# ##### ###### ### # ### ######## ### ######## ### ######## ### ######## ### # ## # ### ## ### ### ## ## ## ## ### ### ## ## ## ## ### ### ## ## ## ####### ### ## ## ## ## ## # ### ## ####### ## ## ###### ## ## ## ## ## ##### ####### ###### ### ########### ########### ## ### ## # ### # ### ######## ##### ######## #### ##### ### ### ######## ####### ######## ## ####### ##### ### ## ### ## ## ## ### ## ## # ## # ### ## ### ## ## ## ### ## ## ## ### ## ### ## ## ## ### ## ## ## ### ####### ## ## ####### ## ## ## ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # # ## ### ## ## ####### ## ## ####### ###### ######### ### ##### #### #### ##### #### StarTropics Walkthrough Created by: Phil Henry (Philby15@hotmail.com) Aug. 25, 2004 Version 1.3 (c) Phil Henry 2004 This walkthrough is not to be reproduced or published elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author. Contents: ********************************* 0: Update Versions 1: Basic Elements 1a: Intro to StarTropics 1b: Controls/Gameplay 1c: Major Characters 2: Walkthrough 2a: Prelude 2a-a: The Test of Island Courage 2b: Dolphins 2b-a: Octo's Cave 2c: Storm and Calm 2c-a: Tunnel to MiraCola 2c-b: Magma's Molten Tunnel 2c-c: The Ghost Tunnel 2c-d: The West Tunnel 2c-e: The Hermit's Mountain 2d: Confession 2d-a: Inside the Belly of a Whale 2e: Captain Bell 2e-a: Captain Bell's Cave 2f: Reunion 2f-a: Lost Ruins 2f-b: Big Rock Tunnel 2g: Alien Spaceship 2g-a: Inside The Alien Ship 2g-b: The Second Cube 2h: Final Battle 2h-a: The Core and Zoda 3: Lists 3a: Weapons 3b: Items 3b-a: Dungeon Items 3b-b: Key Items 3c: Enemies 3d: Bosses and Strategies 4: Other 4a: FAQ 4b: Legal Stuff 4c: Closing ********************************** 0: Update Versions ********************************** Version 1.3 (8/25/04) -Completed Enemies Section. -Completed Boss Section Version 1.2 (10/23/03) -Added enemies from Chapter 1. -Added C-Serpent to Boss List. Version 1.1 (9/17/03) -Changed the order of the lists. (3) -Completed Weapons Section. -Completed Items Section. -Fixed some spelling errors. Version 1.0 (9/15/03) -Completed the last 4 chapters. -Walkthrough Section basically finished. Version 0.5 (9/11/03) -First Update! -First 4 chapters complete. 1: Basic Elements ********************************** 1a: Intro to StarTropics ******************************** StarTropics was released in 1990 for play on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is an Action/Adventure game with many RPG elements. StarTropics was overlooked by gamers because of hyped games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Mega Man 3, but those who have played it know it to be a game of challenge and fun. You are Mike, a young boy from Seattle, Washington. You are invited to C-Island to visit your uncle, Doctor Jones, who is a very famous archeaologist. After arriving on the island via helicopter, Mike finds that Dr. J. has been abducted. This was, no doubt, done by one who wanted the secret of a strange rock that Dr. J. recently found. The village of Coralcola entrusts Mike, equipped with only a Yo-yo, with the task of finding Dr. J. Mike must now fight his way through countless dungeons with evil monsters and pitfalls. Excerpt from manual: Hi. My name is Michael Jones, but my friends call me Mike. I'm fifteen years old and I live in Seattle Washington. Have you heard of my Uncle Steve? Well, most people don't call him that, they call him Dr. Jones. He is a very famous archeologist who is looking for some lost ruins in the Coral Seas. I've never actually met him, but last week I recieved a letter from him inviting me to stay with him at his laboratory on C-Island. I leave tomorrow on a helicopter! I bet I won't be able to sleep at all tonight. Well, goodnight. 1b: Controls/Gameplay ******************************** StarTropics has two styles of gameplay. In this guide I will refer to them as Overhead and Dungeon. Overhead Mode is where all of the story sequences take place. The control is extremely similar to Dragon Warrior. Your character will usually traverse towns in this mode, where you can talk to inhabitants and learn information about your quest and earn valuable weapons. No fighting takes place in the Overhead Mode so you can't lose health. You usually travel on land by foot to and from dungeons and villages, but sometimes, you're forced to go by sea using your submarine, Sub-C. Dungeon Mode is the exciting part of the game. All fighting is held in this mode. Your character is much bigger in this mode and moves around a little differently. Turning requires a wait of about .5 seconds, which can be annoying, but you get used to it. Your goal in a Dungeon is to find your way out by finding the exit or defeating a Boss Enemy. To do this, you must find your way through a series of rooms. To advance to the next room, you must either find the exit, defeat some or all of the enemies in that room or find a switch that opens the door. To find a switch, jump on the green colored tiles to discover a button. Jump on the button to open doors or treasure chests. On to the controls. Controls in Overhead Mode: Directional Buttons: Move Mike or Sub-C around the area. A Button: Talk to villagers or inspect objects. B Button: Submerge Sub-C (Must have ID Code). Select: Checks Health, Chapter, and current Weapon. Start: Nothing. Controls in Dungeon Mode: Directional Buttons: Move Mike around the area. While Paused, moves selection cursor. A Button: Jump. B Button: Attack with Selected Weapon. Select: Changes Current Main Weapon. Start: Pauses game (By pressing Down while Paused, You can select Magic and Items found in the Dungeon. Press the B Button to use the selected Magic or Item). 1c: Major Characters ******************************** Mike Jones: Mike Jones is a 15 year old boy from Seattle. He's also the main character of StarTropics. You, as the player, must guide Mike through countless dungeons to save his abducted uncle. Dr. Steve Jones: Mike's uncle who is a famous archeaologist from the Coral Seas. According to CoralCola's Chief, he has been abducted because of his knowledge of a recent discovery. CoralCola's Shaman: The Shaman of the Coral seas who guides Mike when things are going badly. She believes that the Southern Cross is the key to rescuing Dr. Jones. Baboo: Dr. Jones' young assistant. He seems to be hiding something about the recent abduction. Nav-Com: The pilot and computer of Sub-C. Looks like the robot that came with the Nintendo. The Fortune Teller: With the help of her Crystal Ball, the Fortune Teller helps you get into the Castle of SheCola. Queen SheCola: Her name says it all. She gives you your second weapon, the Shooting Star. Hermit: The Hermit who gives you the Scroll of Obob. Peter: The Parrot of BellCola who gives you a hint on how to get into Captain Bell's Cave. Zoda: The Prime Invader, as he calls himself. His reasonings for abducting Dr. Jones is known only to himself, and the Doctor. 2: Walkthrough ********************************** 2a: Chapter 1; Prelude ******************************** One day in summer, you land at C-Island where Dr. Jones has his laboratory You start out on the Heli-pad on the edge of C-Island. Head directly to the left until you see a few small buildings. This is the first town, CoralCola. Talk to the natives to learn about Coralcola, your uncle, Dr. J. and about the Southern Cross. On the north side of town, you'll notice someone blocking a house. Talking to him will only result in you getting the brush off. He won't let you pass until you talk to every single villager, so, do so. After speaking with everyone, head into the big hut on the western side of the village. This is the hut of Coralcola's Chief. Talk to him to learn about your uncle's sudden disappearance. He leaves it up to you to find Dr. J. and bring him back to CoralCola. To aid you on your journey, the Chief gives you your first weapon; The Island Yoyo! Despite it's toyish appearance, the Yoyo is a very powerful tool and will be your primary weapon until half-way through Chapter 3. With the information and Yoyo in hand, head back to the guy who wouldn't let you pass. For some reason, he recognizes you as Dr. J.'s nephew and allows you to go. Head inside and you will see a staircase leading down. Inside, you will meet the Chief's sister, the Shaman. She tells you that Dr. J. was abducted because of his knowledge. She also tells you that the Southern Cross is with you. With that, she wishes you good luck and you start the first Dungeon. 2a-a: The Test of Island Courage ******************************** Here we go, the first level. Very easy, very straight forward. Enemies here are the easiest ones you'll see in the game. The Boss isn't very hard either. The only thing that might trouble you is the One Room of Death. The room directly above the two rooms with Medicine is a Death Room. You step in it, you die. Try not to go in there, OK? With each dungeon, I will map out the floors using my wonderful ascii art talent, and I will provide two walkthroughs for each tunnel. The quick run is for players who want little information about the actual rooms or if they are stuck on something and want a quick answer. The in-depth run covers every room of the tunnel, what to do, and strategies for tough locations. Read which ever you feel you need. New Enemies: Jelly, Rattus, Nocto, Looper. New Obstacles: Tiles, Switches, Dead-Ends, Death Room, Treasure Chests. New Items/Weapons: Torch, Medicine. Boss: C-Serpent *** *E* S=Start *** E=End | B=Boss *** M=Medicine * * T=Torch *** D=Death Room (Bad) | *** *** *B* *D* *** *** | | *** *** * * *M* *** *** | | ******* *** *T *-*M* ******* *** | *** * * *** | *** *T* *** | *** *** *** * *-* *-* * *** *** *** | *** * * *** | ******* * * ******* | *** * * *** | *** * * *** | *** * * *** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Go up until the intersection. Ignore the left an right exits and find the Switch to keep moving up. Collect the torch. Don't bother collecting the Medicine, unless you really suck, you won't need it. Continue up after collecting some more torchs. Go up one more room and you'll encounter the Boss. In-Depth Run: In the starting room, walk around to get used to the controls. You'll notice that you move in a square grid fashion. After you're confident enough, head up. This first room has three Jellies. Dispose of them to open up the door to the next room. This room has six Jellies, and you need to kill them all to open the door. Alright, first room with a switch. See the tile that one of the Jellies is stuck on? There's the Activation Switch. Kill the Jelly and step on the tile to find the switch. Kill the Rattus and continue on. This room is the length of two rooms. Head to the right while destroying the Rattus' and jump through the series of tiles to reach the switch and open the door. The next room is similar to an earlier room, but has two Jellies and three Rattus'. Take care of them to open the door. This room can be confusing. There are two doors, one to the left and one to the right. Ignore them both or you'll have to fight your way back from a room full of Noctos. Make your way to the top, killing all the Jellies on the way and ignoring the switches, and jump on the leftern most tile on the top row. Open the door and continue. In this room are two Rattus' and two Noctos. You must kill the Rattus' before the door opens. This hallway has two switches. One to open the Treasure Chest that holds 25 torchs and one to open up the door. This room is a two room lengthed room with two doors, one of which is hidden. Kill the Jelly and the two Loopers and jump on the tiles near the door. You'll uncover three switches. They open the Treasure Chest and the two doors. Collect the 25 torchs and go back to the long hallway where one of the Loopers were and you'll find a door going to the right. In there, you'll find a bottle of Medicine. Step on the tiles to find a switch to a door above and, in there, you'll find another bottle of Medicine. There's another switch here, but it leads to a room full of water and you'll die if you go in there, so don't. Never. Ever. Trek back to the original path and go up another room. You'll find 3 Noctos and 2 Loopers. Dispose of them all to unlock the last door. Continue in to fight your first Boss: The C-Serpent. If you're having trouble with him, refer to my Boss Strategies section. After killing the C-Serpent, continue upwards twice to exit the first stage. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to C-Island You are now able to explore the rest of C-Island, but since there's not much to explore.... go to Dr. Jones' Laboratory. Blocking the way is Dr. J.'s assistance, Baboo. He gives you the ID code for Sub-C, 1492. He refrains from telling you more, because he is afraid of something that he won't talk about. Anyway, that's not our concern, now, so head into the Lab to meet Nav-Com, the main computer of the Sub-C. Give him the ID Code and you will sail away from C-Island and conclude the first Chapter! 