The Quest of Ki/Gameplay

Controls

 * : Use the direction pad to guide Ki through each floor. Press left or right to make Ki move in either direction.
 * : Press and hold the A button to make Ki jump. Ki will rise for as long as you hold the button down (unless you hit your head).  Once you release the button, gravity will start to pull Ki down again.
 * : Press and hold the B button to make Ki dash as she moves left or right. Note that dashing adds a significant amount of momentum to Ki's motion.
 * : Press the Start button to begin a new game, or to pause the action mid-game.
 * : Press the Select button on the main menu to choose between starting a new game and continuing from the last floor you visited.

Ki
You control Ki, in her mission to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod from the top floor of the Tower of Druaga. As the most courageous priestess maiden of the Goddess Ishtar, she has been hand chosen by Ishtar herself for this dangerous task. As such, she has been given an amulet to wear upon her head which gives her the ability to defy gravity. This allows her to levitate as high as she can without hitting her head. However, once gravity takes effect, she cannot rise again until her feet touch the ground.

As a priestess, Ki is no warrior. She cannot strike or harm any of the inhabitants of the tower in any way. However, a single touch from any of them is fatal to Ki. She must avoid contact with all living creatures entirely if she is to succeed at her goal and reach the top floor. Ki has a time limit to complete each floor. If Ki does not collect the key and reach the exit door before time runs out, she will lose a life. Higher up the tower are floors which contain jagged spikes. Ki may not set foot on these spikes or this too will cause her to lose a life.

Each floor of the tower contains at least one treasure chest. On some of the floors, Ki can find items in the chests that protect her from harm, or remove certain threats from the floor. Other items may grant her the ability to fly, or see invisible enemies. Some items warp her ahead several floors, while others contain a poison which speeds up the rate at which the timer ticks down. You must evaluate whether the chests on each floor should be examined or left alone.

The key to Ki's survival, ultimately, is the ability to finely control her jumps. As Ki begins to rise, her speed will increase until it reaches a maximum. When you release, Ki will continue to rise, the amount of which will depend on how fast she was rising when you let go. If Ki strikes her head on anything while rising, you will lose control over her while she falls to the ground, and you must wait until she is no longer stunned. While she is stunned, she will squat down and hold her head. While Ki cannot squat on command, stunning her by hitting her head is one way to accomplish squatting, although it takes practice to perfect the timing.