The PrinceWatercress Blog

This is the first mountain level in the game, and here, you'll be dropping down from the top to the bottom. Y'know, the opposite of the last age.

The first bonus area is left after the K. Once you're on the rope with the Buzzes near it after the start, go left, then drop down with Down and B to get in the Bonus Barrel. Here, you'll need to collect all the stars while avoiding the explosive Klasps.

The DK Coin is after the checkpoint. Grab the steel keg, then throw it over Koin's head into the wall on the right to get the DK Coin.

The second bonus area is down after the G. After you collect the G, there will be a bunch of bananas in an arrow shape pointing right; go down instead to find the bonus area. Here, you'll need to avoid the Klasps and the Buzzes as you get from point A to point B and collect the Bonus Coin.

Polar Pitfalls

If you jump up off the Slippa on the fourth log cabin in the level, you can get into a barrel cannon that will take you to two Bear Coins.

The first bonus area is in the pit after the O. Interestingly, the first pit has a 1-Up in it, while the second pit has four bananas. The third pit in this area is what you want, as it takes you to the bonus area. For this one, go over the first cabin, through the second and over the third.

The DK Coin is after the checkpoint. You'll see Koin first, then you'll see the steel keg afterwards. Take the steel keg back and hit Koin in the back with the bank shot to get the DK Coin.

The second bonus area is in the last pit after the N. Avoid the Buzz and drop down to find the bonus area. Thankfully, this leads to a simple "Bash The Baddies" room.

If you jump over the goal, you'll find two 1-Ups in the pit.

After this level, you'll reach another Sheepy Shop. Go ahead and play it for the Clock and the DK Coin.

Friday, May 29, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Donkey Kong Land III: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Part 4 of 13

In this video, we complete the second world of the game.

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Black Ice Blitz

In this stage, you'll be riding on a bobsled. You'll need to jump directly on top of enemies in order to defeat them, and you'll also need to watch out for some of the log cabins, as while some of them are in the backgrounds, others are in the direct path, and you'll lose a Kong if you run into them. Just watch the ground; if it disappears in front of a cabin, be ready to jump.

The first bonus area is in a pit to the left of the "no bobsled" sign that makes the bobsled disappear once it moves past. The pit in question is found near where you found the G. This one may take a few tries, as you'll be on the bobsled for this and you'll need to figure out where the stars are and get them all in one shot.

Jumping over the goal allows you to access the second bonus area as well as Koin. For the second bonus area, you'll need to jump to the hill at the end and jump into the lone banana to the left to reach it. Thankfully, this bonus area is a lot easier, as you can just jump on the roofs of the cabins to get to the barrel cannons and the Bonus Coin. As for Koin and the DK Coin, just throw the steel keg over Koin's head and into the wall.

After this level, you'll reach the second Sheepy Shop. Just like last time, beat the matching game to get the DK Coin and the clock, among other things.

Riverbank Riot

The DK coin will be at the start. Grab the steel keg to the left of where you start, then take it to Koin and throw it over his head from the right to get the coin.

The first bonus area is in the first body of water, which is also near the start. Jump in and swim to the left to reach it. Watch out for the Buzzes!

In this stage, you can either go through the water to make progress, or you can jump off the Knick-Knacks to reach the barrel cannons in the area. If you go for the air route, you'll pick up a few things, including a Bear Coin, and you'll avoid the Barboses at the same time.

The second bonus area is in the final body of water in the stage. A pit with two Buzzes and a barrel cannon will hint at this early. If you picked up the G, you went too far; go back to the left and search the water for the bonus area. You'll need to jump on all of the Knick-Knacks in order to get the Bonus Coin. Get the ones on the top on the way to the right first, then take care of the rest on the way back to the left.

Miller Instinct

I see what you did there, Rare.

The DK coin and the first bonus are soon after the start. The steel keg is near the Squawks barrel, so grab that and do the bank shot off the wall like you've been doing to get the DK coin. From there, jump to the right and into the corner in the ceiling to enter the first bonus area. You'll be looking high and low for all the stars - especially at the last rope - to get the Bonus Coin here.

From here, you'll be flying around and spitting eggs as Squawks again. Have fun destroying the enemies; I did.

The second bonus area is after the "maze" area with all the Buzzes. When you have a choice between going left or right; head right, you'll find the bonus area. Here, you'll need to aim the barrel cannons towards the bananas with Left and Right on the D-Pad to get to the Bonus Coin at the end.

Bleak Magic

Head all the way to the right side of the room and jump over any snowballs that Bleak blasts your way. When a barrel shows up, grab it and throw it at Bleak. As you throw barrels at Bleak, he will shoot more snowballs at you. Be ready to jump when you see him bend all the way down, as the snowball he launches from that position will be coming at you. After four barrels, Bleak goes down and you'll get the Bonus Coin and the second world cleared.

Thursday, May 28, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Donkey Kong Land III: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Part 3 of 13

It's now time to take on the second world of the game.

