Goodies
There are berries, coins, cups, ferns, and other such unusual items. They fall into two categories: HP up and EXP up. HP items such as chack berries, cheese, ferns and mice all slightly heal you. EXP items increase your experience and bring you closer to levelling up, unlike in many arcade games where supposed levelling-up only occurs at the end of a stage, and EXP is only for score purposes.
Dip Switches
- With the Change setting you can have green blood instead of red
- (others not covered yet)
One of the most interesting switches is for violence level. The blood at lower levels is green (even if it comes out of a hero) and sparse. At more "hardcore" levels you will see red blood in vast quantities! This makes the whole experience more vivid and realistic. Indeed, with the highest setting so much blood spews out with each hit that you'd think the heroes would need blood donors to recover. But no, a little cheese, apples, or even mouse meat will heal all that ails you...
Weapons and Shields
NOTE: if you come close enough to a crate or barrel and press attack, your character will drop the shield or weapon to pick it up. To destroy the crates without losing your use-once weapon or dropping your shield, just ram it.
Shields
A shield is a convenient thing to have, as it takes a certain amount of damage before breaking and being discarded. However it only protects you while you are dormant (not attacking). If you are attacking, the shield won't protect you. Also if you step on spikes, poisonous swamps, and any other ground hazards you will take damage and drop the shield. You can pick it up again but you will have to quickly jump to avoid being hurt and dropping it again!
- Wood Shield (1-2 hits)
- Spike Shield (??? hits)
Basic Weapons
These weapons can only be used once
- Morning Star: Thrown in a straight line in front of you. Moderate damage.
- Bullova (aka Really Big Axe): Thrown up in the air and comes down just in front of you. VERY short range but good deal of damage.
Weapon or Shield?
Sometimes there are items going spare. ALWAYS choose a shield over any other weapon as they can usually take more than one hit. In any case, defense is more important than offense. If more than one is playing, just go in and grab the shield...
Note that if you step on spikes you drop anything you are holding.
Signature Weapons
Each character has their own special weapon. None of the other characters can pick it up. Usually whoever opens a "signature chest" first will find their own signature weapon inside it. Some chests seem to have been preset to contain a particular character's signature weapon.
If you die, you drop your signature weapon. Unlike any other item it will never vanish, so if you respawn as that same hero you can then reclaim it.
If you fall down a hole you lose signature weapon and any effects it gave you (Frost, Lightning, Fire, etc.) BUT you keep the levels of it if you respawn as that same hero.
Charged attacks
Hold down Button A and your character will start to throb with a white glow. When they rapidly flash yellow you can unleash a devastating special on your foes. Note that Cisty MUST charge up to some extent in order to shoot arrows, otherwise her attacks are only hand-to-hand.
- Gren does a ... ?
- Cisty shoots an arrow dealing heavy damage
- Ash unleashes a Fire Drake
- Vold casts some sort of flashy spark spell.
Special attacks
Press Button C to unleash a signature attack. Look at the little crystally shape thingys on your display to see how many you can use. You only ever get three, and no amount of "level up!" or "You just powered up" announcements will give you more than three.
- Gren uses Self-Immolation and self-destructs (well, sort of)
- Cisty calls upon flashing nude copies of herself
- Vold calls down a meteor swarm
- Ash begins the "fury swipe"—he goes "oooarghh!" and can move freely around the screen while his sword constantly sweeps around him Zelda-style).
Walkthrough
Area 1: White Deer Tavern
Choose your hero. They are (from left to right): Ash, Gren, Cisty, Vold.
When you begin play you will be attacked by two Kobolds and a Dogman. Another Dogman drops from the ceiling when you go to the right. Smash the barrels to find a Chack Berry and Herb (yummy!) Pick up the Magic Candle on the table (jump to get it then press attack on it). The chest to the far left contains a Wood Shield while the other has a Silver Cup and a Morning Star. After smashing up the baddies (and the tavern as well!) exit... oh no!
- Princess: "Help me!"
- Wizard: "It's no use, little princess. You're going to be the sacrificial offering so the demon can come back to life."
You will then see one or more of the following messages depending on character(s) selected...:
- ASH: "Did my father get lost chasing after them?"
- GREN: "So this means we slay the demon and steal the princess ourselves?"
- CISTY: ???
- VOLD: ???
- Wizard: "I've no time for you."
...and with the opening-scene scream and a traditional villain laugh, he flies off.
Two Orcs and two Kobolds attack while all this is going on. Kill them and hurriedly stack crates so you can get onto the roof of the building. You need several rows: single crate, 2 crates, 3 crates. If you dilly-dally, little ghosty things come out and hit into you. If you are willing to lose a life, they provide you with an easy way to get onto the roof (multiplayer only). Simply have all the other players go to the extreme left corner, and you stand in front of the crate area. When the ghosts beat you to death, you should be able to relocate on top of the roof (direct the flying fairy-thing/bubble accordingly).
- Left chest: Bracelet + Gold Cup + Spike Shield
- Right chest: Bracelet + Silver Cup + Bullova