NightShade [Kunoichi] Walkthrough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guide written by Seiryu GameFAQs contributor alias - Kyoji NeoSeeker contributor alias - neo_seiryu contact: seiryu3k@cs.com website: kouryu.cjb.net copyright 2004 Seiryu (Darin Takita) ______________________________________________________________ version 1.0 [Mar. 2, 2004] read version history for more info ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents ~~~~~~~~ 1) Version History 2) Spacing 3) Disclaimer 4) Notes 5) Basic Gameplay 6) Walkthrough a) Stage 01 b) Stage 02 c) Stage 03 d) Stage 04 e) Stage 05 f) Stage 06 g) Stage 07 h) Stage 08 i) Stage 09 j) Stage 10 h) Stage 11 i) Stage 12 j) Stage 13 7) Secrets 8) FAQs 9) Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Version History ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - version 1.0 [Mar. 2, 2004] >> first complete version! finished stage 13 - version 0.9 [Feb. 29, 2004] >> added stage 11, 12, and 13, as well as some coin locations. the new character Hisui kicks so much butt! - version 0.8 [Feb. 26, 2004] >> added stage 09 and 10 as well as the coins for both, and added IGN and Neoseeker to the permission list - version 0.7 [Feb. 20, 2004] >> added the stealth attack section as well as stage 07 and 08, added info on the extra modes, secret coin locations listed (only some of them) - version 0.6 [Feb. 19, 2004] >> updated the sections, filled in the Stage 03 and 04 walkthroughs, added GameFAQs (upon acceptance), CheatCodeCentral, and CheatPlanet to the list of sites with permission, as well as the next several stages - version 0.5 [Feb. 16, 2004] >> initial release ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Spacing ~~~~~~~~~~ for spacing purposes each line must be a total of 79 characters long: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890ABCDEFG which is equivalent to the length of the above character string ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Disclaimer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This guide is copyrighted by me, and cannot be altered or edited in any way. In addition, selling this guide is prohibited by law and violators can and will be prosecuted. If you see anyone committing these infractions let me know and I will take action right away. Also, if you want to use a part of my guide send me an email and I will give you permission to do so, on the conditions stated above. Sites/persons with permission will be listed right below when there are requests. CheatCodeCentral - http://www.cheatcc.com/ GameFAQs - http://www.gamefaqs.com/ CheatPlanet - http://www.cheatplanet.com/ IGN - http://www.ign.com/ Neoseeker - http://www.neoseeker.com/ UPDATE NOTE: My current email address is not HTML-friendly, so if you could, it would be nice if you could send me text-only messages. Thanks for your cooperation ^^. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) Notes ~~~~~~~~ Slowly but surely I am progressing through the game. Since I don't really play it everyday and when I do, it's only for an hour or so, I update the guide quite slowly. I apologize to anyone who is stuck and can't get help from my guide. I will get around to finishing it soon. UPDATE: If anyone is willing to inform me of the locations of the secret coins that I missed in the stages I have recorded here, or any alternate strategies that can help people, that would be very helpful. I will give you credit for your submission (whether you want it or not, because it wouldn't be right to put something under my name when I didn't do it). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) Basic Gameplay ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Control setup: in-game controls L1: shuriken/kunai circle+circle+L1: special shuriken attack (requires at least 8 shuriken) L2: use ninjutsu R1: lock on (hold, locks on to nearest enemy) R2: switch targets D-pad: change ninjutsu Left stick: move Hibana L3: nothing (i think) Right stick: move camera R3: reset camera select: nothing start: pause game x: stealth dash square: slash (long sword) down+square: slash (short swords) (when locked on) hold square: stealth attack (when locked on, requires at least one bar of chakra) triangle: kick down+triangle: upwards kick (when locked on) trianlge: deflect missiles (when missles are close to you) circle: jump circle+circle: double jump menu controls: D-pad or left stick: move cursor/menu item x or circle: select square or triangle: cancel - If you attack an enemy in the air, you have one additional jump and one additional stealth dash. - attacks preceded by a stealth dash towards an enemy deals more damage than a normal attack - kicks deal no damage but breaks an enemy's guard or armor so your blade can kill it - when trying to get a 'tate', make use of the air stealth dash and the aerial kick to cover a lot of ground fast Ninjutsu fire [kaen] - Hibana summons a burst of fire that erupts around her. useful to get rid of enemies surrounding you. lightining [raiken] - Hibana is granted invunerability for a short period of time, stealth dash is faster wind [fuuga] - Hibana can shoot wind projectiles from far away by