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Primate Plains

Coral Quarrel

Compared to the previous underwater level, the paths are a lot more narrow, which can make avoiding enemies harder if you're not taking your time. Also, Enguarde returns in the latter half of the stage; make sure you get him to make getting around easier.

The first bonus area is below the double set of Bazzas just after the start. Just avoid the Barbos on the way to the end to get the Bonus Coin.

The DK coin is left after the continue barrel. Don't follow the banana arrow pointing right immediately; instead go left and avoid the Barbos to get the DK Coin.

The second bonus area is after the N. Don't go left; instead, go down and get the G as well as the second Bonus Barrel. Getting the stars is easy as long as you avoid the enemies here.

Minky Mischief

The spiders with the wooden planks on their heads will jump up and down when you stand on them; use them to reach higher areas in the trees. As you climb the ropes, watch out for the Minkys. You can't destroy them, and they will constantly throw rocks at you from out of the walls. There will also sometimes be other enemies like Buzzes that will be flying around near the ropes; especially in later levels like this one.

The first bonus area is back to the left and down after the checkpoint. Collecting the stars is easy, especially with Dixie's helicopter spin.

Later in the stage, you'll be able to play as Squawks. A flies, B spits eggs. You can move yourself around with Left and Right on the D-Pad and descend faster with Down.

The second bonus area is after the two Buzzes you have to fly between as Squawks; go up the next tree to find it. As you look around for the token, watch out for Buzzes that will get in your way.

The DK coin is just at the end. After you come out of the tree, jump straight up to find a hidden barrel cannon that will take you to Koin. Grab the steel keg and throw it over his head to hit him in the back and get the DK Coin.

Jetty Jitters

The DK Coin is left of the start. Just throw the steel keg to the left over Koin's head to get the DK Coin.

The Klasp enemies are much like the Kremlings in the barrels that try to push you around, but if you come into any contact with them, they will explode and take you with them.

The first bonus area is below a pit where you meet a Klasp on the docks. Drop down to find the bonus area. Follow the areas (and collect the stars that make them) to get the Bonus Coin.

The second bonus area is where you can helicopter spin to a roof from the ropes, and it will be after the checkpoint. Jump into the barell cannon at the end to enter. For this bonus area, get to the end, then jump to the left off the Booty Birds to get the Bonus Coin. As for the big blue Kremling, you can only defeat him by jumping on him as Kiddy.

From here, you can save the game at Wrinkly Refuge.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Donkey Kong Land III: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Part 2 of 13

In this entry, we complete the first world of the game.

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Total Rekoil

The bouncy guys are Rekoils. A jump on the head is best, although you can also roll/spin into them as well in case they're on the ground. Be careful when tangling with them; you can get hit when you least expect it.

The first bonus area is to the left. Go left and jump up. You'll be able to jump into a barrel cannon that will take you to the first bonus area. Here, you're taking on a Buzz and a couple of Rekoils to get the Bonus Coin.

When you have a choice between going up and going left after the start of the level, go left first. You'll find Koin; throw the steel cage into the wall on the left from the right of Koin to get the DK Coin.

The second bonus area is in the corner near the ceiling, just before the G. Here, you'll be collecting stars again for a Bonus Coin. Watch out for the Rekoil.

If you roll/spin off an edge and then jump, you can perform a mid-air superjump.

Sheepy Shop

At the Sheepy Shop inhabited by an unnamed Brothers Bear located in every world, you can match cards with the D-Pad and the A button. The blocks at the bottom indicate how much time you have left. When you beat the game, you'll get a DK Coin, a Bear Coin, a 1-Up, a bunch of bananas and a clock. That last item will be important much later on, and you will need all of the clocks.

If you complete the matching game fast enough, you'll get a cheat code! You'll also get five Bear Coins.

The Sheepy Shop can also be used to teleport from one world to another, much like Funky Kong's services in the other games.

Koco Channel

At the start of the level, jump over the water and jump to the right off the two Knick-Knacks. You'll find Koin on the other side; throw the steel keg so it hits the wall behind Koin to get the DK Coin.

This is where the game's equivalent of the Klap-Traps debut. Don't roll into them, or you'll get bitten and lose a Kong.

Squitter the Spider is back and he controls just like he did in the second game. B will shoot web projectiles that defeat enemies, and if you press Select while a projectile is out, it will turn into a web platform. Use the web platforms to get to places you normally couldn't. Also, hold Up or Down while shooting web projectiles to aim upwards or downwards, respectively.

If Squitter lands in water, it will hurt him, so don't do that.

Speaking of which, the first bonus area is to the left after you get Squitter. Go back to the left and take to the sky with the web platforms in order to find it. In this bonus area, you'll need to brave the lake and it's fish - and two Rekoils if you go to dry land early - to find the Bonus Coin.

The second bonus area is in the last body of water in the stage before the goal. Go down and to the left to find the bonus area. Beyond the Bonus Barrel are two extra lives and a Bear Coin, which I didn't even bother to look for. You'll be collecting stars again; head to the left for stars that are easy to mess when you drop into the water here.

Liftshaft Lottery

The porcupine enemies known as Bristles can only be hit with a spin/roll attack from the front; hitting them from the back or jumping onto them will cause you to lose a Kong.

