MAZAN: FLASH OF THE BLADE (COIN-OP)
===================================
Walkthrough/Scoring Guide Ver 1.3
Written by R-Jay (
[email protected])
THIS GUIDE MAY BE FREELY DISTRIBUTED AS LONG AS IT REMAINS INTACT.
IT MUST NOT BE USED FOR PROFIT-MAKING PURPOSES. IF YOU WISH TO USE
ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR OWN GUIDE, FEEL FREE AS LONG AS DUE
CREDIT IS GIVEN. PLEASE REPORT ANY VIOLATIONS.
The latest version can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
There is also a message board at this site dedicated to Mazan.
**DOCUMENT IS BEST VIEWED IN MS WORDPAD/NOTEPAD**
In MS-Word, set left & right margins to 1" and change
text to Courier New, size 9.
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CONTENTS
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1.0 REVISION HISTORY
2.0 GAME DATA
3.0 PURPOSE OF GUIDE
4.0 PARRY & SLASH
5.0 END-OF-LEVEL SCORES & GRADES
6.0 DIFFICULTY SETTINGS
7.0 PLAYING TIPS
8.0 WALKTHROUGH
8.1 Stage 1
8.2 Stage 2
8.3 Stage 3
9.0 WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
10.0 CREDITS/SHOUTS
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1.0 REVISION HISTORY
================
[Ver 1.3 - Updated on 30 January 2000]
Finally completed Mazan with a single credit; have listed theories
for gaining the top grades in section 5.0. Wrote a new section
on difficulty settings and corrected bonus error on Stage 1. Also
re-wrote strategies for Nefarious & Sorcerer bosses.
[Ver 1.2 - Updated between 8 - 12 January 2003]
Managed to beat the game with 2 credits and gain a good high score. I
have expanded the walkthrough, especially Stage 3 and included boss
strategies. Also corrected the following errors:
* Vase at the start of Stage 3 holds life-up, not a 5000pt bonus;
* There are three axemen on Stage 2 who award a 1000pt bonus, not two.
[Ver 1.0 - Created on 4/5 Jan 2003]
Spent too much money on this game over the Christmas holidays. Have
decided to write a mini-guide for this game as I've found hardly any
info about Mazan on the web.
2.0 GAME DATA
=========
Release Date: November/December 2002
Format: Coin-Op/Arcade
Developed By: Namco Ltd.
Hardware: Sega NAOMI 2
Media: GD-ROM
Cabinet: Deluxe
3.0 PURPOSE OF GUIDE
================
This guide was written to provide scoring tips and assistance with
the game's trouble spots. It also contains sections on the Parry &
Slash attack and the scoring/grading system. IT IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE
WALKTHROUGH! If you have a particular problem, e-mail me at
[email protected] and I'll try my best to help :).
4.0 PARRY & SLASH
=============
Parry & Slash attacks are essential for high scores. In short, they
are the essence of expert play. To perform a Parry & Slash attack,
block the enemy strike, then quickly flick your sword over the edge of
their weapon to knock it back. Once the enemy stumbles, immediately
slash them. It easier to do when you block with the upper part of
the blade.
You will receive a bonus every time you perform 5 consecutive Parry &
Slash moves (combos). The higher the combo, the higher the bonuses
(listed below).
5 hit combo = 1000pts;
10 hit combo = 2000pts;
15 hit combo = 3000pts etc.
Your combo will reset to 0 if you are hit and when the level ends. To
make it clear, you will NOT break a combo by killing opponents normally.
Each Parry & Slash counts towards your end-of-level bonus.
To conclude, you should use Parry & Slash as often as possible. However
there are some occasions when it can't be used (fleeing opponents, small
spiders etc) and where it might be too risky to attempt (against the
flying dresses [sic]). I will go into more detail in the walkthrough
section.
5.0 END-OF-LEVEL SCORES & GRADES
============================
At the end of each level, you receive a bonus for the number of Parry
& Slash attacks performed, time remaining and the amount of energy you
have left. You will also receive one of the following grades, depending
on your score.
GRADE RANKING SCORE NEEDED
----- ------- ------------
D Apprentice 0
D+ Rookie 50,000+
C Swordsman 100,000+
C+ Knight 150,000+
B Expert 200,000+
B+ Champion 280,000+
A Master 360,000+
A+ Samurai Blade Master (SBM)^ ???
