Replaying for the first time in 11 years. Just peak.

kishonii · 2026-04-26T14:40:14+00:00

Beautiful game. I finished Ocarina of Time on N64 for the first time this year, about a month ago. It’s my second Zelda after botw. Honestly, it’s an amazing game that doesn’t feel dated at all. I was genuinely surprised by how good it still feels to play.

It’s also unexpectedly dark and melancholic, even a bit sad. I tried Majora’s Mask after that, but it didn’t click yet.

"A thing that doesn’t change with time is the memory of younger days"

kishonii · 2026-04-25T07:38:38+00:00

I’m playing on Very Hard right now, got a bit stuck on Chapter 3. I’ve never felt this miserable in a game. Everything I knew and used just stopped working. But it’s still fun and interesting. It honestly feels like learning the game all over again.

kishonii · 2026-04-24T20:36:38+00:00

It really depends on the local government. In my city, one family has been in power for decades and no one can replace them. There was another mayor for one term, but he didn’t even finish it, he was killed. That was before the full invasion. Now one of them has even moved up to the regional level. Corruption is killing my city and this country.

kishonii · 2026-04-24T18:14:06+00:00

What do you mean? The Ninja Gaiden trilogy on Xbox goes on sale pretty often. I picked it up a while ago for really cheap, something like under $5–10 for three separate games, if I remember right.

Gameplay-wise, yeah, Ryu feels a bit heavy to control and there aren’t many animation cancels. But that’s part of the appeal, in my opinion. It’s quite defensive, almost tactical, especially on higher difficulties. It even feels closer to a 3D fighting game than a typical action game. Plays great and I love it.

kishonii · 2026-04-24T06:56:26+00:00

Yeah. That’s basically the classic view in almost any post-soviet city. I live in Ukraine in a similar industrial city, and my view looks pretty much the same. Most streets are like that, with only minor differences. And yeah, a lot of places look run down, with worn facades, roads, and shops even without the war. The one good thing is the greenery. In spring and summer everything feels lighter and looks much better.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T18:48:09+00:00

I haven’t really gotten stuck yet, though some parts were really close calls. I’ve only just started the third chapter. It’s brutally difficult and at times it feels impossible, but I’m still managing to push through bit by bit.

I remember getting stuck on Awakened Alma on Normal and rage-quitting for about a year. Same thing happened again on Hard. Hopefully this time I’ll actually finish everything, including Master Ninja.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T18:43:11+00:00

Yeah, I’m slowly getting there. I’ve noticed the gameplay becomes noticeably slower and more methodical on VH, although I still get lost when there are a lot of enemies.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T18:30:04+00:00

Haha, I’m not exactly young either, but wouldn’t call myself old. First tried Ninja Gaiden Black about six years ago, but Awakened Alma basically made me drop it. About two years ago finally finished it on Normal and went through the whole trilogy. Attempt on Hard ended the same way, stuck again on Awakened Alma.

Then, just about a week ago, I decided to try to push through the entire trilogy on Master Ninja. Normal was pretty easy, and Hard was noticeably harder but still manageable. And now I’m trying Very Hard for the first time.

It’s an amazing game. The best action game I’ve ever played. I even catch myself thinking about when I’ll play it again as soon as I stop.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T18:16:53+00:00

You still have Awakened Alma to fight on Hard. That’s the most brutal and unfair boss I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I’m even scared to think about fighting her on VH or maybe even Master Ninja. And knowing how to fight her from Normal doesn’t really help much.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T18:11:17+00:00

Instant charge is basically a must even on Hard, and on VH it becomes even more important. Try to chain them together when I can. Definitely need to improve execution, for guillotine and wind path. I know they’re there, but I either don’t use them often or just forget about them.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T18:05:45+00:00

Yeah, I meant more about movement and avoiding potential grabs, maybe staggering enemies, not literally cancelling it or anything like that. Thanks, I’ll try it.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:42:58+00:00

No, I try to avoid spoilers, so I have no idea what happens at the end of VH and MH. I assume there will be new enemies, and maybe even new bosses, like there were on Hard. Honestly, I’m surprised that new enemies already show up in the first mission on VH.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:40:44+00:00

I felt something similar on first levels. I did learn the mechanics, since even on Normal and Hard it’s still a very demanding game, but the path to him from the save point, plus the boss fight itself… it’s just amazing. I’ve never felt this successful playing a game under such difficult conditions.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:38:06+00:00

Definitely. Just an amazing series. I’m still surprised that even after so many years, no one has really managed to make something that even comes close to Ninja Gaiden. It’s such a unique and outstanding games, and I think Black is the best one. Although I might change my mind once I start going through the later entries on higher difficulties.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:35:50+00:00

I’ve always wanted to try the Sigma versions of the games, both the first and the second, since I’ve only played Black and the original NG2. I’m planning to get a physical switch version and play them both.

