Higemaru Makaijima/Gameplay

Controls

 * : Whether you are piloting your ship across the seas, or directing Momotaru on the ground or on the deck of a ship, use the control pad to move either of them in any of the four cardinal directions. Momotaru or the ship will continue to move in that direction as long as nothing is blocking their path.
 * : Press the A button while sailing to speed up the ship. Press the A button while controlling Momotaru to make him jump. You can make Momotaru jump in four directions by holding the control pad down while jumping.
 * : Press the B button to make Momotaru pick up a rock or barrel that he is standing in front of when he is not holding anything in his hands. Press the B button again to throw the object in the direction that he is facing. Note that Momotaru will pick certain throwable objects up automatically, like iron orbs. The B button has no use when piloting the ship.
 * : Used to start a new game, and to pause the action mid-game.
 * : Press Select to call up the subscreen, which can only be seen when not piloting the ship.

Player
Throughout the game, you are in control of Momotaru, whether he is piloting his ship across the ocean, or walking around on an island or an enemy ship. When piloting his ship around the ocean, you can navigate to any location within a square perimeter. If you attempt to sail too far outside that limit, your ship will begin to slow, and eventually come to a stop. The word "STOP" will appear on the screen to indicate that you may not travel any further in that direction, and you will be forced to turn around.

Momotaru will disembark from his ship when he encounters another ship at sea, or when he visits the dock gate of an island for which he has already collected the key. Once he is walking around, he can jump, and he is vulnerable to attack. Momotaru has a collection of life points whose current total can be seen in the upper left hand corner of the screen. These points double as a score, and increase every time Momotaru successfully attacks enemies with an object. Whenever one enemy is struck, Momotaru gains 10 points. If a second enemy is struck by the same object, Momotaru earns 20 points, and if a third enemy is struck, he gains 40, and so on. Other objects such as fruit or POW icons will also increase Momotaru's health. Momotaru will die if his life points reach 0.