Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke: Gimmick Ninpo

By Roy | Published: March 10, 2009

Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke

Some new features of Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke have been revealed by From Software. The new elements of gameplay, which are being called gimmicks, are all different ways that Shipumaru can interact with each map.

Gimmicks includes traps, tools and things that just block the way. These appear on each map and are an important part of solving each stage. Here are a few that I know of and what they do:


Cannon There are walls that will not budge even under the strongest sword strike or the most powerful ninja magic. In these cases, a cannon will appear somewhere on the map pointing at the wall. There will also be a trigger button somewhere on the map that, if pushed, will launch a shell at the wall and destroy it.

Spider Webs Shipumaru cannot pass through spider webs – specifically, the industrial strength variety that appear in the game. In these cases, fire is the only means of destroying them. Various elemental magic can be controlled by Shipumaru, but details on these magics are pretty vague at this point. In addition to fire, a tidal wave can be summoned with the water element.

Cracked earth There are spots where Shipumaru must run over and cannot stop. After running over the cracked earth, a hole will appear. Players will definitely have to carefully plan their action around spots like this.

…and more As you may notice in the above pictures, there are some walls that shoot spikes and some floors are covered with conveyor belts. These are pretty typical for most action-puzzle games, but still it feels unique in Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke. I am sure there are other shenanigans in store for the player as well… Like more crazy enormous bosses:

I really wanna see a video of how to combat bosses…

The more I learn about this game, the more difficult I can imagine it becoming. I picture a stage with all of the aforementioned gimmicks that need to be triggered in a precise order and not having a single shadow-self to spare. I know I have said it before, but this is one puzzle game I am really excited for.


Cannon There are walls that will not budge even under the strongest sword strike or the most powerful ninja magic. In these cases, a cannon will appear somewhere on the map pointing at the wall. There will also be a trigger button somewhere on the map that, if pushed, will launch a shell at the wall and destroy it.

Spider Webs Shipumaru cannot pass through spider webs – specifically, the industrial strength variety that appear in the game. In these cases, fire is the only means of destroying them. Various elemental magic can be controlled by Shipumaru, but details on these magics are pretty vague at this point. In addition to fire, a tidal wave can be summoned with the water element.

Cracked earth There are spots where Shipumaru must run over and cannot stop. After running over the cracked earth, a hole will appear. Players will definitely have to carefully plan their action around spots like this.

…and more As you may notice in the above pictures, there are some walls that shoot spikes and some floors are covered with conveyor belts. These are pretty typical for most action-puzzle games, but still it feels unique in Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke. I am sure there are other shenanigans in store for the player as well… Like more crazy enormous bosses: