Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
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| Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos | |
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| Developer(s) | Tecmo |
| Publisher(s) | Tecmo |
| Designer(s) | S. Sakurazaki Masato Kato (scenario) |
| Platform(s) | NES, PC, Amiga, Virtual Console |
| Release date | JPN April 6, 1990 NA May 1990 EUR October 27, 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | Cartridge, Floppy disk |
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, known in Japan as Ninja Ryūkenden II: Ankoku no Jashinken (忍者龍剣伝II 暗黒の邪神剣? lit. "Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword II: The Demonic Sword of Darkness") and as Shadow Warriors 2 in the PAL region, is the second installment in the Ninja Gaiden trilogy for the Nintendo Entertainment System. A licensed port was later released for DOS-based PCs and Commodore Amiga. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console on October 15th, 2007 in North America.
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[edit] Gameplay
Ninja Gaiden II features the same platformer gameplay as its precedessor, with some extra additions.
Ryu retains his various projectile attacks which consume ninja power:
- Throwing Star (5 points) - the most basic shuriken attack
- Windmill Throwing Star (10 points) - acting as a boomerang, this star flies back and forth across the screen, taking out enemies until returned to Ryu
- The Art of the Fire Wheel (8 points) - tosses a wheel of fire at enemies
- Fire Dragon Balls (8 points) - fires dragon balls below the player at a 45 degree angle
- Invincible Fire Wheel (15 points) - a circling version of the Fire Wheel which renders Ryu invincible. Unlike in the previous game, the wheel can be called at will.
New to this sequel:
- In this episode, Ryu has the power to climb any wall by pressing Up or Down on the control pad. In the previous game, the player could only "stick" to a wall by jumping towards it, but was unable to scale in any direction without jumping to an opposite wall or by using a climbing technique that involved jumping away from the wall and immediately grasping it again.
- The most innovative new feature was the ability to create "split clones" (also referred to as "Phantom Doubles" or "Shadow Clones") where by picking up an item, an orange shadow version of Ryu would constantly follow him, and attack at the same time as Ryu. These clones were immune to damage, and enemies and projectiles would pass through them. If the player stopped moving, the clones would be frozen, regardless of position, being in mid-air or between enemies or objects. In the still phase, the clones performed the projectile or slash attacks of the player. Up to two split clones could be used at any given time. In the adjacent screenshot, the player has jumped to the left of the enemy, while his spirit clone remains in mid-air in Ryu's previous position. Frozen in place, the clone copies the attacks of the player.
- The only game in the original trilogy to have titles to its music tracks. The music played during Stage 3-2, titled The Parasprinter, is, to date, the most remixed Ninja Gaiden BGM.
- For its time, Ninja Gaiden II featured a striking amount of blood and violence, especially considering Nintendo's practice of censorship at the time. Such scenes include the graphic depiction of the dripping blood on Ashtar's sword, the pool of blood expanding from Jaquio, and frequent use of realistic firearms.
- Of all three games in the trilogy, Ninja Gaiden II was the most censored of the three in the SNES compilation. Among them, Jaquio's pool of blood was changed from red to green, and the pentagram on his cloak was edited to look like nothing at all.
[edit] Story
[edit] Plot
The story begins one year after the events of the original game. With the help of a mysterious Special Forces agent named Robert T.S., Ryu Hayabusa learns that Ashtar, a dark wizard, has kidnapped Irene Lew, Ryu’s girlfriend. Ryu pursues Ashtar to his shrine. Once there, Ashtar stabs Irene in the back, laughing as her blood drips from the sword's blade. Ashtar's true intentions are finally revealed; his sword feeds on chaos and hatred, and he plans to use its power to open the gates to the Realm of Chaos, releasing the demonic hordes that reside within. Ryu and Ashtar clash, and after an epic battle, Ashtar falls. With his last breath, Ashtar sends the sword and Irene into the Realm of Chaos. Ryu follows them into the realm.
