When fighting the Big Bosses, you can always retreat to the upper-left or upper right corners of the screen. Keep facing into the corner, and you will remain safe, even if you are hit. Wait a few seconds and the Boss will start moving away. Then you can come back out and continue attacking.
The weak spot is the turret. Attack from the sides. The turret shoots out bullets towards the sides of the screen, but you can stand above the line of fire and shoot at the top edge of the turret. You have to adjust your position as the tank moves up and down on the screen. Learn the timing of the tank's firing so you can estimate how much time you have before you need to get out of the line of fire. When the tank gets too close, move into the upper corners as described above.
Shoot him in the mouth. Attack from the bottom or left side, since most of the mace's arc overlaps the Minotaur on these sides.
Shoot him in the nostrils. Attack from the sides.
The top of his head is the weak spot. Shoot the yellow area of his helmet above the red dot. Attack from above, but move to the side when he comes up to the top of the screen.
Shoot him in the eyes. Kabuki moves around the screen more quickly than other Big Bosses and shoots skulls almost constantly. If you stay at the top of the screen, he stops shooting unless you get about half a screen-length away. Nevertheless, if you stay along the top edge of the screen, you can get hit by skulls and not lose a life. However, you are not completely safe; Kabuki himself can still hit you. (You are completely safe only in the corners.) Generally, try to stay above him and over to one side and shoot diagonally down at his eyes. If he starts up toward the top of the screen, move to the side a little more (to give yourself extra space so he doesn't hit you), but don't get too far away, or he'll start shooting again.
Attack from the left. His weak spots are the red hose coming from his mouthpiece and the red hose between the two breastplates of his armor. Don't stay in the same place too long. Fire a few shots and move up and down so he never gets a good aim.
For the first three Troopers, take every time tunnel that appears. They will always put you in the correct time period for the third "Block" (the earliest point at which you can rescue your friends).
After you rescue LaPlace, Dymos and Sirius, there are only two time periods to go between for Altair and Alpha: the Age of Wars and the Future Age. You still have to go through three blocks and fight three Middle Bosses before you get to the Big Boss. For both Troopers, skip the first time tunnel and continue on to the next block in the same time period. After you fight the second Middle Boss, take the second time tunnel. (Alternatively, you could take the first time tunnel, and skip the second.) This puts you in the correct time period for the third Middle Boss, after which you go directly to the Big Boss. Otherwise, you have to go through a fourth block.
The appearance of enemies depends largely on how quickly you move through an area. For most enemies, there is a certain "range" of space in which they appear. Once the screen scrolls past the range of a particular enemy, he will not appear. This applies to repeating enemies as well (enemies who continually reappear after you kill them.) Note that the more you stop, and the longer you stay in an area, the more enemies that appear. Use the item list below to pick out which enemies are important in each block and which are not. The more enemies you fight, the more chances you have to get killed. Keep in mind, however, that you receive an extra life every 50,000 points. Don't run blindly through an area so quickly that you collide with enemies appearing at the top of the screen, but generally, you don't want to linger in any one place too longer either.
In one of the blocks of the Age of Wars, there is a series of three ramps that you have to go up after the lake. On the ramps are clusters of fire throwing soldiers. This is a difficult spot to get through because of the angle in which you have to walk and shoot, and the limited area you have for dodging enemy bullets. Run up quickly as far as you can so that fewer enemies appear. If you have no other special weapon, get the Tri-Shots (see "Items" below), which are somewhat useful, since the top bullet shoots on an angle. If you have the Missile, which can shoot over walls, try to shoot it upwards into the cluster of enemies. For the enemies on the second ramp, position yourself at the top of the first ramp. For the enemies at the top of the third ramp, position yourself a little above the midpoint of the second ramp and fire the Missile upwards. Be aware that their bullets will destroy your Missiles. So you'll have to draw their fire away from where you plan to shoot, then quickly get into position and shoot your Missiles.
When you rescue LaPlace, you start in the World Wars.
There is a warp here that takes you directly to the Minotaur, allowing you to
bypass the other two time periods.
When you get to the end of this corridor, there is an open area. Usually in the open area, two enemy soldiers come from the right side of the screen. However, sometimes a single soldier appears below the two usual ones. This extra soldier has the warp.
