Turbo Sub (Atari Lynx) Walkthrough by Darrin (forceXdistance) Copyright 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Obligatory disclaimer: This walkthrough may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Turbo Sub is one of those games that can seem too hard the first time it is played. This is a shame, because some players may be tempted to give up when this happens biasing their judgment towards a very cool game. With luck,this FAQ can help retro game collecters appreciate a solid title for a game system that was ahead of its time when it came out in 1989. As an FYI, I also posted a review of this game on Gamefaqs if you wish to see it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Controls: B Weapon fire A bomb option 1 targeting computer activation/disengage control pad sub movement and menu select ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Enemies: Stealth Raider Poldarc Galactapus Saucer Snub-fighter Mech-Ray Crab Mech-Shark Jellyfish Warp mine Mogogg Cannon Nebulus Barracuda ------------------------------------------------------------------- Avoid: Lasers Pillars Gamma Charges ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: Gem-pods Astro-foil ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In-game store items: Extra-life 4 gems Fuel 4 gems Mega-bomb 3 gems Multi-blasters 8 gems Item must be repurchased after each level Rapid-fire 5 gems Item must be repurchased after each level Shields 8 gems Range-missiles 8 gems Item must be repurchased after each level Tracking 9 gems Item must be repurchased after each level ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Walkthrough General info: You start the game with 2 mega-bombs, a tank of gas, shield, 10 lives in reserve (no continues), and last but not least a set of working wind-shield wipers. I like to save mega-bombs for the final boss and/or the cannons that occasionally pop up. It is worth noting that the very first level is actually somewhat challenging because it is the only level in the game you have to play without the luxury of browsing the in-game store beforehand for helpful items like the tracking system. Now is the time to start getting a feel for the 3d environment of the game, including but not limited to becoming acquainted with the game's sense of hit-detection, peripheral vision, depth perception, personal space, object permanence, distance, and other subtle nuances of the game. This can be daunting at first, and can result in many lost lives. Stick with it, though, and you will probably notice that the game will work itself into your muscle memory over time. To put it another way, the game has a non-linear difficulty curve, where the first time you play you can royally suck but with practice you can learn to beat the game with over 20 guys left in reserve!! In general I like to use the cross-hair itself as a basic point of reference, and use that as the basis for navigating around the under-water structures or collecting powerups. It might behoove the player to note that "objects in the turbo-sub viewing screen may appear closer than they are." Focus on the cross-hair!! Also, don't worry too much about finding the astro-foils. It is always a pleasant surprise to find one, but they are not all that important considering that extra lives and fuel can be easily purchased at the store. During the under-water sections of the stages, it is a good idea to descend as far as possible to the ocean floor and in general "follow the money" as they say and pick up gems as you avoid the ground structures. However, do feel free to veer slightly upwards to grab that out-of-reach gem or shoot that pesky row of vertical barracudas. Lastly, keep in mind that when you purchase a tracking system for your guns you GOTTA HIT OPTION 1 ON THE LYNX TO ACTIVATE IT!! Level 1: You will notice some I.F.O's in the distance. What are I.F.O.'s you ask? Identified flying objects, of course, which the game calls 'saucers.'Simply fire some shots into them. If one of them fires, position yourself in the space between the 2nd and 3rd bullet (it shoots 4 horizontal shots at you simultaenously). Rinse and repeat till the game prompts you to "DIVE". Don't be a cool rebel and disobey the command. Why? You may be cool but you will eventually run out of gas on the very first level.........not cool! Do feel free to shoot any remaining enemies before diving, though, for points. Now, be very careful here. This is where getting to know the 3D world is so very important. The hit detection is more forgiving than you may realize, so don't underestimate the little turbo sub. So steer the cross-hair more or less towards the purple gemstones whilst avoiding the pillars. If you are relatively close to a purple gem you can pick them up (listen for