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.
The final level takes us to a haunted house, and it's the most challenging yet.
Level 5: Haunted House
Password: Roger, Webbly, Kelly, Bobby's Dad
Derek shows up. He tells Bobby that Mom wants him to make sure he cleans out his closet. Of course, Derek knows how to tease Bobby, and tells him it's a haunted closet.
Bobby throws pumpkins in this level, and this time you're forced back into the usual short-ranged arc that Bobby's throwing weapon usually has.
Here, X lets you swing back and forth on the statue heads on the wall that act as hooks, as well as the wooden stumps that stick out form the side of the wooden columns. You'll have to jump to the other side a la Super Castlevania IV. If you're not used to the swing animation by now, you're in for a tough time. Since this is a new thing, you'll have to get used to this as well. You'll have to do this rather quickly, because you'll be swinging over bottomless pits before you know it. It takes a little bit of time, but once you're able to get the swing of swinging, you can beat this stage.
A lot of enemies, such as the blue ghouls, the zombies and the skeletons move back and forth, but the skeletons move faster than the others. You'll also want to take down the candle monsters that come out of the candle holders.
The purple monsters with the umbrellas will send bats at you when their umbrellas open up. They take one hits to defeat, but they take a while to die.
The little green guys that roll across the floor will drop from the sky with no warning, but you can block them with the A button.
The branches that stick out of the wooden columns that alternate between low and high can be terrible if your timing isn't spot on. Once you get past the stumps above the bottomless pits, though, the worst is over. The second section is perhaps the hardest part of the entire game, and one where you should bring plenty of lives to.
In the shooting section, Bobby is a witch on a broom that spits the pumpkins forward.
The final enemy is some weird purple creature with fly wings. Avoid the little green guys he throws downward, stay away from the bats that come at you, and keep to the very left side of the screen as always. Keep throwing pumpkins at him no matter what, and make sure Bobby is at least at the same height as the monster's eyes so that you can minimize damage.
When you beat the third and final boss, you get a pretty basic ending, but an ending nevertheless. Good job!
As Bobby gets his room cleaned, we head to Atlantis and the Wild West!
Level 3: Fish Tank
Password: Kelly, Webbly, Roger, Bobby's Mom
Guess Bobby's Mom isn't the only other character in this game after all. Kelly tells Bobby that Mom wants the room cleaned. Bobby soon sees the fish tank in his room.
In the first section, you'll be tossing bubbles at enemies, but that's not the only weapon you have this time around. Pressing X in this level does something different, and in this case, Bobby will throw Webbly like a Boomerang. Webbly will travel to the end of the screen before returning. If you jump over Webbly as he returns, you can hit stuff behind you with him as well.
Aside from the piranhas and manta rays that move forward as well as the turtles that swim in wave patterns as they drop eggs that track you at ground level, you'll want to avoid the purple coral sticking out of the floor. If you touch them, they'll pull you inside their holes for a few second and you'll take a hit.
Be careful with the bubbles that come out of the ground, as they will take you higher when you stand on them. This can lead to those purple corals that can pull at you if you're not careful.
Those brown, prong-like things in the ground and ceilings in the second section are spikes. The bigger ones hold orbs, which you can stand on safely.
The Atlantean guards can only be stunned temporarily with Webbly, but it gives you enough time to walk past him. As for the black mermen that throw lighting bolts, hit them with Webbly to make them stop.
The heads of the fish skeletons in the walls near the end of the second section act as platforms you can stand on.
The third section has you piloting a submarine in typical shooter section fashion, and you should know how this works by now. If you're playing with a password, you'll be able to get plenty of hearts to increase your maximum health here.
Be sure to take out the orange fish in the third section, as they do count as enemies.
The end boss here is a big, orange crab-like creature. Stay all the way to the far left and avoid the fish it sends at you, as you can't destroy them.
Level 4: Wild West
Password: Derek, Kelly, Bobby, Bobby's Mom
Ha! Now Bobby's dad wants him to clean up the bookshelf. This leads to Bobby reading a cowboy book.
The X Button returns to its Level 2 function, which is letting you hang on bars. Again, use the Control Pad to move left and right while you're hanging on the bars.
You throw horseshoes this time around. For something that we're used to seeing being thrown at an arc, these are thrown straight and forward for the entire level! You don't have to wait until the third section!
