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Kenseiden for Sega Master System FAQ
By Brian Cole
[email protected]
http://www.briansemu.com
Version 1.0
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Updates
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None Yet
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Contributors
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Brian Cole - Most of this FAQ
Sega - A lot of the info is from the manual
Unknown - The action replay codes, and some of the hints
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Intro
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From the back of the box:
Kenseiden
It was a land of peace and plenty...until the evil Warlocks returned in a storm
of ruin and destruction! Now, they have struck the final blow by stealing your
heritage...the Sword of the Dragon King and the Five Secret Scrolls.
You are Hayato. The blood of the Dragon King runs in your veins. Armed only
with
a samurai sword, you must travel through the sixteen provinces of ancient
Japan,
battling the warlocks and their monstrous armies in nightmare caves and
castles!
If you defeat the Warlocks, you will learn the sword magic of the Scrolls
and...
maybe...regain the Sword of the Dragon King.
Fail, and your country is doomed to a thousand centuries of terror! It is a
battle
only you can win!
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Basics
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Much of this info is from the manual:
The object of Kenseiden is to defeat the five evil warlocks to gain the five
secret
scrolls and recover the Sword of the Dragon King from the Warlocks in castle
Edo.
Kenseiden has 16 rounds, each named after the Japanese province in which it
takes
place. Most rounds can be cleared by finding the exit and making it through
alive.
But when you encounter a warlock, it will always be a battle to the death! You
will
not be able to advance to the next round until you defeat the warlock.
Each time you defeat a warlock you gain a scroll and will learn a new method of
attack with you katana (samurai sword).
---Number of lives---
You begin Kenseiden with three lives. You lose a life when you strength meter
reaches
zero or when you fall from a roof or bridge.
You gain a life each time your score reaches a multiple of 20,000 points. You
can also gain extra lives by finding a wooden doll. You can have a maximum of
nine
lives at one time. After that, you receive 5,000 bonus points for every
multiple of
20,000 points you get.
---Taking Control---
-The directional button will move Hayato
-Button one is to attack with the sword
-Button two is to jump
-Press up to enter doors and go up steps.
-Press down to go down stairs and move into the defense position.
You begin the game knowing three methods of attack; the horizontal slash when
standing, the low cut when squatting and the defense position made by squatting
and holding button 1.
Each time you defeat a warlock you will learn a new method of attack from the
secret scrolls. There are five in all:
1. High Jump (Taka Tobi)
This will give you the ability to jump higher. Push and hold up, and
jump.
2. Crushing Head Attack (Kara Take Wari)
This will give you the power to attack from overhead. It increases the
power
and area of your attack. This is an effective move to get enemies who attack
from
above. Press and hold up, and attack.
3. Splitting the Helmet (Kabuto Wari)
Increases your power by one level. This technique lets you cut downward
with your sword while jumping. Press and hold up, and press both buttons.
4. Cutting the Air (Shinku Kiri)
This technique gives you the ability to attack both front and rear,
increasing your area of attack. Squat, and press the attack button.
5. Wild Wheel Sword (Ran Sha To)
With this technique you can move left or right while cutting with the
sword
in a windmill of razor sharp steel. Press the direction pad in one of the
upper
diagonal positions.
---Training Rounds---
There are several training rounds in the course of the game. You enter the
training
round by going up the stairs. In the training rounds an elder teacher will
order
Hayato to study combat by dodging arrows and spears. If you succeed, your life
meter will increase or you will earn an Omamori, the talisman of protection
that
reduces the amount of damage an enemy does to you. Fail and your life meter
will
decrease by a small fraction. You can skip the training rounds by moving to
the
right and not going up the stairs.
---Special Items---
Several items can be found throughout the levels, or by defeating a warlock:
1. Gourd of life (Hyotan)
Appears when you defeat some enemies. It will partially restore your
strength meter. It is in some hidden locations (see below).
2. Sword (Katana)
Strengthens your attack power. It can be found in different rounds.
3. Medicine Case (Inro)
Obtaining this item will replenish your Strength meter when it reaches
zero. Although you can only carry one at a time, you can take it
from round to round until it is needed.
4. Talisman of Protection (Omamori)
This increases your defense power. It is won in the training rounds.
There are red and blue Omamori. The blue is the most powerful.
However, your defense will be strongest if you obtain both.
5. Wooden Doll (Kokeshi)
Finding this item will give you an additional life.
6. Secret Scrolls (Hidensho)
There are five scrolls. Each contains a secret method of sword fighting
(see above). When you obtain scrolls by defeating certain warlocks,
you will learn the techniques written on the scrolls.
7. Diary (Nikki)
Finding this item will allow you to continue the game once. If the game
ends and you have the diary, you will see the CONTINUE screen. Use the
Directional button and choose Continue, or Stop. The game will continue
from the last point that Hayato fell.
---MAP---
After each round, you will see a map screen of old Japan. Each area of the map
is a round of the game. The Black Magic Castle is in round 16, Edo.
