PT 3 - INTERIOR – APPARTMENT HALLWAY (INTERACTIVE)

RICK (NARRATION)

When you’re injured and being chased by a relentless opponent, the best option is to avoid detection. If you’ve already been seen, then it’s best to find some form of distraction, because with an injury, combat is going to be a lot tougher.

Player must navigate to window furthest from start for egress. Player is limping, and cannot run. Hallway is narrow and there is no cover. How quickly OWLIER catches up depends on how close he was when chase ended. There are a couple of NPCs loitering in the hallway. Player cannot walk all the way to window without being confronted by OWLIER. There are multiple ways to deal with OWLIER.

IF PLAYER USES SMOKE BOMB

OWLIER will be delayed.

AMBUSH OWLIER

OWLIER can be ambushed in smoke. See PT 2 – AMBUSH OWLIER. Player’s total health points will be decreased.

IF PLAYER USES DECOY SCROLL

Decoy scroll can be used so to distract OWLIER, as long as he does not see the player deploy it. Can be used in conjunction with smoke bomb.

IF PLAYER IS CAUGHT

See PT 1 – FIGHT OWLIER. Player’s total health points will be decreased.

IF PLAYER IS WEARING CAT ATTACK DISGUISE

RICK (NARRATION)

If you decide to masquerade as a certain supervillain, you need to decide how far you’re willing to go to keep up appearances.

IF PLAYER TAKES NPC HOSTAGE

Player grabs NPC and uses them as a human shield. OWLIER will not attack as long as the player has a hostage. Player must back up to window. Player can let go of NPC at any time. Releasing NPC early results in combat. See IF PLAYER IS CAUGHT.

IF PLAYER REACHES WINDOW WITH NPC HOSTAGE

OWLIER

Let her go.

RICK (NARRATION)

A fall from this height is likely fatal. It’s a risk, but no hero would let a civilian fall to his or her death in order to stop a villain.

IF PLAYER RELEASES NPC

See IF PLAYER IS CAUGHT above.

IF PLAYER THROWS NPC OUT OF THE WINDOW

Cut to scene of player throwing NPC out of the window. OWLIER runs past the player and dives after NPC. Camera follows OWLIER as he catches NPC and shoots grappling gun, and lands safely on the street. OWLIER returns to hallway, and player is gone. NPCs still lingering.

OWLIER

WHERE IS HE?!

NPCs point to the room and window that player and OWLIER originally entered scene from. Camera stays with OWLIER as he races to roof. OWLIER looks around, but player is gone.

And that ends the scene from the non-existent game, Shinobi Rondo. There are a lot of ‘ifs’ though, so let me explain a bit. In this scene, choices are made on the fly. There are no dialogue trees, so your decisions are based on how you deal with the situation, and there are both short term, and long-term repercussions. I’ve already laid out the short-term consequences, so let me talk a bit about the (theoretical) long-term ones.

While the main goal of the scene is to distract Owlier while Grenada robs a bank, the secondary goal is to do it like an actual ninja, ie, don’t let Owlier actually know that you exist. This is achieved by using the C4 in the beginning, disguising yourself as Cat Attack, not using traps or deterrents during the roof chase, and throwing the NPC out of the window in the apartment hallway. That may seem a little odd, so let me explain.

Owlier is a detective who obsesses over details. By using traditional ninja items, he will figure out that you are a ninja based on the evidence left behind. Seeing you in ninja garb will alert him to that fact as well. Finally, even if you dress as Cat Attack, you can’t fight like Cat Attack, so he will figure out that you are a ninja based on your fighting style.

So, what exactly are the long-term ramifications? If Owlier figures out that you are a ninja, he will become slightly obsessed with you. When you are on other missions, against other superheroes, he will show up and try to take you down. It would all culminate in a mission where something goes wrong during a mission, and a lot of people are about to die because of you. Owlier shows up, but he’s only there to stop you. He is willing to let a lot of people die, because he figures that you are so dangerous (more so than Cat Attack), that even more people will die if you are left unchecked. So, you have no choice but to fight, and kill Owlier, in a crazy hard boss battle, in order to save a bunch of civilians.

Then again, if Owlier doesn’t know you exist, that entire scenario is avoided.