NES STRIDER WALKTHRU Version 1.0 - October 21, 2000 By Blue Type 1 (aka Choo-Kar Kua --> c_kua@hotmail.com) ** CONTENTS ** Introduction How to play Items Tricks Walkthru Miscellaneous The Future Legal Stuff ======================================================================== ** INTRODUCTION ** For those of you that were around for the old-school days of NES (when Nintendo was good), you'll remember Strider in the arcades and for NES. Those of you that only know Strider as the ninja guy that uses a sword on Marvel vs. Capcom 1 & 2, I'll give you some background. Strider Hiryu is an elite ninja who carries a sword called a Cipher. Hiryu belongs to an international organization that goes around giving beatings to terrorists and bad guys. Anyways, Strider is a classic 2D platform game that has some degree of depth (not just kill enemies). You actually have to figure out some puzzles and do some detective work. ======================================================================== ** HOW TO PLAY ** A pretty easy game to figure out. Direction buttons move Hiryu around. A button is to jump and B is to attack with the sword. Holding up will allow you to raise your sword and attack upwards. When you receive the Plasma Arrow technique, you can hold the Up button to charge up and when you push B, a bolt of plasma will be shot out. Pushing Down when near elevators will allow you to use them. Jumping into elevators also allow you to use them. Pushing select will allow you to access your menu screen where you can look at various stats, keys, data files and "tricks". Obviously, H stands for health and E stands for energy (used to do tricks with). Early on, Hiryu learns a technique called Slide In. This is performed by pressing diagonally down and the A button. When the Slide Attack Boots have been obtained, Hiryu gets another technique. He is now able to slide attack. This allows him to squeeze through narrow spaces but also to attack enemies. There is one other technique that Hiryu can use but requires some practice. It is the Triangle Jump. This allows Hiryu to bounce off walls and to jump higher than normal. Jump against a wall and quickly press jump and the opposite direction. If done correctly, Hiryu will jump in the opposite direction. This can be done indefinitely. ======================================================================== ** ITEMS ** Health Pill - these come in two variety; large and small. Large fills up 10 health whereas small fills up 1 health Energy Pill - refills your energy; large ones give you 10 points and small give you 1 point Skull Pill - Don't touch these, you will lose 10 Hit Points Data File - has "valuable" information --> for story progression File1 - "I'm Ryuzaki, a Strider. I left my attack boots in China. Please find them." File2 - "Vice commander? It's me. I'll go to Egypt via Phantom train. Don't lose the prisoner." Key - allows you into certain designated areas Magnet Boots - you can walk up special walls with these Water Walk Boots - gives you the supernatural power to walk on water Slide Attack Boots - used in conjunction with slide, you can harm the enemy while sliding ======================================================================== ** TRICKS ** These are magic spells that Hiryu will learn as he progresses through the game. They will consume energy for each use. They are selected in the menu screen and are used when B button is pushed. To de-select, go back to the menu and put the cursor over the TRICK option. Fire (5 Energy Points) - allows Hiryu to shoot out a fireball that travels across the screen. Medical (10 EP) - you will recover 20 Hit Points Spark (5 EP) - Hiryu shoots a spark out that travels along the ground Jump (10 EP) - extra jumping power Warp (30 EP) - tired of going back to the beginning of levels? Use this to exit the level Ground (30 EP) - causes flying to crash to the ground Medical (25 EP) - restores 50 Hit Points SP-Ball (15 EP) - an extra powerful version of Spark Medical (50 EP) - restores 100 Hit Points ======================================================================== ** WALKTHRU ** The boss of Striders tells you that your buddy Kain (also a Strider) has been captured by the enemy. Your mission is to kill him. Kain is your friend so you are reluctant to kill him but still set off to find him. Kazakh - this is where the investigation begins. The level is easy and is there to let you get used to playing. You will receive File1 when you ascend the elevator. You will find that there are doors S3, but you only have the S1 key so leave the other doors for later. When you find the S1 doors, keep on going until you meet up with a military guy. He says: "Please wait. A Kain is up there and the commander has the key. You'll find it if you analyze this. Please let me go." You get a level up and learn the Slide In technique. If you travel to the room to the left of the military guy, it looks like a dead end with red glowing walls. This is important later. For now, just run back to the beginning of the level and press jump when you get to the edge of the screen. Upon analyzing the disk, you find that File1 