S Samurai Grand Master (SGM)^ ???
When you complete the game, you also receive an 'End Game' bonus.
It's 50,000 pts if you continued during the game, Complete the game
in a single credit and you'll get a whopping 150,000 pts!!
If your machine is set to NORMAL difficulty, you can register your
score on Namco's Wonderpage at www.namco.co.jp.
^There is an element of mystery surrounding these two ranks. I think
you must beat the game in a single credit to get either, but for the
SGM rank, you may also need to get the top score on your machine. I
say this because when I surpassed my old high score, its SGM rank
became a SBM rank. If you know the EXACT criteria for gaining these
grades, please e-mail me.
6.0 DIFFICULTY SETTINGS
===================
There are four difficulty levels: EASY, NORMAL, HARD & VERY HARD. My
local machine was originally set to HARD, but was then changed back
to NORMAL so the password screen could be accessed. To be honest, I
haven't noticed any difference between the settings (there aren't any
extra monsters on HARD), but there may be a SLIGHT change to the
amount of health you lose after being hit.
7.0 PLAYING TIPS
============
* On your first few plays, always select the Practice Stage and learn
how to block and parry-slash correctly.
* When you kill an opponent normally, try to slash them as many times
as possible for extra points.
* Background objects such as ropes, trees and stands can be destroyed
for extra points. With the ropes and trees, try cutting them into
smaller pieces for even more points.
* Grabbing life-ups with full health awards a 5000pt bonus.
* You will LOSE POINTS when you continue!!
* PARRY & SLASH!..PARRY & SLASH!..PARRY & SLASH!....get the message?!
8.0 WALKTHROUGH
===========
My main purpose here is to list the bonuses for each level. The main
type of bonus is Quick Kill (QK) where you must kill certain opponents
quickly for extra points. I will also list any hidden treasures or
life-ups. Obvious bonuses (directly in front of you) won't be listed.
If there are any hidden or QK bonuses I have missed out, please e-mail
me at
[email protected]!
8.1 Stage 1
-------
* As you begin the level, QK the first two spearmen (1000pts each)
* After slashing through the wooden beams, QK the spearman who
drops from the ceiling. He must die before touching the ground
(2000pts).
* The moment you face the two fleeing spearman, slash the sword
quickly in a horizontal direction. Getting the spearman on the
right awards 1000pts.
* After breaking through the spiked beams and turning the corner,
slash the sword in a horizontal direction to QK the three spearmen
running towards you (2000pts each).
* Just before the giant foot, QK the crippled spearman walking along
(1000pts).
* When facing the giant foot, the second time it drops down, slash in
a diagonal-left direction to smash the vase on the left for a 1000pt
bonus. The third time it drops down, there is a vase on the right
containing another 5000pt bonus. When the foot raises after the
third drop and you turn around, QK the two running samurai (1000pts
each).
* After killing the pot monsters, QK the ninja that jumps in front of
you (1000pts). When you face the other two ninjas, you can
parry-slash them, but it's risky. After killing them, make sure you
break the wooden seal (keep slashing at it while it falls opens for
extra points) to enter the basement. You get a higher score going
this way.
* In the basement, when you face the second samurai, a pot monster
will appear from the left. Parry the samurai's attack, quickly kill
the pot monster and then slash the samurai. Hopefully the samurai
will still be stunned so you can get the parry-slash in.
* When you face the stationary pot monsters, there is a 1000pt bonus
hidden in a plain vase to the left.
* You can't parry-slash the little goblins; just kill them normally.
* On the Bezerker Mode section, the maximum number of kills is 35.
Try to get over 30 for a 10,000pt bonus. Remember to slice at the
bamboo shoots for more points.
* When you enter the hut, cut down the decorative screen in front so
it's easier to see the samurai. Be careful when blocking this guy,
he uses a poke attack which can't be parried (well, I can't parry
it).
* After the first two scroll ghosts appear, the camera will pan to the
other wall. Slash the left scroll to enter a hidden compartment
after killing off the remaining ghosts. It contains two vases with
a life-up and a 5000pt bonus.
WARNING: If you have full health, don't slash them both of them
straight away. Wait until the gold dust hits your score before
slashing the remaining vase for the full 10,000pts. If you do it
too fast, you will only get 5000pts. This is either a bug or an
intentional way of keeping your score down!
