¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ::::::::: :::::::: ::::::::: :+: :+: :+: :+: :+: :+: +:+ +:+ +:+ +:+ +:+ +:+ +#++:++#: +#+ +:+ +#+ +:+ +#+ +#+ +#+ +#+ +#+ +#+ #+# #+# #+# #+# #+# #+# ### ### ######## ######### ::: ::: :::: ::: ::::::::: :+: :+: :+: :+:+: :+: :+: :+: +:+ +:+ +:+ :+:+:+ +:+ +:+ +:+ +#+ +#++:++#++: +#+ +:+ +#+ +#+ +:+ +#+ +#+ +#+ +#+ +#+#+# +#+ +#+ #+# #+# #+# #+# #+#+# #+# #+# ########## ### ### ### #### ######### ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Rod Land ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ for the Famicom/NES - A Guide by 'CJ' Lagoona - 2008-2010 Table of Contents: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ * Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0100_] * Game Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0200_] - Getting started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0210_] * Game Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0300_] - Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0310_] - Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0320_] - Special Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0330_] - Enemy Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0340_] * Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0400_] * General Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0500_] * Walkthrough/Scenes Guide . . . . . . . . . . [_0600_] * Codes & Secrets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0700_] * Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0800_] * Version history. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0900_] * Legal stuff / Donations. . . . . . . . . . . [_1000_] * Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_1100_] Use the search codes in brackets (Ctrl + F) to quickly jump to your desired chapter. ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- + Introduction + [_0100_] ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- Welcome to my guide covering RodLand, sometimes also written 'Rod Land', a Famicom title also released on the NES in Europe, but not in the US. I am writing this FAQ as a part for the NES FAQ completion project running on the GameFAQs FAQ Contributors - General board. This game was developed by Sales Curve Interactive and published by Jaleco in 1992 (Japan) and 1993 (Europe). Rodland is an action/platform game with a slight puzzle touch, very similar to the better known Bubble Bobble games. You take control of Rit (and/or Tam) and need to make your way through the stages in order to save their mother who was kidnapped by a monster. Good thing they got a magic rod and a pair of rainbow shoes to help them on their way. And good for you that also the game's graphics and soundtrack are very nicely done. -----------------------------+++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- + Game Controls + [_0200_] -----------------------------+++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- As a premise, here's the NES Joypad: |#| ________________|#|__________________________________ | _________________________________________________ | | | |_____________| | | | | ___ ,-------------. | | | | | | |_____________| Nintendo | | | | ___| |___ ,-------------. | | | | | ,-. | |SELECT START| ___ ___ | | | | |___ `-' ___| ;=============` |,-.| |,-.| | | | | | | | === === | |._,| |._,| | | | | |___| ;=============. '---' '---' | | | | |_____________| B A | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ (the cross in the left part is the direction pad) Menu controls: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Start - Start the game (title screen) Select - Toggle through the selected option (Options menu) A button - Toggle through the selected option (Options menu) B button - Toggle through the selected option (Options menu) Direction pad: Up/Down - Change the options point (Options menu) Right/Left - Switch from title screen to Options or Scores Game controls: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Start - Pause and resume the game (during gameplay) - Use continue (if left after losing all lives) Select - not used A button - Jump (if enabled, else not used) B button - Fire button, attack enemies or create ladders (in combination with Up/Down on the D-pad) Direction pad: Up/Down - Climb up/down ladders Right/Left - Move sideways _______________ Getting started [_0210_] ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ At the start-up screen you can read the credits by pressing 'right' on the D- pad. Then on the title screen you can view the present highscores by pressing 'right' and you can go to the Options Menu by pressing 'left'. Go back to the title screen and press 'Start' to start a game. If two players are playing, simply press 'Start' in the second control pad in the first scene. "RIT and TAM, your Mom has been kidnapped by a Monster." "She is imprisoned atop the Maboots tower." -----------------------------++++++++++++++++++------------------------------- + Game Mechanics + [_0300_] -----------------------------++++++++++++++++++------------------------------- ______ Basics [_0310_] ¯¯¯¯¯¯ Every stage - called scene - consists of a single screen, filled with platforms, ladders, flowers, enemies and you. You, controlling Rit (or however you named your character in the Options Menu) have to run through them, climb the ladders and kill the enemies. A stage can be beaten in different ways. The most straightforward way is to kill all enemies, which directly takes you to the next scene. If you take too much time, 'Meanie mode' starts, all enemies turn into fast Meanies and if they kill you, this costs you a life, but it also takes you to the next scene. The best option, however, is by getting to the EXTRA game. Collecting all flowers starts this EXTRA game part of a scene. It causes all enemies to turn into Kaburas, turnip-like beings. If you kill them now, they leave behind a letter, an A, E, R, T or an X. If you manage to collect one of each, forming the word EXTRA, this will end the scene and take you to the good fairy, who will award you an extra life and 10'000 points. "Take this life energy and good luck. Well played, RIT. Bonus 10000 points." Every ninth stage is a boss battle, just to add some diversity. Beating them also nets 10'000 points. Collecting a single flower gives 50 points, but picking them up in a row doubles this, so the second in a row gives 100, the third 200, then 400 and 