2b: Chapter 2; Dolphins ******************************** After a few hours voyage, Sub-C is still cruising on the ocean.... Like it says up there, you're still cruising along on the ocean, when a dolphin approaches our hero. Nav-Com translates her squeals and you discover that she has lost her son. Agree to help in order to continue. Keep going to the right to find an island with a light-house. Drive Sub-C into the tunnel and dock to visit the light-house. The man inside doesn't know anything about the dolphin but he suggests that you see his wife. Board Sub-C and wait..... you'll see a bit of bubbling at the bottom right corner of the little area you're in. This means that there is a tunnel. Push against the wall and you'll go through it. Continue to do this until you can dock and head to the tiny house. Don't worry about the little squiggly lines in the water, we'll talk about that later. Inside the hut is the Lighthouse keeper's wife. She says she saw a bottle on the nearby beach, so that's where you should go next. You should be able to see it from her house. Circle around the house and mountains to the neighboring beach. There is a hidden passage in the mountains if you hold to the left on the top square. Follow the path to the bottle and read it. It's from Dr. J.! He says that he's been captured by evil aliens and that he wants his nephew to use the ID Code, 1776. Go back to Sub-C and give this code to Navcom. He inputs the code and you are now able to submerge with the Sub-C using the B button. By the way, those squiggly lines are dive areas. By diving on them, you can travel underwater to another area, so do that. You'll be able to dock at the top of the island where you see a cave, but before entering, do you see the Big Heart? You do? Good. There is another hidden passage in the mountains right next to the Heart. Grab the Heart and your life level will increase. You should now have a maximum of 6 hearts. You are now done with the overhead map of this island, so enter the cave which will lead you to.... 2b-a: Octo's Cave ******************************** OK, your second cave. Not too hard, no need to panic. Enemies are harder here, though. They're faster and hit harder, so be careful. You have a bigger chance of jumping into the water accidentally here, so watch where you're jumping. The boss is actually easier than the first one if you handle it right. Lastly, this level is the first to introduce Submerging Tiles. Some tiles will submerge every other second and then come back. Watch your timing with these ones. New Enemies: Mud-O-Fish, Spinistar, Octot, Puff. New Obstacles: Sinking Tiles, Hidden Wall Passages. New Items/Weapons: Baseball Bat, Snowman Doll Boss: Octo the Octopus. *** S=Start *B* B=Boss & End *** M=Medicine | b=Baseball Bat *** s=Snowman Doll * * --=Secret Wall Passage *** | *** ****** * *-* ** * *** ****** | | | *** ****** *M*-* --s* *** ****** | *** * * *** | *** * * *** | ****** * * ****** | *** * * *** | ****** *b-- * ****** | ****** * * ****** | *** ****** ****** * *-* *-* * *** ****** ****** | ****** * b* ****** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Go up, collect the Bat. Don't equip it, it's not as good as the Yo-Yo. Keeping following the path until you reach the second room with a Bat. This room has a few secret passages in the wall. Push against the wall in places where there is a large shadow. Continue with the path until you reach a room with 4 Spinistars. This should be the 2nd room yo've seen like this. Unlike the first one, however, this room has a secret passage on the right wall. If you feel like you might not be able to make it without some extra help, keep following the obvious route to some Medicine, then go through the passage. Collect the Snowman Doll and continue upward until you meet Octo. In-Depth Run From the starting room, head up to wide open area full of water. Continue on the path of grass and, about half way, a Mud-O-Fish will jump out from the water at the end and head towards you. 2 Hits from your Yo-Yo is more than enough for these guys. Cross another pathway and collect the Baseball Bat. You only get 30 swings with it, though. (For some reason, it breaks after that...) In the next room, don't bother killing the Noctos, they don't cause much harm. Be careful when jumping across the sinking tile, and then destroy the Looper and continue. This long room is only a few more long pathways of land and some Mud-O-Fish. Take them out. Kill the 3 Noctos in the next room to open the door upward and go in it. Watch the Spinistar's movements and destroy it with two hits from your Yo-Yo or one hit from your Bat. This room is a series of tiles with a lot of Octots jumping back and forth on them. Kill any Octots that get in your way, making sure not to fall into the water or the sinking tile, and find the switch and continue through the door. This long horizontal room looks a bit bizarre at first because of its lack of space. Kill the three Loopers that get in your way and go to the left of the room. You'll notice that a part of the wall has an extra shadow. Push against it and you'll walk through the wall into the little secluded room. Kill the Nocto and collect the hearts and Bat and find the switch. Continue through another secret passage leading to another little room and hit the switch and leave. In this room, hurry and walk to the center of the Spinistars and equip the Bat and take a swing. You should be able to take them all out in one swing. If not, wait until they slow down and pick them off with your Yo-Yo. Go through the door. To open the door in this room, destroy all four of the Octrots around the tiles while avoiding the shots from Puff. This next hallway contains two hearts and a switch. Move on. Though there are 5 Noctos in this room, you only need to destory the one on your immediate left to open the soor. Ignore the others and continue up. This next room is similar to one you've seen previously. Attack all the Spinistars with your Bat, continue up. (If you don't want the Medicine and want to just finish the stage, skip to the next paragraph. If not, then read on) This room is empty, so head to the left, kill the Loopers and the Noctos and go down. Collect the Medicine and find a switch that opens a door that leads you back to the room with the Spinistars! To continue on with the level, kill the Spinistars if you haven't done so already and find the part of the wall that is darkened and push against it. On the other side of the hidden passage is a switch and the elusive Snowman Doll. You can only use it twice, so save it for the Boss. Destroy the Octots and go up to the last room before the Boss. Hey! It's the baby dolphin! Grr.... Who put it in that little cage? To find out, kill the single Octot and go up to meet Octo the Octopus! If you're having difficulty with Octo, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. After defeating Octo, the dolphin baby will be free and you will be teleported outside the cave. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to the Island Head back to the dock and board Sub-C and you'll meet the baby Dolphin and his mother. She thanks you for saving her child and, in return, shows you the way past the rocks. With a final squeal they wish you luck and Sub-C sails away to Chapter 3! 2c: Chapter 3; Storm and Calm ******************************** Suddenly it gets dark and stormy on the ocean. The sea tosses Sub-C.... You awaken to find that Sub-C has been knocked over into the rocks and is in need of repair. Since you can't do anything with it yet, explore a bit of the island. On your way, visit the hut to drink some coconut milk that recovers all of your hearts. Keep walking eastward to find a cave that leads to a town. It's only a short cave, but I'll still map it for you. 2c-a: Tunnel to MiraCola ******************************** I think this is the shortest cave in StarTropics. It only takes about 5 minutes to complete but there is a catch. There are two exits at the end of the tunnel, one that leads to the town of MiraCola, and the other leads back outside of the cave next to the entrance. You'll meet some tougher, quicker enemies here, but you will also get to use a powerful weapon. New Enemies: Dodo, Ninja Monkey, Boneheads New Obstacles: Sinking Tile Path, Alternate Exit, Dark Rooms, Light Switch New Items/Weapons: Bola Boss: None *** *E* S=Start *** E=End | e=Wrong End *** *** *** D=Dark Room *e*-*D*-* * B=Bola *** *** *** | *** * * *** | *** *B* *** | *** * * *** | *** * * *** | *** *B* *** | *** * * *** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Go up two rooms to get the Bola. Take out the Ninja Monkeys with the Bolas and continue up. Get some more Bolas and continue to the Dark Room. Find the Light Switch and go up to the exit. In-Depth Run: Go up one room and destroy the three Dodos. Be careful, their movement is very erratic. Continue up and destroy the two Dodos (stand on the tile and they can't get to you.) and find the switch for the Treasure Chest on the little island. You will get 40 Bolas. Equip them for the next room and continue. Dispatch the 4 swift Ninja Monkeys with your Bolas as quickly as you can. When they're destroyed, the door will open to a room with 6 Ninja Monkeys. Again, try to kill as many as possible without moving from the entrance to ensure your safety. In the next room, don't open the Treasure Chest. First, kill the Looper when he tries to attack you through the chest, then open it. Grab the 40 Bolas and jump when the 2 Loopers attack. Continue up one square, turn around, and hit them when they return. Continue up. These types of rooms are my favorite. It's a path of sinking tiles that you must jump across quickly. If you don't think you can make it in one run, jump to one of the side tiles to rest, and to collect some hearts. In the next room, stay where you are and take care of the Dodos before moving. When they're gone, move out and hit the Boneheads 5 times with your Bola to open the door. This next room is a Dark Room. It is completely black until you step on the Light Switch. Just follow my directions. Step two squares left and jump one square up to activate the lights. Jump upwards once more to find the switch to the Northern room. Go there instead of the Western room. The room on the left will take you directly outside of the cave, back on to the path to the entrance. So, don't go this way or you'll have to do the whole cave over again, not that it's very difficult... Anyway, go up to the Exit and finish the cave. Right, no boss! WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to MiraCola Island Follow the short path to enter the village of MiraCola. Once inside, you'll notice a large grass hut to the right. Circle around it and the small forest while talking to everyone. On the way there, stop to drink some coconut milk to restore your hearts. Cross the bridge and talk to the guard in front of the hut. If he won't let you in, then you must speak with all of the villagers. Inside the hut, the chief of MiraCola will tell you the story of how his daughter bananette fell into a deep, never-ending sleep. He informs you of a hermit living on the northern side of the mountain who might be able to help. He alse tells you that he will repair the Sub-C if you help him. You don't have much of a choice so agree to help him out. If you want, stop by Bananette's room to see how she's doing. When you're ready, leave MiraCola using the exit on the eastern side of the village. The road north is long and full of dangerous dungeons. After a short walk, you come across the second dungeon of Chapter 3. 