The Crystal of Kings
FAQ/Walkthrough by ThePatrick
Version: 1.2 | Updated: 10/13/07 | Search Guide | Bookmark Guide
The CRYSTAL o f KINGS FAQ / Walkthrough by ThePatrick (ryled [at] yahoo [dot] com) Version 1.2 (10/13/07) - Added magic commands & fairy selection method, updated enemy list. HOW TO USE FIND: Use "Find." It's probaby CTRL+F. If that doesn't work, what- ever program you're using, it's probably in the "Edit" menu somewhere. This is not a huge document, so you should be able to find whatever you're looking for. I try to label each section and sub-section in ALL CAPS. COPYRIGHT: I wrote this so it's mine and ask permission before using it and blah blah blah ----------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- I. Introduction Ia. Foreword Ib. FAQ Ic. Legend II. Game System IIa. On Special Moves IIb. About Magic IIc. About Crystals IId. About Fairies IIe. Stages IIf. Characters IIf-1. Cocco IIf-2. Lustro Furia IIf-3. Lung Xing IIf-4. Justicia IIf-5. Lustro Furia (EX) IIg. Items IIh. Monsters III. Spoilers IV. Street Creds ---------------- I. INTRODUCTION ---------------- Ia. FOREWORD ------------- I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of the Golden Axe series. Not only don't I like weapons in brawlers, I don't really like weapons-based fighting games or brawlers at all. Plus, the game seemed to just be a quarter- eater. I mean, there doesn't seem to really be much of a choice but "get hit and take damage." Lots of games were like that back then, though, so I did play the two major Golden Axe titles. But, if I had the choice, I'd rather play Final Fight. The Final Fight games really did evolve. I remember playing the pivotal, ground-breaking second installment of brawlers based on Motomiya Hiroshi's manga about the Three Kingdoms, Tenchi wo Kurau (released in the US as "Warriors of Fate"). The addition of special moves really did improve those games. They went on, of course, to evolve into games like Battle Circuit, fun to play and rife with technique and strategy. I suppose if the Golden Axe series had continued on, it would have evolved into The Crystal of Kings. Though there are many of the same elements as there are in the old Golden Axe games, such as the whole "use up magic like a bomb in a shooting game," this game was different in quite a few ways. It really did bring innovations to the gameplay such as special techniques, guarding, and that really strange "crystal" system which rewards you for either doing many "good" things or many "bad" things. Plus, it just looks really weird with those faux-rendered graphics. So anyway, I played this game, and then decided to look it up at GameFAQs for moves and such, but found little information. So, I figured I'd quickly sketch this up. Ib. FAQ -------- Q: I can't get this to run on MAME. What's with that?? A: Emulating games is not legal, despite what so many sites claim. There's been almost no reprisal for this piracy of defunct technology, but, you should bear that in mind that I can't really encourage illegal activities by pointing you towards sites that will help. Having said that, I can tell you that MAME needs a BIOS to run this game. I'm not sure why that is, but you can find the Crystal BIOS at the same place you've got the ROM, most likely. If not, please don't mail me about this. Just go a Google search.... Q: Brezzawha? Who's that? A: BrezzaSoft was a Japanese game company at the turn of the milennium. It was apparently formed by some of the teams from SNK when it went the way of the dodo. However, BrezzaSoft itself had a brief little jaunt in the sun and the teams from SNK eventually went to the newly-formed SNK-Playmore. (So, no; probably, no sequels) All of that stuff is just vague information I can get from various websites, so, who really knows? All I know is, it's a company that now appears out of business. Fun fact! BrezzaSoft apparently developed The King of Fighters 2000 and 2001, as well as Metal Slug 4. Fun fact (2)! "Brezza" means "breeze" in Italian. Q: What the--? "Crystal Down?" More like..."hammer down." --As in, hammer comin' down on this stupid game board! A: Yeah, this is a weird feature to the game that didn't really work out too well, to be honest. There's a section "About Crystals" later on that explains it a little. Q: OK, so, I had Magic Level 4 and was all, "alright, I'll use that super-cool magic," but wen I hit the M button, my level 1 magic attack came out. What's that all about? A: Hitting the M button will use your most powerful magic available--usually. If you enter one of three specific commands, you can use your lower-level magic, even if you're walking around with tons of magic power. Refer to the special moves section or to the section for the specific characters. Q: I hear you can select what kind of fairy pops free from the cages, but, I just seem to get random crud. What gives? A: There are three problems: first, the timing of the directional input. You seem to get the best results by tapping in the desired direction just when your attack is going to hit the cage--almost like a "parry" in Street Fighter III titles. The second problem is that the Blue Fairy will not appear 100% of the time. I'm pretty sure it's because that particular fairy is the most desirable, so it's still just a chance thing. The third reason is that some cages seem to always contain the same kind of fairy. For instance, the one by the Minotaur boss seems to always contain a Red Fairy. Q: What's the secret ending?? A: Refer to the "spoilers" section near the end of the FAQ. I'll tell you right now that it's not a big deal, and that there are really three different endings depending on your crystal level. Q: How come you're so dumb? MAN I HATE UR FAQS! Discuss. A: Oh noes a bad comment! No! I will cry now. Where is my pillow so I might cry in it? Is it under the bed? Hey, what the--there was a $10 bill under the bed! Thanks, bad-comment-giver. Thanks to you, I now have $10. I will treasure it always. Ic. LEGEND ----------- That was a cool movie. Tim Curry was in it!