********* Welcome to Project 64! The goal of Project 64 is to preserve Commodore 64 related documents in electronic text format that might otherwise cease to exist with the rapid advancement of computer technology and declining interest in 8- bit computers on the part of the general population. Extensive efforts were made to preserve the contents of the original document. However, certain portions, such as diagrams, program listings, and indexes may have been either altered or sacrificed due to the limitations of plain vanilla text. Diagrams may have been eliminated where ASCII-art was not feasible. Program listings may be missing display codes where substitutions were not possible. Tables of contents and indexes may have been changed from page number references to section number references. Please accept our apologies for these limitations, alterations, and possible omissions. Document names are limited to the 8.3 file convention of DOS. The first characters of the file name are an abbreviation of the original document name. The version number of the etext follows next. After that a letter may appear to indicate the particular source of the document. Finally, the document is given a .TXT extension. The author(s) of the original document and members of Project 64 make no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this material for any purpose. This etext is provided "as-is". Please refer to the warantee of the original document, if any, that may included in this etext. No other warantees, express or implied, are made to you as to the etext or any medium it may be on. Neither the author(s) nor the members of Project 64 will assume liability for damages either from the direct or indirect use of this etext or from the distribution of or modification to this etext. Therefore if you read this document or use the information herein you do so at your own risk. ********* The Project 64 etext of ~The Last Ninja Instructions~, converted to etext by Stefan Wolff . LNINJA10.TXT, November 1997, etext #334# Note from the etexter: I've intentionally left some of the funnier spelly faults in the manual.. (Ben "Dagleash" being one of them) On the other hand, if a word such as "those" if misspelled, it's probably my fault... ********* THE LAST NINJA INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMMODORE 64 CASSETTE & DISK SYSTEM 3 THE FUTURE System 3 Software are creating a new era in home and personal computer entertainment software by combining the excitement of dynamic arcade action, breathtaking detailed graphics, thrilling original music and adventure style puzzles and problems into one great interactive action fantasy. The first in this long line of games is The Last Ninja, where you take on the character of the last of the invisible warriors out to wreak a terrible revenge and regain the foundation of your brotherhood. We hope that you get as much enjoyment from playing this exciting new product as we have had in creating it for you and we look forward to entertaining you in the future. Mark Cale Tim Best THE LAST NINJA After two hundred years of Fujiwara Clan rule, whose lifestyle was the most extravagant of any Shogunate, the farmers and common men decided to leave their homes and travel to the Togakure mountains where they established the Ninjutsu, The Mystic Shadow Warriors. Four centuries later the Ninjutsu had become the most feared warriors of their day, feared by even the powerful Samurai. Their mastery of weapon craft and mind control ensured swift and complete victory over their enemies from the years of arduous training that forged mind and body into a death-dealing machine. Kunitoki, the evil Shogun of the Ashikaga Clan, has long envied the powers of the Ninja brotherhood and would do anything to acquire their knowledge. To this end he has sworn an oath to their total destruction. Once every decade all Ninjutsu must travel to the Island of Lin Fen where they pay homage to the Shrine of the White Ninja and receive further teachings from the Koga Scrolls. Seizing the opportunity Kunitoki summoned forth all the spirits from the depths of the Nether World and flung their full force against the amassed Ninjutsu. None escaped the wrath of Kunitoki. Nothing stood in the way of the Shogun achieving his ultimate goal, the knowledge of the Ninja. He sat sail for the island of Lin Fen with an elite force of his Palace Guards and Samurai officers to begin the arduous training of his troops and thereby creating a new era of Ninja under his control. Unknown to Kunitoki, Armakuni, the last Ninja, had escaped his wrath. When all his brethren had left for the pilgrimage he had been ordered to stay and guard the Bunjinkan Shrine. This tradition had existed since the dawn of the Ninja as a safeguard should any natural disaster befall the brotherhood when it amassed at Lin Fen. Armakuni was not pleased he had been left alone for he was to be granted the next level of honour at the reading of the scrolls; now he would have to wait. Word soon reached Armakuni of the unnatural disaster that had slain his brothers and gathering all his courage he swore to wreak a terrible and bloody revenge on the Shogun and all his followers. The Island of Lin Fen is a natural fortress with unassailable cliffs surrounding its coast. Having visited the Island when he was a young acolyte he knew the secret passage that would lead him to the Palace of Lin Fen. Armakuni's confidence was short lived as he discovered the pathways were not as he remembered them; what unforeseen hazards lay in wait for him? LOADING INSTRUCTIONS COMMODORE 64 Before commencing ensure that all connections to power and peripherals is correct. If unsure please consult the manufacturers handbook. CASSETTE: Put cassette with label showing CASSETTE ONE (PART 1) facing upwards into the deck. At the basic prompt on the screen press and hold down the SHIFT key, while doing so press the RUN/STOP key. The message will be displayed to press the 'PLAY' key on the cassette deck, after doing so the game will begin to load. IMPORTANT: Leave the 'PLAY' key depressed after the first section has loaded as following sections will load automatically. Follow screen instructions when to insert second cassette (PART 2) DISC: Turn the power for the computer on first, then the disk drive. Insert the disc into the drive ensuring the label showing PART 1 SIDE A is facing upwards. At the basic prompt type LOAD"*",8,1 then hold down the SHIFT key and press the RUN/STOP key. The game will begin to load. Following sections load automatically. Because of the size of program both sides of the disk have been used, you will be informed on the screen when you must turn the disk over, or insert second disk (PART 2). When you have done so press the fire button on your joystick. If you experience any difficulty in loading either version switch off the computer and remove or disconnect any peripherals or cartridges. This inconvenience is the result of having to increase the level of protection in our software in order to prevent illegal and mindless acts of piracy. REMEMBER: Software piracy is theft and is punishable under law. GAME CONTROL The game can only be played using a joystick. This should be plugged in the rear port, port 2, on the Commodore 64/128. In order to create better player realism in the game we have developed a 'Relative Movement' technique of joystick control and recommend that first time players familiarise themselves thoroughly with joystick control before venturing too far into the game. 1 8 2 \ | / 7 - - 3 / | \ 6 4 5 The main movement of Ninja is activated by pushing the diagonal positions 2, 4, 6, and 8. All movements are relative to the way the character is facing on the screen, for example; if Ninja is facing away from you, up screen, then pushing 2 will make him move forward (up screen). To turn Ninja around you need to roll through the joystick switches. For example; if you are facing direction 2 and you wish to turn around the you should move the joystick through positions 2 through 8 to 6 (you can of course go the other way as well) - this turns Ninja through 180 degrees. Should you only wish to turn 90 degrees then stop at position 8. Pushing the joystick in the opposite direction to the way Ninja is facing makes him walks backwards. The prime joystick joystick positions 1, 3, 5, and 7 cause Ninja to move across the road, this is used for precise positioning on the pathway. Following is a list of all joystick functions used in the game: NO WEAPON WITHOUT FIRE BUTTON PRESSED 2, 4, 6, 8 - Relative forward/backward prime movement 1, 3, 5, 7 - Cross width of pathway NO WEAPON WITH FIRE BUTTON PRESSED 2, 4, 6, 8 - Crouch, search, and block opponents blows 1, 3, 7 - Punch 5 - Kick HOLDING STAFF OR SWORD WITH FIRE BUTTON PRESSED 2, 4, 6, 8 - Block opponents blows, crouch and search 3 - Stab forward with weapon 7 - Slash across opponent with weapon 1 - Slash across neck 5 - Kick HOLDING NUMCHUKAS WITH FIRE BUTTON PRESSED 2, 8 - Spin 'chucks to increase power 4, 6 - Block opponents blows, crouch and search 3 - Forward strike with weapon 7 - Slash across opponent with weapon 1 - Punch 5 - Kick HOLDING SHURIKEN WITH FIRE BUTTON PRESSED 2, 4, 6, 8 - Crouch down and search 3, 7 - Throw shuriken 1 - Punch 5 - Kick - SPECIAL FEATURES At anytime you can make Ninja somersault in any forward facing direction. To make Ninja somersault you should press the fire button while running forward. The distance you will somersault is controlled by which forward direction you use. For example, if Ninja is facing Direction 2 when moving and you press the fire button, Ninja will jump a middle distance. If you were pushing in Direction 1 then Ninja will somersault a long distance. Finally, going in Direction 3 Ninja will jump a short distance. It is recommended that players practice the somersault, especially the distances covered by using different joystick positions as mastery of this feature is essential to overcome certain hazards in the game. With the fire button pressed, the diagonal positions on the joystick have special multi-functions. First, there is the standard crouch. This is used when ducking out of the way or to inspect an area when searching for items. It is also used to pick up things once they are located. To do this you must position Ninja in such a way that when Ninja's hand is out-stretched it should be touching the object on order to pick it up. There are certain hazards that will require