Samurai Deeper Kyo GBA ---------------------- Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION II. DISCLAIMER III. VERSION HISTORY IV. CHARACTERS V. BASICS VI. ENEMIES VII. POWER-UPS VIII. WALKTHROUGH IX. STRATEGIES X. CODES, SECRETS AND TRICKS XI. CONTRIBUTORS AND OTHER RESOURCES XII. MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS ********************************* I. INTRODUCTION ********************************* "Four years ago, at the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, the name of the slayer of a thousand men, Demon Eyes Kyo, became a legend. However, Demon Eyes Kyo has lived within the druggist Mibu Kyoshiro. Now he has awakened and a history known by none now begins." - Samurai Deeper Kyo, the anime. Samurai Deeper Kyo was first a manga. In the process of porting it over to an anime, there have been significant changes in terms of content and storyline. Regardless, there have been 2 games made for Samurai Deeper Kyo based on the anime. One is for the PlayStation, and the other is for the GameBoy Advance. ********************************* II. DISCLAIMER ********************************* Yada yada yada yada yada. Not really my favourite part, so I'll keep it sparse. This piece of work isn't only mine to begin with, I did the compilation, as well as add in a few facts as stuff here and there. I've no qualms with this being used anywhere and anyhow as long as you give credit to the people who deserve it (that being everyone in the credit list) and as long as you're not using this to make monetary profit somehow. Otherwise, it's fine by me. ********************************* III. VERSION HISTORY ********************************* v1.01 Just started a basic writed up, should be done fairly soon with something which I feel is worth submitting. Mainly dealing with key facts and bits of info for now, the events of each stage, as well as whatever I can remember. If you wish to post corrections, please do so at the forum at GameFAQs at the SDK GBA forum, at my topic for the FAQ. v1.02 Some additions, some revisions. Nothing major, just removed some glaring errors. Thanks to xybazelu for pointing out stuff. ********************************* IV. CHARACTERS ********************************* There are 5 playable characters in the game, 4 immediately available, with the last requiring unlocking. They are, in no particular order, Onime no Kyo (Demon Eyes Kyo), Mibu Kyoshiro, Shiina Yuya, Benitora(), and Sanada Yukimura. Note that I'm using descriptions based on the contents of the anime as opposed to the manga, because the game is based on the anime. Also, I'm providing as much info here as I can, safely. The rest will prolly go into the walkthrough section. While I cannot translate the text, and might not be able to find someone who can, I'll provide general references from the anime as to the actual events which take place then. Probably better that way. (a) ONIME NO KYO (DEMON EYES KYO) Master of Mumyo Jinpuu Ryu Satsujin-ken (usually translated as Killing Art of the Sword of the Divine Dark Wind), Onime no Kyo became a legendary figure, after the events at the Battle of Sekigahara, where he supposedly took the lives of a thousand men. After the battle, both he and Mibu Kyoshiro seemingly vanished from the face of the earth. Now, he has reappeared again, with a new goal: to kill Mibu Kyoshiro! But first, there's a slight complication to be dealt with... He has several hidden techniques, of which only one features in this game, which is Mizuchi (translated as Dragon Strike). When his ougi is triggered, he will utter the words "Mumyo Jinpuu Ryu Satsujin-ken: Mizuchi" and slash in a wide arc around him. Opponents who are leaping usually don't get hit, from what I've seen, unless they're starting their leap, or landing. (b) KAGE BUNSHIN NO BENITORA (RED TIGER, THE SILOUHETTE) A happy-go-lucky person seemingly, he first appears in the storyline after Kyo reaches a certain village of ex-Samurai. He with the Black Scorpion and the White Crow make up the Three-Coloured (in the manga, not sure if they use the same alias in the anime), a vicious group of enforcers who hold the village in their grasp. Benitora, however, shows no loyalty to the group and would eventually leave to join Kyo and his party. Like Onime no Kyo, he too has several techniques, though for this one he employs only one as well, which I can't recall at the moment. When his ougi is triggered, he will utter the words "Uketemi! Shinkage Ryu Ougi" (think it translates to "Watch this! Hidden Technique of the School of Shinkage". Not sure what Shinkage means in this instance, because it was made out to be different from the another Shinkage which existed then), and true to his nickname as the Kage Bunshin, he will create several shadow clones of him and stab at all the nearby enemies surrounding him. (c) SHIINA YUYA A bounty hunter, though from the anime and probably the manga, not a very good one at that, it seems ;p Good enough to take on normal people, but way out