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Ninja Gaiden Rageboundtells a new story that runs parallel to the events of the original NES game. Our two protagonists both set off to hunt down the Demon King, initially for very different reasons, before a near-fatal encounter with one of the Demon King’s minions leaves both dangerously close to death. Using a dangerous tool of the Spider Clan, Kenji Mozu and Komuri of the Black Spider Clan join their souls together to escape death, and must now use their new combined power to stop the Demon King’s incursion.
Act 2 of Ninja Gaiden Rageboundserves as our introduction to Komuri, a Black Spider Clan Kunoichi who specializes in throwing weapons. Her journey begins when demons attack Black Spider HQ, with her cutting her way through the intruders as she makes her way to the top of the building. After an encounter with a powerful demon and an invitation to meet the Demon King, she heads down into the tunnels beneath the city for a short but entertaining vehicle segment, showing how she ends up in the same place as Kenji at the end of Act 1.
Sadly, Kumori doesn’t have access to most of her Black Spider Weapons until she joins forces with Kenji at the start of Act 3, so you’ll be limited to basic Kunai throwing, Hypercharge, and the Guillotine boost when it comes to combat in this act.
All Crystal Skulls in Act 2-1 of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
Act 2 opens by introducing us to the game’s second playable character: Kumori.A Kunoichi of the Black Spider Clan, Kumori specializes in ranged weapon attacks. She has several other abilities too, though these don’t become available until she teams up with Kenji later on in the game. This first stage has you playing is Kumori as she fights through attacking demons at the Black Spider Clan’s HQ. This stage hides its Crystal Skulls pretty well, though unlike the Golden Scarabs and the hidden scroll you won’t need to backtrack through the level after dropping an elevator to find all of these.
Crystal Skull 1
The first Crystal Skull is found in a side room you can access as you descend an elevator shaft (shown in image 1). Head through the passage marked in the image to reach a room filled with enemies. Take advantage of the skull that flies in from the left side to gain Hypercharge and cut through the ogre, then take out the remaining enemies and Guillotine Boost your way across the room to claim the Crystal Skull on the far side.
Crystal Skull 2
To find the second Crystal Skull, you’ll need to head to the right at the top of a staircase, as shown in image 1, leading you into a room with some enemies and a Crystal Skull floating in the middle. you’re able to grab the skull by jumping up to it from below, or by climbing across the ceiling and dropping down onto it.
Crystal Skull 3
The third and final Crystal Skull for this mission is found by heading upward on the staircase shown in the image above.This leads to a dead-end where the Crystal Skull can be found, and when you collect it, a large enemy will spawn behind you.Spam kunai at it to take it out from a safe distance, then head back the way you came and finish the level. Alternatively, you could spend some health to gain Hypercharge and one-shot it with a single throw.
All Crystal Skulls in Act 2-2 of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
Act 2-2 is mainly a vehicle stage,featuring Kumori riding a motorcycle through the underground tunnels beneath the city, and then out into the countryside, while demons attack from all sides.This means that, while there are no side areas to uncover, there’s a very real chance that you’ll speed right past a Crystal Skull if you aren’t paying close attention. Kumori can perform most of her usual actions while on the Motorcycle, including throwing her Kunai in whatever direction you hold the movement button for. She can even Guillotine Boost while riding, allowing her to bounce tremendously high into the air while dealing damage to the enemies she hits, which can be very useful for avoiding attacks and overcoming obstacles.
The first Crystal Skull is hovering near the end of a ramp along the main path through the level. Just make sure to jump at the top of the ramp shown above so you hit it as you launch. This one is pretty hard to miss, since there isn’t much room between the top of the ramp and the ceiling. Use the time leading up to this Crystal Skull to get the hang of the Motorcycle controls, since being on the bike makes throwing kunai in certain directions particularly difficult, most notably it makes throwing them behind you hard to do because you’ll start slowing down when hit the movement button to aim behind you.
The second Crystal Skull is accessible during a tense sequence where Kumori is chased by a demon-driven train. An indicator will appear to show you that it’s coming up, so jump up to snag it as you drive past. The timing can be a little tight, especially since the train is restricting your room to maneuver. If you get too close to the train, you can use the Guillotine Boost to bounce off it, which can be chained to hop back into a better position.
The third and final Crystal Skull for mission 2-2 is a little way into the final leg of Kumori’s motorcycle journey,once she exits the tunnels and gets out into the wilderness. As you fight the enemy, watch for the indicator that’ll show where the third Crystal Skull will appear. It’s hovering in the air above a hill, so you’ll have to make a small jump to collect it. This final section of the level has some really nasty bottomless pits, so keeping a close eye on your position and making good use of Guillotine boosts to extend your jumps can be hugely helpful.
