Shinobi Guide
V1.1, 3/25/03

By John Duke (jpd@darkregion.net)

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[contents]

1) intro
2) the basics
3) ninja roll call
4) boss strategies
5) oboro coin locations
6) unlockables
7) grading scale
8) faqs and misc.
9) revision history
10) props

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[intro]

Shinobi was released in November 2002 to quite the mixed reaction from the
gaming community. From one direction we hear cries of joy from the oldschool
button-tappers who've been around since Shinobi first graced the Megadrive, or
even longer. Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, we hear wails of despair
from the meek infants of gamedom who were weaned on inane tutorial-laden
hand-holding spoon-feeding ass-wiping gameplay (otherwise known as "modern
game design"). I assume, if you're reading this, that you have come to realize
Shinobi is not a game intended for the latter audience. This is pure 100%
unadulterated adrenaline-pumping bone-breaking show-no-mercy nonstop action. In
other words, it's the pornography that gets me hot. Wether you are of the
latter camp or the former, let me make one thing perfectly clear before
proceeding: you will die. And then you'll die again. And again, and a thousand
more times after that. You will scream in agony, you will hurl your controller
to the floor in disgust, you will plot the collective cold-blooded murders of
the designers and their close friends and family and pets.

But if you want to WIN, then you'll come back for more. Again, and again, and
again. This is not a game that can be fully completed in the space of a few
hours, or an entire day, or even a weekend. Granted, once you get past the
steep learning curve, you may complete the game's Normal difficulty in a day's
time, and Hard mode may very well fall to your superior skills soonafter, but
the challenge offered by, dare I speak its name, SUPER mode (closes eyes and
makes the sign of the cross on his face and chest) is not to be taken lightly.

So, are you up to it? This game requires one thing above any sort of experience
or skill. That one thing is patience. You will require patience, vigilance, and
raw determination, in spades, if you ever hope to conquer Super mode (unless
you're some mythical gamer god, in which case, why the hell are you here?
You're too good for us common folk. Shoo.). It's a kind of war of attrition -
you simply have to outlast it. No matter how bad it gets, how pissed you are,
how sick of the game you are, you have to keep plugging away at it. Not in one
sitting, heavens no, but if you get burnt out after 2 or 3 days and never touch
the game again, then it's nobody's fault but your own, and it won't be due to
any lack of skill or any degree of sadism on the part of the game designers
(although there most certainly IS plenty of that). It will be due to your lack
of determination. If you can live with that, then by all means - finish Normal
mode at least, return the game to the rental shop, and move on to greener
pastures. You won't lose any sleep over it. Your conscience is clear.

As for the rest of you... you have been warned. Now that the pep talk is out of
the way, let's get to the willy nilly.

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[the basics]

Here's a rundown of the DEFAULT controls (which are by no means the -best-):

Left stick: Makes your ninja move. Whoa.

Right stick: Makes the camera move. Either extremely useful or extremly
awkward, depending on the circumstances.

Directional pad: Selects your L337 NINJA MAGIC TECH W0w0w0w0w0w0w0w0w.

X: Stealth dash. Learning to use this in conjunction with the left stick is an
important milestone on the path to becoming SUPA LEET NINJA MASTER. Fine, I'll
stop.

Square: NINJA SLICE! Sorry. Tap the button four times (timing is important) for
a combo.

Circle: Jump. Moving on...

Triangle: Throw sharp things (shurikens) to make bad things stay still. Usually
not all that useful, but it's good to get some annoying buggers off your back
every now and then.

L1: Centers the camera in the direction your ninja is facing. Remember this
one.

L2: Uses the ninjitsu magic you have currently selected. Best used in
conjunction with the directional pad to choose the best ninjitsu for your
situation. Your mileage may vary.

R1: Arguably the most important function on the entire controller. This will
lock-on to an enemy, enabling you to stealth-dash around it and strike at your
whim. Usually locks on to the closest enemy in your field of vision, although
its choice of enemies is often questionable (no, I do NOT want to target the
boss while I'm trying to string my Tate together! DEEAAAAAAAAAAAATH). Get used
to using it ASAP.

R2: Switches targets... usually at the game's own discretion. Handle with care.

Start: Pauses the action, and lets you opt to retry the stage or just quit
(pussy).

I HIGHLY recommend that you switch the functions of Circle and Triangle so that
you press Triangle to jump (you know, like Devil May Cry), and press Circle to
throw shurikens. It's up to you, but I think you'll agree that it's much easier
to wrangle your little ninja when the heat is on this way.


And now, some advanced manuevers:

Double-jump: Nothing fancy, just tap the jump button again at the peak of your
first jump to do a cute little flip and gain some more height/distance.
There's one VERY IMPORTANT THING to keep in mind concerning the double-jump:
you only get ONE until your feet touch the ground again. You may be wondering
why I emphasize this now, but it'll become clearer after we get around to
covering the ever-important Air Tate, in which you can air-dash indefinitely so
long as there are still enemies in range to chop up.

Wall-running: Just jump towards a wall, and if your ninja finds it to be of the
appropriate quality, then you'll automatically cling to it. Neat, huh? You can
run along the wall, attack any nearby baddies, or just toss shurikens from
relative safety like the coward you are. You can also double-jump towards the
wall to gain more height. Practice jumping and air-dashing from wall to wall at
every given opportunity until you're sufficiently learned in the ways of
wall-clinging - your life will depend on it soon enough.

Lock-on manuevers: Important stuff. First, a bit about the controls. I'm going
to be throwing around two descriptive terms here, and those are "camera-
relative" and "character-relative." It could be said that all 2D games are
camera-relative. You press -->, and your character generally moves -->. Simple.
Similarly, pressing a direction in Devil May Cry will move Dante in that
direction, depending on the camera angle.

However, in, say, Resident Evil, if you push the stick UP, your character isn't
necessarily going to move towards the top of the screen. He/She is simply going
to move forward in whatever direction he/she is facing. That's character-
relative control. Now, there's this one game that's the heathen offspring of
Resident Evil... what do the kids call it... ah, yes. Onimusha. See, that game
has a lock-on function of its own. Why, it's even activated with the same
button! Crikey! But there's one distinct difference in the way that lock-on
works and the way Shinobi's works. In Onimusha, when locked-on to a baddie,
pushing the stick up/down moves you toward and away from the baddie,
respectively. Pushing left/right makes you CIRCLE the enemy to the left or
right. But this is where Shinobi pulls a fast one. See, though it may not seem
this way at first, the truth is that Shinobi's control is ALWAYS camera-
relative, locked-on or no! Personally, I would've found a lock-on style akin
to Onimusha to be more intuiative, but tough titty said the kitty.

Anyways, practice dashing around and in-between enemies. Hit R2 to change
enemies every now and then, until you're comfortable with the way this system
works. Keep in mind you can push the right stick left or right to make the
camera pan around you. Now, there are two moves that can only be performed
while locked-on. The first one...

Kick: ... is extremely useful against enemies who like to block your attacks.
To kick, hold the left stick AWAY from the direction your ninja is facing, and
hit Square. So if he's facing <--, push the stick -->. If the victim of this
crude-yet-effective attack is blocking, his defense will be broken momentarily,
giving you an opening. However, it doesn't deal any damage. The OTHER lock-on
attack is...