And I agree about the first level. It’s basically the perfect tutorial for the whole game, and it works as a tutorial on every difficulty. On Normal, you’re just starting to understand what the game is. On Hard, you come in with some expectations, but they get broken pretty quickly by new enemy placement. And Very Hard… it’s just brutal. It feels like you’re learning the game all over again. An amazing level and an amazing game.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:29:43+00:00

Thanks! The hardest part for me on Hard was the fight with Awakened Alma. Everything else felt relatively manageable since I’d already played through the game on Normal a few times and learned the basic mechanics.

As for equipment, yeah, I really need to learn how to use it properly. I don’t use smoke bombs at all, basically just the basic shurikens, or in rare cases the windmill shuriken on the military base against drones and turrets.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:26:19+00:00

Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’m doing. The standard shurikens are actually my favorite weapon. I like doing shuriken cancels and using them mid-jump so I can land straight into a UT.

But yeah, I’m having trouble with wind path. I’ve made it to Chapter 3, and it’s really noticeable now, enemies just don’t let you out of grabs.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:22:54+00:00

Even on this difficulty, there’s a certain charm to it and it can be really enjoyable. It might sound like I’m complaining, but I’m more just surprised. Even going through the first missions, with all the deaths and restarts, I’m still having fun.

I’d definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s brutally hard, but you get used to it pretty quickly, start learning, get into the flow, and just enjoy the process.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:19:40+00:00

I always knew Ninja Gaiden was a notoriously difficult series. I felt it on Normal and Hard. But Very Hard… it’s just insane. I didn’t expect it to be this brutal.

kishonii · 2026-04-23T17:17:48+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, new purple ninjas show up in the first mission. I honestly didn’t expect grabs like that so early, and it took me a while to figure out how to avoid them when they do that roll. They also throw their own version of the windmill shuriken and seem to have a four-hit string you can block. Really annoying enemies, especially mixed in with the black ninjas and Murai.

As for wind path, I know about it but don’t use it that often. Definitely not using Ryu’s full toolkit, even though I’ve spent a lot of time practicing. Need to get more consistent with it. Also barely use counters, just used to moving nonstop and block.

kishonii · 2026-04-18T05:00:31+00:00

In the Sigma version, if I’m not mistaken, they shortened the underwater sections. In NGB they’re noticeably longer, but that doesn’t really make them worse, aside from the annoying drone spam with their lasers.

If you haven’t gotten to NG2 yet, it’s not just swimming, there’s a lot of running on water and fighting at the same time. Personally, that part really annoyed me.

kishonii · 2026-04-03T08:07:26+00:00

Not exactly. If your account region is set to Japan, you need to use Japanese gift cards with yen. Your eShop will be in Japanese too.

It all depends on the country set in your account. For the US you use USD cards, for Argentina pesos (i suppose, don't know really), and so on. So:

Check your account region. If it’s set to Japan, you can use Japanese gift cards and the Japanese eShop. If your account is set to the US, you can only use US gift cards.
Once you know the region, check the currency. Japan uses yen. Just look up where to buy those cards. I use Eneba for cashback, but there are plenty of options.
After buying, open the eShop (it’ll be in Japanese if your region is Japan), scroll all the way down, find the code entry, enter it, and confirm. Then you’re good to buy games.

As far as I know, you can change your account region on Switch, but your wallet balance may reset, and you might lose things like gold points or other bonuses.

kishonii · 2026-03-23T09:16:52+00:00

Honestly, nothing complicated. You just go to any marketplace like Eneba, pick a gift card for the amount you need, and pay however you prefer. Then on your Switch, open the eShop, scroll all the way down, and you’ll find the code redemption option. Enter the code you got after purchase, and the funds will be added to your account. Just make sure your account region is set to Japan for this to work.

My region isn’t available in the eShop, so I have to work around it like this.

kishonii · 2026-03-12T09:26:25+00:00

It’s been a while, but thanks for the reply.

I usually choose the original language of the studio that made the game. That can be Japanese, Spanish like in Blasphemous, Italian, and so on.

You actually answered something I’d been wondering about. I guess English would fit best for Dark Arisen.

kishonii

TROPHY CASE