It seems that the warp soldier does not appear if the screen scrolls continuously from the corridor to the open area. When walking through the corridor, try to line up the top edge of the building on the right side with the top of the screen (as shown in the screen image above). It's ok to have a little space between the edge of the building and the top of the screen. Stop here briefly (a second or less), then resume walking forward again. This break in the screen scrolling should cause the warp soldier to appear. Consider this tip unconfirmed. It appears to work, but every other hypothesis I was sure about has turned out to be wrong. I can't say for sure if there are any other factors that determine whether the soldier with the warp appears or not.
If you do not get the warp in the World Wars, you may be able to find one in the Age of Rome block for LaPlace.
Several times, I have gotten a Warp to appear here at the beginning of the area. It looks
like a Speed-Up, but if you pick it up, it warps you to the Minotaur. Unfortunately, I cannot
find a way to make it appear consistently. It seems to have something to do with standing to
the left of the column, as shown in the screen shot, and shooting two ghosts. One appears in
the lower-left corner of the screen, and moves diagonally up and to the right. The other
appears at the top of the screen and moves down. If you can shoot them both while they
overlap, the warp sometimes appears. However, I have also gotten the warp to appear between
the stairs and the blue walkway, so it seems you may also be able to shoot other ghosts and
have the warp appear. I am not sure what the variables are. I am pretty sure that you have to
stand near the column. I suggest, however, that you try to get the warp in the World Wars.
It is more reliable, and it is earlier in the game, so it will allow you to bypass more.
Items appear after you kill certain enemies. Recall that some enemies may not appear if you run through an area too quickly. For example, if you know where a certain enemy appears with a weapon and he is not on the screen yet, do not keep running forward, otherwise the screen may scroll past the point at which the enemy appears.
Some repeating enemies carry weapons. You can kill them several times and power up your weapon each time. Be careful not to shoot these enemies when they're too high on the screen. As mentioned above, you don't want the screen to scroll past the point at where the enemy reappears.
Items only appear the first time you go through a block. If you go through the same block again, there will be no items in it. This includes the bonus items you'd normally get for skipping a time warp. Actually, this is not always true. Several times, when I have repeated a block, I have gotten the items again. I'm not sure what determines whether they appear. Usually, they don't.
Although the instructions promise a bonus item for skipping a time tunnel and continuing to a new block in the same time period, some blocks do not appear to contain bonus items. Those that do are indicated below. Those that I am sure do not contain bonus items are indicated below. Those that are not indicated either way, I am not sure about.
There doesn't appear to be a good way to label or describe the areas consistently. I have classified them in what I believe are the easiest ways to keep track of all the different blocks, even though they are not consistent. To begin with, I have divided them up by Troopers. LaPlace always has the same three blocks. Sirius and Dymos always share the same six. Altair and Alpha also share six.
The following three areas are always associated with LaPlace, regardless of the order in which you rescue the Troopers.
There is no bonus item in this block.
When you start the area, the second or third soldier on the screen appears by the trees on
the left. Shoot him for a Speed-Up. This enemy does not repeat.
After the clump of trees on the left, near the beginning of the grassy area, there is an enemy soldier who runs horizontally across the screen from left to right. Shoot him for an Energy Gun. This enemy does not repeat.
When you get up near the fence, the last enemy who appears in the upper left before the fence
(right along the edge of the grass) has a Speed-Up. If you run up to the fence too quickly
(without taking time to fight other enemies on the screen, he may not appear. When you know
you are approaching the fence, edge forward a little bit at a time until he appears. This
enemy does not repeat.
The soldier who comes through the gate in the fence has an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
In the corridor near the warp, notice the enemy soldiers run down the screen in two "columns". At first, there is only one soldier in each column. Scroll a little higher and a second soldier appears in the left column in addition to the regular repeating soldier. The extra soldier carries an Energy Gun. (When the two appear close together, it's difficult to tell which is which. Kill them both. One will have the weapon.) This enemy repeats.
There are no items in this block. There is no bonus item in this block.
There is no bonus item in this block.
After the first wall, the pharantas who runs down the screen has a Tri-Shot.
This enemy does not repeat.
When you get to the open area where the canals begin, there are four pharantas who run down
the screen. The two on the right both have Tri-Shots. These two enemies do not repeat.
There are two groupings of blocks that are always the same; the same Age of Rome is always grouped with the same World Wars area and the same Primitive Age, and one grouping of blocks (labeled "First") always occurs before the other (assuming you do not skip any time tunnels). However, neither Dymos nor Sirius is consistently associated with either grouping. Depending on which Trooper you rescue first, either warrior may be in either grouping. Note that these areas are labeled "First" and "Second" in relation to each other only and do not take LaPlace into account (since his three blocks are always the same).