2c-b: Magma's Molten Tunnel ******************************** A lot longer and tougher than the previous dungeon, but not overly difficult. The cave starts like a usual cave, but then enters a hellish pit with fire and lava. The hardest part of this stage is not in the stage itself, but actually in defeating Magma The Fierce. The Items you will find are useful, but the Sling Shot is useless. New Enemies: Gadfly, Mad Muddy New Obstacles: Volcanoes New Items/Weapons: Stop/Slow Watch, Try-Your-Luck Sign, Sling Shot Boss: Magma The Fierce *** *** *** *** *** *1* *1* *B*-*2* *2* *** *** *** *** *** | | S=Start *** *** E=End * * * * *** B=Boss *** *** *E* M=Medicine | | *** D=Dark Room *** ****** *** *** | s=Sling Shot * *-*sb D*-* * * * *** W=Stop/Slow Watch *** ****** *** * * *2* T=Try-Your-Luck Sign | | * * *** b=Baseball Bat *** *** *o* o=Bola *M* * * *** 1=Staircase *** *** | 2=Staircase | ****** *** * * *S* ****** *** | *** *W* *** | *** *** *1*-*T* *** *** Quick Run: Follow the path until the dark room. Take the third path with the looper. Jump down to a secret room with some medicine. Acquire the Sling Shot and Baseball Bat and continue until you reach a staircase. Follow the stairs and grab the T-Y-L Sign. Continue up and take the right path of tiles north to Magma the Fierce. Defeat him and climb the stairs to the exit. In-Depth Run: In the first room, there are two rows of three Loopers. They will charge at you if you walk in there line of site so the best thing to do is to walk in the middle, jump over as they rush at you, and repeat until you reach the top of the room. Take the two Bone Heads down with five swings of your Yo-yo and continue to the left. In this dark room, dispatch the Looper and walk as far as you can to the left. Walk to spaces down, turn left, kill the Looper and jump across the pit. Carefully destroy the three Loopers and walk up to the same row as the Octot and watch his movement. Mime him on the times and light the room. Grab the Baseball Bat and the useless Sling Shot and ignore the exit for now. Continue south to receive a bottle of Medicine. Walk back and take the left exit. Don't equip eaither weapon, they're just not as good as the Yo-Yo. In this next room, you will meet three Gadflies. These enemies fly in a diagonal pattern and then stop to rest for a second. Attack them at that moment. After defeating them, uncover the switch at the bottem-left hand corner of the room and continue upwards. With luck, you will be able to clear this trail of sinking tiles in one try. If you're low on hearts, step on the left block to get a pair of hearts. Continue up to a room with some stairs. Descend them to another room with stairs. Descend them as well. Continue to the right and enter a room with four volcanoes. These volcanoes will shoot four fireballs every five seconds. They move very slow, so dodging them isn't a problem. If you feel lucky, grab the sign in the corner. The T-Y-L sign will either give you a life, give you two lives, or take one away! It's up to you whether you take it or not, but I suggest that you do. Hit the tile next to the sign to reveal the switch and enter the next room. This room has three Gadflies. Jump three tiles to the left to uncover a Stop/Slow Watch. This watch will either slow the enemies or stop them completely. this will help in eliminating the three Gadflies. In the next room, you will encounter Mad Muddy for the first time. He will randomly pop up out of the lava to shoot two fire balls at you. Don't take the time to attack Mad Muddy, his fire balls are easy to dodge. Jump on the far right tile to access the switch to the next room. This room has two paths of tiles. If you are low on health, take the left path to some hearts, if not, take the right path. Don't bother tracing your steps to get the Bolas, there aren't any more enemies to use them against after this room. In the last part of this long vertical room is another sinking tile path. Clear it and enter the last room before the boss. There's nothing important in this room, so continue upwards to fight Magma The Fierce. If you're having difficulty with Magma, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. After defeating Magma, leave to the right and follow the stairs to the exit! WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to MiraCola Island Continue north until your path is divided between a beach and a castle. Enter the castle. This is SheCola Castle, the biggest feminist rally of any NES game! Seeing how you are a lowly man, the guard refuses to grant you passage into their fort. Talk to the old man around the corner to learn of a fortune teller. Circle around the castle walls to find the Forune Teller's Camp. The Fortune Teller tells you that she can't help you because she dropped her crystal ball in the lake at Ghost Village. Now, why would the old Fortune Teller wander out to a place called Ghost Village? In any case, you are forced to travel to Ghost Village to recover her lost crystal ball. Exit the castle and walk north through the mountain range, taking the staircase for a Big Heart. You should now have seven hearts in all. Continue through the mountain range and across the tiny trail of land to a lone house. This is Ghost Village. Inside Ghost Village, travel to the north eastern field of gravestones. You'll notice that one gravestone is a different color than all of the others. Walk into it to enter the next dungeon, The Ghost Tunnel. 2c-c: The Ghost Tunnel ******************************** This is probably the hardest tunnel in Chapter 3, so be prepared. Being a ghost tunnel, all of the enemies are undead. One enemy, however, is a ghost called Minie. Minies are invisible and will harm you unless you use The Rod of Sight. The Rod allows Mike to see where there are ghosts in the room. As with the first tunnel of Chapter 3, this dungeon has multiple false exits. I will tell you where they are, just don't enter the rooms with them, or you will be forced to exit. New Enemies: Bonedog, Skull, Minie, Muumu, Mr. Armstrong, Dimhag New Obstacles: Invisible Enemies, New Items/Weapons: Rod of Sight, Lantern, Miracle Mirror Boss: Maxie *** S=Start b=Bolas *F* B=Boss M=Medicine *** E=Exit W=Stop/Slow Watch | F=False Exits ****** *** R=Rod of Sight * *-* * L=Lantern ****** *** m=Miracle Mirror | | *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** * * *S* * *-* *-* *-*m*-* *-* * *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** | | | *** *** *** *** *** *R* * * *E* * *-*b* *** *** *** *** *** | | | | *** *** *** *** *** * * *W* * *-*B*-* * *** *** *** *** *** | | *** *** *** *** * *-* *-* * * * *** *** *** *** | | | *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *F* *F*-* *-* *-* *-* *-* *-* *-* * *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** | *** * * *** | *** *** *L*-*M* *** *** Quick Run: Follow the southern path in the horizontal room. Continue down and grab the Rod of Sight. Use it in the next room to uncover some Minies. In the room with a lot of Skulls and tiles, reveal the switch to open an exit to the right. Go down to a room with a Jelly and a staircase. Do not go up the staircase unless you want to do the whole dungeon again. Kill the Jelly and push against the darkened wall. In the dark room, follow the path down to get a Lantern. Use the Rod in the the lowest room and open a secret room with some Medicine. Go back up to the dark room and use the lantern. Go north at the skull room. At the top use the Rod of Sight and continue right. Continue moving right using the Rod when needed. in the room with two Bonedogs, don't forget to collect the Miracle Mirror. Continue and collect the Bolas. When you reach the empty room with four volcanoes at the top, use the Rod one last time and defeat Maxie. Continue to the last room and jump on the north tile three times drain the lake. In-Depth Run: In the first room, stand on a tile, so the Bonedogs can't reach you and then just wail away at them with your Yo-yo. In the next room, follow the south path and exit using the southern exit. The room to the north leads to a false exit. As soon as you enter this seemingly empty room, jump over the water to avoid getting damaged by an invisible Minie. Get the switch and continue downwards. Be very careful in this room, the Muumus are slow, but they're strong. After defeating them, collect the treasure chests to receive five Rods of Sight. Use it immediatly in the next room to uncover five Minies. This next room has two exits. The one leading south is a false exit, so instead find the switch to open an exit to the right. Use the Rod of Sight and defeat the Minies to reach a room with some hearts. Continue down. This room looks like a false exit room, but don't worry, you don't need to take the stairs. Instead, kill the Jelly and push against the wall where it was standing to go throught the wall. Unless you are in a real need of hearts, ignore the Double Heart at the bottom of the room. Continue to the right, dodging the volcano. In the dark room, follow the path down to a room with four Muumus. Defeat them carefully and travel downwards again. This room holds a Lantern and a secret exit to a room with some medicine. After collecting the items, make your way bak to the dark room and use the Lantern. This will light the room for about five seconds. Use the Lantern sparingly, though, you only have five times to use it. Make your way through the little maze of tiles and defeat the two Mr. Armstrongs in the next room to continue. Go straight up, ignoring the room to the right and defeat the three Bonedogs. Collect the hidden Stop/Slow Watch and you'll have an easier time with the two Muumus. Grab the hearts in the next room and continue up. If you're running low on Rods, go to the left to collect some more. Go back to the previous room and use the Rod. Continue to the right and use the Rod again. In the room with the Bonedogs, there is a hidden Miracle Mirror. You need this weapon to continue the dungeon, so get it. You'll get 80 hits with the Mirror. In the next room, attack the Dimhags by bouncing their energy off of the Mirror. To the right is a room with six Muumus!! Be extremely careful with these guys. A good strategy is to get them all to follow you like a Muumu Conga line and then kill them one by one as they follow you. This way, you don't have to worry about running into another Muumu. After defeating the Bonedogs in the next room, use the Rod to gain entry to a stash of Double Hearts. Collect the Bolas but don't equip them yet. You need to use them against the boss. Continue downwards and defeat the Dimhags and Skulls to access the next room. This room is seemingly empty, so you know what to do, use the Rod of Sight. this time, however, no Minies will appear. Instead a huge ghost by the name of Maxie will materialize! If you're having difficulty with Maxie, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. After defeating Maxie, continue to the left. If you want, use the Rod again and a single Minie will appear in the corner. Defeating it won't do anything so it's kind of pointless. In this last room, jump on the top tile three times to watch the lake be drained. Revealing the Crystal Ball that you came here for! That dungeon was pretty tiring, but don't worry, the next two dungeons are kind of a break from the difficulty of the last two dungeons. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to MiraCola Island Now that the lake is drained, collect the Crystal Ball and make your way back to the Fortune Teller's camp. Now that she's back in business, the Fortune Teller agrees to help you into SheCola. With a bright flash, she.... turns you into a girl!!! I think that Startropics is the first video game with a cross dressing hero. Take that, Final Fantasy VII! Anyway, you can now enter the Castle of SheCola. None of the women have anything important to say, so enter the north-west room and follow the stairs to meet with Queen SheCola. She has heard of your heroic venture to Ghost Village and asks you to join SheCola. You refuse and ask about the mountain Hermit. She tells you to talk to the head warrior. Before leaving, the Queen also gives you your second weapon; The Shooting Star!! The only drawback is that you must have atleast six full hearts to use the Shooting Star, otherwise, you're stuck with the Yo-yo. If you've collected the two Big Hearts, you shouldn't have much of a problem keeping atleast six hearts. This weapon has a range of five tiles. After leaving the Queen, talk to the head warrior and she will tell you how to get to the Hermet's island. With the information in hand, leave SheCola and change back into a guy. Exit to the Island map and head west to the beach. If you've been here before, you'll remember that you couldn't pass through because of all the water, but with SheCola's spell in hand, you can now get past! 2c-d: The West Tunnel ******************************** Remember when I said that the first dungeon in Chapter 3 was the smallest in the game? I lied. This tunnel is less than 10 rooms long. It's incredibly easy, and all of the enemies are from Chapter 2. This is really only a chance for you to use your new Shooting Star. I'll map this dungeon for you, but I won't include an in-depth run, because there's no need for one. New Enemies: None New Obstacles: None New Items/Weapons: Shooting Star Boss: None *** ******* *E* * * S=Start *** ******* E=Exit | | | *************** *** * * * * *************** *** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Go up to the first room. Stand on the switch and cast the spell told to you by SheCola. "Shout ABRACADABRA and jump ten times". Don't worry, you don't have to shout abracadabra unless you really want to, but you do need to jump ten times. This will create a bridge. Follow the path, defeating the Octots and Mud O Fish until you reach the end. Exit the tunnel. If you died here, you are sad. