"Ninja Guiden" :) -Emptyeye's Guide to the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy.
V1.0b(6/15/99) (Stupid Notepad to Wordpad Conversion.....)
By "Emptyeye" (emptyeye@juno.com)
This guide appears at www.gamefaqs.com and vgstrategies.about.com.
There are 10 Sections, several of which are divided into subsections.
I: Version History
II: Welcome
III: Differences Between This Guide and Those for the Individual Games
IV: Absolute Basics
V: Ninja Power-Ups: Their Costs and Functions
VI: Ninja Gaiden
A: Boss Strategies
B: Other Difficult Areas
C: Ninja Gaiden Trilogy (NGT) Passwords
VII: Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
A: Changes from Ninja Gaiden
B: New Power-Ups
C: Suggested Maximum Ninja Points
D: Scroll Locations
E: Boss Strategies
F: NGT Passwords
VIII: Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
A: Changes from Ninja Gaiden II
B: New Power-Ups
C: Suggested Maximum Ninja Points
D: Scroll Locations
E: Boss Strategies
F: Other Difficult Areas
G: Unlimited Continues?
H: NGT Passwords
IX: This Guide's Future (A call to arms!)
X: Legal Stuff (Boring but neccessary)
Section I: Version History
V1.0b (Contains all sorts of goodies, though Wordpad conveniently erased my
first draft in the conversion from Notepad...)
Section II: Welcome
Well hello and welcome to my guide for the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy, which I have
cleverly (IMO anyway :P ) titled "Ninja Guiden", as that is in fact how
"Gaiden" is pronounced (A lot of people seem to pronounce it "Gayden"). The
purpose of this guide is to help you get through this very challenging
series of games. If you've already done that, then I guess the purpose
would be for us to compare strategies on bosses. Whatever your reason for
reading this, sit back and enjoy, it's a long document.....
Section III: Differences Between This Guide and My Guides for the
Individual NG Games.
So what do you get from this guide that you can't get from my individual
ones? Let's have a look:
-The most useful feature: PASSWORDS for Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for SNES (To be
refered to henceforth as NGT)! These were provided to me by Ken Gagne
(kgagne@ziplink.net; www.ziplink.net/~kgagne).
-This guide highlights EVERY change I could find from game to game.
-The Basics and Power-Ups sections appear only once; Changes from game to
game have their own sections.
-All in all, this guide treats the Trilogy much more like an actual trilogy,
rather than individual games.
Section IV: Absolute Game Basics
What you need to know to control Ryu and survive in the Ninja Gaiden world.
These are the controls for the FIRST Ninja Gaiden; Any changes to controls
from game to game have their own sections.
Well the Control Pad moves Ryu in whichever direction you press, the A button
jumps, and the B button swings your sword. Simple enough? Obviously you can
combine these functions; i.e. A then B will swing your sword in mid-air.
When on a wall, hold A and then press the control pad away from the wall to
jump off of it. If you do this then quickly press the control pad back TOWARD
the wall (while still holding A), you will climb the wall slightly, if you're
lucky (just kidding..you'll get it with practice.)...doing this repeatedly is
called the quick kick technique and is important in certain places ( I refer
to it as simply 'climbing the wall').
Oh yeah, one last thing: when you have a Ninja Art, pressing Up on the
control pad+B will use that Ninja Art (except for the Jump and Slash).
Section V: Ninja Power-Ups; Their Costs and Functions
Throughout his adventures, Ryu comes upon many interesting Power-Ups. These
are described here. Once again, these are from the first Ninja Gaiden;
Changes from game to game...you know the routine by now.
the cost and appearence of each Power-Up is listed in parantheses next to its
name. A - for cost means that it isn't a Ninja Art.
Blue Point Power Up (-; looks like a blue jar): Adds 500 Points to your
score.
Red Point Power Up (-; looks like a red jar): Adds 1000 Points to your score.
Blue Ninja Power Up (-; looks like a Japanese symbol on a blue background):
Adds 5 Ninja Points to your total (these are used to cast Ninja Arts).
Red Ninja Power Up (-; looks like a Japanese symbol on a red background):
Adds 10 Ninja Points to your total.
Elixir (-; looks like a slim red bottle):Instantly recover 6 bars of energy.
Hourglass (-; looks like...an hourglass): stops enemies for moving for
roughly 5 seconds.
1-Up (-; looks like Ryu's head): Grants an extra life.
Basic Throwing Star (3 Points; looks like a large bluish-purple throwing star
on a pink background): Sends a throwing star straight out.
Windmill Throwing Star (5 Points; looks like a large orange-red throwing star
on a white background): Sends a throwing star out for a short distance, then
it comes back to you! Also cuts right through any enemy that gets in its way
(Save for bosses)...if you dodge it on its return it will whip back and forth
around you until you finally do decide to catch it.
Art of the Fire Wheel (5 Points; looks like a large drop-shaped fireball):
Sends fire at about a 50-60 degree angle diagonally upwards; can do multiple
points of damage to bosses if timed right.
Jump-and-Slash (5 points; looks like a bluish-purple spiral on a pink
background): Oh yeah! Arguably the coolest power-up ever in an NES game, the
jump and slash turns you into an invincible buzz-saw when you use it! To use
it, just Jump and swing your sword when you have it. Quick note: If you hold
down on the control pad, jump STRAIGHT UP (It doesn't seem to work with a
forward or backward leap.), and swing your sword, you won't jump and slash...
just swing your sword normally. This DOES have its uses; it can conserve
Ninja Points for tougher sections for instance.
Invincible Fire Wheel (-; looks like a mass of flame): For approximately
8 seconds, you cannot be hurt by enemies. It's one drawback (But it's a MAJOR
one) is that it cancels out whatever Ninja Art you have at the time. Thus,
after your 8 seconds of immortality, you're left without a Ninja Art (If you
had one in the first place.).