Spin-strike: ... and quite the lovely attack it is. Contrary to kicking, to
perform this attack you must be holding the stick TOWARDS your enemy. In my
experience, this attack doesn't seem to work the first time you try using it,
but it usually inserts itself into a combo around the third strike or so. This
attack will send enemies sprawling head-over-heels, making it great for crowd-
control. And by Jove, it just looks cool. An excellent finisher.

Charge-strike: You must be using a character with a life-stealing sword in
order to use this. You can't perform it with an empty slash gauge (though I'm
not sure exactly how full it has to be). To use it, simply hold Square and
release once charged. Flashy, and another good finisher, but I never use it. =p

Shuriken burst: Do a double-jump, and right after hitting the jump button for
the second time, hit the shuriken button to use up a whole bundle of shurikens
and send them searing through the air in all directions. Sometimes useful for
crowd control, but not much else.

Ninjitsu magic: As said above, using your magic is simply a matter of pressing
L2 as long as you have at least one Makimono (scroll). The 3 spells at your
disposal are as follows:

Ka'en: Otherwise known as NINJA SMASH. Your typical desperation attack. Creates
an explosion that spreads out from its point of origin (you). I hardly ever use
this, and neither should you, wretch.

Kamaitachi: Activate this and start slashing away in thin air, and you'll send
out damaging waves of energy with each slice. Seems cool at first, until you
realize the importance of Tate, at which point it becomes completely and
utterly useless.

Raijin: Really, the only magic worth its salt. Raijin makes you invincible for
a limited time.

And now, the absolute most important aspect of this game that you must
understand...

Tate: Tate is your new best friend. Tate is your Lord and Savior. It is Alpha
and Omega, the Beginning and the End. As such, you should probably know a thing
or two about it.

It's actually pretty simple. Kill an enemy. You'll notice a little orb pop up
in the top-right of your screen. Now, quickly, before the orb disappears, kill
another enemy. Another orb will be added to the first. Repeat until all the
enemies are disposed of. What happens next depends on how many enemies were
killed in a row, without taking so long that the orbs disappeared. If it was 3
or less, then they'll just die. Whoopadadee. However, if the magic number was 4
or more, you'll bear witness to one of the aspects that makes this game so
ultimately satisfying. Your ninja will pose, as the enemies fall to pieces all
around him. Tres bien!

So, it's a cut-scene. That's it? Oh, ye of little faith. That's just the icing
on the cake. The reason that Tate is so important (and this only applies to
Hotsuma after stage 2-A; if you're on 1-A or 1-B with Hotsuma, then the
cutscene really IS all there is to Tate. Sorry.) is that, for each enemy you
kill while stringing together the combo, your sword gets progressively more
powerful. You'll notice it start glowing blue at first, and by the time it's
glowing hot pink, the enemies start dropping like flies. This is what makes
one-hit boss kills a reality. On top of that, a successful Tate will completely
refill your slash gauge. Sound good? It is. Ohhhh yes. And you know what's even
better?

Air Tate: <-- this. You can get through the game without learning how to do it,
but you won't be able to acquire some of the Obero coins without it, much less
Tate enemies in areas without a floor to land on. Now, pay attention, here's
how it works:

You come across a group of flying enemies, preferably at least three. Now,
lock-on to one, jump, and attack it. Now, RIGHT AFTER YOU ATTACK, press the
Dash button, then attack again. When it dies, dash again, and you should streak
over to the next enemy in line, at which point you may repeat the process until
all the enemies are dead. Note that you only get ONE extra air-dash per attack
that you land on an enemy. So, if you miss, then you fall. So don't miss. Now,
in most areas you can just land on the ground after you finish your air combo
and get on with your business. However, starting with level 5-A, there will be
sections in which you must combat enemies above a fatal pitfall, with only one
or two walls to cling to. This is why you NEVER DOUBLE-JUMP TO AN ENEMY BEFORE
YOU START THE AIR COMBO. Your double-jump is precious. You need it to make sure
you can get back to a wall after you finish the combo, lest you die a
mortifying and downright embarrasing death.

One last thing before I wrap this section up. Attacking enemies from behind
deals double the damage. You probably won't be able to one-hit kill a boss
with your charged sword unless you nail him in the back (and, depending on your
character and the difficulty, that STILL might not be enough to kill him
outright). As with anything, practice makes perfect.

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[ninja roll call]

Before proceeding, note that there are POTENTIAL SPOILERS ahead. If you don't
want to know what other characters you can play besides Hotsuma, then skip this
section.

At first, Hotsuma will be the only character available for you to use. The
other two are unlocked by acquiring the golden Obero coins littered about the
levels in various nooks and crannies.

And now, let's bring out the stars of the show.


Hotsuma
PROS: Uh. You get to watch the cutscenes in-between levels. And, uh, he looks
cool? >_<
CONS: Well, in comparison to the other characters, he sucks. But he'll get you
by until you can rack up some coins.

Moritsune (AKA Aomizuchi)
PROS: Mori's got the skills that pay the bills. He's the most powerful
character you have to choose from. Aside from that, he's basically the same as
his brother.
CONS: His slash gauge seems to deplete faster than Hotsuma's. Therefore, you'll
have to be quicker about getting through the levels and try to get Tates at
every available opportunity. Depending on your taste, the game might be more or
less fun this way (I can certainly dig it, especially with his unmatched
power). And, if I may nitpick for a moment, he has two swords, but only uses
one of them. I feel so cheated. >_<

Joe Musashi
PROS: Joe is the most unique character of the trio. For one, his shurikens
don't paralyze enemies. Instead, they deal a miniscule amount of damage.
However, he has an infinite supply, which makes them a viable alternative to
the conventional method of killing. You can literally stay out of reach of the
enemies and pick them off from afar. But where's the fun in that? =p The other
benefit of using Joe is that he has no depleting slash gauge, and yet still
retains the increasing-damage benefits of Tate! However...
CONS: ... he is less powerful than Moritsune. You won't be killing the
last boss on Super mode in only two or three hits with Joe. Believe me, I've
tried. Also, he has no charge strike, but I find this to be rather negligible.

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[boss strategies]

1-A: Chopper

The chopper will float around the perimeter of the battlefield until it decides
to use one of three attacks.

Machinegun fire: A blind parapalegic could avoid this attack. The nose will dip
towards the ground, and as soon as you hear the first bullets, dash to the left
or right.

Missiles: A tad trickier, but nothing too rough. On normal mode, it will only
fire four missiles, more on Hard and Super. With good timing, you can slash the
missiles out of the air with your sword and do a good deal of damage to the
chopper in the process.

Chopper charge: You will see it sink lower before using this attack, and that's
your cue to GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY. Probably the hardest attack to avoid.

If you're using Hotsuma, you really have no reason to wait for the 4 ninjas to
show up; just get right up there, jump, and start hitting the dash and attack
buttons in alteration (you HAVE learned how to air combo, haven't you?). You
might get hit, but you should weather it with little difficulty. With Mori or
Joe, slice up the 4 ninjas when they show up and make a beeline for the
chopper for one of the easier boss Tates in the game.