of her league for the most part of the series. You get to see more of her very soon, so I'll leave the rest of the description for the story sequences sections. She fights with a gun, and throwing knives as well. Her fighting skills are below par in terms of storyline, so her ougi is somewhat made up. In this one, apparently, she fires a series of shots for 360 degrees (8 shots, one for each major direction), then repeats that with throwing knives. The voice clip for her attack translates to something like "The bounty on your head is mine!" (Sono shoukin-kubi moratta!). (d) SANADA YUKIMURA Sanada Yukimura is of the Sanada clan which clashed with the Tokugawas during the battle of Sekigahara. The clan lost, and Yukimura is attempting to rebuild the clan and attempt to defeat the Tokugawas. In the very beginning, he was searching for Kyoshiro, on behalf of a certain Sakuya. More will be revealed as you play through... He fights with a sword, and seems capable enough to hold off Kyo in a few segments of the anime. No actual ougi displayed though. In the game, his causes Stun in nearby enemies, which, in my opinion, is a waste of time and a special bar. Might as well have a special which kills instead, though this special isn't totally without it's advantages. The voice clip for this attack translates to "Is this for real?" (Sore de honki kai?). (e) MIBU KYOSHIRO A good-hearted druggist, albeit a slightly perverted one, The story begins with him running into Shiina Yuya, and shortly after that, he is visited by a major Kenyou who insists on hurting him. Shortly after, a secret is revealed... somehow, he is actually the host for Onime no Kyo! As expected, being the host body for Kyo, he shares the same weapons, though I've not encountered his ougi since I've yet to unlock him. ********************************* V. BASICS ********************************* The game plays like a toned-down version of Dynasty Warriors 3 (Shin Sangoku Musou 2). You have a Life bar on the upper-left and an Energy bar below it. As normal, your character dies when your Life bar reaches zero. The Energy bar starts at zero, and is charged by striking the opponent. When it is full, a special may be released by hitting L+R. The controls are as follows: Direction pad - movement A - attack B - jump, knockdown if done immediately after an attac in the combo L - special R - special R - Ougi (Hidden technique) Start - Pauses the game, allows you to resume, or to quit to the title screen Each character can do a 4-hit combo by simply pressing AAAA. The last attack is always a knockdown, with severe recovery time. At any point after the first A, one may hit B for a knockdown attack. This is indicated by your character flashing blue during the attack. Everything hit will be knocked down, though there are people who claim an increase in damage during it. Personally, I didn't notice any but I'll take a closer look again sometime ;p Obviously, you can't take too long to hit B, otherwise, you'll exit the window of opportunity in the combo and actually jump instead. Shiina Yuya, being the only ranged character, is an exception. You can do up to 4 hits as usual, with the last being 2 dagger throws, before you need to reload. Once you stop to reload, you can't move till you're done, so you need to be very careful when playing her. As for gameplay options, there are only 3, Story Mode, Continue and Arcade Mode. Story Mode interperses each stage with scenes based on the anime, and occasionally offering you the opportunity to switch weapons at the start of a new stage, and to save occasionally, when the menu with 2 options and the background with Shiina Yuya appears. Left is yes, Right is no. Not sure if starting a new Story Mode will wipe out your weapons and stuff, since there appears to be only one save slot. It's usually best to continue anyway :) Arcade Mode differs from Story Mode in certain ways. Firstly, there are no scenes whatsoever, you'll be treated to rounds of killing and killing with no breaks in between (unless you pause the game, or clear the current area). Secondly, Story Mode will force you to play with every character at least once, though with most of the scenes from the point of view from the character you've selected. Arcade Mode will force you to stick with the character all the way. Thirdly, you will only be presented with the opportunity to select your weapon of choice at the start. You will not be given another opportunity to change. Furthermore, You'll get to save only after completing all the stages in Arcade Mode. Your lifebar is also carried forward from each stage, unlike Story Mode where you're healed after ending each scene by killing a boss, so healing is somewhat more important here. Collection allows you to view the various weapons you've collected for each character, while Options allows you to tweak game difficulty and such. I've no idea as to whether game difficulty actually affects certain rewards in the game, in terms of end scenes and whatnot. This will