Controls[edit]
: Use the direction pad to control Chubby Cherub/Q-Tarou the Ghost. When they are walking, they can move left and right. When they are flying, they are capable of moving in eight different directions through the air.
: Press A to fire a weapon if you have a supply of GAU. You gain 4 GAU for every lollipop that you collect. Chubby Cherub fires off a pair of hearts while Q-Tarou the Ghost actually shouts the word "GAU!" Each weapon is only useful against the dogs.
: Press B to make your player jump in the air. As long as you have enough power (beyond the "U" in the word GAU beneath the meter), press and hold B to make your player begin flying. Flying drains your power even faster than walking does. Press B again while flying to immediately stop and drop to the ground. When standing on a platform, press down and B to drop beneath the platform (this can't be performed on solide ground).
: Press Start to pause the game.
: Not used during gameplay.
Characters[edit]
Chubby Cherub/Q-Tarou the Ghost[edit]
The cupid on the left is the main character of the American game, and the ghost on the right, named Q-Tarou, is the main character of the Japanese game. They can run along the ground, and they can fly through the air. They have a power meter that constantly drains (Q-Tarou's meter drains faster than Chubby Cherub's does), and the meter drains faster when they are flying. Eating food replenishes the meter. Sometimes when eating food, a power icon will appear. Collecting one of these also increases the meter, and makes the player invulnerable for a short period of time. Once the meter drops behind the "U" in GAU, the player will instantly begin to drop to the ground, no matter where they are. They will lose one life if they touch any enemy, or get hit by the barks that the dogs create. If they collect lollipops, they gain the ability to fire four shots back at the dogs.
Dogs[edit]
Dogs are the primary enemy throughout the game. They wander the street of the village, jumping on to fences and window ledges in an attempt to attack the player. Some dogs simply run and jump back and forth in an assigned area. Other dogs will bark at the player, shooting an icon into the air that must be avoided. The way that the bark moves is peculiar. It moves relative to its position on the screen, not in the world. Therefore, if the bark is moving with the scroll of the game (i.e. to the left), the bark moves quite slowly in the world. But if the bark is moving against the scroll of the game (right), the bark will actually move very quickly. Therefore, the barks are actually more dangerous when coming behind from you.
Bulldog[edit]
Bulldogs are much larger than regular dogs, but they don't move as far, and they aren't nearly as fast. They do, however, bark a lot more. Though the range of their barks aren't any different, the frequency of their attacks makes them a little more dangerous to pass. Since they tend to be perched higher off the ground, the best defense is to fly completely above them and don't come down until they are off the screen. Due to the nature of the way the barks travel on the screen, the bulldogs are just as dangerous (if not more so) when they are behind you.
Cats[edit]
Cats are a little less of a threat than dogs, but you can't get rid of them. They are immune to the GAU attack so you need to steer clear of them at all times. There are two types of cats; cats that move around, and cats that are stationary but can jump. The cats that move around will generally approach you in a slow manner, jumping up whenever they feel like it if they need to reach you. Cats that are stationary will jump in the air whenever you jump in the air, so jumping over them is not advised. It is better to get high in the air and fly over them whenever possible.
Sparrow[edit]
Sparrows begin to appear in the air after the first few stages have been completed. They don't actively seek you out, they just tend to get in the way. The fly up and down in a never ending wave pattern, so they are easy to predict and avoid. They only become a problem when you are trying to dodge multiple objects in the air simultaneously. They are also immune to the GAU attack.
Crow[edit]
Crows are a much more dangerous airborne enemy. There are two behaviors for crows. In one case, they will fly high across the air, stopping to lay an egg as soon as they reach the point where they are over your head. In another case, they will fly up and down until they lock on to your vertical position, and instantly fly out to attack you. If you are standing on the ground when this happens, they will fly just low enough to hit you in the head, and since you can't duck, you better get in the air as soon as you can. Crows are immune to the GAU attack.
Balloon[edit]
Even the balloons are more dangerous than the Sparrows. Balloons travel from right to left, and they constantly seek out your position. They are relatively slow moving, so it's not too hard to get around them, but you must pay attention to them until you pass them since they do not stop their advance for one moment.
Burglar[edit]
Every third stage features a child who has been kidnapped by a burglar. The burglar is loaded with bombs. He appears on the screen, dropping the kid and a bone off as he runs along, and starts tossing bombs all over the screen as soon as he reaches the center of the screen. As soon as you have a chance, you must collect the bone that he dropped, and throw it at him with the A button. If it hits him, the dog and the cat that run on to the screen shortly after he starts throwing bombs will end up attacking him, scaring him and chasing him away. Do not get in the burglar's way as he runs away since he can still kill you, as can the dog and the cat.
Items[edit]
Food[edit]
These are the pieces of food that you will find scattered around each stage. Food is required to sustain your power meter and stay in the game. As you progress through the stages, food becomes more scarce and you are forced to cross long distances without any food. Keep your power meter as full as possible in case you encounter such a food drought.
Lollipop[edit]
Lollipops provide you with the ability to shout back at the dogs. For each lollipop that you collect, you gain 4 GAUs. GAUs are only useful against dogs and bulldogs, and you must typically be in range of the dog before you can hit them, which means they can hit you to. Use GAUs carefully.
Jewel[edit]
By stage 10, food will no longer be visible to you. The only way to make food appear is to pass through the section of the stage that makes a jewel appear. Collect the jewel, and food will occasionally show up, but not always.
Power-up[edit]
Sometimes when you eat food, a power-up icon appears immediately above the food that you just consumed. For Chubby Cherub, this is a capital P. But for Q-Tarou, it is the Q in his name. Upon collecting these icons, you will gain more power, just as if you had eaten another piece of food, and you will become invulnerable for a few scant seconds. During this time, you can fly forward through enemies and barks without fear of dying. But beware, it only lasts a short while, so use it to get through dangerous areas quickly, and then resume your normal careful style of play.
Presents[edit]
In the middle of every single stage, you will encounter a stop sign in the air. At this point, the stage will stop scrolling. In order to advance, you must collect every single piece of food on the screen. Once you do that, a present will appear on the left side of the screen. The present will be an object of particular value to the child who must be rescued. Upon collecting the present, you will be free to scroll through the second half of the stage.