Youkai Yashiki/Gameplay

Controls

 * : Use the direction pad to guide the player through each stage. Press left or right to walk in either direction.  Press up to down to climb or descend ladders and ropes.  Also press down to squat, and to drop down any of the wells and use them to transport you to other areas.
 * : Press the A button to jump. The longer you hold the button down, the higher you will jump.
 * : Hold up while you jump to slow the rate at which you fall to the ground. This can be useful for reaching certain difficult locations.
 * : Press the B button to shoot. Your flashlight will fire "puffs" of light.  The distance they travel is determined by the amount of battery power you have.
 * : Press the Start button to begin a new game, and to pause the action mid-game.
 * : Press the Select button to pause the game and call your map on to the screen.

Player
You control the player who must complete five stages in order to rescue his girlfriend. In order to complete each stage, he must collect five talisman, then locate the entrance to the boss' lair, and defeat the boss. Throughout the game, you only have one life. Your health meter is indicated at the bottom of the screen by a series of batteries. Batteries not only indicate your remaining health, but the power of your flashlight and the distance that the "puffs" of light it shines will travel. Your maximum health is determined by the number of batteries you currently have. However, if you run out of battery power, you will begin to wear away at the number of batteries you have remaining. For example, if you have four batteries, and you run out of health, the next hit will reduce your battery count to three. You lose the game when you run out of health and lose all of your batteries. Battery power can be restored in a couple of ways. You can shoot floating fireballs, you can sometimes obtain candles by shooting lamps, or you can collect Onigiri and squat down in front of small statues to eat one and completely restore your health.

Items
Talisman: There are five talisman located in various places throughout each stage. In order to complete a level, you must first find all five of these talisman. When you have succeeded in doing so, walking to a certain location in the level will allow you to access the boss lair.

Onigiri: The onigiri, or rice balls, are items that you can collect and store, up to nine of them. If you have one when you are running low on health, you can use them to restore your battery power. To do so, you must locate one of the many little statues of a man scattered throughout each stage, and squat down in front of them.

Lamps: When you find a lamp, you can shoot it several times to make an item appear. Some lamps reappear when you leave the screen and return, while others can only be used once and disappear forever. The following table lists the items that you may obtain from shooting a lamp.

Lanterns: Lanterns are a bit more rare than lamps, but they serve the same purpose. Because they are less frequent, the items you obtain from lanterns are substantially better than from lamps. Consult the following table.