be tested in future. ********************************* VI. ENEMIES ********************************* Normal enemies come in 3 forms, and even then, there are sub-divisions by colour and ability. They are Kenyou, Ninyou, and Jukaibito. (a) KENYOU I'm guessing that Ken is the same character they use for "sword" and the You from Youkai, which is somewhat like "devil". These carry swords and come in 3 different colours. Red. Green and Blue. Green ones are the basic ones, who will run/leap in and attempt to slash you. Red and Blue ones occasionally will pause and emit a small cloud of gas. Obviously, this means you have a short period of time in which to move away to another area to escape the gas, or to leap in and attack, thereby cancelling its attack. At the moment, I'm not too sure as to the effects of the gas of each different colour. More info as I do some testing. (b) NINYOU Not sure what the "Nin" in these stand for. Oh well. These are small and weedy and fight with claws. Somewhat more fragile than the Kenyous, they attempt to make up for it with speed (doesn't really make a difference though, usually ;p). They come in 3 different colours, Red, Blue and Green. Green ones again are the basic ones, who will run/leap in and attempt to slash you. Damage one sufficiently without killing it will cause it to attempt to self-destruct, and if you're near, you get hit for quite a bit of damage. Red ones act like suicide bombers, and will run towards you, attempting to collide with you. They do significant damage as well, but they're very weak, so it's best to take them out first most of the time. (c) JUKAIBITO These cloaked menaces don't appear until 2/3rds or so into the game. They come in two varieties, Blue and Black, if I remember correctly. They attack either by swiping at you, or by firing globes of purple or green energy, depending on the actual Jukaibito, and these do a small amount of damage, as well as a particular status. As of the moment, I have no specifics as to what each status represents, more will be presented as I discover more after testing. ********************************* VII. POWER-UPS ********************************* (a) POWERUPS Power-ups come in the form of items which are either dropped by slain enemies, or by breaking certain objects on the map. As far as I remember, the only breakable objects are signs and those stone pillars. Those marked with an (*) means that I'm not too sure as to their effect, I'm just guessing. I'll get around to experimenting sometime, soon, I hope. Armor (breastplate) - Increases defence Armor (gauntlet) - Increases defence Chicken - restores your life bar to full Onigiri (one rice roll) - restores a small portion of your life bar Onigiri set (two rice roll) - restores 2X more than the Onigiri Red Scroll - Increases Attack Yellow Scroll - Increases Attack Yin Yang Symbol - Invincibility Out of these, normal opponents may drop Onigiri and Onigiri Sets when killed, so this may be a good way to stock up on health. Of course, you must take care not to get more damage in the process of doing so (I got cocky once ^^;;) (b) WEAPONS There is a special set of Power-Ups, which are weapons for each character. This can be viewed in the Collection section, and they number 4 for each character, with each character starting with the basic one. For Kyo and Kyoshiro, with them sharing the same body, I guess the developers have seen fit to allow Kyoshiro access to all weapons collected by Kyo so far. Apparently, everyone obtains their weapons the same way. Why bother with collecting the weapons? Well, just for the sake of completion, like every hardcore gamer ^^ . Though, seriously speaking, the extra weapons do come with their own nifty abilities, so they're fun to play around with, plus it actually helps when you're trying to go for the full set, depending on what you've earned. (i) THE SECOND WEAPON To obtain the second weapon, after you beat the boss known as Sirogarasu (he's a winged boss, attacks by flying closely in and slashing you, his Special works in a similar manner), just keep going rightwards, breaking all pillars in your way. A nearby pillar should house the 2nd weapon. The second weapon has the universal effect of increasing attack power. (ii) THE THIRD WEAPON This is earned by playing through Arcade Mode and slaying 1000 opponents. Your 1000th opponent will drop the weapon upon its death. I guess this has to do with that bit about Kyo being the slayer of a thousand men. No problem making this, your kills should be at least 2000 odd by the end of the arcade challenge. The effects are as follows: ONIME NO KYO/MIBU KYOSHIRO - SPECIAL bar charges faster KAGE BUNSHIN NO BENITORA - Unaffected by ALL Negative Status effects SANADA YUKIMURA - Increases food drop rate SHIINA YUYA - cone-shaped targetting area (*) (*) She hits everything in a cone, however, as per her normal gun, she can only hit one target at a time, usually the nearest, I think (though as with xybazelu, I could have sworn there were