In the realm, Ryu finds Irene and Jaquio, who was thought to have been killed in the previous game. He has taken the Sword of Chaos, and plans on accomplishing Ashtar's objective, with the added objective of expanding his power by taking in the energy that will be expelled by the opening of the gate. Ryu, intending to prevent this, launches into battle. After another epic fight, Ryu strikes Jaquio down once more. When Jaquio’s blood touches the blade of the Sword of Chaos, the sword fully awakens, and Jaquio is physically revived by the power that flows into him, morphing into a giant monster. After Robert sacrifices his life to buy the hero more time, Ryu summons all the strength he has left to kill Jaquio once and for all.
[edit] Chaos Tribesmen
The Tribesmen of Chaos are loyal servants of Ashtar. Here are the following:
♦ Dando the Cursed
Through the use of alchemy, it is believed that Dando is a transmutated monster made from souls of long dead vikings. Although he is gifted with sheer strengh, it appears that he was not given much intelligence. He endlessly charges at Ryu on sight, only stopping when hitting a wall. He may be considered the lowest rank of the Chaos Tribesmen. The Dragon Sword and bullets from Robert's gun seem more than enough to destroy him. He is found at the Train Station.
♦ Baron Spider
One of the scientists at the Xabil Biological Research Institute was doing research on a new species of tarantula spider, when he was bitten by one. As a result of this bite, the scientist was transformed into a half-human/half-spider mutant. He is able to superhumanly leap gracefully through the air. He can summon and control giant tarantula spiders, just as if they were his own children. It is said that Baron Spider is the Leader of the Chaos Tribesmen. Considering the fact that in defeat, he mentions that the Tribesmen are led by Ashtar, he may be Ashtar's right-hand man. He tries to ambush Ryu at the top of Lahja Mountains.
♦ Funky Dynamite
Funky Dynamite is a lizard creature, which was increased in size by Ashtar's alchemy, and was also given cybernetic limbs and implants. This half lizard/half machine flies endlessly through the air with a jet propulsion pack, and attacks Ryu with shurikens. The creature however, lands upon receiving damage, and retaliates with fire bombs. Despite the fact that the half lizard/half machine hybrid was never given any combat skills, this creature is released as an ambush on Ryu, at the rooftop of the Tower of Lahja. Funky Dynamite is believed to be another Chaos Tribesman.
♦ Naga Sotuva
There is a legend from ancient times, that states that a creature, believed to be a dragon, somehow wandered into the underworld at least 1,000 years ago. It has been said that the creature was influenced by the dark magic of the underworld, and became trapped within the walls of a cave. Perhaps Ashtar lured and trapped the creature on purpose and used alchemy to have water endlessly flow from the dragon's mouth? It is uncertain. In any case, the water dragon is within the ranks of the Chaos Tribesmen. Unable to move, with water mysteriously everflowing from the creature's mouth, the water dragon only attacks Ryu with his huge claws. Naga Sotuva is found living in the walls, within the deep depths of The Maze of Darkness.
[edit] Ryu's Archenemies
♦ Ashtar
The self-proclaimed "Emperor of Darkness". He is responsible for the attack of the Chaos Tribesmen, as well as the disappearance of Irene. He is also owner of the Dark Dragon Blade. There have been many questions surrounding him concerning his role for this episode. It is unclear whether he is acting under his own ambitions, or just a servant to Jaquio, the previous Arch-villian from the last game.
♦ Kelbeross
Though always at Jaquio's side as his loyal pet dog, Kelbeross was once killed, and offered as a sacrifice by his own master, to the evil spirits that Jaquio had pledged his life to. As a result, the soul of Kelbeross returns and takes the form of a pair of creatures, continuing to be a loyal servant, protecting Jaquio.
♦ Jaquio
The self-proclaimed "Evil Demon King", as his title reads in Japanese. Also known as Guardia de Mieux, he intends to gain the power to control the world, this time by using the Dark Sword of Chaos to bring back the demons from the underworld. There has been much confusion and debate concerning who the true evil enemy is, between Ashtar and Jaquio.
[edit] Development
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2008) |
[edit] Reception
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2008) |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos at MobyGames
- Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos at GameFAQs
- Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos speedrun by Jim Hanson at Speed Demos Archive
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