______ __ __ / \ |__| ___ _ _ |__| ___ | ***__/ __ / \ | |/ | __ / _| | *** \ | | | * | | || | | | | |_ |______/ |__| \___/ |_||_| |__| \___| ______ / __| ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ ___|| ___ | | / \ | |/ |/ | | |/ |/ | / \ | |/ | / | / \ | |__ | * | | || || | | || || | | * | | || | | * | | * | \______| \___/ |_||_||_| |_||_||_| \__/|| |_||_| \___|| \___/ A FAQ/Walkthrough for the game BIONIC COMMANDO (NES-Version only) Version 1.6 Written by Celtic Forest (Linus Olsson) [Linuso@hotmail.com] FAQ first submitted: 15 August 2005 Latest update: 21 May 2007 Copyright (c) 2005 by Linus Olsson *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> TABLE OF CONTENTS <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* 1. REVISION HISTORY 2. LEGAL INFO 3. INTRODUCTION 3.1. About Bionic Commando 3.2. My thoughts on this game 3.3. Why I wrote this FAQ 4. THE GAME 4.1. Story 4.2. Cast of characters 4.3. How to play 4.3.1. Basic controls 4.3.2. How to use the bionic arm 4.4. Before entering a level 4.4.1. Title screen 4.4.2. How to navigate the map 4.4.3. Different types of areas 4.4.4. How to choose equipment 4.5. When playing a level 4.5.1. Contact rooms 4.5.2. Increasing your health bar 4.5.3. Game over 5. IMPORTANT OBJECTS LIST 5.1. Powerups found in levels 5.2. Equipment 5.2.1. Weapons 5.2.2. Communicators 5.2.3. Accessories 5.2.4. Protective items 5.3. The bad guys 5.3.1. Enemies 5.3.2. Bosses 5.3.3. Dangerous terrain 6. GUIDES & WALKTHROUGH:S 6.1. Walkthrough:s 6.1.1. Enemy areas walkthrough Area 1 - Level 1: Sea Fortress Area 2 - Level 4: The Sewers Area 3 - Level 5: The Wilderness Area 4 - Level 2: The Caves Area 5 - Level 3: Desert Of The Red Sun Area 6 - Level 6: Nightsky Harbour Area 7 - Level 9: Red Stone Valley Area 8 - Level 7: Computer Center Area 9 - Level 8: The Garbage Dump Area 10 - Level 10: High-Security Complex Area 11 - Level 11: The Fire Plant Area 12 - Level 12: The Imperial Fortress 6.1.2. Neutral areas walkthrough Area 13 - Neutral Zone 1 Area 14 - Neutral Zone 4 Area 15 - Neutral Zone 2 Area 16 - Neutral Zone 3 Area 17 - Neutral Zone 6 Area 18 - Neutral Zone 7 Area 19 - Neutral Zone 5 6.1.3. Enemy field stages walkthrough Enemy Field Stage 1 - The Mountain Cliffs Enemy Field Stage 2 - Blue Gravel Pit Enemy Field Stage 3 - The Hidden Base 6.2. Locations of 1-UP:s 6.3. Locations of bonus boxes 6.4. Special moves 7. IN CLOSING 7.1. FAQ Epilogue 7.2. Thanks *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 1. REVISION HISTORY <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* VERSION 1.6. Date of submission: 21 May 2007 Changes: - Jason from Honest Gamers sent me a mail and asked for permission to host my FAQ:s, and I thought: "why not?". So now you can find this FAQ at http://www.honestgamers.com as well! VERSION 1.5. Date of submission: 27 June 2006 Changes: - Apparently, I had listed one of my helpers - Gricksigger - with an incorrect e-mail adress. My apoligies. His true mail is "gricksigg.er@gmail.com", and nothing else. VERSION 1.4. Date of submission: 21 April 2006 Changes: - For some reason, the last 5% of this FAQ vanished without any trace. I have no idea why. This is a resubmission just to make the FAQ complete again. My apoligies. VERSION 1.3. Date of submission: 2 September 2005 Changes: - Added a very important part to the "2. Legal info" section that I had forgotten to include from the beginning - Fixed some formatting so the FAQ looks better VERSION 1.2. Date of submission: 21 August 2005 Changes: - Fixed some spelling and formatting errors - Put in an ASCII-picture of a NES-controller in section "4.3.1. Basic controls", for a more detailed explanation - Put in some nice-looking statistics on the weapons in section "5.2.1. Weapons" - Created this "Revision History" section - Updated the table of contents, to make it fit in with the new material added in this update VERSION 1.0. Date of submission: 15 August 2005 This was the first version of this FAQ. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 2. LEGAL INFO <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* Bionic Commando and all its characters and logos are copyrighted properties of Capcom. This FAQ is copyrighted, and ripping, stealing or imitating any piece of information from this FAQ is not allowed! If you want to borrow some ideas or info from this FAQ, mail me and ask for permission, and I will allow you to do so on condition that you make it clear that you got the information from this FAQ, and that I made it. Also make sure my e-mail is displayed. This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It is never to be used in cases involving money. This includes any form of selling and hiring this FAQ for money, or situations like paying people to read it and so on. It is made to be freeware, and for single gamers wanting help or information only. This FAQ is only to be hosted at the following sites: GameFaqs [http://www.gamefaqs.com] Neoseeker [http://www.neoseeker.com] GameNotOver [http://www.gamenotover.com] HonestGamers [http://www.honestgamers.com] No other site is allowed to use this FAQ without my full permission. If you find this FAQ on the net on any other site, you must immediately contact me. Give me a mail at: Linuso@hotmail.com Getting my permission for hosting this FAQ is not very difficult. Just send me a mail asking politely, and tell me about your site and give me a link to it, and I am very willing to give you thumbs up. The only condition for this is that NO part of the content is to be changed in this FAQ. The only changes allowed are the ones that I will do myself when I update this FAQ. If you want to have something changed in this FAQ, contact me via mail and discuss it with me. If I find your comments and suggestions wise and useful, I will update the FAQ. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 3.1. ABOUT BIONIC COMMANDO <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* Bionic Commando is made by the Japanese gaming company Capcom. The NES- version was made in 1988, and was released under the name "Top Secret" in Japan, although the name was changed to "Bionic Commando" when the game arrived in USA and Europe. Despite an innovative gameplay and a terrific production, the game never sold as much as Capcoms other big projects like the Mega Man games. It did however give a great addition to the platform action genre, and also made the gaming world get their eyes up for the bionic arm swinging movement, which was copied into many later games, like Super Castlevania IV, Mickey's Magical Quest and Super Metroid. However, in later years, the Bionic Commando has got more attention and has now got a quite high "cultural vibe". The famous gaming site IGN made a list of the world's 100 best games ever in 2005, and Bionic Commando was actually put in place #59, before giants like Final Fantasy VII, Pokemon and Sonic The Hedgehog. Bionic Commando is not just NES-exclusive. It was first released as an arcade version in Japan, also named "Top Secret", which appearently was not like the NES-version at all. Apart from these two versions, BC also exists on Commodore 64, Game Boy and PC. There was also a remake of the game on Game Boy Color. The Japanese version of Bionic Commando had a slightly different style in the graphics and story. The bad guys were in fact Nazis. Instead, of the term "Badds", they used the term "Nazz", and all the eagle badges and signs that are around everywhere in the game were swastikas instead. And no one has failed to notice that Master-D looks a lot like Adolph Hitler, right? I guess that the Americans and Europeans thought the content was a little too disturbing when the game was brought here, so they changed it all. (Thanks to Metool [static@nstar.net], Gricksigger [gricksigg.er@gmail.com] and IGN's Top 100 games 2005 [http://top100.ign.com/2005] for much of the above information) *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 3.2. MY THOUGHTS ON THIS GAME <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* What do I think of this game? Is it good? Of course it is! And it's not just simply "good", it's "very great"! Bionic Commando's most succesful parts are the concept and the playability. The idea with the bionic grappling arm is awesome, and it works so well. It's not just simply a cool idea, that the programmers wasted away with poor level design, like in many other games. It actually redefines and enhances the whole idea of "platform action". And the best thing is that the controls are awesome. If you fail on a swinging, you know it is never the game's fault. You know that you could (and should) have done better. It's never about luck in Bionic Commando. You can improve on the game, and you will improve if you keep on trying. Unlike many other difficult games, you actually feel that you master the game, and that it was never about luck. If you have beaten it a couple of times, you know that you can put it on anytime and beat it again, with just pure skill. Another big plus is all the different types of levels you will encounter. No level is like the others, and they all give you different types of challenges, fears and wonders. From the depths of the dark caverns in Area 4 to the creepy swinging passages over deadly water in the harbour in Area 6, and from the hellish computer mazes of Area 8 to the quicksand pits in the wilderness of Area 3, Bionic Commando gives you pure gaming action that only few games can provide. All this, and together with excellent graphics and music, and a nice story with interesting dialogues, give a perfect platform action game with a great atomsphere and attitude. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 3.3. WHY I WROTE THIS FAQ <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* So why did I wrote a FAQ for this game? Didn't I notice the game is quite old nowadays, and that many FAQ:s were already up on the net? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, a big reason why I wrote it was for my own personal enjoyment. I like to read and write FAQ:s and other things. Besides, I wanted to get something up on Gamefaqs and other sites on the net, and this game felt like a good one to begin with. This is not my first FAQ ever. I have written FAQ:s and guides before, but never put them up on big sites like this one. My previous ones were mostly for smaller sites or for my friends. Another reason for writing this FAQ is that I, although I knew that this game already had been covered a number of times, felt that such a great game like this deserved some more FAQ:s. But the biggest reason why I decided to sit down and create this FAQ was because I simply felt that all the FAQ:s I had found on this game so far were simply not satisfying on all points. They all had some flaws in them. Some of them had information missing, and some weren't even finished. Others had a lot of good information, but were simply not funny to read. Either they had a very bad layout, or they were just very unpersonal, saying things like "Go up. Kill the guard. Enter the door. Go down" etc. Those guides that were well-written and had a professional layout had another problem however: They sometimes kept on refering to other websites and asked you to put in URL:s in your web browser to watch different pictures and so on. As we all know, NO ONE does that when browsing the Gamefaqs after that critical piece of information. Having a FAQ in that way only creates frustration. Finally, almost all the FAQ:s were written for very experienced players. They expect the players to take advanced and dangerous shortcuts just to save time, and so on. Having advanced tactics in a walkthrough is fine, as long as there is an option available. Think of all the inexperienced players that play this game. So that's why I decided to make this FAQ perfect on all points. I wanted to include everything important in the game and for the player. I wanted everything to be into this single FAQ, and not spread out on different places. I wanted the FAQ to be easy to read and simple to navigate, and finally, I wanted to write the FAQ for the less experienced players. I am very well aware that I might fail myself on these points. People might think that my FAQ has serious defects in it, and if they do, then blame me. Here is the deal: If you feel that this FAQ could be improved in some way, then drop me a line via the mail. I wrote this FAQ for YOU, not for myself, and the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with it. Just remember to give constructive critiscism, and don't flame. And please mark the mail with "Bionic Commando FAQ" or something like that in the subject line so I know what it is about. The mail adress is: Linuso@hotmail.com *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 4.1. STORY <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* Unknown country. Some time in the 1980's... Many years ago, an enormous war was held between two big organizations. The first one was the evil Empire, often nicknamed "The Badds", who wanted nothing else than to take over the world and rule it with strong dictatorship. Against them was the Federation, an organization who fought for peace and democracy, and did all they could to stop the Empire's plans. Eventually, after a long battle, the Federation won, and the Empire was put back for a while, reforming their battle units. A while ago, some top secret plans were found by the Federation. It was the old plans of the Empire. The plans described a very detailed construction process of a terrifying and deadly new super weapon called "The Albatross". However, the plan was scrapped when the person with the key knowledge, Master-D, was killed. However, the Empire's new leader, general Killt, reformed his army. He also started top secret research projects in order to finish The Albatross. Although the chances for these plans to succeed looked slim, the Federation didn't take any risks. If The Albatross was ever to be completed, chaos would rise in the world. They sent out one of their best soldiers, Super Joe, to infiltrate the Badds' mainland, and stop the Empire's plans. Unfortunately, the Federation lost contact with Super Joe not long ago. He was assumed to be alive, and held captive in one of the well-guarded areas surrounding the imperial main fortress. The Federation decided to send out one of their best new soldiers: Ladd. Equipped with the bionic arm and a cannon, Ladd went out on the battlefield. His two objectives: * Locate and rescue Super Joe * Stop the Empire's plans on finishing The Albatross *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 4.2. CAST OF CHARACTERS <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* LADD: This is you. The hero of the game. You are the bionic commando soldier, who wields the bionic arm and several powerful weapons and tools. You are the one sent out to save Super Joe and destroy the Badds' secret weapon. You are very young, a thing many of the characters in the game taunt you for. Overall, you are very cool-looking, skilled with your weapons and don't talk too much. A perfect example of a great action hero. SUPER JOE: A hero of the federation. A very experienced and skilled veteran soldier, who was sent out to stop the Badds' plans, but suddenly went missing. He is assumed to be alive, and held captive by the Badds in the well- guarded Area 7. He has important information about the Badds' plans as well as about their secret weapon. KILLT: The general and leader of the Badds' army. He is very large and snobbish, and likes to taunt the federation and its soldiers whenever he gets a chance. He has big plans to take over the world, and is currently holding top secret research projects in finishing the mass-destruction weapon called The Albatross. MASTER-D: A high positioned man in the Badds', who died long ago. He was the one with the key knowledge on how to construct the Albatross. Since he is dead, general Killt is yet unable to complete the weapon. There are rumours saying that Killt is holding a secret research project in attempt to resurrect Master-D... DESTROYER-3: A weapons expert and a good friend of Super Joe. He holds Super Joe's legendary Machinegun, and will only give it away to a true hero of the federation. He currently guards the neutral area 18, and knows a lot about other neutral areas as well. HAL: A great soldier of the federation, willing to sacrifice his life for peace. He holds the powerful Bazooka, that can destroy choppers. He will meet you in the final area 12. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 4.3. HOW TO PLAY <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* *=======================* | 4.3.1. BASIC CONTROLS | *=======================* In this section, the basics of the controlling will be explained. Whenever a button instruction says "bionic arm usage", refer to the "4.3.2. How to use the bionic arm" section below this one. This is an ASCII-picture of a NES-controller: __________________________________________________ | | | | | ___ | | | | | | | | | | __| _ |__ | | | | | / \ | | | B A | | |__ \_/ __| | select start | ___ ___ | | | | | _____ _____ | / \ / \ | | |___| | |_____| |_____| | | | | | | | | | \___/ \___/ | |________________|_________________|_______________| The big cross-button is called the "Directional Pad". All the other buttons's names should be obvious. DIRECTIONAL PAD: Up: - Move elevator up - Bionic arm usage Down: - Crouch down - Move elevator down - Bionic arm usage Right: - Walk right - Move cursor right in option menus - Bionic arm usage Left: - Walk left - Move cursor left in option menus - Bionic arm usage A-BUTTON: - Bionic arm usage - Confirm decisions in option menus - Advance dialogues B-BUTTON: - Fire your weapon - Exit conversations and screens START-BUTTON: - Use accessory - Start the game SELECT-BUTTON: - Pause game - Choose options on title screen A-BUTTON + B-BUTTON + START-BUTTON: Exits the current area you are in and takes you back to the map screen. This option can be used to escape areas in dangerous situations or if you forgot to bring the correct item with you, and don't want to lose all your lives just to get back to the map screen. *==================================* | 4.3.2. HOW TO USE THE BIONIC ARM | *==================================* The bionic arm is your most important tool in the game, and it is very important to master its functions very well. In later levels, you will encounter dangerous and advanced swinging sections, which brings you death if you fail on its challenges. Read this section well, and practice a lot on the first easier levels until you understand the mechanisms. To simplify this FAQ, I will often use the term "arm" when I refer to the bionic arm. The arm is used to take you to new areas, swinging over gaps, climbing onto higher platforms and do other moves. It is also used to push away enemies or bullets that come from above or the side of you. The final use the arm has is to grab and pull in items far away from you. All those bullets the soldiers drop after defeat can be quickly collected with the arm. Remember that you can't jump in Bionic Commando. Even the smallest barrels or gaps will be uncrossable without the bionic arm. *BASIC MOVES* The A-button is the primary button for using the bionic arm. In the normal mode, not hanging, the A-button does these actions: Press the A-button: Shoots the arm diagonally upwards in the direction Ladd is facing. Hold Up and press the A-button: Shoots the arm straight up. Duck and press the A-button: Shoots the arm straight forward in the direction Ladd is facing (ducking). Walk and press the A-button: Shoots the arm straight forward in the direction Ladd is facing (standing). The arm can only connect on certain objects and materials. First of all: It can only connect on horizontal objects like platforms. It can never connect into vertical walls and the alike. However, it can connect into objects like barrels, and into the sides of normal horizontal platforms. Second: There are some platforms that are built