That's good, because some of the enemies are low to the ground, such as the walking cow skulls and the snakes that hid in the holes in front of the doors.
If you see a vulture in the sky, hold A to shield yourself from their attack and let them come to you. Not only will you not take damage, you'll get rid of them at the same time without having to do very much.
The cactus dogs just move back and forth.
The thin cowboy that shoots the cork at you (miserably) takes two hits to bring down.
The Webbly icon near the end of the first section allows you to bounce over the cacti in your path at the end whenever you use Webbly.
To get rid of the fat cowboys in the second section, block them with A to send the back, then throw a horse shoe at them.
You can stand on the barstools and the bar itself to get over some of the bottomless pits.
For the shooting section, you'll be pedaling a dirigible that can of course, shoot horse shoes. No boss here!
You probably remember Bobby's World, the children's show with a kid named Bobby who had a rather huge imagination, from the early days of the Fox Television Network. But did you know there was a video game back in the 16-bit era? Read on!
Yep, Bobby's World. The 1990s cartoon created by Howie Mandell about a four-year-old with an interesting world view and a big imagination to match that ran through most of the decade and became of the most enduring things to come out of the old Fox Kids weekday afternoon and Saturday morning blocks.
Believe it or not, there was a game. At least, there was supposed to be a game. The game is dated 1994, but the game was strangely never released during the planned time frame of early 1995.
In this game, Bobby's mom tells him to clean his room. As he does so, he keeps finding toys and having dreams about putting them away.
Level 1: Spaceship
Every level contains two side-scrolling sections, then a shooting section which is followed by a boss.
The game teaches you to use Bobby's favorite stuffed spider Webbly as a shield right away. To do that, press A. This will save you from anything that will hit you, but it has to hit Webbly directly. If it still touches Bobby's head, you're taking a hit.
Bobby can attack with flashing orbs with the Y button. They don't have much distance, but they're better than nothing. You can run to move faster, but that involves holding the Y button, so you have to make a priority out of whether to run, walk and fight here. Thankfully, this isn't so bad since the game is meant for kids, but the whole "attack and run command assigned to the same button" thing from the NES era shouldn't be applying to a Super Nintendo game, either way.
You can also jump on enemies to stun them. This allows you to get a hit in, especially on faster enemies.
Collecting 100 lollipops gives you an extra life. The cookies restore one unit of health, while the milk and sandwich refill them all. If you take damage without any hearts, you lose a life.
Watch out for the shooting stars that drop from the sky with basically no warning.
Enemies to defeat include meteorite pieces that walk around when you get close enough, purple aliens that hide in craters in the background and try to smack you, and aliens in UFOs that try to zap you with their tractor beam.
In the second section, you'll be taking on green lizards with ray guns. Use Webbly to shield yourself from getting zapped. You can use your blocking enemy to send them (and any other walking enemy) in the opposite direction.
In the third section, you'll be in a spaceship that lets you move in all directions and shoot straight ahead. You'll be flying around trying to avoid literal meteor showers as well as literal black holes. Wait for a pause in the meteor showers before moving past them.
The heart replenishes one hit will add one heart to your maximum health. At least you don't lose those when you die. You can have up to a maximum of six hearts.
The boss is some sort of space amoeba, and he's pathetically easy to defeat. Just stay all the way to the left and avoid being touched by this thing.
You get a password after beating every level. The kid with the blond rat-tail haircut is Derek, the girl with the huge hair is Kelly and the dog is Roger. In case you don't know who the characters here are, there you go.
Level 2: Under the Bed
Password: Bobby, Derek, Kelly, Roger
Bobby's mom wants him to check under the bed as part of the room-cleaning. This will obviously be an adventure in itself, and the music here makes it feel worth doing.
You'll learn before the level happens that if you use X, you can use Webbly to hand on a bar. This will come in handy throughout the game. While hanging on, you can move left and right across the bar with the Control Pad.
You now throw pillows instead of green energy balls, but they work the same way. Expect your unlimited ammo to change form throughout the game.
