Chapter 3 is unique in many respects. First off, it is the only chapter that begins and ends with an FMV (besides chapter 16 which is really a conclusion more than a full-blown chapter). Second, Ryu switches costume from the traditional Ninja garb to a nice contemporary version. Third, the chapter takes place on an airship! That last one really threw me the first time I played through the game. After playing the first two chapters I really thought I was going to play through the entire game in some ancient background setting with swords and magic being the technology highpoint- this chapter changed all that! I will say that although an NG game with a complete traditional background would have been interesting Team Ninja combined these two very different settings pretty seamlessly- another testament to the quality of Itaragi’s vision.
The airship level design is very well done. I especially liked the two revolving staircases and the way they connected the bottom level to the first level and the fore cabin to the middle and aft cabin. The visuals are stunning as you traverse the cable connecting the Middle and Aft Cabins- beneath the clouds you can see distant cities and also mountain ranges (more clearly when lightning lights up the night sky briefly). Ryu collects his first scarabs in this chapter- be sure to find them as you will not be able to return to this area after the chapter ends.
The cut scene that starts Chapter 4 is a great way to showoff Ryu as the badass Ninja that he is. As Ryu lands as the edge of Tairon, a city in Vigoor, you start your adventure in yet another setting- a city. Even from the starting point you can see the clock tower dominates the skyline of Tairon and as with most things in NG, nothing is done without some deliberate focus by Team Ninja.
One of the Kunai scrolls from Ayane hints at blue marks and how they lead to items- the first time through I was completely blind missing all of the blue marks! Incidentally, the tips section in the manual also has this same hint (once again I read the manual thoroughly after I finished the game!). One tip I have here is when you use the blue railing to shimmy towards left on your way to get the Thousand Lives of Gods, always point Ryu towards the Clock Tower as you grab the cable to shimmy across the two buildings- this way, the MSAT guards that arrive don’t fire on you. Also, during this maneuver you will once again see the Clock Tower come into focus in the background- Team Ninja’s subtlety is almost lost to those that don’t pick up on these brilliant visual clues.
I guess I should say a little something about the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Te level of difficulty that this new enemy presents is manageable- where most people get frustrated is the constant incendiary shurikens that are thrown. Your best bet is to keep moving- that means wall run, bird flip, roll- do anything except stay still. Now if they close in and start using their blades use your counter techniques, they are very effective.
The FMV when you finally enter Han’s Bar is nice- you meet the well-endowed Rachel and get a first glimpse of a Fiend. After Rachel flies off in the cut scene Ryu is introduced next to Gamov. He is a peculiar fellow with unknown intentions at this time. If memory serves me correctly I think you also glimpse The Dark Disciple standing on a tower from a distance… but I could be mistaken. Personally, I thought the story in NG was decent even though I know that has been a criticism. For people that enjoy a game the quest for finding more things about the storyline makes it feel more complete- and that’s what I’ve been doing by reading websites, forums, and FAQs to ‘fill in the blanks’.
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