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.
We go through the last two levels of World 1 before taking on the first boss...
World 1-5
Besides the Broom Hatters, Sir Kibbles and the the bouncy pink spring enemies, you'll also see those little guys with the copter blades on their heads from the second game. This time around, you can actually inhale them and spit them at other enemies.
The bridges consisting of those huge rolling logs act as a slow conveyor belt. They're not that bad, actually, since they don't seem to throw you into any sort of danger.
The first door in the second section lets you choose between Kine and Coo. Coo the Owl moves around differently in this game. To dash, you have to press B repeatedly while holding the direction you want to go. The second lets you choose between Rick and Nago.
To get the Heart Star here, you'll have to make it to the end with Kine. Notice that the pink fish looks just like Kine except for the face. That poor fish...
World 1-6
The spiders wait at the top of the screen and slowly come down once you're close enough. They can only go so low, so you can be well under them if you're low enough.
The first door you see contains Rick and Chuchu.
The second section has you walking around in a tree (in typical series fashion), and it contains black balls that turn into huge spiders. They aren't that menacing, but their legs are pretty long. You can still suck them up, though. There's also a lot of trees you can see through. If you're playing on an emulator that is bad at the transparency effects, though, it's going to be pretty difficult going through this area.
The third section introduces you to the archers. They jump up and shoot an arrow downwards at you. You can find Coo and Nago in the door in the middle of this section.
The fourth section has triangle-shaped enemies that revolve around trees in an attempt to poke you with their faces. I wish I was making this up. You can use them as ammunition against other enemies, thankfully.
To get the Heart Star for this stage, you'll have to look around the level to find three enemies that the clown at the end can juggle. Interestingly, they are all in the second section and shaped like blocks that are different colors and shapes. You have the orange circle, the green triangle and the blue rectangle.
In this entry, we meet Gordos, get re-introduced to Coo and Kine, and actually get a Heart Star.
World 1-3
In the first section, the doorway you'll see halfway through contains both Coo and Kine.
The second section auto-scrolls upwards. Make your way to the top of the mountain without falling onto the bottom of the screen!
The third section has some white blobby guy with a hat throwing circles behind a wall. Pay attention to what he's throwing, as each circle has a different face. Get all of them right and you'll get the Heart Star for this stage.
The fourth section has you going down platforms. When you reach the end, you can swallow all four Nellys to get rid of them.
The fifth section not only re-introduces the cannons, but also introduces the big cannonball, which falls at regular intervals near the end. Interesting.
Apparently, if you bring Gooey with you to the end-of-stage bonus game, you basically double your chances at getting a good prize.
World 1-4
The grey clouds drop raindrops on you, while the big Kaboos are...well...big Kaboos. The big Kaboos spit regular-sized clones of themselves at you as an attack. The bats swoop down at you.
The green bird you see in the second section makes it debut here, even though most players first saw this enemy in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. It will throw the spiky crown on its head at you as a boomerang, and will also fly around.
The green balls of slime with the smiley faces shoot you in another direction, taking you through blocks and letting you access other areas.
You'll also see an enemy that hides behind the wall and attacks you with a small white ball. You can get rid of him whenever he comes out of hiding. Just wait for him to come back out.
For the uninitiated, the red tomato with the M on it is the Maxim Tomato. This will completely restore your health.
In the third section, take the lower path and go into the water. You'll find a door to the right. The fireball mini-boss isn't that hard at all. All it does is run into the wall and lose its fire, which transforms into a ball that Kirby can spit at the mini-boss. When you defeat this mini-boss, you can swallow it to get the Fire ability. You'll also open a door. Inside is a monkey crying. Touch her, and you'll apparently take her with you.
The light brown droplets are blob-like enemies that peer up and look at you. They can be easily taken care of. Meanwhile, those faces that move up and down and spit stars out of their heads make a return appearance here. Yes, they can still stick to ceilings and walls. They're another series mainstay.
You'll also see a black stone square acting as a crusher. It smashes into the floor, goes back up to the ceiling, and repeats. Move along.
The spiked ball is the Gordo, as mentioned eariler. These things are indestructible and act as the moving spikes of the series.
After the very easy final section, you'll find out that you were supposed to return the monkey to this young girl. You'll get a Heart Star for your efforts.
Unlike the first two games, which are very well known, this one is probably the most underrated and most unnecessarily lambasted game in the entire Kirby series. Chalk it up to the fact that Kirby Super Star came out shortly before this and that critics and players were disappointed that it didn't play like...you guessed it...Kirby Super Star.
This would be the last game Nintendo would develop for the American Super NES, even though there would still be support for the system for the next two years in Japan and there were still some more games for the system for about another year or so.
It's actually a really enjoyable game. It plays like the second game, and introduces more new ideas, some of which would ironically never appear in future games. You'll see them as we play.
World 1: Grass Land
World 1-1
The first door in the game gives you two characters. Rick the Hamster is on the right, while the guy on the left is Nago the cat, who walks around with Kirby in his hands instead of just having Kirby riding him. This makes for some interesting ability attacks, such as throwing Kirby at an angle like an energy beam with the Cutter ability. Nago also has a triple jump that can come in handy in some situations.
Getting on the animal friends is different compared to the previous game. Instead of walking into them, you have to walk into them and then press X. You also use the X button to dismount. This confused me at first, and it's probably done the same to a lot of other players who hadn't played the game before.
Also, Kirby moves really slow, and you'll be dashing all the time just to get through the level at a decent pace. Even then, this gets annoying.
The Cutter Ability is the first ability you'll see in the game, and it allows Kirby to throw boomerangs. There are also Cutter blocks with a picture of a boomerang on them that can only be destroyed by that ability, too. This won't be the last you'll see of such blocks, as there will be others that can only be destroyed by a certain ability.
The stars are back, and the more stars you collect, the more of the six stars on the HUD that you fill up. When you fill up all six stars, you get a one up. You need 30 stars to do this.