has a ninja guy that says: "I'm Ryuzaki, a Strider. I left my attack boots in China. Please find them." Analyzing File2 has some military guy (the guy that you just met?) that says: "Vice commander? It's me. I'll go to Egypt via Phantom train. Don't lose the prisoner." After you finished analyzing, you have two options; to travel to Egypt or to Australia. Right now you can't go to Australia because you need to get past a S5 door. Egypt - you start off on the train, just keep on moving right and soon you will get to the end. You now find yourself at the pyramids. Pretty soon, you will reach an area where there is a S3 door and elevator down. You have but no choice to go down. In the pyramid, you will have many opportunities to try out the Triangle Jump (actually, you have no choice but to use it). Soon you will reach a junction where you can either go up or to the left. If you go left, you will find that you will end up at a place with water and can't cross. SO, don't go this way. Take the upwards route. Travel as far left as you can. You will find that you end up in a place where there are slanted platforms. Use this to jump really far left. Get the Aqua-Boots which allow you to walk on water. Hmm, wonder where I can use the Aqua-Boots? Remember the dead end with water? Drop down and take the tube; it'll drop you off at the first tube you went down. Now, go back to the watery dead end and walk across. You'll have to fight a shark robot. It's pretty easy, just crouch and attack. After you beat him, you'll have to triangle jump up and that is where you will meet another military guy. He says: "Why do Striders have to disturb us? Oh, ok. I'll give this to you. Please don't kill me." You get Key2 and a level up. You will learn the FIRE trick. Exit and go back to the Strider base. Return to Kazakh - don't know where the S2 door is? Take the same route towards the S1 door. But this time, when you get to the far right, you will notice that there is an elevator that you can take to go up. Go through the S2 door and you will have to fight a motorcycle guy that says: "So, you are Hiryu. Let me see Striders' power." Just keep jumping as he passes and attack him from behind. After beating him, you will find Kain unconscious and say, "Kain! Wake up! No response. I guess I have to bring him back to base." You get a level up (also learn the medical trick) and will receive the Data File3. Upon analysis of Data File3, you find that Kain says: "Something awful is happening. The Zain project ... should be interrupted. The chief in Japan might know something helpful." Japan - As soon as you start, you are threatened "Under orders of the vice director, we can't let you pass here. We shall kill anyone who comes close." The samurai guy that attacks you is pretty easy, keep on slashing and don't let him get a plasma shot out. When you take the elevator down, go left. You will meet a scientist who says "I'll fix your cipher so that you can shoot plasma." YES!! Now travel to the right and you will meet up with the chief of Japan. He says, "You've gotten stronger, Hiryu. Take this with you." He gives you a level up where you learn both spark and jump, and you get Data File4. When you look at Data File4, the chief says: "Hiryu. Zain is a dreadful weapon created by the syndicate. It penetrates into your mind and makes you crazy. Hurry! There's one in China." At this point, you're interrupted by a voice: "Ha ha ha ... Hiryu! You'll be sent to your grave by me Mr. Kain. Die!" He then attacks you, but he will fall fairly easily. You say, "Same. My sister was the same when she lost her mind. Zain! I'll destroy you 'til the last circuit. Sheena! Please take care of Kain." Now head off to China. China - the first elevator that you can take leads to a S4 door. Can't go there yet. Keep going to the right and you will encounter a huge fall. Keep going until you get to the top. Once there, you find yourself in a room with 3 tubes. Go to the far right one first where you will obtain the Magnet Boots. The middle tube takes you to a scientist guy who tells asks you, "Did you go to my room? The Key4 should be at Kazakh." Now take the left tube to go back to the beginning of the level. The third visit to Kazakh - remember the weird room with red walls (after going through the S1 doors)? Well head there and walk up the wall. Soon you will find Key4. Exit the level China part 2 - remember the tube that led you down to the S4 door. Well, head there and fight your way through. It seems like this is a gauntlet of some sort (that is, you fight mini-boss after mini-boss). There is a secret health pill hidden after you get past the part with the spiked walls. It is located on the right side of the elevator (slightly above the opening). The mini-boss that you fight after this part is armed with a sword and shield. He mimics your moves; if you crouch, so will he; if you jump he will do the same. To beat this guy, jump then slide under him as he jumps and attack his back side. When you beat this guy, you will have to go through another section that has moving spiked walls. Once you clear this portion, you will come down a tube