There's not a lot of enemy variety in this game, it seems: aside from the purple bugs that crawl low to the ground, there are still the small bedbugs enemies that drop from the sky with no warning unless you know they're coming (much like the shooting stars in the first level), and the crater monsters that try to smack you are yellow and now come out of soda cans. There are a few news ones, though: evil sock creatures on clouds that spit fireballs downwards, tiny sub sandwich enemies that walk back and forth, sock snakes that bounce up and down as they trudge forwards, and purple bedbugs that fly forward and divebomb you when you're close enough.
The purple bugs are the worst, since they're low to the ground and you'll have to be far enough and/or high enough above them to hit them effectively sometimes...unless you're right in front of them. That works too.
The Bobby head is an extra life. It's self-explanatory. I couldn't tell what it was because the hair on the Bobby Head icon meshed with the background. Speakng of the background, what is going on here? How much stuff does Bobby have under there? According to his imagination, there's a zillion things down there and they're all bigger than he is. No wonder this feels like a chore to him.
In the second section, you'll find out there's a whole village under there. Use Webbly to get on those bards and shimmy over the bottomless pits.
In the third section, you'll be riding a bedbug and shooting at stuff, avoiding the spring walls as you go. This is more of a basic obstacle course than the first level's shooting part. At least you don't have to deal with literal meteor showers anymore.
Unlike the first level, there's no boss here. The picture of the purple creature with the antennae is Webbly, while the woman with red hair is Bobby's mom.
Wait around in the library until Mordack appears. When he does, he'll retire to his bed and sleep. Go into the room and grab his wand (it's near the bed), then go right and get out. Go right again, and go up the stairs. You'll see a machine. Put the wand on the right tray and Mordack's wand on the left one. Toss the cheese into the machine's liquid. The power from Mordack's wand goes into Crispin's wand. Take Crispin's wand again, then you'll go downstairs again. Mordack will pop up, and he's not too happy. He'll try to zap you, but Cedric (who comes to you with great news only to show up at the wrong place at the wrong time) gets hit instead, turning to stone and falling to the ground. Mordack is really ticked off that you messed up his wand, and turns into a wyvern so he can kill you. Use the wand on Graham...quickly!
It's those four icons again! Choose the lower-right icon to change Graham into a tiger. He'll automatically give Mordack a hard time. Mordack will then change into a giant dragon, similar to what you saw at the beginning of your trip into Mordack's domain. Use the wand on yourself again, and this time select the upper-right icon. You'll turn into a rabbit. You can now dodge the fireballs.
After several failed attempts to fry you and make you his dinner, Mordack will turn into a poisonous snake. Use the wand again, and choose the upper-left icon. You'll become a lizard and fight Mordack off once again. Mordack will then set himself ablaze in a last-ditch effort to kill you. Use the wand and choose the lower-left icon. You'll change back into King Graham and summon rainwater to come and wash Mordack away. Good riddance.
Cassima and Crispin will show up. Crispin will de-miniaturize the castle and your family, de-stone Cedric, and sends everyone (including Cassima) back to their rightful homes.
The arrow at the bottom of the screen shows which direction you're facing. If you're looking at Graham's back and the arrow isn't pointing up, you're not facing north.
Instead of using compass directions, I'll use normal directions like I've been doing the entire guide. Here is where to go:
You'll meet a beast. Use the tambourine on it and it'll run away, dropping something on its way out. It's a hairpin. Take it, because you're going to need it for what's happening next.
You'll come across a door. Unlock the door with the hairpin.
You'll now be in the evil wizard's house. Go to the left shelf and grab the bag of dried peas, then go up and into the next room. Give her the locket. She'll introduce herself as Princess Cassima of the Green Isles. Her father sent her there anyway and forced her to work as a scullery girl until she marries Mordack. Graham promises to save her when he rescue his family. Go right.
While you're here in Mordack's castle, don't stand around for too long. Otherwise, Mordack will find you and kill you. If you save your game every time you enter a new room, you won't have the problem of getting killed again while you retrace your steps.
In this room, you might meet a black cat. This is Manannan; he will send Mordack after you if he sees you or you walk onto its tail, killing you. Leave and re-enter until it isn't there, then go right to the next room. Go through the other door on the left (it's below the one you came in here in) then get out when you see a large blue beast. Let it grab you; it'll throw you in a dungeon. Use the eye on the mousehole and you'll find a piece of cheese inside. Use the fishhook on the mousehole to get it.