1-B: Aomizuchi

Gee willickers, no idea who this unfriendly chap could be. Nosir. His main
attack is something like the Stinger move in Devil May Cry. He will lunge with
his sword, cutting a blue swath through the air. You actually have more than
one option here. You can either practice dodging out of the way and nailing him
after the attack with a combo, but you often don't even get a window to attack
before he launches into another of his own. You could also try baiting into
lunging off the building a few times, but you won't be able to kill him this
way. The most surefire method, it seems, is to simply run up, kick him in the
balls (NINJA TESTICLE STRIKE!!), slash, kick, slash, kick, till he bites it.
This is a terribly dull way to finish him off, especially on Super, but if you
keep the rhythm going, it should work without backfiring. Alternatively, with
Mori or Joe, you can wait for his lackies to show up and go for a Tate.

2-A: Akagane and Shirogane

Up to now, I've been giving you non-Tate strategies, but at this point even
Hotsuma will be capable of one-hit boss kills. Therefore, your basic boss
strategy from here on is going to be basically the same: dodge attacks until
common enemies appear, kill those little guys, and then zip over to the boss
to introduce him to your raging blade. That's exactly what you'll be doing
here: run around the arena while Akagane chases you. The fatass will mostly
just stay still and throw his chain-ball-thing at you from time to time, but
watch for it, as it has good range and accuracy. Eventually four white wolves
should appear. This is your cannon fodder. Destroy them, and then try to land
a strike on whichever of the Terrible Two is closest (it doesn't make much
difference which you kill first, but some would say that it's best to get
Akagane out of the way before dealing with tubby.). If you still have an active
Tate going after killing one, don't hesitate! Take out the other one! On harder
difficulties, they will be much more adept at blocking, and you might have to
dash around a bit before you can land your attacks. Not too difficult a fight.

2-B: He's baaaaaaack...

Our old friend stubbornly refuses to head to that big scrapyard in the sky, but
that's why we're here to help nudge him in the right direction. His attacks are
exactly the same as last time, and the same strategies apply, but you're more
likely to get hit trying to air combo him without a Tate. What'd you expect?

3-A: Hakuraku

I know, you're sick of the evil ninja puppies. Well, this is their grandpa.
Eliminate him and you'll never have to deal with their kind again. If that's
not motivating, I don't know what is. Hakuraku actually doesn't attack on his
own, preferring to let his trained mutts do his dirty work. However, he will
quickly heal any sustained damage while you're playing with the pups, which is
downright annoying. So, wipe out the blasted mongrels ASAP, then let him have
a taste of Akujiki while it's still soaked in doggy blood. Time for you to
retire from the animal training business, bub.

3-B: Shirakumo

This is the hardest boss you've faced yet, but you can handle him. See those
white cocoons? Do your damndest not to hit them. Wouldn't want to cut off your
supply of cannon fodder. Now, so long as you don't go anywhere just yet, he'll
do little more than growl and try to hit you with his spitwad attack (eeeew).
Just hang tight until his little babies show up, massacre them, and do one of
two things:

1) Jump to the left or right wall and cling, run towards him, and leap off to
cleave his lardass in twine with your charged sword.

2) Just run up to him (risking getting hit by his claws... legs... whatever),
double-jump, press R1 to aim, dash to make sure you get enough height, and let
him have it.

If that doesn't do the trick, repeat until he's had enough.

4-A: Homura

So long as you keep away, hothead won't be able to touch you. You know the
drill - wait for little 'uns to poof into view, lay waste to them (hope you've
been practicing your air combos, else you'll be falling into that lava pit a
lot), and run like your ass is on fire (HURHURHUR) to put that glowing
instrument of death to good use. Our friend has a nasty teleporting trick that
can take him out of harm's way, but it isn't anywhere NEAR as frustrating as a
certain OTHER teleporting boss....

4-B: Benisuzume

Our next contestant is definitely not a beautiful and unique snowflake, and
she's right pissed about it. If you're using Joe, don't even THINK about
tossing shurikens at her - she sets your platform ablaze after sustaining even
the tiniest bit of damage, and that would make Joe sad. I like to jump to the
outer ring and run around in circles until the baby moths show up, but you
might be fine just dodging her attacks on the platform until then. Anyways,
once her little babies DO show up, things get a bit tricky. It's not too hard
to combo them all consecutively, but if you screw up then you risk falling off
the platform and ruining your combo. I recommend you only take one or two at a
time before falling back to the platform to regain your composure and pick your
next target. Once you've wiped them all out, find Big Momma, double-jump, dash,
destroy. Repeat as necessary. Note that this will probably be the first
truly frustrating boss on Super mode, as it took me nearly an entire night to
bring her down on Super. You have been warned.

5-A: Kongou

Kongou is big, stupid, and can send you flying off into the horizon with one of
his nastier attacks (think Smash Brothers and you'll have the right idea).
He's quite agile for such a big boy, but you can keep a step ahead of him.
His lackies can be quite annoying to get comboed all in a row, due to being so
spread out across the arena. Since Bruno will be hounding your steps as you
chase the baddies around, the game might end up targeting him instead of the
baddie, so watch it. Once you've got a nice, healthy string of orbs built up,
dash up to him, dash around to his back, then let him have it with your own
brand of Smash Attack. He's pretty good at blocking with that oversized ninja
star, so don't fret if you can't land it on the first try.

5-B: Kurakuda

Stages 5-B, 6-B, and 7-B are all just boss battles, but don't think that means
you're getting off easy. Well, OK, on 6-B you will. As for this guy, he's
nothing you can't handle. His first attack is a volley of ice bullets from
his... uh... circle... thing. Standard fare here, just keep moving and they
won't even graze you. The second attack is a concentrated beam of energy that
slowly turns to whichever side you're on and lasts for a few seconds. Stay away
from this one. Eventually he'll give birth to an octoplet of baby snakes, aww!
Congratulate him by murdering them in cold blood, but not just yet, cuz he
usually fires one of those big beams after bringing snakes into the fray. You
can start hacking them up before the beam ends with little risk. Chase down
every last one, find the big guy, and JUMP to his head before unleashing your
pussy-pink fury (hey, I'm sorry, but the sword's pink. Deal with it.). Oh, one
last thing: if he becomes surrounded with blue energy, get away. He's
teleporting, and that can hurt you. Other than that, have fun. =D

6-A: Kizami

See that guy aaaaaalll the way over there? Guess what? He's blind. Yup. Doesn't
have a clue where you are right now. ... Christ, boy, did that hurt? Hey, I
never said he wasn't capable of shredding you into bite-sized ninja snacks. He
just has to hear your feet treading water first. Seriously. Try standing still
at the start of the fight; he won't do a thing. So, as you've probably guessed,
you've gotta take to the walls until you can satiate Akujiki's hunger. Don't
worry, he can't touch you up here. Keep an eye on him until some of those
hover-bots show up. Careful, they fire paralysis beams (pussy-pink paralysis
beams... I'm feeling a mite uncomfortable now, ahem), and you'll drop like a
rock if you get hit. Falling is bad. Therefore, be quick about taking out the
hover-bots. There are two on either end of the corridor, and three in the
middle. Give them all bluescreens, find the evil blind guy, and try to get
behind him before you dash down and show him the light.
Kizami: "... Sacre blue! I can see! Aw, shit." -dies-
You: "Heh heh, sucker."