times when I hit two very close targets). Anyway, this means that targetting becomes more of a breeze, since you won't have to line up your sights as precisely as normal, though this doesn't affect her throwing knives. Incidentally, after testing, apparently, it doesn't matter whether you finish the Arcade Mode. After you get the 3rd weapon, it's yours, so if you're too lazy to finish it, you can just get yourself killed. Not sure if exitting via the Start button, and the Return to Title works, but it just might. (iii) THE FOURTH WEAPON More from wayneyip: "4th weapon: In story mode, take the left path in the last stage, cut the sign, there will be the weapon." Well, I'll try to mark where the last stage is. For me, it was easy, since I apparently managed to blunder into the 2nd weapon earlier, so all I did was to keep looking for left paths :) Once again, effects: ONIME NO KYO/MIBU KYOSHIRO - Enemies killed will explode KAGE BUNSHIN NO BENITORA - Heals a little after every 10 kills SANADA YUKIMURA - Stuns the enemy in mid-combo (*) SHIINA YUYA - Piercing shot, decreased attack power (*) xybaelzu reports that this definitely works, though he has yet to figure out a pattern to this. ********************************* VIII. WALKTHROUGH ********************************* To be done in future. ********************************* IX. STRATEGIES ********************************* This section is for specific bits regarding use of characters as well as certain tricks in gameplay. At the moment, not too many tricks, but here's a Shiina Yuya guide from xybazelu for people who have problems handling Yuya. I'll come up with something else in the future for each character, but for now, here's a complete copy-and-paste of xybazelu's response to a query made. =============================================================================== From: xybazelu | Posted: 1/15/2003 11:13:44 PM | Message Detail ok...my advice is...run...a LOT...try to get the enemies to line up in a single line OR in the GENERALLY SAME DIRECTION and try to keep a fair distance away from them as well...that way when u fire u tend to hit multiple enemies at the same time...in other words play keep-away...to the extreme... use ur super ALOT...whenever u get meter do not hesitate to use it...run around and try to get them to form a circle around u and hit R to activate. there's no point to keep ur meter for the stage boss since u lose all of it when u get there anyway...also bosses are pushovers for her IMO cuz she has such strong firepower... also, shoot from a distance: enemies won't even know ur there if u just play keep away and kill them...like a sniper. her knives are one-hit knock-downs...and she shoots it right hand first, then left, and hit kinda off to her sides so use them well... keep track of your health. she has the lowest life-bar in the game (besides Kyoshiro) and u will die in a few hits if ur not careful...grab all the food/power-ups u see! if u got skillz, try shooting multiple directions when ur surrounded, to get urself out of a pinch... weapon-wise, use the second one in collection...the red one...it boost ur attack so u can finish more enemies in one turn before she starts reloading. the green one is a spread-shot, but i have yet to see the effects of it in use...it doesn't spread!!! can anyone help me there? the purple one goes through enemies, but greatly reduces ur attack...it only shows its true power when u have like 7 enemies lined up...which rarely happens so u have to run around a lot... whew...that's all i have for now...good luck! --- I need not the fragments of my "Past", nor the unpredictable "Future", the only thing I need is...The Present!--Zero, Rockman X4 =============================================================================== As for certain other tricks, most are just common sense. There's an interesting bit which some of you might have missed though. Every area requires you to kill a minimum number of enemies before you are allowed to move on. And obviously, after every enemy is killed, one will usually appear to take its place. There is a limit though as to the total number of enemies which will respawn, but what is more interesting is that the enemies will respawn from certain points. Should you stand at these points, the enemy will actually run THROUGH you after respawning. This allows for a lot of easy kills as you camp by the spot, catching 2-3 enemies as they rush out from the spawning point. Nothing major, as I said, but something you just might have missed in the heat of battle ^^ Of course, the other trick which is fairly common is the fact that your special technique is the equivalent of a smartbomb for most shooters, in the sense that it neutralizes all attacks at you at the moment, save for bosses' ougis. This makes it useful somewhat in staying alive. Of course, one should not hoard SPECIALs unnecessarily, since it's not hard to fill up the bar. ********************************* X. CODES, SECRETS AND TRICKS ********************************* (a) Play