Kirby takes ten hits before he goes. That's pretty lenient compared to other games, but this makes even more sense when you press the A Button and call Gooey. Yes, this is the name of the dark blue blob in the opening cutscene, and if you have a second controller, you can play as him. The only catch is that you lose two of your hit points, but if you swallow and inhale him again, you'll get your two hit points back and you can also bring him to heal him. He controls the same way Kirby does, except he uses his tongue to eat enemies instead of inhaling them.
Speaking of hit points, the thin orange bottles are Pep Brews for those of you who are completely in the dark when it comes to a Kirby game. These bottle replenish two hit points.
You'll also see the Parasol and Spark power-ups in this stage, too, and they both have their own respective blocks here as well. You'll also find the Invincibility Lollipop near the end.
You may notice pink flowers in this stage. If you jump on them, you'll stomp them. Don't do this. If you leave these flowers alone, you'll get a Heart Star when you beat the stage. If you don't know what to do to get the Heart Star, the room here provides a hint. You'll need all the Heart Stars to fight the final boss of the game.
When you reach the exit, you'll be in a room with a door. This door takes you to the end-of-level mini-game. Kirby will move up and down, and the lower Kirby's arms are, the further he jumps. Whichever tile you land on dictates what prize you'll win. If you land on the evil smiley face, you get nothing. (This would be the basis of the post-level mini game in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.)
The big stars here are worth three stars.
World 1-2
If you swallow the witch on the broomstick, you'll get the Broom ability. While this is an interesting ability, as it lets Kirby sweep the ground with a broom for whatever reason and actually works as an attack, it's probably one of the weirdest ideas ever and has never been used in another game since. It is useful with animal friends, though. I mean, look at Nagi. It's like he's getting enjoyment out of waxing and buffing floors.
You'll also see the Stone and Fire power-ups for the first time in this game, too.
You'll meet two new animal friends here. Chuchu is a pink blob of sorts that's nothing like Kirby. She can cling to walls and climb up them, and she can also hang onto ceilings and walk on them, but your flying ability is limited. Pitch is a ridable green bird that's about as big as Kirby that can fly but also run on the ground, unlike Coo.
In the second section, there is a door hidden behind some blocks. Inside is some green guy with a coil for a body. What you're supposed to do here is come here with Chuchu and without an ability. Walk up to the guy and swipe him in the face with Chuchu. Boom. You got the Heart Star for this stage.
Nelly reappears in this game from the previous installment, and this time around she's demoted from a boss to a normal enemy.
You just have six enemies and the shotgun guy to contend with before you take on the final boss: a big, beefy gun in camo pants and boots.
The only things worse than his really high somersault jump are his punches and his headbutt. All these attacks will cut your life bar to ribbons, especially if he lands on you after he jumps. Your best bet is to anticipate where he's going to land, as he always turns his back before he jumps. Once you can do that, you can tag him just as soon as he lands and hit him out of his attack pattern. After enough hits, he falls down, but he's not out. He'll continue the attack, but if you can hit him a few more times, he's history. You did it!
You'll be able to get a gun off of a soldier at the beginning.
The first doorway contains brass knuckles, while the second contains armor. Use the gun to blow through the guys in the building.
You'll then climb a ladder and walk on the rooftops for a while. You'll be able to get another gun if you need it.
You'll drop down the side of the building when you reach the end of the rooftop. Once you can get past the building, stay in the upper-left corner with your back against the building and just keep on punching. Nobody will be able to get behind you, and they'll get beaten up if they even try.
You'll see another doorway to the right. Remember the guy with the multi-shot shotgun and the grenades that ran around like crazy when you got near him? Well, he's back, and if you can beat him, you'll be able to replenish your life.
The men on the laser tripods will burn your through a full life bar in two hits. If you can get past them, you'll find another doorway. It's another shotgun guy, but he too will give you life if you beat him.
You'll then take on a lot of enemy soldiers. You'll eventually find another doorway where you can refill your life if you need it.
After a few more enemies, you'll take on some guy in grey with a pistol. Corner him against the side of the screen and jump kick him, so you can make it harder for the guy to either shoot at you or pistol whip you.
When you beat the boss, you'll contact your base. Help is on the way!
Tank Fight
Welp, here's a quick stage. Try to survive, beat up the enemies with the empty hands to get a grenade, then throw it at the tank. Once again, the grenade just has to touch the tank. Your relative location is not important.
Be careful when you fight those blue soldiers. They can perform a somersault attack.
The two caves contain armor and brass knuckles, respectively.
Some of the green soldiers jump back and forth. Your best bet is to hit them on their way down.
Once you reach the waterfall, you'll take on some scuba divers. These guys will come out in groups of four now, so be ready to fight! When you make it to the end, some guy will be throwing grenades from a cliff edge. Hug the background wall and move to the right to avoid the grenade explosions.
The cave before the end will have life, if you need it.
You'll soon reach an elevator and fight some big fat man. Your best bet is to punch him once and them mash the button as fast as humanly possible to keep him in a loop and ultimately put an end to his palm strikes and high jumping stomps.
Enter the tanks at the beginning if you need power-ups. From left to right, it's armor, brass knuckles, life.
The soldiers with the knives that somersault out of the sky are really annoying. Keep an eye out for them and finish them off whenever you see them.
Stay out of the way of the motorcycle riders, as they can shred off half of a full life bar if they hit you.
The crushing cranes are really easy to get past. Just walk past them as soon as they hit the floor. I still wouldn't want to be under them, though.
The scuba divers will always try to backstab you. Want them to appear in front of where you're going? Look away from them. They'll show up on your right side.
If you need armor after the scuba divers, climb the ladder after that waterlogged part and fight some enemies to get it.
At this point, the guys with the guns will just move in from one side, fire a shot, and then walk away. If you stand at the bottom of the playing area, you'll avoid them entirely.
The building after this has some life if you really need it. Chances are, you probably will.
After a few more groups of enemies, you'll take on the boss: some guy in a black tanktop with a shotgun that fires a four-way shot. If you have the armor, this is a piece of cake, as it protects you from the bullets. Get in close and jump kick the guy a couple of times, and avoid those grenades! After a few jump kicks, he's gone.
Here's an interesting beat 'em up. You're escaping from a P.O.W. camp and destroying the enemy base from within. Be prepared to get hit and die a lot of really cheap deaths, though.