-- --heh, just kidding. There's a joystick and three buttons in this game. I will label them as such when I talk about the special moves: f - Forward. Whichever way your character's facing--right if they're looking right and left if they're looking left. b - Back. Behind the character. The reverse of "f." d - Down. Move the joystick down. df - Diagonally down and forward. db - Diagonally down and back. , - Then. Enter the first move, then the next one. + - At the same time. A - Attack button. J - Jump button. M - Magic button. (close) - Stand close to the enemy. Knockdown - Knocks the victim off his or her (or its) feet. Light or Fire or Lightning - These are the effects a move can inflict upon an enemy that vary from character to character. They all seem to stun the foe for a very brief time, but are otherwise probably just graphical effects. Stun - Stuns the victim; makes them "dizzy." Unblockable - Move cannot be guarded. Repel - When attack is successfully guarded, attacker will be stunned moment- arily. Guard Break - When attack is successfully guarded, defender will be stunned for a moment. TIP: To do the special moves, do the commands in one smooth motion. If you don't understand this, refer to all the 2d fightin games in history. ---------------- II. GAME SYSTEM ---------------- IIa. ON SPECIAL MOVES ---------------------- All characters have the same basic special moves. They just look different. f,f - Dash. f+A - Lunge. b+A - Back kick. d+A - Sweep (hits low opponents) THIS ALSO DUCKS UNDER MANY ATTACKS. f,f+A - Dashing attack. d,df,f+A - Combination attack. f,d,df+A - Uppercut. Anti-air attack. Syouryuuken (see: Street Fighter) J - Jump. f or b+J - Forward Jump (in desired direction) When near a foe, this will be a short jump. b+J - Back Jump (when right next to an enemy) This is a little hard to do. d+J - Guard. Hold the button down to stay in defensive position and press left or right to guard in the desired position. You can change direction while guarding. M - Magic. Uses the highest magic available. d,df,f+M - Magic Level 1 d,db,b,f+M - Magic Level 2 f,df,d,db,b,f+M - Magic Level 3 A,A,A - Combination. A,A,f+A - Lunging Combination* A,A,d+A - Sweep Combination A,A,(close) A - Combination to close knockdown. A,A,(close) b+A - Combination to back throw. (close) A,A - Close knockdown combination. (close) A,b+A - close hit, back throw. J+A - Crowd-Clearer. Drains character's on HP if it hits enemies. Invul- nerable.** J,A - Jumping attack.** J,d+A - Jumping, downward stab (hits low opponents, more damaging than d+A)** f,f,J,A - Special jumping attack.** f,f,J,d+A - Special jumping, downward stab (hits low opponents, more damaging than d+A)** J when about to land from being knocked down - Recovery. You end up standing. Note that this is usually good because many enemies will try heavy-hitting attacks when you're downed. However, it can be bad because most attacks won't hit you when you're on the ground. I use it liberally. A over an item - Pick up the item. f+A, any of the attacks in the A,A,A combination or A,A,f+A combination* or A,A, d+A combination, the b+A attack, and the f,f+A attack all can be followed by the d,df,f+A or the f,d,df+A attack. *--f or b may be used, actually; the character will just move in the inputted direction. **--All jumping attacks can be done while jumping forward or backwards as well as straight up-and-down. The dashing ones will always yield forward jumps, of course. IIb. ABOUT MAGIC ----------------- That little, green bar under your life gauge is your Magic Gauge. When it reaches certain percentages, you will go up in Magic Level, from 1-4. You may notice that little crystal to the left of your gauge, and four little dots trailing up from it. Those represent your Magic Level. Generally, your magic attack will be more powerful as your level rises, and it will cost more magic. The final level is like a summon; some large creature or spirit will appear and all enemies will generally take damage. Magic Potions and certain Fairies will increase your gauge. Reaching Light or Dark Master status (see the crystals section) will cause your gauge to rise gradually with time. To use your magic, simply hit the M button. This will use the highest level of magic you currently have. However, if you want to use a lower level, just input one of these commands: Magic Lvl 1 - d,df,f+M Magic Lvl 2 - d,db,b,f+M Magic Lvl 3 - f,df,d,db,b,f+M There's no command for level 4 magic because there's no need to input anything; simply standing still and hitting M will use the level 4 spell. IIc. ABOUT CRYSTALS -------------------- Each of the four characters has a crystal. The boss of the game also carries a crystal--but he's using it for evil; that's why you set out on the quest. As you do certain actions, your crystal with either become brigher or dullen. As it reaches a higher level of brightness, you will see the words "Crystal Up" over your character's head. As it goes down a level, the words "Crystal Down" will appear, instead. At the start of the game, it's about mid-way between darkest and brightest. If you can get the crystal all the way up to the brightest or darkest leve, the words "Crystal Max" will appear over your head and you'll generally gain back some health. At the brightest level, your character will become a Light Master and gain Magic Energy at a steady rate over time. But, if you get to the darkest level, your character's color palette will change and they will become a Dark Master, which yields a similar Magic-gaining ability. It's slower than the Light Master's, tho', and it's actually more difficult to become a Dark Master than a Light Master. If you play through the game blindly, you may not even notice the crystal levels. But, once you know what actions raise or lower the crystal level and achieve Light or Dark Master, you'll see that the game becomes much easier. Here are the actions that effect your crystal: Crystal Up Actions: - Saving a caged fairy - Breaking a "Dark Chest" - Picking up a fairy - Physically striking enemies with your weapon (magic doesn't seem to count) - Finishing a stage quickly and