Copyright Victor Epitropou 1999 vicet80@hotmail.com
"At last! A FAQ about this game!"
v 1.1: First Revision after 1999! Should be more accurate now :) Corrected Grammar and added more accurate Baarogue info and hints! (I'll try to adapt from the texts of the game the more I can!)
v 1.0: First Release just before 1999!
[0] Introduction/General Info
[1.1] What is Cadash? [1.2] Whoah...and where can I find this "Cadash"? [1.3] Ohh...and,what you had to do in this game? [1.4] Is the game very hard?
[2] The Characters [2.1] The Fighter [2.2] The Mage [2.3] The Priestess [2.4] The Ninja [2.5] The Monsters
[3] Cadash: The Solution [3.1] The Monster Caves [3.2] The Underwater Caves [3.3] The Jungle Caves [3.4] The Caves of the Dead [3.5] Baarogue's Castle [3.6] Baarogue
[4] Bugs/Glitches
[0] This FAQ was written to give you info about a TAITO's game called CADASH,an early (1989) 16-bit epic Arcade/RPG adventure. I has stage info,character info,monster info and a (sort-of) walkthrough. I seem to have a tendency to write FAQS about games that NONE,I say NONE ever gave a try. From me you can also find: The famous New Zealand Story FAQ (c)1997,1998,1999 The Liquid Kids FAQ (not yet released) The Cadash FAQ (to be released in 1999)
This and the others FAQs are of course totally free,can be distributed with any electonic medium (Disk,Tape,BBS,CD,ZIP,etc.) as long as it is not altered in any way etc. and you are not using it as a profit-making way (magazines,books,etc.) All trademarks belong to their respective owners. This FAQs are not official TAITO products and TAITO has nothing to do with its writing.So neither TAITO nor I have any responsabilities about damage cause by this FAQ etc. etc. Now let's move on to the serious stuff...
[1.1] What is Cadash?
Cadash is a fantastic arcade Action RPG game by TAITO which rocked at the arcades during the late 80s and early 90s. If the name "TAITO" makes you think of cute cartoonish games with merry soundtracks etc...in this case forget it. TAITO shows its flexibility by creating a dark and gory game - very different from her video gaming philosophy - but made with the same care and quality. By a story point of view,Cadash was made up of a dark and unfriendly world, filled with Nightmarish dangers and disgusting creatures which you would never want to see outside the game,a world filled with violence,blood and gore. Technically,imagine a 2D side scrolling game,with graphics so realistic that would give a lot of today's games a run for their money (in fact they were VGA mode-X like,128 colors and in 1989!),graphics that presented the above described world in the best way possible,with some sprites being so huge and moving so fast that really scared off the player...you thought they were REAL, not to mention the visual effects coming out of nowhere... To this,add the realistic SFX,the epic music that filled you with agony and made you think "I'm dead,let's get outta here!"... For all you true RPG fans,Cadash isn't a pure RPG,as it gives more emphasis on arcade fighting and platforming but it does have elements such as talking to other characters,using magic objects,tasks to fulfil,etc. so it's not 100% action only,too.If you have played Wonderboy 2 (or Wonderboy in Monsterland) you know how the game goes,only Cadash is more sophisticated than that. Cadash still looks unusual for an arcade game,since there are a lot of text messages (more than Wonderboy 2 for example) and a somehow relaxed gameplay but not always as well as other things. To understand the gameplay,imagine Wonderboy 2 mixed with Rastan Saga adopting the graphics style (and size!) of Shadow of the Beast (HUGE!) and add in some basic RPG elements...that's Cadash.
[1.2] Whoah...and where can I find this "Cadash"?
Cadash,released in 1989 by TAITO was avaiable in fairly abundant numbers in its arcade form during the 90's...today it is almost impossible to find,sank into the mud of all those 3D racers,fighters and shooters. The game is also avaiable for some home systems,such as the PC ENGINE/TG-16 and the SEGA MEGA DRIVE/GENESIS.An Amiga version would be great if it existed, but I never heard about one (probably there was an Amiga project but was stopped.) The first is has almost identical gameplay to the original,the latter has a "few" omissions (only TWO characters to choose from!). On the PC,you can use emulators for all the above systems: Magic Engine for PCE,Genecyst or KGen for Genesis and Raine for Arcade(!). Guess which is the best...
[1.3] Ohh...and,what you had to do in this game?
The plot is: in the happy kingdom of Deerzar,the forces of evil rise under the command of the arch-Mage Baarogue which also kidnaps the King's first and only daughter,princess Sarasa,dooming the whole country to darkness and suffering... But,3 heroes and a heroine (a Fighter,a Mage,a Priestess and a Ninja) generously offered their services to the King,each one offering to clear up the mess,eliminate Baarogue and of course save the young princess (I guess the priestess really does this for kindness ;-) Here is where you come in: Pick up your character,start slaying monsters, gain experience and level points,collect as much gold as you can,buy better weapons and magic artifacts,kill the big monsters you will find here and there... until you reach Baarogue's castle,after which you must survive with your own powers only...
[1.4] Is the game very hard?
