup, as it tends to do more damage to Fiends. Make sure you have the Armlet of Tranquility equipped. Another cheap tactic is to try and lure Doku into a nearby stone pillar. When he's near one, get his back to fact the pillar (be close to him), and then cast a maxed out Inferno Ninpo. It will do extreme damage. If you try to do this anywhere else, he'll usually avoid it. ___ ___ /O=O Underworld Fiend (Chapter XV) /O=O ----------------------------------------- Looks sort of like Ifrit from the Final Fantasy games, the Underworld Fiend is basically the overwatcher of all spirits in hell. Despite not being the leader of all fiends, the Underworld Fiend is basically a gatekeeper to the Vigoorian Emperor. You may only reach him by defeating him and his minions. - Attacks to be cautious of involve his four projectile attack. You can use the typical roll, jump, roll, and jump process to avoid the attack. Soon after projectile tosses, the boss will either charge at you (very low to the ground), or start spinning in mid-air. If he starts spinning, start running, then jump right before he hits the ground. Now that's he temporarily stunned. Run up, and start slashing him with your True Dragon Sword. Lay down about 5-6 hits, but DO NOT overdo it. He has a damaging grapple attack slam if you stay in too long. If he charges low to the ground, leap out of the way to avoid the attack. Then, run up to him, and lay down a few slashes. The Inazuma Ninpo works best against this boss, not Ice Storm. ___ ___ /O=O Vigoorian Emperor [Part I] (Chapter XV) /O=O --------------------------------------------------- Appears as a large gray statue that comes to life. Has resemblance to Alma, but appears more as a winged Fiend. His huge form causes for Ryu to cut out his own stone platform, and use it to reach the boss's height. So much for the serene setting. - Attacks to be cautious of involve two laser beam attacks. One will rotate three beams in circles. This is the toughest to avoid because you have to run in opposite directions of the beams, but one will eventually catch up with you. It's best to cast the Inferno Ninpo right when you're about to be hit. Inferno takes off about 10% of the boss's health, so you can easily recast this Ninpo if you have plenty of Devil Elixirs. His second beam attack is one that has a gap between three vertical lasers. Elevate yourself by holding down the L trigger (and pressing up/down). Fit Ryu in the open slot. To hurt the boss (besides Ninpo), elevate forwards, and slash one of the four glowing parts on his body. Three of the four parts are destroyed during the battle (two shoulder blades, and head). ___ ___ /O=O Vigoorian Emperor [Part II] (Chapter XV) /O=O ---------------------------------------------------- After his first form is defeated, the second one reveals a giant skull head surrounded by mini-skulls. This is the true form of the emperor hidden from the innocent citizens of the Vigoorian Empire. Looks like the Dark Dragon Blade has truly affected his evil stature. - Slightly tougher, but still capable of being beaten. Equip the Vigoorian Flails, Explosive Arrows, and preferably Ice Storm/Inazuma ninpo. Right off the bat, start shooting Explosive Arrows at the boss. Eventually, he'll start to cast out several heads towards you. Start flinging the flails constantly to repel these evil spirits. Watch in the background for a giant skull head that will detach from the body. When it gets close to you, cast your Ninpo to repel it (or simply run away quickly). The boss may leap onto your stone platform after awhile. You can lay down a few close hits before he jumps away. Just repeat this process. If you run out of explosive arrows, shoot anything else you have in your equipment (APFSDS, normal arrows). ___ ___ /O=O Evil Murai (Chapter XVI) /O=O ------------------------------------ Evil Murai is basically the same version as the original Murai, except his entire body is scaled to a darker color (gray). His face also appears to have added scars, and symptoms of the Fiends taking control. His entire body size is much larger as well, combined with the Dark Dragon Blade as his weapon. - Extremely easy boss. Simply perform multiple Flying Sparrow attacks (forward jump + Y), and keep slicing through him. Do it the second you land on the ground. Jump out of the way of his magic shurikens, and avoid using Ninpo (only as a defensive countermeasure). When he performs an ultimate technique, quickly retreat out. Blocking his attacks are possible, but Ryu will lose his stance for a few seconds. ---------------------------------- ============================ - 7) Secrets - ============================ There are literally hundreds of secrets throughout Ninja Gaiden. As a matter of fact, this guide will probably never cover them all without the help of user-submitted information. Regardless, this section will speak about any secret/unknown things you come across during the game. You can also include Unlockables in this section. I'd like to give