Section VI: Ninja Gaiden
A: Boss Strategies
This section is just what it implies..specific strategies for each of Ninja
Gaiden's bosses. A quick note that this guide assumes you don't have the Jump
& Slash upon arrival at the boss (The obvious easy way to beat bosses in this
game is to arrive with Jump & Slash, run up to the boss, and let it rip. Of
course, if it were REALLY that easy, would you be reading this? :P ).
The best Ninja Art to use on the bosses is listed in parantheses next to
their name.
Barbarian (None)- This boss takes a couple steps, swings his axe (sword?) a
few times, takes a few more steps, and so on. No Ninja Arts needed here, just
walk up to him and wail away with your sword. Take a few steps back when he
gets close to you and wail away some more. Repeat as necessary.
Bomber Head (None)- Basically the same pattern as the Barbarian, save for
three things. First, he advances farther per step than the Barbarian did, so
you'll have to hit him faster than you did the Barbarian. Secondly, Bomber
Head's weapon will hit you if you don't duck down next to him. Lastly, where
he FIRST stops is dependent upon how far into the room you advance at the
start of the battle. Rush into the room near him and use the same strategy on
him as you did the Barbarian, taking those three facts into account.
Basaquer (Windmill Throwing Star/Art of the Fire Wheel)- Much harder than the
first two bosses, and not just because there's no Jump & Slash in all of Act 3
. Basaquer jumps around his room, back and forth, sometimes shooting bullets
when he hits the ground. There are 2 ways to go about this battle. The first
is to stand in the middle of the room and hit Basaquer with the Art of The
Fire Wheel whenever he flies overhead, hitting the bullets with your sword.
The second method involves standing just to the left of the left pile of rocks
in the background, hitting Basaquer with your sword (it has a longer range in
this battle than others, for some reason) when he drops, and hitting the
bullets with the Windmill Throwing Star. Stuck with a sword? Combine the two
strategies, i.e. Stand near that pile of rocks, hit Basaquer with your sword,
and also hit the bullets with your sword.
The Kelbeross (Windmill Throwing Star)- The Kelbeross start on their pedestals
, then hop around the screen, occasionally spitting poison which can be hit
with your sword. To start, run up to the Kelbeross on the right (It's a
fake, but bear with me.) and throw ONE Windmill Throwing Star at it. If
timed correctly, it will die, making this battle MUCH easier. If not, throw
another one. That done, stand underneath one of the pedestals (I prefer the
left one), waiting for the remaining Kelbeross to come near you, and slash it
when it does (You can also use the Windmill Throwing Star if you'd like).
(Thanks go out to John Evans [turboranger@rocketmail.com] For letting me
know that the fake Kelbeross can be destroyed with the Windmill Throwing
Star.) NOTE: Some strange things happen randomly (It may just be my copy of
the game) when you use the Jump & Slash on the wrong Kelbeross at the start
of the battle. One time I did this and had to fight THREE Kelbeross instead
of one. Another time, after doing this and also Jump & Slashing the real
Kelbeross (depriving him of all energy), I had to hit him again with my
sword..weird. If anyone knows about this and would like to help I'd
appreciate it, and I'll give you credit for the contribution..I personally
think it's just poor programming, but anyway...
Bloody Malth (None)- Much like the Barbarian and Bomber Head but again with
two important exceptions. First, he moves both forward and back (and does
so quicker than either the Barbarian or Bomber Head), and secondly,
each of his attacks WILL hit you (don't try jumping, ducking, anything; when
I say they WILL hit you, I MEAN IT) and WILL take three points off your energy
bar per hit (thankfully you get all your energy back before the battle). Use
pretty much the same strategy as you used on Bomber Head but SLASH QUICKLY!
The Masked Devil (Art of the Fire Wheel)- The Masked Devil himself doesn't
attack, he just walks around the bottom of the screen, seeking you out and
going toward your general area. What makes this battle annoying is that what
looks like a clown nose on a face in the wall (Which upon reviewing
further, I found to be a miniature of Jashin; the clown nose is it's heart..
anyway), constantly shoots out fireballs that follow the Masked Devil, thus
preventing you from getting in a clean shot at it. This nose, heart, whatever
you want to call it, is what you must destroy. Throw the Art of the Fire Wheel
at it a few times, then try to climb up the left wall as high as you can.
When The Masked Devil reaches the wall, jump down and onto the RIGHT
pedestal, and continue to throw the Art of the Fire Wheel at it. Then climb
up the RIGHT wall when the Masked Devil comes close. When he reaches the
wall, jump down and onto the middle pedestal, throw some more Fire Wheels at
it, and repeat the above. Stuck without a Ninja Art, or run out of Ninja
Points? Then here's what to do. At the start of the battle, climb onto the
middle pedestal, jump and hit the heart with your sword 4 or 5 times. When
The Masked Devil comes close, revert to the above strategy, substituting
'sword' for 'Art of the Fire Wheel'. A lot easier than I originally thought
it was... A quick note that you get your energy back before this battle and
between these last bosses. (NOTE: Try as you might, you cannot defeat The
Masked Devil himself. I tried Jump-and-Slashing him 3 times in a row...he
didn't die.)
Jaquio (Art of the Fire Wheel)- Jaquio sweeps back and forth at the top of the
screen, periodically shooting heat seeking fire at you. The Art of the Fire
Wheel (Obviously second to the Jump and Slash) is a no-brainer here; just jump
up and throw it at him. Again, bring a lot of Ninja Power to the battle. If
you run out, jump on one of the pedestals and jump up and hit him as he flies
by you. Just don't do this as he's coming toward you, because if Jaquio
himself hits you, you lose three points off your energy bar (the fireballs
take off one point, if you're curious).
Jashin (None)- Jashin doesn't move, he just throws what seem to be little red
scythes at you. The first task is removing his face. Just jump up and slash
at it with your sword (Different from the Jump & Slash, but if you get here
with it from having to redo Act 6 then feel free to use it. Of course I don't
recommend redoing all of Act 6 JUST for 1 Power-Up that you don't really need.