800, which is the maximum. After a short time, this effect 'wears off' and it starts again at 50 per flower. Bashing an enemy (see 'Abilities' below) gives 50 points, killing him 100. Killing an enemy with a special weapon (see below) and collecting the reward it drops, even nets 1000 up to 3000 points. You yourself lose a life on contact with an enemy or an enemy projectile. You start out with three extra lives. Once they're used up, you have one continue. If you use it, this gives you another four lives and you can go on from the very scene where you used it. When you lose your lives again, it's definitely Game Over. "Game Over, Mom needs you RIT and TAM." _________ Abilities [_0320_] ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Attack: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ Push the Fire button (B) either while standing or while running sideways. You will use your magic rod, seen as a star, which stuns an enemy when you hit one. Repeatedly press B to bash the stunned enemy around. When defeated, he will leave behind a special weapon. Create a ladder: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Push the Fire button (B) while pressing Up or Down on the D-pad. This creates one ladder which you can climb up or down. Only one such ladder can exist at a time, so once you create a new one, the old one disappears. Jump: ¯¯¯¯ Jumping can be enabled/disabled in the Options menu. Even if it's disables, there are two scenes where you can still do so. Press the Jump button (A) when on solid ground or atop of a ladder. It does not work while climbing a ladder. _______________ Special Weapons [_0330_] ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ When you kill an enemy by bashing him, he leaves one of different possible special weapons. If you kill another enemy with one of these, he drops a fruity reward. Collecting that nets from 1000 to 3000 points. Special weapons activate as soon as you touch them. These include: Revel : Four small balls zoom through the stage in billard style, very effective Bomb : Causes a small explosion with a fire staying at that place for a short while Dynamite: A sonic boom-like wave propagates horizontally in both directions to the end of the screen Rocket : A rocket is launched in the direction you faced activating it, hits only the first enemy in line S-Ball : Hops around the screen, hits only one enemy or disappear at the border of the screen Not all special weapons appear in all scenes. (There are more special weapon types in the C64 and the Amiga versions of the game, but I haven't encountered them here yet. If you know more about them, please let me know.) ___________ Enemy Types [_0340_] ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Spud: Looks like a yellow blob with bunny ears and two eyes, likes to reproduce by dividing into two Shark: Blue enemies who can throw a tear (projectile) downwards Wasp: Flying enemies that can shoot arrows at you, very dangerous, so kill them as fast as possible Nessie: Red serpent-like enemies with a horn on their head, they follow you around when on the same floor Polymorph: Pink worms with a big mouth, they attack by rolling out their tongue Squirrel: Brown squirrels that run very fast when they're on the same floor as you, avoid this or kill them quickly Gargoyle: Gray bunny-like enemies that run towards you when on the same floor, avoid this or kill them quickly Spiney: Green, walking balls with horns, they can shoot slow spines upwards, especially when they're beneath you Monkey: Brown monkey enemies, they start running fast once they're on the same floor as you - and don't stop running Starfish: Star-shaped enemies, beware of their boomerang attack Chicken: Looks like a Banana with small arms and feet, they start running very fast when on the same floor as you (like e.g. the Squirrel) Lobster: Purple lobster enemies, can attack you by extending one of their claws Meanie: Normal enemies change into these when you take too much time for a scene, very quick, so keep your calm Kabura: Red turnip-like enemy, remaining enemies turn into them after picking all flowers of a scene, leaves behind one letter of the word EXTRA Mini-crocodile: Small crocodiles running straight along a platform, only appear during the first boss fight Squid: Green squids that only appear during the second boss fight, they swim down from the top, but can only be killed once they reach your level, turn and charge towards you, very annoying Hat-Man: Orange man-like enemy, he can throw his hat at you horizontally like a boomerang over a large distance (about half the screen), only appears in the part right before the third boss fight Mini-elephant: Small elephants thrown at you during the third boss battle, they can propel themselves straight up to the top, relatively harmless when you're on the bottom floor Slimey: Green stationary slime-blob with eyes, shoots bubbles straight upwards with a high frequency, only appears in the part right before the last boss fight (you cannot kill them, but you don't need to, either) (There are more enemies on the very last scene, but they will be described there directly.) ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- + Options Menu + [_0400_] ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- Pressing 'Left' on the title screen takes you to the Options menu. You can navigate through the different points by pressing 'Up' and 'Down'. Switching options is done by pressing 'Select', A or B. RIT wears green/gold/silver/pink/purple/blue - change Rit's looks TAM prefers blue/green/gold/silver/pink/purple - change Tam's looks No hints/show hints next game - Toggle on/off hints during the game Music and effects are on - Change music settings (Alternatives are: Only effects are on, Only music is playing, Silence is golden) RIT and TAM are friends - Change Rit and Tam's interaction (Alternatives are: Rit and Tam share scores- both scores add Rit and Tam are tough dudes- they can hit each other) RIT and TAM do not jump - Toggle on/off the ability to jump and if they hit their head while doing so Squirrel music on titles - Change the music played on the title screen Scene changes are pretty/quick - Choose fast or flowing scene change Player one is called RIT - Change Rit's name to your liking Player two is called TAM - Change Tam's name to your liking ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- + General Tips + [_0500_] ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- While the fastest way to beat a scene may be to kill all enemies, it's often worth to go for the Extra Game and win an extra life. However, don't overdo it. I, myself, for example took every chance to kill the wasp enemies as soon as I could, because I didn't like them at all. The spuds, however, are easily evaded even in bigger numbers. If you go for Extra game, only stun the enemies and then run by. While stunned, they can't hurt you. When you pause the game, the game may be a bit glitchy. Continuously tapping 'A' now makes the game run bit by bit only, until you unpause the game pressing 'B' or 'Start'. This works best when jumping is not enabled. Try not to take too much time in order to avoid Meanie mode. The blue Meanies are rather fast. But if it happens, don't worry, you can still beat them like any other enemy. ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- + Stages Guide + [_0600_] ------------------------------++++++++++++++++-------------------------------- I will give short descriptions of each scene here. Scene 01 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Plenty of space with complete platforms and enough ladders. There are only Spud enemies here. Just stun them when necessary and collect all flowers to get some EXTRA letters. Scene 02 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ There's one platform to the left and three to the right. There are quite a lot of Spud enemies around, only stun them, or maybe kill one or two of them to get to the left platform, and it should be easy to collect all flowers and complete the EXTRA game to get an extra life. In fact, this is a good place to play around a bit and practice dodging enemies. Scene 03 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Together with two Spuds you meet some Sharks for the first time. Just don't spend your time below them, else you can treat them exactly like Spuds. You can make your way from the bottom upwards, collecting all flowers. If you feel comfortable doing so, let some Spuds divide before you pick up the last flower so you get more EXTRA letters. Scene 04 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The two 'first floor' platforms can only be reached by your own ladder or by falling down from above. With four sharks here, it's advisable to get above them quickly if you're going for the flowers, or just kill them as fast as possible. Scene 05 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ There's a new enemy species, Wasps, and one big platform at the top which you cannot reach with your magic ladder. You need to step on a balloon that comes out of the floor in order to be carried up. However, the first thing you'll want to do is kill the two wasp enemies as quickly as possible. They are very dangerous because they can move around freely and they throw arrows at you. If you get lucky (or have a good timing), one of the first balloons after you collect the flowers on the lower platform will take you up, then you can ignore them. Scene 06 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Again a scene with Spuds, and two Sharks. Kill the Sharks when you meet them. The uppermost platforms are somewhat hard to reach because of the long ladders. Don't take any risk and either wait for the enemies to come down. You may also get lucky with a special weapon taking out the enemies above. Two of the flowers in the upper right part are suspended in mid-air. But if you build a magical ladder one block beside the floor below them, you can still reach them from below - or simply jump down from the upper floors. Scene 07 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ A new enemy species here: Nessies. Don't worry too much about them. Simply kill them when they drop down to your floor. You need your magic ladder for the flowers suspended in mid-air, and the platforms above can only be reached by balloons. The balloons appear either in the middle or to the right of the screen. Don't take any risks, it's easiest to just kill all enemies. Scene 08 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Two complete platforms connected by two ladders. The slightly tricky thing is the length of the ladders, which is two 'ladder units'. Stun the Nessies, or kill them when they get on your nerves, but here's another good chance to collect all flowers and get some EXTRA letters. Upon getting rid of the last enemy, a door opens on the ground floor. Walk into it to be taken to your first boss battle. Boss Battle - The Crocodiles ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ There are four floors, and on each side three crocodile mouths on mobile platforms moving up and down. When a mouth opens, it releases small crocodiles that run along their platform very quickly. The small ones take one hit to kill, but the big heads - the real boss - take 8 hits each with your wand until they disappear. As soon as only two of the heads are left, they will release much more mini-crocs, and you don't want to find yourself trapped between two of the heads launching them at you. So it's best to first kill all heads on one side, then care about the other side. For all of this you don't actually need to climb up a platform. It's safest to just stay on the bottom floor and wait for the croc heads to come down to you. Anyway - take care when hitting on one of the heads. When their mouth opens and they do release a mini-croc, make sure to time your wand zap such that you kill the small one, or else it will cost you a life. This gets harder when only two heads are left, but the principle stays the same. Beating the boss nets a nice 10000 points bonus! Scene 09 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ New enemy type ahead: the Polymorphs. When you seen one prepare its tongue- attack, quickly get away two blocks or build a magic ladder and climb it. This is an easy scene to collect some EXTRA letters, start by picking the flowers from the bottom to the top. Scene 10 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ There are only two floors here, the bottom one and a complete platform at the top. At least they're connected by a long ladder. A second short one going down from the top allows the enemies to fall down. Two enemies, a Polymorph and a Spud are directly falling down to your floor. As getting all flowers here is a bit annoying and time-consuming (you need to build a lot of your own ladders