Cadash is not a very hard game to complete. How hard it's going to be,is determined by a player's abilities,the main character and money. If you start advancing your level from the early levels and where that chance is given to you,things are going to be easier for you.Your level advances by killing monsters. In Cadash,the number of monsters is infinite.By returning to the same areas, you find all monsters respawned.By killing them again and again,your level advances quickly,and more level points means: - More Strength (you can kill monsters with less blows) - More Hit Points (You start with 40 HPs,each level advances you 8 HP,max 255) - More Armor Class ( Less damage taken from enemy creatures attacks) - More Agility (walks faster,jumps higher) - More Magic Points (For Spellcasting characters,+8 per level) - More Spells to cast and less MPs required to cast them (For Spellcasting characters) - MP regeneration (only for the Mage)
Of course this "trick" works better with monsters which offer lots of exp. points: The best ones are trolls,bees,rock monsters and dragons,which are fairly easy to kill. The worst ones are trees,zombies,wraiths,skeletons etc.,which are dangerous, hard to kill and sometimes come in large numbers,and they don't "award" you with enough money or exp. to match the pain... If you stop moving for a second or each time you go through a door in the game,an info table appears at the top-left corner of the screen,giving you info about your level,experience points,next level,agility,power,defense,medical herbs,antidotes and elixirs (if you have'em,two in the whole game) Another factor to take into consideration is the limited game time which can be restored by buying time from shops in the game or casting a special spell or finding hidden bonuses (very rare).This is common to all arcade implementations of RPG and adventures (you usually have 8 to 12 minutes of play time,after which you must keep on "feeding" with coins to go on and you can't do anything to stop that but in Cadash you can,and time is in your enemy list,too!
[2] The Characters
In Cadash,the main character is a very important choice,as the 4 characters have significant differences and in no case have they got equal chances in each situation and finishing the game.For example,the game is a snap with the Priestess,a good challenge with the Mage and Ninja,an an impossible,masochistic torture with the Fighter (on ONE credit!). It goes:Priestess,Mage,Ninja,Fighter. Please note that in the Genesis version you can only choose Fighter (Ow,ouch, yikes,argh,cough,gaargh!) or Mage (already more decent!).
[2.1] The Fighter
He is a sturdy,strong close range character,portraied by a young,muscular guy with a determined look,wielding a broad sword (later he gets armor, shield and even a helmet,looking like an ancient greek fighter!) He comes armed with a sword which has some close range,good power (he is SUPPOSED to be the strongest character),can buy several armors during the game (making him more resistant,altough he IS NOT the toughest),as well as some shields,which make him able to defend against some enemy projectyles (but not all and not on the advanced levels,practically useless). He has no long-range abilities or magic abilities (except for the fire sword you buy for a while in a part of the game,quickly to replace with a "simple" blade.The trick here of course in NOT to buy the simple blade but then you will be very weak(!!!)...),making him unsuitable for many situations in the game. The hardest character to end the game with is the Fighter. The game's suggestion that "beginners are safer to start off with him", is true only on the first 2 or 3 levels,where his blade and strength can really do miracles,making the game easier,but on the most advanced levels there are monsters which you can't even come close to them without losing 40(!) or so HP,or you simply can't reach them. Also,on those levels,the Fighter proves not to be as powerful as he should in comparison with the other characters,which on advanced levels can match and even surpass the Fighter in offensive power,even without the use of magic(!). For example,when you first get to the zombie level,both the Mage and Fighter require two hits to kill the zombies...also,consider the fact that the Fighter's level advances very slowly and so he doesn't get much better than that. To sum up,the Fighter is the most useless character,and the game can't be finished with less than 2-3 credits...
[2.2] The Mage
The Mage is a weakling (in the beginning) close range character,with the valuable addition of offensive magic abilities and a quick-raising level,so the Mage's close range attack soon matches that of the Fighter(!). In fact,the Mage is a kind of a slower Fighter with less armor,almost equal strenght plus ultra-powerful magic abilities. He is portraied by a mysterious old man with a white beard and a slightly hunched back,dressed in a long robe and holding a magic staff. He comes armed with a weakling magic staff,which is then replaced by a metallic one called "iron wand",then a fire shooting one called "fire staff", then the non-shooting but powerful "widard's staff".He can also buy two Mage robes,the wanderer's robe (orange) and the mystic robe (blue),which work as armors. The usage of magic costs in MPs,which can be restored only by visiting an inn and paying for a rest,or slowly recharge by themselves after a certain level has been reached,which is much better and more useful in combat,making the weakest spells virtually unlimited/free to use to your heart's content. The more level you have,the more different and powerful spells you can cast on your enemies,and also the most powerful spells cost less in MPs than when you first get them.The mage starts with 32 MPs,which of course grow later...
To cast a spell,hold your fire button and a comic-like cloud will appear over your character,and as you hold the button it will cycle through the avaiable spells in the order they are given.When the one you want is highlighted, release the fire button to cast it. Here is a complete list of the Mage's spells:
FIREBALL (Level 1): This must be a RPG classic but not really in Cadash... the Mage throws a small,weak fireball in front of him. It's not much of a use,and considering that by getting the fire staff,the fireball comes out by itself each time you shoot and without mana usage... useful only on the very first stage,if you really wanna use it...
SPINNING BLADES (Level 2): This spell is much more decent than the previous one: it makes the Mage surround himself with some spinning knives,which also rotate around him and (kind of) seek an enemy to hit.Useful when you need a strong attack on an early level.
GROUND FIRE (Level 4): The Mage creates some big,advancing flames in front of him, which move on the ground,penetrating enemies.Useful for lots of strong enemies in a row.
MAGIC CIRCLE (Level 7): As an update of the spinning blades,this spell creates a magic circle which expands,and expands,and expands...until it becomes a screenful big,penetrating and hitting most on screen enemies. It's not very powerful but casting it once or twice will solve most "problems..."
