Very Quick Tips: Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

There will be blood

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z doesn’t really offer up a deep combat system, but depending on what enemies you’re fighting, it can get pretty intense — especially on higher difficulty levels.

Here are a few quick tips to help you on your quest to destroy the undead horde.

General tips:

• When you’re swinging about in the game’s contextual jumping sequences, press Y (Triangle) if you find yourself falling to your doom. Often times, there’s a shining wall or enemy in your way that you need to destroy first, and pressing the punch button will allow you to continue on your way.

• If you can, always execute enemies. Not only will they present you with health, but their signature weapon will drop if they are an elite class foe. Since the game is arena oriented, you never know when you might need some health pickups or an item in a later “round.”

• Always use weapons if you can, but don’t “waste” them on lower class enemies. If you don’t want to use something at the current moment, drop it on the ground with the grab button and save it for later.

• In case you’re wondering, the ammo for items is located in the lower right hand corner, with a tiny circular icon. It took me over half the game to realize where it was.

• Once you get your Bloodlust ability, I highly recommend leveling it up on the bottom part of the upgrade screen. Beyond that, level up your items on the right side — they’ll come in handy, especially during boss battles. Outside of those upgrades, feel free to choose whatever you want since the tree is rather weak.

• If you’re fighting the fire elite enemies in tandem with other groups, make sure to take them out first. They’re easily the most dangerous enemies in the game (especially in pairs), as they can light up the ground where they stand, making it hard to engage. Use all the items you can on them, and bait them into spitting fire, then dash in.

• Give your Detective Vision a quick “tap” after clearing out every arena (LB or L1). It doesn’t take much effort at all, and you can easily see if there are any secrets hiding behind a nearby wall. Just get in the habit of it and you’ll pick up worthwhile upgrades.