Bakumatsu "Secret Orders"
Secret Orders is Oboromaru's chapter in Live A Live and takes place in feudal Japan.
Its cursor is a ninja sword.
Chapter Description
In the Edo era of feudal Japan, the shinobi remain in the shadows even amidst the upheaval of societal change. To one such man, secret orders are given. Sneak past countless guards and traps to rescue the hostage! Can he kill 100 men?
Chapter Mechanics
This scenario is mainly stealth based and gives you three ways to complete the chapter: you can either kill all 100 of Lord Ode Iou's followers in Ode Castle, completely avoid combat and kill no one or find a balance between both, killing only those you see fit to complete your mission. This chapter is also full with secrets and having previous knowledge of some of them is needed to complete the chapter with 100 or 0 kills.
Another mechanic of the chapter are the traps that are littered around the Ode Castle, mainly trapdoors and enemy ambushes. As you travel through the castle you will find doors that are locked. In order to unlock them, the player will have to find keys around the fortress.
The chapters stealth comes in with the use of sneaking around enemies to avoid fights, using the Shadowed Self to hide away from enemies and using the Run command to escape from battles with enemies in your way. There is also a password system in the chapter which some guards will ask for by saying "Mountain!". The password will actively shift between "River" or "Origin" with the sound of a bell, the bell must be paid attention to and what password was last used.
If one does not kill any women during the chapter, the player can get a Maid's Sash and the Lacquered Medicine Box near the end of the chapter as a reward. If one does not kill anyone, the player can be given 10 Castella from a Minister and at the end of the chapter the player is rewarded with Ryoma's sword, the Mutsunokami. Although there is no reward for killing people or getting 100 kills, the player can get a lot of experience points which allows an easier time when fighting along with many items.
Cloak of Invisibility
This item is received at the start of the chapter from Hayate. This cloak is able to hide the party away from enemies if they need to. It can be used by pressing and holding the Y button. This item is key in order to avoid fights and its use is needed to trigger some events.
Passwords
There are four passwords that appear when prompted, but only two of these are correct: River and Origin. It changes between the two when the bell is heard.
- Potato
- River
- Origin
- Ode Iou
Bosses
This chapter contains 4 main bosses:
- Amakusa Shiro, a ghost that controls all spirits in the fortress.
- Clockwork Gennai, a mechanical trap master that controls all mechanisms in the fortress.
- Miyamoto Musashi, the spirit of the greatest swordsman that ever lived.
- Yodogimi, a deceiving female spirit that tried to pass as Ode Iou's daughter.
This chapter contains two secret bosses:
- Majin Ryunosuke , a ghost ronin who possesses and protects the Muramasa.
- Lord Iwama, a giant silver koi swimming in the castle's moat.
Both of the secret bosses should only be fought at a high level and one should have O-Robo in the party to defeat them. Both drop rare, powerful items: the Muramasa and the Suijin Scale respectively.
Boss
The boss of this scenario is Ode Iou. He is unique in that he is fought twice - once in his normal form, and then in his Frogsnake Demon form. In his monster form he makes use of mostly poison based attacks and attacks that turn the tiles to poison ones.
Chapter Endings
Bad End
This ending is received from simply getting a game over at anytime during the chapter. Hayate will drop in and inform his leader of Oboro's failure. Afterwards the leader would remark that it seemed the times of peace would not arrive just yet.
Outcast End
If Oboromaru abandons his mission by leaving the castle, his clan will attempt to kill him. 5 waves of 4 ninjas will attack. After this, Hayate will attack Oboromaru as his last enemy. In the end, Oboromaru dies due to a suicidal explosion created by his former master.
Normal End
The complete ending can be obtained in two ways as The Prisoner will ask if Oboro wants to join him, one can either refuse or join. Depending on what is chosen affects the ending seen after the final chapter. If "I am Shinobi!" was chosen it will show Oboro running through the fields alone. If "Interesting..." was chosen Oboro will be shown protecting The Prisoner from an assassin attempting to kill him. If the player has managed to not kill anyone in the chapter, The Prisoner will give Oboro his former weapon, the Yoshiyuki. Its attack stat is the same as that of the Muramasa.