THUNDERBOLT (Level 11): This creates some rapid moving thunder charges which lock on an enemy until destroyed or the charges vanish.If they don't,they look for another enemy and so on...It is the most powerful spell most players will ever put their hands on,as advancing to the last spell requires level 20,which is barely reachable by a very good player.
EXPLOSION (Level 20): The screen simply flashes,and great lots of damage are done to all creatures that are on screen and...a bit off screen! This is the most powerful attack in the game,but chances are that you will never see this spell avaiable,or if you do,it will be in the last boss room, and so you'll try it on him,coz of the great level you have to reach. Level 20 is barely reachable...
The game is a reasonable challenge to finish with the Mage,since his spells help him a lot and his close range fighting is not bad at all on the advanced levels,although his Armor Class is not very good and his slowness (he's and old man after all) will make you waste precious time,at least on the arcade version. Please note that Magic does not work on undead or bio-mech creatures of any kind,such as eyes,skeletons,zombies,skeletral spiders and also some "alive" creatures,such as trolls and blue dragons,as well as on indestructible creatures.
[2.3] The Priestess
The Priestess is one of the finest players,if not the best. She is portraied by a beautiful young woman dressed in priest clothes,wielding a kind of chain mace. She comes armed with a chain weapon,which penetrates the enemy and hits twice both in going and in return.This weapon,while decently powerful is very functional and has good range,being suitable for both close and long range fighting. She upgrades with longer and more powerful chains (long chain (green),long range chain (blue)),better Priestess robes (orange/white priest cloak and aqua/violet druid's cloak) and can also buy the silver and golden tialas,of unknown purpose,looking like a queen. Although she's a spellcaster too,like the Mage is,her magic is much different, as it is used not for offense,but for healing and defense. All you RPG fans must have understood that the priestess is what is usually called a "paladin" (or better "paladine") or "cleric" in most RPGs,a term used to describe enlighted fighters which fight against evil only and use white magics for healing and defense or utility. The usage of magic costs in MPs,which can be restored only by visiting an inn and paying for a rest. (She gets no MP regeneration,or else the game would be sickengily easy,like it wasn't easy enough already with her;-). The more level you have,the more different and better spells you can cast on yourself or "on the game".Unlike the Mage,not all spells do decrease in cost as your level advances,or else the game would be too easy. The "Red Bottle" and "Antidote" spells are the only ones to get somehow cheaper. To understand,this spell costs about 4-6 MP.You start with 28 MPs...that's already a 40 HP extra stock on level 1!Imagine when you have 128+ MPs...
To cast a spell,hold your fire button and a comic-like cloud will appear over your character,and as you hold the button it will cycle through the avaiable spells in the order they are given.When the one you want is highlighted, release the fire button to cast it.
Here is a list of her spells:
RED BOTTLE (Level 1): This causes the Priestess to heal herself by 10 HPs. (Works like the medical Herb).Very useful on any level.
BLUE BOTTLE (Level 4): This causes the Priestess to neutralize any poisoned attacks (works the same as the antidote),but it's barely ever used. I never had to use this one in a single game,but if you have no antidote...
SHIELDING (Level 6): This is the most useful spell of the Priestess and of the game in general: creates 4 floating spheres which surround and rotate around her,which make her totally invincible to any attack. The spheres themselves have a limited resistance: if they get hit too much they will fade away,and you will have to re-cast the spell. It's a very good spell coz although it costs lots of MPs,it enables the Priestess able to survive without a scratch where all the other chars would get out half-alive...
TIME (Level 12): The original arcade game has limited time! This is unusual in an RPG,but being Cadash an arcade game,it would be the arcade owners' ruin if it was possible to play forever (you could spend an hour or so gathering exp. points and end up with an invincible character...) or just leave your character in a safe place -e.g. a shop- and just leave him like that for 3 or 4 hours! So a limit was placed in playing time. If this expires an invincible monster appears,and you are in front of certain death.Time is renewed single times by passing through the "departure gates" which connect Cadash's sinister worlds between them,but usually the time the game gives you is barely enough,and doesn't allow for relaxed (and good level) play.So,you can either buy time from the alchemist shops (but that costs more and more as the game goes...),find Sand Clocks as hidden bonuses (very rare and give you only 40 secs each.) or you can cast the "time" spell until your mana runs out,then find a inn,refill mana,re-cast, etc. It's obvious that on console versions,this spell would be of no use,since there is no time limitation,and it wouldn't be reasonable if it did...)
DOUBLE RED BOTTLES: This spell is as rare as the Mage's explosion,and simply gives a great HP boost to the Priestess (dunno how much,maybe full healing or 128 HP)
To sum up,the Priestess is powerful,can heal herself,can become invincible, can turn back time,has an interesting walking animation...you'll just love her,guaranteed!
[2.4] The Ninja
The ninja is a 100% long range fighting character,armed with his shurrikens at first,then butterfly knives,3-way cutters and such goodies,up to the Spirit Flames (yeah,right). He is portraided by an agile young man with an eveready look,his weapons hidden in his pocket(?). Usually in most RPG,Elves have the role of the long-range and agile "sniper" character,the "tracker",the "hunter",using bows and other light weapons as well as their agility and speed and cloaking. Ninjas do have these qualities but are rare to find in an RPG (unless it's a Japanese one) but in Cadash there is no Elf so take the Ninja. He can also purchase ninja clothes and masks on the most advanced levels. He can pick off an enemy from quasi-screen distance,and with a fairly powered attack,which gives a distinct advantage to the ninja... The ninja is also the fastest mover and the higher jumper in the game. He can reach by jumping only,areas that others chars would require a vine or a ladder to climb,and can also jump behind a tall enemy,but this won't really help you a lot in the game. Like the Fighter,he lacks any magic abilites,but he really doesn't need them, as he makes up for the Fighter's main weakness: range.