upwards and downwards or take a few balloon rides), it's best to just kill them. If you're patient enough, you can still get some more EXTRA letters, but more often than not Meanie mode will come earlier than EXTRA game. Scene 11 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Quite a few small and scattered platforms here, with those at the borders connected by a triple ladder. The middle ones are also easily accessible by your own magical ladders or from above. This is a scene where it's relatively easy getting into EXTRA game, and with the two Polymorphs and three Spuds, you can easily get four or even all five letters. Start by getting the flowers on the right side first, then jump over to the center platform and collect those there. The remaining ones in the top left part are most easily accessed by your own ladders through the center. Scene 12 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Bleh, quite easily accessible platforms on all levels, but there are four Wasp enemies flying around. So try to escape them and their arrow attacks (when they stop they shoot diagonally from their behind), and use every chance to kill them as soon as possible. For this, go to the platform directly above you and grab the first Wasp nearby. Kill it and if you're lucky, you get the Revel Weapon (4 balls). Else kill them one after the other. It's not worth the effort to try and go for EXTRA game, but if you're only missing one letter, you can try. I don't recommend it, though, as Wasps are simply too dangerous. Scene 13 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Gah - Squirrels! Avoid being on the same floor with them, as they then speed up significantly. If it happens anyway, quickly leave the floor or try to kill the beast. The stage itself is nice. Once the only Spud enemy is off of the platform on the first level, this place is an excellent refuge. From there you can easily collect all flowers in the top right and the top left part of the screen to get into EXTRA game. Scene 14 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ First get the eight floating flowers directly above you using your magic ladders before the Squirrels come down to you. When that happens, priority here is to avoid the Squirrels, then make your way up the long ladder to the right (the one to the left is a dead-end and doesn't take you up to the floor above). Stun the remaining squirrels and collect the flowers on the upper floor to reach EXTRA game and collect some letters. Scene 15 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This is the first scene to feature teleport doors. Pressing 'Up' while standing in front of one will take you to its counterpart (the bottom one is connected to the upper right one, the one on the left side is connected to the upper left one). When using them, make sure your destination is clear of enemies. If you're going for the flowers, it's easiest teleporting up, then collecting the flowers while making/dropping your way down. If you're very lazy, simply teleport to the uppermost platform and wait for the timer to run out. Scene 16 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ There are three small platforms on the topmost level and two one below. Going up either means taking the long (3-level) ladder in the middle, which is quite dangerous, or using your magic ladder to reach the pre-made ladder to the right side of the center of the screen. Additionally to the two Polymorphs and the three Squirrels, two green mines are 'patrolling' the two vertical walls in the middle. Touching them also kills you. My best advice for this stage is to wait on the bottom floor for the enemies to drop down, then immediately kill them. It's not worth risking your lives to get to EXTRA game. Once you kill all baddies, a door appears on the ground floor. Walk into it to be taken to the second boss battle. Boss Battle - The Whale ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This fight takes place underwater. You slowly drop down from the top in the beginning. Controls are a bit different than usually: you can float up, down and sideways by pressing the according direction on the D-pad, however you're slowed down. There's no magical ladders here, but your magic wand attack has a longer reach. The big Whale can appear from the bottom or from the side, his weak spot is its eye, so this is your main target. The difficult thing here are the small green Squid enemies that swim from the top of the screen. As soon as they are at your level, they stop and charge at you horizontally. You can kill them with a zap from your wand, but only after they've turned towards you. Most of the time, though, it's easier to keep moving up or down in order to dodge them. Also the Whale himself has a means of attacking you, namely by spewing out small bubble-balls. They come out of his top and then fall down like lava rocks from a volcano. Avoid both the bubbles and the green Squids (or kill them) and hit the Whale's eye enough times until the fight is over. Unfortunately I cannot say for sure how many hits he really takes. Counting points (every hit in the eye nets 100 points), I got values between 30 and 50. Safe strategy: Keep Rit/Tam close to one side of the screen, facing towards the center. Only move up and down and keep firing at the green squids as they come - and of course at the Whale, as soon as the occasion presents itself. But don't go to the center, the risk of being hit by a squid is much higher. This takes a bit more time, but you can get away without losing a single life. Beating the boss nets another 10000 bonus points! A screen follows, informing you that you've now reached the Maboots tower where your mom is being held: "Enter the Maboots Tower to rescue Mom." Scene 17 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This first scene inside the actual Maboots tower features two teleport door pairs (the door at the bottom floor is connected to the one in the upper left, the uppermost door to the one in the center), three platforms above you that can only be reached by teleporting or by balloons, and two new enemy species: Gargoyles and Spineys. The easiest way here is to wait for the enemies to drop down, then kill them. Going for all flowers is quite risky. Scene 18 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Two long ladders connect the bottom with four intermediate platforms and the top floor. Enemies are the same as before: 