2 Fast 4 Gnomz on Nintendo 3DS
Walkthroughs, Strategies, Information, and Frequently Asked Questions


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General Data
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Author: Dale Hoffman (Chickenbolt)
Email: [email protected]
Originally Created: March 9, 2013
Version: 1.0


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Table of Content
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General Data
Table of Content
Scope
About the Game
General Walkthrough
Sock Collection Highlights
Nightmare Area Highlights
Unlockables
Glitches
Differences Between Wii and 3DS Versions
Frequently Asked Questions
Credits
Final Note From The Author
Legal


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Scope
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I was amazed when I saw that nobody had yet posted any game information on
www.gamefaqs.com for this excellent game.  That made me want to submit
something.

Most courses in 2 Fast 4 Gnomz have a simple layout.  Though there are a few
hidden paths, there is little in the way of strategy or puzzles.  Nightmare
courses 4 and 5, however, are more difficult, in that some switches must be
found and hit in the correct order.  This document is intended to help people
find alternate or hidden roads, and to clear this most difficult part of the
game—the Nightmare area.  A secondary purpose for this document is to express
some other trivial thoughts and information about the game.


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About the Game
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2 Fast 4 Gnomz is a platform game with a unique style.  The intensity of
action is constant, in that your character, Bumb, is on a forced speedrun,
unable to move backwards in normal time.  Since the King has commanded him to
be a hero, Bumb has started a mad run through Gnomia, and simply will not
stop for any reason.  It is your task to control Bumb, and give him some
direction in this hero quest.

At the time of this writing, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz can be purchased in the Nintendo
eShop for $4.99 USD.


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General Walkthrough
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If you have never played 3DS 2 Fast 4 Gnomz before, I recommend completing it
in the following order:

1.  Run through all 40 courses without worrying about collecting stars.  This
will allow you to unlock all your abilities as fast as possible, learn all
necessary skills, and to give you access to as many areas of the game as
possible.
2.  Next I recommend systematically earning all 9 stars in each course in
reverse order.  The reason to master each course in reverse order is so you
will be forced to learn skills that will make areas of lower difficulty
easier and faster to clear.  Also, since you have already opened the first 40
courses, you should be able to run them in any order.  Most importantly, you
will have all your abilities, and should be able to get all the stars.  Earn
stars in this order:
    a.  Start by collecting all the socks in the course, and earn those 3
stars.  This will familiarize you with the entire course, and will make it
easier for you to earn the speedrun and no-death stars.  (Read the highlights
below help with collecting socks.)
    b.  Next earn 3 stars for the speedrun.  To do this, learn to dash as
much as possible, whenever possible, and however possible.  If you only
earned 1 or 2 stars, start over again.  Keep increasing your speed until you
are awarded 3 stars for that course.  Keep trying.  With practice, you can do
it.
    c.  Lastly clear the entire course without a single death.  This will
earn the last 3 stars for you.  Since you’ve already collected all the socks,
and sped through at blinding speed, you should know the easiest route through
the course.  Don’t worry about collecting socks, or moving fast.  Just take
it slow and easy.  If you die, press start and choose to restart the course.
3.  Now that you have all the stars, you will have opened the first 4
Nightmare courses (these will open if you are only 10 stars short—having
earned 80 in each area).  I recommend collecting all 9 stars in each
Nightmare course from beginning to end.  That way, once you are familiar with
the course, you don’t have to learn it again later.  First run though the
entire course to familiarize yourself with it.  Then collect all 3 socks in
each course.  Then speedrun it until you earn those 3 stars.  Lastly, run
through the course one last time, but each time you die, press start and
restart the course (there are no checkpoints in Nightmare courses).  You have
to do it without a death to get the last 3 stars.  Do this in each of the
first 4 Nightmare courses.  (Read the highlights below for help with
Nightmare-4).
4.  You only needed 26 Nightmare stars (10 short of all 36 stars) to open the
last Nightmare course, so you will already have noticed that it has been
opened.  Finish the last course by first running through it once, then go
through again to collect the socks, then speedrun it, then run through with
no deaths.  Congratulations, you’ve completed everything in the game.  From
what I can tell, there is nothing unlocked after earning every last star.
(Read the highlights below for help with Nightmare-5).


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Sock Collection Highlights
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Most of the courses are linear, which makes the socks easy to see.  There are
some hidden or alternate paths, though, which might be the reason for missing
a few socks here and there.  Here are listed ways to collect many of the
socks that are the trickiest to find:

Course I-4
After collecting the first 4 socks, take the high road for the next 4 socks.
Just before the goal, don’t miss the last 2 socks on a high platform.