picking up the crystal to get the stage bonus - Picking up a Light Soul (seems to yield almost a full level) Crystal Down Actions: - Killing innocents (townsfolk, allied army members, fallen or wounded soldiers, deer--again, only your own physical attacks count) - Breaking pots - Breaking tombs - Destroying bushes - Picking up gold - Taking a long time to finish a stage and picking up the crystal to get the stage bonus - Picking up a Dark Soul (seems to decrease crystal by almost a full level) As I mentioned before, it's harder to get to Dark Master. Why? Well, the biggest reason is as you attack enemies, your crystal seems to increase. So, you'll have to constantly find "good" things such as tombs and innocents to hit or gold to collect. Just a warning, for Dark Masters, without trying to spoil too much here: the end of the game is harder as a Dark Master, too. Keep in mind when going for Dark Master that you can actually open fairies' cages by using magic or by letting your current fairies break said cage. You can clear away things you don't want to interact with such as tombs or defeated soldiers with magic and fairies, too, if you're going for Light Master. IId. ABOUT FAIRIES ------------------- Fairies appear when you lose your last life or in cages throughout the various stages, clinging to the bars and crying for help. To help them? Simply attack the cage. Once they're freed, or once you're killed for your last life, one of five different fairies will appear and sit there. You can pick them up to activate them. They'll fly behind you and add their effect, which is specific for each type of fairy. Here are the five types of fairy: - Gold Fairy: Grants bonus score over time. - Blue Fairy: Heals you gradually. - Red Fairy: Attacks enemies (and objecst such as fallen soldiers and crates). If there's something you don't want to break because you don't want it to effect your Crystal Level, just let this guy do it for you. - Green Fairy: Grants Magic Energy gradually. - Purple Fairy (Imp?): Grants bonus score, but reverses controls. This imp will seek you out once freed; it won't just sit and wait for you to come and activate it. Its effects last a very brief time. Your fairies will go away when you die, though you can keep them when you complete a stage. They also just go away naturally with time. The Blue and Green Fairies go away the fastest. The Purple Fairy actually seems to leave more quickly if your Crystal Level is high. You can select which fairy comes from the cage by pressing a direction on the joystick right at the moment your attack breaks the cage. It's fairly specific timing--like that of a reversal or parry in a fighting game. The Blue Fairy seems to still randomly not appear. Also, some specific cages in the stages seem to always contain the same type of fairy. Here are the directional inputs: up - Green Fairy left - Red Fairy down - Gold Fairy right - Red Fairy / Blue Fairy (low chance) IIe. STAGES ------------ There are 8 stages to this game, and just like any other brawler-type game, you generally fight enemies until you reach a boss. After defeating the boss, a crystal falls from the sky. To get your bonus for time and health and such, one of the players must pick up the crystal. This will also refill that char- acter's health. Here's the thing: sometimes, you'll be aiming for a certain crystal level-- either the highest or the lowest, to become either a Light Master or a Dark Master (only a master of evil, Darth). Completing a level quickly will raise your level and completing it slowly will lower your level. In those instances, you might not want to even pick up the crystal. So, if you've completed a stage really slowly, for example, and you're already at Light Master or really close, and you don't want to lose light, you might want to just leave the crystal on the ground and not get the penalty. This isn't too great, tho', because your score is what gives you extra lives. But...I guess that probably doesn't matter too much, after all. If you let the crystal lie there, after a short time, it vanishes, like any other item. Of course, the final stage's ending is different, but I'll leave that for you to find out on your own, or you can just refer to the "spoilers" section. STAGE 1 - The Pull of Evil at Terreo Centrale STAGE 2 - Across the Currents at Calmo Forest STAGE 3 - The Cave of Darkness at Terreo Cave STAGE 4 - The Congress of Crystals at Mountain range of Terreo (sic) STAGE 5 - Into the Darkness at Polar Night Canyon STAGE 6 - Estorea STAGE 7 - Nero Filone STAGE 8 - The Crystal of Kings IIf. CHARACTERS ---------------- NOTE: None of the names I give to these moves are the "official" names, because there doesn't seem to be any reference material available that would name them. NOTE(2): You can select your default color with A or secondary color with J. When you become a Dark Master, you will be the third color. IIf-1. COCCO ------------- OK, so...yeah, it's a halfling/hobbit-like guy on a kangaroo. So? That's cool, right? *ahem* This is also the "breaks the rules" character, because he fires a bow instead of using melee attacks, so much. His defense is really an evade, and he can avoid many attacks that way, that others would need to actually avoid with the d+A attack (which is harder to time). Cocco uses "earth" magic. Thus, his attacks don't yield effects that stun the opponent slightly like the other characters do. Since those are arguably simply graphical effects, it probably doesn't matter. d+J - Crouch. Evades most attacks. d,df,f+A - Kangaroo Spin. 3 hits, usually knocks down. Hits low enemies and downed foes. f,d,df+A - Upwards Spread Arrow. Cocco fires three arrows upwards. A+J - Bomb Toss. Usually knocks down, fire damage. f+A - Kangaroo Tail Thrust. d+A - Tail Sweep. Hits low enemies, downed foes. b+A - Kangaroo Butt Bump. Similar to the "Kangaroo Drop" moves, but goes back behind Cocco. Usually knocks down. f,f+A - Kangaroo Lunging Headbutt. Usually knocks down. J,A - Jumping Arrow Shot J,d+A - Kangaroo Drop. Hits low enemies and downed foes. f,f,J,A - Kangaroo Jumping