Wonder Boy III - The Dragon's Trap
Curses! After having defeated the mighty MEKA dragon, Wonder Boy discovers to his dismay that a terrible spell has been cast on him by the mortally wounded beast: He's been changed into a Lizard-Man!Now the only thing that can save him is the Salamander Cross. Legend has it that the magical cross has been hidden by the Vampire Dragon deep within Monster Land. To get the cross and change Wonder Boy back to his original appearance, you'll have to journey through desert, jungles, under the deep blue sea and even underground. And in each of these lands, you'll have to overcome an evil dragon!
Guide Wonder Boy through Monster Land, but be prepared to battle some of the most deadly, frightening creatures you've ever faced. Each step can mean death. each battle may be the last. Above all, be prepared for change!
Taking Control:
Use your Control Pads to do the following:D-Button: Select items in Status Screen by moving hand-shaped cursor; move right or left; stoop down(for Hu-man or Lizard-Man only); go inside door by pushing the button up.
Button 1: Attack with sword in direction Wonder Boy is facing, or blows flame (Lizard-Man). Also returns from Status Screen to play mode.
Button 2: Jumps, confirms a cursor selection.
D-Button DOWN plus Button 2: Shoots weapon item. (Item must be highlighted on the Status Screen before it can be used.)
Pause Button (on Sega Power Base): Shows Status Screen. Has pause function inside dragon rooms.
Special Operations
Attach to a Wall: For Mouse-Man, press Button 2 and the D-Button in the direction of the wall. You will cling.Walk on the Wall or Ceiling: Press the D-Button in the desired direction.
Swim: For Piranha-Man, press Button 2 rapidly.
Fly: For Hawk-Man, press Button 2 rapidly.
Getting Started
When playing the game for the first time, select NEW GAME. (If you select CONTINUE by mistake, press the reset button to try again.) Advance Wonder Boy through the castle in the opening scene, trying to find your way to the bottom level and the dragon's lair. There is a door at the end of the hallway in the basement. When you enter the door, you'll begin your battle with the MEKA dragon.If you succeed in defeating the dragon and escaping for the self-destructing castle, you'll be transported to the town. From now on, all adventures in this game will begin from the town.
If you are defeated during the course of the game, you have two options. You may either use CONTINUING PLAY, which will put you immediately back into the game at the town (see CONTINUING PLAY) or you may use a PASSWORD to continue at a later time.
Passwords
Passwords allow you to get back into a game after you have died and after the power has been turned OFF, keeping you present form, gold and all the weapons and armor you possess.
You can get passwords in the church in town. Write them down carefully! Passwords are used when starting from the Title Screen. Select CONTINUE and press Button 2.
A password column will appear on screen when you select CONTINUE. Press the D-Button left or right to move the cursor over each of the 14 characters. Press the D-Button up or down to change the letters to the correct sequence; from 0-9 and A-Z. Do not be alarmed if you notice some letters missing from the alphabet. All passwords you receive can be entered. When finished, move the cursor to END and press Button 2. You will enter the town with everything you had except magical items and life potions.
Playing The Game
The object of Wonder Boy III is to find the Salamander Cross. Starting from the town, you must explore different areas for visual clues and items you need to finish the game. At the end of each area awaits a dragon. When you defeat these dragons your appearance will change as well as your fighting abilities.Accept these changes. Besides being fun, they are necessary to finish the game!
You first start out from the town as a Lizard-Man. You blow flame to defeat creatures. After knocking down enemies, money or weapons appear, which you can pick up by touching them.
In the course of the game you will find many doors. If the D-Button is pushed up when you stand in front of a door, it will open and you can examine what is inside. If it is a shop or hospital, you can buy items or get medical treatment to restore your life, provided you have enough gold!
Note: If a Boss Dragon is defeated, gold will jump out of a blue flame. Get as much gold as you can before you are touched by the blue flame. When the flame touches you, your appearance will change!
Transformations
Here are the characteristics of the shapes you will find yourself in:
Lizard-Man: AP:0/DP:0/CP:0
Blows flame. When money is accumulated, he can become stronger by arming
himself with purchased items. When attacking a short enemy, press Button 1
while pressing the D-Button downwards.
Mouse-Man: AP:60/DP:20/CP:40
Because his body is small, he can enter places other creatures cannot. He
can also walk on walls and ceilings made of "mouse block."
Piranha-Man: AP:90/DP:50/CP:50
Can swim freely in water. Because of this, there are some places only
Piranha-Man can enter.
Lion-Man: AP:90/DP:50/CP:50
A tough customer, he attacks by swinging a sword from his head to the tips of
his paws.
Hawk-Man: AP:30/DP:10/CP:20
Can soar freely through the air. (Although he can be hurt when his wings
get wet.) There are places only Hawk-Man can enter because of his flying
ability.
When your appearance changes, so do your abilities. Ability is measured as follows:
AP: Attacking Power. The higher the value, the larger will be the extent of damage that can be inflicted. Different swords have different values.
DP: Defense Points. The higher the value, the better the protection from an attack. Different shields and armor have different values.
CP: Charm Points. Value depends on accumulated opints for different appearances, types of armor, and the number of Charm Stones. If this value is low, effective equipment cannot be purchased in the shop.
The Game Screen
Life: Shows the strength of Wonder Boy's life. When all the red hearts change to black, the game ends.
Medicine: Show the number of recovery medicines that Wonder Boy has in his possession.