as Mibu Kyoshiro This requires completion of Story Mode, with all 4 characters, after which Mibu Kyoshiro would be unlocked. Haven't gotten here yet though, since I've only finished with Kyo. Here's a cheat from ying123, which allows you to play Mibu Kyoshiro without completing the Story Mode for the other 4 characters: =============================================================================== From: ying123 | Posted: 1/7/2003 10:59:26 PM | Message Detail VBA cheat Address:030011AA Value:03 Go to character select menu, activate cheat codes then choose Kyo. Turn off the codes after that or the game will hang. Kyoshiro is the weakest character in the game. I use him only because I like this character plus his story line and ending is quite funny. =============================================================================== ************************************** XI. CONTRIBUTORS AND OTHER RESOURCES ************************************** Firstly, to Kamijiyo Akimine for SDKyo manga, to the people who made the anime possible, and to the people who who fansubbed and distributed the anime. To xybazelu for info on the various weapons and their effects, as well as a general strategy of handling Yuya. To wayneyip, for providing info on obtaining the different weapons. To maninkun for info on the various weapons and their effects and for providing info on unlocking Kyoshiro. To ying123 for the codes for playing Kyoshiro without unlocking him, as well as info on the effect of Kyo(shiro)'s fourth weapon. To various board members for lending their support. To GameFAQs for hosting this FAQ. ********************************** XII. MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS ********************************** This section deals with material about the anime, manga and ROM that I can provide, that isn't directly related to gameplay. More when people appear with more questions :) Q1) Why is boss no #x unbeatable? A1) You're probably playing a ROM, and copy-protection seems to be responsible for this. You'll need a patch for it. Don't ask me where, I've no idea where to find one. Q2) What else can you tell me about the various characters? A2) At the moment, here's what I've culled from a webpage, I'm reluctant to disclose more till I've at least finished the anime to the point where the game ends. I'm guessing that the maps and bosses are the same for everyone anyway. so the story arc will be the same, perhaps with slight differences in terms of perspective as to events. The material below is a summary for characters culled off a webpage which I can't remember for the life of me now, but still, I claim no credit for it. Some of this might make it into the biograph depending on what I decide to insert into the walkthrough. SANADA YUKIMURA Known as a wise general in the Warring States era, Yukimura fought with his father in the Western Army while his brother joined the Eastern Army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu during Sekigahara. Now his intentions are unknown, although he seems to want Ieyasu dead. Kyo entertains him, and the two work together several times during the series, although his main loyalties appear to be with Sakuya. MIBU KYOSHIRO The orign of Mibu Kyoshiro remains a mystery throughout a good portion of the series, but he and Kyo appear to share the same body. Kyoshiro and Kyo have completely separate personalities and fight for control during the first couple episodes until Kyo emerges fully. Kyo has vowed several times to kill Misu Kyoshiro. ONIME NO KYO Kyo is the other personality in Kyoshiro's body. His mission is to find his body and to kill Misu Kyoshiro. Kyo has red eyes, one of the original Muramasas and is known for killing 1000 men at the Battle of Sekigahora. SHIINA YUYA Yuya is a bounty hunter who is seeking a man with a cross scar on his back. That man killed her brother. She follows Kyo because he seems to know something about the event. OKUNI A mysterious woman who's loyalties are not yet known, although she seems to be incredibly powerful. She also knows of both Kyo and Kyoshiro and seems to have a history with them that Kyo doesn't quite remember. SARUTOBI SASUKE One of Yukimura's loyal samurai and companions. Because he grew up in the forest, he was feared by society. Yukimura embraced him when he was still young, and since, he has become known as the most powerful shinobi among the Sanada vassals. TOKUGAWA HIDETADA AKA Benitora and Red Tiger through the series, Hidetada is the future shogun who will succeed Ieyasu. He is fighting both to rid his land of Kenyou and because he has fallen in love with Yuya (who has no idea who he is). SAKUYA Sakuya is apparently a very powerful woman, who has won the loyalties of many people including Yukimura. She had something to do with the outcome of the Battle of Sekigahora and the appearance of Demon Eyes Kyo. MIGEIRA Apparently a man from another time period, Migeira hopes to unite the 5 real Muramasas to restore the world to its true form.