Since you found Cassima's locket and gave it back to her, she'll open up a secret compartment in the wall. Use the hand on the opening. You're in the labyrinth again. Go down, then follow Cassima. You'll reach the door again. Retrace your steps and you'll see the beast again before you're right back where you started from. Use the bag of dried peas to trip it up and make it disappear.
You'll see Manannan the cat in the next room. Throw the fish at him to distract him (he won't be able to help himself) then use the brown sack that the peas were in to trap him. Yeah, he definitely won't screw with you again. Go through that other door on the left, then go up. Go left, and you'll find Mordack's bedroom. Gee, I guess he sleeps very well at night.
Go down and you'll find the library. Use the hand on the open book on the bottom of the screen, and the game shows you four symbols. What do they mean? Stay tuned for the conclusion!
In this installment, we deal with a pair of mischievous man-eating harpies and meet a mermaid! Could this possibly get any better?
You are now in the two-headed roc's nest. Pick up the shining object next to you - it's a golden locket. Since you fed the eagle, he'll show up in the nick of time to rescue you and drop you off in yet another part of Serenia - his home, perhaps?
Anyway, pick up the iron bar. Then go down, and then ring the bell at the house that looks like the fore of a half-buried ship. (Hey, don't look at me, that's what it looks like it's converted from.) It turns out the old man in the house is hard of hearing. Go back up, and head towards the shore on the right side of the screen. The boat has a hole in it, so plug it up with the beeswax before you get in.
When you're finally sailing the seas, go down one screen and right three. Going anywhere else will kill you via giant squid. (Nice way to tell me I'm going the wrong way by having a giant squid grab my boat and drag it down underwater with me, game.) Before you can do anything, a harpy carries you and Cedric off to her sister. They introduce themselves as Minotta (the one who got you) and Cruleena (her sister). Quickly use the harp and you'll distract them - Minotta will take the harp and Cruleena will chase after her. Once they're gone, grab the shiny object next to King Graham - it's a fishhook. Go left, and pick up Cedric. Graham will take him to the boat. Before you leave, pick up that flashing object. It's a shell!
Get back on the boat and keep going left. You'll end up back at the old man's house. Ring the bell and give him the shell. (o hay that rhymes) He'll let you bring Cedric into the house and heal him with a few poultices. Then, he'll call out a mermaid named Pearl who will lead you to Mordack's island.
Once you're there, pick up that yellow object near the wall before going in. Use the crystal shard on one of the statues after you go inside to reflect their magic back at them.
Go around the front door by taking the path to the left. Don't fall! You'll come across an iron grate. Open it with the iron bar, then goi inside it by using the hand on it. Next time...maze time!
First things first - put the cloak on so the cold won't kill you. Select the cloak, then press A when the arrow is on Graham. You'll put it on.
Go right, and you'll reach a supposed dead end. Use the rope on the rock overhang poking out of the cliff side. DO NOT USE IT ON THE BRANCH NEXT TO IT, YOU WILL DIE.
When the game tells you Graham is getting hungry, eat the leg of lamb. When you're ready to climb the rope, use the hand on it.
Next is the columns between the cliffs. Take the upper path (the lower path kills you) and move the arrow below Graham when you're almost at the other side to make it to the other side. Go right.
A wolf will kidnap Cedric on the next screen. Use the sled on the slope to go after him!
Go right and talk to the eagle. He's hungry and cannot fly. Give him the rest of the leg of lamb, then he'll thank you before flying off. Go into the cave, and you'll displease Queen Icebella. Play the harp by using it on Graham to stop the wolves and move her heart into freeing you. She wants you to remove a yeti from her crystal cave before she can release you. Sir Greywolf will show you to the cave.
On the next screen, go to the cave in the upper-right corner, and be careful not to fall over the edge. To keep from dying, hug the wall.
Once you're in the cave, select the pie. Throw it at the yeti and he'll fall over the edge. Go up to the crystals blocking the doorway in the center of the screen and use the cobbler's hammer on it. You'll get a crystal that will come into play later.
Go back to Sir Greywolf. Queen Icebella, now knowing who you are, will hold her promise and release you. Greywolf will show you out again and ask you to follow the path east. When you take it, a two-headed roc gets you...
