PrinceWatercress plays Power Blade II - Part 1 of 6

It's been a good while since I played Power Blade, so let's play the second game...which isn't as well-remembered, unfortunately.

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It is December 24, 2200. The Delta Foundation has just finished development of a cyborg unit that represents the next generation of fighting robots. They would like to sell it to the Department of Defense, and mention that the cyborg would be a threat to the security of the nation if sold to a foreign country before giving the government a week to respond.

The government considered this matter very seriously and assigned a top secret mission to SP Headquarters. Nova, who saved the New Earth colony by restoring the Master Computer in 2191, is secretly called upon by the Department of Defense to destroy the Delta Foundation. Should something happen to Nova, his superiors cannot get involved.

When you start the game, you'll be able to play the first four stages in any order. Beating all four of these stages will unlock the fifth one. Left and Right on the D-Pad allows you to pick between the stages, while Start makes your selection.

Stage 1

Unlike the stages in the first game, the stages here are a lot more linear, a lot more Mega Man-like and much less open. Go through one stage, and you'll figure out why this game isn't as well remembered as the game that precedes it: the level design is by-the-numbers compared to the first game. While it's not completely a bad thing, it does leave a bit to be desired.

At the bottom of the screen, you'll have your HUD. The power of your weapon is at the very top, and picking up stars will increase the power of your attacks. Below all that is the amount of time you have left to play through the level before you lose a life from running out time. Below that is your current amount of health ("Player"), the current amount of energy for your suits ("Energy," which will be explained in due time), the current stage you are in, and the current area of the stage you are in. The last area of a stage will always be the last one before a boss. To the right of all that is a portrait of Nova (which will be useful later), the amount of life canisters that you have, the amount of energy batteries that you have, and the amount of lives that you have.

Left and Right on the D-Pad allows you to move left and right. Down allows you to crouch, as well as attack downwards in mid-air. A jumps, while B throws boomerangs, just like in the first game. You can throw diagonally downwards while on the ground, but you can only throw straight downwards in mid-air, where you can attack in eight directions. You can use Up on the D-Pad in conjunction with B to throw your boomerangs upwards, and you can also attack diagonally upwards, regardless of whether you are in the air or on the ground. Down and A allows you to slide much like in the Mega Man games.

A good amount of the enemies that you'll fight through the game make return appearances from the first game, and if you've played the first game for a decent amount of time, you'll be able to recognize them as well as their attack patterns.

Stars will increase the power of your attacks. Once you get your power to full strength, it won't take as many strikes to defeat enemies. The double boomerang gives you another boomerang to throw, up to a maximum of three. The single red boomerang powers up the base power of your attack.

The hamburger will replenish a few units of your health. The white and pink battery will add energy to your energy meter. The light blue cylinder acts like a Mega Man-style energy can that refills all your health whenever you press Select, assuming you have one in your inventory.

The spinning drills, whether they are on the walls, ceilings or floor, will instantly kill you if you jump into them. Also, you'll be seeing conveyor belts on the floors along with these drills as early as Area 3. Thankfully, it is easy to tell where they will take you by looking at them. Just watch out for the ceiling turrets. When you get to what looks like a maroon-colored Lego, hold Left while on the platform to grab this. This battery replenishes your energy when it empties out, but again, this will be explained when the time comes.

Enemy generating doors can be destroyed by throwing boomerangs at them until they explode, believe it or not.

The grey doors that spit out the small bugs that jump around in Area 4 can be destroyed by your boomerangs. Also, there are blocks that you'll need to break to make progress.

In Area 5, the platforms on the tracks will only move when you're on them. They will stop when you leap off. If you need to, duck under stationary platforms to keep the platform going.

In the middle of Area 5 is a set of double doors. To enter them, stand in front of them and press Up on the D-Pad to open the door and enter the room. Here, you'll fight a mechanical dragon. You'll need to throw boomerangs at it and keep your power high as you do so, jump over the fireballs it spits out, and jump over the dragon itself when it rolls it into a ball to avoid getting rolled into. When you defeat this dragon, you'll get the Newt Suit. The Newt Suit is the power suit from the first game; it allows you to throw energy blasts that travel all the way to the end of the screen that are more powerful than your standard boomerang. 

To switch between your standard form and the Newt Suit, press Up and Down on the D-Pad while paused. This will change the portrait of Nova on the HUD. The Newt Suit is dictated by the portrait of Nova in armor with the "N" in the upper-right corner. While using this or any other suit, the energy on your Energy meter will go down. While you can pick up small batteries to replenish your energy on the spot, more often than not, the maroon-colored batteries will refill your energy automatically, assuming you have at least one in your inventory. If you run out of energy without a replacement battery, you'll go back to your standard suitless form.

