Kamiwaza

» PRESS START and the following options appear:

NEW GAME
LOAD DATA

» At the outset of the game, a female voice-over plays which explains the situation during the Edo era of Japan's history. Japanese paintings of life in Japan are also shown. She recounts the arrival of the black ships as commandeered by Commodore Perry and the strife afterwards. To help the stricken, clans such as the Gingarasu appeared which robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. This is your life as a vagabond-thief named Ebizo.

» In the next scene, a snowy expanse opens up and a red-haired guy leaps down and is shivering from the cold. His name is Ebizo and his hair is unnaturally red. His partner Ainosuke is more composed and not suffering from the freezing temperatures. They are both thieves and members of the Gingarsu who are about to rob an estate. The breath of each exhale from the two men may be seen in the cold air and single snowflakes slowly drift downwards. The two converse, a crow caws, and they leap into action. In the next scene, players take control of Ebizo who has slung a green sachel over his left shoulder. In the background, loyal retainers may be seen with their swords at their sides.

CONTROLS
L-Analog..........Movement
R-Analog..........Camera Control
L1-Trigger........Drop / Pick up plunder
L2-Trigger........Center camera
R1-Trigger........Duck (R2-Trigger serves the same purpose)
SQUARE...........Side swipe attack
X-BUTTON.........Jump
O-BUTTON.........Low kick attack useful for soccer kicks
START...............Option menu

» The goal is to infiltrate the estate by sneaking past the retainers and plunder some goodies. The four retainers are all facing away from the door so it's a simple matter to slowly walk past them and into the first corridor of the manse. They're also all sleeping while standing up which helps Ebizo's cause. In the first room, a number of masks and other items may be plundered. Your partner in crime advises you on the mechanics of play and pilfering controls. To take items hanging on walls, jump up with the "X" button and smack them by pressing the "SQUARE" button and they'll all fly into your sachel which bulges with the prizes from the room.

» Later in the level, Ebizo stumbles on a child named Suzuna whom he rescues from a cruel fate when her parents are killed by vandals inside the house that he's robbing.

» Although its possible to fight the enemies, the goal is really stealth and evasion. Ebizo's goal is to avoid conflict whenever possible although he can punch and kick his enemies. For example, when passing right in front of a sentry, walking slowly doesn't always work and you'll be noticed but running fast makes noise and you'll definitely be heard and noticed. Pushing up slightly on the L-analog will make the thief creep and pushing it more will make him run. The solution is to mix speeds when walking in front of guards. First move slow and then fast and you'll usually get past without being noticed.

» Escape from the first level is fairly easy even though you'll be noticed by the sentries outside. They're sort of dullards who'll sort of notice your passage RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM but they don't do much except scurry after you half-heartedly before giving up the chase. After the level, players are given the chance to save their progress to memory card.

» In the next level, Ebizo is now older and wiser. His red hair has now been replaced by his natural black shag. When his young charge Suzuna falls ill, he returns to a life of thievery to support her. Continuing his old ways, Ebizo slings a green sachel over his shoulder and infiltrates another estate with sleepy guards at the entrances and around the grounds. When Ebizo is spotted, the pursuit is comical because the samurai who's chasing him takes about a full second to execute a sword attack and by the time he swings, the onscreen thief is already down the path. Ducking out of sight behind a wall makes the pursuer forget all about your presence and he goes about his routine one more.

» Some object have hit points and they must be beaten up before they can be added to your bag of goodies.

» There's no enemy killing in the game or bloodshed. Foes can be knocked unconscious where they'll sleep for a spell but they'll eventually get up and wonder what happened with no apparent recollection of their beat down.

» The enemy AI is pretty bad in some areas. There was one point in the second level where we were beating on a hapless retainer and kicking him around (literally, by the way) and another retainer outside continued pacing back and forth, oblivious to the carnage within.

» After stealing a bunch of stuff, the sachel eventually becomes bigger than the thief. It looks ludicrous after a particularly fruitful session of robbery.

» Ebizo's skills are fairly remarkable for a lowly thief. He can become one with the steps on a stairway to avoid detection, hide behind thin posts, twirl around with stardust trailing him to bedazzle foes, and even snatch the valuable kimono off a geisha in one sweeping motion.

» Supporting characters in the game include a big breasted geisha named Motojime who wears a purple and white kimono, a warlord in black with a patch over his right eye named Okashira, and a flamboyant guy in red kimono named Onatsu who has an effeminate voice. There's also a green-robed guy in tiger mask named Komagishi and an old guy in black who carries two swords named Igitsune.