). Eventually it'll fall off and roll over you (don't worry, it only takes off
one energy point). The next target is his tail. Crouch and hit it until it
falls apart (periodically rising to dodge the scythes..they take off 3 points
of your energy bar). Finally, jump up and hit his heart until his energy runs
out. Again, take care to dodge the scythes. Yay! The Ending! :)
(NOTE: People's opinions vary on what "Jashin" is actually called. Some web
sites refer to him as simply "The Demon" [Perhaps "Jashin" is "Demon" in
Japanese?]..Nintendo's NES Atlas called him "Jashin" so I used that.)
B: Other Difficult Areas
Besides the bosses, there are other difficult areas in Ninja Gaiden (I don't
think there's anyone who DIDN'T find Level 6-2 difficult at first). Here I
examine 4 of these areas; Feel free to contribute more.
Late in Level 5-2, there is a ledge you must reach that is below an overhang.
A pit is between them. Nintendo Power Issue 7 (it has Mega Man 2 on the
cover) says to tackle this in a "Z" pattern, i.e. jump on the overhang, jump
down so you're hanging on the platform you were originally on, and from there
jump to your destination. An easier way is to jump off your original platform
and then maneuver Ryu so that he clings to the lower part of your original
footing. From there jump to your destination. Not only do you save a step by
doing this, you also avoid a rather pesky eagle that would ordinarily attack
you.
In section 4 of Level 5-3, you must not hesitate until almost the end of the
section. There are 2 guns each at the beginning of platforms, and if you let
either of them get off a shot, consider that life shot unless you can scroll
it off the screen and try again, not hesitating. Don't worry about the eagle,
the green ninja, the power-ups, anything. Just GO until you see the ladder.
Wait until the machine gun guy goes to just about the edge of the platform,
then jump over him and climb up the ladder.
Ah, Level 6-2...source of nightmares for so many gamers... there are 2
difficult sections in this level. First are those darn flying ninjas that
throw stars at you while you're trying to cross a bottomless pit. Get as
much Ninja Power as you can before this part. Windmill Throwing Star the guy
on the small platform and jump onto it. Jump and hit the first flying ninja
that comes toward you with your sword. Jump up onto the larger platform and
RUN! Don't try to jump up and hit the ninjas, just run! You'll take a hit or
2 from throwing stars but that's fine. Grab that power up toward the end of
the platform. A Jump & Slash! Woo-hoo! Now just Jump & Slash your way through
the rest of the section but DON'T grab the next power-up (It's a Windmill
Throwing Star). You CAN grab the final power-up (It's a Ninja-Point bonus;
Whether Blue or Red escapes me at the moment) in the section.
Later, in section 3 of level 6-2, there is a myriad (that means a lot) of
enemies that attack you, again over bottomless pits. Jump onto the platform
and slash the sword guy, advance SLOWLY, jump over the bat, turn and kill the
green ninja, jump to the next platform, jump over the eagle, duck and kill it,
and STOP. Advance to the right, SLOWLY (That becomes a theme in this part).
You should see a guy scroll himself off the screen. It is now safe to
continue. Jump onto the platform (careful, an eagle attacks you and you have
to kill it while in mid-air; miss and you can consider that life gone.), jump
over the green ninja and proceed to the ladder. Whew!
C: NGT Passwords
Well here they are, passwords for NGT for the SNES. As mentioned earlier,
these were provided to me by Ken Gagne.
Act I LXAYAX
Act II AXXRYA
Act III XYBRLX
Act IV BRABYY
Act V XAYXXL
Act VI RYRLAX
Section VII: Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
A: Changes from Ninja Gaiden
As with any sequel, there were many changes from Ninja Gaiden to its sequel.
Aside from the obvious graphical, musical, length of game, etc. changes,
these were the most publicized:
-No more Jump & Slash.
-Clones were added. These are described further in Section B.
But there was so much more....
-Ryu can now climb ANY wall as he could a ladder (In other words the Quick
Kick isn't as important...it's still good to know how to do though, in case
you get stuck hanging off of a pedestal, for instance).
-Also, Ryu is no longer (necessarily) dead meat when hanging onto a wall. By
pressing B & the direction you want to throw it, you can use Ninja Arts.
-The Art of the Fire Wheel now sends out only 1 ring of fire instead of 3.
-You begin each act with the Basic Throwing Star and 10 Ninja Points. You
do NOT lose Ninja Points when you die, however, you do revert to the Basic
Throwing Star.
-The cost of all Ninja Arts was raised. Basic Throwing Stars now cost 5
Points, Windmill Throwing Stars 10, everything else, 8.
-The Invincible Fire Wheel is now a USABLE NINJA ART! For 15 Ninja Points,
you can have the Fire Wheel whenever you want, assuming you have the
Power-Up. However, it now protects you for only 5 seconds instead of 8.
-You begin the game with a Maximum Ninja Point total of 40, instead of 99.
This total can be increased by grabbing scrolls throughout the game. Scrolls
are another addition by the way.
-The appearence of some Power-Ups has changed; the Elixir now is blue
instead of red. Everything else still looks something like what it looked like
in NG.
-There is a new Ninja Art, the Fire Dragon Balls. This will be further
explained in section B.
-You get a free life every 100,000 points.
-The Hourglass Power-Up has been removed.
-The functions of the Ninja Point Power-Ups have changed; Blue now gives you
10 Points, while Red maxes you out instantly.
-The Point Values of the Jars have Doubled; Red gives you 2000, Blue 1000.
-Eagles no longer hurt more than bullets (Hey I had to throw it in here, it
was one of the most unrealistic aspects of the first NG).
B: New Power-Ups
Descriptions of the new Power-Ups in Ninja Gaiden II.
Clone (-; looks like a red Ryu head): A 'Ninja Double' follows you around,
mimicking your movements. You can have up to 2 at one time.
Fire Dragon Balls (8 Points; looks like a red circle surrounded by flame):
Shoots a fireball at a 45 degree angle diagonally downwards.