pressing L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) Walkthrough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ format: the walkthrough will be straightforward, describing the environment when playing normal difficulty. changes in hard mode will be added in later, indicated by brackets or arrows. a) Stage 01 ----------- Tokyo District 23 You fight on a stealth jet. If you fall off, it will be game over. Be careful not to venture too close to the edge or else you could be knocked off. The first wave of enemies are easy. After the regular ninjas, the shield ninjas appear. Destroy the things sticking up from the jet to get items. The red jet will fall back and shoot you with missiles. You must deflect them back or else you will face lots of damage. After three missiles it will fly ahead again. Mechanical guns will appear from the jet, along with the ninjas. you can get some tate kills here. After a couple rounds with the ninjas and the jet, the boss appears. Boss: Kuro-hagane ** Normal Method ** This boss doesn't do anything if you are keep your distance. Shuriken are ineffective against him, and from here on, bosses have a shuriken auto-block barrier. run up to the boss and lock-on. use the stealth dash to get behind him and use a three-hit combo with the long sword, then dash away or behind him again. If he charges purple energy in his fists and bends over, move away from him and from the center of the jet. He will land on the jet and send a shockwave which can take a good chunk of your life. A simple boss fight, really. If you really need to, use the Lightning ninjutsu to avoid the hassle of dodging attacks, but it's recommended you don't use any ninjutsu so you can use it in the following stages. When Kuro-hagane is almost dead, kill off the ninjas and then finish him to get a tate kill. ** Easy Method ** Use the Stealth Attack by holding onto square while locked on, then releasing it once the Hibana shadow replications are fully formed. It will kill him instantly. Note that you do not get the full points for this kill. You cannot get a tate kill either because it takes too long to charge. Just kill the ninjas before taking him out. b) Stage 02 ----------- Marunouchi The sides have no barriers, and if you fall off, you will die. Avoid jumping over the edges of the buildings unless you know for certain there is a ledge to land on. use the right stick to look below the buildings. This is the first stage where you will find hellspawn. The stealth dash is useful against the ground hellspawn, and for the flying ones, just jump to them, aerial stealth dash and slash (square). it should take only one hit to kill them. Destroy anything you can -- the cones, boxes, cylindrical tanks -- it will add to your score at the end of the stage. In the second large building of the second area, there is a yellow box on the other side. To reach it, run from the red container and jump right before the edge. Jump again at the peak of your first jump, then stealth dash at the peak of the second jump. You should make it across with no problem. Of course, getting to the ledge causes two sets of enemies to appear. Eliminate the first set to make the second come out of hiding. The rest of the stage is not much diffrent from the previous buildings. Boss: Hellspawn Lord #1 ** Normal Method ** Health Capsules are found by destroying the cones scattered around the building so pick them up when you need them. Use the Lightning jutsu as a last resort if you don't have much life. When the boss's claws glow yellow and it sticks them in the ground, you can see them ripping through the ground as they approach you. Wait at a distance for them to come to you, then run sideways towards the boss. You will hear a grunt from the boss when he's about to withdraw his claws. Use this chance to stealth dash up to him and slash him. He will raise his claws and arch back, slamming his claws into the ground. If you're still there, you will take a lot of damage. When this happens, stealth dash backwards and hit the purple glowing core two to three times. He will then emit a yellow energy and pulls his two 'legs' together, curling up into a saw-like disk and roll towards you. Turn around to face him, and wait until the last moment to dodge. Repeat until he is almost dead, kill the other little hellspawn, then finish him for the final tate kill of the stage. ** Easy Method ** Using the same strategies as before, dodge his ground attack. Then, approach him and use the Stealth Attack. He will not die instantly, but it will do a great deal of damage. It is especially useful in harder difficulties because the bosses have a much higher resistance. c) Stage 03 ----------- Tokyo underground sewers Watch out for the green toxic sludge on the ground. If you wade in it too long, you will take severe damage. If by chance you do fall in, press the x button to stealth dash towards a platform. Destroy any doors and claim your deserved tate kills. Also on a side note, the large hellspawn that you encounter are tough. Stealth dash before you attack it to deal more damage. To make it easier to get tate kills, stay in the air as much as you