The first bonus area is to the right when you have a fork in the road. (Left leads to a barrel cannon and the O.) You'll be collecting stars for this one; watch out for the Buzzes as you climb up and down the ropes.

The DK coin is just before the N. Instead of heading left like the arrow of bananas tells you to do, keep going up. You'll find Koin. Throw the steel keg over Koin and into the wall for the DK Coin.

The second bonus area is near the end. The upper-left corner will look a bit suspect if you're riding on the moving platforms. Jump towards that area to jump into a barrel cannon that leads to the bonus area. You'll be bashing the baddies here. Don't worry about the Buzz; just take out the four Rekoils for the Bonus Coin.

Barbos Bastion

You'll turn into Enguarde as soon as you enter your first boss fight. Also, when you start a boss level, you'll always automatically start it with both Kongs.

Barbos will shoot a miniature version of himself at you; when it stops, wait for it to fully open up, then stab it so it flies right into Barbos and hits him.

Stay all the way to the upper-left to avoid Barbos' attacks. The mini-mes will get faster with each phase of the battle, with the third mini-me almost cornering you. After the third hit, Barbos attacks one more time before you get the Bonus Coin and complete the first world of the game.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Donkey Kong Land III: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Part 1 of 13

It's high time I played through this one from beginning to end years after playing the second game.

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Donkey Kong Land III is based on Donkey Kong Country 3, and while it shares a lot of things such as music, controls, enemies and level themes, it actually has a different plot much like the first Game Boy game did. The game starts with a hunt in the Southern Kremisphere for who can find the Lost World first. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong set off to find it, leaving Dixie Kong behind. Dixie leaves and takes Kiddy Kong with her, and it also becomes apparent that Baron K. Roolenstein (also known as K. Rool) is looking for the Lost World as well.

Also like the first Game Boy game, you have new world and level names, but at least you don't have to look them up in the manual this time.

For this game, I'm using a translation of the Japan-only Game Boy Color version, which called Kiddy Kong "Dinky Kong" and fixed some bugs from the Western releases - including fixing the camera so that it more easily catches up with you if you're falling - while also having some omissions, such as missing dialogue and animations, that the Western versions did not. Thankfully, this translation patch also fixes what's wrong with the original Japanese version, and you can find it [url=https://www.romhacking.net/translations/1757/]here.

When you start the game, you'll start in Cape Codswallop. It's time to start moving about.

Cape Codswallop

Red Wharf

I didn't get the pun behind the level name for years.

Just like in the second game, you move around with Left and Right on the D-Pad. A jumps, and B lets you run while holding it down as well as pick up and throw barrels when you press and hold B for the former and let go of the button for the later. Holding Down and releasing B while holding a barrel lets you put it down. Pressing B on its own allows you to perform a roll attack. If you're playing as Dixie and you press and hold B while in the air, you'll do the helicopter spin that Dixie is known for from the second and third games in the 16-bit and handheld trilogies. Pressing Select lets you switch Kongs if you have both, and Start pauses the game.

Barrels can be used as weapons against enemies. If you find a barrel with the DK logo, you can break it to free the other Kong. Dixie is quick and can float in the air with her helicopter spin, while Kiddy Kong is more like Donkey Kong and is more about powering through enemies and defeating tougher Kremlings with a single jump when Dixie is unable to do it.

Bananas in this game act as coins, just like in all the other games in the two trilogies. A bunch of bananas will be worth ten bananas. Collecting 100 bananas will give you an extra life.

Jumping into barrel cannons will launch you into new areas.

The bear coins will be used at the Sheepy Shops, which I'll go into more detail about later.

To defeat enemies, you can jump on them or hit them with the roll attack. Some enemies cannot be jumped on, and some enemies cannot be rolled into. Other enemies are indestructible and should be avoided.

The K-O-N-G letters will give you an extra life when collected. Grabbing balloons will also give you extra lives, and you can see how many you have at the bottom of the screen.

Each stage will have at least two bonus areas, indicated by Bonus Barrels, barrel cannons that have the letter B inside an explosion shape on them. Entering them takes you to a bonus area. To find the first one in this level, go through the walls to the left after you jump into the watter and get the O.

Jumping into horizontal ropes will allow you to grab onto them and climb along them with Left and Right. Jumping off by either jumping normally or by holding Down on the D-Pad and pressing A to drop down will allow you to let go. One of the horizontal ropes - the final one in the level, in fact - will lead to a bonus barrel that you can jump to.

The first bonus area is "Find the Token." For this type of bonus area, you'll need to search the area to find the Bonus Coin; when you find the coin, you'll complete the bonus level. In this type of bonus area, you may see enemies, but defeating them is not required. In every bonus area, you'll have a timer in the upper-right corner, so you'll need to be quick to find it. Thankfully, if you fail a bonus level, you can always go back to where you found the Bonus Barrel to try again.