Scroll (-; looks like....a scroll): Adds 10 Points to your Maximum Ninja
Point total.
C: Suggested Maximum Ninja Points
Here are the suggested maximum Ninja Points to have when fighting each boss.
(NOTE: This is from personal experience; maximum Ninja Points are increased
by collecting scrolls found throughout the stages of the game; to my
knowledge it is not possible to collect more than this number [without
using Game Genie, etc] at that part of the game.)
Dando the Cursed (Stage 1-2): 040
Baron Spider (Stage 2-3): 050
Funky Dynamite (Stage 3-3): 060 (Sensing a pattern yet?)
Naga Sotuva (Stage 4-3): 070
Ashtar (Stage 5-3): 080
The Kelbeross (Stage 6-3): 090
Jaquio (First Form [Stage 7-3]): 100
Jaquio (Second Form [Stage 7-4]): 110
Jaquio (Third Form [Stage 7-5]): 120
D: Scroll Locations
Locations of Ninja Gaiden II's Maximum Ninja-Point Increasing scrolls.
The numbers indicate: Level (e.g. 3-2), Section of Level
(e.g. 2), Powerup in section (e.g. 6). These numbers are separated by
semi-colons (;). Also, a section of a level is one where horizontal progress
is made. Going up (or down) 2 ladders in a row is not a section, but going
up or down 1 ladder and then going left or right is. Some advice on exactly
how the get each scroll is given in parentheses after the numbers
Scroll #1: 2-2; 2; 2 (Shoot it down with Art of the Fire Wheel)..alternately
same section, powerup 6 (Jump off the wall and hit it with your sword..no you
can't get both at once)
Scroll #2: 3-2; 3; 2 (Just hit it with your sword; there's a platform right
under it)
Scroll #3: 4-1; 2; 4 (It's suspended over fire...to get it, go past it, then
all in one jump, hit it with your sword, get it, and go back onto the platform
. If you lose a life while trying to get it don't worry about it.)
Scroll #4: 5-1; 2; 6 (Same problem as Scroll 3 except you can try to make it
back to the left if you fall in the fire this time.)
Scroll #5: 6-1; 2; 4 (Just Art of the Fire Wheel it down...it's after that
long section where you're hidden)
Scroll #6: 7-1; 2; 2 (Hit it with your sword)
Scroll #7 (Is sometimes a blue Ninja-Power-Up):
7-2; 1; 12 (The second to last one...Art of Fire Wheel it down)
(NOTE: You can get this scroll twice..once between the First and Second Forms
of Jaquio, and again between his second and third forms. Thanks go to Jordan
Davis for pointing this out to me.)
E: Boss Strategies
Boss strategies. Not much more to be said.
Dando the Cursed (none)- This boss basically lumbers toward you, smashing into
the wall now and again. To beat him, run in, hit him with your sword 5 or 6
times, then climb up the left wall. Just before he slams into it, jump behind
him, hit him another 5 or 6 times, then climb the right wall. Again, just
before he hits the wall, jump down behind him and hit him. Repeat as
necessary.
Baron Spider (Art of the Fire Wheel or Fire Dragon Balls)- This is a more
difficult battle than the first boss because of 2 things (well 3): First,
the wind, combined with being hit, can knock you into a pit if you aren't
careful. Secondly, whenever you climb up onto his platform to hit him, he
jumps off. Lastly, the spiders he throws out are very annoying. To beat him
(If you have the Art of the Fire Wheel), throw Fire wheels at him until you
run out of Ninja Power. Then climb the wall, being careful to avoid his
spiders (An inch or 2 up the wall is a safe spot), jump on to his platform
and hit him a couple of times. He'll jump off. Follow him and hit him some
more. He'll jump back on the platform. Repeat the process until he dies.
Alternately, if you have Fire Dragon Balls, climb to the very top
of the wall. He'll jump off the platform. Climb down the wall to about
platform height. Maneuver your clones there by moving slightly up and down the
wall. If you have full Ninja Power and 2 clones, Fire Dragon Ball him until he
dies. Note that you'll take a few hits from Baron's spiders while you maneuver
yourself into position, but unless you have 3 or less for energy when you
arrive, it shouldn't matter.
Funky Dynamite (Art of the Fire Wheel)- He hovers around the top of the screen
throwing bullets at you, until you hit him, then he come down briefly, shoots
up 4 fireballs in much the same pattern as Baron Spider's spiders, goes back
up, and repeats. Again, shoot the Art of the Fire Wheel at him (when he's
in the air, and only then) until you run out. When you do, climb on one of
the pedestals, jump at him, and hit him. Again, if you have clones, it's
possible to position them so that throwing the Art of the Fire Wheel at him
enough times will kill him if you have full Ninja Power. It's also possible to
position one (clone) in the air to hit him so he comes down, then leave the
clone there (don't move!) so he'll hit Dynamite again when he tries to go
back up. You can also kill him this way. In fact if you have 2 clones and
full Ninja Power (and the Art of the Fire Wheel) do this: Jump onto the right
pedestal and jump up continually until Funky Dynamite comes close to you. When
he does, throw the Art of the Fire Wheel at him. Wait until he begins to rise,
then throw it again. Repeat until victory is yours.
Naga Sotuva (Art of the Fire Wheel [another pattern])- Naga himself doesn't
actually attack you. Two claws, one from each side, alternate sweeping the
platforms near Naga's head, his only vulnerable point. Again, with the Art
of the Fire Wheel and two clones, it's easy work. Drop to the lower level with
the water rushing along it. Go to its left side but DON'T drop off the cliff.
Continually adjusting to keep Ryu on the ledge- this puts his clones very
close to him- give him the Fire Wheel until he dies. Again with full Ninja
Power and the aforementioned 2 clones he'll die, but if you want to be sure
of this, jump up before throwing the Fire Wheels. Also make sure the hands
aren't in the way when you throw them. Even without clones do
this if you have the Fire Wheel. However, without clones you probably won't
kill Naga. So here's another strategy. Watch the claw to see which ledge it
sweeps first (it alternates). Go to the OTHER ledge, staying on the outer side
of it. Hit the face with your sword two or three times, then go to the other
ledge, hit him another couple of times, and so on until he dies.