can. The pillars near the end of the poison tunnels can be destroyed. Boss: Hellspawn Lord #2 ** Normal Method ** When the fight starts, run up to it, making sure to avoid the green poison one end shoots out, and the white things the scales launch. Attack all three sets of scales, then go for either head. Make sure that when attacking the main head avoid its thrashing. Attack its purple core when you get the chance. ** Easy Method ** Like the previous fight, the Stealth Attack will not kill it instantly, but it will deal critical damage. Use it to your advantage. Destroy the scales first to avoid having them shooting at you, then use the Stealth Attack against one of the heads. d) Stage 04 ----------- ?? The buildings are tall, and there are a number of ledges high up. In addition, you must destroy all of the floating mirrors in order to proceed to the next part of the area. Make use of the aerial stealth dash and double jump to reach the robots flying high above. The yellow floating things have a guard and you need to kick first before slashing and killing it. Soon into the stage you will encounter a purple substance in a pit. Avoid falling into it at all costs! If you do, it's game over. In the last area before the boss fight, use the aerial stealth dash and aerial kick to cover a lot of ground. You do not want to fall in one of those pits. Boss Fight: Kazaguruma ** Normal Method ** Avoid his weapons when he throws them. Run up to him and lock on. Stealth dash behind him and attack him with a combo. Keep moving, repeatedly trying to attack him. When he jumps up and does air slash, move away, going to the corners to get heatlh capsules if needed. The unobvious ones are destroying all three green sign-things and destroying the vending machine. Continue to attack him, sparingly using the fire ninjutsu to deal a lot of damage, until victory is yours. ** Easy Method ** Well, it's not exactly easy, but you can use the Stealth Attack. When he is on the ground and throws his blades, lock on and stealth dash behind him. Start charging it up and release the square button as soon as it's done. It will inflict more damage than your regular attacks. Just make sure to build up your chakra gauge to max while fighting your way to the boss. e) Stage 05 ----------- Tokyo Container yard The container yard is actually not that big. It's straighforward, so kill off all of the hellspawn and destroy all the crates, cones, etc. Be warned: this stage is timed. After a certain amount of time, there will be a cutscene and you will fight the boss. Pick up the pace and eliminate all enemies quickly so you can pick up everything you need to and destroy the breakable objects. Boss: Hellspawn Lord #3 ** Normal Method ** The important thing to remember is that this boss is armored. So to begin, run up to him, dodging his disk projectiles that he throws. Jump and kick him so his armor breaks off. He will become red, and have a purple glowing core. Slash at the core with a three hit combo, then release the R1 button to turn off the lock-on function. Stealth dash away from him, preferrably onto a container. He will dash towards you and that electric energy around him will paralyze you temporarily. If he does get you in that, stealth dash away to shake out of it. Avoid setting foot on the ground except to grab the many health capsules around the container yard. If you're on the ground far away from him, he creates a pillar of energy which homes onto you. It can paralyze you just like his other electricity attack. On the other hand, if you're on the ground in the open while he's in his red, armorless form, he will jump on you and emit that paralyzing energy. You can't avoid it at all. So it's best to use the above strategy. Keep doing it until he's almost dead, then get the tate kill. ** Easy Method ** In his red state, he moves a lot. follow the above pattern until you have an open shot. Then quickly charge the Stealth Attack and let it rip. Repeat until he is dead. f) Stage 06 ----------- Central Tokyo Highway This stage is the hardest one yet. Not only getting TO the boss, but the fight itself can drive you insane. You are on a truck thing with a flat top. After killing the two ninjas, the truck is hit with missles. All of the trucks will be hit with missles when you take care of all the enemies on it, so you can't stay on one of them for very long. You will see a thin truck, with a box on the side, appear soon into the stage. Make sure you land on the side. When that truck is hit by missles and you have to get off, do not, I repeat, DO NOT run towards the front or back. If you do, you will fall off the side just like you would on a wall and you will not be able to recover. Stop at the edge, and then double jump, using a stealth dash if necessary. Unless you've already mastered the controls and can leap from one truck to the next, avoid going for a tate kill in the later section because the floating robots tend to stay on the outsides of the truck and if you mess up you will fall to the road and it will be game over. If you do die, don't retry. Select restart because there are only two parts to this stage: the one in the