with a material that the arm simply can't grip. These types of platforms are rare, but they exist. Make sure you get to know the terrain of each level so you know when to use the arm and not. *ARM CONNECTED STRAIGHT UP* When the arm connects straight up, what happens next depends on Ladd's position. If he is standing safely on a platform, he will hold his position, with the arm connected in the above platform. He can fire his gun, turn left and right and either move up to the highest position or remove the arm, but he can't walk away. If he now hangs in the air, the controls and movements are the same, but Ladd will fall down if you remove the arm. Controls for this type: D-Pad button left/right: Turns Ladd left/right D-pad button down: Removes the arm A-button: Raises Ladd to the "highest position" B-button: Fires weapon *ARM CONNECTED DIAGONALLY, STANDING ON PLATFORM* If the arm connects diagonally, Ladd's position will also matter on what will happen next. If he stands safely on a platform, he will hold his position, with the arm connected. The controls are now somewhat different to when the arm is connected upwards though. He can fire his gun, but not turn around. If he removes the arm, he will go back to normal mode. He can raise up to the platform. If he moves in the direction he faces, he will enter "swinging mode" (read further down). If he connects the arm diagonally while in the air, he will automatically enter the "swinging mode" (read further down). Controls for this type: D-Pad button down: Removes the arm A-button: Raises Ladd to the "highest position" D-Pad button the direction Ladd faces: Enter "swinging mode" D-Pad button the opposite direction: Removes the arm B-button: Fires weapon *SWINGING MODE* In this mode, Ladd will swing quickly left and right over and over again. He will have a different speed and length in his swings depending on how close to the platform he is (I.E. how stretched the arm is). With the arm stretched to its maximum, Ladd will make huge swings. With the arm just barely out, Ladd will make tiny swings. While in this mode, he can jump away in different ways, or raise up to the top position. If he raises up to the top position, it will take longer time than if the arm was connected straight up and Ladd was standing still, due to the laws of nature. Whenever he jumps off the arm or climbs onto a platform, he will go back to the normal mode. Controls for this type: D-Pad button right: Ladd will make a huge leap out to the right D-Pad button left: Ladd will make a huge leap out to the left D-Pad button down: Ladd will drop off the arm in low speed A-button: Raises Ladd to the "highest position" *HIGHEST POSITION* In this position, Ladd hangs just below the platform in the arm. He can turn left or right, drop down or get onto the platform above him if it is possible. If he is hanging into the roof, and the only thing above it is a solid stone wall for example, then he can't get up. If it is just space above him, then he can climb up to it most of the time. Controls for this type: D-Pad button left/right: Turns Ladd left/right D-Pad button down: Removes the arm D-Pad button up: Ladd climbs onto the platform above if he can B-button: Fires weapon *ARM CONNECTED HORIZONTALLY, STANDING ON PLATFORM* If Ladd is in the air when the arm connects straight, he will enter "swinging mode" directly, otherwise, he can either remove the arm, or pull himself towards the object he connected into. When he pulls himself towards it, if he falls off a platform, he will enter "swinging mode". Otherwise, he will just get next to it. Controls for this type: A-button: Pulls Ladd next to the item D-Pad button the opposite direction Ladd faces: Removes arm *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 4.4. BEFORE ENTERING A LEVEL <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* *=====================* | 4.4.1. TITLE SCREEN | *=====================* This is the screen you will see when you start the game, and also when you lose all your lives and get a game over. The logo and the text will slowly appear on the screen. If you press START-Button, the whole title screen will appear directly. If you wait without pressing any button, the intro sequence will start, showing you the game's background story. On the title screen, you have two options: * Start: Starts the game from the beginning. You will see a new sequence, and the game will start at Area 1, with 3 lives, the Standard Cannon and the Red Communicator. * Continue: Continues the game from where you lost all your lives. You will start on the map, outside the area you perished in, with 3 lives, and all your equipment intact. However, your bullets amount will be reduced back to the level where you gained your latest health bar (see section "4.5.2. Increasing your health bar" for more info). The number next to the word "continue" tells you how many continues you have left. You start with no continues, so if you die, without any continues collected, this option will be missing. Gain continues by defeating the harder enemies in the enemy field stages. *================================* | 4.4.2. HOW TO NAVIGATE THE MAP | *================================* The map is an important feature in Bionic Commando. It is where you travel between different areas and enter levels. When you start from the beginning, you will start at Area 0, in the lower left corner, travelling directly to Area 1. If you use a continue, you will start outside the area where you perished. The blue chopper is your icon, and those green tanks are the enemies. The numbered squares on the map are the areas of the game. When your chopper reaches an area, you will get two options: "Decend" or "Transfer". "Decend" takes you down to the level itself, and you will reach the "Choose equipment"-screen (more about that later). If you choose "Transfer", you will be asked to choose a new destination. Press the Left and Right D-Pad buttons to change directions, and press A-button to confirm. You will travel there, and the enemy tanks will travel around as well. You can only travel along the drawn lines on the map. Travelling paths for the tanks: * Tank 1: Area 4 --> Area 5 --> Area 15 --> Area 4 --> Area 1 --> Area 4 (Repeat) * Tank 2: Area 3 --> Area 6 --> Area 5 --> Area 2 --> Area 16 --> Area 5 --> Area 6 --> Area 3 (Repeat) * Tank 3: Area 8 --> Area 19 --> Area 8 --> Area 7 --> Area 18 --> Area 7 --> Area 8 (Repeat) * Tank 4: Area 7 --> Area 8 --> Area 10 --> Area 8 --> Area 19 --> Area 8 --> Area 6 --> Area 8 --> Area 7 (Repeat) * Tank 5: Area 10 --> Area 12 --> Area 11 --> Area 10 (Repeat) The areas with low numbers and white background (numbers 1-12) are called "Enemy areas". The ones with high numbers and red background (numbers 13-19), are called "Neutral areas". Those green enemy tanks that drive around hold the so-called "Enemy field stages". If you bump into a tank while driving on the map, you will be halted and forced to enter one of these stages. More info about the different types of areas in the next section. Also, there are two hidden paths (I.E. lines) on the map. To find out how to open them, read the walkthrough for Area 17. Whent they are open, you can use them to travel much faster between the areas. But everytime you use them, you will be forced to play another "Enemy field stage". Compared to the tanks, which you can avoid, this one is unavoidable. It is not possible to travel to all regions of the map from the beginning. There are certain passages that requires you to have all the necessary equipment before you are allowed to use them. They are: * Between Area 6 and Area 8: You must have both the Blue and Orange Communicator. * Between Area 8 and Area 10: You must have saved Super Joe in Area 7. * Entering Area 12: You must have completed both Area 10 and Area 11. *=================================* | 4.4.3. DIFFERENT TYPES OF AREAS | *=================================* There are three types of areas in Bionic Commando, as I already mentioned in the previous section. They are the following: * Enemy areas: These are the most common type of areas in the game. They all consist of a level with different challenges in different terrains. At the end of these areas, there will always be a boss room, with a special opponent (I.E. the boss), and a "final computer". The goal on these levels is to make your way to the boss room, and blow up the final computer. Sometimes you must locate and use the contact rooms to gain access to the boss rooms. See section "4.5.1. Contact rooms" to read more about them, and see the info box for each level to find out if using the contact room is necessary. Finishing an Enemy area will most of the time give you a new item that can be used in other areas to enhance your progress. Enemy areas are marked with white colour and have low numbers (1-12). * Neutral areas: These are also important areas. Neutral areas are zones where no acts of violence may occur. When you are in these areas, you are not allowed to fire your weapon. If you do, you will cause the alarm to go off, all the important persons that will aid you will escape, and the personel in the area will attack you endlessly. To reset the order, leave the area and come back again. In almost all areas, you will get important items or clues about the war and the areas. All neutral areas have the same layout, and most of the time, there will be no enemies that attack you here. However, there are some exceptions, and when these enemies come, you can't use your weapon to take them out, unless you want the alarm to go off. You must either ignore them or use your bionic arm to defend yourself. You can very well die in these areas, as they all have water pits and spikes. How is it that the personel is so strict about you not attacking, and then looks away when the enemies attack you? And why do they fill their health care centers with spikes? Beats me. Most of the areas are accessable directly, but some can only be entered when you have the correct item visible. Neutral areas are marked with red colour and have high numbers (13-19). * Enemy field stages: Whenever you run into a tank, or use the secret pathways, you will be tossed into one of these stages. Unlike the other stages, these are played with a bird-perspective, like in Zelda. These stages are quite short, and just consist of walking straight forward while a lot of different enemies attack you. There are not very much to find in these stages, but you can collect the precious Continues here by eliminating the harder opponents. Read the walkthrough about these sections to find out what enemies they are, and how to defeat them. In one of the stages, you can also find the Helmet. Refer to the walkthrough on Area 17 and that special enemy field stage to see how to get it. You can't use your Accessories or Protective Items in these stages, so be careful. If you have low health, these stages can be quite troublesome at times. After you have reached the truck waiting at the top of the level, you will exit it, and be brought back to the map, and the game will continue as usual. *================================* | 4.4.4. HOW TO CHOOSE EQUIPMENT | *================================* When choosing the "Decend" option on the map, or when running into a tank or using the secret paths, you will be brought to the Items screen. Here, you can select the specific equipment you want to use in the upcoming stage. There are several screens and types of equipment, and you can only choose one of each type. The types of equipment are: * Weapon * Protective item * Accessory * Communicator If you are entering an Enemy field stage, you will only select your weapon, otherwise you will select all types of items. Read more about the different types of equipment and their usage and rules in section "5.2. Equipment". Several areas require certain items to be accessable, so read the info box and overview of each level in the walkthrough to see what item you will need for each particular area. When you confirm your choice of communicator, and choose "End", the area will begin. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 4.5. WHEN PLAYING A LEVEL <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* *======================* | 4.5.1. CONTACT ROOMS | *======================* The contact rooms are spread out here and there in most enemy areas. When you enter them, and use the big computer in the middle of it, you can choose between two alternatives: "Communicate" and "Wire Tapping". "Communicate" puts you in contact with your own men, who will provide clues or information. If you choose "Wire Tapping", you will wire-tap your enemies' conversations, and can pick up important secret information. However, in certain areas when you wire-tap the enemy, an alarm will go off, and enemies will appear. This happens in areas 3, 8, 9, 10 and 11. When you have visited a contact room, you will begin the level there if you die in the level (unless you have no more lives left). That's why it is sometimes a great idea to visit the contact rooms even if you are not planning to use the communicator. Different areas require different communicators. If you bring the wrong communicator to the contact room, you will only get buzzings if you try to use the computer. Also, only certain areas require you to use the contact rooms to unlock the boss room door. Read the info box on each level in the walkthrough section to see what communicator you will need, and if you need to use the contact room. *===================================* | 4.5.2. INCREASING YOUR HEALTH BAR | *===================================* Right in the beginning of the game, you are very weak. Every single hit will kill you directly. That is a very harsh situation, and I recommend you to raise your health meter as soon as you can. How to do that? Well, it's simple really. Whenever you take out the enemies, they drop small things that look a little like white cans. They are in fact bullets, and when you pick up a bullet, your bullet counter raises up one step. When it has reached a certain number, you will get one extra health point on your maximum health. Your health will also be restored to max when this happens. Every time you gain more health, the number of bullets you need to collect to make the meter reach even higher increases. You can have a maximum of 8 life points. Remember that you will also be awarded with 10 bullets everytime you complete an enemy area. Every time you leave the level and go back out to the map, your health is completely restored. Here are the grades for the bullets: 5 bullets: 1 life point 15 bullets: 2 life points 30 bullets: 3 life points 60 bullets: 4 life points 100 bullets: 5 life points 150 bullets: 6 life points 220 bullets: 7 life points 300 bullets: 8 life points *==================* | 4.5.3. GAME OVER | *==================* Each time you get hit by an enemy's bullet or by the enemy itself, you will get knocked back and lose one energy unit. If all your energy units disappear, and you get hit one more time, you will die. You will also die if you fall down into the water, a hole or into quicksand. you have three lives to begin with, and can gain more as the game proceeds. If you die, you will begin in the latest contact room you visited. When all your lives are gone, you will get a game over. This will bring you back to the title screen, where you can choose either to begin a new game or to continue (if you have gathered Continues in the Enemy Field Stages). *========================================================================* | ______________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 5.1. POWERUPS FOUND IN LEVELS <| |\______________________________________________________________________/| | | *========================================================================* On all levels of the game, there are a couple of powerups that can be found on different places. These powerups are not like the normal equipment, and will be used directly, and will improve your status in different ways. Some are found on the ground on certain hidden spots, and some are inside bonus boxes that sometimes drop down from the sky in the enemy areas. Some can also be achived by eliminating different enemies. To open the bonus boxes, either shoot them or hit them with your bionic arm. BULLETS: Location: On enemies, In bonus boxes, Rooms in neutral areas The most common powerup. Bullets look like small white cans, and are the way to raise your health bar. They are almost always found after defeating enemies. 1-UP: Location: In bonus boxes, Rooms in neutral areas, Hidden places in enemy areas Looks like a small doll version of your main character, and gives you one more life. Having collected these for certain difficult levels are often necessary, since losing all your lives means game over. Refer to another section to see where all the 1-UP:s in the game are located. ENERGY POTION: Location: In bonus boxes This one looks just like your Energy Recovery Pills, and work in the same way, with the exception that you use them directly, instead of pressing the START-button. Taking this one gives you a full health bar directly. P.O.W.: Location: In bonus boxes An icon with the small text "POW" gives you a short moment of protection from the enemies. It creates a big fireball that swings around you in high speed. Enemies getting hit by this one will die. Please remember that this item doesn't make you immortal. You can still get damaged on spikes, electricity etc. and if an enemy or bullet manages to slip through the fireball, it will hit you. When the fireball goes away, it will shoot up in the air and then fall down to the ground. It still works at this time, so enemies getting hit will be taken out. You can only find this one in the white boxes. CONTINUE: Location: In enemy field areas Only found in the enemy field stages by defeating certain stronger opponents. It looks just like one of those eagle badges in the military. In the cliffside enemy field, the one with dangerous pits on the sides, you will have to eliminate the shield guards with huge cannons. On the field stage with blue floor, you must defeat the jeeps that come from the side and fire at you. In the hidden base, you must defeat the blue soldiers with bionic arms. By collecting this item, you will get one extra continue, which you can use after you have lost all your lives to be able to try again. *========================================================================* | ______________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 5.2. EQUIPMENT <| |\______________________________________________________________________/| | | *========================================================================* There is a high number of equipment you will find and need to use in Bionic Commando. These items are important to be able to proceed in the game. They make you stronger, give you new abilities and open up new areas for you. There are 4 types of equipment: Weapons, Communicators, Accessories and Protective Items. *================* | 5.2.1. WEAPONS | *================* The weapons are the primary items in Bionic Commando. They are all shooting weapons, and host infinite ammo. There are a total of 5 "real" guns in the game, and 1 special gun, mostly for the storyline: STANDARD CANNON: Salvo rate: 3 bullets per screen Strength: 3 Speed: 4 Range: 5 The weapon you begin your journey with. It fires small green bullets straight forwards, with a maximum salvo of 3 bullets per screen. It has a very long reach (a whole screen), and a great speed. As it is the first weapon you wield, it is naturally not especially strong nor effective, but okay for the first levels of the game, and in fact it is a totally acceptable gun. It is strong enough to take out the weaker opponents with a few shots, and the computers at the end of each stage can be taken out quite quickly, because of this weapon's high speed. Still, nothing you want to hold on to after you've got the tougher guns. WIDE CANNON: Location: Acquired after