Last Ninja 3 
(c)1989 System 3
-----------------------

INTRODUCTION (Box blurb)

Rarely does a company make as dramatic an impact as did System 3 
with the award winning games The Last Ninja and the Last 
Ninja II. This software innovation proved to be a major advance 
in home computer entertainment achieving critical aclaim from 
the media and game players around the world. 

Now regarded as a "Licence within itself", this series of games 
reaches an unequalled pinnacle of excellence with the arrival of 
Ninja III. Seldom has a series of games won as many awards 
worldwide as The Last Ninja. Never has such a series of games 
just got better and better. 

Ninja III is ready to explode onto your screen with most glorious 
display of graphics and animated fight sequences ever seen in 
this type of game. 

With pulsating sound and a massive introduction sequence, 
Ninja III displays a degree of excellence never before 
experienced by even the most seasoned Ninja fans. 

As Ninja III is far more than a simple action game, we suggest 
that you read the instructions carefully and spend some time 
becoming totally familiar with the controls. 

We hope you enjoy our latest game.

               Good Luck ... you're going to need it.


THE STORY

The Ninjitsu, or Ninja, had become the most feared warriors of 
their day and were feared even by the most powerful Samurai. 
Known as the Mystic Shadow Warriors, they were the elite fighting 
force of ninth century feudal Japan. Dedicated to fine tuning 
their bodies into killing machines, their mastery of weaponcraft, 
assassination, stealth and invisibility led many to believe them 
to be invincible if not immortal. 

Centuries later and only Armakuni, the Last Ninja, remains. Still 
as proud as ever, still as valiant in battle, he strives to 
further uphold the moral strengths of Good, against the 
persistent scourge of his arch enemy Kunitoki's relentless spread 
of Evil.  

Kunitoki is the evil Shogun of the Ashikaga clan who has long 
envied the powers of the Ninja and would do anything to acquire 
the Ninjitsu knowledge. To this end he has sworn an oath to their 
total destruction. This oath has led the evil Shogun into many 
battles with the Last Ninja, who himself has dedicated his very 
existence to avenging the mass slaughter of the Ninja 
brotherhood, centuries ago, by the twisted Shogun. Their clashes 
across the vortex of time and space were nothing short of epic, 
their hatred for one another timeless. 

The struggle of Good versus Evil to the island of Lin Fen, the 
shrine of the white Ninja, to halt the wrath of Kunitoki and to 
protect the further teachings of the vital Koga scrolls. Armakuni 
had been victorious but not 100% decisive as Kunitoki slipped his 
grasp. 

Years later, Armakuni had been dragged across time to modern day 
New York, as again Kunitoki's ideas of corruption looked set to 
threaten modern day ideals. 

This was supposed to be their last battle, Armakuni's 
determination had sworn to that, but yet again the Shogun had 
slipped away. Humiliated, supposedly defeated in spirit and 
hopefully humbled to the fact that Good will always 
purvey over Evil. 

The struggle in New York had left the Last Ninja battle-weary 
from countless confrontations with Kunitoki's henchmen, 
distraught that his age old adversary had again eluded him, but 
resolute that one day his timeless mission would bear the 
fruits of his persistance. 

As time drifted by, the Ninja's role within his own society was 
of a rather more tranquil existence in comparison to his earlier 
exploits, but he knew the necessity of his work, the importance 
of again building a new Ninja brotherhood from his personal 
knowledge and the mystical teachings of the closely guarded Koga 
scrolls. Armakuni felt comfortable once more as the teacher and 
accepted his duties with great passion and commitment, as he had 
prior to his historic battle in modern day New York.

A stronger order of Ninja slowly began to take shape as masters 
from the pre-New York era mingled with the young class of '91. 
During a strenuous training session, a strange feeling came over
the class. It was as if time had abruptly stood still. 
As Armakuni rose from his meditating position a strange pulsating 
light enshrouded him. The older members of the class knew what 
was happening, they had seen it all before and fervently tried to 
calm the younger class, to ensure them that their master was safe, 
to educate them as to the role of the spiritual Ninjitsu masters 
who were again calling on Armakuni, the Last Ninja, for another 
dangerous mission. 

The intensity of the light grew around Armakuni until all who 
were witnessing the scene were forced to cover their eyes. 
He knew what was happening, he knew there was unfinished business 
dating back many centuries. To him it felt as though his gut was 
turning inside out, as a deep determination coupled with his 
inner mystical energies began to take over and prepare him for 
the inevitable battles that must lie ahead. He knows who the 
ancient masters want him to defeat, after all he has lived for 
this day ever since his pride was dented by his arch enemy again 
escaping his grasp in New York. 