highway, and the boss fight. Choosing retry will only put you at the beginning anyways. Boss: Onibi ** Normal Method ** Onibi is one of those bosses that just piss you off. In my first run through normal, it took me 15 retries to kill him. But once you get his attack pattern down, it's not that hard, just long. There are only two health capsules in this arena, so use them wisely. They are located on both sides of the highway tunnel. When the battle first starts, chase after him and hit him once. Pause for a split second, then slash him again. Stealth dash away immediately after you hit him the second time, because he will create an aura of fire which deals a lot of damage. Onibi uses a kind of flamethrower thing that fires in the direction you were when you hit him the second time. So move behind him and repeat. This is the trick you will need to use to kill him. When he jumps and floats to one of the nearby containers, he will either throw firecrackers close in front of him, which creates a pool of lava, or he'll launch rockets that cause great damage. Run up to him and try to get the above trick to work. If he lands on the ground and starts to spin, wait for him to leap into the air. Double jump and kick to knock him down. If you don't, he will spin and create a twister of fire. It's stationary, so if you need health that's your cue to get it. As another warning, if he jumps high into the air, he could fire the rockets instead of floating somewhere else. Use stealth dash often to avoid taking hits. Keep it up, and then claim your last tate kill of stage six. ** Easy Method ** Avoid his attacks like stated above, and when you get the chance, use the Stealth Attack. Just the Stealth attack and ninjutsu aren't enough to kill him, so use the above pattern to reduce his life quickly. e) Stage 07 ----------- ?? There are lots of rooms in the first area. Go through all of them, making sure to pick up the items. Many of the new enemies are armored, especially the tiny things with their oversized swords. Jump and aerial kick them to avoid their horizontal slashes, then kill them. In the area with the moving platforms and red lasers on the floor, jump and destroy all the mirrors to proceed. You can get a pretty good tate kill by continually jumping and aerial stealth dashing from robot to robot. Do the same for the second one. In the last area, there are platforms connected by narrow bridges. DO NOT fall off of them!! you will get game over and you'll have to retry from the top. If you're going to go for a tate kill, make sure you attack enemies in a pattern such that you land back on a platform. Otherwise, play it safe. Follow the path down, making sure to break all of the mirrors. At the bottom, go through the door, and to the boss. Boss Fight: Hellspawn Lord #4 ** Normal Method ** This humongous moth is trouble enough: to make it worse, he summons flying fish-like hellspawn which fire balls of fire. The boss has several attack patterns: 1) he will arch back and blow a wave of fire. jump over it. 2) he bends forward and shoots three missiles of fire. use the stealth dash to run past them. 3) it takes to the air, dropping small balls of fire that erupt into a pillar. avoid them by running around or staying by the walls. be careful not to get hit by the fireballs the minions shoot. 4) the boss will screech and spray flames at you. three pillars of fire will erupt from the ground nearby. get away from there when that happens or risk taking damage. he usually does this when his wings turn into legs. Attack his purple core as often as possible. Be careful to hit only the core part, on his head. His body is armored and you cannot destroy that armor by kicking. Keep it up until you defeat him. ** Easy Method ** Follow the same patterns above, except that when he bends over to fire his missiles, make sure you're over there. The missiles don't home onto you, so they will fire right past you. Charge the Stealth Attack and dish it to him. When you get the chance, use the fire ninjutsu to deal more damage if you're closeby, or the wind ninjutsu to hit his core from afar. f) Stage 08 ----------- ?? This stage is like the previous stage except you are going the other direction. There is a time limit of 15 minutes to get to the boss. Take as much time as you need to get the items and fight the enemies, constantly checking the clock in the lower-right corner. You will fail if the time runs out before you reach the boss. In the two areas that have many rooms, the gates and black doors are destroyable. Slash or kick them down to access other rooms. Boss Fight: Kuro-hagane improved version ** Normal Method ** This version of Kuro-hagane is faster than the one you fought in Stage 01. He carries a green beam saber, and can launch a five to six hit combo. The boss can also create blue pillars of energy under you. The cars in the parking lot drop health capsules when you destroy them. Pick them up as soon as you can. Unlike the Kuro-hagane from the first stage, if you run away from this version to get items or destroy the floating robots, he will follow you and try to attack you. Keep locked onto him and stealth dash around