Kid Niki: Radical Ninja/Stage 2

Land of Stone Buddhas

 * 10: Immediately to the left of where you land await to watch birds. Hit them for 1000 bonus points then proceed right.  A masked bird will fly down.  When you are close enough, several masked birds will appear from this one bird.  If you defeat all of the clones, the real bird will attempt to fly away to the right.  If you hit this bird before it gets away, it will drop a silver bell.  If you collect the bell, you will shoot bouncing throwing stars from your sword for a limited period of time.


 * 9: Leap over the water to reach the forest. Green fox clan members will climb the trunks of the trees and some will attack you from the branches by dropping bombs at you.  Leap up and attack the trunk climbers and rush through the area.


 * 8: Continue the same strategy through the forest. Eventually you will see two watch bugs dangling from the branches in cocoons.  If you still have the throwing star, climb up the trunk before them and fire a star at them.


 * 7: You will see a gold bell at the top of one of the trees. This tree will have both a watch bug and a Green fox clan member throwing bombs at the ground, so it is safer to reach the tree by leaping from the branches of the tree before.  Carefully remove the enemies around the bell before collecting it.  Upon doing so, an object will swing around you, taking out any enemy that comes in contact with it.


 * 6: The forest will come to an end, and a pool of water separates you from the next section. The last of the Green fox clan will leap off the tree to attack you while other Blue fox clan members appear to attack.  At the same time, coin birds will begin to appear overhead.


 * 5: After leaping over the water, you will be facing a steady stream of coin birds from the right. They perform upward loops in the air.  Whenever you strike one, it drops anywhere from two to five coins, worth 500 points each.  It is important not to prioritize collecting the coins over avoiding getting hit by the birds.


 * 4: Birds will continue to fly on to the screen as you must make your way over several ledges which bring you in closer contact with the birds. Meanwhile, a Red fox clan member may try to make life more difficult for you by sneaking up from behind.


 * 3: The same pattern will continue with many birds flying onto the screen, and the occasional Red fox clan member attacking from behind.


 * 2: The bird appearances will stop. After leaping down from a tall ledge, all you must do is leap up to the next ledge.  The stage boss awaits you on the other side.

Boss: Spike
Spike is a short boss who swings a spiked mace in front of him and over his head. He is invulnerable to attack from the front while he swings this mace. You have two choices when he approaches you. You can leap over him, or you can jump up to the small ledge on the right. Either way, get out of his way. When he reaches one side of the screen or the other, he puts the mace away and takes out a throwing star. He throws the star at the height of your head, so you must duck down to avoid getting hit by it. The star circles back at a higher altitude before it drops down to Spike for him to catch. This is your best opportunity to attack. Duck the throwing star, and strike him after it sails over your head. Your sword will get knocked from your hands so go collect it while he catches the star. You can also hit him from behind while he is wielding the mace, but this can be tricky to time. It takes five hits to knock Spike out.

NES Differences

 * The masked bird at 2-2 will not attempt to retreat if you hit all the other birds. You can stand in one place, attack all of the birds, and the "silver" bell will appear and float straight up from the last bird you hit.
 * The Green fox clan members are actually Orange in this version. They are more likely to toss bombs to the right than to the left, making them slightly easier to avoid.  Be aware that they might throw bombs to the left.  Once they throw two or three bombs, they will not throw any more.
 * The "gold" bell is found hovering in the air at the end of 2-7 (shown right). You must climb the tree and leap off the branch to collect it.
 * While a few coin birds appear starting at 2-8, you are more likely to be attacked by Blue and Red fox clan members throughout this area. Coin birds will appear alone from 2-11.  The coins they drop are worth 1000 points each.
 * When the boss Spike is hit, he will immediately resume spinning his mace rather than finishing any other activity such as catching his throwing star. Additionally, his mace starts further back behind his head, requiring your jumps over him to be much cleaner.

Secret Areas
2-6: After you pass a large gap between trees in the forest, climb up the trunk of the next tree (after the fox clan member has finished tossing bombs). Continue to climb all the way through the top of the screen and beyond to the top of the tree. When you reach the top, you will be transported to a hidden area. At first, it may appear empty, but if you swing your sword around in particular areas, you will reveal scrolls. These scrolls will break apart and become coins which you can collect for 200 points each. When you are finished and exit the room, a bird will swoop over, gather you up, and deposit you in section 2-9.

2-10: There are spires depicted throughout the background. In this particular section, there is one spire set farther apart from neighboring spires. Jump into the air, jiggle the direction pad left and right, and spin your sword. When you hit the right area, you will be transported to a hidden area much like the first secret area in the previous stage. Once again, you can hit clones of a Striped fox clan member who pops off 20 before bouncing toward you himself. Every five clones releases a coin or a scroll, but eventually you can also make the princess doll appear. Collect it to endure one extra hit for the rest of the stage. When you exit the area, you will appear at section 2-11