Scenario
The secrets of the Ninjitsu way had been jealously guarded for centuries, only
once every decade were the scrolls seen at the ritual of the White Ninja. None
coveted these secrets more than the evil Shogun. Seizing the opportunity of the
ritual, he sprang a fiendish trap that destroyed the brotherhood, except for one...
You. The Last Ninja.
Your sworn oath is to recover the scrolls, you travel to the mystical lands of
the Shogun. Already his guards are mastering the ways of the Ninjitsu. To reach
the Shogun's Palace, you must use all your weapon craft and fighting skills as
you travel through dangerous wastelands, magnificent gardens then decend into
the direst dungeons before the final confrontation. You cannot fail. You are The
Last Ninja.
The game
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 set 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 Bunkinkan Shrine. This tradition has 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 lean 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 unforseen hazards lay in wait for him?
Game controls
The game can only be played using a joystick. This should be plugged into 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 recommended that first time players
familiarise themselves thoroughly with joystick control before venturing too far
into the game.
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Left/Up
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Up
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Up/Right
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Joystick
directions
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Left
Right
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Down/Left
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Down
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Right/Down
The main movement of Ninja is activated by pushing the diagonal positions Up/Right,
Right/Down, Down/Left and Left/Up. 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 up/right will make him move forward. To turn Ninja around, you need
to roll through the joystick switches. For example, if you are facing direction
up/right and you wish to turn around, then you should move the joystick through
positions up/right through up/left to down/left (you can ofcourse go the other
way as well), this turns Ninja through 180 degrees.
Should you only wish to turn 90 degrees, the stop at position left/up. Pushing
the joystick in the opposite direction to the way Ninja is facing makes him walk
backwards. The prime joystick positions up, right, down and left 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
Relative for- & backward prime movement
Cross width of pathway
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No weapon with fire button pressed
Crouch, search and block opponent's blows
Punch
Kick
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Holding staff or sword with fire button
pressed
Block opponent's blows, crouch and search
Stab forward with weapon
Slash across opponent with weapon
Slash across neck
Kick
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Holding numchukas with fire button pressed
Spin 'chucks to increase power
Block opponent's blows, crouch and search
Forward strike with weapon
Slash across opponent with weapon
Punch
Kick
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Holding shuriken with fire button pressed
Crouch down and search
Throw shuriken
Punch
Kick
Special features
At any time, 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 Up/Right when moving and you
press the fire button, Ninja will jump a middle distance. If you were pushing
in direction Up, then Ninja will somersault a long distance. Finally, going
in direction Right, Ninja will jump a short distance.
It is recommended that players practice the somersault, especially the distances
covered by using different 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 hands is out-stretched, it should be touching
the object in 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. When 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 earlier, 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. Numchukas: An essential weapon. Sword: An essential weapon. Apple: Gives extra life. Smoke bomb: There's no smoke without fire. Claw: Claw your way to the top and down
again. Glove: Be careful with what you pick. 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. Key: When nearing the end of your tether,
opens the door to success.
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 objects 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 and 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 continuing your quest and
are usually 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 top of rocks etc.
Specific features of each location 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.
Wastelands: More objects are located
here and you must also conquer the Lin Fen mountain range.
Palace Gardens: There are quite a few
hazards around apart from the ever increasing number and ferocity of guards.
Dungeons: You are inexplicably drawn
into this place of nightmares, the worst of which is trying to find your way
out again.
Palace, Low Level: Getting into the
palace is your first problem, a small problem to what comes later...
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.
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 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 one. 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 extra life each.
Invulnerability: In order to overcome
certain hazards, you will have to use Ninja Magic. This takes various 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.
Loading instructions
Before commencing ensure that all connections to power and peripherals are correct.
If unsure, please consult the manufacture's handbook.
Cassette: Put cassette with label showing
'Cassette one (Part 1)' facing upwards into 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).
Disk: Turn the power for the computer
on first, then the disk drive. Insert the disk 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 will 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.
Credits
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.
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.