him to slash him. Take advantage of your ninjutsu and take him down. ** Easy Method ** Stealth dash around him and attack. When he kneels down, quickly approach him, avoiding the pillars, and charge the Stealth Attack. It will deal a considerable amount of damage. Keep it up to make quick work of him. g) Stage 09 Tokyo Harbor You fight atop speedboats, heading for the harbor. If you fall, you die. So when fighting, make sure to land on one of the boats. After the first couple groups of enemies, a cutscene shows a submarine firing missiles. Deflect the two missiles, then continue with your killing. The boxes on the boats can be destroyed/disappear, or whatever. In other words, if you want a better ranking, get them as soon as they appear. Deflect the missiles one or two more times, and you'll arrive at the harbor. Boss Fight: Jimushi ** Normal Method ** Hibana's master fights atop high-rising pillars. Jump from pillar to pillar to reach him, or use the stealth-dash and kick in the air to go from enemy to enemy to get there. Once up there, stealth dash behind him and attack him as much as you can. He will teleport to another corner. Repeat as necessary, using ninjutsu to your discretion. When you're on the ground, he uses a move that causes spears to pop up from the ground beneath you. Keep moving and you can dodge it. If you're close to him he shoots projectiles to try and knock you out of the air. When you reach his platform, he will try to use short-range attacks that deal considerable damage - fortunately they can be easily dodged with a single stealth dash. Repeat the pattern and he will eventually die. If you need life, the health capsules are hidden in the destructible roadblocks and torchlamps. ** Easy Method ** Considering the fact that he doesn't stay up on the pillar for long when you're up there, not to mention that he actually turns to face you, the Stealth Attack may actually be more troublesome to use. When he attacks you, stealth dash around him and charge it up. Let go as soon as you can. Once you use up your three charges, use ninjutsu or the above pattern to finish him off. 10) Stage 10 ?? On the sides of the shattered bridge are small ledges. Scattered throughout the level are items you can pick up. Make sure that if you do go for them, jump out away from it and then stealth dash towards it. You might have to change the camera angle to do so. Another thing to note is that there are a lot of places where you must jump and grab onto a wall to destroy the mirror. You need to destroy the mirror to advance. Make sure you don't run to the very edge unless you are intentionally getting off. As soon as you hit that egde, if there is no continuing wall around that corner, Hibana will drop. As for the enemies that crawl on the walls, you can either jump and slash them, using the stealth dash to land on the wall, or you can throw your shuriken and kill it. It usually takes two to kill them: one to paralyze them and the second to make it fall. The stage is pretty much straightforward - just be sure to keep your feet on the ground, and if you're not on the ground, be careful. Boss Fight: Hisui ** Normal Method ** She is armed with many long range attacks. From her parasol, she launches a triplet of water beams, with the ends being small and the middle one being the biggest. Get in close and smack her down with as much hits as you can get in. Hisui will leap to another part of the area, and cause water to appear. Jump on the ledges and watch for her beams. They are somewhat delayed so wait a split-second or so before you jump or stealth dash out of the way. She also shoots one large beam with her parasol and is capable of her own stealth dash. Keep stealth dashing around her to get her back and attack at each opening. Her close-range attacks are not worth noting, only because they are easily dodged. Be wary of the raised water level. You can't run or stealth dash while you're stuck in it. If you need health, destroy the cars (which you're going to do anyways) and pick up the recovery item. The fire ninjutsu is very effective and probably more effective than the other ninjutsu. ** Easy Method ** You might be able to get in the Stealth Attack: if you can get Hisui to stay still. The easiest way to do this is by going up close to her and waiting for her to start attacking you. Charge the attack by holding square and let it loose as soon as you can. Use ninjutsu to make it quicker. 