Headbutt. Usually knocks down. f,f,J,d+A - Tumbling Kangaroo Drop. Hits low enemies and downed foes. (close) A - Kangaroo Slash. (close) A, A - Kangaroo Toss (forward) Throws foe. (close) A, b+A - Kangaroo Toss (backward) Throws foe. A - Arrow Shot. Hits low or downed foes from far away. A,A - Double Arrow Shot. Hits low or downed foes from far away. A,A,A - Triple Arrow Shot. Hits low or downed foes from far away. A,A,f+A - N/A Cocco cannot do this combo!! A,A,d+A - N/A Cocco cannot do this combo!! A,A,(close) A - Kangaroo Toss (forward) Throws foe. A,A,(close) b+A - Kangaroo Toss (backward) Throws foe. M (Level 1) - Magic Shot - Cocco fires three green, magic bolts. also d,df,f+M M (Level 2) - Summon Boulders - Boulders rain from the sky. also d,db,b,f+M M (Level 3) - Rising Storm - Rocks break up fromthe ground in a line in front of Cocco. Only affects enemies on the ground. also f,df,d,db,b,f+M M (Level 4) - Kangaroo Stampede - Kangaroos rain from the sky and rush off the screen. Only affects enemies on the ground. IIf-2. LUSTRO FURIA -------------------- Obviously, his name is supposed to mean something like "the fury of light," but it's not really correct, linguistically speaking. This is your "main character" guy, with a sword and fire magic. d+J - Defensive Sword. Lustro holds his sword before him to shield from enemy attacks. d,df,f+A - One, Two, Turning High Kick. 3 hits, hits low foes, usually knocks down. f,d,df+A - Jumping, Upwards Slash. 3 hits. Usually knocks down. A+J - Flaming Horizontal Slash. Fire attack, usually knocks down. f+A - Thrust. d+A - Sweeping Kick. Hits low, downed enemies. b+A - Spinning Back Kick. Usually knocks down. f,f+A - Shoulder Charge. Usually knocks down. J,A - Jump Kick J,d+A - Straight Downward Thrust. Hits low, downed foes. f,f,J,A - Diving Kick. Usually knocks down. f,f,J,d+A - Diving Downward Thrust. Hits low, downed foes, usually knocks down. (close) A - Grab (close) A, A - Forward Toss (throw) (close) A, b+A - Back Toss (throw) A - Overhead Slash. Hits low foes. A,A - Horizontal Slash. More upwards-angled. A,A,A - Overhead Heavy Slash. Hits low, downed foes. Usually knocks down. A,A,f+A - Thrust A,A,d+A - Slide. Hits low, downed opponents. A,A,(close) A - Forward Toss (throw) A,A,(close) b+A - Back Toss (throw) M (Level 1) - Flame Pillar. Fire rises in Lustro's immediate vicinity. also d,df,f+M M (Level 2) - Fire Waves. Fire rises in lines in front of and behind Lustro. also d,db,b,f+M M (Level 3) - Flame Pillars. Similar to Level 1, but effects the whole screen. also f,df,d,db,b,f+M M (Level 4) - Dragonfire. A huge dragon buzzes by, blasting foes, then comes down and surveys his work as fire burns on the ground. IIf-3. LUNG XING ----------------- Ming the Merciless? This guy's name is most likely supposed to be Chinese, and it's probably supposed to say "Dragon Form" or "Dragon Star" or something. It should probably read "Long Xing" or "Lung Sing," to be honest; romanized this way, it looks like a mixture of Mandarin and Cantonese. This guy's a magic-user. His melee attacks aren't bad, though! He may be the "most powerful" character--though, that title could also easily be held by Lustro or Justicia. Whatever...it's almost like splitting hairs at this point. His element is lightning, and many of his attacks yield electric shock effects. d+J - Spark Guard. Just like all characters except for Cocco, Lung raises his weapon before himself to shield enemy attacks. However, that initial spark actually is an attack that carries a lightning effect. d,df,f+A - Triple Swipe, Thrust. Hits four times, hits low and downed foes, usually knocks down. Last hit has a lightning effect. f,d,df+A - Electric Uppercut. Usually knocks down. Bad range. A+J - Horizontal, Electrical Swipe. Usually knocks down, lightning effect. f+A - Thrust d+A - Downward Thrust. Hits low, downed opponents. b+A - Backwards Stab f,f+A - Dashing Stab. Usually knocks down. J,A - Jumping Swipe J,d+A - Jumping Downward Stab. Hits low, downed opponents. f,f,J,A - Lightning Swipe. Lightning effect. f,f,J,d+A - Downward Stab, Charged Ground. Lightning travels to hit opponents nearby, usually knocks down. (close) A - Electric Gut Punch. Lightning Effect. (close) A, A - Toss (Throw) (close) A, b+A - Back Toss (Throw) A - Knife Swipe. Hits low opponents. A,A - Horizontal Swipe A,A,A - Electric Gut Punch. Lightning effect. A,A,f+A - Thrust A,A,d+A - Downward Thrust. Hits low, downed opponents. A,A,(close) A - Toss (throw) A,A,(close) b+A - Back Toss (throw) M (Level 1) - Electric Shot. Lung Xing fires a projectile that has a lightning effect. also d,df,f+M M (Level 2) - Lightning Strike. Three pillars of lightning travel slightly forward from Lung Xing, complete with lightning effect. also d,db,b,f+M M (Level 3) - Lightning Storm. Lightning travels around Lung Xing and strikes in front of him, behind him, and above him. also f,df,d,db,b,f+M M (Level 4) - Lightning Explosions. Lung Xing summons a god of thunder, who makes explosions occur all over the screen with the Chinese character for "Lightning" written inside. IIf-4. JUSTICIA ---------------- So, there's a female character in this game. What's she like? Why, buxom, voluptuous, and showing her body off all the time with a semi-skimpy outfit, complete with bouncy animations and frames that show off her butt when she jumps! (of course!) Her portrait is very ugly, tho'. Hey, wait--isn't this whole game ugly? Anyway, Justicia will probably remind a lot of players of Sophitia or some- thing. She's a holy warrior who uses the power of light and and fights with a broadsword--for justice, of course! Tho' light does stun, it doesn't stun as long as lightning. Her level 4 magic, however, has healing powers, so it's pretty useful. d+J - Defensive Sword. Justicia holds her sword in front of her to defend. d,df,f+A - Triple Spinning, Jumping Straight Kicks. Hits 3 times, hits low and downed foes, usually knocks down. f,d,df+A - Twin Upwards Spinning Slices. The second is jumping. Usually knocks down, hits 3 times. A+J - Bright, Horizontal Slash. Light effect. f+A - Thrust