by: Tech21 | December 14, 2002
[Jump to: Tracking Hayamoto | Hidden Valley | At The Gates | Shogun Showdown]
Breathe deep. The long, cold, snowy and perilous journey through the
wildlands of central Japan is finally over. The only chore now is to make
your way through the annals of Hayamoto's ancient yet deviously high-tech
castle, recover the missile guidance system from his basement museum,
eliminate the target and, most importantly, escape alive. From a design
standpoint, all the bases have been covered: there are lots of methods and
different orders of completing the mission goals set forth. Some are a lot
safer and more conventional than others, however.
That's the problem with creating such an open-ended level. There's no way
for the designers to predict every single solution a player may think of,
but in trying to accommodate so many paths, the AI becomes somewhat of a
convoluted, unpredictable mess. And that's sort of what happened with
Shogun Showdown. Think about it: there's disguises, keycards, the alarm
system, the helicopter, the remote bomb, Lei Ling, and countless other
variables to consider in endless combinations. It's a wonder this level
works as well as it does. The walkthrough, however, will take a very
straightforward, no-frills approach, that works the same way every time.
Load-Out
Yup, you guessed it. 47's equipment is carried over from the previous level,
so it's the starting gear (fiber wire, anesthetic, Ballers, and 9mm SD),
possibly the SMG and silenced Ballers, and the night vision and crossbow
you picked up in Hidden Valley. The crossbow has one final use in
Shogun Showdown, so make sure to keep it on hand through the end
of At The Gates.
Walkthrough
For once, the opening cut-scene actually has some real used beyond nifty
cinematic appeal. First it gives you some idea of where and how the
missile guidance system is housed, and second you're given an important
hint about where to avoid stepping (creaking floorboards can ruin an
otherwise perfect sneak attempt). To begin the mission, make a left
and you'll see steps leading up to the courtyard. Don't go this way.
Instead, head in through the "secret" door (it's not marked on the map as
a door) on the right and ascend the narrow staircase to the first floor.
Walk up to the door at the top of the steps. Check your map and you'll notice
that there is one guard that patrols this room, and he follows a short
north-south route. Wait until he begins his north patrol (away from you),
and then enter the room in sneak mode and quickly headshot the guard with
the crossbow. It's important that you stay off the floorboards and walk
only on the hard rafters, else he'll be alerted of your presence. Now
walk over to the body (staying on the rafters just for safe measure), take
his clothes, and go ahead and exchange the crossbow for his SMG-SD6 - it's
more useful in the confines of the castle.
Now that you have a suitable disguise, head over to the stairs on the west
side of the room, which lead down to courtyard-level (again, stay on the
rafters). At the bottom of the steps, make a right and go through the
wooden door, head down the hallway, and through the next door. You are
now in the "wings" of the castle. The first thing you will see is a security
keycard on a small shelf next to the door. Pick it up, turn around,
and go back the way you came, up the steps to the first floor.
[Save Game]
With the keycard you can now disable the lasers and gain access to the
rest of the castle. Head through the laser-entry on the first floor,
make and immediate right, and then head down the steps to the basement.
There are two guards stationed on the other side of the first floor
laser-doorway, and sometimes one of them will begin to follow you. If
he does, just keep walking and he'll eventually stop and go back to his post.
Once you are safely at basement level, enter the large basement room.
You'll notice from the map that there are two staircases leading down to
the museum, but only one entry is occupied by a guard. You want to take
the southeast (far left) staircase, which will give you easy access to
pilfer in Hayamoto's treasure room. When you make it down the museum,
deactivate the laser to enter, then grab the missile guidance system,
as well as the .22 silenced pistol on the corner stand. You are now
awarded a bonus save.
The next section of the walkthrough is fairly self-explanatory.
Walk back up to the first floor, past the two guards at the laser-entry,
and head up the stairs to the second floor. Continue up to the third floor,
then the fourth. At the fourth floor, pass through the two sliding
doors and feast your eyes on Lei Ling - a blast from the Hitman's past.
She may have lost her sexy voice, but the girl still has street smarts.
She will give you a higher-level keycard that will allow you to access
the upper floors. In return, she would like you to help her escape (why
does she get in these places if she only wants to escape?). A bonus save
is also awarded.
[Save Game]
With the new keycard in hand, head up to the fifth floor, and pass through
the laser-entry. You'll have to pass several ninjas in pretty close
proximity to make it across the room to the final staircase. Just stay as
far away as possible and keep walking! On the sixth floor you'll see
Mr. Hayamoto in one of two positions: sitting at his table or staring
intently out the window at nothing in particular (the life of a crimelord!).
He looks alone, except for regular visits from the maidservant. But alas,
above 47's head are crafty katana-wielding ninjas, so a quick escape is
necessary after any funny business.
How's this for sweet irony: wait until Hayamoto is facing out his window.
Walk up behind him, pull the silenced .22 you stole from his museum, and
cap him once in the back of the head. Now quickly use the menu option to
"Climb Through Window" before the ninjas have time to jump down and start
swinging. Use the handy ramps to descend the entire exterior of the
castle, hop down onto the courtyard, and calmly walk up onto the helipad.
Escape in Hayamoto's very own helicopter. Ah, the life of a hitman
is so much cooler.
Recommended Saves: 2
Rating: Professional
Time: 9:09
Items Available For Collection
- Katana Sword [On Rafter Ninjas and Hayamoto]
- SMG-SD6 [On Ninjas and in Storage Room]
- Desert Eagle [On Security Team Ninjas]
- Remote Bomb [In Storage Room]
- .22 Pistol SD [In Museum]
Points Of Interest
Free diguises are hard to come by, but when ninjas watch TV static for entertainment they don't seem to notice intruders.
Let's hope Hayamoto doesn't have any small children at home.
Remote bombs aren't good to leave lying about either.
The best way to kill a snake is to draw it out of its hole.
Maybe the old girl is worth saving after all...
Everyone enjoys a good fireworks display. And they're even more fun indoors.