completing Area 4 Salvo rate: 3 bullets per screen Strength: 1 Speed: 5 Range: 1 This second weapon is in fact not especially effective, and experienced players tend to avoid this one. It fires the same type of bullets like the Standard Cannon did, only that it fires three of them at the same time, in a wide spread: One straight ahead, one diagonally upwards, and one diagonally downwards. Sounds good, no? Wait, there's more. The biggest problem with this one is that its reach is horrible! The bullets disappear just as they leave the gun, meaning you must stand very close to your opponents to be able to hit them. This makes this cannon become one of the worst weapons in the game. Its only advantage over the Standard Cannon is that it is good for taking out flying enemies. The only areas with a lot of flying enemies are areas 5 and 7, and this weapon is in fact too weak to be useful. ROCKET LAUNCHER: Location: Acquired after completing Area 5 Salvo rate: 1 bullet per screen Strength: 5 Speed: 3 Range: 5 Yeah! Now we're getting somewhere! This gun increases your offensive power like a 1000 times! It is the weapon with the most attacking power in the game, finishing off ALL enemies with just 1 shot (including most bosses!), and takes out all final computers with just 3 or 4 shots! It fires a huge red/green glowing fireball across the whole screen, with an average speed. Only 1 bullet at a time may be on the screen. A huge advantage with this gun is that when an enemy has perished after being hit, the shot doesn't stop. Instead, it continues through him, meaning you can eleminate groups of enemies standing in a row. The best thing is that you get this one so early in the game. When you have this one, you don't want to change back. This is THE gun of the game. Trust me. 3-WAY CANNON: Location: Acquired after completing Area 9 Salvo rate: 3 bullets per screen Strength: 2 Speed: 4 Range: 3 This gun feels like an enhanced version of the Wide Cannon. It fires three huge fireballs at the same time, one going straight forward, one going straight up, and one going straight down. In other words, its angle is much wider than the Wide Cannon. This weapon has a better reach than its older brother, but still shorter than the Standard Cannon. The crazy thing is that although the shots look like the Rocket Launcher shots, its strength is horrible. It gets even worse when you discover that this gun fires much slower than the Wide Cannon. This makes taking out bosses and final computers a very annoying job. Although I try to stay away from this one as much as I can, it is in fact necessary to open up Area 7 (where Super Joe is located), and can even be very useful for taking out those flying choppers in that area. SUPER JOE'S MACHINEGUN: Location: Found in neutral Area 18 (Getting this gun requires solving a puzzle. See the walkthrough for Area 18 on how to do it.) Salvo rate: 3 bullets per screen Strength: 4 Speed: 5 Range: 3 The final weapon. It is the fastest gun in the game, firing small white bullets in a spread. It has the same width as the Wide Cannon, but a much better reach, speed and strength. It reaches about a third of the screen. Although each single shot is weak, the enormous speed and width the bullets are fired in, makes this gun very effective for taking out big groups of enemies on different heights very quickly. Funny enough, although it is a machinegun, you can't hold the button down to keep firing. You must tap the button like a normal gun. It is a very great weapon, and it was probably meant to be the ultimate weapon of the game, but I still prefer to stick with my Rocket Launcher. HAL'S BAZOOKA: Location: Given to you by Hal in Area 12 (final stage) Salvo rate: 1 bullet per screen Strength: 5+ Speed: 3 Range: 5 This is not really a true weapon in the game, as it works just like the Rocket Launcher, and is given to you only in the very end of the game. The only difference it has to the Rocket Launcher is that it makes it possible to destroy the cockpit of Master-D's helicopter. You can pass Hal by, not collecting his Bazooka, but then you can't destroy the chopper, and will undoubtely die. Even if you have the Rocket Launcher with you, you can't do it. Talking to Hal and getting the Bazooka is the one and only way you can beat the game. *======================* | 5.2.2. COMMUNICATORS | *======================* The communicators look like rather big radios and are used to contact your team mates, as well as wire-tap the enemies' secret messages via the computers in the levels. There are a total of 4 communicators in the game, and they all have a different colour and a Greek letter. Different communicators work in different areas. They are only used in enemy areas. RED COMMUNICATOR (ALPHA): The communicator you begin with. It has a wine-red colour, and works in Areas 1, 4 and 5. GREEN COMMUNICATOR (BETA): Found in neutral Area 16. It is forest-green dyed, and works in Areas 2, 3 and 6. BLUE COMMUNICATOR (GAMMA): Found in neutral Area 14. You will need a Permit to enter this Area (the Permit is located in the enemy Area 6). Its colour is icy blue, and it works in Areas 8, 9 and 7. ORANGE COMMUNICATOR (DELTA): Found in neutral Area 15. Funny enough, although this communicator is used in the last Areas 10, 11 and 12, this is the first Communicator you find (not including the Red one you start with). To get it, you must either remove the armoured walls in Area 15 (but doing so will make you get attacked), or do a very dangerous bionic arm move that may cost your life (see section "6.4. Special moves"). See the walkthrough section for Area 15 to get a detailed explanation on how to get this item. *====================* | 5.2.3. ACCESSORIES | *====================* The accessories are extra items that do not affect the game in an active way like the weapons or the communicators do, but they still have a good task, and can really aid you in harsh situations on your quest. All of them cause some kind of a special effect that helps you in some way, like opening new areas or making you stronger. Some of them are used by pressing the START-button, while others are used automatically. ENERGY RECOVERY PILLS: Location: Acquired after completing Area 1 Now, I don't see why they call these "pills", since it looks more like a green liquid to me. But anyway, the words "energy" and "recovery" say enough, don't they? This item is incredibly useful, and is my favourite item besides the Rocket Launcher. It can be used anytime by pressing the START-button, and brings your health back to maximum, no matter how high your health meter is. Unless I absolutely need another item, I always bring these with me into an enemy area. FLARE BOMBS: Location: Found in neutral Area 13 A classical item. Like in most games, these are used to light up dark areas. In this game however, they are only useful in one level, and that is in Area 4 - the dark caverns. As soon as the lights go out, press START-button to toss the flares. The light will come back soon. To tell the truth, you don't need these to complete level 4. It is still possible to see enough to be able to complete the level, but it gets a lot easier if you use them. The reason I say this is because you might want to bring the Energy Recovery Pills instead. Especially since you probably haven't gained that much health yet. The choice is yours. RAPID FIRE DEVICE: Location: Acquired after completing Area 3 As the name suggests, this device is used to create rapid fire. However, the developers were so lazy that they only programmed it for the first gun in the game. It makes it easier for you to fire, since you can hold down the B-button to keep firing automatically, instead of having to tap the button over and over again. However, this doesn't mean that the 3-bullets-per- screen limit disappears! It only saves you some pain in your thumbs. A rather useless item, since by the time you get your hands on it, you have probably acquired the Rocket Launcher, which gives you all the offensive power you would ever want, not to mention that you will have to give up the Energy Recovery Pills for it. The biggest joke with this item is that it doesn't work with Super Joe's Machinegun! PERMIT: Location: Acquired after completing Area 6 This piece of paper is used to gain access to the neutral Area 14. And getting in here is very important, since we need the Blue Communicator. It works automatically, and there is no need to press any button to use it. It is a bugger, since it prevents you from using the spot for the Energy Recovery Pills, but fortunately, the Permit is only used in this area, where the resistance is very weak, so it doesn't feel too harsh. And don't even think about firing your weapon to make the guard disappear from the screen! This is the only neutral area where that doesn't work. The Permit is the one and only way to enter this place. IRON BOOTS: Location: Acquired after completing Area 8 Normally, when you swing with your bionic arm and hit soldiers, they just bump away. They get temporarely stunned, and are pushed away from you, but they still pose a threat. If you wear the Iron Boots however, kicking the soldiers while swinging with the bionic arm will kill them directly. This item is used automatically, and does not need a specific button commando. Can be useful at times, but I mostly skip this one since the system for hitting the soldiers correctly is very awkward. Often enough, you end up hitting them with parts of your upper body, which costs you a piece of energy, and also knocks you away from the bionic swing. As always, I prefer to bring my beloved Energy Recovery Pills instead. *=========================* | 5.2.4. PROTECTIVE ITEMS | *=========================* Protective items are a special group of items that are used for..uh.. protection! All of them work automatically. They don't need a button command to be activated, and they work all the time in all areas. Also, they don't interfere with the accessories. There are 3 of them. PENDANT: Location: Acquired after completing Area 2 This looks more like a cross, but hey, let's focus on its effects instead. The Pendant protects you from ONE shot in every area. The first enemy bullet that hits you will simply just bounce off you, not damaging you or stopping your actions. Only those red or green bullets from enemy soldiers/final computers, white laser beams from the vertical laser cannons and the choppers' diagonal bullets will be stopped. Diagonal laser beams, spike balls etc won't be halted. Once again, pay attention that it only stops one bullet per "Area session". If you leave or die and re-enter an area, you can use the Pendant again. HELMET: Location: Found in the secret enemy base (Getting this item requires solving some puzzles. See the walkthrough for Area 17, and then the walkthrough for Enemy Field Stage 3 for an exact explanation.) The Helmet works just like the Pendant, except that it works THREE times instead of just one. I don't understand how a helmet can protect your full body, but I guess it's just video game logic. BULLET-PROOF VEST: Location: Acquired after completing Area 11 This one works just like the Helmet and the Pendant, but works EVERYTIME. However, it has a big difference to the Helmet and the Pendant. It doesn't block a whole salvo, just the first shot. This means that if a soldier fires two bullets at the same time, you can only dodge the first one. A funny thing with this item is that if first shot in a salvo doesn't touch you, you won't be spared for the second shot! If you duck under the first shot, and then stand up in time to get hit by the second one, the Vest won't block that one! A very good item, but it's a shame you get it just before entering the very last stage in the game. I don't really know which one is the best of this one and the Helmet. Since you get the Vest just before the last stage, and the last stage has very few soldiers that fire the specific type of bullets, I usually skip over this one. *========================================================================* | ______________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 5.3. THE BAD GUYS <| |\______________________________________________________________________/| | | *========================================================================* The Badds have a well-armed and trained personel that wants to stop your journey. There are two types of bad guys: Enemies and Bosses. Enemies are the regular opponents that dwell in almost any level, and normally take three or so shots to die. Bosses are the tougher opponents that usually appear at the end of each stage, and sometimes in the middle of it, and take a lot more to go down. There are also some opponents that are not bound to the Badds army, and attack you for other reasons. Enemies like these are for example the personel in the neutral areas and animals living in the wilderness. There is also a third type of obstacles: Dangerous terrain. *================* | 5.3.1. ENEMIES | *================* PATROLLING GUARD: The most common enemy in Bionic Commando perhaps. He is either red or green, and patrols a small area. If he sees you, he will fire a salvo of bullets on you. Duck under them and shoot him. If you are on a platform below him, he will jump down to your level. In the enemy field stages, he will also toss grenades. Found in: Areas 1, 5, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, All enemy field stages SITTING GUARD: Works almost like the patrolling guard, except that he sits still instead, and ducks. Now and then, he rises up and fires a salvo, and then ducks again. If he ducks behind a barrel or a box, you must shoot him when he rises up, otherwise you only need to duck next to him and spray him with bullets. Found in: Areas 1, 4, 5, 2, 3, 8, 12, All enemy field stages PARACHUTING GUARD: Floats down from above in a parachute. He floats through walls somehow, and stops when he hits a platform. He then turns into a patrolling guard. He can be shot while in parachute, but not hit with the arm. Found in: Areas 1, 5, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12 ELECTRIC CURRENT: A barrier of electricity blocking your way. There is no way to pass through it without removing it first. In Area 1, you must destroy its generator in order to stop it. In Area 12, you must cut the electricity by shutting down the main system. Found in: Areas 1, 12 BOMB/CANNON GUARD: A sitting guard that takes turns rolling bombs and shooting at you with a cannon. If he rolls bombs, you must hang in the roof to avoid the blast. When he shoots, you must duck. Take him out as fast as possible. Found in: Areas 1, 8, 9 NEUTRAL AREA GUARD: White medic men who keep the law and order in the neutral areas. They have a zero tolerance against people firing their guns, and if you do, they will attack you. They act like the parachuting soldiers, and then act like the patrolling guards when they touch the ground. However, they are much faster and fire more often. Found in: All neutral areas KNIFE GUARD: A guard wielding a knife. He patrols, and when he sees you, he charges at you in high speed. Be prepared for his charge, and spray him with bullets. Found in: Areas 4, 19 CHOPPER GUARD: A very annoying enemy that flies with a chopper engine on his back. He tracks you down, and then hoovers slightly over you while putting on an electric current. The best thing to do to avoid him is to move up the level as fast as possible. If he manages to turn on his current, you must drop down one platform to avoid it. You can knock him down a bit by using your arm. Found in: Area 5 HORIZONTAL LASER CANNON: Fastened in the roof, this white laser cannon fires two beams now and then. One to the right, and one to the left. They are often put on platforms you need to get up on, so pay attention to their shooting and move when it is safe. Found in: Area 5 IRON BALL: A ball that hangs in a chain. When you get close, the chain breaks, and the ball will roll towards you. You don't get hurt by the ball, but it knocks you back, and can knock you down a pit or into an enemy. It can never be destroyed. Found in: Areas 5, 12 BOMB GUARD: A guard that moves back and forth and rolls bombs. You must either move away or hang in the roof to avoid the smash of the bombs. Found in: Areas 2, 8, 19 SLIME: This enemy does not belong to the Badds, but is still very annoying. It never damages you, but it moves quickly along the floor, and if it gets a hold of you, it will drag you away, often enough towards pits or spikes. The only way to escape if you get caught is to use your arm on a platform above. Found in: Areas 2, 10 HOOK TRUCK: An armoured truck that has a long chain with a hook at its end. It patrols platforms above you, and now and then, it lowers its chain. If it does, it is invulnerable to your shots in the front. If you get onto its platform, it will charge at you in high speed. When it is destroyed, a squatting guard will always come out. Found in: Area 2 SQUATTING GUARD: A very short guard that works much like the patrolling guard, except that he is much faster and more aggressive. You must duck to be able to hit him. He always comes out of destroyed trucks. Found in: Areas 2, 7 MAN EATING PLANTS: Terrifying huge plants that hide in the ground. When a human steps near them, they pop out of the ground, and bites fiercely in the air. They are very well hidden, and if you get eaten, you die directly. They are only found in the wilderness, on grassy ground, so move carefully and watch for changes in the terrain. Found in: Area 3 GIANT SPIDERS: Huge spiders that move in a very weird pattern. They stand still for a while, then they suddenly move towards you in high speed. The bionic arm knocks them down a bit, but it doesn't kill them, so try to advance away from them as quickly as possible. Found in: Area 3 GIANT BUGS: Flying bugs that live on the higher parts of the wilderness. They fly around you, slowly getting closer and closer. They are very annoying, but fortunately, they can be taken out by your bionic arm, so use it to clear up the area. Found in: Area 3 JUMPING SPIKE BALLS: Indestructable spiky balls that jump out of pits. They cannot be defeated in any way, so pass them by when you can. Found in: Areas 6, 14 MINI TANK: A cute but dangerous enemy. It patrols the floors and tries to hit you. You must duck to be able to shoot it. Found in: Areas 6, 10, 11, 16 FLYING ATTACK ROBOT COMMANDER: A fat guard that stays on his spot and controls small flying robots to attack you. Take him out, and all the robots will die. Found in: Areas 6, 8 FLYING ATTACK ROBOT: The flying robots of the commander. Found in: Areas 6, 8 ROLLING SPIKE BALLS: Spiky balls that roll on the floor down the tower. They cannot be destroyed. Found in: Area 6 SPIKE BALL TOSSER: A fat guard that tosses the rolling spike balls. Get rid of him as soon as you can since he is the one that makes the spike balls coming. Found in: Area 6 PARACHUTING BOMB GUARD: Works like the bomb guard, but is blue, and parachutes from the sky. Found in: Area 8 CORRIDOR ROBOT: Guards the corridors, and is made up by a steel barrier, that goes from the corridors roof to its floor. On the steel barrier, a cannon moves up and down while shooting. You must hit the cannon to destroy the steel barrier. Found in: Area 8 HANGING GUARD: A guard that wears a backpack with a bionic arm. If you shoot him standing on the ground, he will jump up and hang in the roof. If you shoot him while hanging, he will drop down on the floor. You can't pass him by, so you must defeat him. The trick is to hang in the roof, and while dropping down, shoot a bullet in the exact correct moment. Then he will get fooled to jump up, but will get hit and die. Found in: Areas 8, 9, 12 SHIELD SOLDIER: A very annoying enemy that runs around on a small platform with a shield. You can't hit this guy in the front, only in the back. However, getting behind him is a very hard job. I mostly try to pass this guy by, since he is so annoying. Found in: Area 8 ARMOURED TRUCK: A truck that is