4 Spineys and three Gargoyles. Kill the Gargoyles, especially the first one that directly drops down to you, but the Spineys are easy to stun and avoid, also their spine shots are easily dodged. So go for EXTRA game here and collect a few flowers. Small tip: you're safest on one of the platforms in the middle and you can get anywhere else pretty quickly. Scene 19 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ There are two platforms on the first level, both already connected by two ladders with the bottom floor, but beware of the two centermost ladders, they have a mine hovering above them. Altogether, there are four green mines moving between the platforms, so there's no easy jumping over. And there's a new enemy type: the Monkeys. Once they're on the same floor as you they start running like crazy, and don't stop doing so even when you climb up or down. So it's safer to stun, or even better, kill them than try to dodge them by climbing. By means of stunning it should still be possible to get into EXTRA game and get one or two letters. At the start, all four Monkey are climbing down: kill the closest one to the left, then climb up when going for the flowers. Then you need to time your 'going down to get over such that you can stun the remaining ones. Once you're back up on the right side, all flowers are yours for the taking. Scene 20 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Another scene with teleport doors (the door located in the center right atop the middle ladder is connected to the one in the upper left corner, the two doors on the right side are connected to each other). Using the doors can be tricky, especially with those Gargoyles and Monkeys around, so you have two options to play it save. Either wait in the bottom left corner (below the platform), let the enemies come, then kill them, or you make your way to the top left platform and just wait there until time runs out and you're taken to the next scene. If you want to go for flowers, here's a good way. At the start go up the left ladder, then up to the top left platform as soon as at least one of the Monkeys has dropped down. Kill the other one of necessary. Then collect the flowers up there using your magic ladder. Then build a ladder on the rightmost block on this platform, climb it and jump over to the top right platform as soon as it is free of enemies. Then collect the flowers up there, and here we go: EXTRA game. (The biggest risk is the start with the Monkeys.) Scene 21 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This scene has three small platforms on the first level, one on the right half of the second and one on the left half of the top level. All platforms are connected with ladders already, but some of the flowers can only be reached by your magical ladders. Enemy-wise there are three Monkeys and four Spineys. Even if you're going for the flowers, don't risk anything with the Monkeys and kill at least the ones coming down at the beginning. Spineys are easy to just stun and dodge. My advice, though, is to kill all enemies as quickly as possible. Scene 22 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Bleh, another scene with Wasps (and two Monkeys). So the general strategy should be to not get hit while killing everything on screen as soon as possible. Assuming you haven't enabled jumping, you need ladders to get away from the starting area using the pre-existing ladders (that don't go through to the upper platform) or your own, as the left and right parts of the bottom floor are one block higher. Or you can take a balloon ride upwards, but with the Wasps around, this is quite risky. If you're lucky, you'll get a Revel special weapon early, to finish most of the enemies quickly. Scene 23 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Two Monkeys and five Spineys on a scene where the platforms form a closed square: the floors on the first, second and third floor are closed by vertical walls. There's one pre-made ladder going in from the bottom floor and one going out at the top, but of course you could use your own magic ladder to go in. That is, if you want to go for EXTRA game. The save way, however, is by waiting at the bottom beside the ladder for the enemies to come down, then kill them. If you do want some letters, only stun the Spineys. Scene 24 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Again a scene where I strongly recommend to kill all enemies as fast as possible, as there are two Wasps with five Gargoyles. Especially, as many of the flowers are floating distributed at the top of the screen. Once you kill all baddies, a door appears on the ground floor. Walk into it to be taken to the second boss battle. Boss Battle - The Elephant ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This fight is a bit special in more than one way. First of all, you have the ability to jump using the 'A' button, irrespectively of what you had selected in the options menu. Then you first have to make your way through a small maze-like level leading (and scrolling) down to the actual boss. This way already is quite tricky, as there are the small Hat-Man enemies that dangerously (especially when not alone) throw their hat at you (horizontally, reaching about half the screen). And there are water drops falling from the ceiling, which can also hit you. You need a bit of good timing, especially to avoid all hats before you can kill their throwers. At the start, drop down facing left, then immediately kill the Hat-Man. Next are some water drops to avoid. Drop down to the right when the Hat-Man below is a bit away and immediately kill him. Drop down on the left. Kill the next Hat-Man and drop further to the right. The next three Hat-Men are a bit tricky. Drop on their floor just when the hat of the leftmost one has passed and the two others are a bit away. Quickly kill the first two. Then wait for the leftmost one to throw the hat again, jump up to him and zap him and dodge his returning hat by jumping or directly dropping to the left side. Go on to the right. Time your next drop such that you land to the right just after the hat of the rightmost Hat-Man has passed, without being hit by the water drop, then immediately kill said Hat-Man. Quickly retreat a bit to avoid the second Hat-Man's hat, then go after him. Drop down to the left, kill the next Hat-Man and dodge the water. The following fall is also a tricky one, as it needs to pass two