6-B: Yatsurao

On Normal mode, this guy is a joke. On Super, he actually took me a few tries
to bring down, but other people seem to have no trouble with him even then. Go
figure. Anyways, stay where you are, dodging the shots he fires from his eyes.
4 baddies will appear right under him. Resist the urge to go start a Tate and
keep dodging those balls (they hurt you AND paralyze you, making it hard to get
out of the way of the next one), and wait for the first of those small guys to
get onto your side of the bridge. NOW you can start killin' 'em. The next four
should appear before your Tate runs out, use them to extend it, then run up
under the big fucktard's chin. Now, be careful; you want to do a SINGLE JUMP,
target him, dash, and attack. If that doesn't kill him, use your double-jump
to hop BACKWARDS so you don't fall in the water below. Then rinse and repeat.

7-A: Ageha

This fight is pretty straightforward. Dash around, avoiding shurikens and her
other attacks. Four flames will appear. As before, keep your cool until four
MORE show up, and you know the rest. You shouldn't have too much trouble here.

7-B: Moritsune, take two

This is where things get interesting. Keep moving to avoid the damaging
shurikens he flings. If you get hit by one, you're bound to get hit by all of
them. As in the last two fights, your Akujiki-food will show up four at a time.
Once all are present and accounted for, start your combo. When it's time to go
for Mori, things get complicated. He's damn near impossible to hit unless you
can nail him after an attack, and even then it's not guarenteed. I've read on
the GameFAQs boards that you can double-jump, turn around and hit him, but I
haven't gotten that trick to work personally. You can soften him up a tad with
Joe's shurikens, but it's really not worth the effort. He's a real bastard to
hit on Super mode - I can't give you much advice there other than to keep
trying. He'll fall sooner or later.

8-A: EVIL GATE OF DOOM

Mister Door is crafty, what with his perfect strategy of STANDING STILL AND
DOING NOTHING, but you can outsmart him by Tate'ing all the enemies in front
of him and leaving him for last. VICTOLEEEEEEY.

8-B: Hiruko

What can I say that hasn't already been said? He's pure evil incarnate. Hitler
is a baby next to this guy. Here's a little excerpt from my Livejournal to give
you an idea of how bad he is on Super:

Super Hiruko (n): Final obstacle barring completion of Shinobi's -Super-
difficulty level. The video game embodiment of Murphy's Law: What can go wrong,
will, at the worst possible time. And then he'll laugh and do it again. Regular
attacks are useless against his might. The only effective attack is to string a
Tate combo through his floating talisman minions, and then get to him before
the combo dies. Mind that 90% of the time, when you actually get to him with a
fully charged combo, he'll either teleport, start casting a spell, or simply
block, voiding all the effort that went into stringing the combo. All the
while, your little pussy bitch ninja is being bombarded by deadly accurate
support fire from the aforementioned talismans. Some of them are particularly
fond of chasing you down, paralyzing you, and then exploding, in true kamikaze
fashion. They even like to toy with you as you attempt to slash them to bits in
a Tate attempt, either by floating just INSIDE your attack range as you hack
and slash wildy in thin air, or by literally running circles around you
(probably giggling, if talismans can giggle) as you try to nail it before your
combo dies. And don't forget about Hiruko - he's always throwing spells at you
with no sign of ever running out of MP. Not to mention the infamous cheese
attack, whereupon he teleports to you and unleashes an extremely painful strike
that's barely avoidable... 4 times. Yes, 4 teleport strikes in a row, with a
cute little shockwave finisher. The #2 bane of all ninja, just after water.

This boss fight is the new definition of sadism. It is a slap in the face of
all that is good and decent in this world. If it wasn't for challenges this
horrid, I could go on pretending that I'm actually a pretty skilled player.
Alas, I am reminded of my own inferiority every time Hiruko pirouettes over my
dead corpse with glee. Seppuku seems to be the only viable course of action at
this point. I shall impale myself with my own controller in defeat. Overworks
must be brought to justice, before yet another gamer takes his own life in
anguish and misery. Preferably, we speak of the Spanish Inquisition brand of
justice. The slow and painful kind. Eye for an eye, and all.

And, just because I thought it was really fucking funny, this is a post made
by one Shigeo Masamune on the Shinobi board not long ago:

"To elaborate: the spells of his are easy as heck to dodge. When he does his
spin attack, if you get the timing down, you can just hit Dash just as he's
about to appear and escape repeatedly. The problem is his helpers. They're made
of polygon strips and are therefore the hardest things to hit ever. It's a fact
that many ninja have been killed by ribbons, because a ninja-to isn't sharp
enough to cut through paper. It cuts through giant ogres and people, but when
it clearly passes through a ribbon, it remains intact. The ribbons shoot
fireballs, which are harder to dodge than the boss's attacks. Meanwhile, you're
trying to HIT these things, which is really hard to do considering they're made
of ribbons. I hear God is made of ribbons, and that's why he's immortal.

Through all of this, I'm supposed to get to the boss with a 0.5 second window
in which to guard break him and strike him. Can you say "purely luck based
gameplay"?

Not that I'm ragging on the game or anything. Shinobi is perfect in every
conceivable way. I must suck or something because I can't beat up an 8 year old
boy with stupid hair."

-dies laughing- (BTW, if the author of that little nugget of hilarity does not
wish to be quoted in this here file, said author may email me at his
convenience and I shall remove it immediately. Good show!)

Anyways, you'll note that there's no music at the start of this fight, nor does
your opponent have a lifebar. You have to hit him (either with the sword or
shurikens) a few times before the battle really starts. You'll quickly learn
that pretty boy is invulnerable when casting a spell, and likes to teleport
before you can land a hit on him. Annoyingly enough, you will have to do this
part over EVERY TIME YOU RETRY. -coughbullshitcough-

So, yeah. This guy is a cheap asshole. Your first attempt, and many after that,
will probably go something like this:

You: A-ha! Conspicuously thin enemies have appeared out of thin air! I shall
quickly destroy them all in order to charge my sword and make this final boss
my bitch! -slash- -swipe- -pant- Curses! My trusty blade cleaves nothing but
air! All of my intense ninja training is simply no match for Satan's toilet
paper!

Hiruko: Great Scott! -audience hurls toilet paper into the air-

You: -hanging your head in shame- Is this my fate, to be brutally massacred and
cast into dishonor by little pieces of Charmin from hell?!

Talisman: KEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!

You: HEY! GET BACK HERE!

Other Talisman: KEEHEEHEEHEEHEE! -runs into you, paralyzes you, and explodes-

You: ... -retry- Alright, this sucks.

Hiruko: EVERY DAAAAAY I MAKE A POOPY, A POOPY, A POOPY! EVERY DAAAY I MAKE A
POOPY, A POOPY TOO-DAY!

You: What in the blue hell...?!

Hiruko: Hey, jackass! I'M BEHIND YOU! -STAB-

You: DAAAAAHR HOW YOU KILL ME SO EASY!

Hiruko: Uweeeeeeeeeheeheeheehee! I shall now twirl over your corpse gracefully
to symbolize the flowing ease with which I UTTERLY DESTROYED YOU! Tra-la-la-la!

Talismans: KEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!

Well, let's look over all his attacks first, shall we? All his spells will be
signaled by a colored eye above his head. You can tell which spell is coming by
the color of the eye (and possibly by what he says if the voices are in
English - I wouldn't know).