d+A - Downward Stab. Hits low, downed foes. b+A - High Back Kick. Usually knocks down. f,f+A - Jumping, Turning Straight Kick. Usually knocks down. J,A - Jumping Overhead Slash J,d+A - Downward Stab. Hits low, downed foes. f,f,J,A - Shadow Jump Kick f,f,J,d+A - Shadow Downward Stab. Hits low, downed foes. (close) A - Knee (close) A, A - High Kick. Knocks down. Unblockable (throw) (close) A, b+A - Tomoenage. (throw) A - Overhead Slash. Hits low opponents. A,A - Horizontal Slice. A,A,A - Upward Slice. Hits twice, usually knocks down. A,A,f+A - Thrust A,A,d+A - Downward Stab. Hits low, downed foes. A,A,(close) A - High Kick. Knocks down. A throw, technically. A,A,(close) b+A - Tomoenage. (throw) M (Level 1) - Ground Explosion. Justicia stabs the ground, causing a burst of light energy. Light effect. also d,df,f+M M (Level 2) - Magic Bolt. Justicia launches a projectile that has the Light effect. also d,db,b,f+M M (Level 3) - Sparkle. Justicia holds her hand out and a flash of light energy afflicts nearby foes with the Light effect. also f,df,d,db,b,f+M M (Level 4) - Angel's Light. An angelic figure is summoned, reigning holy light upon enemies, and also healing Justicia and her comrades. IIf-5. LUSTRO FURIA (EX) ------------------------- NOTE: To select this additional character, press and hold up on the joystick with the cursor on Lustro Furia, until the card flips and the alternate version becomes available. Select with Attack or Jump as usual. I don't think it's possible to make the card flip back to the original version. He-Man? Conan? The guy from Rastan Saga? Who're they? This is a fairly borin character. I'm assuming he's supposed to be some kind of "super" version of Lustro Furia; he seems to be more powerful. I actually prefer the original. His magic attacks are the same as the original Lustro Furia's. Is it possible Lustro Furia is from another game, and this is the inclusion of that older version? d+J - Defensive Sword. Lustro holds his sword in front of him to guard. d,df,f+A - Straight Kick to Heavy Overhead Slash. 2 hits, usually knocks down, hits downed and low opponents. f,d,df+A - Jumping, Upward Slash to Heavy Overhead Slash. 4 hits, usually knocks down, hits low and downed opponents. A+J - Flaming Horizontal Slash. Fire effect, usually knocks down. f+A - Strong Horizontal Slash d+A - Low Slash. Hits low, downed foes. b+A - Back Slash. Usually knocks down. f,f+A - Shoulder Charge. Usually knocks down. J,A - Jumping Overhead Slash J,d+A - Jumping Downward Stab. Hits low, downed foes. f,f,J,A - Jumping Horizontal Slash f,f,J,d+A - Jumping Downward Explosive Stab. Hits low, downed foes, usually knocks down. (close) A - Knee (close) A, A - Toss (throw) (close) A, b+A - Back Toss (throw) A - Overhead Slash A,A - Horizontal Slash A,A,A - Straight Kick. Usually knocks down. A,A,f+A - Strong Horizontal Slash A,A,d+A - Low Slash. Hits low, downed foes. A,A,(close) A - Toss (throw) A,A,(close) b+A - Back Toss (throw) M (Level 1) - Flame Pillar. Fire rises in Lustro's immediate vicinity. also d,df,f+M M (Level 2) - Fire Waves. Fire rises in lines in front of and behind Lustro. also d,db,b,f+M M (Level 3) - Flame Pillars. Similar to Level 1, but effects the whole screen. also f,df,d,db,b,f+M M (Level 4) - Dragonfire. A huge dragon buzzes by, blasting foes, then comes down and surveys his work as fire burns on the ground. IIg. Items ----------- There are two types of items covered in this section--ones you can pick up and ones you can interact with in the background. Pick-Up-Ables: Gold - Ups your score--downs your crystal level. There are three types: Coins - Small bonus. Purse - Medium bonus. Ingot - Great bonus. Food - Heals you. There are four types: Herb - Small bonus. Bread - Medium bonus. Apple - Medium bonus (actually "apples," but they have no plural in Japanese, generally) Meat - Good bonus. Magic Potions - Give you more magic energy. There are three types: Small Potion - Small amount. Medium Potion - Medium amount. Large Potion - Large amount. Light Soul - Great crystal bonus; pretty much 2/3 of a whole level or so. Dark Soul - Great crystal negative bonus; pretty much 2/3 of a whole level or so. Wow! Isn't that a lot of items? Now, for the background items, they'll pretty much all just drop one of the items above or nothing. Sometimes, though, they'll release a magic cloud, which will turn you into a frog for a short time (!). As a frog, you can only move around, jump, kick, or jump and kick. Kicking does very little damage, of course. Deer - Negative crystal bonus. Fawn - Negative crystal bonus. Refugee - Negative crystal bonus. Kill the mother, the kid cries. Awwww. Spear Trooper - Negative crystal bonus. Nice spear! Oh...wait; he's only got a sword (?) Fallen Soldier - Negative crystal bonus. Jar - Negative crystal bonus (for some reason). Here are some types: Gorgeously Jar - Don't you guys love that name?? Man. Stone Jar Dark Jar Wooden Case Load Barrel Bush - Negative crystal bonus. Dark Chest - Postive crystal bonus. These are hidden usually; you have to either stand on certain spots or jump on them to make them appear. Torches - These will usually drop the...oil? or embers? Whatever it's supposed to be, it creates a little bit of fire on the ground you can't walk on without taking damage. Tomb - Negative crystal bonus. (Initials) Tomb - Takes a few hits to break. These represent the high scorers from previous plays through. Troll Skull Orc Luggage There's a lot more, really. I may do an extensive update someday to include everything, but I might not. IIh. MONSTERS -------------- LEGEND: NAME The creature's name. Appears in: The stage the creature appears in. I'll write "(Boss)" when it's a boss. Health: Gives the general idea of how long the creature's life bar is. Size: "Small (Low)" is a creature that you usually have to hit with an attack such as d+A. "Small" is just a smaller creature. "Medium" is a big guy--one that multi-hitting attacks such as the f,d,df+A for most characters will hit all times while you're standing inside them, unlike most small characters, who generally have