[2.5] The Monsters
Here is a list of all the monsters in the game,in order of appearance. Every level of the game has got different and more powerful monsters,as well as boss creatures.
Werepigs: The first enemy you will find.Half human-half pigs,theese fatsos just walk on you and try to hit you with their silly wooden clubs (or Hams?). At level 1,the Ninja and Mage can't kill them with one hit(!!) and neither the priestess,but her weapon doubles hits so it doesn't show very much...
Green Slimes: The weakest of all slimes,they hang from the ceiling and try to drop on you,then turtle on the ground.
Bats: Tiny,fast,these bats can tick you some HPs off if you miss them.
Red Shield Skeletons: Tough enough and mean,they are reasonably hard to kill, do reasonable damage and can even block your hits with their shields.
Rolling Eyes: They form out of nowhere and try to roll on you.Indestructible but with crashing on each other or with a magic spell from the mage.
Yellow Skeleton Spiders: You'll find a way to hate them: they are fast,tough and can shoot a double-hitting net with the first chance (and hurt too!).
Black Pudding: A giant black slime which hangs from the ceiling,bounces to the walls and spits little pudding balls...(see the solution for more info)
Giant Frogs: these green suckers are there hoping to steal a HP or two from a first time player...kill yourself if you're ever TOUCHED by one of them!
Trolls: They look like pissed-off refugees :-) They walk normally but speed up when you turn your back to them and throw you bones in a silly manner (only that the damage they do isn't silly at all...)
Giant Hands: They come off the ground in a mechanical way in hopes of squeezing something to death and burying it at the same time.
White Slimes: Same as the green ones,only tougher (only with a low level can you tell the difference)
Brown Monster Trees: These evil trees rise from the ground waving their disgusting branches and from time to time they will shoot you with a reasonably powered fireball.They aim well,and are hard to kill.
Kraken: The boss creature of the underwater world.He sits still at the mid of the screen waving two big tentacles against you,hitting you directly or throwing Monster Tree like fireballs.
Wasps: They wait for you hanging in mid air,aim then attack you at full speed. They hurt quite a bit and they cause poisoning too.
Medusas: They look like disgusting blue and red kalamari with one eye and lots of veins on their body. They float underwater (or even OUTSIDE water) and when they close their eye they are ready to shoot you with a powerful energy wave which hurts.
Rock Monsters: They are fat,slow moving monsters which try to squash you with their step.They are hard to kill (but give you lots of exp. points) and if you turn your back at them they start running like mad,and they hurt a lot if they bag you...
Orange Skeleton Spiders: Like the yellow ones,but much meaner and tougher, cause more damage and their hit is poisonous,too!
Worm: A big crawling worm which shoots you with large fireballs,causes great damage and poisoning if touched,and turns into a fast rolling ball,becoming invincible when so.
Mud Monsters: Poor cousins of the Rock monsters,they are pinned to the ground and suddendly emerge from nowhere doing a respectable damage to the unlucky person that will step on them...
Orange Wasps: Same as the yellow ones,only tougher to kill and meaner.
Birdie Women/Harpyas: They are flying half woman(topless)/half eagle(volture?) creatures,doing dive attacks or throwing sharp feathers at you,and are also hard enough to kill.
Metal Porcupines: Indestructible,they simply guard their territory walking up and down all the time.You can't do anything but avoid them.
Giant Flowers: Indestructible,these beatiful flowers luckily won't try to eat you or something,but will try to vomit(!) God-knows-which vegetable refuses on you,doing a discrete amount of damage.
Crawling Kelp: A nice,peaceful plant (until it found you) which hangs from the ceiling and will try to grow thorny vines towards your direction and giving away with enthusiasm some fine thorny fruits,only that they are (apparently) not edible and you should avoid them!
Zombies: You will find a way to hate them like hell,due to the many times you will have a chance to meet these pleasant guys,who rise from their graves to take revenge upon the living...or better against YOU.They are hard to kill, they don't stop/slow down when hit,and you must hit their legs to be effective, coz if you only bust their torsoes,the feet will keep on walking!
Winged Lion: He is fast,tough,and hurts you a lot as he runs towards you hoping to slash you in two.
Evil spirits/Wraiths/Charons: Flying skeletons wearing dark mantles and wielding a big skythe,they will attack you with their body (a moderate,poisonous attack) or if they get the chance,will discharge a powerful thunderbolt attack in many directions.
Green Dragons: Fat,rapid-moving grounded dragons,which belch powerful firebombs on the ground and if they bag you it's -40 HPs!
Fireballs: Living fireballs which bounce around with no goal (until of course YOU come close to them...-10 HPs minimum if they touch you!
Fire Elemental: A good description of him is avaiable in section [3.4]!
Purple Slimes: Like the green and white one,only this time they are poisonous!
Grey Shield Skeletons: Meaner and harder to kill than the red ones,they make super juming attacks on you,and they hurt a lot!
White Tree Monsters: Another "classic" you'll hate: they can't move,sure,but require lots of hits to die (8-12 with any character) and considering that they are placed on platforms they occupy completely...it's a no-no for the poor old Fighter.To this,add that they shoot like machine guns and their fireballs do good damage! With the Mage,use thunders with no mercy,and with the Priestess,just cast a Shielding and pass through them!
Blue Dragons: Like the green ones,only that they are harder to kill, belch a toxic mass of blue gasses which slides on the ground,are poisonous and magic-resistant!
Floating Dragon-Fish: They look half-way from a fish to a dragon,floating in mid air trying to touch you...nothing serious.
Purple Pudding: The bigger brother of the Black Pudding,only it's purple, harder to kill,faster and...poisonous of course.
Worm 2: Like the first worm,only harder to kill and gives you no thread or anything.
Time-Up monster: A floating demon skull which appears after your time has run out.Invincible,everytime he touches you it's -40 HP. It's certain death unless you cast a time spell or buy time before you are killed (it's never too late!).
Total: 41 different monsters.What else do you want?
[3] Cadash: The solution!
Since Cadash isn't just an action game,you will need to know the SOLUTION, which once you've finished the game on your own,you'll surely remember!
[3.1] The Monster Caves
At first you start at the King's Palace.Waste no time talking to the guards or the people inside or outside the castle.Get the medical herb and bag of money that are in the trunks in the throne room. Get out of the castle and go into the cave to the right. Here,kill the green slimes and the fat grunts until you reach the small course of water...then go back and kill the grunts and slimes again,then go ahead again,etc. until you have reached level 3 or 4 (very important thing to do,coz you gain money too!). Then pass over the water,kill the skeletons (or try to do the level-gain trick with them,since they give more experience points). Climb down the vine,move right and jump on the short vines to avoid the rolling eyes which will crash on each other... Going right,try not to get hit by the skeleton spiders' attacks,coz they hurt (twice,too) quite a bit...slay them and move quickly to the right,avoiding carefully the volcano rocks and the stupid bats which fly around... Continue right and there you will find the first boss: the BLACK PUDDING. It has an attack pattern: it bounces twice left-right,then gets stuck to the ceiling,shoots 4 pudding balls (avoid them) and crashes down,then re-bounces, etc.It's not hard to defeat.Once you do,go into the door,talk to the Mage in blue robes until he opens the blue door,go into the magic gate...
[3.2] The Underwater Caves
Once you teleported,go to the right and enter the inn. Pay for a rest,then move right. The first house after the brigde has an old lady mourning about her adopted daughter being sacrificed to the KRAKEN...you need not speak to her in the arcade version (so you can save time) but you need to in the PCE version, coz she gives you an extra staff (unknown purpose,but must be important...). Next you will find the first weapons shop.Buy all the equipment meant for your character,move right and go to the alchemist shop. Here buy 8 herbs,8 antidotes (you can't carry more) and as much extra time as you can.Climb down the ladder and go left when you find the water surface (you can't enter it harmlessly YET...). Get rid of the giant frogs quickly (they give no money and no exp. points!). Instead,practice slaying the trolls since they give money and enough exp.points till you get one or two levels up. Move full left,climb down,go right,avoid the giant hands that wanna have you for dinner,climb up,go left,hit each of the "stairs" under the trolls' bridge coz there are some hidden objects (2 herbs,one antidote,one bag of money) then climb down and go left. Here,attack the white slimes and the brown tree monsters like that: let them shoot first,jump then finish them off,so you won't get hit very often. Here too,you can use the place as an "experience gainer" but it's not recommended (not many trees,dangerous,slow to reappear). Go left,fall down and keep on left.Here you will fight KRAKEN,the second boss.With the fighter,keep on one corner of the screen and slash the moving tentacles,trying not to get hit,same with the ninja. With the Mage use a ground fire or magic circle spell,and with the Priestess cast the shielding spell and move above the KRAKEN's head hitting it from above. Free the girl on the pole and follow her right: she will dive into the water and turn into a mermaid,talk to you and then she will give you the Scales Of The Mermaid,which allow you to breathe underwater (which is absolutely necessary for the game to go on.) After that go left,again to the KRAKEN's bridge,then left and climb down. Try to time your weapon so to hit the giant wasps coz they hurt quite a bit and also cause poisoning (good thing you bought those antidotes...). They are however excellent experience gainers... Move to the right,drop by the big step (the ninja can climb it both ways!) and you will be in the mace room: big maces hang from the hands of giant statues and rotate at tremendous speeds...it's a matter of speed and sync to avoid the maces.The first ones are fairly easy to get dealed with.The last one rotates anti-clockwise and very fast,so hard to avoid...anyway,move right,kill the tree on top of the "stairs" and climb down freely into the water...if you have got the scales of the mermaid (or one the other players did) then none will get hurt... Move right,slay the ugly one-eyed medusas,climb up,DO NOT ENTER THE DEPARTURE GATE YET,move to the left,climb up and visit the second weapons shop. Buy all that is meant for your character then move LEFT again,climb down,left and instead of climbing MOVE INTO THE WALL: there is a secret passage,move to the left and watch your characters behavior: if he looks "hanging" climb up or down.By moving constantly to the left,you will find a chest with the Mystic Lamp.This flashes the screen anytime there is a secret (hidden objects, passages etc. though in many spots it flashes there is absolutely nothing(bug?). Return right,climb up and go to the first city again to renew your HPs and your herbs/antidote.DO NOT visit the first weapons shop again...you can buy "older" weapons if you want to (!) but this is generally not recommended... Return from when you came now (INTO the water...) and now you may go into the new Departure Gate...
