The fifth and sixth instalments in the adventure series are set in a city inspired by Venice and Italian architecture, and characterised by a B-movie atmosphere. ‘The Aqua Capital’ is in fact a reinterpretation of Venice invaded by demons and lycanthropes. Ryu must battle his way across canals and bridges, finding upgrades hidden in gondolas and in fountains. One underwater section leads him into battle with an underwater dragon, whilst running through a series of underground tunnels brings him to a reproduction of the Colosseum, renamed the ‘Lycanthropes Castle’. As he moves around the city, we see colonnades reminiscent of those at Villa Adriana in Tivoli. Last but not least, towering over the city is a huge Gothic palace resembling, as in the city of Anor Londo in Dark Souls, the Cathedral of Milan.
The fifth and sixth instalments in the adventure series are set in a city inspired by Venice and Italian architecture, and characterised by a B-movie atmosphere. ‘The Aqua Capital’ is in fact a reinterpretation of Venice invaded by demons and lycanthropes. Ryu must battle his way across canals and bridges, finding upgrades hidden in gondolas and in fountains. One underwater section leads him into battle with an underwater dragon, whilst running through a series of underground tunnels brings him to a reproduction of the Colosseum, renamed the ‘Lycanthropes Castle’. As he moves around the city, we see colonnades reminiscent of those at Villa Adriana in Tivoli. Last but not least, towering over the city is a huge Gothic palace resembling, as in the city of Anor Londo in Dark Souls, the Cathedral of Milan.
Copyright: © Koei Tecmo - Team Ninja
View of the palace of the Aqua Capital from a gondola
Copyright: © Koei Tecmo - Team Ninja
A fight with demons, with a colonnade on the left, and the gargoyles of the Demons’ Palace on the upper right
Copyright: © Koei Tecmo - Team Ninja
Arena of the Lycanthropes’ Castle
Action
Ninja Gaiden is a series of action games centering around Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja armed with a sword and shuriken. After the 2D debut game, which was released in 1988, a 3D version was released in 2004. Although the story is full of stereotypes, the mobility of the protagonist and the complex system of controls were innovations for the genre, making the game one of the leading titles by Microsoft for Xbox. Ninja Gaiden II relies on the same features, but increases the level of complexity of the game with new weapons, each of which have their own characteristics in terms of speed, strength and range.
