EmperorIng wrote:I tried arcade mode a bit, and I'm not sure if I can handle it. On top of deaths coming far more frequently, it seems as if the enemies are a lot more aggressive too (the musketmen in st3 seem to fire quicker and more often). There seems to be a lot of places where RNG would just screw you over, like those... gas explosions starting around st4 or thereabouts.
I'm honestly not sure if anything but hitpoints differs between AC and PCE modes... haven't spent enough time in the latter to say. But for st3-1, POW chain is the way to go. Snuffs out riflemen and their bullets on the ground, wipes out ninjas in the air, and beats down even ranked-up no-miss giants with a little persistence (this is for style points, really - you can just as easily run past them. I like to hammer 'em on approach, then deliver the kill while leaping over). Note the giants slash on a set rhythm, and are otherwise harmless to touch like every other humanoid enemy. Let 'em whiff, run in close, and leap clear before they can recover. About the chain - just like the PCB, note you don't need elaborate 360 motions to get the fullscreen sweep. Just hold the direction adjacent to the one you're attacking in as the chain reaches its length, and it'll lash right around. eg, attack [right] then hold [up]. Even on the ground, this works great for shredding oncoming riflemen, leaping ninja and backstabbing pursuers in one stroke.
When you reach 3-2's marsh, POW sword is ideal. Bunnyhop to keep your speed up, ward off wolves and ninjas with the sword, and watch carefully for monks. If they rush straight at you, leap over and keep moving. If they stop to launch the staff, wait for it to fly some distance then hop straight through the gap. Careful with the sword while doing this - hitting an airborne staff will cause it to return prematurely. Easily done with all the zako swarming about. Don't bother killing monks, that's a good way to get a katana in the face / wolf up the ass.
It's really just stage 4-2's spikey basement where you can get seriously hosed by RNG: specifically, a samurai (or two!) spawning as you're traversing the ceilings, with nowhere to run but straight down into the spikes. Just about anywhere else, the worst misfortunes can be consistently planned and improvised around. When 4-2 goes ideally it feels like divine favour, when it goes acceptably it's buttock-clenching terror, and when it goes to shit I want to restart the run. >_< POW grenades seem ideal. I like waiting for a samurai to spawn up ahead, then blanketing him with shots while leaping forward and rushing across the ceiling in one swoop. Keeping your shadows nice and trailed out so you can quickly blast any coming up from behind helps too, I find. I get a pretty healthy success rate, but it's always nervy. Note that samurai are harmless while airborne - useful for slipping past and/or landing hits.
God I love the one-two combo of stages 3 and 4.
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/sAxq41c.gif)
Infinitely adrenal tactical ninja action.
Stage 5's cliff face and its gas traps are actually harder to deal with in the port than the PCB, due to the reduced viewable playfield. It's not insurmountable, but you'll want to devise a repeatable route (the traps are always in the same places, as are the various ninjas). I like using chain sweeps to keep the screen clear of enemy grenades. Easier and safer than the sword, given the treacherous footing.
AC mode's not as bitterly intense as the PCB, but it's most definitely not easy, either.
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/jokON32.gif)
I've yet to no-miss it; furthest I got was the final stage and promptly eating a gas trap. Just like the PCB, the game's deadliest trait is its erratic timing on big spawns... you can learn where they'll be, roughly, but there'll always be a slight variance that can easily spiral into disaster without deft handling.
MFN ninja pit, honestly. What a fly in the ointment.
How 2 Ninja Pit PCE Ver: (posted many times before, but always the off chance someone might need it!)
Still, I ain't complaining. 99% perfect ain't bad at all. One of my favourite-ever sidescrollers, and my most beloved HuCard.
edit: oh yeah I knew there was something!
Square_Air you are officially assigned to the task force. Don't protest.
THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO (・`W´・) ;3
I'm sat here like a prick waiting for my new gamepad to show up. 3: