Ninja-kun Ashura no Shou/Scenes 1 - 8

Route A
Route A consists of two long horizontally scrolling scenes. Without a lot of vertical options, they are moderately difficult for a beginner to get through.

Scene 1A
This first scene is a long horizontal stage containing many Kuroku ninjas and a few Lightning Boys. There are no platforms to jump on, so you will meet all of the enemies head on. You can out-fire the ninjas, but only if your up against one. If multiple ninjas attack you, you'll have to run away.

The exit appears roughly two-thirds of the way in. You aren't required to defeat all of the enemies, so jump through the exit as soon as you see it. If you don't wish to get bogged down in combat, jump over your enemies, or jump on their heads to stun them.

Scene 2A
At first, these scene may appear similar to the previous scene, but the difference becomes clear when you reach the first platform that you can jump on top of. Once you reach this, you have more options for fighting enemies. You must defeat all of the enemies in order to advance to the next stage. Advance slowly, and take out each enemy as they approach. One you reach the platform, you can jump around in an effort to fire at some of the enemies from behind.

Route B
With Route B's single screen for the first scene, followed by a vertical climb in the second scene, it may seem easy, but they both mask serious challenges. Only experts should attempt this route.

Scene 1B
If you're not careful, you can become easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of Lighting Boy enemies in this one-screen scene. You start in the middle, and must choose to jump up, or drop down, in order to defeat all of the enemies. If one of them starts to shoot lightning at you, move to another ledge as quickly as possible, since you cannot out-fire them. There is a bonus bunch of grapes hanging from the highest ledge on the right side. Don't make it a priority until most of the enemies are cleared out.

Scene 2B
This scene can be deceptively difficult, especially due to the tough Armor enemy found near the top. You must defeat all of the enemies in order to advance to scene 3. You start off at the bottom, and will likely be attacked by Eyeballs. They can't kill you, but they can stun you and make you prone to attacks by other enemies, so clear them out as quickly as you can.

As you climb up the ledges, you will discover a couple of fireball items. Collect them, and wait to be surrounded by multiple enemies before throwing a set of fireballs out, in order to maximize the damage that they do. Fireballs only last for around ten seconds, so climb up the ledges as quickly as you can once you collect them, and destroy as many enemies as possible before the item runs out.

When you get closer to the top, you will encounter Kabukis. They fire red blobs that float up and down as they travel across the screen. You can destroy the blobs with your own throwing stars, so remove them from the screen before they get too close and become a nuisance. When you reach the top, you will encounter a lone Armor enemy. In order to defeat him, you must stun him first, and he doesn't make that easy. Try to drop down on top of him from a high ledge. Or jump up to his level, but land on his head. More than anything, be sure to get out of his way when he pulls out his bow, before he shoots a volley of several arrows at you.

Route C
Both of Route C's two vertically scrolling scenes are the most reminiscent of the original Ninjakun gameplay, and is best suited for new players.

Scene 1C
If you're familiar with the game mechanics of the original Ninjakun game, you will feel right at home in these scene. The ledges are spaced out, so if you jump from one height to another, you will put a good bit of distance between you and an enemy. Use the ledges to your advantage, and try to take out the enemies when their backs are turned to you.

There are two fireball items to collect in this scene. You can use these items to take advantage of a trick to boost your score well over 80,000 and earn two extra lives in the process. To earn a ton of points, use the fireball when you are surrounded by enemies, particularly when enemies are above you. Once you hit them, begin falling down with them and use fireballs continuously. As you fall with the enemies, you will score multiple thousands of points every time the fireballs hit a falling enemy. Maximize this opportunity, and you will earn a substantial amount of points.

A bonus bunch of grapes can be found at the very top of the scene. Only attempt to collect it when the coast is clear.

Scene 2C
This scene is like a shorter compressed version of the previous scene. Because the ledges are spaced out as far, you'll have to be a little more careful when moving up or down to neighboring ledges. Be sure that no enemies are firing above or below you before you transition to a new ledge.

There is a single fireball item for you to collect. Since there is only one, you'll only get one shot at using the trick described above to collect a tremendous amount of points. But the enemies will be more tightly clustered, so you should have a good opportunity. Once you collect the item, jump up a bit to hit the enemies that are above you, and then drop down with them as to fall and continue to use the fireballs to maximize your score.

Scene 3A/3B/3C
Regardless of which route you took, all of the third scenes are identical. You begin at the bottom of a long vertical shaft. To the left is an exit, but if you use it, you will be asked if you really wish to quit. Quitting means you forfeit your chance to get a bonus weapon upgrade. If you say no, you will return to the scene to continue trying.

The real goal is at the top of the stage. There are two ways to reach you. You can jump on to the left wall, hang on to it, and climb up very slowly until you reach the ledge at the top. Or you can very quickly wall jump to the top. To wall jump, you must jump towards a wall, release the jump button, push the joystick in the opposite direction, and hold the jump button down until you make contact with the wall. If done right, you will spring off the wall even higher. Repeat the process, and you will eventually make it to the top.

Once you reach the top, you can shoot the blocks along the floor of the ledge to reveal a few bonus items: two bunches of grapes and some rice balls. Collect them before making a running jump into the exit near the ceiling. If you succeed, you will obtain the throwing blades which boomerang back to you.