47 — Diana here! I see you managed to infiltrate the castle. Good work! This castle, Katsuyama-Jo, is the headquarters of Masahiro Hayamoto.
Your objective is to track down Hayamoto and eliminate him, as well as get away safely with the missile guidance system in his possession.
Although this squeaky old fortress may look obsolete, make no mistake — it’s equipped with all the latest electronic security measures.
On top of that, the place is crawling with ordinary security guards at lower levels, and Hayamoto’s own handpicked yoyimbos at the top.
Approach this assignment with the utmost caution, 47 — these people are ruthless, fanatical, and extremely clever.
I repeat, 47 — evade guards and security measures, eliminate Hayamoto and secure the missile guidance system before escaping.
-Mission Briefing
Objectives
- Eliminate Masahiro Hayamoto
- Secure missile guidance system
- Escape the castle
It has been a long time coming, after two whole missions of tracking through the snow, but we have our target finally in sight. Was he worth the long journey? Share your thoughts, memories, and strategies in the comments!
3 Likes
Japan always feels like a really long set of missions, particularly as the middle two revolve around walking long distances, but Shogun Showdown feels worth it.
Admittedly I didn’t always care for the level, as I always thought it was harder than it actually is, but once I found out that you can actually move around freely whilst in the ninja disguise, it felt so liberating.
I like the helicopter bomb kill method, even if actually placing the damn bomb unnoticed can be a pain, but I personally like to slice his neck open with a knife as he flees. It’s especially satisfying as his ninja bodyguards don’t count as guard and cannot ruin your silent assassin rating. And do you know why? Because they have swords instead of guns. It’s so dumb, but this oversight makes the level far less stressful as a result.
Overall, a great mission that leads onto a series of (mostly) fantastic missions.
4 Likes
I always save Lei Ling but that means SA isn’t an option for me.
2 Likes
That’s not true at all. I always save her while getting SA! Why would that mean that? You can walk to the exit with her you don’t automatically raise suspicion for having her with you
2 Likes
This mission is so good. Peak use of aesthetics, atmosphere, music, etc. the lighting and colors are just insane for 2002, and all the little details and things I’m still discovering are so cool. I’ve been working on my video for this mission on and off for over a year. It’ll be finished eventually but it just takes so much of my time and attention that I have to find ways to work around real life to make significant progress.
I love how the mission flows and unfolds when you follow the most obvious path. Going downstairs and sneaking through the corridors until you reach the ninja disguise in the wings, and then the weapons cache, and the museum, then the third floor and all the computer stuff and the ninjas sleeping on the floor in the room. all the little interesting scenes you encounter along the way like the guards who meditate and the guards watching TV. When you crouch behind the little barriers in that room, the music always picks up with the tension when the one patrolling guard walks past. The same thing happens when you hide in the geisha lady’s room behind the barrier as she comes in and you wait for her to leave. These are all little mini movie scenes hidden in the game that most people will miss. When you do the helicopter bomb method, and then go upstairs out onto the roof walkway thing, it all culminates with you perched on the rooftop while the epic finale-sounding music plays, and if you are holding a sword, the shadow 47 casts on the wall is insanely cool.
There is really something special about this mission and I’m going to capture ALL of it with maximal perfection and cinematography. My favorite method is sneaking to the disguise, getting the bomb and placing it on the helicopter, going down to get the guidance system, up to third floor investigating the security system and everything, then going up to talk to Lei Ling, then back down to third floor to push the button, then going upstairs through hayamotos room out the window and waiting for him to take off and then detonating while watching on the roof. Then I drop down into lei lings room through her window, and walking down back to the exit the same way I came in, through the squeaky room and secret passage
1 Like
Forgot to mention I do it Suit Only, wich makes it harder.
2 Likes