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to MiraCola Island Hug the side of the mountains to walk through the mountain range. On the other side, go into the hut to talk to Po, the poet. Po sings you a hint on exiting the next dungeon, but since I'm here, you don't need Po, so slap him in the face and exit the hut. Head down and enter the cave next to the tall mountain to enter the last dungeon of chapter 3; The Hermit's Mountain. 2c-e: The Hermit's Mountain ******************************** This is it! The last dungeon in Chapter 3!! Not as long as the Ghost Tunnel, but the enemies require more hits to defeat. But as long as you're equipped with the Shooting Star, you shouldn't have much trouble. Be careful of the new Sudden Sink Tiles. These white tiles will sink as soon as you jump on them, so jump directly after landing. Also, there are Phantom Tiles. You can't see these tiles until you actually attempt to jump on them. i'll point them out for you. New Enemies: Froppa, Gogglin, Big Bully New Obstacles: Sudden Sink Tile, Phantom Tile New Items/Weapons: None Boss: None *** *** *** *** * *-* *-* * * * *** *** *** *** | | | | *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** * *-*E*-* * *M*-*T*-* *-* *-*2* *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** | | | | *** *** *** *** * * * *-* * *W* *** *** *** *** S=Start | | E=End *** *** 1=Staircase * * * * 2=Staircase *** *** M=Medicine | | B=Bat *** *** ******* T=TYL Sign *2* *1*-* * b=Bola *** *** ******* *** *1* *** W=Stop/Slow Watch | *** *** *** *** *** * *-*B*-* *-* *-*b* *** *** *** *** *** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Kill the Righthand Looper and continue right, and ignore the Baseball Bat. Collect the Bolas and go up to descend the stairs. Find the switch while avoiding the Froppas and head up. To open the door, kill the Mad Muddy. At the intersection, go left to collect medicine. Find a hidden switch near the top of the intersection to receive a TYL Sign. Continue to the right, killing the Froppas and Gogglins and ascend the staircase. Continue up until a room with a Gogglin. Kill the Gogglin and move up, then to the right, ignore the exit to the south and continue right, then down. In this room with the single looper is an invisible passage way through the wall on the left. Go through it and jump on the fountain. The end. In-Depth Run: To gain access to the second room, you must defeat the lower right hand Looper. You can kill the others if you'd like, but it's not necessary. Simply destroy all three skulls to open this next door. Also, there is a secret switch that you can only get to by using a Phantom Tile. Jump up to the top right hand tile and a Phantom Tile will appear under your feet. The switch holds a Baseball Bat, but it's not very useful, so unless you're better with the bat than the Shooting Star, don't take it. With the new Weapon, Boneheads only take three hits to defeat, so dispatch these two and continue right. This is the first room with Sudden Sink Tiles. You can't kill the Skull from your vantage point, so hop quickly to the other side and take it out. Press the switch and open the door. There are 40 Bolas Inside the Chest. To get to it, simply jump across, using the Phantom Tile. Go up and descend the staircase. Jump across the Sudden Sink Tiles while avoiding the non-stop wave of Froppas. The switch is on the tile directly next to the Sink Tile. Defeat the Mad Muddy that pops out to open this next door. To easily defeat him, jump on the tiles and when Mad Muddy appears, jump over him and stab him in the back. Jump across the Sinking Tile Path and ignore the Stop/Slow Watch. In this next room, go to the left and reveal a switch to open the lefthand door. Colect the Medicine and go back to the intersection. Near the top is a switch for a TYL Sign. Don't bother going into the top room, it's a dead end. Find the switch and open the door to the right. Defeat two Froppas to open the way to the next room. Be careful while defeating the Gogglers here. Once hit, They move quickly either up and down, or left to right. Ascend the staircase. Go up and ignore the Mad Muddy. Kill the Big Bully and move up. This room has two exits, take the northern one by defeating the Goggler. Defeat another Big Bully and continue right. This room also has two exits uncover the switches and take the one to the right. Once again, destroy the Big Bully and move south. Defeat the Looper and go to the fifth row of blocks. Then push against the wall to the left. You should be in a room with a geyser. Jump on this geyser to finish off the final dungeon in Chapter 3!! WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to MiraCola Island Alright, we did it! We are now on the top of the mountain with the Hermit. Talk to him to receive the Scroll of Obob. With this in hand, you can now wake Bananette. You automatically run all the way to MiraCola to save Chief MiraCola's daughter. Mike reads from the scroll and Bananette finally wakes up. The village rejoices and they agree to repair the Sub-C. You are now able to continue your journey. We finally end the longest chapter in the game. Congratulations. 2d: Chapter 4; Confession ******************************** Sub-C is cruising on the ocean.... A small island appears on the horizon... After such a long chapter with five dungeons, it's nice to have a little rest. There are no real dungeons in this chapter, but there is a maze. Like a regular dungeon, I'll map that out for you. Continue sailing to the east and you'll arrive at an island shaped like a fish. Enter the small town of TunaCola and talk to the villagers. According to a fellow named Bate, a sailor from C-Island was looking for you, but is now traveling east. Well, get back in the Sub-C and start sailing east. In a few seconds a large whale will eat you. Very inconveniant... 2d-a: Inside the Belly of a Whale ************************************ *=Water #=Land %=Fish Bones ##**** *** * **************** # * ***** *** ** * # ***** *****#**####### * * # * *** ## * *** # * * # * *#* # * * # ***** ****** # * * # * *#* * # * * # ****##**** * # * ## * * ** ##**** # * * * ** # * # * * # * # **##**** * # ### * # # * ** * # # #*** # # ** # ######## #*#*** # # ** #### # #*#*** # # ** # ** # #*# ##%#### * * ****** # #*# # # ** ******* *** # ###*### # # ** * * # ##*****## # # * * * * # #*******# # ##****** * * * # #*******# ## # * * * * # #*******##### # * ******* * * # #*******# # ### * *** ** *** ## ##*****## # # * BABOO *** *****#**##### ###*#%# # # * | #** *** #*# # # *** ###** %*# ## # ***#######* ### ####### ***#*#**** # # **#***** *** # # ******** **********--START # # ************* *** # % **** ### ########## ### # | ### ### LIGHTER #### ### #### #### ######## ## You start off in the lower right hand corner of the whale. Sail to the left until a large room, where you'll see someone with a raft. Dock in the small inlet and talk to him. It's Baboo, Dr. J's assistant that you met on C-Island!! Baboo tells you more about the Doc's disappearance and you both formulate a plan to get out. Using Baboo's lighter, you can build a fire to make the whale sneeze you out, but Baboo lost his lighter when he was swallowed... Time to go get it. Head to the right and go up. Keep following the water, don't go on land. Sail until you find a dead end with a dive area. Dive and you'll travel north. Continue to follow the water until an intersection. Go down and ignore the first dive area, but dive at the second one. Go up and continue following water. Soon, you'll reach a dead end that is a 3x3 tile area. Move through the wall on the left and skip the dive area. Move down until there is no water and dock. Follow the path and you'll reach the lighter. Walk back to Sub-C and use that Dive area you saw. Move down and you'll be back in that area with Baboo. Give him the lighter and you will build a fire. The fire will get smokier and smokier until the whale spits you out onto a little island. Baboo then tells you that Dr.J's last words were to tell Mike to dip his letter in water. Now, unless you own the game with the manual, you don't have that letter. If you do have that letter, dip it in water to reveal a password; 747. If you don't have the letter, guess you're stuck here... or you can look up a line and see the password. Either way, board Sub-C and give the password to Nav-Com. This will enable you to continue on to Chapter 5!! 2e: Chapter 5; Captain Bell ******************************** Sub-C is searching for Dr. Jones' location.... But the strait is blocked! You start below two islands. It appears that the only way to go is through the strait, but it looks like a huge ship is blocking the way. Dock at the nearest harbour on the western island and enter the town of BellCola. After talking to some of the villagers, it's pretty obvious that everyone idolizes some guy named Captain Bell. The guard won't let you into the Chief's hut until you talk to everyone, so do just that. When he lets you in, talk to the Chief. He tells you the story of Captain Bell and how he saved the islands by sacrificing his ship and blocking the strait. He then vaguely mentions someone named Peter. Well, let's go find him. Leave the village and head to the left through the path of palm trees. Talk to the parrot at the end to discover that this is Peter. Apparently, Peter won't give you the time of day, unless you can supply him with a gift. There's nothing left of value on this island right now, so head back to Sub-C. Follow the walls of the eastern island until you have nowhere to go but down. You will find a dive area, so dive. Go up until you see a wall with little bubbles coming out. Push through that wall and dock. Go up to the lone house to meet Hook, the master fisherman. When asked if you'd like to know the ABCs of fishing, reply yes. Replying no will make him wonder if you are Nester, which I think might be a reference to Nintendo Power's Nester and Howard. Anyway, Hook will give you a fresh worm. Yay, now we have a suitable gift for Peter, so head back and talk to him. Give the worm to Peter and he'll tell you everything he knows about getting through the strait. Strangely enough, he'll say Do Me So Far, Do Me. Those of you who are musically inclined, may recognize the musical notes used there. This message translates to Do Mi So Fa Do Mi. Now, with that little tune in your head, go back to the island where Hook lives. Once there, curve around the mountains to the south and push through to the left to enter a secret passage. Instead of following the path up, stop on the last tile and press left to find a memorial of some kind. Inside, a woman tells you that this is the Captain Bell Memorial. Anyway, look at the huge organ. Maybe Peter was trying to tell you something. Play the melody that you learned on the giant organ. Do Mi So Fa Do Mi or, if you want to more technical, 1 3 5 4 1 3 After hitting the last note, the flames blocking the stairs will vanish, letting you in. Take the first case of stairs you see to enter an empty room. Now push against the bottom left of this room to gain a Big Heart. If you've gotten the other two Big Hearts, you're maximum hearts should be 9. Continue through the path to a cave. This is Captain Bell's Cave. Inside is the secret to getting through the strait. 2e-a: Captain Bell's Cave ******************************** This tunnel is pretty long and is filled to the brim with dangerous traps. Be very careful when traveling through a seemingly empty room. You never know when a spike might jut out of the ground or an arrow might come out of the wall. Again, there is no boss, simply a final switch that you must press in the last room. You will meet newer versions of older enemies, such as Green Loopers and Red Noctos. These are much more difficult then their older versions, so expect some new surprises from them. New Enemies: Pirate Ghouls, Megaton New Obstacles: Arrows, Silver Balls, Pencil Trap, Trap Rooms, Sinking Floors New Items/Weapons: None Boss: None *** *** S=Start T=TYL Sign * *-* * E=End m=Miracle Mirror *** *** M=Medicine !=Trap/Megaton Room | | *** *** *** *** ****** *** *** R=Rod of Sight TO A -*!*-* *-* *-* *-* *-*!*-* * B=Baseball Bat *** *** *** *** ****** *** *** | | *** ***** *T* *S * *** ***** *** ****** * * *E-- * *** * **** | * * ******* ****** *** *** *** *** *** *** ****** * *-*!!!!!*-* *-* *-* *-* *-*B*-*R*-* *-*m!!!*- FROM A *** ******* ****** *** *** *** *** *** *** ****** | | | *** *** *** * * *M* * * *** *** *** | | | *** *** *** * *-*!