Hello, everyone! My name is Daniel Victor and I decided to make a
quick FAQ for one of the games I’ve played the most on my
childhood, even though I didn’t know what I was doing. As this
game is a Japanese exclusive, this will be a simple FAQ to
inform about the basics. I must say English is not my first
language, so in case of any grammar mistakes or confusing
sentences, please send me a message.
Controls
X – Jump
Square – Attack
Circle – Crouch
Triangle – Item
D-pad – Move/Defend
L1 – Overview
R1 – Crouch
L2 – toggle item to left
R2 – toggle item to right
Defending is possible by holding the Down button. You won’t see a
defensive stance until you’re hit. Not all attacks are blockable:
projectiles and fire attacks cannot be blocked.
You can also press the D-pad twice quickly for a double step in
that specific direction. The D-pad also works for different
attacks, however, be careful when using these unusual attack
strings: pressing Left+Square doesn’t make an attack that will
actually hit on your left side as you would expect. Pratice before
risking using moves you are not used.
If you press Circle next to walls, you can hide. Press L1 to
use the overview and check the surroundings, even when the
character itself can’t see directly. Crouching also allows for
an upward hit with the sword, though it is slow.
Pressing Square while close to a distracted enemy will one-shot
it with a stealth kill. This is the main part of the game, so
practice it. Even boss can be killed like this. As long as the
enemy is not seeing you, you can kill them.
The Overview allows you to check other angles and see even farther
than normal. Pretty useful to spot holes, edges and enemy movement
from afar.
Detecting enemies
The colored circle on main screen during the game means the
proximity of enemies.
Empty: no enemies nearby. Move freely as you want.
Green: enemy nearby. It won’t warn if it’s more than one or if
it’s an innocent.
Yellow: the enemy is seeing you, and probably is walking into
your direction.
Blue: you made a noise, either by fighting or jumping on the
water, and a nearby enemy heard it.
Red: there is an enemy in an aggressive stance running towards
you. It doesn’t mean it can actually get to you and hit you, as
it may be on a part of the screen that is either too far or in
a different elevation.
Bonus Times/Penalties
Whenever you engage into a battle, your time will be affected, either
positively or negatively. All times are in seconds:
-15 for a stealth kill
-5 for a normal kill
+5 for being seeing
+30 for killing an innocent
The penalty for being seeing can be applied multiple times to the same
enemy in case they lose sight of you.
In each stage you have a specific time to beat, in case you
want to be awarded with a shuriken marker.
Items
There are only three items in the game, unlike the newer
versions:
Caltrops: use it and the character will place them behind you.
You WILL hurt yourself if you step on it, be careful. You may
try to use them to avoid being chased, but it’s risky. They can
stop an enemy attack if the enemy steps on them during the
animation, interrupting it.
Shuriken: causes 20 damage. The throw is not a straight line.
Use it with caution, as you only have five. You can pick them
up only if you missed and it still reachable.
Grapple-and-hook: the item you’ll use basically in every stage.
Make sure you’re actually facing the correct directions or else
you won’t make it. Be aware when using next to pits, take your
time aiming! And an important note: the grappling can’t be used as
you’re falling, so pay an extra attention to pits and holes. Once you
fall, it’s game over.
While the grapple-and-hook has infinite uses, the others are finite.
They are replenished after clearing finishing a stage, but during the
stage you won’t be able to find more of them.
Characters
Rikimaru and Ayame are the two ninjas you can control, one at a
time. They are basically the same, with the same controls.
Rikimaru hits harder with few hits, while Ayame hits lighter
with more hits. Other than that, they are the same.
Pick Ayame if you want a slight faster movement; pick Rikimaru if you
think you’re going to do more fights than stealth kills.
Enemies
While every enemy is basically the same, I think it’s important to
list who they are:
Swordsman: the most common enemy you’ll see. They take a while between
attacks, don’t be afraid to attack them.
Spearman: they have longer range and can hit you before you’re able to
hit them. Mind your distance.
Bowman: they shoot arrows, which cannot be blocked. On the bright
said, they also can’t block your attacks.
Gunman: similar to bowman, but takes longer to attack and takes much
more damage (20 points) for each bullet that hits you. They always
announce before shooting, so you have like a full second between
announcing and the firing to decide to either avoid the bullet or go
for the kill.
Zombie: this is a weird enemy who spits fire. He has a
pale white skin; he is extremely thin and wears a red thong. He
walks with a limp and can’t block your attacks, just like you
can’t block his flamethrower. Make sure to attack him quickly
as soon as you see him to avoid the huge fire damage.
Animals: some stages have wolves and bears. They are hard to spot from
a distance. Better avoid them as some moves are unblockable.
Innocents: people who won’t hurt you in any way, but who still creates
you trouble. DO NOT kill them if you’re concerned about the time. They
can make noise to alert others. Usually there are only two types of
innocents: a young woman wearing blue robes and a hunchback middle-age
man. You’ll know when you spot them.
There are a few variations, like a swordsman using a falchion in
Arabian stages, or ninjas, but it doesn’t make much difference.
All enemies have a scripted movement path. Sometimes they don’t move,
but still rotates. Take your time to analyze the best time to stealth
kill them, as all of them, including bosses, can be stealth killed.
Stage Select
In this screen you can choose what stage you want to play. The
first 20 stages are already unlocked, while the other 10 have
to be unlocked one at a time, following the order.
More importantly on the stage select screen, each stage has a
colored symbol on its description with its objective:
Red: kill every enemy on the stage, except for the innocents.
Blue: find a man with a message. As soon as you get close to
him the stage will finish, even if you were in the middle of a
fight.
Green: find a blooming flower.
Purple: defeat the boss.