totally invincible in the front, except against one weapon: The 3-Way Cannon. All other weapons must hit the truck in the back. The truck patrols a platform, and fires needles at you. You can duck under them. When the truck spots you, it will charge at you in high speed. Found in: Area 7 HELICOPTERS: Annoying helicopters that follow you via the air and fire diagonal bullets at you. Your arm won't do them any harm, so you must move up to their level to get them. The 3-Way Cannon is a recommended weapon. Found in: Area 7 DIAGONAL LASER CANNON: A cannon that hangs under a platform, and moves back and forth. It fires its beams diagonally, and in tight intervals. Passing this one by is difficult, since it fires so quickly. Hang in its platform and shoot it. Found in: Areas 10, 11 FAT GUARD: A very big guard that patrols the platforms slowly. When he gets close to you, he will stop and punch you. Your arm can't touch him, but your bullets can. Move away from him and shoot him. Found in: Area 11 MOVING ELECTRIC BOLT: A small moving electric current. It goes along the platforms, meaning it can pose a threat both in the roof and on the floor. All the currents go at the same time, so you can time how to pass them by. Found in: Area 12 SHIELD CANNON GUARD: Moves left and right and fires huge shots at you now and then. They can only be harmed when they shoot, as they remove their shield at that time. Found in: Enemy Field Stage 1: The Mountain Cliffs JEEPS: They drive from one side of the screen to another in slow speed, and keeps firing bullets at you all the time. They are quite easy to take out, since they have no armour. Found in: Enemy field stage 2: Blue Gravel Pit BIONIC ARM GUARD: A blue guy who wears a bionic arm like you. He swings it in a circle now and then, and if you get hit, you will get damaged. Your shots will bounce away if they hit his arm. Found in: Enemy field stage 3: The Hidden Base *===============* | 5.3.2. BOSSES | *===============* FINAL COMPUTER: The main boss in every level. Its weak spot is in its eye, which is in the middle. It always has a platform on the perfect height next to it. Climb the platform and shoot into its eye to defeat it. On level 12, there are reactors that look just like the final computers, except that they don't have the platform next to them. Final computers are always heavily guarded, and at first, they don't do anything, but on Area 3, and then from Area 8 and onwards, they will start shooting at you. Found in: All enemy areas PLUTOON: The plutoon is the type of boss you will encounter the most in this game. They consist of a large group of soldiers of different types that keep on ambushing you. The type of soldiers you will face is different depending on what area you meet the plutoon at. Most of the time, a higher Level number, the harder the plutoon gets. The only member of the plutoon who is always there is the leader. He is the one talking when you enter the room, and he stays at the same spot, ordering his men to attack you. You can defeat him, but it is not necessary for beating the level, and you won't get any extra reward. The soldiers will keep on attacking you no matter what. You won't get any Bullets for defeating the enemies in these rooms. Found in: Areas 1, 2, 8, 9, 11 BIONIC ARM SOLDIER: A really annoying opponent, which you fortunately only will meet once (or maybe twice if you are unlucky). He walks on the floor, and has a shield that protects him in the front. He has a long bionic arm that he shoots upwards if you try to pass over him. The arm doesn't harm you, but it knocks you back, preventing you from reaching the final computer. To get past the enemy, you must either move on the very top platforms, or swing forwards in high speed. That way, you will outrun the arm. If you wish to defeat him, you must hit him in the back, which is very difficult and takes a lot of time. You don't have to defeat him to complete the level in Area 4, but if you step into the trap room in the final stage, then you must defeat him to be able to leave. Found in: Areas 4, 12 GUARD ROBOT: The enemy often nicknamed the "Pi pi pi guard" for its characteristic sound when it spots you. It's a very easy boss. It starts in the middle of the room, and when you approach it, it starts to move backwards, until it reaches the end of the room. It fires three bullets in a wide spread, one straight, one diagonally up and one diagonally down. Move left and right and go up or down the platforms to avoid its shots. Blast it with your cannon when you have the time. If you have a Rocket Launcher, you only need one single shot to finish it. A good strategy is to get behind it. If you do, it can't harm you anymore, and you can simply stand there and take it down. Found in: Areas 5, 3, 10 BIONIC ARM CYBORG: Now this guy is a major pain. He is very big, and has a bionic arm just like you have, with which he tries to grab you if you get close. As long as you stay away, or move below him, he can't reach you. But if you get closer, next to him or just above him, he can grab onto you with his arm. If he does, he will pull you into him, and you will get damaged. He is armoured, so if you are going to destroy him, you will get a hard time. To do that, you must hang in the ceiling, and drop down, and at the right moment, fire into his head. That's the only vulnerable spot he has. Even with the Rocket Launcher, he takes a lot of shots to go down. Found in: Areas 6, 7, 12 THE ALBATROSS: The Badds' secret weapon. You will meet this opponent at the very end of the game. They say it is a big laser cannon, but funny enough, it never shoots any laser at you. Its main concept seems to be to blast you with countless flames. To save space, I will give a detailed description on how to defeat it in the walkthrough to Area 12. Found in: Area 12 *==========================* | 5.3.3. DANGEROUS TERRAIN | *==========================* WATER: Like in many old games, you can never swim if you land into water. Falling down into the water pits in the levels will cause you to die directly and lose a life. Try to stay away from it as much as you can. Most of the time, you can actually swing under the platforms next to the water. But it is never useful and not recommended. Refer to the "6.4. Special moves"-section to see how. Found in: Areas 1, 6, All neutral areas HOLES & PITS: Like the water, pits always mean death. They will appear here and there in the levels. You cannot grab onto the walls next to the pit, so once you fall into it, you're history. Found in: Areas 2, 3, 9 SPIKES: Spikes appear very often, and don't mean instant death, but a huge energy loss. When you land on them, you will get knocked back, and your only hope is to get knocked up on a platform or other safe ground again. You can take a maximum of 3 hits by the spikes only, if you have a long health meter, so unless you get back on the ground quickly, you are toast. A very unfair thing is that the enemy soldiers can step on spikes without trouble. Found in: Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, All neutral areas SPRING BOARDS: These traps look like small feathers, and are placed here and there on certain platform and floor parts. They do not harm you, but they make you bounce away either left or right, which is not dangerous in itself, but can be very lethal if you are sent towards spikes or a pit. Of course, the Badds placed these things only on the most dangerous places, so every time you encounter one, you will need to keep a cool head. You can direct in what direction to bounce if you hold that direction on the D-Pad. Found in: Areas 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 QUICKSAND: Found out in the wilderness only. If you step inside these pools, you will start to sink slowly. You can still move left and right and use your bionic arm. Your only hope is to use the arm to grab onto a tree branch and pull yourself out of the sand. If you sink too deep, you will die. Found in: Area 3 FIRE: The fire works just like spikes. If you touch it, you will get knocked back, and lose a lot of energy. Your only chance is to get to the safe ground in time. Found in: Areas 9, 11 CLIFFS: Found only on one of the enemy field stages. They are at the edge of the screen, and if you step too close to them, you risk to lose your step, and fall down. Falling down means direct death, with no chance to get saved by your bionic arm. Found in: Enemy Field Stage 1: The Mountain Cliffs *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 6.1. WALKTHROUGH:S <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* This is the walkthrough section of this FAQ. In here, I will write all important information about every single area in the game. For every area, the information is divided in 2 parts: Summary box and Overview. For the enemy areas, there is also a third section with a Walkthrough. * The Summary box is for those who don't want a detailed description for every single step in the whole level, but want to check quickly about the basic info about each level, or what you need to bring with you to be able to complete the level. * The Overview is there to describe the basic content of the level. This is good for players who want to get a quick description of the general terrain, as well as for people who have forgotten which level was which, and want to look that up. * The Walkthrough, which includes boss fights, is for those who want a 100% description of every single step through the whole level. This section is for the enemy areas only. Inside the Summary box, you will find the following information: * Area number * Area title Shows a short description of the level type and number. The truth is, there are no real titles or numbers of the levels. I've made up all of them for this FAQ, to make it easier for you. When I chose the names, I tried to look at the terrain of each level, and see what type of function it had. The level number is just a suggestion from my side of in what order most players may take the level. * Area status This will tell you what type of area you are dealing with. There are 3 different classes: -Enemy base (the normal type of level with enemies and a boss) -Neutral area (neutral areas with items to pick up and normally no threats) -Enemy field (the top view-short enemy gauntlet stages you find when you run into tanks or the secret paths on the map) There are also a couple of side-notes about some levels. These are: -Rocket Launcher required (you must have the Rocket Launcher to be able to enter this level) -Permit required (you will need the Permit to be able to enter this stage) -Blue & Orange Com. required (you must have both the Blue and Orange Communicator in order to travel to this area) -Location of Super Joe (complete this level to rescue Super Joe, also notice that you must have the 3-Way Cannon to enter this level) -Super Joe must be saved (you must save Super Joe before you can travel to this stage) -Final stage (complete this level to beat the game, also notice that you must first complete Areas 10 and 11 to be ablet to enter) * Communicator required This tells you what type of communicator you must bring with you to be able to use the contact rooms. * Item awarded Describes what item you will collect when you complete the level (Enemy base levels only). *Item(s) found Describes what item(s) you will find in the level (Neutral areas & Enemy fields only). *Contact needed Tells you if you have to use the "Communication"-option in the contact rooms or not. * Level difficulty Gives my opinion on how difficult the level would be for non-experienced players. This is only a simple thought, and no big analysis. All people experience all levels differently. It is not a grade for masters of this game, since they will have no problem with none of the levels. There are 5 grades: Easy, Okay, Intermediate, Difficult and Horrible. *================================* | 6.1.1. ENEMY AREAS WALKTHROUGH | *================================* *=======================================================* | AREA 1 | | Level 1 - Sea Fortress | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Red | | Item awarded: Energy Recovery Pills | | Contact needed: Yes | | Level difficulty: Okay | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** So, welcome aboard! This enemy area is located in the middle of a sea. The whole complex is based on two separate islands close to each other. The first island has a contact room at the top which controls the entrance door to the underground base located at the top of the second island. Inside the base, there are spikes, elevators and lots of enemy soldiers. I put this level as "okay"-difficulty. I know many of you will think: "What? This level is sooo easy!", and yes, it is. But think of this: You have NO health bar, NO Energy Recovery Pills, and NO continues. This means, that you can die very easily, especially if you are a non-experienced player. ***Walkthrough*** You begin your journey at the left side of the first island. Walk to the right, and you will soon see your very first enemy - a barrel! To pass it, use your bionic arm diagonally and swing past it. After this, you will soon see a platform above you, with a soldier on. That is where we are going now, to the right it is only water. You can either climb up and shoot the guard directly, or wait until he jumps down himself and becomes an easy target for you. When he is defeated, pick up the Bullets he drops and continue up the platforms, and then go right. Here, another guard patrols on the platform above you. Use the same procedure as with the first one. When you have got rid of him and taken his bullets, proceed up all the platforms and enter the doorway at the top of the tower. Here we'll find our first contact room. You can contact your own men or listen to the enemy if you want to. The only important thing is that you choose "Communication" at least once, since we need that to open the doorway to the underground base on the other island. When you are done here, leave and go down to the platform where the guard patrols on. Be very careful!!! If you drop down on his head, you will bounce away to the right, and with a 90% security die. Especially if you are a beginner. Just wait until he leaves room for you, and drop down next to him and finish him of. Now go to the right until you stand on the very right edge, in front of that big bulb. Use your bionic arm on the bulb to swing across the gap. You will land on the second island. Move to the right, and drop down in the gap between you and the sitting guard, careful not to drop down when he shoots. When you reach the ground, walk right and be ready for the guard that is there. Kill him and go up on the platform with the previous guard, and finish him off. Go to the right and finish this guard. Now go to the top yellow platform. From here, stand on the very right edge of the yellow platform and fire your bionic arm diagonally right. Then you can climb up without hitting the guard there (though, watch out for his bullets). Finish him off and climb up. Keep climbing up and take the guards out until you see another doorway at the top. Enter there. Now you are inside the base! Take the elevator down. Ignore the first floor and stop at the second floor you see. To the right is a contact room, but you don't need it to proceed. Go there if you wish. It might be a good thing, since if you die, you will begin there instead of at the top of the base. Either way, eventually use your bionic arm to cross the gap to the left, and walk into the tunnel. Here, you will come across an electric current. Use your bionic arm upwards and go up. This makes you get in line with the device so you can shoot it and close the current. There are enemy soldiers dropping down here now and then. It is a good opportunity for you to gain some health by taking them out and getting more bullets. Advance to the left, and swing over the barrel. Swing onto the platform across the gap, but beware, since there is a guard with bazooka and bombs there! Swing directly up to the platform above him if you wish not to fight. There will be a box dropping down from above with a bonus in it. Be sure to pick it up before you continue. Your goal is now the platform up to the right. This can be a little tricky. Use your bionic arm diagonally to the right and get a grip. Then swing over and up when the coast is clear. From here, go up one platform, and then quickly go to the tiny platform with the barrel on it. If you don't hurry, a soldier might parachute down on it, and then you'll have to wait for him to drop down. Now, the path is quite simple. Walk all the way to the left until you reach the brown stone walls. Here, stand on the highest platform to the right of the stone wall. Stand by the violet door, and swing yourself to the left. Then you should land perfectly on the stone platform. Here, you will meet another electric current. Eliminate it the same way as the other one, and be careful for that guard with the bombs. Behind him and the barrel, the door to the boss is. ***BOSS FIGHT: Plutoon*** Keep going to the right, and avoid or shoot all the soldiers. When you reach the final computer, stand on the lower platform and fire your shots into its "eye". Soldiers will drop from above, so you use your bionic arm to bump them away. It's not difficult. After several shots, the computer will go down, and you have completed the first level. *=======================================================* | AREA 2 | | Level 4 - The Sewers | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Green | | Item awarded: Pendant | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Okay | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Welcome to the sewers! 