Part 6: Ninja Gaiden Sigma: Chapter 3
The airship gets a massive visual/atmopsheric overhaul, and a brand new weapon is added to the mix. Also our very first combat challenge, a concept that Black doesn't even introduce until way later. The game continues to mix things up substantially as we're still in the early hours.
Airship
- The music that plays during the level prior to destroying the generator is different
- The room numbers above the doors in the living quarters are no longer there
- The first Kunai Scroll of the level is on a table in one of the rooms instead of next to the bed
- The layout of the main deck is changed to be more open
- There is a Kunai Scroll explaining the Sixaxis gimmick for using ninpo
- Ther is now an enemy encounter inside the main deck
- Inside the room that originally had a Lives of the Gods is now the Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang
- There are now explosive barrels in the Middle Cabin & Aft Cabin, which contain essence and deal damage to both enemies and Ryu
- Going to Muramasa's Shop with a Golden Scarab in your inventory automatically gives it to him
- In the room at the back of the Living Quarters, there is now a combat challenge that rewards a Lives OTTG
- Dynamo now has a taunt animation where he laughs, and this plays right at the start of the battle.
Dragon's Claw & Tiger's Fang
Lvl. 1 Moveset
Lvl. 2 Moveset
Two Japanese swords that were reputedly the property of a famous dual-sword master.
The exclusive weapon added to Ninja Gaiden Sigma, it is an interesting addition to say the least. "Hacked In" feels almost like the most appropriate way to describe it's inclusion, though to say it isn't neat would be a lie. Unlike the Lunar staff, which was a weapon created after the game original shipped and still felt like a natural part of the game's combat, the Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang are like a half step between the combat of this game and what would eventually be Ninja Gaiden II. Compared to the other weapons, these dual katanas have the biggest movelist in the entire game, with some commands requiring inputs that the rest of Ryu's arsenal doesn't even require.
That said, level 1 of this weapon is fairly restrained as most of the moves you get at the start are ground based, with a limited selection of air attacks. With level 2, which can be earned immediately upon acquiring the weapon, things start to get really crazy with multiple types of Izuna Drops and moves requiring multiple forward inputs, or ones that are dependent on whether you and the enemy, while airborne, are close to a wall. That said, the weapons start to feel awkward in certain spots as the recovery frames on various combos are significantly longer, and this attempt at "balancing" goes more to highlight how sometimes out of place they are compared to the game's successor. Still a fun way to break specific fights in ways that weren't possible in Black, so the bad/awkward points don't outweigh the good.
Kunai Scrolls