credit to the GameFAQs Codes section & anyone who contributed them for this info. All of these codes have been CONFIRMED. ____________ /Unlockables/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - I'd like to thank Tenjinmon NINJA for providing corrections on some of these unlockables. ___________________________________________________________________ | Effect | Description | |===================================================================| | Movie Gallery | let's you recheck all of the FMVs | | Future Ninja Outfit | -- | | Plasma Saber | -- | | Plasma Saber Mk 2 | just an upgraded Plasma Saber | | Very Hard Difficulty | hardest difficulty available | | Evil Ryu Outfit | -- | | Unlock all music | -- | |===================================================================| Movie Gallery --> Complete the game on normal/hard difficulty Future Ninja Outfit --> ^ Same as above, just press L when starting a New Game Plasma Saber --> Complete the game on normal difficulty Plasma Saber Mk2 --> upgrades normal plasma saber during Chapter 13 Very Hard --> Complete the game on normal/hard Evil Ryu --> Complete the game on very hard, hold down R on new game Unlock all music --> Complete the game on normal/hard __________________________________ ++{{@ HOW TO GET THE DARK DRAGON BLADE @}}++ - I'd like to give credit to Shane for coming up with this tip: On your second time through in the game (on successive play), reach Chapter 13. Head back to the house with the Muramasa Statue, and on the second floor is the Dark Dragon Blade lying on the ground. It's an equippable weapon, and one of the "hidden" secrets in the game. It makes sense though considering you rescued the sword the first time through in the game, and it's rediscovered in the village (your second time through). This is NOT a myth. __________________________________________ ++{{@ HOW TO UNLOCK THE ORIGINAL NINJA GAIDENS @}}++ ***IMPORTANT: Each of these unlocks the original Ninja Gaiden games for the NES. However, to play the games, you must visit the Arcade Machine in Han's Bar (in Tarion, Vigoorian Captial). The machine is missing a cartridge. You're rewarded with each of the NG carts to be placed in the machine. You may ALSO play the Ninja Gaiden games via the Main Menu. However, before you can do so, you must complete one full 16-chapter game of Ninja Gaiden, and Ryu must have one NG cartridge in his inventory (for the option to appear in the Main Menu). Note that there are EASY methods of unlocking the Ninja Gaiden games, and I would like to thank rashonmon & drzero7 for coming up with/organizing them. Ninja Gaiden --> Gather a total of 50 Golden Scarabs, and return them to Muramasa. He will hand you a Ninja Gaiden cartridge disk. >> NOTE: You do NOT have to collect all 50 scarabs during all 16 chapters. As a matter of fact, your scarabs are carried over into a next game (of same difficulty). Simply collect 50 in consecutive modes, and Muramasa will give it to you as a reward. Any scarabs you gathered in the previous game will not appear, so you'll have to find the ones you missed. Ninja Gaiden 2 --> After receiving the original Ninja Gaiden disc, go to the Clock Tower Plaza of Tairon City. Get on the ledge above the multicolored door (it's the switch that unlocks the multicolored door). Pull out your bow, aim, and shoot an arrow at the face of the Clock Tower above. A treasure chest will appear on the building opposite of you. Jump down, head up via the doorway at the bottom, and the chest contains a Ninja Gaiden 2 disc. Ninja Gaiden 3 --> Before getting this, you must receive the Ninja Gaiden 2 disc first. Go to the Peristyle Passage, which is in Chapter 10. It's right before the boss fight. Go to one of the broken pillars, and you should be able to find a scarab up above. The Ninja Gaiden 3 disc is located there now. If you're having trouble getting this one, refer to my Chapter 10 walkthrough to receive it. *On a side note, Master Ninja is higher than Head Ninja. You can see the complete order of rankings in the common questions section (Chapter 10). Also, GJoker came up with a useful way of earning the ranks in a saveful manner. Check it out in the Original Ninja Gaidens section. _________________ /Infinite Essence/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= It's not really a secret, although it's fairly unknown to people. Spread throughout the game are certain "scenes" where enemies will constantly respawn, for an infinite amount of time. I'll ocasionally add more locations as I continue through the game, but here are a few key spots I've passed thus far. [Chapter 1] --> Brown Dojo Room - Proceed to the room where the white ninja, and two brown ninjas spawn out of the side white walls. It should be the room where the collapsable doorway to the Underground Storehouse is. Kill these ninjas for essence, then leave the room, and return again for more ninja actions. This is great for building up your supply of essence, so you can purchase items in Chapter 2. [Chapter 