99% of this area takes place in the underground sewers with green walls and a damn good song playing. The most unique thing with this level is all the holes in the wall that keep on spewing out slimes, that move on the floor. If you get caught, you can't move, and they will drag you with them. The only way to escape is to use the bionic arm and get up on a platform. This can be quite lethal if they manage to drag you down into holes or onto spikes. Also featuring on this stage is some nice swinging passages. The good thing here, is that you mostly don't die if you miss a swinging. You will just fall down and have to backtrack a bit. From now on, being a good bionic arm swinger is a must, because on later levels, you will be toast if you miss just one swinging, so take this level as a practice. As soon as you've got the hang of the swinging, this level is quite easy. ***Walkthrough*** You start outside the sewers. Drop down to the right to avoid the bomb guard's bombs, and quickly finish him off. Then go inside. Also, this place is a very good place to collect bullets, since there are endless parachuting soldiers coming from above. Inside the sewers, you will get in touch with those annoying slimes. You will get caught by the first one, so don't worry. Let it drag you along the floor, but on the way, make sure you grab onto one of the platforms above you. Otherwise, you will eventually drop down into a pit. When up on the platform, watch out for more slime, and make your way to the far right. Dodge the slimes and move up until you get to the platform with the spring board and the tank on the platform above you. If you have the rocket launcher, you can destroy the tank unless it has its chain out. When the tank is far to the right, quickly bounce right on the spring board, and grab onto the platform with the tank. Shoot with the rocket launcher. One shot will take it out, but watch out for the kneeling guard that comes out and attacks you. Now do the same with the tank above you. Get up and shoot him quickly when the coast is clear. Now go to the left, swing yourself from this platform's edge to the platform just higher than yours. Pass the barrel by using your arm just above the door, and pull yourself up to the max, and then drop down. Now, you can enter the contact room if you want to. It is not necessary on this level since the boss room door is always open, but you might want to do that anyway, since if you die, you will start from here instead from the beginning. Either way, you'll have to drop down to the platform below you and take out the tank. Make sure you drop down behind him. Then he can't use his chain to block you. After this, look to the left, and VIOLA! Our first true swinging obstacle! You must cross this spiky passage, or you will not make the level. How to pass? By using the bionic arm on the white roof, of course! Don't worry about the spikes. Yes, they are deadly, but only if you are very unlucky you will land on them. Usually, the first swinging takes you past them. But anyway, now let's go! Don't use the spring board. Instead, stand just to the right of it, and use your arm diagonally left to grab onto the roof. Swing out to the left, and before you start to fall down, shoot the arm again and swing over to the edge. Hooray for you! Now, there are two paths you can take. One is shorter, but requires a little more timing, and one is longer, and also requires timing, but allows you to fail as many times as you wish. Both are about swinging yourself correctly, so you won't escape that. The short path is like this: From your platform, swing yourself up to the platform up to the left with the boxes on it. Now keep going left from here (do not fight the tank, and do not let any slimes drag you down, or you will have to take the long path). Go left until you reach a low yellow platform right of an orange platform in a hole in the wall. From this platform, drop down, and in the exact moment in the fall, grab onto the first yellow platform you see below you. This is the boss room. Watch out for those slimes too! The long path is like this: Let the slimes you see now drag you down the hole. You won't die, don't worry. If you are nice, you can catch the orange platform in the fall, otherwise you will go down to the very bottom of the level. From here, catch the box that is coming down, and go to the left until you see platforms leading up. Go up these platforms, until you reach an orange platform. Climb it, and while standing on the far right of it, swing diagonally right to catch the roof, and swing yourself out to the right. In the jump, grab onto the new orange platform you see (this is where you end up if you grabbed onto the platform in the fall I told you about before). From here, do the same procedure, but stand on this platform's far left side. Swing yourself up to the yellow platform. This is the boss room! But beware those slimes! If they drag you down, you will have to do it all over again. ***BOSS BATTLE: Plutoon*** Like in Area 1, advance to the left and avoid the enemies. If you swing over to the low platform close to the final computer, beware, because there will be a sitting guard there, and you will be damaged unless you take him out first. Take out the computer like you always do, and use your arm to take down soliders jumping from above. *=======================================================* | AREA 3 | | Level 5 - The Wilderness | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Green | | Item awarded: Rapid Fire Device | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Difficult | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Compared to the previous levels, which consisted mostly of buildings made by humans, this level takes us right out in nature, with all its horrors. The first part of the level is outdoors, and lets you encounter quicksand pits, huge man-eating plants and lots of nasty wild animals. The second part is indoors, and gives you the normal complex with soldiers, spikes & elevators. But this time, you will meet a VERY difficult swing section right at the end of the level, and this one is gonna give you some major pain if you are not experienced. Trust me. Be sure to collect many continues before going in here. ***Walkthrough*** As soon as you begin the level, you will see the first quicksand pit. To avoid it, use your bionic arm on the tree branches, and swing right over it. If you land in it, don't worry. Move forwards and use your arm on the next tree branch, and you will pull yourself out of it. Now, if you climb the tree here, a box will drop down from the sky, so be sure to take it. Then drop down on the safe ground and shoot your arm into the leftmost tree branch's very right end (close to the tree trunk). Swing over the next sand pit and you will land in it. Keep moving forwards and before you vanish beneath the surface, shoot your arm into the final tree branch and pull yourself over to the safe ground. Okay! We made it! Now, you will encounter the dangerous spieces of this area. There are three of them: Man eating plants, giant spiders and bugs. The man eating plants are hidden here and there in the ground, and will pop up and try to bite you if you pass over their hideouts, and if you get caught, you will die directly, so watch out. You will see the special spot on the ground "shake" about a second before they pop up, so move carefully forwards, and as soon as you hear a noise and see the ground shake, step away from the special spot. Okay, I will now guide you through this area. Read carefully and advance with caution. Go to the right until you see the platforms. The first plant is hidden just below the left edge of the lowest platform. Avoid it and get up on the platform. There will be a lot of spiders here. You cannot kill them with your bionic arm, only with your gun. This means you must be at their level to take them down. They will stand still, and suddenly move quickly towards you, so pay attention to their movements and take them out when you get the chance. Anyway, go up one platform, and then the one above you to the left. From this platform, go to the platform above you, but make sure to do it from this platform's very left edge, since a plant is hidden to the right. When you get up, go to the left. The spiders will now be replaced by giant flying bugs. They are easier to defeat than the spiders, but also more annoying. They circle around you, slowly getting closer and closer. Fortunately, you can take them out with your bionic arm, so use it in all directions to clean up the scene before moving on. The last thing we would want is to get knocked down again, right? Stand on the left edge of this platform, and then go up. The plant will pop out of the ground, but don't worry, it won't touch you. Go up one more platform, and go all the way to the left edge. Go up one platform here, and then go up on the next platform's left edge (otherwise you'll be eaten by a plant). From this position, go straight up, and DON'T MOVE! A plant is biting wildly right in front of you. You must pass this one, so wait until it bites, and then run over it when the coast is clear. Now you can enter the inside. Ah! No more animals! No. But a lot of soldiers and spikes! Your aim is to get down the hole in one piece. Forget about the elevator. It takes too long time. The soldiers can hit you with their bullets, and besides, beginners will probably miss it anyway trying to swing to it. Instead, drop down directly, and you will land next to another elevator. Watch out! It doesn't work like the others! When you step on it, it will fall down, and you with it! You must let it fall down, and then quickly step of it before it crashes down on the spikes! Step on any of the platforms to the left before the elevator falls too low. On the top platform of these ones, there is a contact room. You don't need to contact your buddies to open the boss room door, but I highly recommend that you enter the room, since you are probably going to lose a couple of lives soon. There is a really difficult part coming up... Swing over to the right side, and swing over the spikes. Don't mind if you fall down here and miss the elevator. It's just another trap anyway. When you get to the bottom, go to the far right edge. Here, you must drop down in the hole and manage to shoot your arm diagonally to the left while falling in order to grab the platforms. If you fail, you will fall down in a pit and die. When you get onto the safe ground, go to the lowest platform and continue left. Oh no... Welcome to hell! You are right now looking at a long swinging passage with spiky floor. The objective is simple: You must swing over the spikes to the other side without touching the floor. If you land on the spikes, you are toast. No Energy Recovery Pills can help you out. This is how you do: Shoot your arm to the lower right corner of the green roof above the first spikes. Swing over to the left, and in the air, shoot your arm into the bottom of the little thin bar hanging down. From here, swing yourself to the left again, and shoot into the second bar, swing left once again and you are across. It takes a lot of timing and skill to get over in one piece. I can guarantee you that you will die many times before mastering this part. But practice makes it perfect, so don't give up. On the other side of the spikes, the boss room is. ***BOSS FIGHT: Guard Robot*** Like the one you met before, but this time he is a piece of cake, since you have the Rocket Launcher! One shot, and yes, I mean ONE shot, takes him out for good. Just blast him directly and he goes down. Then, without an enemy, go to the final computer and finish it off. This time, it shoots at you, but with the Rocket Lanucher, you will finish it off long before it can hit you. *=======================================================* | AREA 4 | | Level 2 - The Caves | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Red | | Item awarded: Wide Cannon | | Contact needed: Yes | | Level difficulty: Easy | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** The second level of the game takes us deep into some dark caverns. This level has the same easiness as the first level, but still becomes a lot easier since the player has now achived some more energy, the Energy Recovery Pills and maybe even a continue. This level is more straight forward than the first one, and gives no new challenges. The biggest thing with this level is the darkness. As soon as you enter the cave, the light will go out. You can use the Flare Bombs found in Area 13 to prevent this, but then you can't bring the Energy Recovery Pills with you. It's up to you to decide what to do. Personally, since I know the level so well, and master the controls, I always bring the Pills with me instead. But for beginners, it might feel bad to walk around in the darkness. ***Walkthrough*** Enter the cave, and when it becomes pitch black, use the Flare Bombs if you brought them with you. Otherwise, wait for a second, and a tiny light will go on. Swing over the spike pits, and when you cross the last one and land, shoot immediately, since a knife guard will charge at you. Swing across the spike pit, and when you land, get ready for another guard. Kill him and move up the platform and enter the contact room. This room is also necessary to open the boss room. Listen as much as you wish, then exit the room and climb up the platforms. Just don't do it on the far right side, or you will hit a guard. When at the top, move to the left and climb up the first platform above you. Here, a knife guard will charge you, and directly after him, a sitting guard will wait. Take them both out, and start swinging out in the big room. You will land on a platform. From here, it is quite easy to keep swinging to the right and land safely on the platforms. Your aim is to get to the top right corner of this big room. Keep swinging to the right until you get there. The final platform might be a little difficult to get onto. Stand on the platform before it, to the very far left, and swing diagonally to the right to get on it. Now move up and cross the gap to the left. A knife guard attacks you right away, so beware. Right above him, the boss room is. Beware!!! If you play without the Flare Bombs, the guard in front of the boss room won't be visible at all! But he is there and can injury you if you don't watch out! Take out the guard and enter the room. ***BOSS FIGHT: Bionic arm soldier*** This guy is a bitch! He walks on the floor and follows you, having a shield which blocks your shots. Besides, if you walk on the platforms above him, he will use his bionic arm to knock you away from the final computer. To avoid this, either make a swing towards the final computer from the lower platforms, or walk on the top platform. Then his bionic arm won't come in time to reach you. I suggest to avoid killing him, as it takes both time and will cost you damage. Go directly for the final computer instead. *=======================================================* | AREA 5 | | Level 3 - Desert Of The Red Sun | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Red | | Item awarded: Rocket Launcher | | Contact needed: Yes | | Level difficulty: Difficult | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Whoa! Compared to the earlier, quite easy levels, this one really proves a challenge, and will definitely make many unexperienced players go furious. If you aren't an expert player, I suggest you stack up on lots of energy and try to find continues and 1-UP:s before entering this realm. This base is set out in the desert, and is really nothing more than a tower. And that means climbing. Endless climbing. The level is very long, and has many tricky passages. Besides, there are lots of evil enemies that can both damage you and - even worse - knock you back down. The level takes place in the evening, so the sky is blood red, and the sun is setting. It's a really atmospheric level, with a very good music theme that sets the scene nicely. ***Walkthrough*** Walk to the right, cross the barrel and after that, it's just up up and away. But first, go right until you reach the second gray house. Take out the guard and then go up. Take out the guard that is three platforms above you, and continue up. Eventually, you will find yourself on a platform with two light bulbs. Use one of them to get up to the platform high up in the air. Stand under it, and shoot the bionic arm upwards and reach up, then immediately shoot the bionic arm upwards to grab the platform, before you slip off the bulb. Move two platforms up, and then go to the right until you see a high bulb. Use this one to reach the platform above you. To do it right, you must first climb up onto the bulb, and then shoot your bionic arm diagonally to the left, and climb up. Take out the guard here and go up. Climb the gray building and go to the left. Shoot the guard from the distance, and drop down. Go left, shoot the guard and climb up until you reach a door. This is a contact room. You must use the "Communication" to make the screen scroll upwards outside. Now the real hell starts. Now, there will be lots of evil chopper men following you. A good way to avoid them is to move up as quickly as possible, but that is probably very difficult for an unexperienced. The longer you linger in the same spot, the worse it'll get. You can avoid their electricity if you duck most of the time. Take your time and proceed only when you feel it's safe. Move up until you see a horizontal laser cannon. Wait until it fires a laser, then quickly move up on its platform. Do the same with the next horizontal laser cannon. From this platform, go to the right edge and fire your bionic arm diagonally to the right onto the bulb. Get up on the bulb and quickly fire your arm up to reach the platform above. Here, a box should drop down. Pick it up. Continue up until you see another high platform and another bulb to the right. Sigh. Do the same thing with that one to get up. Climb the gray building, go to the left and shoot the guard on the other side, and drop down. Shoot the guard and climb up until you reach the second door. No, the hell isn't over yet. This is just another contact room, which makes the screen scroll even FURTHER up! Did I say the hell started before? Forgive me, for I was wrong. NOW the real hell starts! The chopper men are gone, but instead, soldiers will parachute from above, making it very easy for you to get knocked back down and lose health. Get up on the roof, and choose the left platform. Avoid any guards coming down and shoot your arm on the right side of the spring board platform. Climb up there, and hold RIGHT-directional button to bounce off to the right. While bouncing up, quickly throw your arm upwards and grab onto the platform. Now go to the upper right platform, and get onto the right side of the spring board platform. Hold to the right to bounce there and quickly grab on to the platform above you before falling down again. Now go up and into the boss door. Finally! ***BOSS FIGHT: Guard Robot*** The robot moves backwards in a diagonal, slow motion. It fires three bullets at the same time, one forwards, one upwards and one downwards. Climb onto the lower platform, and follow the robot back in the room while shooting it and avoiding its bullets. When the robot has reached the back of the room, it will remain there, just going up and down and shooting. You can defeat it by keeping up with the motion, or you can simply sneak behind it and shoot it in the back, while it can't do anything at you! Nice and simple. When the robot has gone down, the final computer is an easy task. *=======================================================* | AREA 6 | | Level 6 - Nightsky Harbour | | | | Area status: Enemy base (Rocket Launcher required) | | Communicator required: Green | | Item awarded: Permit | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Horrible | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** If you thought the last level was a nightmare, then you don't even want to think of this one! This level is by far the most difficult you will encounter this far, and I personally consider this level to be the second most difficult level in the whole game (the worst one comes later on...). The area takes place in a harbour city, and is the only level that is played at night. The nightsky is really beautiful, and the music theme that plays sets the atmosphere perfectly. This is definitely the most beautiful stage in the game. The level consists of two parts. Both are terrible. The first part sets you up against some horrible swinging, like in the Areas 2 and 3, but this one is a whole lot worse. Being a harbour city, it is naturally filled with water, and water means, as we all know, death. The swinging part is long and complicated, and one single mistakes sends you to your doom. The second part is climbing a high and complicated tower, while being showered by an endless rain of spike balls. These spike balls cannot be bounced off or eliminated, so they will cause a whole lot of trouble. Stack up on as much continues and lives as you can! ***Walkthrough*** First of all, you need the rocket launcher to be able to blast away the wall in the beginning of the stage. If you don't have it, you'll have to leave and come back later. Destroy the wall, and go to the light bulbs over the holes. Spike balls will jump out of the holes, so watch out. They will damage you, and can also remove your arm. On the platform above you, there is an extra life. To get it, swing over the first hole via the bulb, and directly shoot the arm upwards to reach the high platform. Now drop down and go over the next hole in the same way. You can grab onto the next high platform too, and get to the green building that way. If you miss or choose the lower way, then keep going right, but beware the next hole, since a small guard robot will patrol the platform behind the next hole. Take it out and get over the hole. Now, bounce on the spring board and shoot your arm into the platform to get to the green building. Go up two platforms, and go to the right. Get over the box and continue to the right. Soon you will encounter a soldier commanding small choppers on you. Shoot him from the lower platform and continue right. Now use your arm to get over to the blue platform. Go