Well, after seeing this one in action, it was only a matter of time before I gave this one a go.
The game begins with a brief intro credits scene before you go to the title screen. This really helps set the tone for the game and shows Ardy doing a few things. Nice.
Prologue
The game starts out simply enough. You are Ardy Lightfoot, and the blue guy following you around is Pec. Left and Right on the Control Pad allow you to move left and right, respectively. Holding Left or Right long enough allows you to run. Up allows Ardy to hold a mirror in front of him, which allows him to avoid damage for as long as he holds it, and Down lets you crouch. Up lets you look up, but if you keep holding it, Ardy pulls out and holds up a magic mirror that makes him invincible. He will eventually put it back, but if you keep holding Up, he will pull it back out and start holding it up again. You can jump with B and throw Pec forward with Y or A to use him as a weapon, and if Pec bites anybody, they're going down. Pec also acts as an extra hit. Get hit once, and Pec dies. The only way you'll be able to defeat enemies then is to jump on their heads. Get hit without Pec, and you die.
The HUD in the upper-left corner is also simple enough. You have the number of extra lives followed by the amount of stars you've collected. 100 stars nets you an extra life.
Ardy can leap off the ground with his tail, similar to Scrooge McDuck's cane in the two DuckTales games, though executing it is a little different. Press B while in mid-air and you'll land on your tail. Hold down B to charge power when you're on the ground, then release the button to use it. As long as you're holding B when you land, you'll still be able to use your tail and bounce multiple times.
Push the crate near the tall wall to the wall, then charge up the tail jump and release the jump button to clear it. You'll go down a slope, where you will find a red bomb. Walk up to the bomb and pick it up with the Y button, then walk to the wall and press Y again to lay the bomb down. (You can also pick up items by throwing Pec at them.) The bomb will blow up the wall and you'll be able to continue. Be sure to walk away from the bomb so it doesn't hurt you.
After making your way to the right, you'll come across a gravel floor that will crumble under your weight, causing Ardy and Pec to slide down a slope. Head to the right and you'll find a tablet! This completes the prologue.
You'll then transition to another scene. A huge, shadowy figure behind a red curtain in a fortress somewhere in the world bosses around a mole with a spiky helmet on his head. The mole nods, then heads out to do...something.
You'll then go to a map screen. Ardy Lightfoot will come out of a hole in the ground and head to a barn. This is actually a cabin of some sort, and Ardy hands the tablet to the elder, who reads the tablet.
"Long ago, great power created a rainbow. Many bad things happened and the great power was lost. Then the power was divided into seven pieces. When these seven pieces meet again, any wish will come true. One returned to the earth. Another sunk to the bottom of a dark cold water. Another piece left forgotten in a deserted town. And another one disappeared into the outer sea...."
This is all that the elder is able to read, and this text scrolls by rather fast. Suddenly, the nearby village catches fire, and Ardy has to leap into action.
Scene 1: Mining Town Ablaze
The green guys that leap up and down can easily be dispatched by throwing Pec at them. Pec just eats them right up. Some of these green guys will throw bombs at you, but if you can figure out where the bombs will land (they're terrible at aiming) you can fight them off fairly easy with Pec. Some of them will also give the villagers a hard time, but if you get rid of them, the villagers will be able to escape.
The treasure chests can be opened by walking into them. They usually contain treasures such as stars, but it also helps to open them in case you've lost Pec, as you usually get him back this way. If you die, treasures do re-spawn, so keep that in mind.
The gray monkey statue with the quill pen and scroll is a continue point. Leap on his head, and he'll start writing, documenting your journey so far. After the continue point, there will be a green guy on a plane dropping bombs at you. If you keep moving in one direction, you'll run as opposed to walking.
The green guy on the airplane will eventually crash into the water tower. Unfortunately for him, he's as easy as the rest of the enemies you've come into contact with.
You'll then meet the mole with the spiky helmet. Turns out, his name is Grounder. When he charges at you after you meet him, stand to the right of the barrels and duck. He'll eventually head into the well along with two flunkies. The Elder and the girl that was with him in the red house at the beginning shows up, having followed you to the well. Ardy and Pec automatically jump in to go after Grounder.
Scene 2: Grounder's Mine
The conveyor belts will move you in any given direction, while the buckets on chains will pull you to higher heights whenever you jump into them. The "merry-go-rounds" go in a circle, and you'll have to wait to get from one bucket to another. Be sure not to take damage from the green guys in the helmets, as you can easily lose Pec to them and they can't be killed.
After the continue point, you'll come across a bucket. Jump into it and hold Right on the Control Pad. When you see an opening to the right, get to it immediately or else you're going to lose a life. The chest to the right will contain Pec if you've lost him. From here, you'll have to deal with conveyor belts, wooden spikes and the green guys again...and this time these guys are flying. Throw Pec at them to make getting them out of your way easier. The chest in the upper-right corner of the spike and conveyor belt area contains an extra life, which is signified by a miniature Ardy Lightfoot. (By the way, there is another extra life in a chest just after the start, and thankfully, both extra lives re-spawn if you die.)
On the set of baskets to the right, you'll have to throw Pec at the green guy in the bucket to the right in order to ride that bucket. You'll see another set of merry-go-rounds, and once again, the green guys will be riding in the buckets. Get rid of them with Pec, and watch out for the broken buckets as you won't be able to utilize them at all. You'll soon reach the exit.
Scene 3: Tunnel Chase
You're in an auto-scrolling area. You'll need to jump into the mine cart or else risk being left far behind and forced to lose a life - not an easy task if this is your first time playing the game - and stay on it. When on the mine cart, duck under the low ceilings to avoid taking damage. Watch out for the bombs being dropped by the green guy on the other mine cart, as well as their explosions. You'll eventually lose the guy after he gets knocked off the mine cart, but the ride ends pretty quickly as you run into a wall...and meet up with Grounder, who is also coming after you. You'll eventually have to fight this guy.
When you get launched into the boss battle room, don't move. Otherwise, you'll get hit.
Avoid the blocks of dirt that drop from the ceiling whenever he stomps the floor. Thankfully, it's easy to see where to stand when you pay attention to the top of the screen. When he throws his spiked helmet, jump towards his his head and press B in mid-air to hit him with your tail on the way down. Avoid the helmet. When he changes color, he's close to death, and he will eventually go down. You'll get the yellow Rainbow Crystal for your trouble. (You can either move around and jump to avoid the rocks and the helmet respectively, or you can use the mirror like I did. LOL.)
After you get the yellow gem, the girl - whose name is Nina - is praying for you to return when a guy in brown clothes and a fedora - whose name is Don Jacoby - with a gun in his hands jumps into the well. Nina fears the worst.
Ardy eventually reaches the forest, and meets an old woman. She'll tell you about a female cat thief named Catry who stole another Rainbow Crystal much like the one you got, and asks you to go get it.
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