Ashtar (Art of the Fire Wheel)- Ashtar appears and disappears at will,
shooting fireballs in 8 directions and having them come back to him.
As usual the Art of the Fire Wheel will take him out with 2 clones, but
because of his appearing and disappearing it's a bit harder. To start, attach
yourself to the very bottom of the right wall until his fireballs go out. Then
rush in, Fire Wheel 2 or 3 times, and reattach yourself to the wall. Ashtar is
only vulnerable briefly each time he appears. Repeat this until he dies or you
run out of Ninja Power. If faced with the latter situation, do what you would
if you had the Fire Wheel, but jump and attack him with your sword once or
twice instead of using the Art of the Fire Wheel. He'll die either way.
The Kelbeross (Windmill Throwing Star)- If you've fought these guys in the
first Ninja Gaiden, you'll know what to expect; the only difference is their
starting point (and the fact that there's no Jump and Slash to save your neck)
. If not, here's what to expect- The Kelbeross appear out the wall and take
short hops around the room, occasionally spitting out poison that can be hit
with your sword. The catch is that only one will lose energy off of the energy
bar if you hit it (it's the one on the right when you first walk in). The
safest place in the room seems to be near the right pedestal, though it
isn't guaranteed that you won't get hit. The Windmill Throwing Star shines in
this battle, mostly because you can use it to see which is the real Kelbeross
(the fake one moves back after being hit with it). Just stay near the
pedestal, striking with the Windmill Star and your sword, hitting what poison
comes toward you, and victory will be yours. An easier way to do this,
however, is to climb up on the right wall and strike with the Windmill
Throwing Star when the Kelbeross first come out. Wait patiently for that right
Kelbeross to come back close to you. While waiting, maneuver your 2 clones
close to you (using the method described under Baron Spider). When he finally
comes back near you, unload Windmill Stars on him for all you're worth.
The problem with this method, though, is that you'll take 3 to 5 hits while
waiting for the Kelbeross to return (Besides the fact you need two clones to
make it foolproof).
(NOTE: Jin Taninnver [DemonGouku@aol.com] Informed me of something I'd heard
about [I believe it was in the NG II Strategy Guide], but never really used
in this battle. He said the following [And I quote]: "It was said that if
you get the invincible dog in front of one of the doors (i believe the left)
and hit it with a ninja art, you'll knock it out the door, gone forever."
My response to this is: I remember hearing this too (except as I remember it,
you had to use the Windmill Throwing Star) but you'd have to be kind of
patient in order to be able to line up said Kelbeross in order to knock it
out of the room. And if you have the energy to do that, you probably also
have the energy to use the above strategy. Not only that but you're probably
also good enough to beat them without it if you can afford to spend time
waiting around for a Kelbeross to come to you without the immediate intention
of winning the battle....)
Jaquio's First Form (Windmill Throwing Star)- This is in my opinion the
hardest boss in the game. Jaquio moves in a pattern similar (but not
identical) to his Ninja Gaiden 1 strategy. He randomly swoops around the room,
throwing fireballs that go where you're standing (or clinging to if you're on
the wall). Windmill Throwing Stars from the wall seem to be the best attack
against him. Use the same attack method you used on the Kelbeross, but don't
stay on the wall. The reason for getting off the wall is that if you don't,
then his flames will hit you no matter what. Also, Jaquio moves MUCH quicker
than the Kelbeross, so you'll only be able to hit him once or (at most) twice,
and he won't be in the same place near the wall twice in a row. There is no
true "safe spot" in the room, but Jaquio himself can't hit you if you hang on
the wall (but as I said, don't stay there). To hit him (assuming no Windmill
Stars, you've run out of Ninja Power, etc.), wait until he comes right next to
you while you hang on the wall, then jump off and strike at his face with your
sword. It takes awhile, but as long as you stay clear of his fireballs and
repeat this pattern, you can win. You WILL get hit, probably 6 or so times,
in this battle. Don't worry about it.
Jaquio's Second Form (None)- But you're not done yet. Now Jaquio becomes a
huge face in the wall. Acid continually drops from the ceiling, and the face
rhythmically spits fire at you. You don't really need any Ninja Arts for this
battle; just jump up and strike at his face once, jump the fire, and take care
to avoid the acid falling from the ceiling (It helps if you stay as close to
the face as possible, believe it or not).It's possible to position a clone to
repeatedly strike at the face, but because you're constantly dodging acid,
it's really more trouble than it's worth. Repeat the pattern, and prepare to
face...
(NOTE: Purposely losing this battle the first time may not be a bad idea,
because you can then go get the mysterious 7th scroll mentioned in Sections
II and III)
Jaquio's Third Form (Windmill Throwing Star)- You have to deal with several
attacks in this battle. Hands sweep the bottom of the screen. In addition,
Jaquio shoots streams of fire from his mouth (again in a rhythm). When you
defeat his face, his body starts erupting scythes or something, and you have
to kill his heart. Luckily his face isn't that hard. There are 2 options if
you have clones. The first is waiting for him to fire off his first stream
of fire (duck at the lower left hand corner of the screen), jumping up and
hitting his face once, ducking back down at the lower corner of the screen
(facing left), and having the second clone (it only works if there are two)
swing his sword until he dies. The other option (which works even without
clones) is to throw ONE (or at most two) Windmill Throwing Star at it. Then it
dies. If neither of these are an option to you, just repeat the pattern for
using clones, but after every stream of fire (assuming the hands aren't gonna
get you), come back out and hit him again. Repeat until is heart is exposed.
Then just run in, jump and strike it until he dies, using up whatever left
over Ninja Power you have for Windmill Throwing Stars. If you're low on energy
dodge the scythes as well; just wait as long as you can before moving because
they follow you around.