King Graham will take the pair of shoes that are in front of the elf, then he'll climb through the passage on the right and push a log out of the way. You're out of the Dark Forest! Go left and give the golden heart to the weeping willow. She'll turn back into a human princess and drop her harp before leaving with her husband-to-be. Take it. Go down and give the gnome the small spinning wheel. Turns out the spinning wheel turns straw into gold (a reference to Rumplestiltskin). He'll give you the marionette in turn before he and his son go to the woods to get more wood for another one.
Go down, and you'll reach the Inn again. Use the hand on the haystack and an army of ants will come out. It's King Antony, and he and his men will give you a golden needle. Go back to the baker's house, and when you hear what sounds like an alarm system, choose the single shoe out of your inventory and toss it at the cat. If the cat catches the mouse before you can throw it at him, leave that screen and come back - you'll get another chance. The mouse will thank you and will offer his help down the line.
Go right and enter town. Go back to the toymaker and give him the marionette. He'll let you have the sled. Go back to the tailor and give him the golden needle; he'll let you have the cloak. Go back to the cobblers and give the man the elf's shoes; he'll give you his cobbler's hammer and thank you for giving him enough money to retire on.
Go left until you reach the inn. Go in, and the innkeeper will toss you in the cellar after his little buddy tries to rub you out. Since you just saved the mouse earlier, he'll eat at the ropes that bind you and free you. But don't leave just yet! Grab thr rope, then use the cobbler's hammer on the door to break the lock. Go into the next room and open the cupboard to find a leg of lamb. Get it and go through the door on the left. It'll lock back when you're back outside. DO NOT GO BACK INTO THE INN UNLESS YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH.
Go back to the town, then go up two screens and left two. Pick up the tambourine on the ground. Go right two, then down one and right one. Use the tambourine on the snake to frighten it away. Next entry: the mountains!
Go up three screens, then go back to the door where you saw the horseman. Go up to the door and use the staff on it. It'll break, giving you only one opportunity to go in there. Grab the thing that's shining on the floor as well as the brass bottle, then get out before the door closes or else you're dead. Walk away from the door, then keep going right and get out of there. DO NOT OPEN THE BRASS BOTTLE, YOU WILL DIE.
Now that you're back, give the gold coin to the guard and see Madame Mushka. You'll find out that both the castle and the royal family have been miniaturized, and that Mordack is the brother of Manannan - the main villian from King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human (Alexander turned Mannannan into a cat in that game) - and that Mordack wants Alexander to change him back as he casted the spell and is the only one who can reverse the spell. Madame Mushka then gives you a magic amulet that protects you from evil magic. You'll leave after that. Select the amulet from your inventory, then press A after you put the arrow on King Graham. You'll automatically put it on. Do this as soon as you get it, as you'll definitely need it for what you're about to do.
Go two screens to the right, then go up. Go right, and then you'll meet the Dark Witch, who tries to zap you with a spell that turns you into a frog. Since you're wearing the amulet, it (obviously) fails. Talk to her, then go up and then left. She'll follow you all the while. When you're at the house, use the brass bottle on the witch, and she'll open it. This is why I told you not to open the bottle - the genie comes out and traps her inside for 500 years. Take care not to fall off the bridge as you enter her house. Go to the lantern hanging off the tree in the room to find a small key. Open the trunk below it to find a small spinning wheel. Go to the drawer to the left and sue the hand on it to get three emeralds.
Leave the house, then use the key on the door that's one screen to the right. Take the right path, as taking the left will expose you to spikes that will kill you. It's the golden heart! Take it, then go two screens to the left. Use the honeycomb on the eyes in the tree. You'll squeeze the honey out on the ground, leaving you with a piece of beezwax. Use the emeralds on the eyes, and on the third emerald you'll catch the elf. He'll show you the way out by talking to the rock that blocks your path to the left (it's a living creature that looks like a rock, strangely - a tiny golem, perhaps?) and taking you to an underground chamber.
Go down near here, and talk to the gnome sitting down. He'll tell you that he made the marionette for his grandson and it will cost a pretty penny if you want it. If you go down from here, you'll see the Inn. DO NOT GO IN HERE YET. YOU WILL DIE. Go left.