the tone) so don't get too caught up in aiming directly at the gems. Likewise, don't get too caught up in making large turns or wide sweeps across the screen to avoid pillars. Subtety is the key........for collecting gems AND for avoiding obstacles. Try to collect as many gems as you can. Soon you will see swarms of crabs. Fire at will. Fly into the red area of the rock formation and you will find yourself in a rather posh shopping mall. Avoid the clothing aisles and focus on the mission at hand! I like to save at least some of the money after levels to maintain a modest nest egg. In general, the only items I find necessary include shields, free lives, and the tracking system. Mega-bombs, rapid fire, fuel, and others are more or less luxury items! I have not found running out of fuel to be an end-of-the-world issue, as when it happens you only lose a single life. But I understand how hard it can be to save your money for a rainy day when every day feels rainy to a submarine captain! Level 2: The sky-section of this stage consists of Mogoggs, which sort of resemble the Andross boss of the first Star Fox for Super Nintendo. I like to keep moving to the side and keep firing until they are dispatched. It is easy to avoid the missile explosions this way. When it is time to dive, watch out for the gamma-charges (two electrical balls tied together). These are fairly nasty, and I like to focus on collecting lots of purple gems until I start to see one of these and then quickly steer away from the closest side of the charge. When the warp mines come, shoot and/or avoid them as appropriate. If you have tracking on, this task is much less daunting. Just remember to activate the system with option 1!!!! Fly into the store as before and use the gems to buy the items you need. Level 3: The sky-section of this stage consists of stealth raiders. I like to repeat the strategy I used with the Mogoggs of level 2 to defeat them. The water section consists of barracudas and green poldarcs. With tracking, you can make short work of these adversaries. Fly into the store. Hopefully you have enough gems to buy the lives, shields, and tracking you need. Level 4: It is night-time, and the sky area consists of stealth raiders and saucers. Manage to 'ride the side' away from the stealth raiders as before but watch out for any 4-way blasts from saucers (and remember to wiggle your way between the 2nd and 3rd shot as before. The water section consists of green nebulus and cannons. The former are rather easy with tracking, but the latter enemies can make it a bit tricky to dovetail collecting gems, dispatching them, and avoiding enemy fire. It seems to help to 'ride the side' in a more jerky manner (pressing/releasing joypad) so that your shots have a bit more time to hit the cannons. The first boss will emerge next. Ride-the-side of the screen while firing at Galactupus (remember to keep tracking engaged). He should go down with little trouble (you know you are hitting it when you see a green blast in front of the boss). Next, shop till you drop. Level 5: The sky area consists of Mogoggs. The water section debuts a series of lasers for your viewing pleasure. These structures are rather scary to behold the first time, and you may even notice some lives go down the proverbial drain! Try to treat them like the pillars and go towards purple gems as if it were business as usual. They really aren't that much harder than the pillars. Watch for the movement of the laser beams, and act accordingly. Don't panic and work the required movements into your muscle memory. After this, get ready to fight some snub-fighters. They look kinda like saucers, but shoot the cross shots like the stealth raiders. Ride the side and blast tracked shots into them.Now be a good mall rat at the shop. Level 6: Defeat the stealth raiders and saucers as with level 4. When it is time to dive, the pillars from stage 1 make another appearance. After these, destroy the crabs with tracked shots and collect the myriad of gems as per usual (it is an easy area to really stock up). Fly into the shop and as usual focus your attention on the lives, tracking, and shields. If you have lots of extra cash, feel free to splurge and use some gems on rapid fire or something. It is interesting to note that this sub must be like a rental car, as the weapons must be repaid after each stage! Or maybe the sub's features are "Rent-to-own" like a sofa or large screen TV. While musing about that, get ready for the next stage. Level 7: Rinse and repeat the sky section like the previous level. Under water,avoid the annoying gamma charges as with level 2, and don't forget how they seem to expand towards you! Level 8: Defeat each Mr. Mgoo, er I mean Mogogg, as before by riding the side and shooting