The second bonus area is "Collect the Stars." Much like in the second game, you'll need to collect all the stars in the bonus area before time runs out to get the Bonus Coin to appear so you can collect it. In this specific bonus area, you can control the barrel cannon with the D-Pad and launch yourself out of it with the A button so you can collect all the starts. The Bonus Coin will be on the roof on the far right.

You must collect the Bonus Coins to get credit for the bonus area, and you'll need all of the Bonus Coins to collect everything in the game. If you see an exclamation point next to a level name, you've found both bonus areas.

There's also Koin, a guy holding a shield with the DK logo on it. You'll need to hit him in the back with a steel keg, and thankfully, he's always facing you with his shield in front of him, so while you cannot hit him head on, you can hit him from behind. In this level, Koin will be above the goal. Just throw the steel keg over him from the left. It will bounce off the non-existent wall on the right and hit him in the back. Defeating Koin gives you a DK Coin, and you'll need to get all of them to fully complete the game. You'll also get a DK Coin icon next to the level name signifying that you have found that stage's DK Coin.

The flag at the end is the goal. If the flag is limp, you didn't find both bonus areas; if the flag is fully unfurled, you did.

Seabed Shanty

Once you have some areas opened up, you can use the D-Pad to move around the map and the A button to enter levels.

You'll need to hold Left and Right on the D-Pad and repeatedly press A to swim. Down on the D-Pad allows you to descend faster, and you can ascend faster by swimming by holding Up as you move. Holding Down while pressing A allows you to ascend more slowly.

Going down and to the left at the start will take you to an Enguarde barrel. Swimming into it will turn you into Enguarde the swordfish. Enguarde can move in eight directions freely with the D-Pad, and the B button will allow him to stab forward and defeat enemies.

If you move into an Enguarde barrel while already Enguarde, it will count as breaking a DK barrel and you'll get an extra Kong, which is the same as getting an extra hit point in this case.

The enemies with the spiky shells are called Barbos, and they can only be defeated by Enguarde and only when they are fully opened. If they are closed, touching them will result in you taking a hit. If you're not Enguarde, avoid them.

The green fish that come out of the pipe-like coral in the wall will constantly move in one direction from one pipe to the other.

The first bonus area is down and to the left after the N. In "Bash the Baddies," you'll need to defeat all of the enemies before the time runs out to get the Bonus Coin to appear. In this particular one, you're defeating all the fish with Enguarde.

The second bonus area is before the two sets of bananas making arrows pointing right to the goal near the end. When you see the first "arrow," go down instead. This is another "Collect the Stars" bonus area where you're collecting stars with Enguarde the Swordfish.

The DK Coin is above the G. In underwater areas, the DK Coin will not be guarded by Koin; instead, they will be in plain sight, and you can collect the coin by moving into it.

After this level, you'll be able to head to the Wrinkly Refuge. You can save your game here, and in this game, it's always free.

Ford Knocks

If you drop down at the start to play as Enguarde and get the K, you'll miss the first bonus area. You'll have to play through the level again to find the first bonus area.

The flying ladybugs - known as Knick-Knacks - act as aerial platforms that take you to other areas, but you can only jump on them once.

The flying enemies with the angry smiles are called Buzzes. They are much like the Zingers from the earlier games, and you can only defeat them either with a barrel, with invincibility or with the abilities of certain animal buddies.

The first bonus area is above the wooden awning after the start. There will be a barrel cannon; jump into it to be launched into the Bonus Barrel. Hit the Booty Birds here with barrels to defeat them and take their items, then get the Bonus Coin.

At one point in the level, there is a gap with a 1-Up Balloon in it. Drop down and get the 1-UP to find the bonus area. Thankfully, you just have to defeat the enemies here, which is dead easy.

The DK coin is in plain sight at the end of the level; just throw the steel keg at the left wall while standing to the right of Koin.

To exit a level you've already completed, press Start to pause, then press Select to return back to the map screen.

Monday, May 25, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Pendragon - The Longplay

...and now for the game, minus commentary! Enjoy!

Pendragon is a clone of Pengo for the BBC Micro written by Gordon J. Key and published in Volume 4, Issue 4 of Micro User from June 1986. Much like in Pengo, you'll be kicking blocks around not only to make a path around the level, but also to temporarily get rid of enemies.

In this particular close, you play as Polly Pendragon, a parrot working in a sugar processing factory. The factory is infested with an enemy known as "the yellow peril" (we're better than that), which eat the sugar as well as attack anyone who is in the factory. You'll need to keep them at bay while pushing four large emeralds into each corner of the room in order to move on to the next room. If you run into an enemy, you're losing a life.

Z and X move Polly Pendragon left and right, : and / move up and down, Space pushes the block you are facing, and M toggles the music, which can get a little annoying after a while.

You start out by facing one monster in the first stage, two in the second and the maximum of three in the third. After that, it's three monsters for every stage after the third. Dealing with enemies is easy: just kick sugar cubes or emeralds at them. It is possible for your attack to miss the enemy, causing them to be unaffected, so keep that in mind. Enemies are best dealt with by giving yourself some space and hoping that the enemies line up with you so you can kick something at them. The more distance you have, the better, for it they are right near the sugar cube you are about to kick, they will destroy it before you can attack. Thankfully, they can't destroy the emeralds.