Congratulations! You've won! And with no help. :)
(NOTE: Again, losing this battle once on purpose may not be a bad idea because
you can re-grab the 7th scroll mentioned in Sections II and III)
(2 Notes on Jaquio: First, if you die and go back through Stage 7-2, you get
to start on whatever form you were on when you died, though he'll have full
energy again. For example if you get to his third form and then die, you can
start back at that third form when you get through stage 7-2. Secondly,
I asked about how well the Art of the Fire Wheel works on Jaquio, and got two
responses. The first, from Jordan Davis (jmd4833@osfmail.isc.rit.edu), said
that it worked like most Ninja Arts- only taking off one point per Fire Wheel,
thus it was the clones that made the difference in the battle. The second,
from Ripvile (fridrikf@simi.is), basically said this: against the first form
it works okay, but it's fairly hard to get a hit in because of Jaquio's
constant movement. It works GREAT on the second form, especially with clones.
It works well on the face portion of the third form, and on his heart as well
(again with clones) because correctly placed clones will allow their Fire
Wheels to destroy most of the scythes. I realize these are two fairly
contradictory statements, so I'd have to say to combine the two to come up
with a good answer, i.e. it works well on any form with clones, and great on
the second even without them. Thanks guys!
F: NGT Passwords
Once again, passwords for NGT, provided to me by Ken Gagne.
Act I AABXYR
Act II AXXRYA
Act III XYBRLX
Act IV BRABYY
Act V XAYXXL
Act VI RYRLAX
Section VIII: Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
A: Changes from Ninja Gaiden II
As with its predecessor, there were many changes from NG II to NG III.
The most publicized were these:
-You no longer have unlimited continues to finish the game. You get FIVE.
(I think...I'll talk about this more a little later)
-No more clones.
Ryu can now hang onto ceilings or what not, just by jumping onto them.
-Another new Power-up (AN EXTENSION FOR YOUR NORMAL SWORD!!! WOOOOO!!! Sorry
I got a little out of control there :P), the Super Sword. Described in
Section B.
But there's a lot more.
-You begin each life and Act with the Windmill Throwing Star, and 10 Ninja
Points. You revert to these amounts whenever you die.
-The Basic Throwing Star has been removed entirely.
-You no longer get time back when going from stage to stage. Including
bosses. Including those with cinema scenes. This becomes a problem toward
the end of the game.
-This game sports something called the "Overdamage Problem", as The Ninja
Gaiden Homepage (www.classicgaming.com/ninjagaiden/frames.html) calls it.
Basically the weakest of enemies now take off TWO points instead of one, and
spikes take off SIX! (Note to NGT players: Remember the ones gameplay
difference I mentioned way back at the beginning of this guide? Well here
it is. You do not have the Overdamage Problem [It's been corrected, I guess
you could say]. You lucky...um...let's continue.)
-You go all the way back to the beginning of a stage whenever you die.
Continue and go back to the beginning of the ACT.
-Individual sections of stages are now lettered. I don't really know why
since you go back to the beginning of a stage when you die....
-Ryu seems to fall (Rather than running) into a lot of the boss battles.
Normally I wouldn't mention this but it seems to slow down your attack on
the bosses.
-A new Power-Up, the Up & Down, has been added. This will be covered more in
Section B.
-The Invincible Fire Wheel has been further weakened. It now costs 20 Ninja
Points, and lasts a little more than 4 seconds.
-The Power-Ups themselves are now round instead of square, and you can see
what they are in advance of hitting them.
-All of the Non-Ninja Art Power-Ups are worth 1000 points.
-You no longer get free lives every 100000 points.
-The Invincible Fire Wheel Power-Up now looks much more like the wheel of
fire it's supposed to be.
B: New Power-Ups.
The new Power-Ups put into Ninja Gaiden III.
Up & Down (10 Points; looks like a diamond; the top half is white and the
bottom half is orange): Two blades, one going up, the other down, fly
vertically for a short distance, then cross each other twice before
disappearing. Much more useful than I've made it sound.
Super Sword (-; looks like...a sword): Gives Ryu a Strider-like extension on
his sword, thereby doubling its range.
C: Suggested Maximum Ninja Points
You know the routine by now....from here on in no explanations will be
given for the sections themselves. I think I missed a scroll however...if
you know where E-mail me and I'll give you credit for finding it.
Mantis Warrior (Stage 1-2A): 040
Night Diver (Stage 2-3A): 050
Great Koganei (Stage 3-3A): 060
Sandeater (Stage 4-3A): 070
Ryu's Doppelganger(NOT a Bio-Noid; Details in Section E) (First Form [Stage
5-3A]): 070
Ryu's Doppelganger(NOT the Foster Bio-Noid; Details in Section E) (Second
Form [Stage 6-3A]): 080
Clancy (First Form [Stage 7-4A]): 090
Clancy (Second Form [Stage 7-5A]): 100
Clancy (Third Form [Stage 7-6A]): 110
D: Scroll Locations
Scroll #1: 2-2C; 4 (Climb up the left wall and hit it with your sword)
Scroll #2: 3-2C; 4 (It's the fourth one up, but actually the fifth one you'll
grab. You have to climb up to the platform above it, kill all the enemies,
then climb back down the left wall, kill the enemy, and finally hit the scroll
with your sword)
Scroll #3: 4-1A; 8 (Just hit it with your sword)
Scroll #4: 6-2A; 3 (Use the Up & Down on the brain-thing above you, climb
up the right wall, kill the enemy on the left platform, jump the gap and
hit the scroll with your sword)
Scroll #5: 7-3B; 4 (You're on crumbling platforms so there isn't much you
can do other than hit it with your sword on the fly)
(NOTE: You can get scroll 5 three times. Once before fighting Clancy, another
in between the First and Second forms of Clancy, and a third between Clancy's
Second Form and the War Droid)
E: Boss Strategies
Mantis Warrior (none)- This boss takes a few steps, throw three flames onto
the ground, takes a few more steps, throws more fire, and so on. He can only
be hurt when he is throwing the fire, but there is a delay between flames.