Red: This is a slowass fireball that's easily avoided.
White: A spread-shot attack. Sidestep or jump.
Green: 2 lightning bolts will strike in front of you, and the third will land
on wherever you're standing, so get out of the way quick. Oh, and you're
stunned if you DO get hit.
Blue (sometimes hard to tell apart from white): One of the nastier ones, but
still easily avoided. Four large ice balls will hurtle at you really freaking
fast, one after the other.

He also has a fifth spell, which involves a bunch of streams of energy rising
up and outward. The best way to avoid this attack is to know it's coming, find
Hiruko, and run in between two of the streams. Hurts like a bitch if you get
hit.

But wait! THERE'S MORE!! =D =D =D =D
If you hear him yelp, I'd advise you to go give him a whack before he stops
dancing. Otherwise, he'll do the teleport strike you read about above. The one
I hate. It's pretty hard to NOT get hit by this, especially if you get caught
by surprise.

Anyways, the Talismans are the real reason this fight is so $@#%$ frustrating.
They're insanely accurate with their fireballs, and this isn't a good thing
when you're surrounded by 8 of them. Don't just blindly hold R1 and dash
around - you'll get slaughtered. What you need to practice doing is picking one
to attack, NOT TARGETING IT, but getting close to it, making sure it isn't
about to fire a shot, getting JUST WITHIN ATTACKING RANGE OF IT, target, and
give it one or two swipes before dashing away again to keep from getting hit.
Yes, I know that sounds stupid, but it really is necessary. It really sucks
when you get too close to one and hit nothing but air as they pepper you with
fireballs. I don't remember how many hits it takes to kill your first Talisman
on Normal, but it usually takes more than 4 hits from the front on Super. If
at all possible, go for the floating ones first - they're easier to take down
and get your sword charged a little. If you try hitting a Talisman and he
starts leading you on a wild goose chase, don't play with him for long, lest
your Tate die. Try to just get the next closest one, then come back and hope
he's slowed down a bit. Doing the spin-strike move by targeting and holding the
stick toward your target really helps - you can sometimes nail two or more at a
time with one spin-strike. Whatever you do, DON'T TRY TO TARGET ONE AND TAKE
HIM HEAD ON - you WILL get slaughtered by fireballs, and maybe fireballs plus
whatever spell Hiruko fancies at the moment. Rule number one when Talismans are
in play is to KEEP MOVING NO MATTER WHAT.

How many Makimono scrolls do you have? If it's only one, you might want to
consider replaying stage 8-B and hoarding all three scrolls. Every time you die
to Hiruko, make sure you PAUSE AND RETRY before the Game Over screen appears,
so you can keep your Makimonos. Raijin helps somewhat, but doesn't last worth
a damn.

If you can, try to lag a bit between killing Talismans, so you can be sure to
time your last kill to coincide with Hiruko becoming vulnerable. It's tough, I
know, but that's really the only non-random element of strategy you could
possibly apply to this asshole, other than just staying alive long enough to
take him out.

None of this advice will mean anything if you don't have the preserverance to
keep trying until he finally falls. Now listen: If you've come this far, made
it all the way through the rest of the game, YOU CAN WIN. There's no
excuse for you to come this far and then wimp out at the very end, with victory
so close at hand. Trust me! HE CAN BE BEATEN! Keep that in mind when you're
hitting retry for... oh... the ten-millionth time in a row. Be relentless, my
friend, and good luck.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[oboro coin locations]

1-A

1) After killing a tank and some ninjas, you'll have to go past some gas vents
along the walls. as well as some more ninjas and a couple of pups. Right after
that, you'll be in the richest portion of the level, as far as coinage is
concerned. There are half-destroyed buildings all around that you can jump on.
Head to the northeast corner of the area (assuming that the point you entered
was in the southwest corner), and you'll find your first coin easily enough.

2) As soon as you enter the last area of the level (with a tank and some
ninjas), turn RIGHT. There will be a dead-end right in front of you, and in
the building on your right, a raised ledge with the coin.

3) After you kill that last tank and ninjas, look directly opposite of the exit
to see some rubble you can jump on. Straight ahead and to your left is your
coin.

4) <HARD> Remember that big area where you found coin #1? In the northwest
portion is a narrow alleyway lined with gas vents with a Makimono at the end.
Now, right in the middle of that alley, there is a little alcove above you in
the side of the wall where this coin is hidden - you'll find it if you run
along the wall on either side of the alley.

5) <SUPER> Once again, that big area with all the destroyed buildings: This
coin is suspended in mid-air smack dab in the center of the area (point your
camera up and jump from one of the buildings in the middle; you should see it).
You'll have to double-jump and dash from the highest platform to snag it, but
that's not as easy as it sounds. Use Hotsuma or Joe so you don't die from
lolligagging. =p

1-B

1) After the long alley where you have to wall-run above the gas vents, you'll
be ambushed by four ninjas on top of a large building. Dispose of them, then
look to the far side of the area to see it. Don't try jumping from where you
are; you need to run along the wall behind it.

2) In the next large area, look directly right from the entrance to see it on
top of a narrow ledge. Hop up the wall to your right, but don't try running
along it all the way there - you'll fall when you hit the darker portion of it.
Get as far as you can, then double-jump off of the wall and dash. You should
land right on top of the coin.

3) <HARD> Right at the exit of the level, you'll hear some flying enemies
appearing. Turn to your right to see them all lined up for your convenience.
Air-combo them all the way to the other side, and make your way up the
platforms, doing one more air-combo string to get up to where the coin is.

4) <SUPER> In that same large area where you found coin #2 on that narrow
ledge. There's a little nook in the buildings that would be directly in front
of you if you had just gotten coin #2. The coin is floating in the air in that
alcove, and it'll take some slightly tricky wall-jumping to obtain it.

2-A

1) At one point you'll be in an area where you have to jump up a couple of
ledges. You fight some dogs and a big tengu guy here. Anyways, get to the top
ledge and turn around to see it hanging in mid-air.

2) <HARD> This is in the area right before coin #1, with the long walkway and
a row of red gates. It's on top of one of the gates in the center - you can
double-jump from the ledge on either side of the area to get up there.

3) <SUPER> Later on, in plain sight over a large pit in the middle, right next
to a platform with some shurikens on it.

2-B

1) As soon as you enter the second large area, there will be a house directly
in front of you. You need to get on the roof by jumping from a wall. Once up
there, the coin should be easy to spot.

2) <HARD> There is an area at the end with a large pit and two spinning stones
that you must break to bring down the barrier. This coin is on top of a stone
pillar, and can only be reached by jumping out to a platform near the wall on
the far side, then running along the wall all the way around.

3) <SUPER> Same place as #2, only this one is suspended in the air near the
platform you must jump to on the way to #2. I don't think you can get it from
said platform - I got it by jumping from the wall.

3-A

1) You know the part where you fall down two levels and get ambushed by two
groups of ninjas + dogs in a row? Well, it's in that area, at the top. You'll
have to wall-run and jump around the perimiter to get to it.

2) This one is somewhat easy to miss. Just make sure you slash every breakable
gray screen in the level and you'll find it.

3) <HARD> Like #2, it's behind a gray screen. This one is in the last area with
the tank.

4) <SUPER> Hanging right next to the platform #1 is sitting on, in that big
three-level room.