P.O.W. Camp
No sooner do you start the game that your main character breaks out of prison.
Be careful as you fight the soldiers, as they can tear through your life bar if you let them. Keep all of your enemies on one side as you fight them. When you send them flying a fairly long distance, they're dead.
You can jump kick by pressing both A and B simultaneously. If you press B and the direction opposite of what your character is currently facing, you'll do a back punch that hits whoever is behind you.
You can get knives from enemies and throw them back for some instant long range fighting when you need it. You can get the machine guns from the soldiers that carry them, too. You can not only just shoot people, but also hit them with the butt of the gun. If you run out of ammo, though, you'll lose the gun instantly.
The guardhouses contain useful power-ups that you can obtain when you take out all the guards inside. The brass knuckles make your punches more powerful, the "A" icon is armor that cuts down the amount of damage you take, and the "L" icon refills your life.
You have three lives and no continues at the beginning, so you'd better be able to take as little damage as possible. This game will take quite a bit of practice to get through, but it is doable.
Grenade explosions are instant death, so you'd better stay away from them.
You'll lose your brass knuckles and armor if you die, so staying alive as long as possible is really essential to beating this game.
You'll soon climb up a ladder and walk on top of a building. This leads to a boss fight against a helicopter. Men with grenades will come out of this helicopter, and you'll have to beat them up before they can throw the grenade. When they drop the grenade after they die, grab it and throw it towards the helicopter. After enough grenades, the helicopter will go down.
The gunmen walk now. They walk in-between shots, but there's no need to fire back. They only fire in one angle: straight. Duck down and punch out the gunmen until they die.
Keep heading to the right to avoid the four safes.
The desk that the clue is on is one of the biggest violations of perspective in a video game that I have ever seen in my life.
2. Matchbook from 9th & D Pier
9th & D Pier
Thankfully, this pier isn't too far away.
If there's ropes in a broken window, you can climb it.
The box past the exit has the clue.
3. Empty Money Bags
Don't go back to the exit just yet. Instead, go right until you make it all the way to the end. Jump off the windowsill and puch the air. You'll find a plethora of hidden power-ups: a first aid kit, a super punch glove, a tommy gun and a tear gas canister. Get them all.
Chase after the car and shoot it down. You'll meet Stooge Viller. Interrogate him and he'll tell you the other guys took off in a Rolls Royce, license plate 'RAT 1.'
Put your clues in the notepad and check your mugshots. Obviously, a rat is a rodent. Rodent it is. Your next destination is the 1st & I Club, where he was last spotted.
1st & I Club
Rodent is at the exit. Interrogate him, and he'll tell you his Rolls Royce is at the 3rd & H Garage.
3rd & H Garage
There are a lot of pipes you can climb on around here. You'll need them to avoid the rats that crawl around on the floor.
There's a first aid kit at ground level, but you'll have to brave the rats to get them. Once again, the tear gas canister comes into play.
One of the windows contains a clue.
4. Rodent's keyring, including key to a safe deposit box
From here, go to a police station and put the clue in the notepad. From there, head back to the bank. Once again, the biggest desk in the world provides the last clue.
5. Heist money hidden in Big Boy's deposit box!
Big Boy Caprice finally messed up.
The only way to find him, though, is based off the movie: You'll have to find him at the Club Ritz building at 4th & H (which has the name "Ritz" etched on it). How you're supposed to figure this out, I have no idea. Then again, I've never seen the movie, so I wouldn't know.
The Club Ritz
If you don't have two first aid kits before you make it here, go to previous areas and get them now. You'll need two for this area.
You'll have a lot of gunmen aiming at you shortly after the beginning. Proceed with caution and inch your way towards them in order to get a better shot.
When you make it to the bar at the other end, you'll meet a guy in sky blue. He'll shoot at you. Shoot at him a couple of times, then he'll try to fight you with his fists. Punch this guy out a couple of times, and you'll finally bring him down.
Turns out, this is Big Boy Caprice. Arrest him and you'll finally end this tedious game.
1. Ransomed diplomat heard foghorn during captivity
This time around, your mugshots won't help you here. Instead, you'll just have to use the clue given to you as your means of figuring out you have to go down to the Pier on 9th and J. There is no clue as to how you're supposed to figure out that you have to go to a specific pier.
9th and J Pier
You've been here before, but it's a little harder this time. Some of the enemies will require multiple punches to take down, and the rats show up here as opposed to the first case, when they didn't.
There's a first aid kit on the lower level before the end. It doesn't require very much backtracking at all to get it, and you'll definitely need to have two on hand at all times since you're getting close to the end.
The clue is below the exit door.
2. 'Hypnotist Today' magazine used to make ransom note
Head to a police station, put the clue in the notepad and check your mugshots. Influence is a hypnotist, so he might have something to do with it. Hit up the 3rd & J Apartments.
3rd & J Apartments
Go left and avoid the two safes as you go to pick up the Super Punch power-up. Haven't seen that in a while.
There are gunmen looking out of the windows, but they aren't any different from any of the other armed men.
There's a new enemy here: the dogs. You can either punch or shoot them, it doesn't matter.
Don't forget that you can climb up the pipe near the exit to get to the upper level.
Both the exit and a first aid kit are near Influence (who is dressed in green). Get the first aid kit before you talk to him.
Interrogate Influence, and you'll find out he left a magazine in the 1st & C Barber Shop.
1st & C Barber Shop
You haven't been to this one before, but the layout is exactly like that of 9th & C Barber Shop.
Thankfully, the barber shop will be just a smidge north of the police station you start at. You'll go back to that police station like you always do after an interrogation, which really cuts down on the transportation time.
Remember how you got the first aid kit at the beginning of the other barbershop? Well, guess what? It's still there, and you can get it the exact same way.
The clue is in a flower pot on the upper level.
3. Handkerchief with cloak & dagger design smells like chloroform
When you leave the barber shop, you'll chase after a car again. Apparently, he makes the fatal mistake of going towards the police station...and a dead end. Make sure he doesn't ram you. Once you shoot the car down, interrogate Littleface. The handkerchief isn't his. Go ask his boss, The Brow.