Placing the emeralds in the corners is a pretty unique way of clearing the stages compared to Pengo as well as other Pengo clones, but it is possible to kick emeralds around in such a way that you cannot get the emeralds into all four corners. If that happens, kiss your chances of moving on to the next level goodbye.

After making a Let's Play out of this game, I wasn't as frustrated with this as I was with Mango. The game controls well as Mango did, and I had a little more room to maneuver. I also liked some of the presentation, such as the diamond on the title screen opening up when you press Space, the instructions being typed out one letter at a time, and the vortex that gets drawn on the green screen before the game begins. 1986, from what I've gathered from the games I've played up until this point, signifies a time when people who were still making BBC Micro games even after the 16-bit micros started taking over knew more about how not just to make a game, but also do some pretty impressive stuff. With that said, this is one of the better arcade-style games that I've played for the BBC Micro, and it's hard to believe that this is a type-in game. If you're looking for a good Pengo clone, this is a good place to start.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Pendragon

Let's follow up a Pengo clone on BBC Micro with...another Pengo clone on BBC Micro. Yeah, that's what I get for randomly selecting BBC Micro games for playing at times.

Z and X move Polly Pendragon left and right, : and / move up and down, Space pushes the block you are facing, and M toggles the music, which can get a little annoying after a while.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Mango - The Longplay

...and now for another look at the game, minus commentary! Enjoy!

Mango is a Pengo clone released for the BBC Micro in 1987 and published by Blue Ribbon Software. In this game, a bird-like creature named Mango is trapped in a refrigerator with entities known only as "The Heat Men." In order to defeat them, he must not only kick the ice cubes at them to hit them, but he must also make a path for himself and get distance between himself and the Heat Men by kicking paths through the walls of ice cubes in the refrigerator. After defeating all of the enemies on a screen, Mango heads to the next level.

Z and X move Mango left and right, : and / move up and down, and Return pushes and/or melts the ice cube you are facing, depending on whether the ice cube you are looking at is obstructed. Kicking ice cubes will be the way of getting rid of the enemies, but you will need some distance between yourself and the Heat Men in order to more easily get rid of them, as they can destroy the ice cube you are above to kick ahead if they get right next to it.

S and Q turn the sound on and off respectively, Copy pauses the game, Delete un-pauses the game, and Escape abandons the current game and takes you back to the controls screen, where you can also choose between three difficulties before playing.

If you can line up the three bonus blocks with the "B" on them, you can get extra points, but good luck getting that to happen with the enemies constantly chasing you around.

With each level comes more and more enemies to take out. Be ready to kick ice cubes and even the bonus blocks to get rid of the enemies when they pop out of the eggs that spawn on screen. Also, points give you extra lives, but you'll need a lot of them: 5,000 for your first and 10,000 for your second.

Despite my frustrations with Pengo clones, I eventually warmed up to this one (as well as the game that I'll be playing after this) after getting better with the game. I like the idea of having to defeat all the enemies to move on to the next level, but the fact that the enemies seemingly move faster than you and tend to move around the block you want to kick more often than not even on the easiest difficulty level makes this anything but easy. The graphics are pretty basic for a game from 1987 yet easily identifiable, and the arcade-like sound is sparse yet is able to get the job done while not getting too annoying. The play control is pretty responsive, too. It may not be graphically impressive in hindsight, but it's still a fine Pengo clone worth playing once you get used to it.

Friday, May 22, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Mango

This one took me a while to warm up to, no pun intended.

If you can line up the three bonus blocks with the "B" on them, you can get extra points, but good luck getting that to happen with the enemies constantly chasing you around.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 6 of 6

It's now time for the final stage of the game!

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Stage 6: Desert

A lot of the enemies you'll meet will be the ones you've seen in the Plateau, but there are some new ones that you'll meet once inside the pyramid for the second section.

The coyote fires arrows forward. You'll want to avoid those arrows and throw dynamite onto his head to get rid of him.

The spiked ball that drops when you get under it cannot be destroyed with dynamite; however, dynamite will make it move. Use this to your advantage.

Near the end, you'll have to deal with fires that shoot upwards, falling anvils and the rolling boulder. You'll want to jump over the fire when it doesn't shoot up, but you also want to avoid the anvils that fall. There's also a rolling boulder midway through, but there is an area that you can crawl into by moving diagonally with the D-Pad to avoid it. If you ever see the rolling boulder again, keep in mind that you can stand on it as it moves.

The dark gray stone platforms will fall when you land on them, so get to the other side quickly.

This time around, instead of avoiding Bugs and his traps, you'll have to throw dynamite at him at the right time so that it blows up in his face when you throw it straight up. Bugs will move back and forth, and he occasionally stops to fire a lightning blast downwards. Bugs takes six hits to defeat, and when you do more damage to him, the lighting blast becomes a fire bomb that produces fire waves that travel a bit across both sides when it hits the ground. If you can time it right, you can hit Bugs with the dynamite when you throw it straight up with Up+B with ease. Even while you're holding B to hold the dynamite, the timer still goes down from three, so you'll need to wait until one before jumping upwards, holding Up on the D-Pad and letting go of the B Button so that the explosion hits Bugs. After six hits, Bugs runs away, and you can touch the final treasure chest to beat the game and roll credits.

