Red Ninja: End of Honor

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Red Ninja: End of Honor

Developer(s) Tranji Studios
Publisher(s) Vivendi Universal Games
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date PlayStation 2
Flag of Japan March 3, 2005
Flag of the United States March 30, 2005
Flag of Europe April 1, 2005
Xbox
Flag of the United States March 29, 2005
Flag of Europe April 1, 2005
Genre(s) Hack n Slash
Rating(s) ESRB: M (Mature)
Media CD
Input methods Gamepad

Red Ninja: End Of Honor is a video game for the Playstation 2 and Xbox platforms it was released in 2005. Red Ninja is a collaboration between Tranji Studios and the Japanese feature-film writer Shinsuke Sato.

Contents

[edit] Story

A young girl's world is destroyed when she and her father are attacked by the deadly Black Lizard Clan, who after witnessing her father's death, is captured and brutally hung with a tetsugen ("iron string", or "wire") and left to die. Miraculously, she survives and is rescued and adopted into a clan where she obtains complete mastery of her adopted weapon, the tetsugen. Pledging her undying loyalty to her new family, Kurenai ("Crimson") now lives to avenge her father's death and will go to any means necessary to destroy the Black Lizard Clan.

[edit] Gameplay

"Red Ninja" employs a third-person perspective with a limited rotable camera. Enemies are dispatched with either the Blade or Fundo (a blunt iron weight) attachment to the Tetsugen. The Tetsugen also has a hook attachment that allows Kurenai to swing to various places. Melee attacks can be performed with either the Blade or Fundo. Stealth attacks are possible when Kurenai sneaks up on an enemy undetected or uses the Blade to slice off an unaware enemy's head from a distance. A seduction stealth kill is also possible to perform on a single enemy: during such an attack, Kurenai will perform a vaguely suggestive activity and when the enemy approaches, will drag him down and kill him. By repeatedly annihilating enemies and avoiding injury, Kurenai can build her Ninjutsu gauge, which allows her to enter a sort of "Bullet Time" in order to more efficiently eliminate enemies. When Kurenai is being chased by three or more enemies while targeting one of them, she can perform a powerful melee attack to annihilate all enemies in range. However, as Kurenai is without armor and significant reach (enemies are armed with bows, spears, or katana), most battle encounters will either injure her seriously or kill her outright. It is best to avoid physical altercations either by sneaking, stealth-killing, or using Kurenai's feminine charm to eliminate threats. Bodies of dead enemies can be dragged in order to conceal Kurenai's presence from the enemy, though only decapitated or de-feeted enemies can be dragged (in other words, Kurenai cannot pick up two separate halves of body to hide them). It should be noted that the game is impossible to complete without killing people.

Kurenai has several different methods of moving. In addition to running, walking, and jumping, she can stealth walk in order to creep up on enemies or move behind low barriers. She will stealth run if an enemy is targeted, unaware of her presence, and she is being made to run. Kurenai can also wall-jump, that is to say jump from surface to surface, up to three times in order to surmount large obstacles. Kurenai can flatten herself against certain walls, cling to ledges, hang upside down from her Tetsugen to kill people, and if she is running fast enough, can zoom straight up walls until she either runs out of momentum or smashes into something. Wall running cannot be done on all walls, and can only be done if Kurenai is running at full speed. If Kurenai is crouching, she can also roll rapidly when the jump button is pressed. When faced with tight, narrow spaces, Kurenai can dislocate her right shoulder in order to go through.

Areas can be navigated by looking at the (anachronistic) sonar circle in the corner. A green circle signifies successful infiltration, while yellow, orange, and red signal caution, alert, and full-out alarm/attack modes. Enemies are represented by arrowheads, with the point of the arrow being their direction of vision. A white X indicates the general direction Kurenai should go in order to complete the mission.

[edit] Characters

Kurenai: The main character. She is a serious young lady who has just come out of ninja training, and as a result sometimes lets her heart rule her actions instead of the ninja code. Her father is the creator of the gun blueprints that she is sent to retrieve.