Check out your mugshots. The Brow is at the 5th & J Nightclub.
5th & J Nightclub
This area is surprisingly a bit easier than the others you've been in on this case. You can even find a Tommy Gun on one of the windowsills.
There is also a first aid kit to the left of The Brow above a table.
Interrogate The Brow (dressed in yellow) and he'll tell you he lost his handkerchief in the 2nd & C Auto Shop. Put your new clue on the notepad and let's go.
2nd & C Auto Shop
The clue is on one of the cars.
4. Business card, "Cloak & Dagger Imports, 6th & G"
You'll be seeing fistfighters, dogs and rats all at the same time at one point. This is probably the best use of the tear gas canister (if you still have it) in action.
6th & G Office
6th & G is near the park on the upper-right part of the map.
The clue is inside a filing cabinet.
5. Discarded note - 'Keep him at 1st & J Basement - B.'
1st & J Basement
You'll have to do some window hopping to reach the clue, but it's worth it, because it's the last clue!
6. Chloroform Bottle: The Brow's Finger Prints!
Head back to the police station, put the clues in the notepad and check The Brow's mugshot. Yep, still at the 5th & J Nightclub. Some alibi. Find The Brow and arrest him. You're nearly there!
Sheesh, this is getting pretty repetitive. The same music plays everywhere, it's the same enemies, and you're doing the same things over and over again. Interestingly, things are about to change, as you have to avoid things now.
Well, gee, Big Boy, I knew you would allude to Sam Catchem being taken out, but I didn't think you'd actually do i..oh, who am I kidding? Of course I did.
Look through your mugshots. Only an explosives expert would be able to pull something like this off, and Pruneface's profile is exactly that: an explosives experts. He was last seen at the 7th & E Nightclub.
7th & E Nightclub
Safes drop down from some of the windows! Watch out, as being hit by one will take off an entire badge!
You'll want to be careful with the armed men, as they fire at you faster than ever before.
Just near the exit door on a windowsill is another first aid kit. Of course, you should obviously go back to Pruneface and interrogate him. He'll tell you that he's being framed, and that he gets gunpowder from a guy at 5th and C.
5th & C Apartments
You can climb up the pipes by pressing Up on the Control Pad. This way, you can get the clue on the windowsill.
2. Back scratcher with embossed 'I'
Be careful during the end of this level. You're going to be facing two armed men at once, so take the guy on the ground out first before shooting the one above him.
You'll definitely want to be careful against the armed from this point on, as the time between bullet shots is now significantly faster. Some of them can also shoot multiple bullets at a time, making it so that you'll have to outsmart the AI a little bit in order to take them down.
Go to the police station and check out the mugshots. The backscratcher obviously belongs to Itchy. He's at the 1st & G Auto Shop.
1st & G Auto Shop
The rats are back. Of all the places, why an auto shop?
Jump on the windows shortly after the start by jumping on top of a nearby car and jumping to them from there. The last one has a first aid kit.
Itchy will be dressed in purple. Interrogate him and he'll say a man with no face stole his backscratcher. He also says he's being framed.
Check your mugshots. I'm pretty sure The Blank doesn't have a face. He's at the 6th and J Store.
6th & J Store
Get ready to punch some guy in the face multiple times as soon as you enter.
There's a first aid kit in the plant near the exit.
Interrogate The Blank. He'll say he's being framed like everyone else and that he was asleep at the 7th & A Club.
7th & A Nightclub
7th & A will be at the lower-right corner of the map.
There's a tommy gun above the clue.
3. Discarded note: 'Slip The Blank a mickey & keep him asleep'
When you exit the building, you'll chase another car. Go after him and shoot him. You'll find out it's Stooge Viller. Interrogate him, and he'll tell you that some guy at the 7th & D Grill gave him a sawback to go after you.
7th & D Grill
One of the guys will have what looks like a black grenade. This is a tear gas canister, and can be used twice. Using it will take out all onscreen enemies, so use them wisely.
The clue is just below the exit.
4. 'Explosives' book from 5th & G Library with paper from bomb
5th & G Library
The last clue will be below the exit here, as well.
5. Library records show 'Explosives' checked out by Flattop!
Go back to the police station, get the clues in the notepad, then check your mugshots. Thankfully, there's a police to the building south of the library.
Flattop was at the 1st & D Basement.
1st & D Basement
1st & D will be just north of the police station at the lower-left corner of the map.
The rats will be on the floor, so watch your step.
1. Nightclub torched! Owner says Lips Manlis did it
Check your mugshots this time. You've got a bunch of new faces compared to the last guy, one of them being Lips Manlis. His last known location is the 9th and C Barbershop, and you'll be traveling to the lower-right corner of the map to look for this guy.
9th and C Barber Shop
If you shot down any snipers last case, you'll have to take them out again in the next case. Always keep a look out for areas where you seemingly take damage out of the blue in the city, as the snipers are the culprit. Remember, they come back whenever a new case begins.
To reach the first aid kit at the beginning, you'll have to take care of the gunman, then leap onto the counter. There is something that looks like a purple handbag with a hot pink handle on the counter. Leap onto the top of that, then leap onto the two purple blocks above it. You'll then be able to take the unarmed man up there out and get the first aid kit.
You'll find another first aid kit if you move to the right on the upper path for a while. You won't have to deal with the unarmed men below, because they get slightly nastier here. Be on the lookout, as these fist-fighters will come at you from both sides and take multiple punches to knock down.
Be careful not to exit the barber shop before you interrogate Lips Manlis. He says twenty guys will swear he was at his at the 4th and I Club all night.
4th and I Nightclub
By now, you should have two first aid kits. If you still need another one, there's on one the upper level just after the start.
The clue is lying on a table on the lower level, below the exit.
2. Note: 'Lips, bring $50,000 to 2nd and F or Tracy gets proof you did it'
Somebody blackmailed Lips Manlis? Well, now...
2nd and F Boiler Room
The clue here is not far from the beginning. It's at the top-most level.
3. Empty camera with engraved initial 'B.'
There's another first aid kit you can collect right after the clue, and you'll find it on the central level.