Pink: protect the Princess Kiku while she walks to a checkpoint. If
she dies, you lose. There is friendly-fire for all of your moves.
As most stages are actually reused scenarios, I’ll categorize
them in 8 different types:
Castle: wooden walls and Japanese decoration. They all have
holes.
City: a common city with buildings where you can climb. Usually
has water and bridges.
Snow: village with stone walls, usually surrounded by water.
Field: grass field with rivers and bridges.
Mine: sand and many walls blocking your vision, mining carts in
random places.
Future: metal walls and a green liquid instead of water (no,
it’s not acid, you won’t take damage).
Arabian: black coal on the ground, red walls. Note the Arabian
music theme and the costumes the enemies use.
Mountain: open field with sand on the ground and animals lurking
around.
The stages are the following (reading from right to left, like
the Japanese language):
First screen:
8 4
10 7 6 3 2 1
9 5
Second screen:
17 12
20 18 16 15 14 11
19 13
Now for a quick playthrough on the stages (times are listed as
minutes:seconds, and sometimes I abbreviate directions, as in NE for
north-east):
Stage 1 (Red)
Type: Castle
Time: 1:30
Notes: the first stage is one the easiest. Make sure to
practice stealth and fighting. Other than the two guys on the
same room in the end, there is nothing worth mentioning. There
is a “hidden” hole by the middle of the stage that is not easy
too see unless you’re right on the edge for it, use L1 when
you’re descending the “stairs”.
Stage 2 (Blue)
Type: Snow
Notes: cross the river and walk towards the NW direction. You
won’t need to kill more than two enemies; it will be really
quick. The guy you need to find is next to a elevated outpost.
Stage 3 (Red)
Type: City
Notes: if an enemy fall into the water, they die; but you
won’t, so use that as your advantage.
Stage 4 (Pink)
Type: Field
Notes: be patient, eventually the princess will reach her
destination.
Stage 5 (Purple)
Type: Castle
Notes: there are traps on this stage, marked with black color
on the ground. Don’t step on them. The boss is in a room
surrounded by walls with white “doors”, you have to use the
grapple.
Stage 6 (Green)
Type: Mine
Notes: go to the left, kill the enemy, and then go to the NE
direction. It should not take more than a minute. You’ll see
the flower in an elevated part reachable only with the grapple
to your right side.
Stage 7 (Blue)
Type: Future
Notes: the name future comes from this stage, as it’s set on
2030. Weird looking enemies here, but nothing new gameplay
wise.
Stage 8 (Red)
Type: City
Notes: there is an innocent peasant near the beginning. Be
careful to not be seen by him.
Stage 9 (Purple)
Type: City
Notes: the boss is a samurai in a tight corner, situated after
the river. Follow the north direction and you’ll get there in
no time. Remember to surprise him and avoid the fight.
Stage 10 (Purple)
Type: Future
Notes: now this is a real future. The enemies here have guns.
The boss is a huge man with a hook on his hand, in a small room with
some stuff in the middle. There is only one entrance and he’ll
be looking in your direction; however, it’s still possible to
ambush him.
Stage 11 (Green)
Type: Arabian
Notes: The flower is on an isolated part after a branch in a falling
platform bifurcation. Be aware of the zombies.
Stage 12 (Red)
Type: Arabian
Notes: similar to the previous stage, but you need to kill
every enemy instead of finding the flower.
Stage 13 (Purple)
Type: Castle
Notes: Take the main path until the end, go to the right.
Follow the path, climb the “stairs” and keep going. You’ll see
an enemy in the way, kill him. Follow the one-way path until
you find a room with an enemy, kill him. You’ll be right next
to the end of the stage, again with a boss in a closed room.
Stage 14 (Blue)
Type: Snow
Notes: take the NE direction, you won’t need to face more than
three enemies. It’s similar to Stage 2 in every way.
Stage 15 (Red)
Type: Castle
Notes: nothing worth mentioning. Just do what you’ve been doing
and kill all enemies.
Stage 16 (Red)
Type: Castle
Notes: similar to stage 15, this one has blue doors.
Stage 17 (Blue)
Type: Mountain
Notes: the “tribal” enemies are hard to see if you’re not
paying attention or looking through the trees. Same for wolves.
You can ambush the animals, including the bear.
Stage 18 (Purple)
Type: Castle
Notes: follow the north direction to the weaponry room, then go
to the NE. The boss will be in a room with an innocent woman.
Ambush him before being seen by either of them.
Stage 19 (Pink)
Type: Mountain
Notes: again, be patient and do your best to protect the Princess
Kiku.
Stage 20 (Blue)
Type: Mountain
Notes: make sure to not fall when moving or attacking.
Stage 21 (Purple)
Type: Field
Notes: the boss can be ambushed, but you’ll have to take your
time and avoid fighting with the final bowman. If seen, block
his attacks and don’t release the block button until you’ve
successfully blocked multiple hits, since his movements are
deceiving and still hit you even when the animation ends.
Menu / Options
(coming soon)
Tips
An offensive strategy is to attack using only the first hit, instead
of the full string of moves. It might feel safer to do like that so
you don’t move as much. Simply press Square, and only press it again
when you’re sure it’s not going to connect into a combo. Keep
advancing and attacking before the opponent has time to react.
If possible, try to push enemies into pits, water and holes. Any enemy
will die if they fall. Some can even fall by themselves. However, some
can hold on the edges and get back where you were. Wait for their HP
to fall to zero before continuing.
Closing comments
Thanks everyone for reading, and please send me messages with
any suggestions on how to improve! I can try to record a quick
video showing something if needed, just ask. Hope it helps
anyone who decides to play this game literally decades after
being released. Contact can be made by messaging here or at
danielvmedeiros [at] [g] mail [dot] com.
