Part nostalgia-bomb, part note-taking and part FAQ, what started in GameTrailers as a video game blog is now on Blogger. This blog is a look back at video games, both popular and obscure, from the video game industry's infancy all the way to the previous console generation.
The starfish enemies that first show up in Scene 26 can throw boomerangs at you. Approach them from behind if you can.
Scene 28 introduce floating spiked balls that will cost you a life upon touching them.
Scene 30 is probably the hardest scene so far. You'll need to zig zag your way between the blocks in the middle of the level, and the fact that you have to deal with those flying enemies doesn't help much, either. The sooner you can get to the top of the level, the better.
The boss for Scene 30 is an elephant on wires. Climb up to one of the lower blocks, face the center of the room and keep attacking. That's all you have to do to beat this boss. The boss will shoot out smaller elephants, but they will not climb up to get you.
At this point, you'll probably notice that you can't stockpile lives past nine.
The little guys that look like they are angry and have horns can spit projectiles, and you'll need to avoid those.
Scene 15 is the debut of the bee enemies, who will fly around at 45-degree angles and will have a habit of sometimes doubling back.
Scene 18 introduces doors. Stand in front of them and press Up on the D-Pad to enter them. The doors are two way and are linked to each other. You can use them, but the enemies cannot. When you use them, you'll also be invincible for a few seconds.
The boss for Scene 20 is a giant whale. You'll need to hit in the eyes with your rod, but you'll also want to take out the smaller whales that it spits out. Don't use the ladder; just stick to the ground and you can easily take out the smaller whales.
When you start a one-player game, you'll have a choice between Tam and Rit. Both characters play exactly the same. The aim of the game is to rescue Tam and Rit's mother, who is trapped in a tower. There are 40 levels, or "scenes," and you must beat all of them to rescue her.
Left and Right let you move left and right, while Up and Down allow you to climb up and down ladders. A and B allow you to use the rod, while Up+A or B and Down+A or B allow you to create a ladder going up or down. You can only create one magic ladder at a time, and if you make another one, the previous one will disappear and the new one will appear where you created it. Keep in mind that enemies can use ladders, including the one that you created, so be ready to move.
The first enemies that you see that look like cat slimes just move back and forth and also climb up and down ladders when they want to. You can zap them with the wand, then keep pressing the button to slam them back and forth until they turn into an item. Sometimes they will turn into fruits that give you bonus points, and other times, they will turn into weapons such as bombs that you can move towards to send them towards other enemies to defeat them. Whatever you do, don't let enemies touch you, as this game is a "one hit and you're dead" affair and getting hit will cost you a life.
There are sixteen flowers in a scene, and when you collect them all, the enemies all temporarily turn into slimes that move towards you. If you defeat them, they turn into circles with letters that cycle between E-X-T-R-A. If you can spell EXTRA, not only will you be able to end the scene early and go on to the next one, but you'll also get an extra life and 10,000 points. If you want to play for score, this is how you do it. Just be careful, as these enemies can still hurt you and cost you a life, and they won't keep their blob-like slime forms forever.
The level usually ends when all enemies are defeated. If you take too much time, the enemies change into more aggressive ones that will do their darndest to try to destroy you, and even those enemies will eventually fly away and leave you moving on to the next scene, anyway.
The shark enemies will charge at you if you happen to be across from them, if you give them the chance.
Make sure you are standing above the balloons so that you can ride them to higher areas.
The worm enemies with the horns will charge at you, much like the shark enemies, and they're much better at doing it, too.
At the end of every tenth scene is a boss. The first boss is a set of six crocodiles. You'll want to stand two tiles away from one and keep hitting it with the rod, not only to defeat the crocodiles, but to attack the birds that they spit out. When you take one out, it makes it easier for other crocodiles to ascend or descend to your level so you don't have to create ladders to get around.
When you beat the game, you'll also unlock a mini-game. The mini-game in question is called "Flagman D.D.," and plays just like the Game & Watch Game "Flag." Since the Game & Watch Gallery games were in vogue at the time, Nintendo decided to put this in the game if you've reached 100%. It costs 100 coins from your total coins to play it, and it can be quite fun.
A series of flags will be raised, and you'll need to raise those same flag in the same order. If you mess up, you'll take a hit. There's also a timer on the left side of the screen, and if it runs out before you can complete the pattern, you'll also take a hit. Three hits, and the game is over. Up, Right, Down and Left are 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The B Button is 5, and the A Button is 6. You'll start out with just the first four flags, then the fifth one will be added in at ten points, and the the sixth will be added at fifteen.
Unlike the other levels, you'll be entering a hidden cave near Syrup Castle and going from the beginning to the end. There are no coins to collect or treasures to find; instead, you have a timer at the lower-right corner to show how long you've been playing. The game will throw a series of challenges at you, such as trying to break your way through walls, floors and ceilings to find paths, or jumping from dresser to dresser across the water, or move an enemy around the room to get past certain blocks and move on to the next area.
