NG2 3-1

Ninja Gaiden II: Act 3, Stage 1
3-1 is a short stage that's difficult to play due to the Darkness, but easy to speedrun once you know where all of the platforms are at. In any%, the goal is to obtain Fireball and reach the end of the stage with at least 16 ninpo and 10 health.

Darkness
Stage 3-1 is the only stage that is afflicted by Darkness, a unique Stage Hazard that obstructs the player's vision. Every few seconds, most of the background tilesets will become black, making the locations of platforms and pits impossible to see. A few seconds later, lightning will strike, and everything will be visible again. This cycle happens on a regular interval. All sprites, including Ryu, enemies, projectiles, items, and item orbs will remain visible when the stage goes Dark.

While this Stage Hazard doesn't damage the player directly, it can obstruct the player's platforming ability if the player is not already familiar with the stage. Repeated playthroughs of Stage 3-1 will make it easier to navigate in the Dark. An experienced player can even use visual cues in the background on when to perform jumps, since some background elements like trees are still partially visible while th estage is Dark.