4] --> Street Corner, past Military Gate - Enter the yellow circle dot doorway to a tri-way street. Head straight, and go around the corner. This eventually leads to a health upgrade near the end of the street. If you head back to the tri-way, you'll come across 3 Vigoorian Guards. Simply go around the corner, walk for a bit, then repeat the process to keep fighting 3 guards. Excellent method for earning essence before reaching Muramasa's actual shop. [Chapter 5] --> Outside Han's Bar (thanks to ParadigmWarrior) - At the beginning of Chapter 5, defeat the ambush, and head outside. Kill the nearby soldiers, then go to the secret area which has the X-BOX logo, and power-up idol. Do the following steps: 1) Enter Han's Bar, leave, kill guards that respawn. 2) Recharge your stats via the X-BOX logo in the secret area. ^ Repeat the above steps for an overwhelming amount of essence. [Chapter 6] --> Cave below Skeletal Dinosaur Boss - For some easy essence, try fighting the bats in the area before facing the Skeletal Dinosaur. You'll literally face around 15-20 bats, and you can get a plethora of essence. The best part about the trick is that you can head down the steps to the save point, and then re-enter the cave for an instant respawning of batmania! You can literally build up thousands of essence this way, which can be used towards upgrades and equipment in the next chapter. [Chapter 10] --> Sewer Entrance Room I'd like to thank Travis Greene for this tip. - For some easy essence, go back to the entrance of the sewers (where you had to climb in/out of a manhole via a ladder). Climb back up to the surface level, then climb back down. Toss some normal shurikens at the bats, make sure you have the Armlet of Benediction equipped, then charge up for an Ultimate Technique (preferably Hundred Wings one). With the combination of the the armlet, two essence orbs from the bats, and the remaining bats being killed by the attack, you can receive up to 40,000 essence in nearly the work of 10 minutes. This is perfect early on as there is a save point nearby (so you can accumulate your currency), and then proceed forward in the level to the Muramasa Statue for upgrades. [Chapter 10] --> Beetle Elevator Room I'd like to thank Johnny Tran for this tip. - For some easy essence, head to the room in the Aquaducts where the wall shifts, and lowers you down to a secret room. After you've gone in here the first time, head back a second time. You'll notice the bugs have respawned. Kill all of the beetles except for the last one. The easiest methods to kill the bugs are to use wall-based attacks (combined with an Armlet of Benediction, to boost yellow essence production). You can charge up for an occasional Ultimate Technique. Just make SURE you leave one bug left, otherwise they will disappear forever. The great aspect of this point is that you face several enemies, can always jump back in the elevator for a quick ride up, and the save point is upstairs. Plus, you only have to run up a floor to grab a hold of a Muramasa Statue. [Chapter 10] --> Bat Shaft before Worm Cavern I'd like to thank Robert Lemoine for this tip. - For some easy essence, head to the narrow bat shaft that is before the Two Worms Cavern. There are roughly around 30 bats, which constantly respawn if you head out, and return to the location after a short walk. There's a nearby save point as well, which can help accumulate your essence total. Try to lure a big group of bats down, then perform an ultimate technique (along with the Armlet of Benediction), to reap maximum profit. [Chapter 13] --> Pyramid Tablet Puzzle Rooms I'd like to thank Kyuta Syuko for this tip. - For some easy essence, head to the Pyramid Puzzle room where you have to constantly add/remove tablets to fit the correct puzzle scheme. Each time you remove, or change a tablet (and the moon phase changes), about 30 Scorpion Beetles will spawn. This is perfect for building up essence as you'll face lots of bugs, which can easily be killed using the Flying Sparrow attack. Combine this with the Armlet of Benediction, and you've got a recreation of the Fear Factor show! Ultimate Techniques really reap out the essence. [Chapter 14] --> Near the beginning, before entering the first Fiend portal - For some easy essence, head to the narrow cavern before you enter the first portal to obtain the Griffin Key (to follow Doku). There are roughly around 10 bats in this small cavern that respawn infinitely. Simply use a combination of the Armlet of Benediction, along with Ultimate Techniques, and you can reap some massive essence. Not to mention that a Muramasa Statue AND save point are only a few steps behind you. [Chapter 15] --> Imperial Core Stairwells - For some easy essence, head to each of the five stairwells along the Imperial Core. Each is infested with roughly around 25+ Ghost Fish that can be killed for multiple variations of essence. Equip the Armlet of Benediction, and try to get in an occasional Ultimate Technique to really produce