you to somersault in order to overcome them, for example, jumping from one log to another. While in this situation, do not move, press the fire button, and whilst keeping it pressed push the joystick in the direction you wish to somersault. As mentioned later, it is important that players become competent with the joystick controls in order to gain full enjoyment from and be successful in this game. OBJECTS TO BE DISCOVERED IN YOUR QUEST POUCH - essential to carry objects KEY - when nearing the end of your tether, opens the door to success NUMCHUKAS - an essential weapon SWORD - an essential weapon APPLE - gives an extra life SMOKE BOMB - there's no smoke without fire CLAW - claw your way to the top and down again GLOVE - be careful what you pick STAFF - an essential weapon SHURIKEN STARS - an essential weapon AMULET - to give is greater than to receive FLOWER - a vase is waiting... ROPE - could this be the means out? BOTTLE - sleeping potion SCROLLS - once found, your quest is complete. GAME PLAY Below are some basic hints and tips that will help you on your quest through the realm of The Last Ninja. Remember, as with all great adventures, things may not be what they seem and we have not given away too much. The following points apply to all the different locations. It is important to make a detailed map of each section, this is essential because of the structure of the mazes and also to keep a record of where you find useful objects. Finding weapons and object is essential to your success. You will be told to collect many of the items when you visit a shrine or drink from a fountain of knowledge. When you are told to collect an item it is usually to be found on the following screen. To collect an object or weapon, search around the screen by crouching down and trying to pick it up. Once collected the object can be used at the appropriate time and place. Press F3 or F5 to toggle through the object you wish to use. Press the SPACE BAR to select the weapons you have found. Press F7 to pause. Most locations have a major hazard to prevent you from continuing your quest and are usually found near the end of a section. Sometimes there might be more than one. It is important that you search screens thoroughly as there may be objects lying around that you haven't been told to collect, e.g. on the top of rocks etc. The following are specific features of each location: 1. WILDERNESS - Many of the objects you will need for successful completion of the game are in this section. It is important that you search all the screens. 2. WASTELANDS - More objects are located here and you must also conquer the Lin Fen mountain range. 3. PALACE GARDENS - There are quite a few hazards around apart from the ever increasing number and ferocity of guards. 4. DUNGEONS - You are inexplicably drawn into this place of nightmares, the worst of which is trying to find your way out again. 5. PALACE, LOW LEVEL - Getting into the palace is your first problem, a small problem compared to what comes later... 6. PALACE, THE INNER SANCTUM - You are now close to your final goal although it is hidden from sight. Here you can explore the Shogun's private rooms and wonder at the great sights. The following are specific features of the game THE STATUS AREA This is broken into sections. First, wounds. This shows how effectively you are combating your opponents. Secondly, the collect/found/using display. This tells you what you need to collect, when you have found it and, in the case of weapons, the current weapon you are using. In the bottom section of the status area there is your overall energy reserve. Next to that are the weapons you have available. LIVES You begin play with three lives for Section 1. If you manage to find an apple this will give you an extra life. If you start Section 2 with only one life then you will receive another immediately. You also have the opportunity of trying to find another apple. You will not automatically receive any further lives in the later sections but there will be apples to be found giving you one life each. INVULNERABILITY In order to overcome certain hazards you will have to use Ninja Magic. This takes verious forms, some of which you cannot see as they are hidden behind trees, rocks, in containers like boiling pots or they might quite literally be right under foot. This magic is picked up in the same way as any other object but nothing will be displayed in the Found Status Area. Instead, Ninja may display certain peculiarities but these are only short lived. Finally, all the guards you will encounter are out to kill you and they will use lots of different weapons. There is nothing to stop you using any weapon in your arsenal against any guard but your effectiveness is increased if you use the same weapon as your opponent. THE TEAM MARK CALE - Concept and principle design TIM BEST - Additional design (logic and mazes) and instructions JOHN TWIDDY - Programming and additional design HUGH RILEY - Sprite and background graphics and additional design BEN DAGLEASH & ANTHONY LEES - Original music MARK SNOWBALL - Data entry Produced by: Mark Cale & Tim Best (C) 1987 System 3 Ltd. All Rights Reserved. ********* End Project 64 etext of The Last Ninja Instructions. *********