You'll see a bear going for a beehive in a tree. Don't even go near it; instead, give it the fish, and it'll eat it and run away. Queen Beetrice, the queen of the hive, will let you take a honeycomb from the hive. Use the hand on the hole in the tree to get it, then grab the stick on the ground. Go north, and throw the stick to the dog near the ant hill to make it go away. You'll meet King Antony the Great, who will offer his help when you need it again.
Going up takes you to the fortune teller. If you approach the wagon, the guard will tell you (in a Russian accent) to get a gold coin to see Madame Mushka.
The "M" on the screen-top menu (the eighth icon) gives you a password if you select Save. Write the password down and enter it when you decide to Restore your game. I can almost picture the AVGN's rage over this. You also have two save files that last as long as the power is on. Interesting...
Going left from the fortune teller's takes you to a desert. Move three screens left, then hide behind the rock. Cover as much of yourself behind the rock as possible to avoid the horseman. You'll watch him open the door, go in, grab something and leave. Drink from the small pool of water near the rock (you'll need to do this to keep from dying from thirst in the desert area), then go left one screen and down three. Drink the water here.
Go down one screen and right two, the drink again. Go up once, and pick up the object to your right. If you look in your inventory, you'll find out it's a shoe. Go left two screens, drink, then go left one screen and down two. It's that horseman, and he's fallen down drunk (or dead, I can't really tell due to the graphics). If you go to the pot, you can drink some more water; I definitely recommend it here. Go into the second tent and grab the staff (don't wake up the guy that's sleeping!), then get out. Go down one screen, right one, and up three to get another drink of water.
This is a pretty interesting situation for a console. It's a gem on the PC, but for some strange reason it was ported to...the NES?!? And Konami published it? Oh, this is intriguing, indeed...
Believe it or not, this isn't the first time a King's Quest game appeared on a console. The first game appeared on the Sega Master System.
The Story Begins
The game begins with an evil wizard appearing out of thin air near the Castle of Daventry. He raises his arms and lightning surrounded the castle. A dark cloud causes the screen to alternate between light and dark as the castle disappears...and the wizard with it!
Meanwhile, King Graham, fair ruler of the kingdom of Daventry and the patriarch of the royal family, is out for a walk when this happens (adventurer's cap and all) only to return to his home and find it missing. A talking owl named Cedric flies out of the tree and tells you that the evil wizard Mordack has cast a spell on the castle, causing it to disappear. With a sprinkle of fairy dust, he takes you to Serenia, where he and his master Crispinophur (Crispin for short) live.
You'll land with a dull thud in the shallow water, near Crispin's residence. You and Cedric will both go inside. Crispin will tell you more about Mordack, then he gives you a piece of magical white snake which lets you speak to the natural and animal world's inhabitants. He also gives you an old wand before he sands you on your way.
Unlike the PC diskette version, where the wand was used to cast spells to get past the copy protection (which you'd need the manual for), the wand doesn't come into play much.
Once you leave the house, Cedric recommends visiting the town first. After this, you finally have control of the game.
Go down (taking the bridge as you go), and you'll come to a fork in the road. The path to the right has a poisonous snake, and if you touch it, you will die. Go down once again from here, and you'll reach the town. Take the light green bath between the buildings and you'll enter it. Talk to the guy near the entrance that's standing behind the wagon, and go through the third door. Talk to the toymaker and examine the sled with both the eye (look) and the lips (speak). Head back out, and head to the barrel near that wagon near the entrance. There's something shining on the ground, and if you use the hand on it, you'll pick it up. It's a silver coin, and it'll come in handy later. If you use the hand on the barrel, you can grab a fish. This (like all the items you find in the game) also comes in handy a little later on.
The second door leads to a tailor. There's a blue cloak that you can get, but you won't be able to get it right away. If you examine it with the hand, you'll notice it fits you perfectly.
The first door is a pair of cobblers. You won't be able to do anything here...yet.
Leave town the same way you came in and go left. Inside the building is a baker. Give him the silver coin to receive a pie. DO NOT EAT THE PIE. To get it, select the backpack (the seventh icon on the screen-top menu), then select the coin from your inventory. The silver coin will then appear on the sixth slot in the screen-top menu; select that slot, then move the arrow and press A on the baker. Congratulations, you have a pie.