and have two options. One is to take the moving platforms and the other is to jump down. If you jump down, you will acquire the Slide Attack Boots. There is a tube that will take you back to the beginning meaning that you will have to battle your way back. If you take the floating platforms route and battle your way through, you will find yourself fighting the Zain machine. Before you enter to fight, make sure you are at full power (kill the machines that shoot Sparks right before the entrance to the boss). The Zain machine is pretty easy to kill. The squares that move around are pretty annoying so dispose of them first. Then you can run under the "tree" and keep jumping while holding the up button. After a couple of stabs, it will die. You get a level up (you learn Warp) and you get Key3. Upon return to the base, Sheena runs out saying: "Hiryu! Kain escaped when I took my eyes off him. He seemed to be in his right mind, but his wound is not healed." Hmm .. where are you supposed to go now? Remember that you just got Key3. Where were those darned S3 doors? There's an S3 in Kazakh. Yet another visit to Kazakh - Don't know where S3 is. Easy, just keep on going until you find yourself at the first elevator that takes you up. S3 is staring you right in the face. Traveling for a bit, you find that you can go left or right. Going left will lead you to a room with hidden powerups (slash to reveal) and a tube that will take you back to the beginning of the level. Going right will take you to another Zain machine. This one is a bit stronger but not by much. Same tactic as the last one. Beating it will give you a level up (teaching you Ground) and Data File5. Analysis of Data File5 reveals that the Strider commander is a traitor: "Commander-in-Chief Mr. Faceas Clay. We, the Strider Matic unit, will protect the Zain in Africa." Doesn't that make you blood boil. Off to Africa!! Africa - you will be fighting your way through the jungle and it seems like it just keeps on going. No worries, just keep on ascending until you reach a cave thing with white rocks. The level is fairly straight forward. There is a hidden health pill that can be found before you go down the first tube. There is another after you come down from the third tube. As you travel you will find that you will soon reach an area with moving platforms (second set of them). If you fall, go to the right and you will be able to find a hidden health pill. Then go left to return and try to moving platform section again. When you do get past the moving platforms, there will be a tube leading down and beside it, will be another hidden health pill. As you continue to the left, you will be faced with another Zain machine. You receive a level up (with Medical 25) and Data File6 for your effort. Data File6 tells you: "I'm Faceas Clay. I have an appointment with Matic in Los Angeles. Take care of things when I'm gone." Hiryu the runs in shouting, "Sheena! Sheena! Where did she go?" Los Angeles - this is an easy level. As you go to the right, you will find yourself faced with the spiked wall thing again. There are three tubes that you can take. If you take either the first or second, you will be taken back to the beginning of the level. Take the third tube. You'll have to fight another one of the motorcycle guys. Later you will meet up with Sheena who seems like she's dying. She tells you, "Hiryu! Please defeat Matic! Get ... revenge ... for ... me!" When you reach Mr. Clay, he is sitting behind a glass wall and says, "Ha! You fools! This tempered glass can't be broken by human power. You should have sided with me as Matic did." You then have a chance to break the glass. The best way, is to shoot a plasma arrow. The glass will break and he exclaims, "That can't be true! You ... monster!" You get a level up (with the SP-ball trick) and Key5. Australia - remember that darned Key5 door? Well, knock that thing down and go kick some ass. You will take a tube that will take you back to Africa. There, you have a couple of choices. There is one door to the left, one below that one and another to the right. The first two (both left ones are useless). In one, a shield guy says to you, "Stupid! It doesn't do any good to destroy Zain's terminal as long as there exists the main tree. The other, some ninja guy says, "Go after Matic! It's all his scheme!" Going right will take you through a short passage. Near the second tube down, there is a skull pill to avoid. The third tube has an Health Pill by it. You fight another tree. You get a level up with Medical 50. Running back to base, you get a transmission from Kain: "H ... Hiryu ... I tried t ... to catch Matic. But ... I ... failed. Hurry! Hiryu! He ... he is ... at the Red Dragon!" Red Dragon - this is quite a long level. During the first stretch, note that there is a skull pill near the entrance of the first tube. Later on, you will find yourself in an area with spikes on the ground that you have to jump over. There are Health pills just after the first and third sets of spikes. There is a Skull pill right after the spikes. A little bit further, you will be confronted with the choice of two