Course I-6
After the 1st checkpoint, go up the 1st updraft, then down the 2nd updraft so
you don’t miss those socks.

Course II-5
After the 2nd checkpoint, there are 4 small platforms—after the 4th small
platform, do not go up.  Go down to get 4 socks.

Course III-2
After the 2nd checkpoint, cross over some brambles and go down at the updraft
for 8 socks.  Just before the upper goal, go down through the odd-looking,
false snow to reach 6 socks and an alternate goal.

Course III-8
Drop down the hole just after the 1st checkpoint to collect 15 socks.

Course III-9
Go down the hole immediately after the start of the course to collect some
socks.

Course IV-1
At the beginning of the course, hit the upper switch, rewind the clock, hit
the center switch, rewind again, then and go down.  There are 4 socks down
there.  Rewind and continue forward.

Course IV-4
After the 2nd checkpoint, take the low road where 3 socks lead to a switch,
then rewind the clock.  Now, instead of taking the upper path that opens,
pick up the 4 socks that are located above the clock and continue.  If had
taken that high road, you would have missed many socks.

Course IV-5
At the beginning of the course, drop down the 2nd hole to collect 5 socks.
After the 1st checkpoint, go down the 1st updraft to collect 4 socks.

Course IV-8
At the beginning of the course, drop down immediately for 3 socks, then ride
the updrafts over some brambles, and fall immediately back down for more
socks.  If you stay near the ceiling, you will miss many socks.    After the
1st checkpoint, don’t miss the one red sock which is located below the 2nd
arrow sign.  After the 2nd checkpoint, go down through the updrafts to find
the low road and 8 socks to collect.

Course IV-9
After the 2nd checkpoint go up the updraft.  You will see a gliding sign, but
go down instead to find the last 7 socks and an alternate goal.

Course IV-10
At the beginning of the course, if you take the low road, you will miss some
socks.  After the 1st checkpoint, go down and hit the switch to open the way
forward.  Rewind the clock, but do not continue forward.  Rather, ride up the
updraft through a false ceiling to collect 5 socks.


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Nightmare Area Highlights
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The Nightmare area is a collection of bonus courses of high difficulty that
appear to have nothing to do with the main hero quest.  I have not yet been
able to find any reward or anything special to unlock after finishing the
Nightmare area, or after collecting all 45 stars.  The Nightmare courses are
likely intended for the enjoyment of people like me who want to take the
challenge to the next level, and complete everything possible in the game.
Also, if you like the Wii version, these 5 special courses might make it
worth buying the 3DS version as well.

This walkthrough focuses on Nightmare courses 4 and 5.  Courses 1, 2, and 3
are basically linear, and the average player should have little confusion
advancing—as far as finding and hitting switches, and gathering socks are
concerned.  The Nightmare courses are different from the main game in that
you will find no checkpoints, and there are only 3 socks in each course that
are usually difficult to collect.

Although this walkthrough only covers 2 courses, I welcome emails with
questions about other courses or to engange in other discussion about the
game.

Nightmare – 4 Walkthrough
This course is divided into 4 basic parts.

Part 1 has 3 switches.   The middle switch opens one of the 2 doors to the
lower switch.  The upper switch also opens one of the 2 doors to the lower
switch.  The lower switch opens the door to part 2.  Hit the switches in this
order: middle, upper, lower.  (Of course, press left to activate the clocks
after hitting the upper and lower switches.)

Part 2 has 6 switches—3 upper, and 3 lower.  Each switch also is next to a
clock which should be activated immediately after hitting it.  Glide over the
brambles, and hit the first switch.  This will open one of the lower
switches.  If you are collecting socks, you can grab 1 of the 3 socks by
dropping to the very bottom of the screen, gliding through the sock, and
activating the clock.  The next switch is the first of the lower switches,
which opens the next upper switch, which opens the next lower switch, which
opens the next upper switch, which opens the next lower switch, which opens
the upper way to part 3.

Part 3 has 3 switches.  Each switch opens one of the 3 doors leading to part
4.  The upper and middle switches lead to the same clock.  The lower switch
leads to a different clock.  I prefer to hit the upper switch, then the lower
switch, then the center switch, then follow through to part 4.  However,
these switches can be hit in any order.  If you are collecting socks, the
second of 3 socks can be collected after hitting the lower switch, and
gliding through the sock.

Part 4 has 4 switches, but I have not been able to determine what switches 1,
2, and 4 are for.  If you know, please send me an email.  You can dash
through all 4 switches, but you only need to hit switch 3 to open the way to
the goal.  If you are collecting socks, drop down through the last sock just
before the goal, and activate the clock in the pit.