3-B

1) After you go up the first big ramp, you'll wall-run around to get to the big
descending ramp to the next room. There are two barrier stones here, and you
can see one right in front of you from the top of the ramp. Hop on the wall to
your right, then hop to the wall next to that stone (go ahead and hit it while
you're here). Now, DON'T JUMP OFF. Stay on this wall and turn around (hit L1 to
make the camera turn around with you). What you need to do from here is jump to
the wall ahead and to your left (it's around the corner of the wall you jumped
to from that ramp). From there, the coin is straight ahead.

2) <HARD> When you first enter the last big room (lots of spiders and webs
here), turn to your right and jump up onto the high ledge. You'll be right next
to the exit. Now, turn around and you should see the coin across the room.

3) <SUPER> Remember that first big ascending ramp? Not the one in the same room
as #1, the one you climbed from the first level to get to the second level.
Well, as soon as you climb it, turn around and jump to get this coin.

4-A

1) Well, giving directions in this level is a pain, but I'll do my best. From
the start, head up and turn right to see the first lava pit. Now, kill the
enemies and progress through the twisting streets to the SECOND lava pit. You
can't see the coin from here, but it's on the right side of that pit from where
you're standing.

2) This one's easy. Right after the second tank, take a left.

3) <HARD> After that second tank, you'll eventually come to a third tank across
two lava pits. This coin is to the left of that second pit, nearest the tank.
Damn coin-hoarding tanks....

4) <SUPER> In the air in the southwest corner of the room where you meet the
second tank (assume the tank is at the north end, next to the exit). Double-
jump to snag it.

4-B

1) As soon as you start the stage, turn around and drop down onto the ledge
below. It's right in front of you, kemosabe.

2) Floating around in the air in the third area (somewhat narrow corridor with
moths and floating-stone barrier at the end). Get on the ledge with the stone
closest to the exit, turn around, and look up.

3) As soon as you enter the fourth area, turn left a little to see a large rock
in the middle of the room, with a small trail at its base. Get on that trail
and follow it around to find coin #3.

4) <HARD> In the first big area with a tank surrounded by moths, turn right as
soon as you enter, and look up. You can jump to it from one of the platforms.

5) <SUPER> The fourth area, where coin #3 is. This is hanging in the air, and
it's one bitch of a jump to grab it. Might want to use Joe so your sword
doesn't eatcha.

5-A

1) The second big room, where you get harrassed by two kinds of flying enemies
and have to circle around the area slashing floating stones. This is directly
left of the entrance, in the air next to a sloping ramp that leads down into
the water.

2) The last big room. Go straight to the first floating stone, turn right and
hop across the collapsed rubble to the second one, then turn around to see the
coin hiding behind the rubble you just hopped on.

3) <HARD> Third area, straight ahead from the entrance. It's right next to a
Makimono.

4) <SUPER> This one is quite unnerving to get. Go to the second-to-last
section, with the big building in the middle where you get ambushed by two
groups of flying asshats. The coin itself is right around the corner to the
left of the entrance - you can see it clear as day if you look back from the
big platform in the center. Well, you can see it if the water level is low.
Yeah, I shit you not. It's actually submerged half the time. Have fun.

6-A

1) After the first large room filled with water, with a narrow raised walkway
in the center and lasers moving up and down, you'll be in a vertical shaft with
a floating stone right in front of you. The coin's at the VERY TOP OF THE ROOM,
to the left of where you enter.

2) <HARD> The last room, look to the center of the right wall when you enter at
the top.

3) <SUPER> At the VERY VERY END, on the platform opposite the exit (where Big
Bubba shows up).

7-A

1) When you get to two barriers and have to fight a bunch of chicks, take the
path to the right. The coin is behind the building here.

2) <HARD> You'd have to be blind to miss this one. In the small room right
before the area with the row of waterfalls you have to jump between, there's a
small pit to your left with a waterfall falling through it. The coin is right
in front of the waterfall.

3) <SUPER> In the aforementioned row of waterfalls room. Look across before you
even start jumping, you'll see the coin. This one's a mite tricky to get if
you aren't proficient at jumping, but it's not too bad.

8-A

1) At the very beginning of the level, above the doorway you start at.

2) On Normal mode, this is the only coin you'll need to use an air combo to
get. In the third area, you'll see two tall towers (sorry, no hobbits or
elves... and no airplanes either). You can jump up to a ledge on the tower in
front of you, and you'll hear some flyers appearing as you do. Look to the
other tower to see them lined up nice and neat for you.

3) In the fourth area, look under the bridge to the exit door.

4) Last section of the stage, there are two big pillars - you have to jump off
of one to get to the exit. The coin is hidden on the left side of the left
pillar, at the very bottom.

5) <HARD> At the beginning, go straight ahead to the roof that first floating
stone is on. To your left the roof narrows out a bit, then turns back towards
the direction of the exit. Now, the coin is UNDER the portion of the roof
between the large main portion with the stone, and the narrow part that leads
back towards the exit. Hell, lemme try this a different way - from the start of
the stage, go straight ahead, jump up and nail that stone. Now, turn left, and
instead of heading across to that narrow portion, fall off this side of the
roof and cling to the wall. If you fell down far enough (careful now), you
should be able to see the coin under that portion.

6) <SUPER> In a room that looks exactly like the first room, but isn't, assume
that the point you enter at is south. The coin is at the bottom southwest
corner of the room, to your left.

8-B

1) In the middle of the stage is a platform-jumping area where you're working
your way up and breaking floating stones on your way. Actually, two platform
jumping sections, one right after the other. The coin is
at the far end of the second section, at the bottom left corner of the wall in
which the exit door is set. You can see it from the last platform before the
exit.

2) <HARD> Soon after that platform jumping section, you'll get to the stage's
first Makimono scroll and start jumping up the wall, eventually reaching a
very Alice in Wonderland-ish part where the room is topsy-turvey. You'll go
through a hole into a section with floating stones, and the barrier ahead and
to the right. Well, as soon as you enter through that hole, the coin is right
above you.

3) <SUPER> At the end of the stage, at the top of the loooooong vertical
platform-jumping section where you meet a Big Bubba in front of the exit, turn
around and look to the right. You can double-jump and dash over to the last
coin. Now, wether you'll be able to beat Hiruko and complete your coin
collection is a different story altogether....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[unlockables]

10 coins: Movie Theater is unlocked in Extras.

20 coins: Art Gallery is unlocked in Extras. The pictures are unlocked
according to the number of stages you've unlocked in Stage Select across the
three difficulty levels (in other words, you won't get the last picture until
you beat Hiruko on Super. Sucker.). Quite lovely artwork, I might add.

30 coins: Moritsune is unlocked.

40 coins: Joe is unlocked.

50 coins: The EX stage is unlocked in Stage Select under Extras (it's after 8-B
in the list). By the way, compared to the hell of beating Super mode, these 9
levels are a joke. And as a reward for collecting all the coins? Puh-leeze.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[grading scale]

I'm only going to say this once: TIME DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR RANK, PERIOD. As for
the things that DO affect your rank...

1) Percentage of enemies killed.

2) Number of Tates performed (I'm not sure if the number of enemies killed in a
single Tate makes any difference towards your points.).