a few hits miss. Still, Medium-sized characters can get knocked down and thrown. "Large" is a character too big to be thrown or knocked down. These are mostly bosses. Drop: Some of the items commonly dropped by this thing. Then, I'll give a brief strategy. There's just not too much to say for some creatures, tho'. ??? (Mimic?) Appears in: Stage 6 (midboss) Health: Medium Size: Small Drop: Magic This is some sort of demonic, female warrior allied with Nightspirit and the Black Knight. She is completely invulnerable until she turns into your character, and then, she's very obnoxious. She can't use magic, but she can use the A+J attack seemingly without penalty, which will break through most of your attacks. Your greatest chance to hit her is to do a dashing attack and then cancel it into a juggling move such as f,d,df+A. You can also walk close to her while she's guarding and get around her, hitting from behind, but keep in mind that she'll probably just use the A+J attack to get through big combos. ARCHER HALFLING Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small (low) Drop: Gold They like to get away from you and shoot at you. AXE ORC Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Magic Potions, Gold items Fairly easy foe. BLACK KNIGHT Appears in: Stage 7 (boss) Health: Long Size: Medium Drop: Nothing He stabs at you, then sometimes jumps back and then forward with both swords straight down, and sometimes turns transparent to become invulnerable, followed by one of three magic attacks: a straight shot, explosions in an arch around his feet, and explosions all around him. The last one is the only one you really need to worry about because when he turns transparent, you'll probably wanna get close and then attack him when he's vulnerable again. BLACK ORC Appears in: Last four stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Gold, Magic Basically a stronger version of the axe orc. DARK SPIRIT Appears in: Final boss (boss) Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Nothing This is some big, purple, naked, featureless, goat-headed, bat-winged thing with a big scythe. He attacks with a big swipe of his scythe horizontally, which causes two purple waves--you have to get behind him to avoid it pretty much. He'll also bring his scythe down and cause purple fire to rise up from the ground. You'll want to jump or move up or down away from him when he does that. His third attack is to jump very high in the sky and cause pieces of the castle to rain down upon you. When he lands, of course, he'll cause damage, so watch his shadow as well as the shadows of the pieces of rock. If you're a Dark Master, you might want to defeat him right after you've continued. ENSIGN BEARER Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Gold You don't have to fight these guys; they just march through the screen without attacking. EVIL EYE Appears in: The last few stages Health: Low Size: Small (cannot be thrown) Drop: Gold, Magic Teleports and shoots lightning at you, then vanishes away for good. EYES OF HORROR Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small (cannot be thrown) Drop: Gold, Magic Teleports and charges its body with electricity. Yeah...the Japanese don't have a plural, really--I mean, they do, but it's not like in English. GARGOYLE Appears in: Last two stages Health: Medium Size: Small (cannot be thrown) Drop: Gold, Magic These annoying guys like to float at the edges of the screen and drop down with their spears at you. They can come down at an angle or simple drop straight down. Be advised that they can also guard. The worst thing about these jerks is their attack that summons fire from the sky that litters the ground and vanishes very, very slowly. This does get in the way of enemies on the ground (and even the Gargoyles, when they swoop down into it), but it also louses your game up. If you are hit by flame, it will knock you down, but I don't advise recovering with the J button--you might just get up and hit another flame and possibly fly off the screen to your doom. If you simply get up from the ground, you'll be invulnerable for a short time and can try to get close to the Gargoyles and kill them without immediately bein hit by the fire again. GHOUL Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small (low) Drop: Money? Easy foe. GREAT DESTRUCTER, The (for the Boss of the same name, see next entry) Appears in: Stage Health: Medium Size: Large Drop: Gold Rushes towards you like the boss version. After that, if you're in front of it, it'll rear up and kick you with its front feet. Then, it'll charge again. If you go to the left side of the stage and they run off to the left, they'll sometimes just run off the cliff off-screen and die. Way to spell "destructor," guys. GREAT DESTRUCTER, The (Boss) Appears in: Stage 1 Health: Large Size: Large Drop: None This is similar to the normal "Great Destructer" enemy. There are three archer halflings on its back, shooting down at you while it gets in position and char- ges. It'll also rear up and hit you with its front legs if you're in front of it. Fairly easy.... Once you beat it, the three archer kobolds will fall from it. Like all other enemies, when the boss is killed, they'll run off the screen, but you can attack them and kill them as they get away. GROUND GIANT Appears in: Stage 3 Health: Medium Size: Medium Drop: Gold, Magic Big guys, but fairly easy. HADES KEEPER Appears in: The last 3 stages Health: Low Size: Small (cannot be thrown) Drop: Gold, Magic Shoots arrows and teleports. HARPIES Appears in: Stage 4 (boss) Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Nothing Always hovering about, this thing dives at you to try and grab you or kick you in the face. She also goes far away and will shoot three sets of "spread"-type feather shots. What stinks is that she fights you in some weird, bowl-shaped area that's kinda a pain because of the perspective and because you can easily slip down while she stays high. Yeah...there's only one of her, but the Japanese don't pluralize things so much, just like how they don't conjugate