NG1 4-1

Overview: Act 4, Stage 1
Timer Target: xxx



Another short and simple stage, with only a handful of tricky sections in the first room. Beware the first Hammer Bro - with some really bad RNG, he can kill you if you are not ready. The goal is to reach the end of the stage with Spinslash. A cutscene plays after reaching the end of this stage, so be prepared to press Start.

Bat Boost
The primary notorious element of 4-1, the Bat Boost can save you a couple of seconds if you manage the timing properly.

Said bat is at the end of the second high platform after the small floating platforms. With roughly a 2-frame window, by jumping at the very tip of the ledge, you can boost off of the right side of the bat onto the next high platform. A frame too early, and the bat knocks you to the left and to your death. A frame earlier than that, and the bat will knock you into the left wall, saving your ass even though you had terrible timing.

Note that if you miss the jump completely, you'll walk off and land safely on the lower platform. Because of this, it is recommended that you time the jump as late as possible, becuase if you're too late, you still live.

This is a common place for the game to "Screen Wrap" if the bat knocks you down to your death. Instead of dying, Ryu's position may wrap to top of the screen, giving you a brief opportunity to save yourself, or mockingly send you to your death a second time. It's a rare occurance, and diffulct to react to reliably.

Ladder Climb
Watching Exo's run, you may notice that even while climbing a ladder, he's still performing wall jumps. This is because wall jumps, if executed quickly enough, can allow you to climb slightly faster. However, the input is complicated and diffulct to pull off quickly. Additionally, you can accidentally clip through the ladder under certain conditions, dropping you to your death.

Extra wall jumps on a ladder are a method of high-level optimization in Ninja Gaiden. Attempt at your own risk!