[3.3] The Jungle Caves
Here you are in the vegetable world...move right and climb all the way down. Move left...there is a door.Enter it,move left,climb the vine and talk to the solitary gnome: he is in reality a "tools shop" (herbs,antidotes etc.) who also sells a strange item: magic bells.These babies cost 500 each and raise your HPs (NOT your level) by 8 HPs.Buy only one or two,since you will need lots of money (Inns should now cost 1000,silver key costs 800...make sure you have about 2500 golds left or you'll regret it,trust me!). Exit the gnome hideout...move left and start facing the rock monsters...these monsters are the best experience gainers (they give 90 or so exp.points) and come in large numbers. They are easy to kill,slow,but NEVER turn your back at them or they'll start running like hell and run you through (and diz hoirts...) Fight your way to the left until you find a door: enter it and you will be fighting worm. He will turn himself into a ball and start rotating.Stay away from walls since he bounces off them high and you can't avoid him...he will do three rebounces each time then extend himself and become vulnerable...hurt him while you can, let him become a ball,rebounce three times,hit him again etc. until you destroy him.Take the money and the WORM'S THREAD,go right (fight your way right this time!), go to the long vine at the beginning and climb to the place directly below the departure gate: it looks unaccessible,right? Not if you have the worm's thread: It will become an excellent climbing rope and so you can keep on slaying...climb the thread,start moving left...BE CAREFUL! >From the ground rise some ugly mud monsters which hurt you an awful lot... Move with small steps! Then slay the orange giant bees (tougher and meaner than the yellow ones) and then you are in front of a two-way road: You can climb the ladder and try to jump your way over a horde of INDESTRUCTIBLE spikey (metallic?) creatures and go directly into the CRAWLING KELP's room,OR you can move left and enter a strange garden full of (vulnerable) mud monsters and birdie-women,which fly and attack you with their claws and throw sharp feathers(!) at you while huge (INDESTRUCTIBLE) flowers vomit(!) on you...and after that you can still go into the CRAWLING KELP's room if you want to,by climbing down the first vine you find,go left,climb up and go right...but you will have to face the swarm of orange bees TWICE. The first way is easier,but you get no exp. points or money while with the second one you do,and it's not as hard as it sounds. Anyway,you should really visit the CRAWLING KELP,since when destroyed it gives you an ELIXIR,which restores your HP's after all medical herbs have been used... ...a pretty cool item to have with you all the time :-). The KELP isn't difficult to defeat as it requires no special tactics.just hurt it as much as you can when you can(with the Mage,it's just a spell or two...). Anyway,to leave the KELP's place,go left,climb up,left,climb down,face the bees (they are suckers if you know how...) and go right in the place below the vine (under the wine there is a magic bell,hit 5 times and get it!) which has some of those lovely spikey creatures...move full right,climb down,go left... OUCH! Two stupid birdie-women! Just slay'em and it's just a matter of sync to catch the right platform in the right moment...after you jump your way up,move left avoiding the lovely bees and mud monsters,climb up the ladder (the earlier bees may attack you again so beware) and go right: take the FLOWER OF THE MAYA and when you are about to enter the gnome village...you will become a gnome yourself! Now you can visit the miniature shops.... (NOTE:With the Fighter,you will be in front of a paradox in the weapons' shop: if you buy the Speed Blade you won't be able to stop the powerful enemies that await you on the next world,and if you keep the Fire Blade you will be too weak! Make your own choice...) After you finish your shopping,end up in the TOOLS SHOP: refill your herbs, time and antidotes,and also buy the silver key (hope you have the money...). Move left inside the shop,open the silver door and enter the Departure Gate... BTW,don not try to go to the Gnome's Village immediately after arriving to the Jungle Caves by just climbing up and going left: you will enter the village from the wrong side,and the FLOWER OF MAYA won't appear...the shops will be just little houses which you can't visit! Pure waste of time...
[3.4] The Caves of the Dead
Move right out of the house...on your right there is a fire pit which you can't cross and on your left...a graveyard! Start moving left (it starts to rain in the meanwhile after you cross a lonely grave with a whining dog near it "HM...HM...",that's part of the storyline as you'll see later) and you will be surrounded by zombies which arise from their graves to take revenge upon the living and especially you (ah...of course). Try not to get hit and do not stick to this place coz the zombies come in large quantities,and do not give enough exp.points or money...leave the graveyard quickly...BE CAREFUL! Just as you escaped from the zombies,LIGHTNING is summoned against you! To avoid it,when you "feel" the screen starts to flash, STOP and duck quickly! Repeat for every thunder attack,there are three in total each time you leave or enter the graveyard from the left. So,climb down the vines,and beware of the spear traps that wanna drill some extra holes in you.You will need to sync your step with the spears to avoid getting hit.And when you were just about to step down the vines...a psycho winged lion comes to get you! This enemy runs fast and is hard to kill, unless you have the Priestess,whose weapon is DEVASTATING in this case,or the Mage. Move right over the bridge...OH MY,what's that thing? Some evil death spirits float around and discharge powerful lightning!You will need to time your weapon to hit them.Each time you do,they disappear and reappear nearby.Anyway,when you cross the bridge,an "athletic" guy chased by an angry dog (the same of the grave -see above) bumps you while trying to escape ("You're in my way!Get out of my way!")