*-* * *** *** *** Quick Run: Walk thorught the wall on the right of the entrance to collect 4 hearts. Collect the hearts in the Trap Room and find the switch before being trapped. Continue left through the trap rooms until an inter- section with three exits. Go down to collect a TYL Sign. Go to the left to get some more hearts, and go up to continue. Fall through the floor and climb the bottom right stairs.Go up five spaces and head left throught the wall. Go down one space and go through the left wall to another room. Go down and left to another trap room. Continue past the Megaton room, making sure that you collected the Mirror and defeat the Pirate Ghouls. Unless you're in real need of hearts, don't go up. Go down and to the left. In this Megaton room, don't bother going up. Instead keep going to the left and head up until a room with two Big Bullies. Use the Rod of Site in this room to uncover a Minie. Defeat it and head to the left. Continue to the left until a room with some Pirate Ghouls. Go up and through the wall twice. Jump on the switch to end this level. In-Depth Run: If you're not full on Hearts, go through the right wall in the entrance to find a room with two double hearts. This should fill you up. Head up and kill the Red Nocto directly to the right of you to open the door to the left. This room is a trep room, as if the music didn't tip you off. When you reach half-way to the door, the room will start breaking apart. Find the switch on the top and bottom right hand corners of the room to uncover two more double hearts. The switch to open the door is at the top left hand corner. Move quicly through this room to avoid the arrows coming out of the wall. As long as you don't stop or if you jump every once ina while, you should be safe. The Silver Ball in this room will move back and forth very quickly once you hit it. You must hit it to pass it, so hit it, and time your jumps to reach the next side safely. The switch is on the right side of the room, while the trigger is on the left. At this intersection, head down to collect a TYL Sign. If you're in need of hearts, go left. To continue, travel north to a room with many Rattus. Walk on the space at the top right corner of the room to sink down to another room with spikes trying to skewer you. Avoid the spikes and ascend the bottom right staircase. Back on the top floor, move up five spaces, move through the wall on the left and go down one space to move through the left wall again to another room. Go down, then left to enter another Trap Room. This room will break down after you take your first step. The Switch is two tiles under the exit, so get there as soon as you can and exit this room. This room contains a Megaton ball. Move through the room, avoiding the huge ball whenever you need to. Collect the Miracle Mirror and hit the switch. In the next room, use the Mirror just like you did against the Dimhags back in the Ghost Tunnel. Defeat the Green Looper to open the exit. In this intersection, do not travel up. You can travel to the left to get a Baseball Bat and some Medicine. To get to the Medicine, use the Rod of Sight to uncover a Minie in the corner. To continue with the tunnel, move down and defeat the Loopers and Noctos. Take out the Dodos in the next room and you'll come to a small Megaton room. Don't bother going up, that'll just lead you to the room with the Medicine. Hit the switch on the right hand side of the room and continue. Move up past a tile path full of Noctos and defeat the two Big Bullies. Use the Rod of Site and destroy the Minie to open the way to the left hand room. Hit one of the Silver balls to activate it. Then, while standing near the other Silver Ball. Jump to avoid the moving ball and hit the still ball at the same time and, hopefully, they will follow the same path, making it easie to jump over them. Find the switch in the middle of the tiles while avoiding the Pencil Traps. Also, there is a switch that reveals some hearts next to the door switch. Move quickly to the left to avoid the arrows. At the last bit of land, jump in place to avoid jumping into the sinking tile while it's down. Continue to the left and open the door. This Megaton room is much harder because the ball doesn't stop as much anymore. If you hit the Megaton with your Shooting Star, it will puase for a second, as if it hit a wall. Get in front of the ball and walk to the left, hitting the Megaton when it gets too close. In this next room, defeat the Pirate Ghouls using the Mirror and move upwards. Push through the wall on the right to find a passage. Go to the top of the path and head back to the left. Jump on the tile three times to complete this dungeon! WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to BellCola Island Now that the dungeon is drained, Captain Bell's ship will sink, leaving the strait wide open for you. After God Save The Queen, you automatically board Sub-C and continue through the strait to Chapter 6! 2f: Chapter 6; Reunion ******************************** Sub-C is searching for Dr. Jones' location.... Will Nav-Com catch his signal on time? The first little bit of this chapter consists of navigating through a series of islands via Sub-C. Start off by heading east until you run into a huge island blocking the path. Search the side of the island for a secret passage through the island. On the other side there's a little island with a town on it. If you want, dock and enter the town of HowdoyaduCola. Talk to the villagers to learn nothing. Board Sub-C and continue north-west and eventually you'll find a dive area. Dive and you'll emerge in a tiny area with three more dive spots. The top one leads to a dead end, the bottom leads to a Big Apple, which doesn't do anything. Dive at the eastern dive area to continue. Dock and enter the staircase to collect a Big Heart. You should now have twelve hearts. You'll now be in a huge area with an island and a house on it. Don't go in there, there's nothing of importance. Head south until an island blocks your path. Search the side of the island to find a passage through it. Continue south to a group of islands and dive areas shaped like an arrow. Dive at the second dive area from the left. Continue south some more to two dive spots adjacent to each other. Take the bottom one. Head directly west to another dive spot and use it. You will travel north for a while and emerge in a tiny path below an island. Move north and Nav-Com will report the coordinates of Dr J! That must mean we're getting close! Continue north and pass through the large island. Continue east until Nav-Com shouts the numbers North five, East six, so travel north five spaces and east six spaces. Nav-Com will say that the signal has stopped. This is your cue to dive. You will find yourself in an underwater cave. Travel north to a cave and dock. Travel north 3 screens and you will enter a ruin of some kind. Move to the east and enter the next dungeon. 2f-a: Lost Ruins ******************************** Not very long or overly difficult. This is the first dungeon, however, to have two bosses, one of which is a clone of Octo from Chapter 2. A useful item, the Armlet, is found here. When equipped on Mike, you can jump a span of two tiles! The effect wears off once you leave the room, however. New Enemies: Armet, Squidos New Obstacles: None New Items/Weapons: Wonder Horse Hide, Spike, Anklet Boss: Giant Turboss, Broken Joe *** *E* S=Start *** E=Exit | B=Boss *** A=Anklet *B* W=Wonder Horse Hide *** s=Spikes | M=Medicine *** * * *** | *** * * *** | ****** *** * A*-*s* ****** *** | *** *** *A*-* * *** *** | *** * * *** | *** *** * *-*B* *** *** | *** * * *** | *** ****** *** * *-* A*-* * *** ****** *** | *** *A* *** | *** * * *** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Head up, collect the Anklet and doubleheart and kill the Muumus. Find your way through the little tile maze to the left using the Anklet. Open the chest and stand in the middle of the donut style platform to defeat the Muumus without risking damage. Go up, and defeat the Turboss like you defeated Octo. Continue to the left, then up until an empty room. Walk through the walls in various places to open the chests. Collect the Spikes and use them against the Squidos for a quick kill. Continue until a room with many Muumus. Use the Spikes against them and then travel up to defeat Broken Joe. Exit the dungeon. In-Depth Run: Go up to the first room and ignore the Loopers and continue up. Collect the Anklet and jump ot one of the tiles to activate a switch to one of the Treasure Chests. Open the other chest and collect the double hearts. Carefully defeat the red Muumus in this next room. If you can, try to hit them with the Shooting Star while on the opposite side of the water. In this next room, collect the Anklet by following the bottom path of tiles. Then, find your way through the little tile maze and get to the next room. Wait until there is a large gap in the line of muumus, then jump in and follow them. When the chest is open, jump in the center and defeat the Mumuus without getting hurt. Jump to the tile in the corner and collect the Medicine using the two Phantom Tiles that appear. Continue up and you'll face the Giant Turboss.If you're having difficulty with the Giant Turboss, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. Collect the Anklet and head left, then up. Defeat the two Armets and keep going up to an empty room. Ignore the dark spot and walk all the way to the left and go through the wall. Hit the switch and open the door. Head back to the empty room and walk to the top of the room and go through to the right. Grab the Anklet, and jump down to light the room. Jump on the top switch to open one of the treasure chests. Hit the other switch to open the other chest, which contains 30 Wonder Horse Hides (Baseballs). Save them for the boss. In the next room are a pair of cleats. Grab the Spikes and use them immediately. This will take care of all those Squidos. Grab the Anklet in the top of the next room and make your way to the opposite end and exit at the top. Use the Spikes as much as you want to destroy all of the Muumus. Go up one more room, defeat the Loopers and then get ready to face off with Broken Joe. If you're having difficulty with Broken Joe, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. Go up and exit the dungeon! WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to The Lost Ruins Head to the right and ignore the intersection. Continue up until a dead end. Go up at the last chance you had and follow the waterside path to a staircase. Inside is a Big Heart. Go bak to the first intersection you came across in this area and go up. Turn right at the next chance and follow the path to a big melted rock. It looks like something was taken out of it. Also, there is something written on it, but Mike can't read it. Continue to the entrance of the last dungeon of this chapter. *****SECRET; Get Maximum Hearts!****** If you want to be extra powerful and if you have a little time, you can obtain maximum hearts right now. That's 22 hearts!! Collect the Big Heart in the Lost Ruins. Enter the next dungeon and then leave. Go back to where the Big Heart was and it will be back! Continue this until you have a full meter of hearts. Sadly, this trick does not last the whole game. When you reach the next chapter, your hearts will decrease to only 14. Oh, well, atleast you'll be pumped for this dungeon! 