some buckaroos. A trip up and down can usually bring about 40,000 essence. ---------------------------------- ============================ - 8) Codes - ============================ Despite how cheaters are often considered the scum of the world, it can sometimes benefit to get the extra nickel out of your game. Using a senseless code can often provide for enhanced fun, or extreme dimensions of enjoyment. Unfortuantely, as of right now, there are no known button codes for Ninja Gaiden except for one that allows you to keep a nifty uniform. I'll post any updates assuming there are newly found codes. Also, Action Replay codes will be posted as they surface on the internet. == Keeping the Blue Ninja Uniform for the entire game == >> Highlight the new game option, and hold down the L + R triggers. Now, press the A button and a scream should occur in the background. This means the code has worked. For the rest of the game, Ryu will keep the blue uniform he starts off with, rather than the new one he equips (in Chapter 3). ---------------------------------- ================================= - 9) The Original Ninja Gaidens - ================================= Long before the birth of our current gaming society, there was a ninja series developed for the NES. Although it may be unknown to most, this series is better known as Ninja Gaiden. The game ended up being a trilogy of ninja pumped action where you horizontally navigated through levels, slicing up anything that dared make an evil grin in your direction. Team Ninja decided to include all three original NES games as unlockable features. The following section will briefly tell you how to unlock each of the games, and also what the controls are for each. I am not going to include walkthroughs in this section as you can check out the NES FAQs on all three games. ***IMPORTANT: The instruction manual for Ninja Gaiden says you will learn how to unlock these during the campaign of the game. Although the manual says you can select the titles from the "Main Menu", this is actually the arcade machine in Han's Bar. Take the carts to the machine, and interact with it. You'll then be zoomed in to Classic Ninja Gaiden Mode. You can eventually open up the NG games via the main menu. To do so, complete one full game when Ryu has at least one NG disc in his inventory. The option should appear if you follow those orders. __________________________________________ ++{{@ HOW TO UNLOCK THE ORIGINAL NINJA GAIDENS @}}++ ***IMPORTANT: Each of these unlocks the original Ninja Gaiden games for the NES. However, to play the games, you must visit the Arcade Machine in Han's Bar (in Tarion, Vigoorian Captial). The machine is missing a cartridge. You're rewarded with each of the NG carts to be placed in the machine. You may ALSO play the Ninja Gaiden games via the Main Menu. However, before you can do so, you must complete one full 16-chapter game of Ninja Gaiden, and Ryu must have one NG cartridge in his inventory (for the option to appear in the Main Menu). Note that there are EASY methods of unlocking the Ninja Gaiden games, and I would like to thank rashonmon & drzero7 for coming up with/organizing them. Ninja Gaiden --> Gather a total of 50 Golden Scarabs, and return them to Muramasa. He will hand you a Ninja Gaiden cartridge disk. >> NOTE: You do NOT have to collect all 50 scarabs during all 16 chapters. As a matter of fact, your scarabs are carried over into a next game (of same difficulty). Simply collect 50 in consecutive modes, and Muramasa will give it to you as a reward. Any scarabs you gathered in the previous game will not appear, so you'll have to find the ones you missed. Ninja Gaiden 2 --> After receiving the original Ninja Gaiden disc, go to the Clock Tower Plaza of Tairon City. Get on the ledge above the multicolored door (it's the switch that unlocks the multicolored door). Pull out your bow, aim, and shoot an arrow at the face of the Clock Tower above. A treasure chest will appear on the building opposite of you. Jump down, head up via the doorway at the bottom, and the chest contains a Ninja Gaiden 2 disc. Ninja Gaiden 3 --> Before getting this, you must receive the Ninja Gaiden 2 disc first. Go to the Peristyle Passage, which is in Chapter 10. It's right before the boss fight. Go to one of the broken pillars, and you should be able to find a scarab up above. The Ninja Gaiden 3 disc is located there now. If you're having trouble getting this one, refer to my Chapter 10 walkthrough to receive it. ******************************************************************** * Tip for earning high rankings (credit to GJoker for this) * ******************************************************************** * When you first start off, make two save copies of the current * * level you're on. One save point should be at the beginning of the* * level, the other for during a level. The reason is as follows: * * If you earn a master or head rank at the end of a level, save * * it to the first file. Next, ALL saves after