Kengo Basics

[Azrael008uk]

I picked this game up for a tenner and for that price I expected it to stink.

When I first played I was appalled. The graphics lack the polish of a true 360 title but you could forgive that. However, the combat seemed diabolical with my character swinging his swords in a daft and uncoordinated manner before I was cut down by enemies barely a minute into the game.

This is probably about as far as alot of people and alot of reviewers got.

The game is actually alot better than this but suffers from the fact that, at least for us Western folks, there's nothing really anywhere that tells you how to play!

Here is a basic intro that will hopefully give anyone who plays enough starting information to get past the first level. Once you've done that the rest is (somewhat) easier.

Control basics:

Y - Overhead slash
B - Sideways Slash
X - Lock Swords
A - Block

L & R - Pull and you lock onto an opponent. While locked on you move slowly. If you get surrounded and want to run away, just pull the trigger again to release the lock and yer off.

LB & RB - Change Stance - Seriously, don't worry about this now.

Play basics: - Getting past the first level.

Kengo is a sword SIM and swords make people die fast. Kengo tries to recreate a situation like in a samurai film where the hero gets attacked by multiple baddies and then fights a boss once they're dispatched.

To start with you have no special moves or attributes. Attack with a couple of swift YY or BB attacks.

You can LOCK swords with enemies and put them in vunerable positions for 1 hit kills.

Get near an enemy and press X and pull to a side. This will drag him in a sword clinch (with the added bonus of knocking down anyone you touch in the process) until you get to an "edge" of the battlefield.

At this edge (where you can't go any further) push X and pull to the side and that will break the sword clinch. Then as your enemy is turned, or is backed up against a cliff edge, push Y or B to finish him with a one hit kill.

Pay attention to your stamina bar. If it drops to 0 you can be killed with one hit.

To replenish your stamina bar, stop moving. If there are many enemies, use block.

Once you've killed the required number of enemies then you fight the boss.

There is no health recovery so try not to take too much damage in the preceeding level. This isn't too hard to keep track of.

Block your enemies attacks and when you're not blocking, be attacking him with your YY or BB double taps.

If you're clinched - the swords lock - then pull hard to the other side to break it.

If you have a respectable amount of health and pay attention to your blocking you should not struggle to defeat the boss.

NOW finally you will learn how to play the game.

With the completion of the first leve comes the ability to purchase new skills and with these you are given the button sequences for your combos.

Suddenly the game becomes alot easier to play and if you're not careful you may even find yourself having fun.

I hope this is helpful to anyone who's picked this title up because I searched the internet and couldn't find anything that gave me a simplistic breakdown of the combat and what to do in the first level.

Again, get through the first level and you'll be able to figure the rest out yourself, easy.

Azrael

[DUTCH865]

very good intro & explanation for n00bz. its true most non-japanese would have a hard time figuring the game out, & the manual doesn't help a whole lot. the descriptions of the kumitachi, inashi, kuzushi, soku-giri, etc. all sound very similar too. good ole trial n error worked for me

[Azrael008uk]

Thanks for that.

I found it a struggle to find a "n00b guide" myself which is why I made this one.

Once you get past the first level the game makes so much more sense and you can follow the guides with alot more certainty.

Azrael

[DUTCH865]

yeah this game definitely has a bit of a learning curve, that's for sure! its not a button-masher game & requires a bit of understanding of swordsmanship & fighting... if you all-out attack every time you won't last long. once you absorb the cadence of the fight you will be able to succeed.

[Tannosuke]

I found the Charge Attack called Power Attack. It's written in the Game's Notebook and it didn't give away a hint at all. Some of the characters have it.

You need to switch the battle stance and figure it out for yourself. Then you need to find that each character have its own Power Attack. It's a string of the attacks of the same attack button.

In case of Miyamoto Musashi, at the stance of lowering his swords you need to hit the "B" 2 times and then immediately at the 3rd time HOLD the "B" button. It works when you see the character swinging his sword by lowering it to the back...

Hope i helped out for some rookie peeps...

[JDSensations]

i didnt geven get a manual.... i sort of gave up on this game.... but i mite try it again and implement the above to see if it helps any.... as for the gaining new moves, i found they werent working when i tried the combo.... but maybe it just needs more time lol