to the right and meet another chopper guard. Climb up to his platform and shoot him. Use the bulb to swing yourself to the right. Now, the first difficult part begins... You must swing yourself over the water gap using the bulbs. You will use the higher bulbs to swing in, and the lower bulbs to stand on. Beware that the bulbs are very slippery, so you can only stand on them for less than a second. Swing to the right via the first high bulb, and when you land on the low bulb, quickly toss your arm into the next high bulb. Keep going like that until you land on a small island with a door. This door leads to the next section, and not a contact room. There are no such rooms in this level. Here comes another hard swinging part. Swing to the right via the bulb, and directly shoot your arm upwards and grab onto the platform. Get to the high platform, and look at the platform above you with the boxes. Now, for the safest way to swing here, connect your arm to the very right edge of this high platform. That will make you land with good balance on the low bulb when you swing out to the right. This gives you much more time to shoot your arm into the high bulb and swing on. When you now swing to the right, be ready to shoot your arm into the green platform you see. You have to catch it, or you will die. Get up on the platform and then up on the top one. Here comes the second part: The tower. You have to climb the tower in a zig-zag way, I.E. moving right until you cannot go any further, then move up one step, then move all the way to the left and so on. Spike balls will roll on the floor, and you will need to avoid them. This reminds us a lot of Donkey Kong, doesn't it? Anyway, go to the right until you stand next to the box, swing to the right and in the air, grab onto the ceiling, since a spike ball will roll under you, but do not grab it while over the hole! Then you will get a hard time getting down safely. Continue to the right and get up on this platform. Get up on the green spot, not on the spring board! When the coast is clear, use the spring board to get up to the next floor. Go to the left, and climb the ceiling if spike balls come. When you see a spring board above you, climb onto it and hold right to bounce up on the correct side. Watch out for spike balls though. Now, in this corridor, you'll see that the blue roof prevents you from hanging in the ceiling and let the balls pass you by. You must now use the spring boards in the floor to jump over the balls. Go all the way to the right, and hang on the green spot next to the spring board. Get up when it's safe, and bounce up to the left. This corridor is also filled with blue roof, so you must find a row in the stream of spike balls, and sneak in and use the little spot with normal roof without getting hit by the balls. Go through the corridor to the left, and shoot the fat guy tossing spike balls as soon as you see him. Now you won't get any spike balls on your floor anymore. Balls will still drop down from above though, so watch out. When no ball falls on you, use your arm diagonally left onto the green piece next to the spring board. BEWARE to not let the arm touch the spring board, as dragging yourself up on it will make you bounce away and fall all the way down to the beginning! Climb up onto the green platform, carefully not to touch the spring board, and swing yourself up to the floor to the right. Cross the corridor and use the spring boards to jump over the spike balls. When you reach the end of it, climb up on the little green part of the platform, and use the left springboard to bounce up on the roof of the tower. Here is a small building with the boss room, and a fat guy tossing spike balls atop it. Don't panic here. Jump with the first spring board, and climb onto the fat guy's platform in the jump. Quickly take him out, and you will finally get rid of those spike balls. Now drop down and enter the boss room. ***BOSS FIGHT: Bionic Arm Cyborg*** This guy has a bionic arm just like you. He will throw it at you, and if it catches you, you will be dragged into his body and get damaged. Remember that he will only stay at his platform, so if you stand on the floor, you can't get damaged. Keep very calm on this boss and don't panic. You are probably very short on health when you get here, and we don't want to die and risk needing to start over, right? Stand under the right edge of his platform, and when he moves away from you, be ready. Directly after he tosses his arm, quickly climb up and blast a few shots in the final computer. If you have the rocket launcher, the process will be very quick, otherwise, it will take longer time. *=======================================================* | AREA 7 | | Level 9 - Red Stone Valley | | | | Area status: Enemy base (Location of Super Joe) | | Communicator required: Blue | | Item awarded: - | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Difficult | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Like the info box says, this is the final location of Super Joe. The scene takes place in a prison camp in a valley with red stone walls. The level is not very long, but has some awful swinging passages and several annoying enemies. Hence the "Difficult" title in the info box. There is no contact room anywhere, so if you die or fail on the swinging parts, you must start all over again. The whole level is built for a player that wields the 3-Way Cannon, and you can't enter the stage without it. ***Walkthrough*** You start in the bottom left corner of the area. The first red wall can only be blasted away with a 3-Way Cannon. The Rocket Launcher won't do. Although the level is made to fit the 3-Way Cannon perfectly, I still like to use my Rocket Launcher for most part of the level. But then again, I'm an experienced player, so the choice is yours. If you want to use the Rocket Launcher, enter the level with the 3-Way, remove the wall, then use the A + B + START-button exit method to leave the level and come back with your precious. When the wall is gone, go right. Swing over the barrel and get up at the green platforms. Your goal is to get to the highest green platform and then go as far as you can to the right. Those annoying trucks will pester you all day long though. The best way to get rid of them is to use the 3-Way Cannon. That's the only weapon that can damage them in the front. If you have a Rocket Launcher, you must sneak up behind them and finish them. Either way, the 3-Way is so weak, so you will probably end up losing a couple of energy bars anyway. Be sure to duck under their projectiles though, and remember that a squatting guard comes out of the truck when it is destroyed. Anyway, get up to the highest green platform and go to the right. You will find a corridor to the right above you. Get up there, and beware the truck that comes at you. When you see a platform made of red stone above you, get up on it. Get up on the green platform above it. Here, a box will drop down from the sky. Get its contents. Now, the chopper madness starts... Your mission here is to get to the top platforms, and then swing over to the left side. However, there will be lots of chopper guys that will attack you. And they will always respawn if you eliminate them. The 3-Way shoots straight up, so it will help in taking them out, but it is also a weak weapon, so the Rocket Launcher can finish them off more quickly. But then you need to be at their height. Anyway, from where you are now, go left until you reach the third column of platforms (the column you're starting at counts as number 1). Here, go up to the top platform (the one with a bulb on it). Now the swinging challenge begins. You see that gray little square on the rope? These squares are the things you are going to use for your swinging. Shoot your arm into the square, and swing out to the left. Watch out for the choppers and their bullets before swinging. Keep on swinging to the left. If you fall down, you will have to go back to the red stone area with the trucks and get back up again. Very frustrating. In the middle of the swinging path, there is a platform which might save you some breath. Keep going to the left, and you will eventually end up on a platform in the top left corner of the stage. Here is the boss room, and the location of Super Joe! ***BOSS FIGHT: Bionic arm cyborg*** Our old friend comes back again! Funny enough, he seems to like to appear on those stages that are extra annoying (remember Nightsky Harbour?). As before, if you have the Rocket Launcher, you don't have to kill him. Just walk under his platform, and stand under the far right edge of his platform. When he is moving back, and just after he shoots his arm, quickly go up and fire into the final computer. It will go down quickly. If you have the 3-Way instead, you're gonna get more trouble. You can use the strategy above if you wish, but it will take a lot more time, and risk you getting killed because of lack of energy. If you wish to destroy the cyborg, you must stand on the low platform left of his platform, and hang in the roof with your arm. When he comes close, drop down, and in the air, shoot so the shot hits his face perfectly. Otherwise, the shot will bounce off. When he is dead, nothing can stop you. Okay, the final computer fires at you, but that is nothing you should worry about. *=======================================================* | AREA 8 | | Level 7 - Computer Center | | | | Area status: Enemy base (blue & orange com. required) | | Communicator required: Blue | | Item awarded: Iron Boots | | Contact needed: Yes | | Level difficulty: Intermediate | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Compared to all previous levels, which were quite straightforward in their construction, this level is a cryptic maze! My suggested name "Computer Center" might not be the most appropriate, but since the major bulk of the background is composed by reactors, cords, computer screens and microchips, I thought the name was fitting. Besides, computer centers tend to be built like mazes and be very confusing. This level is like a huge labyrinth, with several doors leading to different areas, connected via different corridors. This is the only level in the game where you'll have to visit two contact rooms in order to open the door to the boss room. The level is actually not that difficult once you have got the hang of the basic layout, but before that, it can be a real hell. ***Walkthrough*** The first objective is to get to the top left corner of this room. It is in fact not that difficult to get there. Just climb up all the way with your bionic arm, but pay attention to all the soldiers and spring boards, and advance carefully and take your time. When you get to the top left area, enter the door. You'll now enter a corridor with a cannon guard. You can't pass the cannon without defeating it. Just stand next to it on the ground, and when the "head" of the cannon comes down, shoot it before it shoots you. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. Exit the corridor via the door at the end. Now you'll end up in a high elevator room. The doors at the top lead to the boss room, but you can't enter them right now. Go up just one floor, and enter that door. You will now end up in another corridor with the same cannon guard as before. Eliminate it, and go to the other door. Now you'll come into a new corridor, with a very annoying enemy. A grappling soldier. If you shoot standing on the ground, he will use his bionic arm to hang in the roof, and if you hang in the roof trying to shoot him, he will get down on the ground. To defeat him, hang in the roof with the bionic arm, and let go, and exactly at that moment, shoot a bullet. The guard will get up to the roof because he sees you going down, but will get hit by the shot and die. This might take some timing, and you might need several tries before succeeding. When you beat him, exit the corridor. Now you will come into another door room. Ignore the elevator and walk straight over to the door on the other side. You will now enter another computer complex. In here, you will be ambushed by several annoying blue bomb soldiers. Go right and climb all the way up until you come to the platform with a spring board, and can go a long distance to the left. Go left here, use the spring board to get up to the next platform and enter this door. This is the first contact room. Use the "Communication" option, and leave the room. Now go left and go all the way down, and when you reach the bottom floor, go to the right and enter the door. You will now come back to the room with many doors. Take the elevator down one floor and exit it via the middle door to the left. Pass the two corridors in the same way you did before, and when you come to the big elevator room, take the elevator to the top floor. You will see a locked door a floor below, that is the boss room, but we can't enter there yet. Enter the door on the top floor. You will now end up in a room with green walls. Drop down to the right. Here, a box will fall from the sky, so be quick and get the bonus inside of it. Here is the second contact room. Enter there and use "Communicate" to unlock the boss room. Now get up to the left and leave the same way you entered this room. In the elevator room, take the elevator down one floor and enter the boss room. ***BOSS FIGHT: Plutoon*** Aaah...That endless plutoon again! However, this time they have an annoying new member in their group: The shield soldiers. They will block all your shots (including the rocket launcher ones) that hit them forwards. In other words, you must hit them in the back to eliminate them, and that can be very difficult to do. Climb the first platform and go right. Watch out though, as a shield guard is on the low platform close to the final computer. Maybe you want to take the top road to the final computer this time, to avoid trouble. When you are by the computer, get up on the platform and shoot it. If you have the Rocket Launcher, it should go down quickly, and the shield guard shouldn't cause you much trouble. *=======================================================* | AREA 9 | | Level 8 - The Garbage Dump | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Blue | | Item awarded: 3-Way Cannon | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Intermediate | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** This level takes place into an area that looks like a factory for disposing garbage. The first part is located in what seems like a basement, with brown brick walls and old dumps of garbage. The second part has the main complex, with engines, rolling mine carts and a lot of fire pits. The level is quite straight-forward and simple for a level this far in the game, but people may have trouble with those mine carts. ***Walkthrough*** The first thing you will see in this level is one of those pesky hanging guards. Take care of him in the same way as with the others. Now continue and you will see some stairs. Hold on a little! Go down the first step only, not the rest. From here, shoot your arm into the low ceiling part, and swing over. You will land on the other side of the gap and get a precious 1-UP! Now drop down the pit, and look to the right while falling. Right after you've landed, you will encounter another hanging guard. If you are quick, you can shoot him right before landing, and take him out directly, but this requires a lot of skill, so most players might want to step backwards a little, under the roof, and take care of him in the normal way. After he is dead, keep moving right until you reach a big spike pit. Shoot your arm into the gray platform and climb up. Now go up to the top, and swing over to the brown platform. Here you will meet another hanging guard. Take him out, and don't use the spring board. Shoot your arm into the roof instead, and swing forwards to the gray platform. In the air, shoot upwards and climb onto the platform. Now go straight up. Welcome to the factory! To the left, there is a contact room. You don't need it for the boss, but if you want to have a better starting point if you die, you can enter it. On this place, the mine carts will keep rolling around, so pay attention to them while stepping on their platforms. They roll on every platform, except the bottom one. They keep coming in straight intervals, and all come at the same time on all platforms. You can stand on them and ride with them, but watch out so they don't hit you in the side. They will pass over all holes too, so don't get surprised if they slide over it and damage you. When they hit a wall, they will explode. If you stand on them at that time, you will get hurt. Go right, and pass two gaps in the roof. Climb up on the little part of the platform before the spikes. Watch out for the mine carts though, and don't accidently climb up so you touch the spikes. From here, go up one floor, and hang in the roof with your arm, and be ready. When a mine cart comes, drop down on it and ride away. Go with it all the way until you have passed that orange wall, and see a big pit. Hop of the cart at that place, and climb up onto the platform above. Now go right and swing yourself over that little gap. Continue right until you see a number of white platforms leading up. Go up there, and keep going up until you reach the top. Here is the boss room. ***BOSS FIGHT: Plutoon*** The mean leader tells you that Joe has been transfered to another location. Bugger. This platoon is really no different from the other ones. The guards on the lower platforms have bazookas and roll bombs. But they are still very easy to defeat, since you can just blast them with your Rocket Launcher. This boss is really one of the easiest. Just climb the lower platform and go straight ahead, cleaning up in front of you with the Rocket Launcher. When you reach the final computer, destroy it, while watching out for men jumping down from above. *=======================================================* | AREA 10 | | Level 10 - High-Security Complex | | | | Area status: Enemy base (Super Joe must be saved) | | Communicator required: Orange | | Item awarded: 1-UP | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Difficult | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** You are now near the end of the game, and the resistance is only getting tougher. This area takes place in a quite odd area, which looks like a mix between the sewers and the boss rooms. The reason for the title "High-Security Complex" is because of the high amount of security systems you will face. There are no human resistance in this area, only machines or creatures, such as laser cannons and mini tanks. There is a large number of dangerous passages and challenges you will face here. ***Walkthrough*** On the first part of this level, you will be harassed by laser cannons hanging in the roof, moving right and left, shooting diagonally. Passing them by without killing them is very difficult without getting hurt since they shoot in a very tight interval. There are 3 laser cannons hanging from the lower platforms, and 1 hanging from the top ceiling. Directly from the start, the first laser gun is an easy one. It moves away from you. Hang in the low platform with your arm, and take it out. Now go right. On the next platform, another laser gun will hang, which moves towards you and shooting in your direction. Defeat it in the same way, but be quick, since its shots can easily catch up on you. Now go up on its platform, and go right. You will encounter a laser gun in the top roof. It is possible to pass this one without killing it, since it is positioned high up, but it is difficult to take out the final laser gun and avoiding this gun's shots at the same time. If you wish to take it out, hang in the roof and shoot it. Now drop down on the floor again, on the final platform to the right, you will meet the last laser gun. Take it out and move on. Now you'll see a quite odd structure of the platforms. At first, it's difficult to understand how to move on. But the