Just run in and wail away with your sword, jumping over the flames when he
throws them. You may have to move back when he advances as well.
Night Diver (none)- Night Diver flies around in what is more or less a
figure-8 pattern, stopping to throw Fire Dragon balls straight down at you.
Just hit him with your sword when possible, especially when he's low and
throwing fire, and try not to get caught under him. Using the platforms in
the rooms can help you get height to hit him as well.The Art of the Fire Wheel
is useful for when he flies high but it's really not necessary (you don't
have enough Ninja Points for more than six hits at the most).
Great Koganei (Art of the Fire Wheel)- The Great Koganei do somersaults
around their room. Every three somersaults, they stop for a moment to throw
Mindmill Throwing Stars at you. However, only one of them can be injured
(It's the one on the right when you first walk in). To beat this boss, when
you walk in, get whatever blows you can in before they stop somersaulting,
making sure you end up between the two monsters. As they begin to throw their
stars, jump over to the right. Wait for the vulnerable one to jump onto
the platform (If you'd like you can pursue him, getting in more hits with
your sword), and when he does, unload the Art of the Fire Wheel on him. From
here, you have 2 options. Either try to loop around to the right again (This
puts you away from the vulnerable one), or take a hit or 2 and deliver the
remaining blows as it jumps around one more time.
The Sandeater (none)- This boss walks around for a time, then disappears into
the ground. After throwing the Art of the Fire Wheel at you 5 times, he will
pop up wherever you're standing. He will then repaet the pattern. As soon
as you walk in, get near the left platform. As he comes up, jump up and hit
him. Repeat this until he drops down, when you should hit him as much as you
can, retreating a bit whenever it looks like he will hit you. Using this, you
should be able to get in 7-8 hits before he dives underground (The most I've
ever done is 10). Then, climb up to the center platform. After the fifth Fire
Wheel, jump down, wait for Sandeater to follow, ad strike the remaining blows.
The Ryu Doppelganger's First Form (Art of the Fire Wheel)- The Ryu
Doppelganger throws Mindmill Throwing Stars and jumps high into the air twice.
He then jumps to the other side of the room, throwing Fire Dragon Balls
straight down. He then repeats this. Not much to say here, other than jump
the Stars and hit him with your sword when you can. The Art of the Fire Wheel
is handy because you can hit him whenever he jumps into the air. It's fairly
difficult to hit him otherwise because you basically have to wait until he's
done jumping across the room before you can pursue him.
(NOTE: You may have read that this is "The Ryu Bio-Noid". It's not. If you
watch the cinema that plays right before you fight it, Foster talks about
using Ryu's life energy to make a "Superior Bio-Noid". Foster does not have
that life energy yet. No life energy = no Bio-Noid. Got it? If not stop
reading now, as the next one is more difficult to explain.... :)
The Ryu Doppelganger's Second Form (Up & Down)- He shoots a fireball,
charges the wall, and repeats. Easy, right? Not quite, because of a couple of
things. First, the battle takes place in what is essentially quicksand. Sink
too far, and you die. Secondly, the boss cannot be hurt while he is charging
you. Lastly and most annoyingly, every time he hits the wall, Goblin Eyes
fall from the ceiling. The basic strategy is this: climb whatever wall the
Doppelganger is about to charge into. Just before he hits, jump down and
strike at his back. If you think you'll be hit by a Goblin Eye, Up & Down it.
After striking the Doppleganger 3-4 times, climb the opposite wall. Repeat
the pattern until victory is yours.
(NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE FOSTER BIO-NOID. DO NOT E-mail me about this. "Gimme
proof", you say. Fine. The following comes from the Ninja Gaiden Homepage,
whose url I mentioned earlier. AND I QUOTE: "[And yes, it is the Doppelganger.
This did not become obvious to me until I played through the Japanese version.
I know this because in the Japanese version, the doppelganger always refers
to Ryu as 'Original,' and does so in the second person. Foster never does
this. And in the very first line that the Act VI boss says, he calls Ryu the
'Original.' He also makes a reference to their previous fight, and Foster
never actually fought with Ryu. Case closed. It's not up for debate, the
facts are in.]" A quick note that none of this is mentioned in the U.S.
version of the game. Don't go looking for it, it isn't there.)
Before moving on to the final bosses, let me say this: when you first get
to Level 7-3A (With the spikes)....DIE! I know what you're thinking. You're
thinking, "But Emptyeye! The whole reason I'm reading this guide is so I
DON'T die! WHY HAVE YOU TURNED ON ME?!?" Calm down, there's a good reason.
You get 250 seconds of game time per life. This time is NOT replenished
between stages, not even for bosses. That said, if you try to get through 7-2
and 7-3 (Or even all of Act 7 if you're that good, which even I'm usually
not) on one life, you'll get to the boss with at most 5 seconds on the clock.
Try beating 3 bosses in 5 seconds (Without cheating devices that is). Let me
know how well you do. Got it? Okay. Let's move on. (Note to NGT players:
this problem is NOT corrected in your version of the game. Ken Gagne had his
time run out on him as he was getting through Stage 7-3 from 7-1.)
Clancy's First Form (Art of the Fire Wheel)- Clancy hovers around the room,
throwing fireballs at you. The annoying part of this battle comes when you
actually hit him--he sends down 3 bolts of lightning directed at where
you're standing. You have to run from these bolts, but sometimes they hit you
ANYWAY (It's not your fault...I think it was bad programming myself). Hit
Clancy 3 or 4 times (preferably with the Art of the Fire Wheel; it's quicker)
, then run around (preferably in one direction). Repeat this until you claim
victory (Note: after running out of Fire Wheels, you'll only be able to get
in one or two hits before the lightning comes crashing down).