In Area 6, watch out for the electric sparks that travel across the wires in the background. At the top where the spikes are; jump to the left so you're on the left wall, then slide to the right to get over the gap and avoid the ceiling spikes. Take care not to get crushed between the moving floor and the ceiling, as that is an automatic loss of a life. Watch out for blocks to break to find a way to the top.

If you lose a life, you will lose a little bit of your power as well as one of your boomerangs and your red boomerang power-up, but it is easy to get back to maximum.

To destroy the purple disc-throwing cyborg in Area 7, you'll need to duck down and throw some maximum strength shots at it. This will allow you to attack while avoiding the discs being thrown at you.

To beat the boss here, switch to the Newt Suit and stay close to the boss while attacking it repeatedly, but not too close. Duck when you are close to the boss while on the ground to avoid the projectiles and the jump over the center, and watch where the projectiles go when the boss is on the platforms in the corners, as that is when the projectiles will create flame pillars that stick around for a few seconds after they hit the floor. 

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck in Hollywood (SMS) - Part 6 of 6

...and now, the final world of the game!

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The Quacker Tracker - Part 1

The green plants with the blue berries are the projectile shooters for this level. The vertical ones shoot frogs, while the horizontal one shoot bugs. Some of the horizontal ones will look like Venus flytraps.

The worms not only walk across the tops of the platforms, but the bottoms of them as well!

The monkey has a limited movement range.

The witch doctor will teleport into the screen from out of nowhere. A good bomb can take care of them, if you can get one.

The rats with the spears will move towards you and strike when you are on their level. It's a good thing I went above the lone rat in this stage, ducked down and used the bomb to take out two enemies at once, huh?

Spikes can shoot in and out of the floors in some of the "indoor" paths of the levels.

The trophy is behind some hidden walls at the end of the first section. You'll also find a continue near the trophy, too!

Coconuts will drop down if you get close enough to them.

The Quacker Tracker - Part 2

Go down at the start for pick-ups and enemies.

There is a leaf platform shortly after the start that takes you over a small spike pit. On the other side is a nook inside a wall that contains an extra life.

In the maze section of the level, shoot at the tiki heads in the maze area. You may just take down some hidden enemies.

At the bottom of the maze, there is an extra life hidden behind a false wall.

The Quacker Tracker - Part 3

The final trophy is behind a false wall in the upper-left corner of the mazey second section of the level. Once again, you have a trophy that is easy to miss.

There is another extra life hidden behind a false wall in the lower-left corner of the third section.

To get the best ending, you'll need to beat the game on the hardest difficulty. But at least we've beaten this game on Normal!

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck in Hollywood (SMS) - Part 5 of 6

It was only a matter of time before we got a Duck Dodgers reference.

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Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century - Scene 1

Thankfully, you'll have your gun again, now that you're out of World 4.

The projectile shooters are craters with light blue eyes, and they can blend into the ground pretty well. Watch your step.

The green aliens move left and right when you move left and right, and also shoot when you shoot. They cannot be defeated. They also have limited range.

The red floors with the eyes is the death floor for this world; touching them will hurt you.

The green things with the blue eyes are platforms with handholds you can jump into to grab on and jump to higher areas. If you grab one, it will move to the right.

The spiky turtles make a return here, but this time they will keep moving when they see you.

The yellow platforms with the blue eyes will move up and down.

The green cube acts as a crushing enemy that cannot be defeated, and it will come down onto the floor if you get close enough to it. 

The green slime ghosts cannot be defeated. They also pop up out of nowhere.

There is an extra life above the level exit; just watch out for the projectile shooter.

Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century - Scene 2

Grab the black potion below the first enemy you see at the start to make him easier to eliminate. The helicopter enemy floats back and forth and shoots slime upwards that quickly drops down.

The red cloud enemy will fly away unless you shoot it down quickly. It also shows up out of nowhere, too. What is with this level and enemies popping up out of nowhere?

The gold shiny platform swings back and forth when you jump onto it.

The green bat enemy will dive at you if you get close enough.

You'll need to jump over this slime ghost near the end to get the trophy.

There is an extra life directly above the exit.

Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century - Scene 3

There is an extra life in the upper-right corner of the level.

The trophy for this level is in the lower-left corner of the level, directly across from the level exit at the very bottom.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck in Hollywood (SMS) - Part 4 of 6

Despite being named after the cartoon involving Daffy Duck and martial arts, there aren't really many references to that cartoon in this game...or any of the cartoons the worlds are named after, for that matter.

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Assault and Peppered - Scene 1

Unlike the other worlds in the game, you don't attack with your gun in World 4. Instead, you attack with a kick while standing, a karate chop while crouching and a jump kick in mid-air. You also somersault when you jump. Amazingly, all of the power-ups still work the same way. However, you can get your range back. If you pick up a green six-pointed star like you would any of the other power-ups in the game, you'll be able to throw that and get some range back.