...ignore him for now. After you climb the hill,there is a vine going up,where the dog points. At about 3/4ths of the vine's course,there is a secret passage on the right of the wall.Jump right,move to the right a bit...there is a small fire room with a chest.Enter it at all costs,coz there is THE AMULET OF DRAGON,which will give you 60000 golds and solve all your financial problems,at least for a while. At the top of the vine,there is a passage guarded by some fat dragons which belch ground fireballs...if they bag you,it's minus 40HPs! The FIGHTER clearly shows his limitations in this stage: he isn't strong enough to kill the zombies in one hit (but he should,coz it needs a tremendous effort to hit them twice at close range,coz they don't stop when hit!),nor the lions,and neither the dragons and he also can't attack from distance,so the lions always bag him and the dragons don't even allow him to come close (needless to say,his shield is useless).THE FIGHTER SUCKS! So much for the fighter's "strength" and "toughness"... Anyway,back to the point: clear your way to the left,climb up the first vine,move left,again take the vine,go left,take the vine again and go right (try to ignore your enemies in the meanwhile).In the right there is another bridge with evil spirits and after that some "cliffs" with lions and dragons.Get rid of them and go right into a place with lots of vines and rotating flames (-30HP if you get hit!) Follow the route: Right,Down,Left,Down,Right,Down,Left,Down to get out of this place.On your left there is a fire pit with flying columns o'fire and some platforms.Cross the place using your platforming abilities (you DO have 'em,don't you?) and after the pit and before the small village ahead...move right towards the big 'step' after the pit: there is a secret passage which will give you some extra time,some free items as well as the HOLY GEM,which produces a miniature of your character which provides an extra and powerful attack for a long while (about 5 mins).In the village,there is an Inn and a Weapons Shop. Again,buy what's meant for your character and pay a rest at the inn,you'll need it.Get into the house with no sign.There you must find a woman called Gina which will talk to you about her husband Abel,animal lover and how the bandits murdered him.She gives you GINA'S PENDANT and asks you to place it under Abel's grave as a proof that she's alive and well,and begs you to avenge his death.You of course as a good hero(ine) will of course can't say no. Go left...you'll find a vine.Shoot the base of the vine,there is a money bag. Climb up and watch out for the bouncing fireballs,although the HOLY GEM should help you get rid of them,since a single touch with your "miniature" over your head is enough to get rid of unwelcome visitors.Fall down the high step (you can't go back now) and you'll be under the vine path to the graveyard, where the first winged lion awaited you. Climb your way up,left,up to the graveyard,go right (you remember all the dangers,don't you?) and find the first grave,which now must be glowing blue. Touch the grave,fire,you should leave GINA'S PENDANT,then keep "talking" to the grave (with Abel) who will thank you and give you the MAGIC CHARM which will make you able to talk with animals (actually,it works only with the dog,not with the dwarves' "horses" but...who cares!). Exit the graveyard from the left (again!),go down the first bridge,cross it... until you find the dog.This time it will not say just "WOW...BOW!" but it will tell you that the bandits lair is beyond the wall at the base of the vine (you can't go through it until you talk to the dog but...who cares!). Go inside the wall right till you find a door...enter it. You will be on a platform in the middle of two fire pits. The "athlete" is there,and says that because you saw their lair...you must die,and he turns into a powerful fire devil (Fire Elemental). He looks very cute in the PCE version,where instead of an orange frowning devil he turns into a cheerful red devil!) While he is a devil,sitting into one of the fire pits and contempling you he can't attack you and is vulnerable. After a while,he explodes into many fireballs (then HE can hit YOU) and after a short while he will form again in the other pit and so on. He isn't really hard to pull off,but the fireballs do a lot of damage! The Priestess can use the protection spell and the Mage takes him down with a few thunders. Even the Fighter can pull this one off ;-). After defeating him,you will be awarded a MAGIC FLUTE.Exit the devil's lair, and go back to the graveyard (you know the way now...don't go from the dragons's path again or I'll kill you ;-). After the graveyard you should go to the Gnome's village to use the Inns and replenish you magical herbs etc.,after which go to the zombie world again this time to the right,where the deep fire pit is.If you have the MAGIC FLUTE, a bridge will form and you can cross the pit to Baarogue's castle...
[3.5] Baarogue's Castle
Inside the castle you will be welcomed by the Purple Slimes (poisonous). Go right until you find the golden door...you can't open it yet, so go up the first door.From here on the path to the golden key if fairly easy to find,and even if the castle looks huge don't forget that everything is huge in this game,and the maze isn't very complex. Other cute enemies you will find are (in order of appearance):Grey skeletons, White Tree Monsters,Flying dragon-fish,Blue Dragons (poisonous) and also a good friend from the past,the Purple Pudding (like the black one,only tougher and faster and poisonous). There are also rotating maces which also can move in-out,so more dangerous... If you pass through the princess's room don't worry,you are going the right way! Inside the castle there is the last weapons shop,near the golden key! After you get the key go out of the castle and visit once more the Gnome's village...you'll need it! After that go inside the castle again,open the golden door,and avoid the rolling eyes by croucing inside the holes in the floor.Then climb your way up the doors. In the mean you will meet again a friend from the past: the WORM,also faster and tougher.
