How hard is the original Stage 2 by today’s standards?

[tns8597]

How do you think the current rank of competitors would fare with the original iteration of Stage 2, this being the 50 second stage with the Spider Walk, Goren Hammer, Reverse Conveyer and Wall Lift?

I refer to Stage 2 specifically because the original Stages 1 and especially 3 were pathetically easy to the point that it’s not even worth making a post about: the original Stage 2 always struck me as something that could still cause damage even now, partially because the time limit was so stringent. Sure, it’s not particularly failable but I feel like it could cause some problems even now to competitors that simply weren’t quick enough to clear the stage in time. Especially those that are on the larger side; for example, I think Nagasaki, Ragivaru and maybe even Drew would struggle because they’re generally pretty slow on the Spider Walk which takes up about half the stage. People like Yuuji and Ryo would have no problem sure, but they’re not safe either because their size plays against them in the Wall Lift which is again pertinent in a stage where every second counts.

Let me know what you think.

[Ninja Relaxer]

The original Stage 2 was no joke. I could see it taking out more than a few inexperienced competitors, and maybe a few regulars as well. The problem with tight timers is that competitors often end up going faster than they need to, which causes them to make stupid mistakes. Even the best competitors can fail a relatively "easy" obstacle if they're going too fast for their own good. We see this occasionally in the current Stage 1 with the Fish Bone, a fairly easy obstacle that punishes impatience. Finding the right balance between speed and caution is not easy.

[tns8597]

That's true. The reason why I find this Stage 2 really difficult is because you don't have time to take a cautious approach. You either go slow and steady on the Spider Walk and end up timing out, or you go fast but likely end up making a mistake and slipping somewhere; that's why the Spider Walk and Goren Hammer, the latter of which is pathetically easy when you think about it, did the most damage at the time.

I honestly think it would be more punishing than the current Stage 2 for two reasons:
1) There's far more room for fatal errors
2) The time limit is far more stringent, meaning more timeouts and higher potential for careless errors; in the current Stage 2, there's breathing room to take a 'slow and steady' safe approach.

Sure, there's no Salmon Ladder or Backstream, but I feel like anyone who's serious about Sasuke knows how to do both in their sleep....

[Kane-Not-Kosugi]

I feel like in terms of time limits the original Stage 2 is tougher than the current one. However, we have to remember that a lot of timeouts were due to the fact that people took forever on the Spider Walk. They were slipping, cautious, or outright slow.

The top competitors now are practically pros at Spider anything. They would finish that obstacle a solid 3-5 seconds before the Sasuke 1 competitors would. The rest? A cakewalk for them, and they'll have just a little bit of comfort room for maybe the 3rd Wall Lifting if they need prep.

The less experienced competitors would time out or make a careless mistake, but the top competitors would fly through the most time consuming obstacle (the long Spider Walk) like nothing.

[tns8597]

Yeah I think that's the main issue with this Stage 2; in the same way that Stage 3 is perhaps too Cliffhanger-centric, this Stage 2 is too focussed on the Spider Walk. Basically if you can get through it fast you're almost guaranteed to clear.

Maybe replace the Goren Hammer and Gyakuso Conveyer with like the Balance Tank and Roulette Row, both obstacles that harshly punish taking a rushed approach, and also block off the bottom of the Wall Lifting walls and replace with a cliffhanger ledge. I think with the 50 second time limit that would really rock.

[GlobalNinjaFan]

I'd say pretty damn easy, but with a few deceptive traps that could claim a few ninjas. Considering modern competitors have to deal with challenges like the Backstream and Salmon Ladder, I just don't think the obstacles by themselves pose much of a threat. That said, most of the danger in Sasuke 1-6 came from the low time limit, which made timeouts and slip-ups due to rushing common.

I honestly think the Sasuke 5 version (which kept the 50 second time limit while adding the Tackle Machine before the other four obstacles) would pose the biggest threat. IMO, it'd be pretty interesting to literally just have those 5 obstacles with maybe a 40-45 second time limit.