Keith Courage in Alpha Zones/Walkthrough

There are seven zones in Keith Courage in Alpha Zones. Keith must clear each zone in order to get to the next, until he defeats the final boss in the seventh zone and completes the game. Each Zone is divided into two sections; an Overworld section and an Underworld section.

Overworld

The overworld is considerably less dangerous than the underworld. It is also far simpler. Every overworld consists of a straight course from left to right until the rainbow shrine is reached at the very end, which can be used to summon the Nova Suit. Along the way, Keith will encounter enemies, obstacles, and houses.

Enemies will appear at particular locations throughout each zone. They are worth fighting because they frequently leave coins behind for Keith to collect and spend in the various houses. The overworld enemies don't do a lot of damage, but they can kill Keith if he is not careful. Overworld enemies do not drop hearts, so the only way to restore your health in the overworld is to visit Nurse Nancy. Additionally, Keith will immediately lose his life if he steps on spikes, or falls through the bottom of the screen.

In the houses, Keith will find one of four specific characters. A character may appear in more than one house. Most of the time, a character will fulfill a specific function listed below, but other times, they simply impart information.

Nurse Nancy / Himiko Shinobibe: This character will offer to restore all of your missing health for a price. In the first zone, she will restore your health for 200 coins, but in every zone after, it will cost you 400 coins. In general, you shouldn't pay to restore your health unless you are down to one or two hearts. It is fairly easy to collect more health once you are in the Underworld. In Mashin Eiyūden Wataru, Himiko Shinobibe is not really a nurse, she's a young ninja with a bubbly, innocent personality. She's actually the leader of a clan of ninjas. Himiko is hyperactive and isn't afraid of anything.

Weapons Master / Shibaraku Tsurugibe: The Weapons Master will sell you upgrade swords for the Nova Suit. They start out cheap, but they get very expensive as you go higher in zones. Nevertheless, his upgrades are highly recommended as it is a bit difficult to defeat the Underworld bosses without them. In Mashin Eiyūden Wataru, Shibaraku Tsurugibe is an extremely proficient swordsman who helps Wataru by teaching him new skills that he will need to know in order to defeat the boss villian.

Wise Wizard / Genryūsai Shinobibe: The Wise Wizard imparts knowledge to Keith, but he also has a valuable weapon to sell: Bolt Bombs. You collect different types of Bolt Bombs in the underworld, but the only way you can have any ammunition for them is if you buy them from him. Initially, he charges 100 coins for 30 bombs in the first zone, but after that, he charges 200 coins for 40 bombs.

Prophet / Youbu Obaba: Unlike the other characters, the prophet has nothing to sell you. She only warns you of dangers that you need to be aware of, particularly those found within your current zone.

Underworld

In the underworld, you don the Nova Suit and go to battle with several monsters and demons in an effort to reach the boss of the zone. The underworld is far more dangerous, with more enemies actively pursuing you and many of them shooting at you until they are destroyed.

The layout of the underworlds is much more complex, with several layers and pathways that force you to double back before you can proceed. In order to locate and challenge the boss of a zone, you must complete the labyrinth until you find the pit which drops you down into the room where the boss resides. Then you must defeat the boss before you are permitted to advance to the next zone.