[3.6] Baarogue
After those mini-trials,you will face Baarogue.He tells you that you fought well for a mere human,mortal worm but now you must die (classically) coz he had enough fun with you and now he is really bored and will have the pleasure of ending your life... Initially,he will fight you as a flying wizard casting purple thunders similar to the Mage's ones.They are auto-seekers but you can learn to avoid them easily. He is fun to fight with the Mage coz it looks like a thunder-duel! Anyway,he is very easy to pull off at that stage,but after he dies (?) and his head explodes (!!) a dragon head starts growing from his open neck and soon the "dead" Baarogue body turns into a big and very much alive Red Dragon! He walks for a bit on the ground then starts flying and spitting fire at you, and if you come too close he gives you a whip with his thorny tail. If you hurt him enough,he will fly away and Princess Sarasa will say to go back to the Kingdom Of Deerzar. You will be ported into the King's castle where you started,but all guards and people inside the castle are fallen to the ground saying "The King is... Alas!" and desperate things like that. By searching the castle you find the king missing from the main throne room yet you find him sitting on his throne in another room. He says that something terrible has happened,that while you were away fighting Baarogue,he attacked the castle which is now ruined (strange...it doesn't show!), and that he,the King has also received a wound...but then Princess Sarasa comes in the room and says "Liar!This is not my father!" coz he isn't wearing the chain the real King always used to around his neck. The King (Baarogue) then says something of the sort "You got it right you fools,the King is dead from some time now/you won't escape alive/But did you really think you could stop me Baarogue the king of Devils/there can be only one ruler in this world/that's why I killed the king and abducted Sarasa/ I'm the best/I'll kill you with my bare hands/etc. etc." and then you will go into the fighting room again with Baarogue turned again into the big red dragon with one head (for now). You start fighting again,and you hurt him enough,he will lose his wings and a second head will grow,keep fighting him and he will finally die. He can attack you with body attacks,spitfire on you and use his tail if you come too close.His hits deal lots of damage (especially the fire) and he is hard to kill.The Mage and the Priestess are the best here,the Mage for his powerful attacks and the priestess for her healing/defense abilities,which keep the damage down and her very good weapon which always hurts the dragon. After you take him down,princess Sarasa thanks you etc. as you leave the country,a pic shows up,credits roll,etc.
THE END
[4] Hints/Bugs/Glitches
This is a small list of hints/bugs/glitches/strange facts about the game that I found.If you have more...please mail me.
-On the second stage (underwater),when you are under the bridge,move right until you can see a Medusa.If you move so that you can get a Giant Frog and the Medusa on screen,you'll either get Blue frogs (with Medusa palette) or, (mostly if you use RAINE) Green Medusas with a frog palette. This trick might work with other creature combinations.
-Even if you don't talk to the old lady in the town on stage 2,the girl-mermaid you rescue will say you "Oh,you know my old lady...",and even after she tells you not to tell the old lady about her true identity,you can do so: the old lady will keep on telling her old story...
-The Mystic Lamp flashes in many useless places,where there is no hidden bonus or passage.
-You can buy older weapons from the weapons shops.The game will just let you do it.
-If you get the Silver Key on the 3rd stage,then go back in the king's palace on stage one,you'll be able to open the Silver Door that's there,only that the Departure Gate won't work,yet the guard almost invites you to give it a try(Where is the key?None knows!) (pure waste of time,don't do it :-)
-If you insist on casting thunders on zombies with the Mage,they will eventually change colours (thunder palette).
-On the PCE version only,sometimes after you cast the shielding for the first time with the Priestess,the Shielding becomes permanent and your character invincible!
-Abel's Charm,which enables you to talk with animals,works only with Abel dog, and not,say,with the Gnome's "Horses".
-You can enter the Bandits' lair beyond the wall only if the dog says so to you.Yeah,like you needed a dog to tell you about it...
-You can keep on Buying magic bells from the Gnome-shop even after you reacht 255HP potential,just giving your precious money away.
-The people inside the Gnome houses are normal humans ;-)
-If you go to the Gnome village with the Holy Gem,your Gnome-self and Replica look the same ;-)
-When she becomes a Gnome,the priestess's shielding balls rotate above her ;-)
-Oh,and you can't cast spells or attack while a Gnome!
-There are many spelling and syntax errors in the english texts.
-There are two elixirs in the game,but even if you have both,you can only use one.BTW,the game first consumes the medical herbs,then the elixir. One is from the Crawling Kelp,the other inside Baarogue's castle,at the beginning.So don't worry if you lose one too early...having two wouldn't help that much anyway!
-Medical herbs can be worth much more HPs than it seems! If you have,say 2 HP left and get hit by a dragon flame (-40HP) you won't consume 3 medical herbs and be left with 2 HP (2+3*10+8=40),but will consume only one and will have 10 full HPs! Regardless of damage,you'll always consume one medical herb and get 10 HPs! It works the same with the elixirs,only that it's not much of a gain,while with a 20 gold medical herb... This can sometimes lead you to survive hits that would drain a full 255 HP energy bar by spending some cheap herbs that in theory they are only worth 80 HP... Also,when using a healing item,you are not "thrown away" by the attack's power.
-In multiplayer mode,it's possible for a player to buy an item for another, but also becomes very frustating to buy something,as the game asks you if you want to buy something,for whom,which item,etc. Imagine you're trying to buy medical herbs...
-If you fall into lava,water,fire etc. and you don't have the priestess,watch you character's flickering while you're walking.Just before you stop flickering (and take more damage) turn your back to the direction you were walking to: this way when you will take damage again,you will be thrown away at the right direction,and will come out of the deadly ooze faster.If you don't,you will be thrown back and lose time (and life!).
-The game becomes insanely difficult with the Fighter (but I already told that,right?) and if you don't believe it,reach the first green dragons and come tell me about it...
-The Fighters' shields do not block all monster projectyles.Especially after level 3 there's none they can block.
-The game becomes ridicolously easy with the Priestess (but there's nothing bad about that,right? ;-)
-The maximum amount of money you can have is 60000 Golds (65535 on the PCE).