simultaneously. After diving, go ape shooting the barracudas whilst grabbing fist-fulls of gems like Scrooge McDuck. Watch out for the Poldarcs and dispatch them (gotta love these alien handles). Of course, the tag of "mech-shark" is rather self-explanatory........as is the next objective........boss time! Fight the shark exactly like the galactupus. Level 9: Defeat the combination of stealth raiders and saucers as per usual. After diving, be prepared for nebulus and cannons (like level 4). Use the same strategies and emerge victorious. As always, watch for purple gems and any stray astro-foil in the process. Pick and choose from the same assortment of items in the store. There is no shame in going with a generic version of the tracking system. It is not the time for decking out the sub with stereo or "sub"-woofers if you will! Level 10: Defeat stealth raiders and saucers as per usual. After diving, avoid those pesky laser beams from level 5. Remember that in general if you can keep your cross hair free of structures you are safe. Again, think of your cross-hair as your turbo-sub and don't place too much emphasis on the turb0-sub's entire viewing screen. Dispatch the onslaught of snub-fighters that come next as you avoid bullets and find gemstones. Level 11: More Moggogs. Rinse and repeat (with soap and ocean water). After diving,avoid the pillars and don't let the slaughtered skeletons of other weary travelers put you off! They simply failed and were mutilated. No biggie. Like when giving a speech, just pretend they are in their under-wear (which shouldn't be too hard considering their clothes are already stripped away from man-eating sharks). Hopefully you are fluent in navigating around structures by now. Next, get ready for the crabs that come. Use tracked shots to dispatch them quickly as you navigate towards the gemstones. Have a crab-bake or crab-boil and get ready for more shopping. Level 12: Night again? Do you like never have time to sleep? I guess insomnia is a way of life for folks who "live alone in a blue submarine" as the Beatles might say. Anyway, do the typical saucer-and-stealth-raider routine in the sky. After diving,avoid the charge-beams like a bad plague (not the good plagues). Destroy any mines that are present before the boss fight with the mech-ray. His bullets are fast and wide, but if you simply "ride the side" as usual you should be fine. You know you are hitting it when you see an orange blast cloud. After about 5 hits, he is history and becomes regarded a war-hero within the habitats of robotic sea creatures (I just wish the game had a mech-sea-cucumber). Unlike many games, the bosses are a rather pleasant diversion from the other parts of the game (at least until the final one). Level 13: Rinse and repeat the sky section. After diving, destroy the swarms of barracudas and poldarcs and don't let their innocent puppy-dog faces fool you. Go into red zone as per usual. Pretty standard stuff on this stage. Level 14: Defeat the Mogoggs. Dive and dispatch the nebula. Next, turn that pesky cannon into cannon fodder while reciting the Gettysburg address :) Level 15: Destroy the combination of stealth raiders and saucers. After diving, avoid the pesky laser beams whilst collecting gems as usual. Next, dispatch the group of snub-fighters whilst stuffing your pockets with gems and head to the store with a pep in your step. Level 16: Rinse and repeat the sky section. Enjoy the peaceful night. You have a long day ahead of you! After diving, avoid pillars, collect gems, and destroy crabs. Now fight "jellyfish". It is curious that this boss (and galactupus) do not have a "mech" prefix. Hmmmm. Anyway, fight it like the other bosses, and watch out for his round blast that he projects. Level 17 (final boss): NOW you tell me this crate can fly into space!! It took until the last stage to tell me this news? This guy is tougher than the other bosses. You can't just "hit and run" like the others. If not careful, this guy can chew you up and spit you out like dirty 9 year-old store-brand gumballs. I like to go ape with the bombs while shooting right in his face. You might lose a few lives, but it will go down eventually. It seems wise to be aggressive. It is curious that the game-demo does not list the name or point value of this enemy. Victory!!!!!!!!! You are now "grand admiral" of the Turbo Sub Fleet. Enjoy the rather inappropriate jovial music as you watch the enemy mothership fall apart. Appreciate the irony of watching a "mother-ship" get destroyed in the foreground whilst "mother Earth" is looming in the background as you scratch your chin witha pretentious grin! Your score will probably be somewhere around 150,000 by this point. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!! Darrin (forcexdistance)