Clancy's Second Form (Art of the Fire Wheel)- Clancy is now a face in the
center of the wall. His attack is basically that he summon 5 fireballs up
from the ground to his right (your left) hand. He then releases these in one
larger heat-seeking fireball that can be avoided easily enough by running
toward the hand from which it's released. Clancy will then summon the fire to
his LEFT (your right) hand, and repeat the pattern. Basically just whip the
Art of the Fire Wheel at him, dodging the rising fire and running away from
the heat-seeking fireballs. When you run out, jump up at his face and hit him
another couple of times per summon/release. Rejoice about your victory--then
prepare for a fight with...
(NOTE: Depending on how good you are at Act 7--7-3 in particular--you may
want to lose this battle on purpose the first time so you can recollect
the scroll in level 7-3. Be aware, though, that losing all your lives
sends you back to the beginning of the act!)
The War Droid (Windmill Throwing Star)- Several attacks come into play here.
The first you will see is that the Droid moves back and forth toward and away
from you. It also fires a wave beam from its lower gun, and has a reflecting
laser it can fire from one of its other turrets. You'll see a red orb in the
Droid's center but ignore it for now. What you want to focus on is the
different colored panel above the orb. Hit it with your Windmill Throwing
Star. You'll get at least 2--and sometimes 3--hits per Star each time. If you
don't have Windmill Throwing Stars just whack it with your sword.
After the panel goes down, 2 cannons on the Droid will fire beams at you (The
previous attacks have been disabled). NOW you can work on the red orb. Stay
between the beams, jumping and striking the orb with your sword, until that
too goes down. Then watch the (Rather illogical, as the Ninja Gaiden Homepage
points out) ending! Woo-hoo! :)
(NOTE: Again, losing this battle on purpose the first time may not be a bad
idea, because you can go back and get that 7-3 scroll a third time [Besides
the fact that you'll have the Art of the Fire Wheel the first time, if you
followed this guide!])
F: Other Difficult Areas
Level 7-1: This level is annoying in that you are constantly being blown
to the right. This would be good except that progress is made by going to
the LEFT. Go left until you come to the first platform (For this, as well
as the rest of the level and future walkthroughs, it will be assumed that
you kill enemies not mentioned with your sword). Walk just about to the edge
and kill the robot that comes toward you. Jump to the next platform. Kill
the guy in back of you. Jump over the fireballs that come toward you, kill
the robot that shoots them, and turn and kill the back guy. Get the Fire
Dragon Balls and grab onto the platform to your left (DO NOT jump on top
of it, at least not yet.). Proceed to your left slightly, then use a Fire
Dragon Ball; when timed correctly, it will take out both of the enemies that
are under you. Now you can--in between fireballs--jump up and take out the
enemy above you. Fall onto the next platform (DO NOT jump..you're far above
it, so you can just fall onto it) and jump and kill the guy who comes
running toward you. Jump onto the next platform, kill the guy in back, then
take out the one in front. Proceed until the Fire Dragon Balls, at which
point you should activate the Invincible Fire Wheel (Which you should have
grabbed earlier) and run until you come to the Windmill Throwing Star. After
the Fire Wheel runs out, grab the Windmill Star and go as far as you can to
the left (Without actually jumping off the platform) and use the Windmill
Star--you should be able to take out 2 enemies at once. Jump to the platform,
kill the guy in back of you, and proceed to the end of the level, ignoring
the final swooping enemy.
G: Unlimited Continues?
I came across something weird one day as I was playing through this game.
Normally you only get 5 continues, but I MAY have found an unlimited continue
code... I sadly am VERY hazy about the details but I think this is how it
"Went down", so to speak....
Basically, I was trying to find a sound test (There is none, as it turns out,
according to The Ninja Gaiden Homepage [Geez it's getting a lot of exposure
thanks to this guide! :) ] ). Finding none, I played the game to Act 4, then
turned it off. I played again from the beginning later that day, got to Act 5,
and when I got Game Over, saw that the '0' in '05' had been replaced by a
Japanese symbol! I got to Act 7 before giving up (What can I say, it was an
off day... :P ) and being down to 2 continues--and the weird Japanese symbol
was still there! Curious, I decided to try jumping off a pit in the beginning
of Act 7 a few times to see what would happen. Well, after 5 continues, I was
STILL continuing from Act 7! I tried again, and encountered (after once again
losing all my lives):
GAME OVER
'9
And I was still on Act 7. I turned it off (As I said, it was an off day). I
tried to duplicate the feat but couldn't. I then E-mailed Tecmo of America
(The makers of Ninja Gaiden III) and some other people (Including the author
of the Ninja Gaiden Homepage) about this, and got no response. If anyone
knows anything about this--even if it was just a once-in-a-lifetime glitch in
the game--please, PLEASE E-mail me about this! I can beat the game without
continuing now (Not to brag or anything, just don't worry about crushing my
spirits :) ), so I won't care if it IS just a bug. But I must know what
happened! As usual, you will get credit for whatever you say.
H: NGT Passwords
Act I BYRLXA
Act II ARRYAL
Act III LBRYLY
Act IV RRBAYX
Act V YABXRX
Act VI BXXAXY
Act VII XRXYYL
Section IX: This Guide's Future
Well, there's the end of all the strategy. If you have any difficult areas
you need help with, E-mail me. Alternate Boss Strategies? E-mail those too.
I'll give credit to you and everything. :) Oh well, have fun with this,
later...
-Marc
Section X: Legal Stuff.
Oh man...okay. If you wanna use this guide or whatever, fine. Just let me
know what you want to do with it. There are basically 2 things I WON'T let
you do, and these are 1. Say you wrote it, and 2. Sell it for money. Other
than that, whatever you wanna do with it, it'll be fine with me, just ask
my permission first. Sources...okay: Instructions for each of the 3 games;
Nintendo Power Issues 5-7, 15, and 27; my own playing; Lance Steele's Ninja
Gaiden Tribute; The Ninja Gaiden Homepage; Ken Gagne; Ripvile; John Evans;
and anyone else I may have forgotten :)
