We have one more level to go...and this is where the difficulty spikes up.
The Prince and the Pauper
1990
Section 1
If you go to the right, the stairs disappear.
Push the crate to the platform at the start of the stage. From there, leap up to the chandeliers. Walk back and forth on them to rock them, and make the jumps to the right easier.
Hit the switch to light up the library. The weasel knight will attack with either throwing daggers or crossbows, and the only way to defeat them is with marbles. It takes three marbles to take down one of the weasel soldiers, and you'll need to collect every marble you see if you want to survive.
In the library, you'll be using books either as trampolines or as magical teeter-totters that will get you around so you can continue the level.
You'll knock the pots down near the end. This effect was not in the Super Nintendo version.
When you reach Pauper Mickey, you'll find out Prince Mickey is still in the dungeon.
Section 2
Use the pitcher to jump up the platforms and hit the switch at the start. If you need to, move left into the wooden platform to push it to the left enough to make the jump to it and the jump after it. With this, you can continue to the right and enter the chute that lets you exit this section.
Also, coals will fly out of the fireplace to the right of the starting point.
Section 3
The music that was moved to the Moose Hunters stage is also used here on Genesis/Mega Drive.
Jump on the pump three times so you can inflate the inner tube. Stand on it so you can float to the top of the chamber. You have until it floods to get up there, or else you're going to lose a life.
From there, keep heading right. At this point, you're going to start finding out that the weasels can attack off-screen. The more you play these levels, the better you'll get at figuring out where the weasels are and also attack them from off-screen.
The platform on the chains moves around when you stand on it. Jump over the spikes and make your way to the other end as soon as you're able. The spikes will move on the second platform, and if you can jump to the right from high enough with the second platform, you'll get a hidden star.
You'll then be jumping off platforms over fire pits, complete with coals that jump out and have the potential to damage you. That will be just the worst of your problems, as you'll see weasels hanging out on the edge on the other side.
Go down the next shaft before the walls crush you!
At the spikes blocking your path, move to the right as soon as the first spikes sinks back into the floor. Love the animation on them.
When you reach the dungeon, push the rock onto the switch. From there, you'll have to leap on the platform on the rope and use the platforms to the right to avoid the spikes on the wall and jump back onto the rope platform when it stops moving. The platforms to the right will break after you stand on them for about a second, and if you mess up, you'll have to off-screen the platforms in order to start over. When you make it to the top, you'll meet Prince Mickey.
Section 4
You're now climbing Pete's Tower...which is anything but easy!
The music here was also used in the final battle with Pete. The music that was here in the Super Nintendo version was used for the Big Band Concert bonus level.
The platforms crumble a second or two after you stand on them. As you ascend the tower, a huge wall of fire will rise up the tower. If you mess up, you're heading back to the beginning.
You'll also be dealing with some tough jumps as well as spiked balls, but they're easy to avoid. (Yep, they're spiked balls now!) The jumps are the hard part.
Section 5
When you make it to the doorway at the end, you're still going to have to deal with the fire. You'll also be dealing with weasels as you leap up this vertical shaft of death. At least the weasels in this part only take one hit before they die.
The music in this part is in the Super Nintendo version, but amazingly, it's not even used there! That's a shame, because the Super Nintendo version does the song here justice.
When you make it to the top, you'll be able to refill your health and get some more marbles. The path to the right has weasels who now take three hits to kill again as well as some more marbles. You'll also be swinging off long chains and suffering the Ninja Gaiden-esque problem of...you guessed it...enemies hanging out on the edge of a platform.
Section 6
Pete will throw a sword at you and then jump to the left. Duck under the sword and avoid Pete, as well as the shurikens that drop down whenever Pete shakes the room.
Whenever Pete shakes the ground, a wooden cart with spikes on the top will drop down. You'll want to position this so that when Pete lands on the ground, he also lands on this. Love how Pete has a digitized "ouch" speech sound for this version. After four instances of this, Pete will change his tactics.
There are five stars in this room, and you'll need to save them until you're badly in need of health. Keep that in mind, because the second phase is going to be harder!
There will now be a ball and chain suspended from the ceiling. There will also be two switches, with one on each end of the room. Pete employs the same tactics, but when he stomps the floor, two rows of shurikens fall instead of one. The first set falls slightly to the left, and the other slightly to the right. They are dodgeable, but you'll have to think on your thumbs as you do so. Sometimes these sets of shurikens will fall next to each other at the same time and have you staying in one spot, while other times they're staggered enough for you to just move out of the way with the first one, then the second one. The distance between the two shuriken sets will vary.
You will need to trigger these switches in order to deal damage to Pete. You have to jump onto the sword he throws, then jump into the switch to trigger it. The ball and chain will swing to the other end of the room. You will have to hit the switch on the side where the ball is in order for this monstrous weapon to move. Four more hits and plenty of patience later, you've done it! Enjoy the ending!
The "next animated cartoon" refers to the 1994 theatrical short "Runaway Brain," in case you're wondering.
Notable credits include outspoken game designer David Jaffe (who later directed the Twisted Metal series and the first two God of War games) and Michael Giacchino (who would work on Gargoyles by Disney Interactive before working on the soundtrack to Lost).
Alright, now for more differences:
During the first half of the battle with the spike cart, the boss music is the same as the Mad Doctor battle. When you make it to the second half with the ball and chain, it's the final boss music. Also, the ball on the ball and chain is gold instead of silver, and the shurikens in the second half of the battle don't vary in position like in the Super Nintendo version. Once you know how to dodge them here, you can dodge them every time.
Instead of fading out, Pete is knocked right off of the screen when you beat him here.
You get a "Well Done, Mickey!" screen with a smiling Mickey standing with his hands on his sides. The game will also ask if you've found the Mickeys from The Mad Doctor and The Band Concert even if you've already found them.
The enemy roll call has quite a few differences. All the enemies move across the screen faster, and there are also music changes and enemy additions.
The Mad Doctor uses its Section 2 music (instead of Section 1).
The Moose Hunters has an extra sprite for the moose that chases you in Section 2, and uses the Section 2 music. You also get to see the moose from Section 1 a little while longer.
The Lonesome Ghosts shows the motorboat ghost a little while longer.
Mickey and the Beanstalk uses its Section 3 music.
The Prince and the Pauper uses its Section 5 music and also shows off the death animations for the weasels.
Jon Burton's name under "Credit Text Typed and Checked By" is upside down. On Super Nintendo, it's right-side up.
When you get a game over, you hear the title screen music in the Super Nintendo version. This music is used in the Genesis/Mega Drive version and goes unused on Super Nintendo, where it is only available via the sound test (as do the other two unused songs).
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