it should be made * * on the second file. In case you mess up, and get a low ranking,* * simply reload the first file (which is already a guaranteed * * master/head ranking on the previous level). That way, you don't* * accidently goof up, and are forced to start an entirely new * * game. Repeat this process for the rest of the game, by * * continually saving over file one after you guarantee a master * * ranking. * ******************************************************************** _________ /Controls/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For these controls, I highly recommend using the normal control pad, and not the joysticks. Left/Right - runs Down - crouches X - attacks A - jumps Up + X - Ninjitsu Attack START - pauses game, confirms selection, skips cutscenes A + Left/Right - wall jumps, keep pressing A in pinned down areas to multiple wall jump ---------------------------------- ============================ - 10) Common Questions - ============================ )) Gameplay (( ---------------------------- > - Team Ninja wanted to created a game that lasted, in my opinion. Think about it. What if Ninja Gaiden turned out to be another "10-hour thriller", or quickie? Would you really call it the greatest game ever? No. It would just be another Beyond Good and Evil look-a-like, or Tenchu-type game. Team Ninja wanted to make a statement where players would thrive on an online community searching for answers. They wanted people to moan and groan to their friends about a certain boss. That way, word would spread, and finally, the next generation would see a challenging game (combined with quality). That's where I come into play, with my FAQ/Walkthrough. > - No. This is coming from a gamer who only owns an X-BOX too. I believe Ninja Gaiden is one of the greatest action games ever, however, I would never buy a system for it alone. I bought an X-BOX because of its overall power and bright future, not just because of one game. Don't expect NG to be the savior of all games (although it certainly brightened my future). You will come back to it, time to time. However, I just felt that it wasn't enough to compell the mediocre gamer. > - Most likely. The strange ending only opens up plenty of possibilities. Whatever happened to Joe Hayabusa, Ryu's father? Could he turn as an evil entity in the sequel? Or perhaps Ayane will have a bigger influence in the next match? Only these can be answered by the future. > - Check out the Enemies section, or the actual walkthrough. Boss strategies can be found in either section. Remember to use ALL surrounding objects to your advantage. If you have a wall, perform wall-based attacks. Try NOT to stand still. The whole idea of a ninja is to be a fast and agile attacker, while not being overly aggressive. Check out specific BOSS/ENEMY FAQs on the internet. Many of those guides are devoted solely for downing bosses. > - Heck no. I'm just an inspired writer. > - Lots of people have trouble deciding what to purchase on their first time through the game. Most are indecisive on whether or not they should upgrade a weapon, or buy five potions for the journey up ahead. Here are a few general rules of thumb: 1) Keep at least 5 Elixirs of Spiritual Life -> You never know when a huge boss battle can arrive, or if you get ambushed by a nasty creature. Happened to me frequently during Chapter 5, and those cursed Black Ninjas. 2) Go for the Armlet of the Sun -> Many people say defense is more important, but I say screw it. I'd rather have my foes on the ground quicker, than giving them time to wield blows at me. Besides, a decent ninja never gets hit. Meaning you shouldn't have to worry about defense. 3) Talisman of Rebirth are worthless to purchase. You can always find one every 2 chapters or so. 4) The Wooden Sword can be one of the greatest investments in the game. Upgrade it to its full potential to receive the second most powerful weapon in the game. 5) Muramasa also sells occasional Technique Scrolls, and better magic. Make sure you don't overlook them, and purchase them ASAP. Make sure you use them though. > - The secret weapon is actually the Windmill Shuriken. Check out the Chapter 4 walkthrough on how/where to find it, or the brief LOCATION description under the weapons section. > - First of all, DO NOT try swimming in the puddle of water below. You cannot get past this area without a gazillion life potions. Instead, make your way back up the tall spiral. Go back to where the Dino boss battle took place, and go in the right metal grate door. Wall jump in the narrow bat shaft to the area above. The next part is very tricky. You'll have to take a leap of faith, and jump across the middle of the hole. Ryu should grab a hold of metal swinging bars along the ceiling (they camoflauge in the background). Swing back across, and then make your way back out the Eons altar hole (by bird jumping). > - You can go back and get any deities you missed during the game. They're always obtainable, just refer to the FAQ walkthrough for specific locations. I recommend using the FIND function (press CTRL + F on your keyboard), then type in the first word of the deity (serpent, devil, etc...). > - My favorite weapon is the Kitetsu. It combines swift, agile attacks, with range, versatility, and unique abilities. The powering-up rumor is just a myth, do NOT believe it. However, the Kitetsu can practically fit any situation - bosses, normal enemies, Fiends, and dismal situations. I love how it can hit multiple enemies, and absorb health. The only drawback is the fact that you need an Armlet of Tranquility to counteract its drawback of life absorb. - The actual best weapon in the game is the True Dragon Sword, hands down. It combines speed, POWERFUL combos, and one of the best Ultimate Techniques into one. Some claim the Dabilahro is more powerful (which it is), but the slow attacks, and lack of a concentrated Ultimate Technique prove to be downfalls. > - Yes, and I'd like to thank Donny Chan (DChan) for transmitting the data, along with CoyDog for getting the actual names. Here ya go: :JAPANESE: :ENGLISH: ========== ========= Ryu Hideyuki Hori Ryu Justin Gross Rachel Michie Tomizawa Rachel Tara Strong Ayane Wakana Yamazaki Ayane Janice Kawayne Murai Banjo Ginga Doku Charles Dennis Gamov Hiseo Egawa Gamov Robin Atkin Downes Doku Koji Totani Murai Neil Ross Muramasa Takeshi Aono Muramasa Michael Bell Kureha Jun Shikano Narrator Richard Doyle Bouncer Yasuhiko Tokuyama Correspondent Takeshi Mori Narrator Osamu Saka )) Rankings (( ---------------------------- > - The order is as follows: + Master Ninja (based more on kills, essence attacks) + Head Ninja (based more on time) + Greater Ninja + Lesser Ninja + Ninja Dog > - For the most part, they're based on your Karma points earned during the level. Although the specific amount is not known, keeping Ninpo magic, clearing the stage under a certain time limit, and performing essence attacks will provide bonuses to your overall score. You also receive karma for killing opponents, performing high-numbered combos, and basically kicking butt. > - Yes, you can earn more karma. There was a rumor going around that earning Master Rank on all levels would yield the NG games, but I've yet to confirm this. So far, you can refer to the EASY methods of earning the Ninja Gaiden games. Earning a higher rank also permits for a higher tournament placement with online play. )) Ninpo (( ---------------------------- > - Personally, I believe it's best to upgrade Inazuma as soon as possible. While it's the last Ninpo you gain in the game, it's also the strongest, can hit multiple targets, and most bosses will always take moderate damage from it. My second choice would be Inferno, because of its extreme damage against certain bosses. Ice Storm is nice, but really not all that effective unless you're looking for added Karma points (due to its repeated attacks). > - First of all, the most crucial mistake players make is NOT using Ninpo. Even when you're facing common enemies, most players go with a conservative approach, and decide not to use it. You can actually have opponents drop red essence, they just have to be a blue essence elidgible person (aka White Ninjas, Vigoorian Captains, etc...). Red essence usually only drops if you have an empty slot in Ninpo. You can also increase the restoring power of red essence (to two orbs) by equipping the Armlet of Fortune. ---------------------------------- ====================================================== - 11) Copyright/Distribution/Reproduction Guidelines - ====================================================== This FAQ/Strategy Guide/Walkthrough is my own published work, and copyrighted by Christopher Zawada. Whatever you do, DO NOT edit this FAQ in any way. DO NOT steal anything from this FAQ. If you want to use some information in your own guide, simply ask me. If you want to place this guide on your website, either link to the GameFAQs game page, or download the file and place it on your own web server. Basically, you can post this on your website as long as its in ORIGINAL form, and not linking directly to GameFAQs. Aside from that, all proper credit is due when necessary. Also, don't even think about selling FAQs. Trying to prosper off of other people's work will get you in big time trouble (coming from an eBay seller myself). Any site out there has permission to host my FAQs (following the above terms), however, these are a list of current sites that host my FAQs officially: - http://www.gamefaqs.com/ - http://www.ign.com/ - http://www.neoseeker.com/ - http://www.cheatcc.com/ - http://www.cheatplanet.com/ ---------------------------------- ============================ - 12) Proper Credit - ============================ I'd like to thank the following people for their help in making this FAQ possible: )) CJayC (( for constantly updating GameFAQs, and dedicating his entire life to it. Takes a lot of effort to keep a site going this long. )) GameFAQ's Codes Contributors (( for providing