Master Chiyome: Kurenai's sensei. Dedicated to Lord Shingen Takeda, she is the most accomplished ninja under Lord Takeda's clan. She is stern but also motherly toward Kurenai and Akemi. According to Zenzo, the bond between Master Chiyome and Lord Takeda is stronger than that between Lord Takeda and his wife. Whether this indicates romantic attachment or a close professional relationship, Master Chiyome is nevertheless privy to many of Lord Takeda's plans.

Akemi:Kurenai's friend and fellow ninja. She raises and is responsible for the ninja butterflies that Kurenai can consult throughout the game for tips on using the Tetsugen and ideas on how to navigate certain areas. She is a cheerful girl who follows Kurenai around like a younger sister and occasionally aids her on missions.

Zenzo: Kurenai's fellow ninja and de facto leader of Lord Takeda's ninja after Master Chiyome defects. He is a very traditional ninja but appears to have feelings for Kurenai, as he allows her to rescue Akemi instead of killing her when Akemi falls into enemy hands, and also gives her a tanto (knife) to use in her missions that has been in his family for generations.

Shingen Takeda: Lord of the Takeda clan. He always appears in armor and sitting behind a screen that largely obscures his features. Despite being a large and round man, he is one of the chief warlords in the fight against Nobunaga Oda and strongly supports his ninja. He appears to have a close relationship (could be romantic or professional) with Master Chiyome. He never speaks throughout the course of the game.

Kusoyari Takeda: Son of Lord Shingen Takeda, he speaks for his father during briefings and is never seen without a long-handled fan. He has something of a temper and, Master Chiyome hints, an inferiority complex since he is seen as the weak son of a strong father.

Ginbei: Apprentice to Kurenai's father, and credited as the creator of the gun blueprints after Kurenai's father dies. He is unaware that Kurenai has survived the assault of the Black Lizard clan. Initially appearing as an ineffectual intellectual in heavy glasses, he has a hard and ambitious side.

[edit] Items

Potions: Blue pouches that restore about one-fourth of Kurenai's health.

Elixirs: White objects that restore about three-fourths of Kurenai's health.

Amulets: Red items that keep Kurenai from dying a dishonorable death: in other words, they resurrect her from the dead when they are equipped. Amulets do not work if Kurenai dies by falling down a long hole or some other way where her body cannot be seen at the moment of death.

Blowgun: Given to Kurenai by Akemi on her first mission, the Blowgun's darts can stun an enemy if you shoot him in the face. Or in the arm, or chest; basically, as long as you hit him. A direct hit to the back of the head will kill an enemy instantly.

Kunai: Small knives that can be used to kill or distract enemies.

Smoke Bomb:Self-explanatory.

Hisou: Enchanted feathers that made Kurenai jump higher while turning a slow somersault in the air. Excellent for reaching high places that a wall jump will not take you to, these appear to increase her jump by about 1.5 times its usual height.

Kiton: This will turn Kurenai into a shadowy figure for a brief period of time, as indicated by an onscreen gauge. The invisibility effect is negated if Kurenai is injured or running (she must be walking silently in order to use this item).

Water Spider: These circular shoes allow Kurenai to walk on water in a sort of skating motion. Cumbersome on land.

Telescope: When equipped, it allows Kurenai to view things that are far away.

Maguro: This helps Kurenai focus her ninjutsu. This item cannot be equipped. When discovered, it appears to be directly absorbed into Kurenai's body.

[edit] Trivia

  • "Shingen" is supposed to be pronounced with a hard "g" noise (ex. "SHIN-ghen"). The name is frequently and incorrectly pronounced as "Shinjen" throughout the game.
  • The initial cutscenes shown upon entering a certain area usually hold the key to navigating it.
  • At the end of each level, there is a screen that shows how many times Kurenai has used a certain Tetsugen technique, each technique accompanied with a gauge. The two main Blade and Fundo gauges change the appearance of them while the wire does not. Also the motion animation of Kurenai's attacks will change color from white to orange and finally red depending on how full the gauges are.
  • Kurenai changes costumes during the last third of the game. The new costume is a form-fitting gray suit that appears to be made out of sheet metal.

[edit] External links