3) Number of attacks needed to kill the boss. Obviously, a one-hit kill will
get you max points in this category. By the way, if you want max boss kill
points for Akagane and Shirogane, wait until they do their combo attack
together, in order to nail them both in one hit.

4) Number of UNUSED Makimono scrolls in your possession upon completing the
stage.

5) No damage. Either you get it or you don't.

An S rank requires 45000 points.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[faqs and misc]

Mailbag

"Sup..

Dude.. i've got a prob with Shinobi :<
I'm at Stage 1-B ....

i'm doing the clining to the wall to get on the other side
(at the beggining of the stage..) then at the onther side ..i thinished the guy
on the wall ...and then i come to a place (roof:P) and i can't jump to the
other side of the roof.... The space betwen the roofs seem to be 2 big:( damn
~~

Plz help.. what do i have 2 do to get on the other side???
(i see a kekai on the right but..can't reach it too ;-[
PLZ help me...

thnx
GiErDAL"

Clining? Is that some super-secret ninja technique I don't know
about? And you didn't just kill the guy on the wall - you THINISHED HIM?!
Egads! Clearly you are the superior ninja, sir. My meek knowledge is
nothing in the shadow of your exemplary ninja know-how. It should be I asking
YOU for guidance, sera. And I entreat ye: please advise me of a virus a la
FOXDIE that can actively seek out and eradicate all the cursed internet kiddies
who have no damn clue how to spell 'please' and 'thanks' or even their own
ridiculously banal names without toggling caps lock on and off a couple hundred
times, and have nothing better to do with their time than to clog up the
inboxes of decent, cohesively-communicating persons. Respond immediately, or
you're thinished.

"I just want to say, your FAQ is pretty good. But on Normal mode, versus
Moritsune, I found him to be very easy. All I did was jump alot, and he hardly
hit me. He just stood there like an idiot. I just kept jumping and stealth
dashing away. And, by the way you make hard and super mode sound, I am using a
codebreaker. And, are you that good as to say you have done the stuff in the
demo of Shinobi? And, on the Hiruko stuff. Your right. This guy is impossible
for me on Normal mode, (I haven't unlocked hard and super modes yet.) My sword
even on the highest possible level, (the red powered one, not the fuschia pink
one) does a miniscule amount of damage to this little punk. It does damage yes,
but about maybe 6 or 7 more of them would have to kill him!!!!! Thank you man,
you have made me consider the following:Codebreaker is the only way of ever
successfully beating him with a chance! Thanx Aaron"

He probably stood there like an idiot because the sight of you hopping around
like a goddamn moron wasn't worth putting up a fight for. Am I that good to do
the stuff in the demo? You mean the gameplay movie shown when you let the game
sit at the title screen? Oh heavens no, there's no way I could possibly do any
of that fancy stuff, even after going into PAINFULLY EXPLICIT DETAIL ABOUT HOW
TO DO IT IN THE FIRST FUCKING SECTION OF THE FAQ. Now, let me get this
straight: I drove myself to the point of near-madness, for an ENTIRE WEEK to
finally put down Hiruko on Super, and then spent TWO MORE WEEKS writing this
FAQ to give something back to the community I've taken so much from in the
past, and you respond to the fruits of my labor by completely disregarding
everything I said about patience and determination and deciding to cheat?

NINJA TESTICLE STRIKE!! Moving on...

"Dear John,
  A thousand thanks for your witty and informative walkthrough for Shinobi. My
name is Eric. I am twenty-nine years old and have been gaming for most of them.
I started out on a system that few people have heard of. While the Bally's
selection of video games was paltry in comparison to the Atari 2600 or even
the Intellivision, the quality was definitely there. Next to the arcade
consoles themselves, Bally put out classics like Space Invaders and Gunfight
better than anyone out there. I've been hooked ever since.
  I had since evolved through a long period of an insatiable, perhaps
psychotic, need to finish whatever game it was that I started. It didn't even
matter if the game was good or not. While many gamers float from title to
title with the lackadaisical whimsy of a drunken butterfly, I would always
focus on one game at a time, burning through the fabric of the game's design by
applying a clumsy but effective path-of-least-resistance approach to that would
get me to those end credits as fast as possible. It's not pretty to watch.
There is no style, no technique. Simply: whatever works, as fast as possible.
  As games branched away from simplicity, and sidequests and little hidden gems
became more prominent, I would often check out the on-line walkthroughs to see
if there was anything I missed. This never felt like necessity, just a little
something I'd do to get my money's worth out of a title.
  Then... Shinobi.
  I had been bingeing, one game after another. Polishing off the PS2 games that
I had, trolling the Internet for Macintosh abandonware, and then renting games.
Renting games is usually a sign that something is wrong. What else would reduce
a grown man to endure the disc skips and stallings a game would commit after
withstanding the gross negligence of a thousand savage, unwashed, uncaring
hands?
  It was just something to kill the time. I've been having a little too much of
it lately. I was an age old fan of the Genesis' Revenge of Shinobi, and wanted
to see how the ol' Ninja was faring now that he grew up to be a big 128 bit
boy. It didn't bother me much that I didn't get to see the further adventures
of Joe Musashi--one cool trained assassin can be just as good as any other. But
it did occur to me, pretty early on that the programmers of the new Shinobi had
never intended the game to be fun. At least not in the conventional sense of
the word.
  I had rented, so I didn't have the benefit of looking at the documentation.
The tate technique, I had mistakenly thought, was just a cool thing to do.
Style, you see. Not the meat and potatoes of going after a boss with everything
you've got. That was right around the time when the slaughter of me had begun.
This game, by its very nature, was subjecting me to abuse. No mere slaps, mind
you. I was being publicly flogged. Full blown punches in my face. Bosses like
Kizami. Hair-trigger reflexes, swords waves that can kill me from clear over
the other side of an ocean, his robotic lackeys frying me with a space war
epic's worth of searing lasers. Fun? It's not even fair. It was the 128 bit
equivalent of totalitarianism.
  I played the first five levels straight the first day. I was hurting, my ego
bleeding. I called up my friend, a fellow gamer, compatriot, army buddy, and
proclaimed to him that I would not relent. That I had all the time in the
world. Like all other games before, The Way would become clear, the Red Sea
would part, and my samurai sword would slice its way through the ass of every
miscreant motherfucker that got in my way.
  Second day, all day, spent getting through two more levels. My progress was
slowing to a worm crawl. Level 8a was making a mockey of everything holy that I
believed in. I knew things could be worse. There was a time when the game
designers would have you start all over again from the beginning if you failed.
But it didn't seem like it mattered. I went back to sleep bruised and bitter.
  On the third day, I got up early, around six. There is nothing else on God's
green earth that would have gotten me up before ten. My mind was clearer, so 8a
went early, a silly nightmare, and 8b was merely a petulant bitch that ruined
an otherwise perfect morning.
  It was around this time that I met a man named Hiruko. You know that's all I
have to say. How could I make anyone understand who hadn't actually experienced
this pixelated Black Plague, this prancing, swishing fucking end to all things
loving. This wall to human understanding, this infinite, oppressive gap between
existence's harshest reality and everything I've ever wanted. Even now I cannot
fathom what could possibly have happened within the warped childhoods of the
game's creators to perpetrate an act of such obvious contempt and psychological
violence on so many well-meaning video consumers.
  If you opted for Japanese voice acting, you were spared a small mercy. "THE
CROWS WILL FEAST UPON YOUR CARCASS." "THE CROWS WILL FEAST UPON YOUR CARCASS."
"THE CROWS WILL FEAST UPON YOUR CARCASS." Again and again. "YOU DON'T KNOW THE
FORCES WITH WHICH YOU ARE DEALING," over and over, like the relentless crashing
of waves on rocks. Soul erosion. "I CALL FORTH THE POWER OF THE HEAVENS." And,
of course, "HAA!" which I've since grown to believe is Japanese for "FUCK YOU!"
  The more my brave little soldier died, the angrier I became. I would require
a nap after hours of this torture. After one of those cycles, I wrote the words
"DON'T QUIT" with a black sharpie on a piece of printer paper and taped it
above my television. This was no longer a game. Hiruko had ceased to be merely
a Final Boss. This was something I hadn't come to terms with in all my years of
gaming. My bete noir. Moby Dick. The white elephant in John Huston's Africa.
  I didn't eat for most of that day, and envisioned myself living in a
perpetual state of austerity until either the game was defeated or I was dead.
But at 8 o'clock that evening, I really wanted a pizza, so I went out and got
one.
  Hunger satisfied, my will was cut in half, and I knew that while I didn't
want to give in, I also didn't want to have my life ruined. This was a goddamn
six dollar and change rental! It wasn't a burning bush, ray of light. It wasn't
even good advice! It was fucking brain candy. Some smoke and mirrors to help me
forget taxes and responsible behavior. I became transfixed between two very
different modes of philosophical outlook: One in which I was meant to take
every single challenge presented before myself to the absolute limit, and one
in which I was supposed to ignore and overcome the idiocies of this world I
didn't create so that I could find happiness in the most simplistic of wonders.
  Wonders won. And I turned on my computer and dial-up access with the intent
not to win... but to cheat. I wanted unfair advantage. I wanted Hiruko
suffering and crying like a girl for her lost doll. I wanted that fascist to
suck the gum from my boots and beg me for death. There was, of course, nothing.
No code, no cheat, no hope of an easy way. Everybody was telling me what I
already knew. Not that I was any amazing study of detail myself, but that's
what's inevitable after banging your head against the same wall a hundred
thousand times. You get to know the character of that wall.
  I came across your walkthrough, and I noticed something quite different from
all the other smug "experts" who sludged their way to the other side of
victory. Humor, honestly. Here was a fellow gamer who wasn't afraid to admit
that this Hiruko chap was HARD TO BEAT. Here's a guy who joined me in cursing
the mothers and fathers that brought those Overlook dregs into existence. Here
was someone who provided something I had been deprived of for those past three
days: empathy.
  Your walkthrough was a welcome breath of fresh air, and I was absolutely
giddy from laughter. But none of it would have been enough to get me to
persevere if you hadn't added those glorious words of encouragement at the end
of the Hiruko section:

