47 — this is Diana from the Agency. We’ve been monitoring the small tracking device in the late Hayamoto Jr.
We managed to track down Hayamoto Sr., thanks to your fine work. We’re quite excited since Hayamoto hasn’t been registered in public for more than 15 years.
He emerged at one of his castles in central Japan. This makes it a very tricky assignment.
- Mission Briefing
Objectives
- Get to the castle undetected
- Wait for the briefing on alarm grid
Arguably the superior of the two Japanese transition stages (although they didn’t actually bother to make a new loading screen for this one), but what are your thoughts? It’s certainly less broken, but does that mean it’s more fun?
2 Likes
I mentioned it briefly before, but I think that Hidden Valley and At the Gates should have been one stage. Getting in and our of the truck goes on for too long in HV, and this one starts with a pointless long walk with very few guards in your way. I feel like both issues could have been solved by having a larger but more eventful stage.
Anyway, that isn’t what this level is, so let’s judge it on that. For me, it doesn’t get going until you blow up that first generator, at which point it’s basically searching around for the other two and the exit. I like the castle perimeter here and genuinely enjoy deactivating the laser grids. The Snipers can be a bit annoying since I can never figure out how they spot you (they just do randomly sometimes), but it’s otherwise pretty solid.
What I like the most is how much there is to explore on a first playthrough, yet replays don’t suffer as the necessary route is pretty direct and short - yet still retains the fun.
Sure, as with all the other transition stages, the lack of a target makes it less exciting compared to other stages, but I think it’s a nice way to make the next stage all the more epic.
3 Likes
worst Mission of all time, even a little more shit than Hidden Valley.
3 Likes
I don’t bother with SA here. I just use the crossbow on almost everyone. Still do it Suit Only.
4 Likes
I’m weird but I really like this mission. I think the two no target missions before shogun showdown just do really well to build up the grand showdown and make it more epic. I think splitting it into 2 missions and having both of those missions involve covering long distances on foot, really does a great job at building up the whole thing. It makes it so immersive to make us experience what would normally be conveyed in a cutscene. The target is in an isolated hidden remote area so we gotta do some hiking.
With this mission in particular, I love the visuals and I really love the opening. When you get the disguise at the start, it really feels like you are hunting like a predator stalking prey in the trees. Here is my cinematic perfect SA/AZ playthrough where I demonstrate this and maximize all of the aesthetic and cinematic potential that each sequence has
Statistically speaking, some studies have shown that up to 80% of people who watch this video report a much greater appreciation for At the Gates afterwards
The highlights are the “disguise” and “trek” chapters imo. I put a ton of little cinematic flourishes in, like the camera angles when dragging the body under the tree, and when the song changes near the end of the walking trail
3 Likes
Oh for sure, these missions do a great job at making the final mission seem all the more special!
It’s also my favourite of the transitional stages too, even if I have a soft spot for Clera.
2 Likes