The "RTJ3" level lets you play the final stage with 49 lives.

You just beat Daffy Duck: Fowl Play!

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 5 of 6

The abundance of bottomless pits and the lack of invincibility frames can really make this stage miserable.

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Stage 5: Plateau

Prepare to do a lot more jumping here compared to the second part. Also, whenever you die from falling into a pit, you start back at the current section, and the enemy selection that you have for the section you died in changes. Compared to the previous stages, you now have three sections to play around with, and they all look different this time around.

The rocks will bounce up and down, and while you can jump on them when they are about to hit the ground and ride them, it can be a tad difficult at times to time it due to the bouncing being pretty fast. The scorpions will move back and forth and will come at you if you get close enough to them.

The vulture acts as a platform. Jump on it to get to the other side; do not bomb the vulture with dynamite.

The cacti need to be destroyed with the dynamite in order to get rid of them. When destroyed, they also leave a smaller, spiky ball. You'll need to destroy it or jump over it.

The big bat attacks much like the regular, smaller-sized bat, and while it is easier to throw dynamite on top of it, you're better off avoiding it if you can.

The boss battle here is made amazingly difficult by the fact that Bugs Bunny flies around in the background before showing up to drop a bomb. You'll also have two cacti to destroy; the first one is easy enough to blow up and then jump over the smaller ball that comes out of it with, but for the second cactus, you'll need to blow it up, then get near the right edge of the platform before that cactus and duck so the smaller spiky ball that flies out doesn't hit you.

All the while, you'll still have to deal with Bugs, and in order to avoid the bomb that he drops, you have to move back as soon as you see it come down. You have to simultaneously blow up the cacti and avoid the smaller spiky balls that shoot out and avoid the bombs that Bugs drops from his plane at the same time, and the geography of the boss stage containing short platforms that barely give you enough room to avoid the bombs does not help. Also, don't be surprised if you get hit by a bomb, land by a pit, and then suddenly fall into the pit, all the while losing two or three lives at once because the game's lack of invincibility frames suddenly makes doing this even more nightmarish than it should be.

Once you somehow make it to the treasure chest, it's on to the final stage of the game.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 4 of 6

This is where the game really takes the kid gloves off.

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Stage 4: Forest

Despite the stage name, this feels like more of a jungle due to the enemy choices here.

The soldier ant moves back and forth and will attack you if you get close.

The money will throw a banana peel that you'll need to get rid of before approaching you with alarming speed. For best results, get away from it and drop a stick of dynamite on the ground with Down+B at the right distance so it blows up when the monkey gets close to it.

The giant cat enemies will leap at you if you are close enough. If you can get away, however, you can stand on them and blow them up if you need to. Once they hit the ground, they won't be able to get back up.

The bats can dive at you if you are close enough to them. While you can throw dynamite at them and defeat them, it's best to stay away.

The light blue bird will send a dropping down at you if you get close enough. While this bird appears in other stages, this is where it first appeared for me.

The boss battle for this stage is the hardest yet. Bugs will keep smacking the ground with hammers, which causes the spiders to move up and down. You'll want to move past the spiders when they are all the way up or jump over the spiders when they are all the way down, which is easier said than done. If they hit you, they will follow you relentlessly, and that will be the only time you can hit them with the dynamite. Prepare to lose a life or two before you get to the treasure chest.

Monday, May 18, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 3 of 6

At this point, the game takes off the kid gloves...but just you wait.

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Stage 3: Snowy Mountains

Watch the top of the screen for icicles. They will come down when you get close enough. Other hazards and enemies you will face include sea urchins (which act more like stationary spiked balls here) and bear traps that you definitely don't want to walk into.

Bears will pop out of the ground and claw at you when you least expect them, so you'll want to tread carefully through this stage.

The Abominable Snowman will show up as an enemy. Lay a stick of dynamite ahead of him so that you can blow him up before he grabs you.

Watch out on icy floors. Jump your way across. If you try to walk through it, Daffy Duck will slip, and unless you jump in time, he will land hard on the ground backwards and lose a life.

I don't mention this in the Let's Play at all, but if you jump repeatedly, the jump sound gets higher and higher pitched.

If you see a hole in the ground with an arrow pointing downwards at it, stand in front of the hole and press Down on the D-Pad. You'll enter an underground cavern where you can find a treasure worth loads of points. These holes will appear randomly throughout the game, and you'll want to enter them to get some big points towards another extra life as well as to get rid of some hazards when you come back out.

To beat Bugs, keep jumping repeatedly to avoid slipping on the ice as well as to jump over the projectiles that Bugs fires from the snowman. Also, you'll want to get the icicles to come down without hitting you while you're doing all this. This is where the boss battles get a little bit harder, and they start getting even harder than this on the next stage.