Gold: Amount of gold currently in Wonder Boy's possession. When gold is taken, it value is displayed for a few seconds.
Dragon HP: Remaining percent of a boss dragon's life points. This displays during battle with the bosses.
Status Screen
When the Pause button is pressed, a Status Screen appears. Here, items that you've obtained can be examined and utilized by selecting with the D-Button and pressing Button 2. When Button 1 is pressed, the screen returns to normal play.
Arm. List: Shows list of available swords.
Shield List: Shows list of available shields.
Armor List: Shows list of available armor.
Stone: Shows current number of Charm Stones (maximum 99).
Key: Opens locked doors. Can only have one key at all times. If you have a key, the door can be opened without selecting it on the Item Screen.
Equipment
There are several kinds of swords, shields and helmets available. You can put on and take off most equipment any number of times. When equipment is obtained, its name shows up on the Equipment Screen, but it does not meant that you are currently wearing it.To wear a particular piece of equipment, you must first select it with the cursor and press Button 2. its displayed name will change to white to confirm that you are now wearing it. Press Button 1 to return to the Status Screen, and Button 1 again to return to play.
Gold
Purchases in the shop are required if you hope to be strong enough to defeat all your enemies. But you can't purchase needed equipment without first obtaining gold. Earn money by defeating creatures or by opening treasure chests.
Shops
There are many shops available in town or inside caves. You can usually
identify a shop as a door with a window on it, although some shops do not
have windows. When you enter a shop, merchandise is displayed. Put the
cursor on the item you want, and its price will be displayed on the lower
left-hand column. If the prices is red, it means you don't have enough
money. If a question mark is displayed on the name of the merchandise, it
means you don't have enough charm. If this is the case, you must increase
your money and gather more Charm Stones before attempting to shop again.
To leave the shop, put the cursor on EXIT and press Button 1 or Button 2, or
simply press Button 2.
Hospital
You can restore life points here, provided you have enough money. Hospitals
are rare, so remember their location.
Special Blocks
Jump Block: A block with an arrow. When you jump on top of this
block, you are sprung high in the air.
Mouse Block: Checker-patterned block. The Mouse-Man can walk on the
walls and ceilings made of these blocks.
Destructible Block:Can be destroyed with the Thunder Saber.
Doors
To enter the doors you find in the game, stand in front of the door and press the D-Button up. The different kinds of doors are detailed below:
Door with Window: Shops.
Door without a window: Some rooms with treasure chests or hospitals
have this kind of door. Some doors lead to unexpected destinations.
Green door with a lock: Cannot be opened without a key. Once opened,
the key is no longer needed.
Red door with a lock: Cannot be opened without a key. Even when
opened, cannot be reopened without a key.
Items
Several important items are necessary to help Wonder Boy. You can get these by defeating creatures, finding them inside treasure chests, or by buying them in shops.
Salamander Cross: Restores Wonder Boy to human form.
Life Hearts: Increases life capacity by one heart. Hidden in seven
treasure chests. (The first one is in the basement of the starting town.)
Key: Every door with a lock can be opened with this key.
Thunder Saber: With this item, you can pulverize the Destructible
Block.
Magical Saber: In certain places, this sword can actually create
stone blocks! You can't finish the game without it.
Arms, Shields and Armor: There are numberous types of swords, shields,
and armor available. Some give you increased life, make you impervious to
lava or make charm, hearts and money easier to obtain!
Stone: Charm Stones. When the number of stones you have is small, you
cannot buy certain equipment in the shop.
Small Heart: Life is restored a little.
Large Heart: Life is restored the most.
Medicine: Restores life when heart points reach zero. You can have a
maximum of three medicines.
Weapon Items
To use weapon items, first select them from the Status Screen. Use them by pressing Button 2 and the D-Button down.
Fireball: Moves forward and damages any enemy it hits.
Arrow: Shoots straight up. Can hit any enemy overhead.
Thunder: Damages all enemies on screen.
Boomerang: Flies forward and returns.
Tornado: Moves forward. Bounces back after hitting enemy and
extinguishes itself.
Enemy Creatures
Each type of creature's strength is determined by its color: red is weakest, green in strong, blue is strongest.
Boss Dragons
Each time you defeat a Boss Dragon, you will be cursed and your appearance will change.
MEKA Dragon:
The dragon that got you into this mess to begin with.
Mummy Dragon:
A dragon that became a mummy in a pyramid. It has the magical power of
turning its enemy into a mouse.
Dragon Zombie:
Lives on the top floor of the jungle tower.
Captain Dragon:
A pirate once changed his appearance with black magic, and now it lives as a
dragon in a sunken ship deep beneath the ocean waves.
Daimyo Dragon:
Lives deep inside a cave in a Japanese castle.
Vampire Dragon:
You must defeat it to obtain the Salamander Cross and change back to human
form.
Helpful Hints
- If you see something interesting that you can't get to, think what shape
would let you get there.
- Earn a lot of money to buy needed equipment by defeating creatures and
finding treasure chests.
- Use the right kind of armor. For example, some armor does not get
damaged in red lava, some can get you a lot of gold when you knock down
an enemy, some give you a heart very easily and some let you breathe in
water. Experiment! The name of the armor often gives you a clue to
its use.
- Different weapons have special uses. Like armor, the name often gives a
clue to the weapon's use.
- Find hidden doors by destroying blocks.
- Some rooms let you change appearances at will. This will make the game
much easier.
- Watch the Demo Screen carefully. It has many hidden hints.