verbs by subject. So, sometimes, things just don't turn out right.... HIGH ORC Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Gold, Magic A little harder than the axe or sword orc. HUNTER GHOUL Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small (low) Drop: Gold A little faster and stronger than the Ghoul enemy. KILLER GIANT Appears in: Stage 8 Health: Medium Size: Medium Drop: Gold, Magic Big guys, plus they attack more than the "Ground Giant," and use this weird attack that makes a blue arch of energy in front of them. But, they're still kinda easy. The only drawback is that you fight them on a staircase, where they keep going off the screen. MARCH DRUMMER Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Gold You don't really have to fight these guys; they just walk through the screen, beating on their drums. MASTER OF UNDERGROUND Appears in: Stage 3 (boss) Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Nothing The Lord of the Whom? The What-rog? When this guy first shows up, he drops on a caged fairy and destroys it. There's also a dark case hidden on the left of the stage, if you wanna get that stuff. He rears back, whips, jumps towards you (which is unblockable), and flaps his wings, denoting an impending, flying charge. MINOTAUR Appears in: Stage 5 (boss) Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Food What's bad about this fight? There's not just one minotaur; there are two of them (ugh). They stamp their feet and rush at you, sometimes just doing a lunge. Besides that, they have a wicked three-hit combo that's difficult to guard. In fact, the third hit might be unblockable. When there's only one of them left, he'll sometimes walk over to the two, dead great destructer enemies (elephants) and throw them at you. NECROMANCER Appears in: Stage 3 Health: Medium Size: Small (can't be thrown, though) Drop: Magic Potion He stays away from you and summons a pillar of flame (which appears above the glowy spot he makes first on the ground). When he stands still and becomes transparent, he's invulnerable, and he's summoning more skeletons. Just stand near him and attack him right when he lowers his hands. NIGHT SPIRIT Appears in: Stage 8 (boss) Health: Medium Size: Medium Drop: Nothing Don't forget that when you wear black-and-gold banded mail, you're obviously EVIL. Whenever this guy has that blue aura about him, he can't be hit; he'll deflect your attacks, in fact. He lowers it to shoot a beam or jump straight up in the sky to throw explosive shots at the ground. Obviously, the jumping one is more annoying. After beatin him, he'll turn into his "true boss" form. When you first fight him, he'll summon two Skeleton Gladiators and sit at his throne with the blue energy protecting him. He'll lob exploding shots at you, which deal a huge amount of damage. I'd recommend blasting the skeletons with magic and such to get rid of them quickly, so you can avoid being hit by these shots. NIGHTMARE Appears in: Stage 7 Health: Medium Size: Small (can't be thrown, though) Drop: Food Ugh...I hate this guy. He flashes when you first see him, and is invulnerable during his big entrance. During this display, he splits into four different enemies that share the same health bar, and then teleports over and over in different patterns, blasting you from all sides. Do enough damage, and he'll shrink to three. Do enough damage, and he'll only have two images--but each will blast two shots. When he gets to only one? He blasts a ring of shots that circle around your back and home in somewhat. What makes him truly difficult is that he often will appear over the chasm, when only magic or Cocco's arrows can reach him. OGRE Appears in: Stage 5 Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Soul of Light, Soul of Darkness A big, dumb brute, this guy just clubs at you and is easy to dance around. He's got two archer halflings on his back that fall off when he's defeated. Unlike those on the Great Destructer's back in the first stage's boss fight, these little guys don't flee the scene afterwards. PANDEMONIUM SENTINEL Appears in: Stage 7 Health: Low Size: Small (cannot be thrown) Drop: Gold, Magic If you get close to them, they'll fly towards you and break into a million pieces either when you defeat it or when it hits a wall. They're just a trap, of sorts. RED SKELETON Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Gold, Magic Basically, these are harder skeletons. ROTTEN SCAVENGER Appears in: All stages Health: Low Size: Small (low) Drop: Nothing If you wait too long in one spot, the words "Hurry up!" appear, and then this guy comes around to kick you in the butt. Well, OK; so...he more like zips around quickly and tries to munch your whole body. SERPENT Appears in: Stage 2 (boss) Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Nothing He has three attacks: a charge, for which he arches his neck and rears his head, a poison rain, in which he rears back with his head pointed up and fires straight in the air, and a similar-looking move in which he summons fish. I believe all can be guarded. SINISTER DRAGON Appears in: Stage 6 (boss) Health: Large Size: Large Drop: Nothing This skeletal dragon employs lightning attacks. He lunges at you, closes his wings for a moment and then flaps them, pushing you away (my least favorite boss attack ever), fires lightning shots that zone in on you and cause explosions, fires a ray of lightning, and charges his body with electricity to shock you if you stand close to him. He'll even throw you, which is very annoying. Despite that huge arsenal, he's not really too tough. Just stay near him and guard if he charges up electricity all over his body. Dash around if he starts to fire those annoying explosive blasts. Dash close to him when he uses his beam attack--this is your best chance to lay into him with long combos. SKELETON Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Small Drop: Gold, Magic These are basically harder orcs; they can guard your attacks sometimes. SKELETON GLADIATOR Appears in: Final stage Health: Medium Size: Small Drop: Gold, Magic This is