2f-b: Big Rock Tunnel ******************************** This is the final typical dungeon in the game, so enjoy it while you can. This dungeon holds many dangers. Lots of enemies, traps and hidden passages make this dungeon quite difficult. The weapon that you find here, the Asterisk, is my personal favorite. Use it a lot in this dungeon. They're useful and you find a whole lot of them. New Enemies: Biter, Rocky, Fuzz, Hoodoo Doll New Obstacles: Dagger Trap, Urchin New Items/Weapons: Asterisk Boss: The Statues of Twin Sumocho *** *E* S=Start *** E=End | B=Boss *** *** *** A=Asterisk *B* * *-* * M=Medicine *** *** *** T=TYL Sign | | | ***** *** *** *A * *M*-* * ***** *** *** | | | *** *** *** * *-* * * * *** *** *** | *** * * *** | *** *A* *** | *** * * *** | *** * * *** | *** *** *A* * * *** *** | | *** *** *** *T*-* *-* * *** *** *** | *** * * *** | *** *** * *-* * *** *** | *** * * *** | *** *A* *** | *** *** * * * * *** *** | | *** *** * *-* * *** *** | | *** *** *S*-* * *** *** Quick Run: Go through a secret tunnel to the right in the entrance. Go up, collect the Asterisk and use them to defeat the Loopers. Continue up, kill the Gadflies, go to the left if you need hearts, if not, find the switch and move up. Defeat the four biters while avoiding the fuzz and head to the left. Follow the path until the double heart. There, go through the wall and continue. Carefully defeat the Hoodoo doll and grab the TYL sign and continue upward. Collect the double hearts and the Asterix and head north. Carefully dispose of the two Loopers and quickly leave this room before the Urchin has a chance to hurt you too badly. Grab some more Asterisks and double hearts in the room with the group of Gadflies. In the room with the four visible Rockies and the two Fuzzes, quickly make your way to the left side of the wall and push through. Collect some Medicine, and some more Asterisks and go down to a dangerous room with two Hoodoo dolls. There is a secret passage on the left wall of the dark hallway. Inside is a double heart and even more Asterisks. Go up one more room and defeat the Statues of Twin Sumocho. After that, go up another room and exit the dungeon. In-Depth Run: Ignore the northen exit in the entrance and pass through a secret passage in the right wall. Be careful of the Dagger Traps in an upcoming room. These do a lot of damage. Continue up and grab the Asterisk. When you shoot them they will head out like a torch or the Bolas, but when you tap the B Button again, they will fly out to each side, making them twice as useful. Practice with them against the Loopers in this area and continue up. Defeat all the Loopers in this room before hitting the urchin. Like the Silver Balls in Captain Bell's Cave, these will quickly run from side to side when hit. Be extremely careful of these for the take three whole hearts! When you kill the pair of Gadflies in this room, a door will open to the side, allowing you to collect two double hearts. To continue up, return to the Gadfly room and fins a switch. When you reach the room with the four Biters, defeat them without letting the Fuzz touch you. These creatures will temporarily take your weapon away, leaving you very defenseless. Follow the path in the next couple of rooms until you come across the first pair of hearts. Now, instead of continuing the path up to the room, use the secret passage in the wall. Defeat the Hoodoo doll in the next room carefully. Use the Asterisk to keep out of the enemies sights. Don't be too worried about using the Asterisk, you get lots in this dungeon. In fact, you should be able to get atleast 50 of them by the time you reach the boss. (If you don't use any, you'll have 99!) This next room has a lot of switches, collect the double hearts and Asterisk and head up. Be very careful of the Urchin in this room as it is more difficult to avoid then before. Defeat the invisible Rockies when they hit the wall in the next room. Continue up to fight a lot of Gadflies and then battle some more invisible Rockies. When you reach a room with four visible Rockis and two Fuzzes, ignore the enemies and head into a secret passage in the left wall. Jump down and collect the Medicine and the Asterisk. Get your Asterisks ready and head down another room. To move on, you must defeat two Hoodoo dolls! This can be very difficult, but as long as you have a sufficient supply of Asterisks you keep out of their line of sight, you should be fine. In the dark hallway, there is a passage to the left that holds a double heart and one more Asterisk. Continue up to face the Statues of Twin Sumocho. If you're having difficulty with The Statues of Twin Sumocho, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. Go up one more room and exit dungeon. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to The Lost Ruins Continue following the long, winding path and talk to the man at the end. It's Dr. Jones!! Finally, you've found him. Now, turn off the NES and go back to your life. Oh, wait, it's not the end of the game. The doc tells you about that stone you saw earlier and that three cubes were inside. Aliens from another planet abducted Dr. Jones to learn about the three cubes. Dr. J thinks that they must be very important, and asks you to board their spaceship and take the cubes back! Bravely, you accept this mission and leave Dr. J and head towards the alien Spaceship.... 2g: Chapter 7; Alien Spaceship ******************************** At last, you have arrived at the spaceship.... Find the 3 Magic Cubes! No turning back, now. Walk north to find the evil spaceship and bravely enter. 2g-a: Inside the Alien Ship ******************************** This dungeon is very small, but the real challenge is navigating it. To reach the end, you must use the numerous Warp Tiles found through out the dungeon. I'll tell you which to go into, just try to remember which room you're in on the map. New Enemies: Alien Gunner, Alien Rider New Obstacles: Alien Turrets New Items/Weapons: Vitamin-X, Ray Gun Boss: Jet-Pack Jumpers *** *** *s* *V* S=Start *** *** E=End | | B=Boss *** *** ****** ****** M=Medicine *E* *V*-*M *-*R * V=Vitamin-X *** *** ****** ****** s=Spikes | | | | | | R=Ray Gun *** *** ****** ****** * *-* *-* R*-* * *** *** ****** ****** | | | | | *** ****** ****** * *-*R *-* * *** ****** ****** | *** *S* *** Quick Run: Go up and collect the quadruple hearts and continue up. Ignore the Yellow Gunner and go up. Before collecting the Vitamin-X, bust through the top of the room with your Shooting Star and collect the Spikes. Go back down, collect the Vitamin-X and, ignoring the Warp, follow the path right. At the first chance you get, turn down and take the Warp. If you want some medicine, take the top Warp and jump to the left to collect a bottle. Then go back through the warp. Go into the right hand Warp and quickly dispose of the Green Gunner. Follow the path down and avoid the group of Gunners that you come across. Keep following the path until a Warp. Go to the left and defeat the Jet-Pack Jumpers. Exit the tunnel. In-Depth Run: In the first room, collect the four hearts and ignore the Turrets. Go up, try to get past the Yellow Gunner without a fight. Before collecting the Vitamin-X, shoot the north wall and reveal a room with a set of Spikes. Take them, go back down and collect the Vitamin-X. Go one room to the right, and then down. Enter the Warp Tile and you'll enter a room with four Warps. If you feel that you won't be able to get through the rest of the dungeon without some medicine, take the top Warp. If you want to go on, take the right Warp. Destroy the Gunner and head down two screens. This is a big room with lots of Gunners. Try to work your way around them without getting hit and follow the path to the left. On the next screen, continue to jump to the left, turning around to shoot the Riders every so often. Collect the Ray Gun and jump onto the Warp and continue onto the next Warp. Follow the path left and you'll fight the Jet-Pack Jumpers. If you're having difficulty with the Jet-Pack Jumpers, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. continue up one room and exit this dungeon. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to The Alien Spaceship. You'll appear in a room with three staircases. Take the lower righthand one and follow the path to the first Magic Cube. With this Cube in your possession, the Shooting Star turns into the Super Nova, your most powerful weapon! Beware, Mike needs atleast a full row of hearts. That's eleven hearts. This weapon has no range limit, it can shoot across the entire screen. Continue up to the next dungeon. 2g-b: The Second Cube ******************************** This second Alien dungeon isn't very small and is very linear. Nothing too difficult or surprising in this dungeon. Just keep calm and aim well. New Enemies: Air-Drones New Obstacles: Moving Turrets, Star Turrets, Electric Barrier, Heat Tiles New Items/Weapons: Super Nova, Wave Gun Boss: Jet-Pack Jumper, Ostroid *** *** S=Start *M* *1* E=End *** *** B=Boss | | R=Ray Gun ****** ****** *** ****** *** M=Medicine * *-* R*-* *-* *-*R* V=Vitamin-X ****** ****** *** ****** *** W=Wave Gun | 1=Warp Tile *** *** *** *** *S* * * *W* *E* *** *** *** *** | | | *** *** *** ****** *** *W* *B*-*R*-* *-*B* *** *** *** ****** *** | | *** *** *** *** *** *** *1*-* *-*V*-* *-* *-*W* *** *** *** *** *** *** Quick Run: Go up, grab enough hearts so that you're able to use the Super Nova and keep heading right. In the single room with two different colored Gunners, blast the wall and collect some Medicine. Head back down and continue heading to the right. Go in the warp and destroy the four moving Turrets to open the door. If you want the Wave Gun, head up a room and collect it. It's not too useful, so skip it if you'd like. Continue until you fight a single Jet-Pack Jumper. After defeating him, continue to the right until finding Ostroid. Defeat him and leave the dungeon. In-Depth Run: In the first room, collect enough hearts so that you can use the Super Nova.Head to the right a couple of screens and grab the Ray Gun. In the next room, defeat the yellow Gunner and shoot through the north wall to get some Medicine. Go back to the main path and continue to the right. In the room with the Star Turret and the Gunner, stand on a tile and defeat the Gunner without having to worry about the Turret. Step on the Warp Tile and you'll teleport to a room with four moving Turrets. Defeat them all to open the door to the right. Thie next room has a crack on the north wall. Break through it and collect the Wave Gun, a very powerful weapon that lacks enough range to make it extremely useful. Continue to the right and defeat the Green Gunner and then grab the Vitamin-X. On the next screen, dodge the Electric Barrier and Air-Drones and move on. You must defeat all of the Gunners and avoid the Barrier in this room to open the door. Do so carefully, the Gunner's shots can move through the Barrier, but yours cannot. Grab the Wave Gun and the hearts and defeat the three Air-Drones to move up and face a Jet-Pack Jumper. This guy is too easy for me to consider him a boss. Simply stand in the middle of the room and shoot up as he flies towards you. When he gets close, jump to the side and then move back when he flies back. Simple. Ignore the room at the top, it doesn't go anywhere. The room to the right has a secret passage at the top that holds a Wave Gun. Continue right and dodge all of the Air-Drones while jumping across the pits. In this last room, jump across the three platforms while dodging the heated tiles on the floor. Just time your jumps right and you'll make it out without getting burned. The next room contains the evil mech, Ostroid. If you're having difficulty with Ostroid, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. Continue up one room and exit the dungeon. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to The Alien Spaceship. You'll now find yourself in a maze. You have to find a way to the Cube above you. Head down past the first intersection and take the seconf path to the right. Follow the path down the stairs. Go down one step and take the right hallway to the stairs. Now, simply follow the paths laid out to you and you'll find the second Cube. With this new Cube, Mike will now have a full 22 hearts! Before heading on, you feel the floor rumble. The Aliens aren't happy with you finding the Cubes and they've decided to lift off with you still in the ship. That's not a good thing. 2h: Chapter 8; The Final Battle ******************************** The Alien Spaceship is circling the Earth.... Hurry up and find the last Magic Cube! Here we go, the last chapter. Walk north and an image will appear. The shadow tells you that he is Zoda, the Prime Invader. After taunting you, he disappears. Continue to walk up to enter the final dungeon of StarTropics. 