Sunday, May 17, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 2 of 6

For the second level, things get a little more interesting...

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Stage 2: Lakeside

New hazards to watch out for include rocks that can make Daffy trip and campfires that shoot upwards and will singe Daffy should the fire touch him in any way.

If you hold Down while moving left or right, you can crawl.

Hedgehogs will stop moving and ball up when you get close to them. The spiders are even more deadly, as they can leap at you if you get way too close to them. You may run into a bull that charges at you; jump over it when it does. You might even see a bird drop stuff down from above in case you get under it.

For the second section, you'll need to drop down the chasm and stay in the center. Since going left or right makes you move continuously in that direction, you're going to have to rock the D-Pad back and forth in order to get through this area without hitting one of the other platforms on the way down. You'll really need to get a rhythm going, as the further down you go, the more quickly the platforms you can smash Daffy into head-first appear. If that happens, get the life you lost back before going downwards.

You'll eventually drop into the water. While fighting the enemies here may feel necessary for points and food, it's easier to avoid the enemies here, especially when you can take multiple hits at once. Enemies in the water include urchins, jellyfish that electrocute you, swordfish that move back and forth and even piranhas.

To beat Bugs this time, avoid the piranhas as you jump from platform to platform and duck under the sea urchin that Bugs has on a fishing pole.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Daffy Duck: Fowl Play - Part 1 of 6

Despite being from Sunsoft, the developers of this game are ex-Sunsoft employees, and because of this, this game has some of the old Sunsoft magic in it despite being one of the later titles from the late 1990s...and it shows.

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In this game, you're Daffy Duck, and you're looking for treasure. Interestingly, Bugs Bunny is the game's main antagonist. Also, the game is very well animated, as you'll soon learn when you start the game.

It should be noted that the map is the shape of Daffy Duck's head.

Stage 1: Country

When you start the game, you'll be able to get used to the controls. Left and Right let you move left and right, Down lets you duck, and Up lets you aim with your attack. A jumps, and B attacks...by throwing dynamite.

At the top of the screen, you'll see your current score, your current amount of lives, and your current amount of energy in the form of a percentage. That energy meter slowly goes down, and it hits zero, you're losing a life.

Whenever you see a food item, be sure to pick it up. Daffy will slowly pick it up and devour it, and you'll soon see what I mean when I said that the game is very well animated.

Attacking with the dynamite is a bit of a science. The longer you hold the button, the further you'll through it. You can only have one stick of dynamite on the screen at any time, and it is also possible to blow yourself up and lose a life. You only have three seconds to play around with the dynamite and the count is clearly shown, so you'll need to work with the dynamite quickly.

When you go further into the country, you'll start seeing traps such as mouse traps that will activate when you step on them, guard dogs that move back and forth if they're not punching at you, hens that throw eggs at you, and police officers that move faster than the guard dogs.

Believe it or not, when you go through future levels, the levels will play differently. Some enemies and hazards will show up; other times, they will be completely absent.

Enemies will sometimes leave treasure; pick them up for points/money. You'll need to get rich to earn some extra lives. You'll get an extra life every 20,000 points.

Some traps, such as mouse traps and the rakes that you'll see on the third screen, work better if you get close enough to them without tripping them. Hold Down, press B, then get away from the dynamite you just dropped. That'll do it.

If you get hit by anything, you will lose a life both figuratively and literally. You can get that life back when it drops out of you in the form of a heart, but you'll barely have enough time to grab it. It is possible to get hit multiple times in a row and lose multiples lives in a row as a result...so watch out.

You can push things by moving into them. There is a box on the third screen you'll need to move to get up a huge wall of crates.

Walk off the edge of a platform from a high height instead of jumping off. Jumping will cause Daffy to be briefly stunned as soon as he lands, while walking off the edge does not.

To beat Bugs Bunny, you'll need to avoid the mouse traps as well as the exclamation points that briefly show where the sixteen-ton weights Bugs is throwing will land. This is the easiest boss battle by far, but they will get harder. Once you avoid everything, touch the treasure chest to end the level. You'll see your score and password as Daffy Duck flies around, then you can play a bonus game that while fun, doesn't even give you any extra lives. You'll then move on to the next stage.

Friday, May 15, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Fall Down - The Longplay

...and now, all the modes I can play, minus commentary! Enjoy!

Fall Down is a homebrew game for the Atari 2600 programmed by Aaron Curtis and self-published in 2005. In this game, two players - one red and one blue (blue-green in the PAL version) - fight to stay on the screen and score points by capturing platforms as they scroll upwards. To capture a platform, one must fall through a gap in the platform before the other person does. The first person to fall through the gap gets the point. Of course, there's always the danger of being scrolled past the top of the screen, which will take a player out of action temporarily and give the other player a bit of an advantage in the form of being able to score a lot of points uninterrupted. The game ends when both players are scrolled past the top before either person can be re-spawned.