When you start the area, the first enemy on the screen appears behind you. Kill him for a Tri-Shot. This enemy repeats.
The enemy who comes from the bottom of the screen in the first pool of water on the left has a Tri-Shot. This enemy repeats.
The first dinosaur in this area has a Tri-Shot. This enemy does not repeat.
The first dinosaur to appear by the grassy area has an Energy Gun. There are two columns of
dinosaurs that run down the screen on both sides. It is the one in the middle that has the
Energy Gun. This enemy does not repeat.
A dinosaur runs down the left edge of the screen by the grassy area. Kill him for an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
A dinosaur appears at the straight vertical edge of the rock wall right before the wall
angles off to the right side of the screen. This dinosaur has a Tri-Shot. This enemy
repeats.
A dinosaur appears in a corner of the rock wall near the middle of the top of the screen.
This dinosaur has an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
At the end of the first rock wall, a dinosaur runs down along the left side of the screen. Shoot him for an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
There are two enemies who come from the right side of the screen, run left, and then diagonally along the second rock wall. The lower one has a Missile. This enemy does not repeat.
When the tops of the walls are at the top of the screen, a swordsman runs up from the bottom. Shoot him for a Missile. This swordsman only appears if you entered this block by skipping the previous time tunnel. This enemy repeats.
In the grassy area, the first enemy who comes up from the bottom of the screen has a Missile. This enemy repeats.
There are two repeating soldiers that run down the screen in two columns next to the first
giant rock. Once you scroll further up the screen, a third soldier runs down the screen
to the left of the first two. The third soldier has a Missile. This enemy repeats.
(Another repeating soldier also appears to the left of the one with the Missile.
Do not confuse the two.)
Scroll a little higher on the screen and the two repeating enemies near the rock no longer appear. Scroll a little further until the first rock is at the bottom of the screen, and another enemy runs down the screen next to the rock. This enemy has an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
The enemy that appears near the first pillar on the left has a Missile. This enemy repeats.
There are two enemies that appear between the first set of stone pillars. The one on the left
has an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
There is an enemy that appears between the second set of pillars (the ones that are close together). Shoot him for a Power-Up. (Note that the Power-Up boosts the strength of both your weapons, and makes you temporarily invincible, but also uses up your special weapon more quickly. Simply moving causes your special weapon meter to decrease.) This enemy repeats.
When you get to the tiled area, enemies run down the screen in three columns. Shoot the one
in the middle for a Power-Up. This enemy repeats.
The first enemy runs down the right edge of the bridge. He has a Tri-Shot. This enemy appears only if you enter this block by skipping the time tunnel in the previous block. This enemy repeats.
The enemy that comes from the top of the screen and runs down between the first two trucks
has a Tri-Shot. This enemy repeats. (Do not confuse this enemy with the first enemy in the
area, who continues to reappear even when you get up close to the trucks.)
The enemy who runs between two fences before the building (where there are several gun turrets) has a Missile. This enemy does not repeat.
The enemy who runs toward the top fence near the building has a Missile.
There is no bonus item in this block.
Right at the beginning of the area, there are three dinosaurs next to each other that do not move. The ones on the right and left have Speed-Ups. (The one in the middle has nothing). These enemies do not repeat.
Above the three dinosaurs is a raised stone platform that you have to go around. Next to the
stone barrier and above three other dinosaurs are two more that do not move. The one on the
top has a Missile. This enemy does not repeat.
When you get to the grassy area, there are a number of little egg-shaped things (cryptograms).
Shoot the lower-right one for an Energy Gun. Note that depending on how quickly you move
into this area, (and how quickly the screen scrolls,) Not all cryptograms appear every
time. If you need the Energy Gun, approach this area slowly.
There is no bonus item in this block.
Right where you start, two enemies with shields run down the screen. The one on the left has a Missile. The one on the right has a Speed-Up. Both these enemies repeat.
As you approach the first two pillars, two bowmen come running between them from the right side of the screen toward the left. Both have Power-Ups. At least one of these enemies repeats. I can't get the second one to appear consistently.
A third bowman appears by the upper pillar. (The one that is higher on the screen.) He usually gets stuck at the lower-right corner of the base of the pillar. Shoot him for a Missile. If he does not get stuck, and you shoot him between the two walls, he repeats.