You don't want to be at the bottom level, as the rats down here will eat away at your health.
When you go through the exit, you'll have to chase after another car and shoot it down. It's Influence! Interrogate him and he'll say that 'B' will never sing again.
Breathless Mahoney, perhaps? Well, she's the only person who's name begins with B and is known for singing around here, and she was at the 5th and A Hotel.
5th and A Hotel
If you need another Tommy Gun, you'll find one on the center level before the exit.
Move past the exit door and talk to Breathless Mahoney on the lower level. Thankfully, the developers actually tried and gave Breahless a separate tileset for her very own sprite.
If you interrogate her, she'll tell you it's the wrong 'B.' She then tells you to try the 7th and I Photo Shop.
7th and I Photo Shop
The clue will be on one of the doors.
4. Photos by Bug Bailey show Lips Manlis starting the fire!
9th and C Barber Shop
Go back to the police station and check your mugshots again. Yep, he's still at 9th and C Barber shop. Head all the way back to Lips Manlis and arrest him. Good job!
Dick Tracy drives through the city, with the aim of shutting down Big Boy and his gang of criminals.
Every case begins with Dick Tracy talking to Big Boy Caprice and Breathless Mahoney. Tracy and Big Boy's roles on these screens are understandable, while Breathless turns basically anything into a double entendre.
1. Fake $20 Bill used near Steve the Tramp's Flophouse
This is your first clue. At the desk, you have three options. You can hit the streets and enter buildings, you can check out the clue again on your notepad, or you can look through your mug shots.
The notepad just shows the first clue again, so hit up your mug shots and look up Steve the Tramp. His last known location is in the 5th & B Flophouse. I'm guessing this is his flophouse, so let's pay him a visit.
Of course, if you've played the game before, you know that the city can be somewhat of a nightmare to navigate. If you haven't...well, you do now. Thankfully, I've provided a map so you can figure out what the heck is going on.
You'll need to drive in order to get around. You'll also see snipers on some of the rooftops that shoot at you on sight. To get rid of them, you'll have to get out of your car and take them out yourself. They're not everywhere, but they're very strategically placed to make it difficult to get around from one place to another without taking damage.
Driving is kinda weird. You're always on the right lane no matter what. I can somewhat give Bandai credit for keeping it realistic, but it makes it harder to avoid getting hit by the snipers.
You'll start off at the police station, which is at the lower-left corner of the map. You can always return here to review any clues that you have.
The buildings you can enter are clearly marked with a number and a letter. The vertical roads are numbers, while the horizontal rows are letters. The numbers go from left to right, while the letters go from the bottom to the top. Thankfully, 5th and B isn't hard to find. Just turn right on the first intersection and keep going until you see "5&B" flashing on the screen. Get out of the car and walk into the building where that white text is at, and you're at the 5th and B Flophouse.
If you ever seen any green things on the top of buildings that look like turrets shooting at you, get out of the car and take them out immediately. These are the snipers. Take them out, and they won't return for the rest of the case.
5th and B Flophouse
Remember what your superior officer told you before the beginning of the case? Don't shoot unarmed men. If you do, you'll lose half a star. If you lose all your stars, the game is over. There are no continues and no extra lives in this game.
The boxing glove is the Super Punch. Use Select to get the Super Punch to show up on your HUD, then punch someone to send them flying! If they hit other enemies as they get sent violently backwards, those enemies are instantly eliminated.
You can also use the Select Button to switch between your fists and the Hand Gun. The armed men will usually be stationary, but they will be shooting at you endlessly when they see you. Duck down and blast them, but take care not to shoot any unarmed thugs. Remember, the unarmed thugs will all share one jacket color. The armed thugs will be a different color than the men who punch at you.
The hand gun only has 50 bullets. If you ever need to refill on ammo, go to any of the police stations to get back to the maximum 50-bullet capacity.
Also, be careful as you go into shootouts with armed men, as some things in the background can be used as cover by both you and the enemies, such as pianos, tables, chairs, etc.
To pick up items, you'll have to punch them with your fists in order to collect them. The hearts are first aid kits, and using them is more complicated than it should be, as the other items can be used with the B button while the first aid kits...well...aren't. First, you'll have to cycle through your inventory to see where your first aid kit is. Remember where it is, because this is where video game logic gets thrown out the window. Cycle back to the item before the first aid kit. Once you do, press and hold Select down and press B. You have to have Select held down and "first aid kit" showing on the hub at the same time. You'll refill your health if you did it right.
You'll soon see a guy in green at the end on the lower level, who looks more like a palette swap of Dick Tracy (then again, so do the rest of the enemies, except with jackets instead of trenchcoats). This is Steve the Tramp. Interrogate him, and you'll find out he earned that $20 at the pier on 9th and F.
When you get clues on where to go next from interrogations, it helps to have a notepad handy to write them down. Why? Because once you leave the interrogation screen, the game won't remind you where to go next ever again and expects you to remember.
Whenever you successfully perform an interrogation, you'll be back at the police station on the lower-left corner of the map. Your health won't refill when you get back there, so you'd better be careful and use those first aid kits wisely.
You can refill your health there, but it's rather finicky and your health has to be dangerously low to do it. If you have either half a badge or no badges at all, you'll be able to go back to one badge. You'll still need to use a first aid kit eventually, but it kinda helps.
Oh, and if you stayed on the upper level at the end and kept going right before you talked to Steve the Tramp, you'd have found another first aid kit. You can only hold two at any time.
Be careful not to make any arrests without proof, interrogate other people that the clues don't lead to, or arrest somebody without proper evidence. All of these things can constitute a false arrest. If you make three false arrests through the course of the game, Dick Tracy is pulled off the case and the game is over.
9th and F Pier
Another easy destination. Just go all the way to the right and go up until you see "9&F," and park carefully so that you don't accidentally re-enter the car on your way up to the upper-right corner of the pier.
Remember that you can fire at an angle with the hand gun to take care of armed thugs above and below you. Firing at a downward angle is pretty straightforward (just hold Down and the direction you want to shoot at the same time to do this), but firing just requires holding Up on the control pad.
Be careful not to land in the water. If you do, you'll lose half a badge and you'll be sent back to the map screen.