Relieved his masters had at last found Kunitoki again, his only 
apprehension was the location. 

Where would he have to ply his trade? What new time scale would 
he have to become accustomed to? How much more advanced would the 
new realm of Kunitoki's henchmen be in battle? And ultimately how 
strong had his rival been allowed to grow in the time lapsed since
their last meeting? No doubt all these questions would be 
answered in time as slowly Armakuni woke from the darkness of 
deep sleep.  

He recognized the location from earlier studies and heaved a 
great sigh of expectation as he understood immediately where he 
had been sent and indeed why?  

Armakuni was back at the very heart of the Ninjitsu spiritualism. 
He had been brought to Tibet, the Tibetan mountains to be precise 
and the locations of his latest exploits were to be the Tibetan 
temples. These mystical Buddhist temples house the source of 
inner-power to the Ninja.

A temple is divided into 5 chambers, each depicting one of the 
elements and all combining to provide the Ninja with the very 
heart of their power and their mystical strength, so symbolic to 
the very existence of the Ninjitsu. The five chamber elements are 

               EARTH, WATER, WIND, FIRE and VOID.  

No one had entered the inner chambers of the temples before and so 
there was no knowledge of what would greet any would-be explorer. 
VOID would be an unkown entity to a Ninja familiar only with the 
ways of old and whose weaponry would seem somewhat primitive to 
any "Space-age Assassin" who lurked within his futuristic chamber 
and who strove to carry out the outlandish orders of their new 
dictator.

Weaponry is, however, just a tool for the Ninjitsu strength. 
Master of many a move the Last Ninja knows he is up to the task 
but knows not how long his task will take. 

Armakuni takes a moment to meditate but suddenly experiences a 
strange and chilling sensation. He already knew he would have to 
confront Kunitoki once again, but his force seemed so powerful 
this time, more so than ever before. He had been allowed to grow 
in strength for far too long, surely the elders should have found 
him earlier. 

Armakuni did not need telling, the sinister truth why Kunitoki 
was here was all too apparent. He was here to corrupt the 
mystical Buddhist temples, to crush their inner power, so 
symbolic to the strength of the Last Ninja. 

Not able to defeat Armakuni in the past with mortal combat, 
the evil Shogun has turned to the spiritual aspect of Ninjitsu to 
act out his particular form of corruption. All the learning Ninja 
brotherhood rely on the Tibetan temples for spiritual guidance 
and strength, without this they would be no more.  

Kunitoki has seized upon this opportunity to destroy the 
knowledge he could never have and the enemy he could never defeat.  

Never was Armakuni's task more important...  
Never would the unacceptable result of failure be more damaging.  
It would now seem that New York was just the beginning. Their 
distaste for each other has grown for centuries, but then...

                     REAL HATRED IS TIMELESS

KEYBOARD CONTROLS

F1         Turn sound On/Off

F3/F5      Cycle through objects held

F7         Pause the game

Space bar  Cycle/Select weapon to use

Run/Stop   Kill the Ninja

The game can only be played with a joystick. The joystick should 
be plugged into Port 2.


BASIC MOVEMENTS  

To change the direction the Ninja is facing, roll the joystick 
handle through all the positions until you are facing the 
direction you want. 

To walk forwards push the joystick in the direction the Ninja 
is facing. 

To walk backwards pull the joystick in the opposite direction to 
the one the Ninja is facing. 

To drift across the path push the joystick in the direction you 
want him to veer (this applies for walking forwards and backwards)


SPECIAL MOVEMENTS

***Turning the Ninja  
Roll the joystick through all the positions until you are facing
the direction you want. 

***Somersault  
If the fire button is pressed while the Ninja is moving, he will 
somersault in that direction.

***Pick Up   
To pick up objects/weapons the button must be pressed and the 
joystick pulled down-left or down-right (diagonal).

Note: This move is also used at certain points of the game 
for placing objects in a desired order or position.


JOYSTICK CONTROLLED FIGHTING MOVES

To activate fighting moves, the Ninja should be stationary and 
the fire button pressed. 

