Section Z (NES)/Gameplay

Controls

 * : Use the direction pad to guide the player throughout the screen. The player can be moved in eight directions, but will always remain facing in the last direction that he fired.  (Pressing  has the additional effect of moving the cursor under your weapon selection in the upper right corner of the screen.)
 * : Press the A button to shoot to the right.
 * : Press the B button to shoot to the left.
 * : Summon a shell to the center of the screen. You must touch the shell after it appears to activate.
 * : Press Start to begin a new game, or to pause the action mid-game.
 * : Activate the currently selected weapon.

Player
You control the player throughout the game, in an effort to make it all the way from the start of the game at Section 0, to the final section where the L-Brain resides at Section 59. Every section will automatically scroll from the left to the right, although different sections scroll at various speeds. While scrolling, you are able to maneuver the player though any open space anywhere on the visible screen. You have the ability to fire in two directions; to the left and to the right. You begin the game with the Laser, but you can collect better weapons from later sections. To activate them after you collect one, you must press right until the cursor lies beneath the desired weapon, and then press Select. The player also has access to a shell, which must be summoned by pressing A and B together. Once summoned, it will flash in the center of the screen briefly. It must then be touched in order to activate it. Activating a shell costs four energy points. You begin the game with 20 out of a maximum 20 energy points. Every time you are hit with a bullet, you lose an energy point. If you are touched by an enemy, you are immediately knocked out, you will lose one life, and must try the section over from the beginning with five less energy points. If you elose all of your lives, the game is over and you may choose to continue from where you left off. However, if you lose all of your energy, you will be forced to warp back to the beginning of the section set you are in (either Section 1, Section 20, or Section 40). It is vital to collect energy items to maintain your energy level, and it is possible to increase the maximum amount of energy you may hold by defeating section bosses.