If if looks like a windowsill, you can stand on it. You can also stand on the green blocks off the sides of the green buildings (as long as they have a white top) and also on the pipes at the river.
There will be a clue on top of a box being held up with rope. You'll be able to tell because of the small flashing box with the arrow saying "Clue." Stand right in front of it, duck down and punch it with your fists to collect it like you would any other item.
2. Footprint in puddle of spilled green ink
Whenever you pick up a clue, it'll be in your notepad at the police station.
Whenever you see the words "door" flashing in any part of the level, this is the exit. Enter it, and you'll leave the level.
There's a first aid kit just past the exit, so pick it up before you go.
When you leave the dock, you'll see a blue car! Go after it in the police car and shoot at it with your bullets! Yes, you can shoot in the police car, but only straight ahead. When the car starts spinning around like crazy, you've stopped the driver, who happens to be Shoulders (also from the mugshots). Interrogate him, and you'll find out that he knows nothing. He only takes crates to the 4th and D Warehouse.
4th and D Warehouse
Before you leave, head back to one of the police stations on the map (dictated by the word "Door" on the city map as well as the word "Police" etched on the sides of the building) and check out your notepad again. Your recently collected clue will show up on the notepad. You should do this every time you get a clue.
4th and D is near the park in the lower-left quadrant of the map. If you see a bunch of trees and nice, dark green grass near the police station, you're pretty much there. Look for "4&D" and you're all set.
The clue is sitting on top of a windowsill. Take care of all the bad guys nearby, then jump up and punch the clue with your fist to get it. (This clue is notorious for giving the Angry Video Game Nerd a hard time.)
3. Blank money paper and invoice from 1st & H Printshop
1st and H Printshop
Take the stairs at the beginning of the level and go left to get the Tommy Gun. Congratulations, you now have a rapid fire weapon. Use it wisely.
One of the counters will have the clue.
4. Claim ticket, 4th and B Shoe Repair
4th and B Shoe Repair
Some of the unarmed men move faster than others. If they do, be prepared to punch them a few times before they finally go down.
The clue will be on one of the shelves. Jump up to the shelf and punch at the clue to get it.
5. Shoes with green ink on soles being fixed for Numbers!
8th and J Hotel
Head out of the 4th and B Shoe Repair and head back to the police station. Put the clues on the Notepad, then check out your mugshots again. By reading Numbers's profile, you'll find out his last location was the 8th and J Hotel.
The 8th and J Hotel is on the corner opposite the police station. As a matter of fact, it's next to the north end of the docks. It will be directly west of 9th and J.
When you meet Numbers (who is dressed in red), arrest him. Since you have all the clues written down, Numbers will give up. Well done, but you still have a few more cases ahead!
When you beat a case, you'll get a three-number-passcode. Copy it down so you don't have to go through the first case again and again like the Nerd has done for the last zillion years.
At this point, this stage is a combination of all the traps you've seen in the last three rounds.
For once, you'll be using the trampolines in every other segment to get to the pot, drop in and continue on. It'd be easier if there weren't spikes dropping down ad infinitum.
The final boss...get ready for this...is Tazz throwing footballs. The mallet won't hurt him; instead, you'll have to use the mallet to send the footballs he throws at you back at him. It takes six hits to take Tazz down, and he throws them slow enough to test your patience. If a football hits you, you're taking a whole heart's worth of damage.
Ending
Bugs finally makes it to the party and meets his friends, who moments ago had been TRYING TO KILL HIM. Playing nasty tricks, my ass. Then they celebrate. The end.
Is it me, or were Stages 1 and 5 the only pleasant parts of the game?
Stage 5
Round 4
(continued)
The boss here is Foghorn Leghorn and Henry Hawk. Guess what? This is one of the stupidest battles in the entire game, and here is how it works.
Grab the carrot, then jump on top of Foghorn Leghorn's head. From there, jump onto the WB block where the carrot was and jump up to Henry Hawk. Hit Henry with your mallet three times. There. That's it.
Stage 6
Round 1
We're now inside a castle for the final stage. But wait...is this where the party is taking place? This game's logic is just becoming random to me now.
The pipes here are urns, and flames will move in and out of some of them.
This stage also brings out the conveyor belts. If you look at the tops of the conveyor belt, you'll be able to tell which direction they'll take you.
The blue shelves act as the platforms that may break under your feet in this final stretch.
You'll see a lot of things that will fall on Bugs's head. These include rock ceilings, some brown things with a spinning white gear that I can't even attempt to identify but act like the Thwomps from Super Mario Bros. 3 and spikes that randomly come out of the ceiling and fall on you. The floors and ceilings are full of deathtraps with every step you take, so you'll have to look around as you go through this stage.
Stage 6
Round 2
I just now noticed that the Thwomp-like enemies are buzzsaws.
The orange spikes work rather interesting. Hit the switch at the end of the spike pit to change the direction of the spikes. The direction they face will switch, and the direction the spike tips face will dictate which way you can go without getting poked.
Stage 6
Round 3
The springboards (the red tiles on the floor) will send you into the spikes unless you jump over them.
In the even-numbered sections, there are false floors on the path to the pot at the end. They're usually laid out in increments of two (two are real, the next two are fake). It's basically a redux version of the Mega Man 2 fake floors.
In this entry, we start exploring Round 5. Love the wind blowing through the trees here.
Stage 5
Round 1
(continued)
You can climb the trees like you would ladders. Also, some of the tree branches will act like the rock platforms that break apart when you stand on them, so be careful where you climb!
Prepare to see a lot of frogs in this stage. It's probably more than you've ever seen in the entire game so far.
The vines will move left and right, and Bugs can climb on them. If you grab them from a higher height, Bugs will slide down to just above the bottom of the vine. From there, you can jump to the next platform, even though the vines' "zig-zag" moving pattern makes it slightly difficult to grab onto them in the first place.
The trash cans will spit out the exploding clock enemies. There's no way you can stop them, unfortunately, so just jump over them and move on.
