NINJA MISSION Of all the dangerous tasks given to the Ninja, this was to be the most perilouw in their long history. To enter the Temple of Death and regain the glowing idols stolen from the Princess by the Hordes of Darkness would call for all his skills in the art of combat, a fearless and resolute heart and the smile of fortune. Ninja do not disobey the word of nobility, however, so taking up his weapons he makes his way to Tori, to begin the mission.... Mind blowing graphics, stunning playability and a soundtrack to rock to, in the greatest martial arts game of them all--it blows the black belts off all the others. THE HISTORY AND THE LEGEND The Shadow Warriors The origins of Ninjutsu, the least known of all the Japanese martial arts can be traced back over 1000 years. Judo, Karate and Aikido made popular in the West after the second world war, were only introduced to Japan comparatively recently in the last century. The Art was developed in the wooded mountain areas of Japan known as Iga and Koga by isolated family groups who had rejected the civilised world and had elected to live in harmony with nature and to seek total enlightenment through a study of mysticism! Development of Warrior Art The family clans were peace loving, but the knowledge of their existance and way of life displeased the Emperor and his Warlords, it was not permitted in feudal Japan to go against the way of life dictated by the State. The Emperor's troops were dispatched with orders to eliminate the troublesome families, and the resulting centuries long struggle produced the legend of the supernatural Ninja Warriors of Japan. It rapidly became clear that the families would need to defend themselves, as the attacks from the Japanese Warlords were intensified. Training methods for the warriors were developed, concentrating on physical combat, psychological warfare and the use of occult powers. Training was quick and rigorous. The warriors relied on physical tricks, on strategy and cunning, they were adept at camouflage, and the use of fire and explosives in battle. The reputation of the Ninja warriors spread throughout Japan, for their ruthlessness and their lack of scruples in battle. What the enemy would call "deceit, cowardice and treachery" the Ninja would term "strategy, cunning and wit". It was for these reasons that they were shunned by the Samurai who were loyal and "fair" in battle. Weaponry The sword was the main weapon. It had a short flat blade for close range fighting: for medium and long range fighting 2/3 edged blades and spears were used. The use of fire and explosives was widespread and very effective in Japan, where most buildings were constructed from paper and wood. Gradually over the centuries the Ninja families became more and more involved with their reputations as military specialists and less with their lives as mystics. Their methods of physical combat became so admired that they were taught throughout Japan and are still practiced today... Your Mission... For many years the people of the small Japanese village Tambo Machi have lived in fear of the evil tyrant, Akuma. Akuma and his band of ruthless thieves have taken nearly everything of value from the villagers, leaving them scarcely able to survive on what remains. Now the village faces its greatest crisis...Akuma and his men have stolen the "Shichi Nin No Kami", the seven jade idols, which the people had kept hidden for years. The idols are considered priceless because of their mystical powers. The peasants of Tambo Machi have called on you, the greatest Ninja warrior of the land, to help then retrieve the idols. You must enter Akuma's fortress of death, the Shijo, to recover the idols which are scattered throughout the rooms. Armed with your special Ninja weapons, you will battle the guards of the Shijo in order to bring back all the idols and make a safe escape from the Shijo. All of Tambo Machi is counting on you....Good Luck! Loading Instructions Insert Kickstart disk if requested. At request for workbench disk insert program disk. Program will load and run automatically. Game Play Your goal is to bring back all seven jade idols which are scattered through the floors of the Shijo. Each room can be protected by three different kinds of guards. There are karate experts, skilled at hand-to-hand combat, whose kicks can be deadly. You will also face judo experts who have strong punches. Most deadly of all, you will have to battle Akuma's Ninja warriors who will try to defeat you with throwing stars, knives, and skills equal to yours. As you move through the Shijo, you may fight the guards (there may be up to five per room), or escape! You may do this by running to the exits at the sides, jumping up through the holes in the ceiling, or jumping down through holes in the floor. If you choose to fight the guards, you may punch or kick them or throw stars and knives. But you must be careful...with each injury you suffer from the guards, your strength will weaken. Points may be scored by defeating guards and by retrieving idols. With each idol you retrieve, your strength is restored by mystical forces. You must try to obtain all seven statuettes without being destroyed by the guards. You must then make your way safely back to the exit of the Shijo at the bottom, where you began, to return the treasured idols to the villagers, and win the game. The final idol lies in a locked room at the very top of the Shijo. The forces of the idols will open the door for you, buy only once you have six of the seven idols. As you move up through the levels, more points are scored for defeating Ninjas, Thugs and Karatekas than on the lower floors. They are, however considerably harder to kill. Your strength and theirs is shown as a bar at the bottom of the screen. THE MAP --------------- ! Akuma's ! ! Chamber ! -----------------] [-!----------- ! Zashugura ! Takamura ! ! ! ! !---------!--------------------------[ ]---!-------! ! Kanagura ! Kura ! Green Door ! ! ! ! ! !------!-] [-----------!----------------!-----------------!-----! ! Balcony ! Temple ! Entrance Hall ! Red Door ! ! ! ! ! ! !------!--------------!---------------!----------] [-----!-------------!-----! ! Tori in ! Walkway ! Gate ! Shiro ! Shrine ! ! the sea ! ! ! ! ! !----------!----------------!------------------!---------------!--------------! ^ Start Here JOYSTICK CONTROLS Jump Jump Back Jump Foreward Move Back SWORD Move Forward Move 1/2 Move 1/2 step back step forward Duck (pick up star) Joystick Controls WITHOUT trigger -------------------------------- Punch High Draw Sword Kick High Throw Star PUNCH Kick Round House Kick Kick Low Punch Low Joystick controls WITH trigger ------------------------------ Fire button pressed controls assume Ninja is walking right to left. Reserve when he does. Return/Enter begins new game once completed or lost. (Fire on AMIGA). To move upwards, stand under the holes in the ceilings and jump upwards. (You must be exactly under it). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ninja Mission docs brought to you by The Southern Star.