trick is much easier than you think. Shoot your arm diagonally right into the first low ceiling part you see after the platform where the final laser gun was. Swing to the right, and in the air, shoot your arm upwards and grab onto the high platform, be sure not to grab onto the platform just under the boxes, or you won't get up. Right here, you'll see another brain teaser. How to get up to that platform up to the right? Simple! First, get behind those gray boxes by using your arm and swing left. When standing there, shoot your arm diagonally to the right and swing out, and in the air, grab onto the upper platform. If you miss, you will end up on the spikes. Now go left, and welcome to a real difficult part! You must get over to the other side, without landing on the spikes. How to do? Well, get up on the small platform above you. From here, stand far out on the left edge, and swing out to the left. In the air, shoot your arm and grab onto the platform above the spikes in the last second. This is very hard to do, and will probably cost you a lot of trials before you get it right. Go left and get up the platforms. Here you will encounter those slimes you saw in the sewers before, remember? This time they're red, but otherwise, nothing has changed. At the top of each column, their holes will be, so when you get to the top, watch out for the slimes, and don't let them push you down again. Go over to the other side, and be sure to bring one slime with you. Why? Because you will need its "pushing" effect to be able to cross an obstacle. At the bottom, there are some low spikes hanging from the ceiling. The only way to cross here is to have a slime that pushes you left, while you're ducking. When you have crossed the spikes, quickly use your arm to break free and get up on the platforms. Go to the top in this column, and make sure you don't get down the next column via a slime, because at the bottom there are only spikes. It is better to get down here by yourself. When you see the contact room door, swing over the box. You don't need the contact room, but I highly recommend it. Not only because a very difficult part is coming up, but because it enables you to pull off a very useful and time-saving trick. To the left, there are only a lot of spikes. There is also a platform hoovering left and right over the spike pit. The problem is, you don't know when it is going to come close enough for you to be able to swing to it. If you miss, you will die. So how to do? The hard way is: Shoot the arm into the low ceiling, and swing forwards and backwards all the time (DON'T let go!) over the spikes. Now and then, the platform will be seen in the far left side of the window. Try to learn its time pattern, and swing over to the left to time it exactly. That sounds hard doesn't it? Yeah, I though so, because I will now tell you a much easier way to do it. Enter the contact room, and when you leave, IMMEDIATELY shoot your arm into the low ceiling and swing out to the left and let go. Suicide? Nope! The reason is that the platform starts at the far left side, and the time elapsed from when you leave the contact room until you swing out is exactly what it takes for it to get to your side, so if you do it this way, you will complete the task 100% of the time! Hooray! While riding the platform over the pit, be aware of those low spikes coming later on. Duck under them, and immediately afterwards, shoot your arm into the last part of the ceiling that isn't covered with spikes, and swing over to the safe ground. You can also step up on the ground from the elevator, but this is clumsy and very risky to do, and you might as well fall down on the spikes. Now the difficult parts are over. Go to the left, and you'll see something that looks like an acid bath. Don't worry. The red coloured stuff is only the background. Drop down here, and go to the bottom. There will be small mini tanks raining down from the roof and attacking you. Avoid them and go to the left. When you see the high platform column, climb up there. Here is the boss room. ***BOSS FIGHT: Guard Robot*** Haha! Our old buddy the Guard Robot! He won't do you any harm. You should know by now how to take him out with the Rocket Launcher. Just shoot one shot and he will go down. Quickly go to the final computer and spray it with shots until it gets the chance to shoot you. *=======================================================* | AREA 11 | | Level 11 - The Fire Plant | | | | Area status: Enemy base | | Communicator required: Orange | | Item awarded: Bullet-Proof Vest | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Horrible | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** So here we are! The most difficult stage in the game! Believe me, this one is going to give you some real pain. The whole difficulty on the level is based on just one thing: Swinging passages. Yep! Those dreadful swinging-over-pits challenges are here to bug you once again, and this time they took their full force, it seems. The level consists a whole lot about fire pits. Hence the name "Fire Plant", and hence the high difficulty, since landing in fire means high damage, and normally, death. Gather all your energy, lives and continues you can get until getting here, since you will definitely need them. ***Walkthrough*** The level begins directly with a swinging challenge. Forget about the moving platforms over the fire pit. They are all bogus, and only used for those unlucky ones who fall down from the swinging passage. What you must do is to swing from the start to the end in the roof. Begin on the edge of the fire pit, and swing onwards to the right. Try to shoot the next arm when you are at the absolute peak of your jump, and just about to fall down again, that way, you will get the longest and most balanced swings. If you want to, you can do many short ones, but they are more risky, since you might very well miss the roof when it gets higher up. After about 4 or 5 (long) swings, you will end up on a high platform. If you land on a platform just above the fire, you can't make it and will have to go back. From here, go right and kill the fat guard. Keep going right and drop down on the spring board platform. Watch out now, since it will keep bouncing you to the right, and eventually down in the fire pit. Be ready with your arm and shoot it into a high platform before it is too late. Now drop down on the platform with the spring board on the other side, and go right. You will see a platform above with a mini tank patrolling it. Go up there and destroy it. Now, you will see a long platform with three spring boards above you. Go up there, and use one of them to bounce up. When you are high up, shoot your arm straight up and get onto the high platform, but watch out for the small tank. Take it out and go to the right. Climb up this pathway, and take out the fat guard, and go to the top corridor. To the right, there is a contact room. You don't need it for the boss, but please enter it anyway, since you don't want to start from the beginning if you die on the upcoming challenges. When you are done, go left, and prepare for the worst part of the whole game! Stop in front of the barrel. What will await you? A looong swinging passage over fire! This passage is very long and challenging, with ceilings in diffrent heights and construction, making it very difficult to time the shootings of your arm. If you fall down, you will land into fire. Fortunately, most of the time, you won't die, but you will get highly damaged, and will have to start 90% of the level all over again, which is horrible enough. From the barrel, shoot your arm to the left, and swing out. As before, try to get as long swings as you can by throwing your arm when you are at the higest peak of the current jump. It can feel safer to use small swings instead, but then there is a high risk that you might get stuck in the ceiling, and will have to fall down. If you fall down, you must travel back, over the fire, until you find a small pit, and drop down there. That will lead you back to the beginning of the stage. After 4 succesful swingings, you will land on a platform far away to the left. From here, you have just one more annoying swinging to do. Step on the spring board, and just at the right time, shoot your arm diagonally left and grab onto the yellow ceiling and swing over. You must do two succesful swingings here. Finally! The boss room! ***BOSS FIGHT: Plutoon*** Another plutoon, but this time there is only one human - The commander. He is assisted by three laser cannons, all hanging in the roof, acting in the same way as before. It's truly an easy boss, but since you probably will be very damaged by the time you get here, it can prove a challenge. Climb the first platform and take out the leader, then climb the top platform and take out the laser guns one by one. Oh, and remember that the final computer shoots at you, so take your time and attack it when it is safe. *=======================================================* | AREA 12 | | Level 12 - The Imperial Fortress | | | | Area status: Enemy base (Final stage) | | Communicator required: Orange | | Item awarded: - | | Contact needed: No | | Level difficulty: Difficult | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** This is it. The final stage. To soothe your fears, I can tell you that it is easier than the previous stage, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a simple task! The level itself is not that long, but contains a lot of labyrinth-like navigation and backtracking, like destroying reactors to cut off the security systems and such things. The HQ itself is a highly guarded structure, with high walls and flags on the outside, and an electronic complex on the inside. And of course, it has its own music theme. At the end of the stage, you will encounter some new and quite troublesome challenges. ***Walkthrough*** You'll land on top of the entrance to the complex. There is nothing to the left and the right, so just go down the elevator. Soon you will see two doors on each side of the elevator. The door to the right is a contact room. You need no contacts in this level, but I suggest you visit them anyway, if you would die. Enter the door to the left. You will now be in a room with platforms leading down. Electric currents flow through the platforms, so pay attention and move only when secure. If they seem to catch up in you, hang in the roof with your arm, but make sure you don't climb up to the platform above or you will have to do it all over again. Go down until you see a new door. Enter here. This is a reactor room. The reactors look like the final computers. Step on the spring board and grab onto the platform. While hanging there, shoot the reactor and destroy it. Soldiers will parachute from above, but if you are quick, they won't catch up on you. When the reactor is finished, leave the room. Now go back up again and take the elevator straight down. Those two hanging guards will be no match for you while on the elevator. Take them out and go right. The electric current that was here before has now ceased, so go right, take out the guard and go down the elevator. In this new area, you see two new doors. The one on the floor below you is another contact room. Use it if you wish. The door on the top floor to the right is the door you must use to advance. Enter there. You will end up in a new corridor looking like the previous one. An iron ball will roll against you. Hang in the roof and let it pass you by. Go down two platforms, and watch out for the electric current. Now, you must drop down to the right, but you can't see the electric current. The trick is that all currents are connected with each other. This means that when the current above you has flown past you, the current below (which you can't see) also has. So drop down when the current above you just have passed and you won't get damaged. Keep going down. You will find a door here. DON'T ENTER! It's a trap! You will have to battle a boss in an empty room, and then go back to the previous room! The boss is no other than the shield guard with a bionic arm. Meeting him costs only time and energy, so don't go in there. Continue down. Eventually, you will reach a pair of platforms that are very close to each other. Passing here without getting hit by the electric current is very difficult. The best way is to go forward as much as you can, then duck under the current in the roof, and then run away from the floor one. Go down again until you reach the bottom of the room. Here is a new door. Enter here. This is reactor number 2. Take it out in the same way and leave the room. Now go to the top of this long room and leave to the main area. Go down the elevator, and use the contact room if you wish to. Go to the bottom floor, take out the two guards, and go to the left. Ride this elevator down. Oh no! Another swinging passage over the spikes. This one isn't so hard though, since you don't need to bother with long and timed swings. Just swing over in very short and secure swings. It might take some time, but it's better to waste some time than to risk dying on the spikes. When you reach the other side, you will enter the boss room... ***BOSS BATTLE: The Albatross*** Enjoy the cool cutscene! General Killt tells you that he has finally completed the Albatross, and that he won't resurrect Master-D anymore. However, Master-D has other plans, and kills off Killt with a flash! Then he exits his tank, and orders the Albatross to attack you. The Albatross can be a peril the first time, but when you have got the hang on it, it is not that difficult. The Albatross moves back and forth, having several cannons that shoot fire flames at you. Move along with the machine, and make sure you don't get hit by the flames. The important thing is: You can use the flame cannons to stand on for a short while. They work just like the bulbs. The weak point of the Albatross is its orange eye in the upper right corner. The way to defeat the Albatross is this: Go to the two cannons in the lower right corner of the Albatross. When the machine moves towards you, and no flame is present at these two cannons, and the cannon next to the eye, climb up on the leftmost one of the two cannons in the lower right corner, and quickly shoot your arm upwards. You will grab on to the top of the machine. Hang there and keep pumping shots into the eye. Beware though, because the machine's movements make it sometimes slide out of the screen. If it does, you will get pushed down, since you don't follow the screen in the same way. Also, the cannon behind you might blast you with a flame if you stay too long, so time your actions very carefully. As long as you pay attention to the Albatross's movements, you won't get hurt while on the floor. If you have a Rocket Launcher (which you SHOULD have), then the boss won't handle more than two sprays with it. There is one last little thing you should know: Often enough, you won't connect the arm correctly to the roof in front of the eye. If this happens, you simply can't move up to it, even though the arm is connected. If that happens, you must release the arm and try again. With some practice and much energy and 1-UP:s, it should go down soon. ***FINAL SCENE A: Hal and Master-D's chopper*** Thought you were done? No way! There is more! Master-D, that coward, now tries to flee in his chopper, after his Albatross went up in flames. Keep going to the right, and swing over the spike pit. You will now meet Hal, who is damaged, but he lasts long enough to give you the Special Bazooka (which looks just like a Rocket Launcher), and to tell you how to defeat Master-D once and for all. You must get this Bazooka, so don't skip over Hal. When you've got it, move to the right until you reach a box. From here, swing out to the right and fall down. This is very tricky. You must shoot the cockpit (those windows at the top) with your Bazooka in perfect timing, while falling. If you miss, you will crash down on the ground, and die from the chopper's shots, with no chance to avoid it. The good thing is, that if you get a game over, and use a continue, you will begin here, and don't have to start the whole level over again. This will probably take many trials before getting it done, but keep fighting, and you will make it. When you destroy the chopper, Master-D will die once and for all, in a very nice scene for the NES. ***FINAL SCENE B: Escaping the HQ*** What!? There is still more? Yep! Now, the whole base will go up in flames, which means you will have to escape as fast as you can. This whole scene is just one annoying climbing room all the time. Move towards the platforms, and a message will come up saying the base will explode in 60 seconds. Move up the platforms, and when you see two different columns of platforms, choose the left one. Stand close to the left wall and go up all the way. You will soon meet an annoying thing: a Bionic Arm Cyborg. You can defeat it, but with the time limit ticking down, and the little space to move on, it's better to try and escape it. That is easier said than done though. The best way is to sneak up to the left of it, go to the left wall and climb the platform above you, then go to its right edge, and shoot the arm straight forward to the right into the platform on the other side, and swing over to it. When you reach that area, just climb straight up all the time until you reach the surface. Congratulations! You just completed Bionic Commando! *==================================* | 6.1.2. NEUTRAL AREAS WALKTHROUGH | *==================================* *=======================================================* | AREA 13 | | Neutral Zone 1 | | | | Area status: Neutral area | | Item(s) found: Flare Bombs, Bullets | *=======================================================* ***Overwiew*** This is your first neutral area. Although it isn't necessary to come here to complete the game, it is very recommended for beginners, if you wish to get the Flare Bombs and some bullets, and experience a safe neutral area. In the first room, there is a bullet for you. The Flare Bombs are in the final room. There is not much more to explain about this area. *=======================================================* | AREA 14 | | Neutral Zone 4 | | | | Area status: Neutral area (Permit required) | | Item(s) found: Blue Communicator, Bullets | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** This neutral area is very welcome after all those annoying levels. To enter this area, you will need the Permit, which you get after beating Area 6. You must equip the Permit from the equipment screen to be able to enter. Just having collected it won't do. In this area, you will encounter enemies. Those annoying jumping spike balls that you met on the previous level will harass you each time you try to cross a bridge or a water gap. If you fire a shot, they will disappear, but then you will be attacked. The choice is yours. The first room contains the Blue Communicator, which you will need on the next level. The second room contains no less than 10 BULLETS!!! However, getting them all is a very difficult task. I will tell you how to take them all in one row in section "6.4. Special moves" in this FAQ. Remember that you will only get one chance to take them all. They will disappear after a short time, and never come back. *=======================================================* | AREA 15 | | Neutral Zone 2 | | | | Area status: Neutral area | | Item(s) found: Orange Communicator, 1-UP | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** In this area, you will get the very important Orange Communicator, and also a 1-UP! Besides, you get a chance to meet the leader of the Badds - Killt! He won't attack you, as this is a neutral area, but he will taunt you. The first door holds the 1-UP in the top right corner. Use the elevator or swing from the platform left of the elevator to get up to the item. Watch out for the spikes as you go down. The Orange Communicator is in the room behind the iron bars in