Another Daffy segment. *sigh*
Stage 5
Round 2
Be careful as you leap from one platform to another. The simple white platforms that you've been seeing throughout the game continually disappear and reappear every two seconds, reaching carrots and other parts of the stage more hare-raisingly difficult. (Finally, a hare joke.)
The spider just slowly moves up and down on the web strand it hangs off of. It's easy to avoid.
You'll face Elmer Fudd again. Wonderful.
Stage 5
Round 3
Some of the ropes here will move very fast. For once, all those lives you've probably picked up make for a nice safety net here.
You see Daffy if you move past the big carrot at the end. Now the game isn't even trying. But if you do go behind Daffy, you'll get a couple of carrots for the bonus round.
Stage 5
Round 4
Well, at least this level is more pleasant than the last two.
When you make it to the end, you'll face Tweety yet again. This time around, it's a little easier to see where he's hiding if he faces right. He has two places to hide behind, but I guess he just sticks to the one.
Stage 4
Round 3
It may look like you're going in circles through the first 70% of the stage, but you're not.
Also, it becomes more apparent here that all you can see when the lights go out are the enemies. You won't be able to see the waterfalls, so just wait it out.
You can use the Rabbit Season sign as a platform.
Stage 4
Round 4
The shaky bridges will break apart when you stand on them. Your best bet is to leap across.
The boss here is Pepe le Pew. Use the stalagmites to avoid the stink clouds that Pepe makes with his tail, then run out of the stalagmite and tag him while you have the chance. Just like all the other bosses, he takes three hits to beat.
Well, the cave is a nice change of pace. Yet this still begs the question: why the hell is Bugs Bunny going through a desert and a cave to get to a birthday party? Even more importantly, why does Mother Nature, a bunch of Acme products and an assortment of Looney Tunes characters that is most likely to be described as random want him dead? Seriously, Sylvester Jr. and Tweety? We're sending the more benevolent WB cartoon characters after Bugs now? Talking about scraping the bottom of the barrel!
Stage 3
Round 4
(continued)
An earthquake occurs when you make it close to the end, so be careful.
There are two bosses at the end. The first is Sylvester Jr., who rides around on a skateboard. He just moves back and forth. Just slowly keep backing away continue to whack him with your mallet three times.
When you take out Sylvester Jr., you'll take on Sylvester himself. The same strategy applies, but since he's slightly bigger, he can run into you a little faster than his son can.
Stage 4
Round 1
The next stage takes place in a cave.
You can't swing your mallet when you're standing behind the stalagmites, but you can use them to hide from enemies and avoid taking damage.
The oil cans will make the screen go dark as smoke comes out of them. When the smoke stops, you'll be able to see again.
The waterfalls will deal a whole heart's worth of damage if you run into them.
Stalactites will fall from the ceiling and make jumping between spike-filled gaps more difficult.
The pipes this time are actually pipes. I think.
The red earthquake machines are more aggressive than their blue counterparts from the last stage. They'll leap toward you on sight and spawn enemies around you when you bean them with the mallet.
The stage ends with yet another Daffy Duck section.
Stage 4
Round 2
The ghosts move up and down as they advance, allowing them to cover a good amount of the screen as they pass by. You won't be able to kill them, so all you can do is just stay out of their way.
Stand on the geysers to get to something you can't reach, like a moving platform.
In this episode we go through even more of a desert which is even worse than the last one due to volcanic activity. It's like some sort of alternate Looney Tunes universe that the cartoons never showed.
Stage 3
Round 1
You'll meet a new enemy here: frogs. They just jump around every couple of seconds, they take two hits to kill unless you stand on them when you whack them, and they follow you relentlessly. Prepare to be annoyed by them for the entire game.
Watch out for the fire pits!
The pipes here are oil drums. Prepare to see rocks float in and out of them again.
There is a pit-creating earthquake at ground level near the end, but if you can take the high road and stay there, it won't be a problem.
Be careful when you jump to the big carrot. If you miss the jump off the platform and fall into the pit, you'll lose a life.
Stage 3
Round 2
The one-ton weights (the blue things with "1t" on them) will cause earthquakes when they hit the ground after you whack them.
You may have seen the grey soap box somewhere in Stage 1, but they make a more proper debut here. Unlike the red ones, they will leave a soap bubble where they die. These soap bubbles can be used as platforms that you can ride to a higher area.
The lava pits make more appearances here.
Volcanoes will spew out fireballs from their tops, so be careful as you're going downward to explore more of the round.
The boss here is Elmer Fudd. Instead of bullets, however, he shoots nets that will hold you in place for several seconds. Wait for him to shoot a net, then move in, whack him with the mallet and get away so you can give yourself time to avoid the net. He goes down in three hits.
Stage 3
Round 3
Aside from a lot of lava, breaking rock platforms, and numerous enemies, you'll also want to watch out for the big red rocks that shoot out of the bottomless pits. Thankfully, they peek out for a bit before they slowly rocket to the top of the screen.
The worms also return here, too.
When you reach the Daffy Duck screen at the end, just go left as soon as you drop down from the pipe. Sometimes I wonder why these sections even exist.
Stage 3
Round 4
The turret trick actually works on other enemies. Be sure to use it on the clocks or on the frogs if you can stand on them.
We're already in the second stage, yet even the forces of nature want us dead. This can't be good.
Stage 2
Round 1
(continued)
You've probably already figured it out, but the alarm clocks explode after a short period of time.
The tumbleweeds are invulnerable to attack, so just jump over them.
The pipes here are brick chimneys.
The Daffy Duck segment at the end is easy.
Stage 2
Round 2
Not only will you be dealing with earthquakes that shake you around, but you'll also be dealing with tornadoes! The tornadoes will come at you from the left.
If you attack a rolling rock, watch out for the debris that results from it. The debris can actually damage you.
You can break the Sphinx statues to get the carrots underneath.
You fight Tweety again here. The same strategies from last time apply.
Stage 2
Round 3
The big carrot here is even easier. For this one, you'll just have to break through the rocks with your mallet to get to it.
Stage 2
Round 4
This one is a bit of a maze, but at least it's a simple maze.
Don't bother trying to go into that door midway through, you won't be able to do it. It's more of an enemy-spawning door.