The half-circles are platforms that you can jump on and through.
In order to tackle the wrap-around jumps that the level throws at you, you'll need to position yourself so that it looks like Wario in mid-air, and do that, you have to stand on the edge of the platform before jumping up and around to the platform above.
Other challenges include jumping off birds diving to the side to reach platforms, throwing enemies onto platforms that only enemies can walk on and jumping across, getting to a door as Flat Wario while avoiding water droplets, and dealing with spikes and conveyor belts.
To defeat the Giant Spear Man without falling to the bottom of the screen, you'll need to alternate between the left and right sides of the Giant Spear Man as you keep butt bouncing on him. If you do that, he will go down, and you'll finish the level.
When you finish this level, you'll find the treasure, which is a big bag of money. After this, you'll get the credits one more time. Wario runs back to his castle with the treasure while a Giant Spear Man chases after him.
Be ready to avoid ghosts and grab coins as you start the level. From here, you'll have a series of doors. The one on the far right leads to coins, but you'd better be ready to strategically throw enemies into the blocks to break them all and get the coins.
From here, leave the room and enter the room to the left. Move the furnace by tackling it, then hit the switch. This will open a staircase downstairs leading to the boss. Get all the coins, then enter the door to the right, hit the switch, take care of the enemies and go all the way to the left.
Go all the way to the bottom and get the coins, but do not tackle the dresser. Get all the coins up top, then push the furnace in the middle of the room to the left to get to another door with a switch. Take out the zombie enemy and hit the switch. Push the furnace to the left again and watch out for the ghost so you can more coins. The treasure room will be in the upper-left corner, behind the treasure. Play this to win a skull. You now have all the treasures in the game.
Go back to the switch you just hit and hit it again. Get back to the boss door and go in.
To beat the ghost that has captured Captain Syrup, stay on the ground and do not get on the table. Stay between the center of the side, and stay ducked down so you don't get grabbed and carted off to the top of the room, forcing you to start the whole boss battle over again. The ghost will come out from the top of the screen and try to grab you, and he'll either go straight down or down and to the side. Wait for him to do the latter, which is more likely to happen if you're crawling around, before hitting him with a jumping tackle. After three tackles, the boss goes down and you're done with this story.
When you get all the picture panels, you'll get a hint as to where the final treasure is. We have 100% of everything, but there's one more level to go...
For this ending, Wario will take out Captain Syrup and the ghost and get his treasure back, then fall through a trap door. It turns out that this was a nightmare all along. The credits show Captain Syrup and her goons flying to Wario's Castle, where the game's events are about to truly begin.
At the start of the level, it will become obvious that you will need to hit a switch to move some blocks so you can enter the door above where you start. For now, just get to the end while getting as many coins as you can. As you explore, you'll notice that there are no enemies and that when you hit the switch, going back will be difficult.
When you reach the room with the switch, hit the switch, take out the enemy and get the six big coins, then go back into the previous room. Not only will you be forced to remember where the platforms were in the room now that it's dark, but you'll have to deal with enemies now. Coming back...is difficult.
Once you get out of the previous room, you'll still have to deal with enemies, but at least you'll be able to get more coins. You'll also be able to enter another room with a pair of dressers. Once of them contains a ghost; touch the ghost to go all the way down and collect even more coins.
In the second room in the level, you'll be forced to take the lower path due to the blocks being moved, but this does take you to the treasure room, where you can win a bottle of wine. The path to the entry room is littered with ghosts, and if you get turned into Zombie Wario once, you'll have to do this room all over again after touching the sunlight.
In the entry room, avoid the ghosts while getting all the coins and getting to the exit.
When you start the level, there will be five doors, each with the Roman numerals of I - V above them. The fifth door will be the only one open at the start, and when you enter it, you won't be able to reach the exit unless you hit a switch to move the blocks upwards. Get the coins here and leave.
When you return to the previous room, V will be closed and IV will open. Go into Door IV and get all the coins, then head back to the entry room. IV will be closed, and I and V will be open. Enter I, and let yourself become Zombie Wario to take out all the enemies and get their coins. Get what you can and return to the entry room.
Door III will be open. Enter there. The treasure room will be to the right, but make sure you take out the enemies and get the coins before playing the treasure room and winning the chalice.
II and IV will be open. Enter Door II, and watch out for the ghost and the birds on the way to the switch. Hit the switch. Leave, and II and IV will still be open. Go through IV and get the coins you missed, then re-enter Room I and get the coins you missed. Be sure you re-enter room III afterwards and get the coins you missed there, too. Enter II one more time, then IV, then V. With the blocks in place, you can finally exit.