11) Stage 11 Tokyo Harbor, Road to the "Golden Tower" This level can get really annoying. There are bottomless pits everywhere, so make sure to avoid falling in them at all costs. Use the walls to save yourself from falling. The area right before the boss fight is filled with waterfalls on the sides. If you run into it on accident, you will be stunned and chances are you will fall and can't recover. Be careful. Jump from wall to wall, or use the enemies to advance without having to worry about the waterfalls. In the last area, after you jump across to the rooftop, there is a pillar to the right. jump onto it, and make your way upwards. Go up high, then look around a bit. You will see a ledge with a box on it. From there, you can explore the area or head on to the boss. - Exploring the area not done - Heading to the boss From the ledge, move forward and look around. You will see another rooftop, but this one has a health capsule on it. Jump on it and refill your health. Face the pillar across from the roof and jump to it. Make your way up the pillar until you can see a platform to the right. Double jump and stealth dash to reach it. Boss Fight: Hellspawn Lord #5 ** Normal Method ** This boss is just the gate/door to get into the next level. Don't bother with the regular enemies until it's almost dead, because they will infinitely respawn until you defeat the boss. Smack it with anything you've got. Don't be afraid to use ninjutsu and such, since it doesn't attack you back. The Stealth Attack is useful but be wary of the regular enemies. They can fire projectiles which may interrupt you from successfully using the Stealth Attack. ** Easy Method ** The boss of Stage 11 doesn't do anything except spawn new enemies. Refer to the above tactics. 12) Stage 12 Inside the "Golden Tower" In order to advance, you must destroy the mirrors. Enter each room and kill all of the enemies, then destroy the mirror and head to the next room. In the area with the long webbed-bridge, be very careful not to fall off. Destroy the enemies, then break the mirrors and advance. The areas with the trees are the hardest because if you fall, you might not be lucky enough to land on a platform. When dealing with enemies, be careful not to be hit by projectiles or you might drop and not recover. In the last area with the tree, at the very top there are two large hellspawn enemies. Take them out carefully, then clean up. The easiest way to kill them is by kicking its head armor plating, then slashing it. Each time you slash, immediately jump and slash again. Repeat unti it dies. After that, there are two elongated oval platforms rotating from side to side. Jump on one of them, then face the vertical platform and wait for it to turn towards you. When the angle is right, run across the horizontal platform and double jump, then stealth dash onto the vertical platform. From there you can make your way to the final area. Boss Fight: Hellspawn Lord #6 ** Normal Way ** This boss is HUGE!! It's so huge that it doesn't even fit in the battlefield. There aren't any life recovery items around, so be careful. The wind ninjutsu can save your butt more times than you would think, so conserve your scrolls. Before you can actually damage the boss, you have to hit its face three times. At the start of the fight, It sticks its claws in the ground, which then they emerge from the ground and move to crush you. Look carefully for any holes and move into them. After the vertical attack it will also use its claws to attack you horizontally. Time your jump and single jump over it. The claw-thingies by its face will then open. Run up to it and smack it. It will hide in the ground and its hands will pop out of the ground on the opposite wall. Attack them until they return to the ground and he comes back out. Repeat until its life bar appears. When it throws fireballs (literally balls of fire) time your double jump when it hits the ground. It sends two shockwaves of fire out in a circle. In this phase, its attack patters are basically the same every time. It still retains its claw-ground-shredding attack, except that now there is a diagonal attack. Look for a hole in the crosses and jump into it. After the claw attack run up to it. It will create meteor-things which explode on the cround and create a pillar. This is different from the fireball attack mentioned above. You should be able to distinguish the physical differences. Double jump and stealth dash to its face and slash it. You can get in six to seven hits before it conceals it with its claw shield. Run to the opposite wall to prepare for the claw attack. If you need to, you can destroy some of the floating enemies to avoid being thrown off. If you're way at the edge and you get hit, the camera angle will change and you will have a hard time dodging the claw attack. Keep it up and it will eventually die. ** Easy Method ** Use the Stealth Attack after it shoots the meteors. Otherwise, it's not really much different. 13) Stage 13 Tokyo Harbor, Top of the "Golden Tower" Boss Fight: Kuro-hagane Akujiki-enhanced version ** Normal Method ** First "Form" At first, he attacks from a distance with projectiles. He fires four of them, which do minimal if no damage and stuns you temporarily. After that, he creates sections of energy on the ground which erupt into a pillar of energy. If you get caught in them, you will take damage as well as be stunned. Use the stealth dash to get out of it. He can also vanish, leaving you locked on to his decoy while he appears on the opposite side of the arena. Lock off and find him. The Stealth Attack makes it much quicker to end this early part. Kuro-hagane is immune to any of your slash attacks as long as he is glowing purple. To make him take that barrier down, attack him with a three hit kick combo. As soon as you can, attack him as much as you can. Or, if you have the chakra, use