Controls are easy. You just move left and right with the joystick, and you can use the fire button to use the power-ups that you collect during the game. Players can bump into each other, but there are "pass-by" modes that allow players to walk through each other. Sometimes, you'll find dots on the platforms, and if you can pick them up, you can do all sorts of things with the fire button, such as turn the other person invisible, switch places with the other person, create a gap where you are standing so you can get an easy point, and much more.

The game is one of the first homebrew games to use Richard Hutchinson's AtariVox to save high scores as well as provide in-game speech when someone wins or achieves a new high score.

There are eight different game modes:

Human vs. AI (red human and a blue computer chip): a simple game against the computer. See if you can get more points that the computer-controlled opponent!
Human vs. AI, easy mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with "EZ" in white at the bottom): Same as above, but the computer isn't as smart. Use this mode to get used to how the game works.
Human vs. AI, pass-by mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): Same as the first one, but both players will pass through each other if they come into contact instead of bumping off each other.
Human vs. AI, invisibility mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white eye at the bottom): This mode is pretty cool. This is the same as Human vs. AI, but the background changes from red to blue and back again at regular intervals, causing one player and then the other to be unable to be seen, making things a lot more difficult. Hope you can keep track of a player that you can't see!
Single player (just a red human): See how well you can keep up with the eternally scrolling screen and see how high you can score as you drop from platform to platform without having a second player in the picture.
Human vs. Human (a red human and a blue human): Your standard two player mode. See who can score the most points!
Human vs. Human, pass-by mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): same as Human vs. Human, but both players pass through each other on contact instead of bumping into each other.
Human vs. Human, invisibility mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white eye at the bottom): The invisibility mode, now with two players! Compared to the human vs. computer version, this one can be really fun at parties.

To switch between, hit the Game Select switch on the title menu.

This is a really fun game. The premise is simple and the game controls pretty well, but this is one of those games where anything can happen. While the game is fun enough on its own with the single player modes, the two-player mode is where this game gets a lot more exciting, especially if you have a few friends over. When it comes to homebrew games, this one is loads of fun.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Fall Down

This game is fun as hell. Definitely play this one if you can!

The game is one of the first homebrew games to use Richard Hutchinson's AtariVox to save high scores as well as provide in-game speech when someone wins or achieves a new high score.

There are eight different game modes:

Human vs. AI (red human and a blue computer chip): a simple game against the computer. See if you can get more points that the computer-controlled opponent!
Human vs. AI, easy mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with "EZ" in white at the bottom): Same as above, but the computer isn't as smart. Use this mode to get used to how the game works.
Human vs. AI, pass-by mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): Same as the first one, but both players will pass through each other if they come into contact instead of bumping off each other.
Human vs. AI, invisibility mode (red human and a blue computer chip, with a white eye at the bottom): This mode is pretty cool. This is the same as Human vs. AI, but the background changes from red to blue and back again at regular intervals, causing one player and then the other to be unable to be seen, making things a lot more difficult. Hope you can keep track of a player that you can't see!
Single player (just a red human): See how well you can keep up with the eternally scrolling screen and see how high you can score as you drop from platform to platform without having a second player in the picture.
Human vs. Human (a red human and a blue human): Your standard two player mode. See who can score the most points!
Human vs. Human, pass-by mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white arrow pointing downward at the bottom): same as Human vs. Human, but both players pass through each other on contact instead of bumping into each other.
Human vs. Human, invisibility mode (a red human and a blue human, with a white eye at the bottom): The invisibility mode, now with two players! Compared to the human vs. computer version, this one can be really fun at parties.

To switch between, hit the Game Select switch on the title menu.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Pressure Gauge - The Longplay

...and now, the game minus commentary! Enjoy!

Pressure Gauge is a game written back in 2000 as a college exercise by John K. Harvey, and was inspired by the Steamwood sections in Brave Fencer Musashi.

If you flip the Game Select switch, you'll get a small text crawl in the center of the screen as well as some rainbow colored bars.

The only button you need to play the game is the fire button. When you start the game, you'll notice a small bar on the left followed by a gauge to the right that slowly fills up. When that gauge is anywhere near the range where the small bar on the left is, press the fire button. This will fill up a second gauge to the right. If you do this right, you'll fill the gauge to the right up; if you get it wrong, the gauge will go down. There is also a gauge in the center telling you how much time you have left. If that gauge goes all the way down, the game is over. To fill it up, you'll need to clear the current level and head on to the next, and you can see which level you're on by looking at the bottom of the screen.

As you go through the game, the game gets faster. From Levels 6-10, you'll go back to the beginning speed and work your way up again, but the lights will flicker, causing you to be unable to see your line and gauges for a short time at regular intervals. From Level 11 onwards, everything will be random, and the small line on the left may be in a different range on the gauge entirely.

Everything about this game may simple, and there may not be much to the graphics, but the gameplay is easy to figure out, and once you do, it definitely has an addicting nature to it. This one is all about the gameplay, and this game definitely keeps you on your toes while taking a small idea from a then-somewhat recent video game and running with it. This is definitely one game to try if you come across it, and don't be surprised if you find yourself spending plenty of time with it.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

PrinceWatercress plays Pressure Gauge

After seeing this one in action, I just had to try it out for myself.