| Act IV: A Trap | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name | Act IV: A Trap |
| Debut | Ninja Gaiden |
Act IV: A Trap is the fourth Act of Ninja Gaiden. It shifts location from North America to South America, then to the Temple of Darkness. It is comprised of four areas, Act 4-1: South American Amazon, Act 4-2: Basilisk Mine Field, Act 4-3: Hall of Demons, and Act 4-4 Space of Kelbeross.
Story[]
Prologue[]
After his abduction, Ryu Hayabusa finds himself in a dark area. It lights up to reveal he's in an interrogation room with A. Foster, who introduces himself as the head honcho of the CIA Special Auxiliary Unit, though Ryu is unimpressed and accuses him of killing Walter Smith. Foster claims he and his men didn't kill the man, but he took Ryu aside to fill him in on some more information that he knows.
Moving to a slideshow presentation, Foster explains that in the upper reaches of the Amazon, some ancient ruins were discovered. The temple there was seemingly built over 2000 years ago. He says it was Smith who first discovered it, and Smith has been studying it for some time, until one day, he sealed off the ruins and nobody has gone close, until now... Recently, a powerful man has moved into the ruins and made it his home. Although his name is Guardia de mieux, he calls himself the Jaquio. Foster then says according to his records, the temple was built not to worship gods but to imprison the body of the demon (matching up with what Smith said in Act 3). Foster concludes that evil spirits are said be contained in the Shadow Statue Ryu is holding, so since Smith already knew this information, he was probably killed by someone working for the Jaquio.
With the presentation over, Foster reads the last words on the stone tablet, "When a black moon shines, Light and Dark break apart, the King of Darkness howls!" Foster then concludes that if the Jaquio brings the demon back to life, he will gain enough power to control the entire world. When Ryu questions his validity, Foster confirms that the woman who shot him in the bar was one of his agents. Foster then books a flight for Ryu to drop him off in the Amazon jungle and tasks him to recover the Light Statue from the Jaquio. Foster also promises that Ryu will be paid for the work. However, Ryu is uninterested in money and asks what will happen if he declines the offer (preferring to do the job on his own terms), and as the lights dim, Foster replies, "You know the answer to that."
Act IV[]
Soon, Ryu gets dropped off by plane in the middle of the South American Amazon, forcing him to trek on foot. Fighting more baddies, Ryu finds a mountain to climb in order to get himself out of the jungle. Eventually, he gets a picturesque view of the Temple of Darkness in broad daylight. Ryu then passes through the Basilisk Mine Field, a cavernous area with mine-carts and a bridge serving as a quick shortcut into the Temple of Darkness. After defeating the new set of enemies with unbreakable determination, Ryu finally enters from below, and finds himself in the Hall of Demons. At the end is the Space of Kelbeross, home of the Jaquio's pet, Kelbeross.
Epilogue[]
After killing Kelbeross, Ryu finds himself face to face with the devildoer himself. Jaquio praises Ryu for coming all this way to give him the Shadow Statue, and demands it over. After Ryu refuses, the Jaquio plays his power card: one of his goons has that agent girl who shot Ryu earlier hostage. Ryu calls the Jaquio a coward, but despite the girl's pleas, Ryu ultimately relinquishes the statue. However, the Jaquio goes back on his word and drops Ryu through a secret trapdoor in the Prison of the Dead. Jaquio orders his goon to take the girl away. Now that Jaquio has both statues in his possession, he is finally ready for tonight, as this event happens only once every 700 years. With the world soon in his grasp, the Jaquio laughs maniacally.
Trivia[]
- When Jaquio tells his goon to take the girl away, he says something different depending on the version. In the NES version, Jaquio says the girl is going to be a sacrifice. In the PC Engine, Jaquio instead says to throw the girl into the pond for the fish.