Nightmare – 5 Walkthrough
There are 8 switches in this course:
Switches 1-5 are seen before you enter the main course.
Switch 6 is found in the 5th hole after entering the course.  It opens the
high road.
Switch 7 is found in the 7th hole after entering the course.  It opens the
way to the goal.
Switch 8 is at the end of the hazards on the high road.  It opens the low
road to the 3 socks.

To enter the main course, hit switches 1, 3, and 4.  If you hit switches 2 or
5, access is denied.

After entering the main course, jump the first 4 holes, and press down to
drop into the 5th hole.  Hit switch 6, and press left at the clock to rewind.
This will open the high road.

You will see that the high road has opened, but continue under the high road
again.  Jump the first 6 holes, and press down to drop into the 7th hole.
Hit switch 7, and press left at the clock to rewind.  This opens the way over
the castle so you can reach the goal.

This time, jump to take the high road.  The 3rd step is smaller and may be
easier to land on if you press down to cut the jump short.  This will help to
avoid hitting the wall.  Clear the obstacles on the high road.  If you want
to collect the socks,  jump on the switch at the end, and press left at the
clock to rewind.  If you do not want to collect the socks, simply skip the
clock, jump, and press up to glide to the goal.  If you choose to collect
socks, read the next line.

To reach the 3 socks, activate the clock at the end of the high road
(immediately after jumping on the switch) to rewind.  Jump the first 3 holes,
and press down to drop into the 4th hole—all the way down to the low road.
Run through the first sock, time a jump accurately to collect the 2 socks in
the air, then immediately press left to rewind.  If you miss a sock, go back
and try again until you collect all 3.  Take the high road again.  After
clearing the hazards, do not activate the clock.  Jump and press up to glide
over the castle to the goal.


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Unlockables
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Unlock Berserk
Clear area I

Unlock Speedster
Clear area II

Unlock the time records
Clear area II

Unlock Uncle Time
Clear area III

Unlock Nightmare area
Clear area IV

Unlock Nightmare course 1
Collect at least 80 stars from area I

Unlock Nightmare course 2
Collect at least 80 stars from area II

Unlock Nightmare course 3
Collect at least 80 stars from area III

Unlock Nightmare course 4
Collect at least 80 stars from area IV

Unlock Nightmare course 5
Collect at least 26 stars from Nightmare courses 1-4


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Glitches
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This is a very rare occurence, in that I have earned every star in every
course, and have not found any glitches.  Congratulations to the game
developers.


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Differences Between Wii and 3DS Versions
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In my opinion, the 3DS version is the better game.  However, both versions
are fun.  Note that the 3DS version was released several months after the Wii
version.  The game developers did an excellent job of clearing glitches,
including more interesting courses, and, most importantly, making the
controls better.

If you really liked one game, I recommend playing both.  Many courses are
similar, but are not necessarily identical.  The Wii version presents a
greater challenge, but the 3DS version is less frustrating.  If you have
never played either game, I advise playing the 3DS version first.  If you
enjoyed it, get the Wii version for an extra challenge.  Here are some key
differences between the Wii and 3DS versions:

-The 3DS version has no glitches that I could find, but the Wii version has a
few.
-The 3DS version sets goals, offering stars for speedruns and minimal deaths.
The Wii version does neither.  On the 3DS version, a disco ball appears at
the end of a course if you have completed all challenges in that course.
-After completing a course in the 3DS version, you can choose to either
restart the course, or to advance.  This is a very convenient feature that
the Wii version does not have.
-The 3DS version has only one game to play, whereas the Wii version allows
you to play 3 different files.
-The map in the 3DS version is easy to thumb through, whereas the map on the
Wii version is twisty and confusing.  Also, in the Wii version, there are
some forks in the path, whereas the 3DS map is linear.
-The music is slightly different between the two versions, especially during
the cut scenes.
-The Wii version allows you to delete a file, and the 3DS version does not
(that I can find).  If you want to start your 3DS game from scratch, you
might have to go into your 3DS data management settings, delete the game, and
download it again from the Nintendo eShop.
-The 3DS version seems to have more responsive controls than the Wii version.
Also, in the Wii version, to destroy hollow trees, you must hit it either at
the base of the tree, or at the very top.  In the 3DS version, as long as you
are holding down while contacting any point on the hollow tree, it will be
destroyed.
-In the 3DS version, it think you can see ahead farther than in the Wii
version.  Also, in the 3DS version, when you dash, the view backs away for
slightly better foresight.  In the Wii version, the top and bottom of the
screen simply dim slightly during a dash, which can make it difficult to see
obstacles and hazards at the top or bottom of the screen.  (I play the Wii
version on a full screen TV.  If this description does not match what you
find on your widescreen TV, please email me and I will update this document.)
-In the 3DS version, obstacles are somewhat easier to see, and do not blend
in with the background as much as in the Wii version.  The 3D effect allows
for better contrast, making it easier to distinguish between foreground
hazards and backgrounds, but even with 3D effects disabled, the developers
seem to have made it easier to differentiate between visuals in the 3DS
version.
-In the 3DS version, updrafts are easier to see, because they have white
rings spiraling around them.  In the Wii version, they are just a light blue
column with dots in it that can be difficult to see at times.
-The 3DS version has 5 bonus courses that do not appear on the Wii version.
In the 3DS version, Bumb only runs from left to right, through 40 areas, plus
5 bonus areas.  On the Wii, once you finish the 40 left to right day courses,
the map flips over, and the difficulty continues to increase as you complete
each area inverted at night, from right to left.  In the last 40 courses on
the Wii, many obstacles and hazards are added.  The most difficult difficult
feature of the night courses, once you get used to running the opposite
direction, is that there are fewer checkpoints.
-The 3DS version seems to have more hidden and alternate paths than the Wii
version, making sock collection more interesting.
- Both versions put Bumb back in the action quickly after colliding with
something.  But after falling on the Wii version, it takes a second or two
for Bumb to start running again.  After falling on the 3DS version, Bumb is a
little faster about starting over again.
-The 3DS version (obviously) has a second, lower screen.  It shows the counts
for time, deaths, and socks.  There is also a creepy hamper down there
swallowing all the socks you collect.  If you touch the lower screen, the
hamper will follow your touch with its eyes, and even move toward your touch.
At the end if a course on the 3DS version, it is fun to watch Bumb chase down
the hamper.
-The Wii version rolls through credits after finishing the 80th course.  (You
can also roll credits from the options menu on the Wii version.)  When
completing the 3DS version, nothing happens (that I can find) after the
carrying away of the princess.  However, on the 3DS version you can access
the credits from title screen, and run Bumb through the credits in slow
motion.  Speedrun it if you want--it’s rather fun, even though there is no
reward.  At any time during the credits on the 3DS version, you can touch the
hamper to make its eyes open, and anywhere you touch, the hamper will follow
your touch with its eyes.


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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: How long did it take you to finish the game?
A: My 3DS activity log showed exactly 13:00 hours after earning the final
star in the game.  I had played it 18 times, with an average play time of 43
minutes—first played 2/25/13, and last played in 3/3/13.  However, I did
master everything on the demo download a few days before buying this game,
which took a couple hours.

Q: What are your favorite parts of the game?
A: There are 2 things in this game that I think are genius.  One is the the
clock rewind feature, in that the display goes to an ancient sepia tone, and
it looks like an old video tape scanning backwards.  Another fun effect is
when you dash, the display backs away to intensify the speed effect, and,
more importantly, to allow you to see slightly farther ahead.

Q: Do you play in 3D or 2D?
A: For the first couple days I played it, this game made me dizzy (but not
nauseated).  I often turned off the 3D effects during this time.  When my
brain became accustomed to constant speed and motion, I sometimes turned the
3D on about half.  Soon I was not dizzy anymore, and then realized that the
3D effect allows for a contrast that actually makes it easier distinguish
between obstacles and the background.  That’s when I left the 3D mode on
full.  Much of the game is a blur, making your brain do most of the thumb
controls unconsciously.  That is why the 3D effects make the game much easier
to clear—it makes hazards and platforms stand out more from the background.
(Here’s a good place for this comment:  After playing this game for a few
minutes, and when the action stops, does your brain tell you that the TV or
the whole room is still moving?  It’s an odd optical illusion that never went
away, no matter how many hours I played this.)

Q: What happens if you collect all the stars in the game?
A: From what I can see, there is no special reward for mastering every
course.  You should be pleased with yourself for completing a very difficult
game, and that is reward enough.


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Credits
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Thanks to those who recognize a good game when they see it, and are (like me)
fanatic enough to read a document like this.


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Final Note Form The Author
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This was my second FAQ submitted.  Email [email protected] and tell me
your opinions.

--Chickenbolt


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Legal
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I had no part in the programming, distribution, or creation of 2 Fast 4 Gnomz
in any way.

This document may not be reproduced for any reason except for private use.
It may not be placed on any websites or be distributed in any other way
without written permission.

Copyright 2013 Dale Hoffman

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