2h-a: The Core and Zoda ******************************** Last Dungeon. The actual dungeon isn't hard at all, but there's three bosses to defeat, and that can take a lot out of you. There's nothing new in this dungeon because it's very linear. Just follow the path and you'll get to the bosses. New Enemies: Zoda Membrane, Alien Snipers New Obstacles: Gunner Duplicator New Items/Weapons: None Boss: Zoda's Image, Core, Zoda's True Form *** *E* *** | S=Start ****** E=End *B * B=Boss ****** R=Ray Gun | V=Vitamin-X *** * * *** | *** ****** *** * * * V*-*B* *** ****** *** | | | *** *** ****** ****** *** *R*-*B*-* *-* * *S* *** *** ****** ****** *** Quick Run: Go up, defeat Zoda's Image, follow the path to the Core and then walk up and defeat Zoda's True Form. Sound easy? It ain't. In-Depth Run: The first room is a boss battle against Zoda's Image. If you're having difficulty with Zoda's Image, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. Continue to the left and grab the Vitamin-X. This will give you the health you need to finish the game. Follow the path making sure not to fall in the opening tiles. If you do, you must fight your way out of a room full of Gunners and then do the dungeon over again. Follow the path and destroy the Core. If you're having difficulty with the Core refer to my Boss Strategy Section. After everything breaks down, continue the path and grab the hearts and Ray Gun. If you're not at full life, sit here, destroying the Zoda Membranes to get hearts. Do this until you have full health. When you feel that you're ready, head up to the last room and face off with Zoda's True Form. If you're having difficulty with Zoda's True Form, refer to my Boss Strategy Section. After finally defeating Zoda, exit at the top room to finish the last dungeon. WOW! YOU'VE DONE IT! GOOD LUCK! Back to The Alien Spaceship. Now that you've beaten Zoda, nothing stops you from collecting the last Magic Cube. Congratulations!! You've beaten a great, decently challenging game! I won't spoil the end for you, but remember to have fun and look around during the conclusion. THE END... 3: Lists ********************************** 3a: Weapons ******************************** In this section I will list all of the weapons in the game, their attack power, range, strengths and weaknesses. Attack power is measured by hearts. For example, the Yo-yo has an attack power of 1 heart. That is how much damage it will inflict on the enemy. Range is measured by how many tiles the weapon will travel. Yo-yo AP: 1 Heart Range: 2 Tiles Explanation: Mike's main weapon. Chief CoralCola gives it to you. Strengths: The fact that you never run out of hits with the Yo-yo is its biggest advantage. Also, Mike can hit repeatedly with it in a very short amount of time. You can also use the Yo-yo to collect hearts and stars. Weaknesses: Being Mike's very first weapon, it is one of the weakest in the game. When you reach the higher versions of the Yo-yo, such as the Shooting Star and Super Nova, the Yo-yo becomes increasingly difficult to make use of. Shooting Star AP: 2 Hearts Range: 5 Tiles Explanation: Upgraded version of the Yo-yo. Queen SheCola gives it to you. 6 hearts are needed to wield it. Strengths: As with the Yo-yo, the Shooting Star's biggest advantage is that you can't run out of ammo. Its attack power is double that of the Yo-yo and the range is five tiles! This is an extremely good weapon for more than half of the game and is still quite useful during the last chapters. The Shooting Star can collect stars and hearts if Mike is two tiles away. Weaknesses: Not many, really. Near the beginning, holding on to six hearts may be a little difficult, but it gets easier and easier as time goes on. Later, however, the lack of range compared to enemies brings the Shooting Star down a notch. Super Nova AP: 2.5 Hearts Range: Full Row Explanation: Upgraded version of the Shooting Star. The Power of the Magic Cube flows through it. 11 hearts are needed to wield it. Strengths: Unlike the Super Nova's predecessors, its biggest strength is not in its infinite ammo (which is good, mind you), it's in the range. With the proper precision, Mike can defeat enemies on the opposite side of the room with little or no retaliation. You can also pick up stars and hearts with it if Mike is close enough. Weaknesses: Being Mike's last weapon, you'd think it'd be a lot more powerful than it is. The Super Nova is only 2.5 times stronger than the Yo-yo, which is only half a heart more than the shooting Star. It doesn't change the outcome of a fight nearly as much as the range does. Also, because Mike gets the Super Nova so late in the game, you can't use it to its full potential very much. Lastly, keeping 11 hearts in Chapter 7 can be difficult if you're not a veteran at this game. Torch AP: 2 Hearts Range: 3 Tiles Explanation: The torch is found only in Chapter 1. They're not very useful. I don't really use them for anything except for the boss. The torches are a basic throwing weapon that flies out in front of Mike. Strengths: The torch is very much like the Shooting Star. It's power is double that of the Yo-yo but only 1 more tile in range. Definetly useful for defeating the C-Serpent. Weaknesses: Since you can only get the torch in the first dungeon, there's no real need for so much attack power. Only two of the enemies in the dungeon take more than one hit and they're not hard to beat anyway. The range is OK, but definetly not that good. Baseball Bat AP: 2 Hearts Range: All tiles adjacent to Mike. Explanation: The Bat is one of the worst weapons in the game, but, surprisingly, it's found in a lot of dungeons. With the games worst range and decent attack power, the Bat is an option that you should just pass up. When in use, Mike swings the Bat around his body. Strengths: The only thing good about the bat is its attack power. Weaknesses: Where should I begin? Tha Bat has the worst range of any other weapon in the game. The range is 1... 1 tile around Mike. The idea of a weapon being able to hit all around Mike is good, but only one tile makes it useless. Oh, and the Bat is ssslllooww. You have to time your attacks way too much with this thing to make it any good. Don't bother using this weapon. It sucks. Bola AP: 1 Heart Range: Full Row Explanation: The Bola is two rocks tied together with some rope and is thrown at the enemy. It moves in a direct line like the Torch, but has the same range as the Super Nova, making one of the most useful weapons early in the game. Strengths: The Bolas greatest strength is easily the range. This makes it an incredibly valuable weapon early on. Also, you get 40 shots with each Bola you pick up! Woo! Weaknesses: Sadly, the Bola lacks in attack power and speed. It moves across the screen very slowly and hits for the same as the Yo-yo. If the enemy starts to get close, don't waste your Bolas, simply switch to your main weapon. Sling Shot AP: 2 Hearts Range: 3 Tiles Explanation: The Sling Shot is a very poor weapon. Magma's Tunnel is the only dungeon in the game where you can use it, and half of the enemies don't need to be defeated. Like the Bola, and the torch, the Sling Shot moves in a direct line from Mike. Strengths: The Sling Shot has decent attack power. Other than that, the Sling Shot is pretty basic. Weaknesses: Like the Bola, the Sling Shot moves slowly. Also, its range is pitiful. The attack power would be so much better if you got it in a level with enemies that took more than two hits to defeat. Don't bother using it. Miracle Mirror AP: N/A Range: Full Row Explanation: The Miracle Mirror is more of a defense than a weapon. It can only be used to defeat two enemies, the Dimhag and the Pirate Ghoul. By holding the Mirror in front of him, Mike can bounce the energy back to the enemies. Strengths: Other than being the only way to defeat Dimhags and Pirate Ghouls, none. Weaknesses: The Mirror cannot be used to defeat any other enemy than the two mentioned above. It's kind of a random thing they put in the game at the last minute to have a cool little extra way of defeating an enemy. Wonder Horse Hide AP: 1 Heart Range: Full Row Explanation: The Wonder Horse Hide is a baseball that Mike can throw at his enemies. Just like most other weapons, the Wonder Horse Hide flies in a straight line. Strengths: The only strength it has is that it makes a great weapon to use against Broken Joe. Weaknesses: The biggest fault of the Wonder Horse Hide is that it can only be used against Broken Joe. Other enemies can't be damaged by this weapon, making it extremely pointless. Because of the fact that the Wonder Horse Hide is the only way of hurting Broken Joe, it's impossible to really calculate its attack power. Spikes AP: 2 Hearts Range: Full Screen Explanation: The Spikes allow Mike to quickly attack every enemy in the room. Only found in two chapters and you only get 10 hits with it. Strengths: Being able to attack every enemy in the room make this weapon very useful in a crowded screen. Its attack power isn't too bad for a full screen weapon, either. Weaknesses: The Spikes have a pretty long recovery time which allows fireballs and other close dangers to sneak in a hit before Mike can dodge them. Also, there are only 20 Spikes in the game making it difficult to use them to their full potential. Asterisk AP: 2 Hearts Range: Full Row, 4 Tiles once segmented Explanation: The Asterisk is a pair of flying stars that fly straight out like the other projectile weapons. If you press B again while the Asterisk is in flight, it will break into 2 pieces and fly quickly to the sides. Strengths: The range and diversity of attack makes the Asterisk a great weapon. The first shot is slow, that helps in setting up the break point. The Asterisk also picks up tremendous speed once broken apart, so enemies will have a hard time dodging it. Weaknesses: The attack power, while fairly good, is the same as most weapons you get and doesn't help as much in Chapter 6 where you find it. Not being able to shoot two at a time makes this a slow weapon to damage enemies with multiple hearts. Ray Gun AP: 2 Hearts Range: 6 Tiles Explanation: The Ray Gun can shoot tiny energy shots at the enemy at incredible speeds. It is only found in the Alien Spaceship. Strengths: The Ray Gun is not only powerful with exceptional range, but it is also the fastest weapon in the game. From far off, the Ray Gun can shoot 4 shots in a second. Also, there are plenty of Ray Guns to be found in the last two chapters. The Ray Gun is, by far, the most balanced weapon in the game. Weaknesses: Though very fast from afar, up close Mike can only shoot twice every second or so. Wave Gun AP: 3.5 Hearts Range: 4 Tiles length, 3 Tiles wide Explanation: The Wave gun is the final weapon in the game. It shoots off a massive surge of electric energy. The shots are very wide and hit enemies to the sides of the actual shot. Strengths: With an attack power of 3.5 Hearts, the Wave Gun is the strongest weapon in the game. The range is pretty useful because it allows Mike to hit enemies without much aim. The Wave Gun is also able to shoot multiple shots in a short time. Weaknesses: Besides the wide range, the length is pretty bad. Also, you get very few shots with this weapon, so you can't be too wasteful. Another problem is that the only enemy that will feel the full impact of this weapon are the Gunners. 3b: Items ******************************** 3b-a: Dungeon Items ******************************** These are all of the items that you will find in the dungeons through out the game. Stars and Hearts are dropped by enemies when you defeat them, but all the other items must be found. Hearts: Hearts are the most common item in the game. Collect one to fill an empty heart on you life meter. Hearts can come in single, double and four packs. Stars: Stars are used to gain hearts. Collect five in the same dungeon and you will earn a heart. Medicine: When a bottle of Medicine is used, Mike gains 5 hearts immediatly. Much more useful in the beginning of the game. Snowman Doll: When Mike uses the Snowman Doll, all enemy movement stops completely for about 5 seconds. Only found in Chapter 2. Try-Your-Luck Sign: The TYL Sign has three different outcomes. It might give you a life, give you two lives, or take away one life. It all depends on luck. Stop/Slow Watch: Grabbing the Stop/Slow Watch causes all enemy action to either stop for five seconds or slow down immensly. Rod of Sight: Use the Rod of Sight to see the invisible enemies, Minie and Maxie. You only get four shots with one, though. Lantern: The Lantern lights up a darkened room for about five seconds and then the room becomes dark again. Only five uses per Lantern. Anklet: The Anklet allows Mike to jump the distance of two tiles, instead of one. Mike will become yellow when this happens. The Anklet wears off when Mike exits the room. Vitamin-X: The Vitamin-X fills Mike's life meter to the maximum! Even if your heart meter has not reached 22 hearts, the Vitamin-X will give you 22 hearts, but will slowly decrease until it reaches your current maximum. 3b-b: Key Items ******************************** These items are used during the overhead mode of the game. The items are used to advance the story or to make Mike stronger. Code 1492: Mike will get this code from Baboo at the end of Chapter 1. Use it to gain entry to the Sub-C and continue to Chapter 2. Code 1776: You will find this code on a beach in Chapter 2. Use it to learn how to submerge the Sub-C. Big Heart: Find these in various places around the world to increase Mike's life meter by one full heart. Crystal Ball: Found at the bottom of Ghost Village Lake. Return it to the Fortune Teller to gain access to SheCola. Scroll of Obob: The scroll given to you by the Mountain Hermit. Use it to awaken Bananette. Baboo's Lighter: The lighter Baboo usually carries around with him. Find it in the whale's stomach to make a fire. Worm: A gift given to you by Hook the fisherman. Give this to Peter the parrot to receive some information. Big Apple: Tastes delicious! But does nothing... 1st Magic Cube: Found on the Alien Spaceship. Upgrades the Shooting Star to the Super Nova. 2nd Magic Cube: Found at the end of Chapter 7. Gives Mike maximum health, 22 hearts. 