The spiky orange turtles cannot be damaged and do not count towards the enemy quota for each section. You're better off avoiding them, anyway. If they see you, they will stop, duck into their shells and quiver. This will make it easier to jump over them.

The red ninjas that climb on the handholds can throw shurikens at you if you get too close. It's best to attack him when he turns his back, especially with the star.

The robots that move back and forth will attack with karate chops that shake the screen. Those karate chops also block the stars, so hit him from a distance if you have them.

The armored guards with the spiky helmets are invincible and do not count towards the enemy quota.

The copper pots serve as the projectile spitters for World 4.

Assault and Peppered - Scene 2

The enemies with the buck teeth and the cone hats stand in place and karate chop. Time your star throws so that they don't bounce off their karate chops.

The wolf martial artists move quickly and turn into a tornado to block attacks, but they stop to look around every once in a while before they start moving again. Use that break as an opportunity to attack.

To get the trophy, you'll need to go through a hidden wall located to the right to the trophy. 

Assault and Peppered - Scene 3

Go up at the start to get the star; you're going to need it here.

The trophy for this stage is right here. It's very easy to miss.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck in Hollywood (SMS) - Part 3 of 6

We're almost halfway through the game now. Things start getting a little more interesting here.

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Robin Hood Daffy - Scene 1

The apple with the hole is the projectile shooter for his level, and the projectiles are worms this time around.

You'll need to jump onto the platforms at the right of the start, then make your way to the platform above the start so you can explore more of the level.

The bomb shows up as an icon in the upper-left corner when you collect it. When you press Button 1, it will then get rid of all enemies currently on-screen.

The enemies that slide down the slopes can be shot down. That's good, because they are a pain in the butt.

The buckets of water are for when you are on fire. There are red fire ghosts in the level; they cannot be defeated with your weapon and can only be avoided. If you run into them, you will be on fire. A timer will count down over Daffy's head, and if you don't get to a bucket of water in time, you will die. 

The small twigs connected to the trees will fall down if you get close enough to them.

There are branches that act as handholds, but if you grab onto them, they will shake before dropping down.

Robin Hood Daffy - Scene 2

The frog enemy on the vines will move from hook to hook, making it a little harder to hit him.

There is a 1-Up hidden in a wall just after the start of the level. You'll need to make a running jump to get out of there and grab a hook on the vines, because there's a bottomless pit below.

Take out the archers from a distance, as they will shoot arrows at you. 

The brambles are spikes.

To get the trophy, you'll need to leap into the wall from where the trophy is from right of where the trophy is.

Robin Hood Daffy - Scene 3

The handhold branch with the leaves on it moves up and down when you grab onto it.

The trophy for this level is past the bramble pit with the vines near the end. Jump on the apple spitting out the worms, then move to the right to go through the wall. Keep going right to go through another wall and find the trophy.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck in Hollywood (SMS) - Part 2 of 6

Things get a little more difficult in the second world of the game.

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The Duxorcist - Scene 1

Be careful around trees; enemies can hide behind them.

What looks like a small green pile on the ground is a monster, and it will pop up ready to do some contact damage if you get close enough to them.

The eyeballs are the projectile shooters around here. At least they're easier to spot and you can more easily tell which direction they're going to shoot in. 

The potion pick-up, when grabbed, encapsulates all on-screen enemies in bubbles so you can easily get rid of them.

The bats will fly at you if you get enough to them; shoot them when you're in range.

The red stuff that looks like dirt is really lava; it will damage you if you fall in.

There are ghosts that pop up when you least expect them. The only way to prepare for them is to memorize where in the level they will pop up at. Thankfully, you can shoot them and get rid of them.

If you see hidden sections that you can't seem to access, jump into walls. You'll be able to find hidden passages that way.

The ghosts that move back and forth can easily be stopped with your bubble shot.

The green lava can also damage you. The rafts will take you from one side of an area to the other.

The cauldrons will hurt you if you touch them while they are bubbling.

The devil ducks will move towards you if you get close enough to them.

The ghosts that act as platforms will fall if you stand on them.

Ooze will move back and forth underneath grabbable platforms and along ceilings; thankfully, they can be shot down.

There is an extra live above the exit. Make a running jump to the area above the exit so you can grab it.

The Duxorcist - Scene 2

The jack-o' lanterns will hurt you if you touch them while they are glowing.

The white slops are slippery; the green ones are not.

In the second section, you will be able to see a trophy in one of the walls. You'll need to jump through a wall near some lava in order to get to it. Be ready to shoot down the nearby slime, too.

The hands in the air act as the hooks you can grab for this world.