When you come to the area with two pillars surrounding two statues right before a pool of
water, three bowmen rush up to attack you. The top one has a Missile. The bottom two have
Power-Ups. Be aware that from this point, the Power-Ups will diminish completely before you
reach Anubis. (Walking decreases your weapons meter.) Better to save your special weapon and
avoid these Power-Ups. Upgrade to level 3 Missiles by killing the repeating bowman several
times.
There is no bonus item in this block.
The second enemy soldier in this round (not counting the repetitions of the first soldier) appears in the upper left part of the screen. Wait till he runs down to the bottom of the screen and shoot him for a Missile. This enemy repeats.
The third and fourth enemy soldiers also appear in the upper left part of the screen, in a grassy spot, once you get past all the trees. They both have Missiles. They both repeat. (Once you're high enough on the screen for the fourth one to appear, the third one stops repeating.)
The sixth enemy soldier appears in the upper left part of the screen. Shoot him for a Missile. This enemy repeats.
Unfortunately, there is no good way to label the Age of Wars and Future Age blocks. They don't appear to be associated consistently with either Trooper, and the order in which they occur can apparently vary. The blocks are labeled here with a short description of each one's starting point.
When you first start, there are several ninjas who attack you. A little higher up on the screen are three fire throwing soldiers who never move. The one on the right has a Missile. This enemy does not repeat.
When you get to the second group of fire throwing soldiers, the one in the upper right corner
has an Energy Gun. This enemy does not repeat.
Between the second and third patches of grass, a ninja runs along the bottom of the screen. Shoot him for an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats. (There can be as many as three other ninja in the "rows" above this one, also running across the screen. The one with the Energy Gun is at the very bottom edge of the screen.)
There is another ninja who runs along the bottom of the screen and has an Energy Gun. He
appears after the third grassy area. Watch for the ninja who appears at the right edge of the
screen and runs diagonally down and left. The ninja with the Energy Gun appears right after
the diagonal one. This enemy repeats.
When you first start this area, a ninja runs down the screen between the trees. Shoot him for the Speed-Up. This ninja appears only if you enter this block by skipping the time tunnel in the previous block. This enemy repeats.
When you get to the lake and the top of the last tree is still visible on the screen, a lone ninja comes out of the water. Shoot him for a Speed-Up. This enemy repeats.
On the first ramp, there are three fire throwing soldiers. The one on the right has a Tri-Shot. This enemy does not repeat.
The fire throwing soldier at the top of the second ramp also has a Tri-Shot. This enemy does not repeat.
There are three fire throwing soldiers after the third ramp. The upper enemy has a Speed-Up. This enemy does not repeat.
When you get to the water, look for the first river monster who goes straight up the screen. This one has a Power-Up. This enemy does not repeat.
After you pass the water, you come to a field where five or six piper monks appear at the top of the screen. Several times, I got a Power-Up from one of these enemies. I don't know which. This is such a difficult area, the Power-Up is definitely not worth the risk. (The best way through this area is to run along the top of the screen. The piper monks appear at the top and will not shoot immediately. You are relatively safe at the top of the screen.)
There are no items in this block. There is no bonus item in this block.
After you cross the narrow bridge, you come to two gun turrets next to a wall. Scroll a little higher so the bottom of the wall is off the screen. A spark shooter runs along the bottom of the screen. Only his head will be visible. This enemy has a Speed-Up. This enemy repeats. Sometimes, this enemy runs up along the wall. If he does, you can get the Speed-Up without a problem. Most of the times however, he gets "stuck" on the corner of the wall. If you have Missiles, you can kill him with one and the Speed-Up appears next to the wall. If you don't, you cannot hit him, since your bullets hit the wall. If you kill him when he's running along the bottom, the Speed-Up appears mostly off-screen. You cannot get it. With the two other enemies here and the gun turret above, this is a difficult area where you probably don't want to linger. This Speed-Up is probably not worth the risk of losing a life.
The first spark shooter runs along the top wall. This is the bonus item, an Energy Gun. This
enemy repeats, however, with the disco fighters shooting bullets all over, it's very risky
to stay here and wait for him to keep reappearing.
A spark shooter runs along the top of the wall/obstacle near the bottom of the screen. Above
him is another spark shooter. Shoot the top one for an Energy Gun. This enemy does not
repeat.
When you get to the end of the wall running along the top of the screen, a spark shooter runs across the screen near the bottom. Shoot him for an Energy Gun. This enemy repeats.
There do not appear to be any items in Gylend's world. Furthermore, the enemies require several hits to kill. Don't stand around and try to fight them. Simply avoid them and run through the area as quickly as possible.
Last updated: 29 January, 2001