hat-throwers. As there's no reproducible way to get by without losing a life without seeing the second Hat-Man throw his projectile, you need to do a little trick. When you're at the edge, go back a bit, almost to the water droplets (to the block that has a fire torch). Now you can see the second Hat- Man throwing his hat. If both throw their hat almost simultaneously, that's good. If not, jump to the right and wait a bit, then go back to the block with the fire torch. Repeat until you get the simultaneous launch. Now jump to the right directly after they launch their projectiles and drop down just before they catch it again. The room you land in now is the area of the actual boss fight - finally. There are two ladders, one to the right side and one to the left side of the screen. Both lead to two small platforms. The Elephant boss will appear in the center of the screen as soon as you touch the ground. During the whole fight, he will hover around the screen and release small versions of himself. These Mini- elephants slowly jump around and can propel themselves straight up to the top of the screen, where they vanish. This is why being on one of the platforms with Mini-elephants alive is a bad idea. The safest places are in the bottom corners of the screen, or two steps up the ladders, such that you can still zap the Minis. When the Elephant is in reach, zap him with your wand, but take care not to be stomped. Fortunately, he will not be able to hurt you when you're on one of the ladders. If you're not the patient type, follow him around, always remaining at some distance when he's up in the air and killing all Mini-elephants, then close in and zap him when he comes stomping to the bottom. All in all, he takes 25 hits. Safe strategy: At the start of the fight, immediately run to the left side of the screen and stand at the bottom of the left ladder. From here, you can kill all Mini-elephants and also hit the big one when he's close. If he remains to the right part of the screen, only releasing the Minis, approach slowly (while killing the Minis), get to the bottom of the right ladder and work from there. Beating the boss nets another 10000 bonus points! Scene 25 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This is a tough screen where you can easily lose a life or two; try to finish the enemies as quickly as possible. Together with three Wasps (argh) and two green mines, you encounter e new enemy species: the Starfish. Actually, three of them. They walk around pretty normally, but from time to time they make sort of a kneefall and throw a boomerang in the general direction they're facing. So, as mentioned, don't take any risks here and kill any enemy you can, especially the Wasps, as fast as possible. If you're lucky, you'll even get a Revel special weapon early. Scene 26 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The platforms and walls are symmetric on the right and left side, dividing the scene almost in two. Together with three Starfish enemies, there's again a new type of enemy: the Chickens. They're like Squirrels earlier, they start running a lot faster when they're on the same floor as you, so avoid this or zap them quickly. If you want to go for EXTRA game, which is relatively well doable here, you should start out by climbing the small platform in the middle of the first floor using your magical ladder. Then jump over to the ladder on one side that is almost clear of enemies and collect all flowers there, stunning or killing enemies where necessary, then falling back on the center platform from the top. Rinse and repeat for the other side. Scene 27 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ And yet another new enemy type: the Lobster. He sometimes extends his claw to attack you, similar to the Polymorph extending its tongue. The bottom half of the screen is divided in two by a wall of blocks and flowers guarded by two green mines. While it is possible to get into the wall and also making your own magical ladder inside, thus allowing you to go directly to the other side, it is a dangerous thing to do. For that reason it's easiest (and I strongly advise you) to just wait near the starting point beside the leftmost ladder and kill any enemy coming down, either until time runs out or until all enemies are dead. Scene 28 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This scene consists of the bottom floor and a complete floor at the top of the screen, connected by two long ladders on each side of the screen. All flowers are floating between the floors, but too high up for you own magical ladder, so you'd need to get them from above. The worst thing about the level, though, are the enemies. There are three Wasps flying and four Chickens walking around. Two of the latter are directly falling to your floor. So best kill them directly and possibly also some Wasps with them. For this to work out without losing a life, you need to move slightly towards the left ladder while still being invincible, only then grabbing one of the Chickens. Else they'll run into you at the same time from both directions. If after the initial killing there are still some Chicken enemies left, you can try to go for the flowers, but getting all of them within the time limit is a difficult thing to do, so you can as well kill all enemies as soon as possible. Scene 29 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Gah, yet another scene with Wasps. Above the bottom floor, connected to it with one ladder, the middle platform has two walls, forming a broad 'u'. (Beware the green mine floating up and down in the center, it can kill you on both the bottom and the first floor.) The top floor is divided in two parts, and both are connected to the middle platform by a ladder. The safest strategy is to use a magical ladder to climb up to the first floor one block beside the left horizontal wall (thus prolongating the left ladder). Here you should be able to kill a good part of all enemies, especially some of the Wasps. Still, it's easy to lose a life here, so take care. If only one or two enemies are left, you can try going for EXTRA game, but it's not worth taking any risks. So if you feel more comfortable killing also the last baddies, climb up to the top floor and wait for them to come up. Scene 30 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This scene is almost like one half of an inversed pyramid. The top floor is complete, the second floor