the middle of the stage. To remove them, you must fire a shot, thus causing enemies to attack you. You can also do a high-risk maneuver, but that is never recommended, as even skilled players often fail on it. And failing here means death. See section "6.4. Special moves" to learn more about this move. *=======================================================* | AREA 16 | | Neutral Zone 3 | | | | Area status: Neutral area | | Item(s) found: Green Communicator | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** In this neutral area, the first enemies are introduced. It is a small guarding robot who patrols outside the second room. It moves just left and right, and poses no real threat, but since you can't shoot it without causing the alarm to go off, it is an annoying little bastard. The first room here contains the Green Communicator. The second room has nothing but a man who tells you to proceed with caution and not to be hasty. A good advice, but he is too late, because I already told you that in this FAQ, didn't I? The earliest birds, you know... *=======================================================* | AREA 17 | | Neutral Zone 6 | | | | Area status: Neutral area | | Item(s) found: *Locate the secret passageways* | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** No bonuses in this one. But there are some really valuable information. In the first room, there is a prisoner from the Badds being held captive by the Federation (your guys). He knows important information, but refuses to tell it. The man outside asks for your help. To help him, enter the room, and the prisoner will taunt you. To make him talk, the only thing you need to do is to get over to the other side of the spikes. Do this by using the old diagonal arm swing over the spikes, from the lower middle platform, onto the top right one. When you get over his side, he will tell you the secret of the underground paths running between certain areas. From this moment, the map will display new pathways between Areas 14 and 17, and between 15 and 18. These make your progress a lot faster, but remember that everytime you use them, you will have to go through an enemy field stage, just like the ones you get when you hit a truck on the map. And you can't avoid these. A good thing is that you can find the Helmet in these stages. The other room contains a man that gives you the final location of Super Joe! He is in Area 7. Great, dude! But I already told the reader of this FAQ that information, so once again, you are late. *=======================================================* | AREA 18 | | Neutral Zone 7 | | | | Area status: Neutral area | | Item(s) found: Super Joe's Machinegun | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** This area holds the Machinegun Super Joe was talking about. However, you can't just walk in and take the gun. There is a quite smart puzzle you need to solve before you can get your hands on the correct Machinegun. In the area, there are three special men you can speak with: Destroyer-1, Destroyer-2 and Destroyer-3 (creative names!). Each one of them will ask you if you need a Machinegun. If you say "yes" to a specific Destroyer, the other two will vanish from the level, and that specific Destroyer's Machinegun will appear in the room he is standing next to. However, remember that Super Joe told you about his friend called Destroyer-THREE? That gives us a hint of what Destroyer you should say "yes" to. The first guy you meet is Destroyer-1. Then you will meet Destroyer-2 and 3 next to eachother outside the second room. If you pick up the wrong Destroyer's gun, you won't get anything. To get Super Joe's Machinegun, you must say "yes" to Destroyer-3 only. He will then make the correct Machinegun appear, and will give you a hint of where the Orange Communicator is hidden. *=======================================================* | AREA 19 | | Neutral Zone 5 | | | | Area status: Neutral area | | Item(s) found: Bullets | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Welcome to the weirdest area in the game. It is absolutely not necessary to visit this area, as it holds nothing more than some Bullets. The only use you would have for this level is if you want to gain bullets, but I'll list this level just in case you want to know about it. In this area, you will encounter two enemies, that attack you actively! The first one can't be killed with your gun, unless you want those white guys to ambush you. The second one is indoors, and can be taken out with the gun. The first enemy is a knife guard that claims you to be his 100th opponent, and that he will take care of you. If you don't want to set of the alarm, you must use your bionic arm straight forward to push him back, and eventually toss him down into the water. Funny enough, even though this kills him, the white guys won't take notice! The first room contains 5 bullets, on different platforms. It seems impossible to get them all. I have yet to find a strategy for that. They will only appear once, and will disappear after a short moment, so take as many as you can. The second room contains enemy number 2, a bomb guard. He will tell you to shoot him, and then keep tossing bombs at you. He is absolutely no match for your gun, so just take him out if you wish. He will drop a bullet upon defeat, and if you exit and re-enter the room, he will be there again. So you can gather an endless amount of bullets here if you wish. *=======================================* | 6.1.3. ENEMY FIELD STAGES WALKTHROUGH | *=======================================* *=======================================================* | ENEMY FIELD STAGE 1 | | The Mountain Cliffs | | | | Area status: Enemy field | | Item(s) found: Continue | | Level Difficulty: Easy | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** This short level takes place on a high cliff close to the ocean. The most important thing here is that you don't get too close to the edges of the level. If you do, you will fall down directly and lose a life. Quickly move forward to avoid those annoying soldiers coming behind you, and shoot all the time as you walk to eliminate the soldiers in front of you. After a while, you will reach two soldiers that hide behind boxes. You can only shoot them when they rise, so either time your shots or just walk past them. Now a guard with a shield will appear. Your shots can only reach him when he removes his shield, which he does when he shoots at you. If you kill him, you will get a Continue. Move on and take out the hiding guard. This is pretty much the main concept of this level. If the enemies or their bullets get too close to you, use your arm to push them away. This doesn't work for the grenades and the shield guard's bullets however. Remember that you can't use your Energy Recovery Pills here, so make sure you don't get too injuried. *=======================================================* | ENEMY FIELD STAGE 2 | | Blue Gravel Pit | | | | Area status: Enemy field | | Item(s) found: Continue | | Level Difficulty: Easy | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** On this level, there are no dangerous cliffs to worry about, so just move forwards and to the left and right to avoid the enemies. The enemies are the same hiding guards and walking guards as usual. The new enemy here is the jeep, that comes driving from the side of the screen to the other, firing bullets at you. If you take it out, you will get a Continue. This one is very easy, since it has no armour. When you get to the field of boxes, stay at the very right of the screen to walk past all obstacles. If the enemies or their bullets get too close to you, use your arm to push them away. This doesn't work for the grenades however. Remember that you can't use your Energy Recovery Pills here, so make sure you don't get too injuried. *=======================================================* | ENEMY FIELD STAGE 3 | | The Hidden Base | | | | Area status: Enemy field | | Item(s) found: Helmet, Continue | | Level Difficulty: Easy | *=======================================================* ***Overview*** Just like the other two stages, but with two exceptions. This one is a lot more narrow than the other two, which makes it harder to escape the enemy fire, and also, this is the stage where you find the Helmet. Most of the stage is like the other levels, with hiding guards and walking guards. The extra enemy for this one is the blue soldier, which wields a bionic arm, just like you. When he swings it, all your shots will bump away. If you get hit however, you won't bump away, but get damaged. Pay attention to his swings and shoot him when you can. He will leave a Continue when he is killed. The Helmet is located in the very end of the level, next to the exit. Don't get too close as it will make you leave the level! When the screen stops to scroll, and the exit is fully visible, stop and keep eliminating the enemies. Eventually, the Helmet will pop up on the ground. Pick it up and leave the level. If the enemies or their bullets get too close to you, use your arm to push them away. This doesn't work for the grenades and the blue guards' bionic arm however. Remember that you can't use your Energy Recovery Pills here, so make sure you don't get too injuried. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 6.2. LOCATIONS OF 1-UP:S <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* This section will describe where all the hidden 1-UP items are located. Be sure to save these gadgets until you really need them, as there are very few of them. Keep in mind though that you can also collect 1-UP:s from the falling boxes in the enemy levels. These 1-UP:s are infinite, and can be taken as many times as you wish, but there is a quite small chance that there will be a 1-UP, and not just another item coming out of the box. 1-UP:s are found in: * AREA 15 - Neutral Zone 2 The 1-UP is located in the first room. It is in the top corner of the room. To get there, stand on the very right edge of the platform in the middle, and shoot your arm onto the platform of the 1-UP. Then swing right, and you will bounce up to the 1-UP without any damage. When getting down, jump down on the elevator so you avoid the spikes. * AREA 6 - Level 6: Nightsky Harbour The 1-UP is on a platform high up in the air directly after the first pit you will encounter. Swing over the first pit by using the bulb, and when you are at the peak of your jump, shoot the arm upwards and climb onto the platform with the 1-UP. Might take some practice before you get it right. * AREA 9 - Level 8: The Garbage Dump The 1-UP is on a platform just after the pit in the beginning of the stage. Take out the hanging guard, and when you get to the stairs, go down ONE step, but no more. Otherwise, you won't be able to take the 1-UP. Now, shoot your arm diagonally right up on the piece of the ceiling that hangs down a bit, and swing yourself over the pit. The 1-UP is on the platform you will now land at. * AREA 10 - Level 10: High-Security Complex You will acquire this 1-UP when you complete the level, just like you normally get awarded with items or weapons. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 6.3. LOCATIONS OF BONUS BOXES <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* The bonus boxes provide a useful tool for you in all those harsh levels. They only appear in the enemy areas. They come floating down with a parachute from the sky, and you can pick up their content by either shooting the box or by using your arm on it. The boxes only appear on certain locations in certain areas. This section will list all of them. * AREA 1 - Level 1: Sea Fortress The box is located inside the fortress. Go down with the elevator two floors, and go into the left tunnel. After the electric current, swing over to the green platforms, and then swing up to the green platform up to the right. The box will drop down here. * AREA 5 - Level 3: Desert Of The Red Sun This is the only level with two bonus boxes. The first one drops down some distance after you have entered the first contact room. Climb up until you get to the platform just above the bulbs. The box should drop down somewhere close. The second one is after you have visited the second contact room. Climb up the tower with the spring boards, and the box will drop down somewhere around here. * AREA 2 - Level 4: The Sewers You find the box right at the bottom of the level, in the part where you end up after you swing over those spikes. At the very bottom of this area, where you will get if the slimes drag you down, go to the right and the box will soon appear. * AREA 3 - Level 5: The Wilderness The box is right in the beginning of the stage, after the first quicksand pit. Climb the high tree just before the second quicksand pit. The box will come floating down very soon. * AREA 8 - Level 7: Computer Center Obtain the box inside the room with green walls, with spikes at the bottom, where the second contact room is. It is in the top of this room. * AREA 7 - Level 9: Red Stone Valley The box is right where the part where choppers begin to attack you starts. Go up one platform, and you will get the box. * AREA 11 - Level 11: The Fire Plant Just after you have passed the swinging passage in the beginning of the level, go to the fat guy's platform, take him out, and swing out to the right to the platform with four "balls" above it. The box will drop down from the sky. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 6.4. SPECIAL MOVES <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* This section will list some advanced bionic arm moves that can make you do things you never thought were possible. Most of these moves are not really helping you on your quest, and many of them are very risky to pull off, and can make you lose lives or get damaged. Nevertheless, they are a cool addition to the normal swinging. * PASS THE STEEL WALLS IN NEUTRAL AREA 15 WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT: (Thanks to Gricksigger [gricksigg.er@gmail.com] for showing me this trick) In neutral area 15, you must get the Orange Communicator to be able to proceed in your quest. But the house where that Communicator is found in is blocked by steel walls. The common way to pass these walls is to fire your gun. This makes the walls disappear, and the alarm to go off. But the secret is, there is a way that you can pass the walls without shooting! To do this, you must stand on the lower platform next to the steel wall, and swing yourself out over the water. Make sure you don't get knocked by the wall, but fall down to the water next to it. Immediately before you splash down in the water, shoot your arm diagonally right, and if you are lucky, you will grab onto the low platform to the right of the steel wall, and the wall will now knock you right instead of left, and cause you to get up on the platform behind the wall. Keep in mind that this is very hard to do, and if you fail, you will lose a life. There is a video on Gricksigger's Bionic Commando website (http://www.elitecoder.com/bionic) showing how to do it. * SWING BELOW THE LOWEST PLATFORM IN WATER LEVELS: This is a useless, but funny trick that is not super-difficult to do, but might require a little practice. In areas that have water at the bottom of the screen (Area 1, 6 and all neutral areas), you can actually swing UNDER the lowest platform that is closest to the water. To do this, simply drop down into the water from the lowest platform, and just before you splash in, shoot your arm diagonally in the direction of the platform, and you will grab onto it. You can now swing below it as long as you'd like. Keep in mind though, that make sure you don't connect the arm too high up on the lowest platform, or you will get back up on it again. And don't connect too late, or you'll risk falling out of the screen and lose a life. * GET ALL BULLETS IN NEUTRAL AREA 14: In this area, there is a room that contains 10 bullets on different platforms. Getting them all is a difficult task, since they disappear after a short while, and you only get one chance to take them. However, there is a way to get them all, and can be done without too much trouble once you know your bionic arm well. Directly when you enter the room, climb onto the first low platform and take all the bullets, then go to the far left edge of it, and climb up and take all bullets there. Drop down on the previous platform and go to the far right edge. Shoot your arm diagonally right and make sure it connects into the far upper right platform. Swing yourself over, and you will get knocked down to the platform just below the one you connected in, and get all the bullets there, now quickly climb up onto the platform above you, and take the last bullets. If you are quick, and don't fail on connecting your arm correctly, you will now get all the bullets. * GET UP TO THE SECRET ROOM IN AREA 3: (Thanks to Gricksigger [gricksigg.er@gmail.com] for showing me this trick) Now this is a very cool trick, which solves a mystery I had been thinking of for so long. Inside the complex in Area 3 - The Wilderness, there is a secret room in the top right corner. If you swing over to the platform on the other side of the contact room, and keep on swinging in the roof, I guess you must have seen this room. How to get up there? You'll need to do a very difficult arm movement! There is a video on Gricksigger's Bionic Commando website (http://www.elitecoder.com/bionic) showing how to do it. I haven't yet been able to do it myself, and I don't really know how to explain it, but go to this site and download the video about Area 3, and you will see how to do it. *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 7.1. FAQ EPILOGUE <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* Thank you for reading my FAQ on Bionic Commando. I hope that you found use for it, and that you had a good time reading it. If you didn't know much about Bionic Commando or had something against it, I hope that I have converted you to the righteous path (haha!). Bionic Commando is truly an excellent game, and a video game classic. Like I said in the first sections, I wrote this FAQ for you, not for myself. That means: Any complaints, praises, comments, ideas, requests etc. are very welcome. If you have any ideas on how to improve this FAQ or want to discuss my opinions and goals with this FAQ, then mail me. Make sure to mark the mail with "Bionic Commando FAQ" or something similiar in the subject line. And please only write constructive critiscim, and do not flame. I am very open for improvments and other people's opinions, so writing in a nice and constructive way works very well. My mail is: Linuso@hotmail.com *==========================================================================* | ________________________________________________________________________ | |/ \| |> 7.2. THANKS <| |\________________________________________________________________________/| | | *==========================================================================* Before closing down, I would like to give my thanks to people and organizations that provided a lot of help for me with this FAQ: * GAMEFAQS: For hosting my FAQ, and for being the universal all-knowing domain for frustrated gamers who seek help. * NEOSEEKER: For hosting my FAQ. * GAME NOT OVER: For hosting my FAQ. * HONEST GAMERS: For hosting my FAQ. * CAPCOM: For making Bionic Commando, one of the best games ever. * NINTENDO: For making the NES (Famicom), one of the best consoles ever, and the home of the Bionic Commando game. * GRICKSIGGER [gricksigg.er@gmail.com]: For providing me with very important information about some parts of Bionic Commando, and for having the excellent site Bionic Commando Headquarters (http://www.elitecoder.com/bionic). You should all go there! It is an excellent site! * METOOL [static@nstar.net]: For providing me with information on Bionic Commando's background. * IGN: For their "Top 100 Games 2005"-list, that gave me some good material for the "About Bionic Commando"-section.