Kabuki Warriors FAQ/Movelist V 1.1, January 25th, 2002. By BlueManaDrop@aol.com This FAQ covers the fighting engine of Kabuki Warriors, considered by many to be a shallow engine with few moves, but this is a game that actually reveals a unique system to those who spend time with it. Kabuki Warriors has only one basic attack button, but each character possesses many different moves controlled by the D-pad. Contents 1. MOVES 2. CHARACTERS 3. PLAY MODES --Tour Mode --Time Attack 4. FAQ's 5. QUICK NOTE ON THE GAME ***1. MOVES: The basic controls are as such, I will abbreviate Up as U, Down as D, Back as BK and Forward as F. Combined Up and Forward is UF, Up and Back is UBK, etc. D-pad or Analog: Move character. Y: Roll (to avoid attacks or pass an opponent) and reverse facing position. X: Block. A: Mid-level atack. B: Jump. White: Tap once for taunt pose, hold for taunt dance. Taunting increases your popularity meter, which allows you special attacks and earns you money. Black: Special attack. U+A: Overhead attack/attack fallen character with downward slash. (U+A to attack downward character does not work when using Goro. See CHARACTERS.) D+A: Underhand attack. F+A: Thrust or dash attack. BK+A: Retreating attack. UF+A: Dashing overhead attack/attack fallen character with downward slash. When used by a Kendo character (Haiko, Shuroku and Kuroku) this move is a dashing mid-level kick, but not an overhead move. UBK+A: Retreating overhead attack/attack fallen character with downward slash. When used by a Kendo character (Haiko, Shiroko and Kuroko) this is actually a different dashing mid-level kick. When used by Sukeroku, it is a retreating mid-level kick. DF+A: Launcher (used to begin juggle combo and/or knock character to ground to perform a downward slash), charging underhand attack. DBK+A: Retreating underhand attack. When used by Danjo, Sakon/Ukon, Kagekiyo and Sukeroku, this attack is also used as a second launcher. X+A: Throw attack. B+A: Jumping attack. Double Tap F: Run. Double Tap F+A: Slide attack. Those are the basic moves. Actually pretty complex for a game that's accused of only having one attack. Most people missed the freedom of sword movement with the analog or D-pad. NOTE ON EARNING MONEY: Besides doing the taunt pose and taunt dance, landing combos, special moves and throws will earn you money. Be sure to throw in a taunt pose after you defeat an opponent, you will still earn the money for it even though the match has ended. ***2. CHARACTERS: (Note: To select a characters alternate costume during time attack, hold the left or right trigger while selecting) Shiroko, Haiko and Kuroko Weapon: Shinai (Kendo stick or Takemitsu) Special attack: NONE I call these guys "The twins", because they all have the same face. Shiroko is the character you always start tour mode with, and he wears a white outfit and a "beekeeper" mask. (A kendo practice outfit from the time period of the game.) Haiko wears a gray outfit and Kuroko wears a black outfit. They fight exactly the same, making these three the generic characters you face often. The fighting style of the Kendo characters is not bad, but they possess no special attack. DEFAULT COSTUME: Mask on. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Mask off. Sukeroku Weapon: Parasol Special attack: LIGHTNING Sukeroku is the only character in the game who fights with a parasol. His moves are unique, combining kicks like the Kendo characters with the power of his odd weapon, and his lightning special attack is one of the easiest to hit with. He has two launcher attacks. DEFAULT COSTUME: Blue outfit. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Purple outfit. Danjo Weapon: Sword Special attack: WIND Danjo is a slow but powerful swordsman. He has good reach and 2 launcher attacks. His special attack is a powerful gust of wind, but it must be used right next to your target or it will miss. Try working it in after a flurry of slices, or on a launched character right about to land. Danjo also has two launcher attacks. DEFAULT COSTUME: Green outfit, no hat. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Hat on, orange outfit. Gonroku Weapon: Sword Special attack: SLICE Gonroku is a fighter or average speed and power. His special attack, though, is very devastating as it is easy to work into a combo and the crowd approval will fill your meter up enough to perform it again. DEFAULT COSTUME: Orange outfit, no hat. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Hat on, green outfit. Tadanobu Weapon: Sword Special attack: SLICE Tadanobu fights very closely to Gonroku's style. His special attack, too, is easy to work into a combo and causes a good amount of damage. One of the top 3 fighters in the game in speed/power balance. DEFAULT COSTUME: Blue outfit. ALTERNATE COSTUME: White outfit. Goro Weapon: Sword Special attack: FIRE The sumo-sized, painted warrior is actually much faster than he looks. A powerful fighter with a special move that is unfortunately too easy to avoid. If you can get it to hit, it does a large amount of damage, but you literally need someone to come charging right into it. NOTE: There is a glitch in Goro's control. if you try to attack a fallen foe with U+A when using Goro, he will only do his overhead attack. Instead, use UF or UB+A. DEFAULT COSTUME: Red paint. ALTERNATE COSTUME: Blue paint. Kikunosuke Weapon: Sword Special attack: BOMBS The cross dressing Kikunosuke is actually a man....keep in mind women weren't allowed in Kabuki theatre. His bomb attack, like Goro's special attack, is unfortunately too easy to avoid. Average speed as well. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Red dress. ALTERNATE OUTFIT: Blue dress. Sakon/Ukon Weapon: Sword Special attack: INVISIBILTY Sakon and Ukon are the same character, Ukon is the default, Sakon is selected with the left trigger. Both have the same moves. Very good reach and speed, and the invisibilty special attack will restore life while Sakon/Ukon is invisible. One of the strongest characters in the game. Has two launchers. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Ukon, white hair and cream colored outfit. ALTERNATE OUTFIT: Sakon, red hair and blue outfit. Sadakuro: Weapon: Sword Special Attack: WIND The fastest character in the game, Sadakuro is a thin and gaunt character when compared to most of the others (even Kikunosuke!) but he packs a powerful punch. Has excellent attack speed and recovery time, although his tornado special attack is a little easy to avoid. Has two launcher attacks. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Hat off. ALERNATE OUTFIT: Hat on. Kagekiyo: Weapon: Sword Special Attack: FIRE The big, bad boss character of the game. You can only use him in time attack, since he is the in the last team of characters you face in tour mode. He has excellent speed and power, and his fire attack special move is the only special move that can be used in the air. Has two launchers. DEFAULT OUTFIT: Brown shirt. ALTERNATE OUTFIT: Green shirt. ***3. PLAY MODES: --Tour Mode: Tour mode is the main game in Kabuki Warriors. You start out with Shiroko in all 3 places on your roster. You travel along 53 locations on the map as you try to reach Kyoto from Edo. At each new city you will meet a troupe of 3 actors along the way. Sometimes it may be 3 generic Kendo characters, but in certain locations you will face a unique character with different skills. Matches are won best 2 out of 3, each time you defeat an opposing troupe you are given the option to trade fighters. Usually, you want to lose one of your generic guys for a swordsman like Sadakuro or the parasol wielding Sukeroku. When you are defeated, the computer will take a character from you. (And probably give you back someone generic.) The interesting thing about this mode is that you can actually play it with up to 4 players, taking turns, and if you end up in the same location as another human opponent, you can face off (and trade characters) with them. Sometimes this works to both players advantage. You don't have to travel to every individual location on the map. You can skip ahead as many locations as are currently highlighted on the map, and/or as long as your money holds out. In 2-4 player, you also race to beat the other human players to the finish. --Time Attack: Time attack is the basic 2 player version of the game where you get to choose any one character and fight your way through 12 characters. The most noticeable difference in this mode is the extremely detailed backgrounds, a different one each fight, a contrast to the bland, recyclying type in tour mode. ***4. FAQ's: Q: Are there any hidden characters? The back of the box says 24 characters. A: As far as I know, this is counting the default 12 characters and alternate outfits. I haven't heard of any hidden characters in the game. If I find out any different, I'll be sure to edit this question. Q: I thought this game only had one attack button? A: Well, yes, unless you count the special attack button, but using the d-pad with the one attack button gives you 9 different attacks of varying power. So it's kind of like moving the sword in all directions. Q: What about the graphics, I thought they were bad? A: Some of the early screenshots of the game looked so-so, but the in-game graphics of the finished game are excellent. Look at the close up of Danjo when he wins. Except for the little bits of clipping here and there (his sword handles going through his sleeves), his character model is excellently textured, even better looking than those found in Soul Calibur, and yes, more humanly realistic than even Dead Or Alive III's models. (Who look more like 3-d anime characters with realistic flesh tones.) Q: Why do all the backgrounds look the same? A: In story mode, all the stage backdrops look alike except for the stage painting. If you play time attack, every stage looks different, they are actual sets. They are much more impressive than those found in the story mode. Q: Is the game easy? A: I can't lie. It's not hard to beat at all. Q: What is the music like? A: Two types: Butt rock (Japanese metal), and traditional, with string instruments and flutes. Q: But it's really not as horrible as everyone says? A: Not at all. I'm convinced half the reviewers didn't even play it for more than a few minutes. The game certainly looks very good, I find that point hard to argue. The music is good, the sound is okay, but the control that everyone likes to argue against has so much more to offer than it seems at first glance. ***5. QUICK NOTE ON THE GAME: You may notice that the blood in the game is extremely excessive and fake looking. Well, I'm pretty sure the fighting in the game is supposed to be fake...the actors are supposed to be putting on a show. You'll notice that the actors you are "killing" will likely appear at the next show, or even end up on your team. So my guess is that the fights in the game are supposed to be fake. Authorized download sites for this FAQ: http://geocities.com/area51/cavern/4988/castlevania.html http://cheatcc.com http://cheatcodes.com http://neoseeker.com This FAQ written January 20th, 2002, John Baxter. Revised once, Jaunary 25th, 2002. (BlueManaDrop@aol.com) Kabuki Warriors and it's characters copyright Crave Entertainment, 2001.