"Now listen: If you've come this far, made it all the way through the rest of
the game, YOU CAN WIN. There's no excuse for you to come this far and then wimp
out at the very end, with victory so close at hand. Trust me! HE CAN BE
BEATEN!"

  That really spoke to me. It resonated. And when I woke up the next day, I
felt good--full of hope. I allowed life to creep back in an hour at a time. An
hour doing household chores, reading--an hour fighting pure evil. I got closer,
little by little--my skill improving, the efforts lengthening. "I CALL FORTH
THE FIRES OF HELL!" became "EVERY DAAAAAY I MAKE A POOPY!" I got him down to a
scrap's worth of energy, powered up my sword while he threw a spell at me from
those canted billboard like barriers hanging in thin air. I dashed at him,
leapt up, slashed, and fell to my death. But you know what? I took that weasly
fuck with me, and you know what else? THEY GAVE IT TO ME! They gave me the end
cinema and credits, and the right to go on with my life.
  That said, I must confess that this was all on the Normal level. I know
that's not necessarily what you wanted to hear, but that's the way I play. I
play to see how the game ends. Anybody can make a game harder. A few more
enemies here, less healing there, odds stacked up against you. I'd love to
unlock Musashi, but I'll settle to see a few stills of artwork by replaying the
normal and dipping further into Hard. I truly believe I can beat Hiruko in
Super, but that would be punishment, and I've not done anything wrong.
  This whole experience has opened my eyes. I realize that challenges can not
be chosen lightly. I'm going to hanging up my guns for a spell, perhaps taking
a month or so off, maybe raise some chickens. I have you to thank for the
freedom you've bestowed, for the care you've put into your words on the net. It
was greatly appreciated. Take care. Game on, brother."

Not necessarily what I wanted to hear? Au contraire, monsieur! This is EXACTLY
what I wanted to hear, that I helped someone resist the lure of cheating to
put Hiruko in his place. That's what it's all about, really: the challenge. The
pride. The accomplishment. The game. It's all a game, and wether you win or
lose, when the game's over, the king and the pawns go back into the same box
until the next game.

But I digress. I muse to myself that it must be a rare and wonderful thing for
a first-time FAQ author to receive such a letter of gratitude, and for that,
you have MY gratitude, sera. It would have been a very bitter thing to have
gotten nothing but the fucktard letters like the ones above. It just makes it
all worthwhile, when somebody sees what you've done, and says, "Hey man...
you rock." Especially when that someone is an even more seasoned gamer than I
(you're ten years older than me, sir).

I think this letter will be an inspiration to the next frustrated gamer who
stumbles onto this file, even more so than any paltry words of encouragement
I could come up with. And so it goes. Peace, love and penis to all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[revision history]

1.0 - 12/31/02
First release.

1.1 - 3/20/03
Various changes and corrections are scattered about, including the addition
of a reference to a certain cult classic in the Hiruko boss strat (hint: Tim
Curry). I also received my first batch of letters. Of those I decided to
print, at least ONE got a gracious and courteous response. The rest are here
for the sake of sardonicism, at least until I get sick of reading mail from
inbred asshats. Besides, this thing just isn't offensive enough yet. Cheers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[props]

GameFAQs - You know, for existing.

The other Shinobi FAQ authors - Especially Klonoa7, whose Coin guide served as
a reference when I was writing my own. ;>

Robert Leyhue - AKA The Amazing Sir Bob, for unlocking Dante Must Die mode the
very same day I finally took down Hiruko on Super, and then beating DMD two
days later. Cuz, you know, I never would've done it myself. =p

Chris Rumfelt - I beat Super Hiruko on his PS2. ^^

Patrick Goolsby - ... and Rumfelt's PS2 is hooked up to Patrick's TV... and
they both live(d) with me in MY DORM ROOM. >_<

Both Patrick and Rumfelt - for keeping me on that fine line between sanity and
madness those last few weeks.

Matt Smith - For introducing me to Shinobi on the PS2 in the first place.

Scarlet's Walk by Tori Amos - for providing aural accompaniment to the entire
writing of this guide.

Eric Riviera - For giving me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. I might have to do
this FAQ thing again sometime. ^^

You - for reading this instead of buying some asstastic Prima guide for 15
bucks.



... and remember. Hitler used toilet paper.

Hiruko: "I need TP for my bunghole!" -STAB- -DANCE-
Talismans: "KEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!"

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All contents of this FAQ Copyright (c) 2002-2003 John Duke.
All rights reserved.