After you clear Hizen, Round 2, you may select different rounds. The round you
should enter next will be flashing. To select a different round, press button
1
until the desired Japanese character is flashing. Then press button 2.
While it is possible to skip past rounds, and get to the castle without
defeating
many of the warlocks, I do not recommend it. You gain different attacks and
items that make the final boss much easier if you defeat every level in order.
For some reason, the people who translated the game to english decided to leave
the names on the map in Japanese. Here is the translation from the manual:
Level Name
----- ---------------
1. Higo
2. Chikuzen
3. Nagato
4. Iyo
5. Tos
6. Isumo
7. Settsu
8. Yamato
9. Kaga
10. Iga
11. Owari
12. Echyu
13. Suruga
14. Echigo
15. Mito
16. Edo
---Enemies---
There are many mythical beasts and demons in Kenseiden. Many of them are
pretty
odd looking, and most are easy to defeat. Here is a list of creatures and
their
point values.
Urchin 100
Skeleton 200
Squat Bug 100
Spider 100
Crow 100
Fire Demon 100
Puppet Master 200
Puppet 100
Bat 100
Fox Fire 100
Zako Fish 100
Harlot Lizard 100
Child Scarer 100
Boar Lizard 100
Poison Moth 100
Skull Fire 100
Spike Pole Crusher 200
Stretch Worm 100
Grasshopper 100
Faceless Demon 200
Sickle & Chain Bandit 200
Hideous Faced Snake 100
One-Eyed Blinder 100
Jackal Lizard 100
---Bosses---
1. Fire Wheel Warlock 1,000 points
This is the guy that looks like a skull in the center of a wheel. He is
simple to
beat. Just avoid his falling fire balls, and strike him in the head.
2. Benkei Warlock 1,000 points
This is the big guy with a club. Aim for his knee, and run away before
he can pound you.
3. Two-headed Warlock 1,500 points
Snake with two heads. Use the Kara Take Wari and Kabuto Wari attack.
4. Putrid Eye Warlock 1,500 points
The big ugly eye. Simply use any attack to defeat him. Weak spot is
the center of the eye.
5. Death's Head Warlock 1,500 points
This giant skull can be tough at times. When he splits into the many
smaller heads, try to be near the side of the screen, and use the Kara
Take Wari attack (Push up and attack button) to keep the heads away.
Then attack when it forms into the giant head again.
6. Larva Fly Warlock 1,500 points
This is the odd fly/wasp with a dragon looking head. Just attack the
abdomen that sticks down with any move you can. Easy to defeat.
7. Yonensai: The Master Warlock
This is the big robed guy on fire. Use the Kara Take Wari attack
(see above) to kill the balls he rolls out at you. Once you kill all
the balls, he will be dead. Easy to defeat.
8. Final Boss (Name?)
After you defeat Yonensai, you have to fight the final boss. He is a
tall, skinny red guy with a golden mask. He is tough to defeat, so
hopefully you beat all of the practice levels for extra energy, and got
the power up on level 3. Because you will need it. The hard thing about
this boss are the giant boulders that are constantly falling from above.
This guy also has a shield that shoots blue flames. The most important
part is being patient, and trying to ignore or avoid the rocks that are
falling. Use your High Jump (Press and hold up button before jumping),
and attack his mask. Just stand right in front of him the entire time.
Eventually, his gold mask will fall off and turn into an ugly blue one.
Then the blue one will fall off and reveal his skull. Once you start
bashing away at his skull, he will start to die.
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Hints
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-The enemy creatures and warlocks attack in patterns. Learn these patterns
and use them to your advantage
-Each warlock has a weak spot.
-The defense position can be very effective against many enemies.
-Continue Mode: When the game over screen appears, press the directional
button
UP, UP DOWN, DOWN and press button 2. The game will begin on the last round
you
played.
-Round Select: Before turning on the system, press and hold BUTTONS ONE and
TWO. Turn on the system, and continue to hold them down until the Title Screen
with the figure appears. Release BUTTONS ONE and TWO, and hold the UPPER LEFT
corner and BUTTON ONE. A round select screen will follow.
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Hidden Items
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To enter the secret room in the round 2, make your way to the room with the
Buddha. Jump up to his head, and press up and then jump. In this room, you will
find a Gourd of Life. Once received, exit the room, and proceed left.
When on the Balcony, use the red steps towards the left. Keep moving left to
another balcony, enter the door here, and proceed as before to the Buddha's
room. Here too, there is a secret room containing a Gourd of Life.
On level 4, at the end of a room you will see two doors, one above the other.
Go through the lower one first (You will see an alex kidd head in the wall).
There is an item at the end of this room that you use that will replenish your
entire life meter when it reaches the bottom. This is very useful for
defeating the last boss.
In round four, go up four levels, and in the upper-right hand corner platform,
and you will find Kokeshi (a Wooden Doll) on the platform. It will give you one
additional life.
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Action Replay Codes
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00c09002 Infinite lives
00c11114 Infinite energy