   Unarmed moves                      Armed moves
-------------------------     --------------------------
Kick       Down               Stab       Right
Punch      Up                 Slash      Left
Duck       Up-left/Up-right   High Stab  Up  
                              Kick       Down               
                              Parry      Up-left/Up-right 

Throwing moves
-----------------------
Throw      Right or Left


GENERAL TIPS

The first aspects of the game you should master are the joystick 
controls. The highly interactive nature of the game is required 
because of the complex moves the Ninja character has to perform. 
A high level of competence at the controls will enhance your 
gameplay considerably. 

Because of the adventure elements our second suggestion is that 
you should get into the habit of recording what happens on each 
screen. This will enable you to obtain higher scores with 
repeated play. 

The last point is, never take anything for granted -some things 
are not as they appear. Examine everything. 


VIDEO DISPLAY

This is a simple scheme of the Last Ninja III display panel. The 
numbers represent the important areas in it. Explanations follow. 
                                     __________
                                    |         |
                                    |    6    |
                                    |---------|
                                    |    5    |
   _________________________________|---------|
  |        |         |     3     |            |
  |        |         |-----------|            |
  |   1    |    2    |           |            |
  |        |         |     4     |            |
  |________|_________|___________|____________|


1: Ninja energy level - Lessens each time Ninja takes a hit,
etc. - does not replenish.

2: Enemy energy level - Works the same as above but does 
replenish once an enemy is defeated, enabling the enemy to get up 
and fight again.

3: Game score

4: Bushido indicator - In the form of a dragon and at start of 
game appears orange, but gradually turns green as Bushido power 
is obtained. To leave a screen without defeating an opponent is 
to lose honor and you will be deducted bushido.

5: Weapon/Object window - Weapons and objects found appear in 
this window as do the objects that have been specifically 
selected.

6: Prayer Wheel - Opens to reveal object/weapon to be picked up 
on a certain screen. When an object appears, it means the object 
is nearby. You have to try picking up within that area once you 
find the spot the object will then be added to your inventory. 
Also briefly reveals weapon an enemy is holding just before 
combat, thus relevant to the obtaining of Bushido power.

Note: Bushido is relevant to the completion of the game and your 
overall strength. For example by taking on and defeating enemies 
with the same weapon, your Bushido power increases. The same 
applies when you take on an enemy using only hand to hand combat. 
This is more difficult but rewarded with substantial Bushido 
power. It is necessary to have sufficient Bushido power to 
complete a level and ultimately the game. 


--------------------------------------------------------------
There will now follow a complete playing guide to Level One. This 
should enable the games' player to get the feel for this type of 
game and prepare the player for the difficulties that lay within 
the levels ahead. 

Do not read on if you wish to try and complete the game without 
our help.
-----------------------------------------------

PLAYING GUIDE TO LEVEL ONE 

There are 3 weapons to be picked up on this level. The sword, 
shirakin stars (5 in one go) and the Nunchukas, which have to 
be made. This is done by picking up wooden branches, which will 
become the handles, and picking up a chain from the hanging flower 
baskets to link the handles together. 

*First screen - Pick up Leather Glove. 

*Outside a group of two huts, are Rooftilers Nails.  Pick these 
up, combined with the glove, creates a Climbing Glove. 

*Select "climbing glove" and climb cliff on Gunpowder screen. 

*On next screen walk across the edge of building to pick up a 
Glass Lamp. 

*Go back to Gunpowder screen and holding the lamp, pick up 
Gunpowder to create a Bomb. 

*Go back to Upper Platform at the Rock screen and place the 
orb/gunpowder bomb beside the rock. An explosion drops the rock 
to lower the platform. 

*Pick up Scroll which is now accessible by the newly formed Rock 
Platform.  

*Find level Exit room and enter holding the Scroll. 
 
*Prepare to fight the lethal guardian Shogun.

Note: Exit scroll has to be found on each load to exit that 
level. Extra lives are found in the form of Potions on every 
level.

                          GOOD LUCK...


----------------------------------------
Credits:

Instructions typed by ThunderBlade/DMAgic
Music by Reyn Ouwehand (from Last Ninja Remix) 
Music relocated by ThunderBlade/DMAgic
Dragon scanned from original manual and converted to C64 by 
ThunderBlade/DMAgic
Music in trainer menu by Chris Huelsbeck (for those who didn't 
know)
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For the case you would like to contact DMAgic, I recommend you 
write to MacGyver/DMAgic (not on envelope) 

Milo Mundt
Steinberger Str. 34
D-31737 Rinteln
Germany

E-Mail: maccie@iname.com

For swapping games, demos, disk magazines and for getting 
SuperCPU-related stuff and releases of DMAgic.
