On the options screen, set the Rank option to B in order to get 6 hearts per life.
When Rick gets hit, he flashes. This is temporary invincibility, use it to your advantage and get in as many hits as possible. But don't get too sloppy. It doesn't last long. It can make a big difference in close fights though.
This game is all about memorizing patterns of characters and levels. So it can take some practice to get it right. Knowing how enemies fight and stage layouts makes a huge difference.
Each stage is divided up into sections. A section usually ends with a ladder or door at the end. If you die, you will restart at the beginning of the section you died on.
Be patient with enemies and wait for them to come to you when possible. Also let a stage scroll to see what is ahead instead of moving to the end of the screen, which leaves you open to attack.
Punching and kicking deal out equal damage. The purpose is to hit enemies at different stages. An enemy that is near the ground is best hit with a low attack. A taller enemy or one that is coming at Rick at fist level is best hit with a punch or even a jump kick.
Always try to keep yourself at the middle of the screen in scrolling stages, to avoid surprise attacks on either edge of the screen.
If you remain in one place for too long, a purple cloud will slowly work its way from the right of the screen. This will injure Rick if it touches him.