the unlockables in the game. As a FAQer, I don't quite have the time to play as much as write. Because of your dedication to complete the game, you certainly deserve a lot of respect. )) Tecmo/Team Ninja (( for producing one of the greatest action games I've played to date. Sure, it may have been overhyped, but this is the greatest action game in existence. I enjoyed your approach to actually making the game challenging. )) yehfang (( for telling me that scarabs can only be carried through on the same difficulty. I confirmed this through other messages, and it makes sense considering it would be fairly cheap jumping from difficulty to difficulty with all those rare treasures. )) GJoker (( for correcting my rankings system, and posting a useful method in saving your progress, while not altering your mistakes. Very useful for anyone out there trying to earn the extra games. )) Ben Fellow (( for providing the location of Golden Scarab #1 on Chapter 5. I missed this one on my searches, and knowing the location of every scarab is very important to Ninja Gaiden players out there. )) Chris Hoey (( for providing the location of the Life of the Gods orb under the bridge, in Chapter 2. I've actually received SEVERAL e-mails about this, but you were the first one to point it out. Thanks. )) Tyler Sick (( for providing an alternative way to defeating Murai. Believe it or not, yes, the first boss in the game is still proving to be a troublesome pest for certain players. Hopefully, this strategy will be able to benefit them. Also, thanks for the suggestion on how to "rid" of the 4 Black Ninjas in Chapter 5. )) Seth [tollk2] (( for providing an alternative way to defeating those pesky horsemen. The battle was made so much easier using single shot arrows, rather than Rambo knife slashes. )) ParadigmWarrior (( for providing an Infinite Essence method for Chapter 5. This one is very helpful as it doesn't cost much, and you can refill your energy with the nearby idol. )) Shane (( for providing on the existence and pictures of the Dark Dragon Blade in the secrets section. Most people thought this was an old hag's trick, but as a matter of fact, it's very true. )) Jace (( for providing weapons information, and errors in my weapons section. Nice to see readers are picking up on false information. Also, for submitting additional information on the Dabilahro. )) Phuc Tram (( for stating that the bird in Chapter 2 is actually a falcon, and that Hayabusa is Japanese for "falcon." This provides a grave connection between the hidden, and internal meanings of Ninja Gaiden's plot. Also for posting an alternate strategy for the Level 12 boss. )) rashonmon & drzero7 (( for coming up with, and stating the EASY methods of earning the Ninja Gaiden Classics. This is a huge improvement over players who were attempting to earn the nearly-impossible Master Rankings on every level. )) Valmor Hack (( for telling me about the targets in the Hayabusa Village. This was a helpful tip missed on my part, and should benefit early-on players. )) Anonymous (( for telling me the scarab rewards, along with a few "tips" for future gameplay. )) Cox (( for telling me about a Secret Items type in Chapter 5. Gotta make sure it's perfect. )) Stugi (( for telling me the Chapter 6 Infinite Essence spot. Very useful, and doesn't require that much effort! Also for mentioning that the weapon Ryu is holding on the cover is a Japanese spade (Kunai), not a dagger. )) Russell Doner (( for telling me some useful Ultimate Technique statements, and some excellent information on essence information. This is great for the technical aspects of the FAQ I hardly have the time to look over. )) Avery Williams (( for telling me a VERY useful alternate strategy to defeating the 2 Tanks during Chapter 9. Most people seem to perform all of these whacky moves to avoid the vehicle, when you can simply stand by its side! Very, very helpful for people out there who need to conserve elixirs. )) Johnny Tran (( for telling me a very USEFUL infinite essence point for Chapter 10. The respawning beetles is very tempting as you'll face several enemies, that reward large amounts of essence, and can regenerate by simply leaving one alive. )) Howard Family (( for telling me an easier way of reaching Golden Scarab #2 on Chapter 9. )) Johnass's Scarab Guide (( for the location of one scarab I missed in Chapter 12. Nice to see you created the guide to assist all of those detail- loving gamers out there. )) kyujutsu (( for an easier method of getting past the spikes in the Red Room during Chapter 7. Yes, sometimes the environment can be a bigger aggravation than the actual in-game difficulty. )) FloFlues (( for providing an easier method to defeating the Chapter 6 boss, especially for people out there with a lack of elixirs. )) Travis Greene (( for providing another useful Chapter 10 Infinite Essence point. Useful for those gearheads out there who want to upgrade everything. )) Grimreaper187_666 (( for providing a quicker way of getting