the highest form of skeleton, basically. They guard a lot and jump at you. SORCEROR Appears in: Stage 3 Health: Low Size: Small (can't be thrown) Drop: Magic Teleports and fires shots. Appears in that room with the big, iron ball rolling towards the screen--and can teleport in front of it and get hit and killed by it. SWORD ORC Appears in: Many stages Health: Low Size: Low Drop: Magic, Gold Easy. TROLL Appears in: Stage 1 Health: Medium Size: Medium Drop: Herb Does a five-hit slapping combo if you're close. When there's distance, he'll pause for a moment and then do a rush with arms flailing. You can interrupt this, but it does knock down if you're hit. When you're downed, he'll do a body splash on you, so, hitting J when knocked down is recommended. However, if you are knocked down and fall on your back, you can jam on buttons to get up quickly. You'll have a moment of invulner- ability that way, which you can exploit on the jumping goon. When he gots knocked down, the Troll will do a "surprise" attack, rising with his arms in the air. This will knock you down if you're standing near him, but it can be guarded. TROLL SOLDIER Appears in: Stage Health: Medium Size: Medium Drop: Food? Just like the Troll in Stage 1, but they come in pairs. For their second appearance, they toss rocks at you before you get close enough, then they fight as normal. -------------- III. Spoilers -------------- There are three endings in this game. There's a "normal" ending, a "good" ending, and a "bad" ending. All three are very similar, though. To get the "good" ending, you have to defeat the boss as a Light Master. To get the "bad" ending, you must defeat the boss as a Dark Master. To get the "normal" ending, well, complete the game without being either. Neither a Light Master nor a Dark Master be.... The "bad" ending may be the hardest to achieve. It takes less time to become a Dark Master, but it's a little rougher than the Light Master because you can't really save fairies or physically attack enemies too much. On top of that, you don't get as good a magic bonus as a Dark Master, and you even have to face an additional boss, against whom you cannot continue (!). All three endings start with the Crystal of Darkness dropping from the sky after the Dark Spirit is defeated. "Good" Ending: The character says "It is because of this that people go mad." Then, he or she does a low attack on it and breaks it. The words "STAGE CLEAR" appear and you receive your bonus as usual. Then, the castle will fall apart--seems it was held together by the Crystal of Darkness. Don't ask how our heroes escape. Then, a caption: "With the Crystal of Darkness destroyed, peace returns to the world once more..." "Normal" Ending: You can pick up the crystal, just like in any other stage. You'll get your bonus, as usual, too. The castle crumbles. Don't you know that when a big, evil guy gets defeated, the castle he's in falls to pieces? Then, a caption: "With the Crystal of Darkness returned to the just, peace again attempts to return to the land... But such shall not be, so long as the Crystal exists." "Bad" Ending: Your character says ".... With this crystal, the world is mine!" Then, one of the other heroes appears (usually Lung Xing) and says "What dost thou mean?" You reply, "Wah ha ha ha ha!" How witty! Then, this hero will start to fight you. He or she has a low life meter, but already "has" full magic (it's unknown if the game actually even takes that into account, or if it just has the magic moves available). So, stay on top of him or her so they don't use the Level 4 magic!! You can block it, but it's a real pain, and he or she will be invulnerable while it's going on. It's a good idea to wait to defeat the Dark Spirit until you have a lot of health and magic. A good strategy seems to be to get the Dark Spirit down very low, then let it kill you, and kill it quickly after you reappear. Rocks will fall from the sky as the castle crumbles. Inside of them can sometimes be found very powerful healing items and magic items, so, go for them, if you don't mind letting the computer on its feet long enough to cast a magic spell. Once you beat the other hero, go and get the crystal. Rocks keep falling from the ceiling, and it is possible to die from them, so be quick. I should mention again that you cannot continue at this point; if you die, it's game over. Once you get the crystal, you'll get your stage bonus. The castle crumbles a' la a Dracula / Castlevania title. Then, a caption: "Although the Crystal of Darkness has been seized, a new era of darkness begins to envelop the land... such is the fate of all, as long as the Crystal exists." Next comes the credits, which are also different from ending to ending: "Good" Ending The fairy corresponding to the color of your character's crystal flies through the stages while the game's theme plays, with credits scrolling. Then, he vanishes, and your character ascends a staircase, walks among cheer- ing peasants and soldiers, meets the king and queen, and does his or her victory pose. The camera pans up to show doves flying in the sky and the word "Fin." "Normal" Ending The fairy corresponding to the color of your character's crystal flies through the stages while the game's theme plays, with credits scrolling. Then, the little guy vanishes, and the word "Fin" appears. "Bad" Ending Are you sure you want me to spoil this?? It's HILARIOUS. I'll let you see it for yourself, if you want. Scroll past the "."'s to read it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Instead of the fairy corresponding to your character's color flying through the stages while the credits roll, there's the imp flying around (the Purple Fairy). At the same point as in the "good" ending, he vanishes, and your character, still in the dark, Dark Master colors, ascends the stairs and walks among the peasants and soldiers to meet the king and queen. Then, he or she casts their level 4 magic and kills everyone. Fin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ----------------- IV. 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