3rd Magic Cube: Found at the end of the game. The last Magic Cube. 3c: Enemies ******************************** This section contains information about the enemies you will face on your journey. For each enemy, I have listed theirappearance, health and Attack Power, which is measured in hearts. Jelly Appearance: A pink slug Health: 1 Heart AP: .5 Heart Rattus Appearance: A blue rat Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Nocto Appearance: A purple and black bat Health: 1 Heart AP: .5 Heart Looper Appearance: An orange snake Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Mud-O-Fish Appearance: A tiger-striped fish Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Spinistar Appearance: A Star Fish Health: 1 Heart AP: .5 Heart Octot Appearance: A one eyed, red octopus Health: 1 Heart AP: 1 Heart Puff Appearance: A large, red, puffed up fish Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Dodo Appearance: A small blue dodo bird Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Ninja Monkey Appearance: Angry looking monkeys with wings Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Boneheads Appearance: an Ostrich with a skull for a head Health: 5 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts Gadfly Appearance: Yellow and black flies Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Mad Muddy Appearance: A mud monster who lives in the lava Health: 1 Heart AP: 1 Heart Bonedog Appearance: A skeleton dog Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Skull Appearance: A... skull Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Minie Appearance: A small ghost Health: 1 Heart AP: .5 Heart Muumu Appearance: Mummy Health: 8 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts Mr. Armstrong Appearance: A large arm Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts Dimhag Appearance: Red cloaked magicians who wield staves Health: 1 Heart AP: 1 Heart Froppa Appearance: Green goblin Health: 3 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts Gogglin Appearance: Large eye Health: 5 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts Big Bully Appearance: A large purple, bigfoot monster Health: 11 Hearts AP: 2.5 Hearts Pirate Ghouls Appearance: Skeleton pirate Health: 1 Heart AP: 2 Hearts Armet Appearance: A small crab in a shell Health: 8 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Squidos Appearance: Pink Squid Health: 2 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Biter Appearance: A small purple monster with a big mouth Health: 2 Hearts AP: 3 Hearts Rocky Appearance: Disappearing Rockmen Health: 2 Hearts AP: 2.5 Hearts Walking Rocky Appearance: Walking rockmen Health: 13 Hearts AP: 4 Hearts Fuzz Appearance: Small fuzzy wisp of dust Health: N/A AP: N/A (Steal Weapon for short time) Hoodoo Doll Appearance: A large walking doll Health: 27 Hearts AP: 3 Hearts, Death if Mike comes in contact with enemy Alien Gunner Appearance: A yellow or green guy with a gun Health: Yellow: 6 Hearts. Green: 10 Hearts AP: Yellow: 1.5 for gun, 3 for contact. Green: 2.5 for gun, 5 for contact Alien Rider Appearance: An Alian Gunner on a bike Health: 2 Hearts AP: 3 Hearts Air-Drones Appearance: White or Red flying robots Health: 2 Heart, 4 hearts for red AP: 1 Heart Alien Snipers Appearance: Red Alien sniping out of a window Health: 5 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Zoda Membrane Appearance: Small squid/cell like creature Health: 2 Hearts AP: 3 Hearts 3b: Bosses and Strategies ******************************** This section contains information and techiques to defeat all of the boss enemies you will face on your journey. For each enemy, I have listed their appearance, health and Attack Power, which is measured in hearts, attacks, techniques, and what stage they're found in. C-Serpent Found in: Chapter 1, The Test of Island Courage Appearance: A gigantic red serpent. Health: 33 Hearts AP: 1 Heart, Death if Mike comes in contact with Boss. Attacks: Shoots two fireballs from its mouth downward. Technique: First of all, switch to your torches, this way, the boss will only take 17 hits instead of 33 with the Yo-yo. Wait on the center tile for the serpent to open its mouth. When it does, it will either shoot two fireballs down towards you, or do nothing. If it shoots, jump to either side of the tiles and jump back when he's done. You should be able to get two hits on him before you jump, three if you can jump back fast enough to hit him again afterwards. If the boss just sits there, attack as fast as you can. You shouldn't have too much trouble with him. Octo Found in: Chapter 2, Octo's Cave Appearance: A big pink Octopus Health: 50 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts, Death if Mike comes in contact with Boss. Attacks: Continuous Ink shots aimed towards Mike. Technique: Hopefully, you collected the Snowman item in the dungeon, if not, no big deal, the boss will only take a bit longer. Octo will begin the fight by moving back and forth while unleashing a barrage of ink shots that aim directly at Mike. Continue to jump from side to side, avoiding the shots until Octo charges towards the bottom of the screen. This is the only time when Mike can get close enough to attack Octo, so move near him and let go with either the Yo-yo or Bat. If you have the Snowman, however, you can freeze Octo for several seconds and attack longer. Using the Snowman, Octo should go down after his second charge. If you're fast, you can use both snowman in one charge and defeat Octo before he has chance to shoot back. Magma the Fierce Found in: Chapter 3, Magma's Molten Tunnel Appearance: A fire demon Health: N/A AP: 1 Heart, Death if Mike comes in contact with Boss. Attacks: Shoots two streams of Fireballs. Two floating Fireballs protect the sides of the room. Technique: Magam is a very different boss. Mike can't defeat it by attacking it. Instead, Mike must sink Magma's platform by finding two switches in the room. Instead of explaining where each switch is, I'll map out the room with my oh, so good ASCII skills. ______________ |# | | **** | |** **MM** **| the * are tiles | ***# | the # are the switches |* *|- |* *------* *| | | | * * ** * * | -------------- Once you hit both switches, Magma will drown and you can exit the dungeon. Maxie Found in: Chapter 3, The Ghost Tunnel Appearance: A large version of Minie Health: 18 Hearts AP: 1 Heart Attacks: Two Volcanoes shoot fireballs towards Mike. Maxie periodically shoots a couple of Minies towards you, too. Techniques: Equip your Bolas and stand near the bottom of the room. Avoid the fire balls and occasional Minies and continue to hurl your Bolas upwards. Maxie does not move very fast and periodically stops in place, so you shouldn't have any difficulty hitting it. When Maxie gets close to death, it will speed up and move from side to side. Maxie only takes 18 hits with the Bola, so you shouldn't have any worries about losing ammo. Turboss Found in: Chapter 6, Lost Ruins Appearance: A big spiraly shell Health: 34 Hearts AP: 2 Hearts, Death if Mike comes in contact with Boss. Attacks: Continuous shells aimed towards Mike. Technique: This is the same fight as Octo, so follow my Octo strategy. The only difference is that you don't have the Snowman doll. Broken Joe Found in: Chapter 6, Lost Ruins Appearance: A gigantic Easter Island head Health: 13 Heart AP: 2.5 Hearts, Death if Mike comes in contact with Boss. Attacks: Fires squiggly things downward. Technique: Broken Joe will move back and forth and side to side slowly. He will then open his mouth and shoot squiggly things at you. Sometimes when he's finished shooting, he will sit there with his mouth open. This is t he only time Mike can hit him, so equip your Wonder Horse Hides and nail him as much as possible. Broken Joe is a very simple boss that is similar to the C-Serpant, so unless you enter the fight with low health, you shouldn't have a problem. The Statues of Twin Sumocho Found in: Chapter 6, Big Rock Tunnel Appearance: Two large statues Health: 20 Hearts AP: 2 Hearts, Fire: 3 Hearts Attacks: Both statues shoot small shots at Mike. There are two fires protecting the statue's base. Technique: There are two ways to easily defeat the statues. If you have Ten or more Asterisks, then jump to the top of the screen and continuously use the Asterisks to hit both heads simultaneously while jumping the shots. You might get hit a few times, but hopefully you have the Medicine with you. If you're all out of Asterisks, then you jump onto the base of the statues and attack away. Dodging the fire can prove to be tough, but you are completely safe from the shots while on the base. Choose which ever technique you like the best and you wno't have a problem against these guys. Jet Pack Jumpers Found in: Chapter 7, Inside the Alien Ship Appearance: Large gun toting mechs Health: 24 Hearts AP: 1.5 Hearts, 2.5 if Mike comes in contact with Boss Attacks: Shoots bullets towards Mike Technique: First off, get the Anklet, this allows Mike to jump around the room. Now, equip the Spikes and let 'er rip. After the Spikes are worn out, attack each Jumper twice more with the Shooting Star or Ray Gun and that's it. If you don't have the Spikes, you'll have to jump around and avoid the shots while attacking. Much harder, so try to take the Spikes along. Ostroid Found in: Chapter 7, The Second Magic Cube Appearance: Kind of like an AT-ST from Star Wars Health: N/A AP: 1 Heart from purple orb, 2.5 from shots. Death if Mike comes in contact with Boss. Attacks: Purple Orbs, and shots Technique: Ostroid, much like Magma, can't be destroyed. Instead Mike must continuously attack Ostroid until he can step on the switch. Doing so will create a pit behind Ostroid. Now, while avoiding the easily avoidable shots, attack Ostroid until it falls down the chasm. Simple as pie. Zoda's Image Found in: Chapter 8, The Core and Zoda Appearance: A HUGE head Health: 22 Hearts AP: 2 Heart, death if Mike comes in contact with any part of the Boss Attacks: Claws, Eyeballs Technique: First of all, grab the Ray Gun from the corner and stand in the center of the room. Zoda will do one of two things. He will either reach out with his hand, at which point immediately run to the opposite side of the room to avoid it, or his head will appear and shoot eyeballs at you. The head is the only part Mike can damage, so unleash your fury with the Ray Gun whenever the head appears. The Core Found in: Chapter 8, The Core and Zoda Appearance: A giant machine Health: About 40 Hearts AP: N/A Attacks: N/A Technique: The Core's room has four Gunner Duplicators. The two at the bottom reveal flying stars, similar to the ones found in Chapter 7. The top two will unleash one Gunner everyone the four open. At the same time, The Core will periodically shut itself away from your attacks and heals about 10 Hearts. You have two choices for where you can attack; from the bottom, where you'll have to avoid the stars, or you can attack from the tiles, but you'll have to jump away when they open. If you do fall in, you must complete the stage again. Keep at it, and try not to let The COre heal itself too much. Zoda's True Form Found in: Chapter 8, The Core and Zoda Health: 100 Hearts AP: 2 Hearts, Death if Mike comes in contact with the Boss Attacks: Membranes, Fire Balls Technique: Zoda begins near the right side of the room. Jump on to the tiles and wait until Zoda follows. Don't let Mike get into the field of vision with Zoda, or else he might get hit by fireballs. Stay one tile away from Zoda and as he jumps from one tile to another, shoot him with the Ray Gun or Super Nova. As soon as he turns, jump away from him and repeat the process. This is a very slow way of defeating Zoda, but it is definetely the safest. Continue this until Zoda starts dying. Never jump into Zoda, even when he's dying or Mike will lose a life. 4: Other ********************************** 4a: F.A.Q. ******************************** If you have any questions regarding StarTropics, or this walkthrough, feel free to email me at Philby15@hotmail.com. Most of the questions I get will appear here. 4b: Legal Stuff ******************************** This walkthrough is copyright 2003 to Phil Henry. Any use of this walkthrough for profitable or commercial use is prohibited. Feel free to distribute it between friends or for personal use. Only the websites www.gamefaqs.com and http://www.classicgaming.com/startropics have permission to use this walkthrough. If you'd like to post my Walkthrough on your site, just ask. I'll probably say yes. Any misuse of this walkthrough will result in legal actions. 4c: Closing ******************************** I'd like to thank the following people... Nintendo of America - For creating an enjoyable, different game. Nintendo Power - Volume 22, to be specific. Their review of Startropics was extremely useful for the maps. Jeff "CJayC" Veasey - For creating GameFAQs, the BEST site for game help. Also, thanks to him for putting up this Walkthrough! Vimm's Lair - www.vimm.net for allowing me to use the StarTropics Manual for enemy names and such. My Girlfriend - She never doubted for a second that I could do this. (OK, maybe one second) Anyway, she was the reason why this thing was finished. If not for her, I would've forgot about it. (c) Phil Henry 2004