the Stealth Attack. He also slashes at you with Akujiki if you are close, so take note of the direction in which he stealth dashes. Either way, in a short amount of time he will start fighting seriously. Second (Final) "Form" IMPORTANT NOTE -- Read this before proceeding!! ----------------------------------------------- From this point on, the Stealth Attack is useless. He is immune and does not recieve any damage from the Stealth Attack, so avoid using it. Besides, he moves around way too quickly to allow you much time to use it, so don't waste your valuable time. ----------------------------------------------- I don't think you can call them "forms," but he does have different fighting patterns so I refer to them as "forms." Kuro-hagane gains several new attacks. 1) Kuro-hagane actually uses Akujiki's full power. He will dash around trying to slash you. Don't get caught in his combo. If you do, you could lose lots of life. Remain locked on and stealth dash in the opposite direction that he uses his dash. Attack him when you have an opening. 2) He creates seven replications, which dash to the outer edges of the battle field. if you give him enough time to form the seals, he will create a field of electricity/lightning on the ground, which causes considerable damage. You can't hurt him while he is forming the seals. Destroy three of his replications to stop the ninjutsu. If you stop him, he will slash with Akujiki nearly 360 degrees. 3) He also has another attack which uses the seven replications, except that they are closer to him and form a circle around him. If you let him pull it off, his replications dash at you and deal a lot of damage if it hits. If you stop him, he will slash with Akujiki nearly 360 degrees. Kuro-hagane also uses his purple barrier in this "form" too. Just kick him. Don't let him get away. Slash him at every opportunity you have, while utilizing the stealth dash to avoid being hit too much. If you need health, there are occasionally health capsules along the sides, so pick them up. Also, conserve your ninjutsu scrolls. When he is near death, or at least 1/3 health, use the fire ninjutsu as much as you can to deal as much damage as possible. ** Easy Method ** There is no easy method to beating the last boss. Refer to the above tactics. ****************************************** Congratulations!! You've beaten the game!! ****************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) Secrets ~~~~~~~~~~ - New Game > Other modes 1) Mission Mode Straightforward missions, varying from destroying targets within a time limit to reaching a certain target within a time limit. Missions do not unlock anything. You recieve a grade at the end of the stage dependent upon the speed at which you cleared it and damage you dealt and recieved in the enemy destroying missions. a) Mission 01 Objective: To kill all flying enemies as fast as possible using shuriken Time Limit: ?? minutes Explanation: Basically, you have to throw shuriken at them and kill them while at the same time trying not to fall off. Pick up more shuriken on the platforms when you need them. It will take multiple shurikens to kill them. In order to kill them quickly throw shuriken one or two at a time. b) Mission 02 Objective: To get to the indicated platform as quick as possible Time Limit: ?? minutes Explanation: You have to destroy the mirrors before you can get to the platform. Watch the patterns of the platforms to get down the timing, then destroy the mirrors and head for the goal. 2) Survival Mode The faster you kill all of the enemies in the stage, the better your score. If you can get all tate kills, your points will also increase. Just like the Mission mode, Survival Mode does not unlock anything. a) Survival 01 Objective: Kill all of the enemies as quick as possible while sustaining your health Time Limit: ?? minutes Explanation: Quite simple, really. Survival mode is kind of like the rooms in Stage 03 where you can get the 30 tate kills. Make use of the aerial stealth dash and aerial kick to cover lots of ground. b) Survival 02 Objective: Kill all of the enemies as quick as possible while sustaining your health Time Limit: ?? minutes Explanation: same as Survival 01 3) Time Attack Mode You must clear the stages within a certain time limit. The faster you clear them, the better rank you receive. Desructibles and enemies also add to your score. Time Attack mode doesn't unlock anything. a) Time Attack 01 Objective: To clear the stage as quick as possible Time to Beat: ?? minutes Explanation: ??? b) Time Attack 02 Objective: To clear the stage as quick as possible Time to Beat: ?? minutes Explanation: ??? - Secret Coin Locations NOTE: "Area" implies sections that are divided by the fading black screen and loading time. So for example, in Stage 02, after you cross the long bridge, the game fades and loads the next section. That section would be the second area, and so forth. 1) Stage 01 > Tokyo District 23 a) After the second time the jet fires missiles at you, the coin will be floating on the right side. after quickly taking care of the enemies, wait on the right wing and you should see it floating. Double jump to get it. b) After the third time the jet fires missiles, a box will appear on the left wing. Open it and claim the coin before it disappears. 