tubes; a left and right one. Take the right because the left one leads you to a dead end. Upon taking the right tube, Matic says to you, "Hiryu. You're done well so far. But, you can't defeat me, Matic the Vice director of the Striders. Ha ha ha ..." You then fight a guy with knives. This guy is tricky, you have to hit him in the air, but then he will start to spin and bounce around the room. After about 5 hits, you will be victorious. Moving along, you will meet up with a professor guy who tells you, "Matic is in the room over there. However, we can't open this unless we destroy two systems somewhere." You now have two paths to take; a tube going up and a door to the left. Going up the tube, you will find that you have two choices: to go down a tube on the far right or to go upwards. If you go upwards, you will find yourself on a platform with multiple one-way tubes. If you slash in the air, you will find hidden items. The order of items is as follows: health pill, energy pill, 3 skull pill and health pill. Going up the next level, you will be confronted by a shield guy. Getting past him, you will find yourself in a room with a weird looking orb thing (note that there is a skull pill near the entrance of this chamber and a health pill at the far end of the room). This is one of the systems. Going down the tube to the far right, you will soon find yourself in a large room with platforms. If you keep on going straight down on the right, you will find a tube going down. There, a ninja guy tells you, "Aim a the cipher I left and fall straight down." Go back up the tube and look for the cipher. Fall down and you will land on a tube surrounded by spikes. A little bit further, you will have to fight a shark robot. Past this, you will go up a tube and will see magnet walls. Slash near the tube and you will find a health pill and an energy pill. After the magnet wall, you will enter a chamber where you have the choice of going left or right. Go right first and destroy the second "system". To the left, a professor guy tells you that, "The main tree, Yugdegiral, is a demon's weapon. Watch out, Hiryu!" Go down the tube and you will find yourself back near the place where the prof tells you that Matic is behind the door. You will then encounter Matic talking via the computer, "Hiryu! Welcome to our Red Dragon. We'll dance on your grave." Running past the computer, you will have to fight a shield guy, then a jumping windmill guy and finally a samurai guy. In the next room, you will meet up with Matic who says, "You made it Hiryu. I'll make you into the rust of my Cipher." Matic is one tough guy. When I first played this game when I was a 12 year old kid, I couldn't figure out how to kill him. Everything that I tried didn't work including tricks and crazy dodging and slashing. My little brother who was 4 or 5 years old told me to use the plasma arrow. I thought that there was no way that it would work because Matic is so aggressive that you wouldn't get a chance to use it. It turned out that this was the key to beating Matic. Shoot a plasma bolt at him to knock away his Cipher; while he gets his Cipher, he is vulnerable to your attacks. He won't attack you while you charge up your Cipher. He dies fairly quickly. Once you beat Matic, you will enter a second room a professor guy tells you, "Be careful. Yugdesimal's behind it." Yugdesimal is easy to beat. CONGRATS!! YOU BEAT THE GAME!! ======================================================================== ** MISCELLANEOUS ** I love Strider! Where can I find more games with him in it? Well, you can check out the Sega Genesis versions of the game (Strider 1 and 2). These are similar to the arcade versions and involve simple hack and slash (less of a story). The pace of the game is a lot quicker than this one. Graphics are nice too. You can also find Strider Hiryu in the Marvel vs. Capcom series (arcade and Dreamcast). Many of his moves are from the Strider arcade/Genesis games. For example, his Eagles and Saber-tooth tigers all appear in that game. His Gram attack (is reminiscent of the power up of his Cipher). There is also one more appearance of Strider. He's got his own game called Strider 2 for playstation. This is also a great game (similar to the old arcade version). As a bonus, you will get the original Strider 1!! How cool is that? ======================================================================== ** THE FUTURE ** I think that this FAQ is pretty much complete. The only thing extra that I would add is the hidden items that I haven't found yet (though it isn't that important). I guess I could get passwords for each level, but I'm lazy so I'll do it later. ======================================================================== ** LEGAL STUFF ** This FAQ is the copyrighted property of me, Choo-Kar Kua (2000). You're free to use this anyway you like, as long as I get the credit for it. That means no copying OR putting your name on it and calling it yours. If I find that this material has been plagiarized and used without my consent, I will take full legal action. If you paid anything for this, you were swindled (this is free info).