The skeletons can throw skulls at you from a distance, and especially from off-screen.

Once again, there is a wall near the exit you can jump into for an extra life. You can also find an extra continue in there, too!

The Duxorcist - Scene 3

Compared to the first two scenes, there's more skeletons and ghosts popping

The trophy is in the upper-right corner of the stage. There is a hidden wall nearby that you can jump into to get the trophy.

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck in Hollywood (SMS) - Part 1 of 6

Compared to the Genesis/Mega Drive version, this version plays differently and doesn't have a time limit. It also rewards exploration with a ton of power-ups, extra lives, and even the main collectible of the game at the same time.

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The mad Professor Duck Brain has ransacked Yosemite Sam's trailer and has stolen his Golden Cartoon Award trophies. Sam has hired Daffy Duck to find all twelve trophies...can he do it?

When you start the game, you'll only be able to play the first two worlds. When you complete them, you'll get the next two, followed by the final two. When you complete a level, you will not be able to play it again, so you'll want to explore the levels carefully.

Scalp Trouble: Scene 1

Since Scalp Trouble is the first world of the game, we're covering it first.

The D-Pad lets you move left and right with Left and Right, while Down allows you to duck down. You can also look up and down with Up and Down. Button 1 attacks, and Button 2 jumps. If you hold Button 1, you can run, although running is not a well-advised move.

If you see bubbles on the floor, stick around. You'll get power-ups, all of which can do wonderful things for your bubble attack such as allow for more powerful shots, allow for faster shots get rid of enemies without you having to touch them, and other things. You can also find money that gets you points, extra lives for in case you die, as well as letters spelling out "DAFFY DUCK," which can also give you an extra life if you collect all of them in a level, which you're going to have to look high and low to do. You can also find golden clappers, which act as continues, although those are rare. You can get lives off of points, but they are few and far between.

You can also find diamonds and other objects out in the open that can also give you points. The trophies themselves will also be out in the open, and I'll mention where they are when the time comes...so don't miss them!

When fighting enemies, keep your distance and watch what they do. If an enemy is encased in a bubble, run into the bubble to get rid of the enemy and send it flying away before it can break out.

You will automatically go down slopes if you stand on them, so be careful.

Don't jump into the cacti; it's instant death. The moving cactus is also indestructible and should not be tangled with, so don't even bother firing at it. You also can't destroy the tornadoes; you can only avoid them.

The other enemies on the other hand, can be defeated. The guy that looks like he is wearing a fedora and coat while walking back and forth can be defeated without much effort, and the guys in the cowboy hats that stand around are easy targets as long as you don't give them time to shoot projectiles at you.

The wand gives you a Fairy Duckmother, who acts as extra hit. You'll want an extra hit at all times, because getting around in this game is hard enough already. Sadly, you can't stack them, so you can only have one extra hit at a time.

If you see anything with two, small beady eyes poking out from underneath some blackness such as a rock, be careful near it. That is a projectile firing enemy, and you cannot destroy it. All you can do is avoid the projectiles that fire in the direction that these enemies are looking.

The levels are separated into three sections cordoned off by walls that open up when you get near them and close once you're past them. You won't be able to go from one section to the next until you defeat all the enemies in that section, so if the wall does not open up, you'll need to go back, as you're missing an enemy or two. You'll also get a hand in the upper-right corner pointing at where to go.

If you see a handhold, you can jump into it while holding Up on the D-Pad to grab on. Left and Right on the D-Pad will allow you to move across the handhold. You can then jump up off the handhold or jump straight down by holding Down and pressing Button 2. 

Scalp Trouble: Scene 2

Power-ups do not carry over from one scene to the next, so when you start a new scene, you'll be back to your basic shot. You'll also go back to your basic shot if you lose a life, so try not to die. This also includes extra hits, so you'll want to find a magic wand pronto.

The blocks that have what look like crescent moons on them are hooks; jump into them to grab them like handholds. You can then jump from one handhold to another with Left and Right on the D-Pad in conjunction with Button 2.

If a platform has a handhold underneath, you can hold Down and press Button 2 to drop down and grab the underside. Keep in mind that you can hold onto a handhold for so long before Daffy automatically drops back down.

Some of the enemies that move back and forth here look a little more menacing, but you can still easily defeat them.

Stalactite shake and drop when you get close enough to them. 

The projectile shooters that look upwards have even more limited range; when they shoot their projectiles, they will quickly come back down.

The statue is near the exit. Go left before you go past the last wall made out of leaves.

Scalp Trouble: Scene 3

Some of the spike pits have fireballs flying out of them, so watch out and take your time so they don't hit you.

There is another trophy at the bottom of the third section near the end of the stage; look around on the ground near the exit before you leave and avoid the cacti.