2) Stage 02 > Marunouchi a) In the first area, destroy some crates to find the coin. b) After you get to the second large building in the second area, drop to the side of the ramp going down, in between the two pillars. One of the pillars is solid and the other is kind of fenced. c) There is a "fork" in the road in the third area. Go to the right after dispersing the enemies to the place with the large tower. Eliminate all of the hellspawn, then examine the platforms around the sides of the tower. It is floating one on of them. 3) Stage 03 > Tokyo underground sewers a) At the very end of the railway in the second area, there is a tunnel that, unlike the previous tracks, is open and leads somewhere. Destroy the rubble wall above it to find the coin. b) In the fourth area, as you come up from the poison sewer ways, there is a metal grate on the ground. You can see the secret coin under it by standing near it. Slash and destroy the grate to make a hole, and carefully get the coin. c) Right before the huge pit with the trains in the fourth area, stop and turn around. From your current position, you should be able to see the secret coin near the top of the second pillar in front of you. d) There is a long train bridge thing in the fourth area. Run across, and at the end to the right, the secret coin is floating near the ruined train car. 4) Stage 04 > ?? a) The first one is above the purple pit. You can't miss it. b) have not found it yet c) In the fourth area or so, there is a small alley near the crack in the road containing the purple substance. Jump into that alley and pick up the third secret coin. 5) Stage 05 > Tokyo Container yard a) In the corner opposite from where you start, the secret coin is floating near the top of one of the tall container stacks. b) have not found it yet 6) Stage 06 > Central Tokyo Highway a) have not found it yet b) have not found it yet 7) Stage 07 > ?? a) have not found it yet b) In the second area with the moving platforms and red lasers, run on the walls or ride the platforms down to the bottom. To the right there is a secret coin. c) have not found it yet 8) Stage 08 > ?? a) have not found it yet b) have not found it yet 9) Stage 09 > Tokyo Harbor a) The first coin will be floating around near the rear boat after the sub first appears. After the sub leaves, turn around and quickly head to the last boat and dispose of the enemies. Face forward and watch for the coin. You will need to jump or fall towards it to pick it up, then jump and stealth dash back to the boat to safety. b) Before the 30 enemies begin to appear, a box will appear on the first boat (the one in the very front). Quickly get there and open it for the second coin. Note that if you wait too long, a missile will hit it and destroy it, so you have to be quick. 10) Stage 10 > ?? a) you can find this coin at the very beginning of the stage. b) at the final area, there is a large gap you must cross by attacking enemies to gain that additional jump and stealth dash. you will see a secret coin floating below. Once you reach the other side, jump or fall off the edge, and stealth dash towards the wall when you're level with the coin. If you miss, just repeat until you get it. 11) Stage 11 > Tokyo Harbor, road to the "Golden Tower" (or something) a) have not found it yet b) have not found it yet 12) Stage 12 > Inside the "Golden Tower" (or whatever it is) a) In the first part where you must climb the strange tree-thing, the coin will be floating on one of the platforms near the bottom. b) Right after the part above, you should encounter the coin floating by the wall. Jump and get it. 13) Stage 13 > Ontop of the "Golden Tower" (is this really the name?) a) um...are there even any coins here? b) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) FAQs ~~~~~~~ Q: Where can I get the Secret Coins in Stage (number)? A: They are located in various areas in the stage. Most of the time they are hidden from view or in a secret room. Destroy suspicious doors and anything that might look like a passageway to find the rooms. Coin Locations are listed above in the Secrets section. Q: How many secret coins do I have to get to unlock (item)? A: There is a table of the number of coins required to unlock certain items on CheatCC. Look it up there. Q: How do I unlock (costume/character)? A: There is also a table of this in the Cheats & Secrets section. But for your convenience I will list the unlockables below based upon what I unlocked. Hisui - Beat the game on Easy difficulty Hotsuma - ?? Hibana (alternate costume) - ?? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) Credits ~~~~~~~~~~ - my friends and family for supporting me emotionally throughout my life - anyone who has contributed to this guide: Ytse from CheatCodeCentral for reminding me of the Stealth Attack move - Sega, for creating this great game - me, of course, for writing this guide ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~fin~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------