The boss here is Yosemite Sam. He'll shoot at you, advance and then shoot again. Fortunately, he's easy to take out with three mallet hits and doesn't do a whole lot of damage.
Bugs Bunny needs to make it to his 50th birthday party...and he needs your help! Are you a bad enough dude to get him there?
Meanwhile, other members of the Looney Tunes gang get butthurt that Bugs Bunny gets all the attention. I wish I was making this up, but this is part of the storyline and makes up the reason why other Looney Tunes characters go after him.
Stage 1
Round 1
Your main mode of defense is the mallet that Bugs Bunny caries around. Press B to swing it and whack enemies on the head. If you take a hit, you won't be able to use your mallet again until you get out of the post-hit invincibility.
The carrots are your everyday platforming collectible here, and they can be used in the bonus round at the end of every stage. When you collect them, they turn into WB logos, which you can stand on and use like platforms...which will be very useful later in the game.
You can use the bushes to hide from enemies and avoid damage.
The green icon with what looks like a Chicken McNugget moving at high speed (complete with rotoscoping) is a high jump power-up. The music changes, signifying that you can jump higher than before...much higher. This effect (and the music) lasts until you get hit or enter the next round.
Enemies here include walking mallets that dive forwards, red boxes of soap that occasionally spit soap bubbles upwards and some weird fireball-looking things that drop a heart you can pick up if you've taken damage. You'll sometimes see a green icon with a heart on it, which refills all of your hearts, as opposed to the regular hearts which just replenishes one.
The health bar is very generous. When you get hit, a heart will go from red, to white, to black, and to clear before disappearing entirely. One heart equals five hits. As you progress, though, you'll find out it's generous only to a point, as you'll encounter enemies that deal more than one hit point worth of damage. If you lose a life, you'll have to start all the way back at the beginning. There are no mid-level checkpoints in this game.
Some rock blocks will break under your weight. Some will break after a second or two, others will break right away, so be ready to move!
If you see a see-saw, stand on one end and whack the other with the mallet. You'll take to the air and hopefully to something else you wouldn't normally be able to access.
The short column with the grass covering at the top is a pipe, much like Super Mario Bros. Go down it by pressing Down on the Control Pad.
You'll meet Daffy Duck in the next room. Avoid him entirely, and just follow the carrots. When you pick up the big carrot (which you'll always find at the end), you'll complete the round.
Bonus Round
Bingo
Pick a random number just by pressing A or B. You'll pick five random numbers. If you get three in a row in any direction - horizontally, vertically or diagonally - you'll get a 1-Up. Of course, they'll have to follow the lines between the numbers if you want them to count. The star in the center obviously counts as a free space.
It costs 10 carrots per play, and you'll play until you no longer have enough carrots. For each game you play, the numbers will be in different locations. (Interestingly, the number 13 is never used.)
If luck is on your side, you'll be able to score a few 1-Ups here...and the payoffs are huge. Three in a line gives you a 1-Up, four in a line gives you a 5-Up, and the hard-to-pull-off-but-still-possible five in a line will give you a 50-Up.
Stage 1
Round 2
New enemies in the first section include a jumping bubble worm that damages you when it turns red (but is perfectly okay to move through when it's green) and a jumping turret. I can slightly understand the jumping bubble worm, but the jumping turret? That's pretty violent for a Looney Tunes game.
Jump on the platform at the end of the first section and you'll go down to the second section. Some of the pipes have rocks that gently float in and out of them, so keep that in mind before you go down them and pick up some more carrots.
You'll also see a new enemy in the second section: alarm clocks. They just move back and forth like the red soap boxes but they explode after a little while.
At the end of the round, you'll go down a pipe and take on Tweety. Yeah, Tweety is a boss. Apparently, he doesn't seem to have the heart to fight you, as he just tries to peck at you and throw tomatoes. Just stand halfway between the left wall and the bush on the ground and wait for him to come at you, then whack him with the mallet. He'll run back to the bush and throw a tomato at you, but it's got a limited range. Three hits and you'll win a ridiculously easy boss battle. Now grab the big carrot that comes down.
Stage 1
Round 3
You can break rock blocks that are in your way with the mallet. Be sure to avoid those falling rocks when they come your way.
Other than that, there really isn't much to this round. Once again, you'll be dealing with Daffy Duck, but the same strategy applies. Just go for the big carrot.
Stage 1
Round 4
The mallet icon allows you to swing your mallet faster. Like the high jump powerup, this lasts until you get hit or enter the next round.
The platforms made up of what look like six Tetris blocks will disappear shortly after you stand on them, so hurry up!
The pipe you see after you meet them will take you to the boss. Here, it's Wile E. Coyote, and he'll move and jump around in an attempt to stab you with his silverware. Thankfully, he's pretty easy to beat up with the mallet and will go down after three hits.
Bonus Round
Willy The Weasel(TM) Game
It should go without mentioning that every round has a bonus round after it...except. Except that sometimes you'll be able to play a whack-a-mole instead of the tic-tac-toe board.
For 20 carrots, you can grab a mallet and take down as many moles as you can before the nonexistent timer runs out. Your target is 10, but it goes slightly higher when you make the target and slightly higher every time you make the target after that. If you're fast and accurate, you can rake in the extra lives here. The moles move in pretty quickly, but with practice you can make this look like child's play and put off an impressive showing.
Stage 2
Round 1
As soon as you go to the right, you'll have to outrun the ground, which constantly creates a hole and move towards you. Yes, a ground-splitting phenomena minus an earthquake that you have to outrun occurs in a Looney Tunes video game. Have fun figuring this one out, Nintendo Logic graduates.
You'll see some spike traps in this level. Remember those logs from Act 3 of Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic the Hedgehog game? Well, they're basically like that, except much, much smaller.
The green worms are now blue, but the "red means dead" logic still applies.
If you land in the quicksand, start jumping quickly in order to get out of it and back onto dry land.
You'll meet the turrets again, but they do have a weakness, and it much more useful here. Turns out, you can stand on enemies like in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic and use them as a ride. From there, you can whack the turrets in the head and send them flying into an enemy, destroying it and instantly defeating whatever enemy it runs into.