past the Vigoorian Radio Tower, rather than having to deal with the pesky guards. )) Phillip Rutherford (( for telling me about the second reward for killing the 60 beetles in Chapter 10. )) Wen (( for telling me about the 60 Red Dragon Fiend challenge in Chapter 12. Very useful as I missed this during my gameplay. )) Codi Kelley (( for telling me an alternate strategy to defeating Alma. Many people are still having trouble, and this is a very safe approach to defeating her. Gives certain gamers other options out there if they need them. )) Samir Kovoor Cherian (( for telling me several tips for the entire Ninja Gaiden game. Some of these tips include easier ways of defeating black ninjas, better ways of ridding past annoying opponents, and improved methods of getting past obtrusive barriers. )) Kevin Beech (( for telling me an easier way of getting past the Chapter 7 Fiend Challenge. Very useful, and less painful as you can simply toss your ranged weapon in a cheapful manner. Hehehe... )) Brian Nissen (( for telling me about the Izuna Drop technique scroll. Although I knew about it beforehand, I never actually experimented with it during my gameplay, and his information was helpful in filling out the profile for it. )) Dougg09 (( for providing a VERY useful way of keeping the bridge stable during Chapter 7. This way, players can go back, re-equip, then go fight Alma like a fart in the wind. )) AJC (( for providing an alternate boss strategy to defeating Dynamo. Some people have had trouble with defeating his powerful attacks, and your process completely eliminates that. )) Tenjinmon NINJA (( for providing the right way of earning some unlockables, and that the Plasma Saber MK2 is not unlockable, but rather a natural upgrade during the game. )) Matt Qualls (( for providing the Thousand Lives of the Gods for Chapter 8. I never thought of venturing all the way back to the Holy Grail room to combat these souls of the dead. Very useful. )) DJ (( for providing an effective method of destroying the Tentacle boss you'll face throughout the game. Useful early on. )) Donald Grames (( for mentioning that the Vigoorian Flails are obtained in a chest, rather than a ninja's body (as I suggested). )) Prodigy (( for telling me about the Jewel of the Demon Seal in Chapter 11, and the safe before you fight Doku. I actually missed this during gameplay, and it's helpful for those that want to max out their Ninpo collection. )) Joshua Carvalho (( for telling me about a missing Life of the Gods on Chapter 12, along with an easier way of getting past the 60 Fiend Challenge. )) Leopold Dirk (( for providing an alternate method of defeating Black Ninjas, as it's very fullproof, and hardly has any flaws. )) Joey Haas (( for providing the correction on the Chapter 9 treasure chest near the radar tower. )) Robert Lemoince (( for providing another Chapter 10 essence point that's very useful. )) Robert Benguian (( for providing a very humorous "crap" correction in the walkthrough. What was I thinking!? )) Jonathan Myers (( for providing the location of a Life of the Gods for Chapter 10, right before the Underground Sanctuary. )) Kyuta Syuko (( for providing a Chapter 13 Infinite Essence point. Gotta love those dang beetles. Also for an alternate boss strategy against the Underworld Fiend, and for a nice little tip against Evil Murai. )) RnTmErr (( for providing a chest behind the elevator during Chapter 2. Must be a perfect guide! )) Nick Elliott (( for correcting an earlier mistake in the walkthrough of Chapter 1. )) Anders Karlsson (( for providing an alternate strategy to defeating Doku, during Chapter 11. Very useful. )) David Clamage (( for providing a correction to the Technique Scrolls section. Late hours produce sloppy results. )) coffinj (( for providing a much easier method of dealing with the Fire Worm's Halo attack. Never knew this, and it makes the battle easier than the electric worms. )) sonic hedgehog (( for providing a very detailed approach to defeating the 2 electric worms on Chapter 10. )) Ben Crouch (( for providing a a very easy way of reaching Golden Scarab #2 during Chapter 9. )) Donny Chan & CoyDog (( for providing, and coming up with the voice actors list respectively. This can be helpful to any gamers out there who are looking for a list, but don't have the time to beat the game all over again. )) Chan (( for clarifying the location of Scarab #3 during Chapter III. It really wasn't up to quality material in my book. )) Thomas Skovgaard (( for clarifying how to get the control room key card. It could be confusing to the way it was worded previously. "Some people make sacrifices to make other people happy." - Chris Zawada "Freeeeeeddooommmmmmmmm!" - William Wallace (Braveheart) Extra special thanks to Revolution reader Chris Zawada!
Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam — with companions by his side — sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies, obstacles and a haunting question: should we have connected?