is three quarters wide and the first floor one half only (starting from the right side). Both intermediate floors are closed to the left by a vertical wall. Each floor is connected to the ground by a separate ladder and two green mines are floating up and down in the upper part. Enemy-wise there are two Starfish and two Spud-baddies. Take care, the Spuds got more aggressive compared to the ones outside the tower: they now act like Gargoyles, running at you when on the same floor. If you want to play it safe, then simply wait on the bottom floor until the enemies climbs down a ladder, then kill them. But if you want to go for EXTRA game and get some letters, here's what worked best for me. Walk to the right and build and climb your own magical ladder one block to the left of the rightmost white ladder such that you cross the descending Spud. Go past the mine and collect the flowers here. Then climb up one more floor as soon as the second Spud has left the second floor (if he doesn't before the first one comes back up, stun him). Quickly collect the flowers here (beware the mines!) and climb all the way up. If the two Starfish enemies are still up here, stun them while collecting the remaining flowers. There you are, three or four letters for you. Scene 31 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Oh noes, a scene full of Wasps. Yes, 8 Wasps. So your motto should be: kill them as soon as possible. Fortunately, you are quite mobile, you can use four existing ladders to four small platforms on the first floor and two more to get to the second floor platforms. Anyway, if you're lucky, you'll get a Revel special weapon from the first Wasp you kill. If not, try to gain some ground to be in a better position. If there are only one or two Wasps left and you're still missing only one letter for the extra life, this is the time to go for it. But remember, it's not worth losing two lives in the process of trying to get one more. Once you kill all baddies, a door appears on the ground floor. Walk into it to be taken to the last boss battle. Boss Battle - ??? ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Much like for the third boss, the Elephant, you first need to pass a side- scrolling Jump & Run part. For this, you again have the ability to jump even if you didn't activate it in the Options menu. Run along the castle wall to the right side. When you see the Slimeys, don't stop but run straight on and jump over the holes in the floor. If you do stop and still need to pass a Slimey (or more precisely, the bubbles it shoots upwards), don't try running between the bubbles, but wait for a short break, which normally comes every five to eight shots. After the third Slimey, you come to a gap, which is too wide for a single jump. Wait a bit and you'll see balloons coming up. So use them to get to the other side, and remember: you cannot jump when on a balloon, you need to drop to a lower one and steer in-flight. When you get to the right side, don't hurry on directly. Wait for a balloon appearing directly one block beside the lower platform, jump on it and ride all the way up. When it pops, steer to the right to land on the small upper platform and jump over to the right. That way you not only avoid two tricky jumps over fireballs, but also get some extra points from the heart-shield thingies. Continue to the right. Time your passage past the Washerwoman's falling water, and up the stairs. Jump over the gaps such that the Jumping Jacks with Santa hats don't touch you, or else you lose a life. Unfortunately, you can't harm them with your magic wand beforehand. Drop down on the other side and avoid another Washerwoman. Now you're inside the castle. Go on, pass below the black pot spilling dangerous bubbles (place yourself between them on a free spot and press on, in case you can't run through in one go). By the way, the blue columns work like ladders - you can climb them in order to get the heart- shields. Careful, though, as soon as you reach the skull-shield, it will multiply and attack you. Zap the ones close to you and absolutely avoid standing below any other one: they will quickly drop down vertically. You don't need to evade them for long, though, the whole attack is over rather quickly. Collect the remaining heart-shields and continue to the right. Jump over the gaps while avoiding the fireballs (watch their pattern and jump over right after one has passed). Go into the narrow passage and drop into the first small hole. Jump out of it to the right and immediately drop back into it in order to avoid the flying Bat. Rinse and repeat for the second small hole for another Bat. On to the right comes another screen with skull-shields you have to dodge. Again, try killing those on the same floor as you, but the most important thing is to not stand below them when they drop. I hope you have good reflexes, but I've got to admit that I have no reproducible way to get past here without losing a life, even though it is doable. When it's over, advance slowly up the first step of the small stairway, and back away as soon as you see another Bat approaching. Rinse and repeat for the second step of the stairs. Now go through the narrow passage and jump over the gap using the blue columns. Avoid getting hit by the Jumping Jacks, and heed the advice that for the last two jumps it's better to jump under the Jacks while they're up above you. Go up the stairs and take one of the two ways to the right (the lower one has more heart-shields, but it actually doesn't matter). As soon as you're out of the castle and on the castle walls again, the music changes. Time your progress such that you avoid the bubbles coming out of the pot, and you're there: at the location of the final boss battle, the last chamber of the tower of Maboots. The screen itself offers you two advantages: two ladders, one on either side of the screen, and four small platforms (two on either side of the screen. The boss, a tall knight with bull horns, either teleports in and out of the screen or he comes through the ceiling. He has five different kinds of attacks: - He shoots three slow fireballs that creep along the floor until they reach the border: - climb a ladder or stay on the other side - He shoots five bubbles downwards in a semi-circle, they disappear on the ground floor: - stand between them - He stomps in the middle of the floor, causing skull-shield to fall down: - dodge them when necessary (and attack) - He hovers around horizontally in the upper half of the screen, shooting bubbles downwards: - stay below a platform or on a ladder (you can attack from a ladder) - He floats around, stomping down from time to time: - stay in a corner of the screen (attacking is very risky) The first thing you should do is get a bit used to his patterns, the safest places for this is in the corners of the screen: he can't touch you there and you can climb it to avoid projectiles (but beware of the skull-shields). Normally it's not worth climbing the ladder, the only time is when he's hovering horizontally if you really want to land a hit. Once you know how he behaves, run beside him when he stomps on the floor and zap him as much as you can. The best time is during the skull-shield attack. Take special care when he floats and jumps around more or less randomly. Overall he takes between 15 and 30 hits. (I myself have seen anything between 17 and 28. I'm not sure if losing a life or hitting him while he's of a special color has an influence.) Safe strategy: wait in the bottom right corner, on the ladder. Dodge eventual bubble projectiles and fireballs by climbing. Only leave that spot when he comes down for the skull-shield attack, then get near him and zap him two to three times, while avoiding the shields, of course. Beating the boss nets another 10000 bonus points! "Thank you RIO and TAM" "And thus the Monster was defeated" "And locked away in the Tower forever." Congratulations! You've managed to beat the game and rescued Rit's and Tam's mother. ----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++------------------------------- + Codes & Secrets + [_0700_] ----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++------------------------------- ____________ Level Select ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ (Thanks to odino for telling me about it.) Enter the first fairy's name as "ICH" and second one's as "EAT". Now start the game and press Select, this grants you access to the SECRET PASSWORD MODE, which is a level select menu. The numbers correspond to the individual normal scenes, while the boss fights are at the end labeled E1-E4. You can only open this secret password mode window once. After going to the selected scene, you cannot open it again. Well, you can just start a new game and then you can do the whole thing again, of course. ________ Red Head ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ (Again thanks to odino for telling me about them.) If you enter one of the following names your fairie, it will get a red face: "SHT", "FUK", "BUM", "TIT", "SEX", "VAJ", "CNT", "POO", "NOB", "DIK" 'Tsk tsk tsk!' if you've found that out by yourself! ;-) -------------------------------+++++++++++++---------------------------------- + Questions + [_0800_] -------------------------------+++++++++++++---------------------------------- This section is dedicated to commonly asked questions. So far, there aren't many... But I will update it whenever I feel the need of it - which means as soon as somebody asks a question that isn't already answered in this guide. So if you have a question, or have found a mistake or would like to have something added, don't hesitate to contact me at: DrLagoona (at) hotmail (dot) com __________ Q: What's your highscore in this game? A: It was 495'650 points __________ Q: What's the hardest part of the game? A: Some of the scenes need some luck at the start, especially those with Wasps. But the only part where I couldn't reproducibly get through without losing a life was part of the jump&run section right before the final boss, the two screens with multiplying skull-shields. If you happened to have any advice on this, don't hesitate to let me know. __________ ----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++------------------------------- + Version history + [_0900_] ----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++------------------------------- Version 1.0 - Beat and included all scenes. All other important sections done (01/25/08) (basics, weapons, enemies, tips and questions). Added a note about the ending. Basic formatting performed. Version 1.1 - Included Codes & Secrets section after getting informed by odino (05/29/08) about the different 'special names' and the level select. Added tags to make the guide searchable and adapted the Table of Contents accordingly. Version 1.11 - Added neshq.com to the websites allowed to host this guide. (02/23/10) Also added the Donations part and did some adaptations. -----------------------------+++++++++++++++---------------------------------- + Legal Stuff + [_1000_] -----------------------------+++++++++++++++---------------------------------- This guide is copyrighted 2008-2010 by 'CJ' Lagoona. The only websites allowed for hosting and public display are up to now www.gamefaqs.com www.neoseeker.com www.neshq.com No part of this file can be used without the permission of the author and credits to the author. To get permission to host this guide on your website, drop a line to DrLagoona (at) hotmail (dot) com, wait for an answer and abide to it. Of course, you can also use this address if you have comments or questions about my guide or if I missed something that should be included. Make sure you have in the subject line, or else I'll shred and eat the e-mail without reading it. ;-) Donations --------- If you'd like to make a donation, even a small one, showing your appreciation of my work, I will of course gladly accept it. For this, best do it via PayPal to (the same address given above): DrLagoona (at) hotmail (dot) com Of course, replace the (at) with the @ symbol and the (dot) with a . Much thanks in advance. -------------------------------+++++++++++------------------------------------ + Credits + [_1100_] -------------------------------+++++++++++------------------------------------ ...to Sales Curve Interactive and Jaleco for creating and releasing this game. ...to http://www.network-science.de/ascii/ , as the header ascii was created with this ascii-generator. ...to the C64-Wiki (http://www.c64-wiki.de/index.php/Rodland) for some of the enemies' names. ...to Osrevad - I slightly adapted his ASCII art of the NES pad. ...to odino for the codes you can put in as names. ...to me for writing this. ;-) And thanks to CJayC for running GameFAQs. Well, actually, for having created GameFAQs - and to Sailor Bacon (aka SBAllen) for taking over.