* In the next room, you will face two spearman that attack one after
the other. Ideally, you should parry the left spearman, then the
right and quickly slash them both with one big swipe (you will still
get two hits on your combo meter). Make sure the on-screen blade is
visible throughout. If you don't want to risk being hit, then kill
the left spearman normally.
* It is possible to parry-slash the hands on the flying dresses but it
is EXTREMELY difficult. I would suggest you kill them normally.
BOSS: Demon Lynx
----------------
Block his shuriken stars, then slash him when he jumps/runs at you.
After he draws his sword, block any jumping swipe and counter his
sword attacks with parry-slashes. He usually starts his sword attacks
with a diagonal swipe from the bottom-right, so have your blade ready.
Once his energy is very low, he will either fly backwards or die
(if hit with a parry-slash). If he flies back, he'll begin the
shuriken attack again (be careful, there are more this time) and then
take one last jump at you. Slash one more time to neuter this crazy
cat!!
If you can kill the Demon Lynx boss with a parry-slash, you will get
a 7650pt bonus. You need to get his energy bar low enough so one
more parry-slash will finish him off.
* A good end-of-level score would be between 140,000 & 190,000 with a
Swordsman/Knight grade. It is possible to get over 200,000 pts
(Expert) so if you can managed it, that's great!
8.2 Stage 2
-------
* QK the two sets of diving birds either side of your boat (1000pts
each).
* You can parry-slash the birds that climb the side of the boat, but
it's risky!
* After blocking the stones from the two roof goblins, slash at the
left of the screen to kill the two goblins running along the side.
(1000pts each)
* When you climb up onto the harbour, you will see a goblin winding a
door across an entrance. Block the archer's arrow, then parry-slash
the samurai's attack to reach the goblin and kill it before it closes
the door. After dealing with the next two goblins and the samurai,
you will enter the treasure hut. Inside the vases are a life-up,
two 5000pt and one 1000pt bonus. When you turn around, get ready to
block the goblin's stone attack.
BE WARNED! - the same problem with the hidden compartment on Stage 1
applies here; and you don't have much time to break the vases! I would
suggest you ignore the 1000pt bonus (located in a bottom-right vase
near the end) to avoid cancelling out a 5000pt bonus.
* Once back in your boat, parry-slash the headless swordsman to kill
him quickly. Now when the camera turns to the left, slash
vertically to kill the bird for 1000pts.
* After blocking the arrows from the three archers, slash vertically
to kill a second bird for 1000pts.
* At the start of the forest (when the camera pans to the left),
slash over at the left side to kill a camouflaged axeman walking
off-screen for 1000pts. After the camera moves again, kill the
axeman walking directly in front of you for another 1000pts. Now
after killing the two axeman in the next section, the camera pans
over to the right and an axeman will be walking off-screen (to the
right). Kill him quickly for the last 1000pt bonus.
NOTE: Axemen attacks are easy to parry-slash. Just move the blade
up to block an overhead slash and for side swipes, keep your blade
vertical and move the sword left/right into the attack to parry.
* The walking trees can be parry-slashed, but again it's risky as it's
hard to block their branch arms.
* Inside the spider hut, I would try and kill the giant spiders
straight away (vertical slices to the head) as their claw attacks
come from an awkward angle and are hard to block. After killing the
last two small spiders, DO NOT TOUCH THE MIRROR!!! It will transport
you to the second Bezerker Mode stage. The most I've ever killed
here is 32 spiders. Again you will need 30+ kills for 10,000pts.
HELP!: Can you parry-slash the giant spiders effectively? If so,
please contact me and tell me how!
* As you leave Bezerker Mode and the camera turns around, make sure
you grab the bonus in the vase. Its contents seem to change
(either a life-up, 1000pt bonus or 5000pt bonus).
BOSS: Nefarious Arachnid (Spider Lady)
--------------------------------------
If you're new to Mazan, you will find this lady tough to beat, so don't
be surprised if you die. The worse thing about this battle is not the
boss herself, but the accompanying spiders attacks. Even the best
players can die here!
She'll start out with her spider leg attack. Watch carefully which leg
pulls back as that's the one she strikes with. Block the leg; then
quickly counter with a parry-slash. Two parry-slashes will knock her
back. If you don't knock her back in time, she will hurl some small
spiders at you. Repeat until she spider-walks away.
CAUTION: Occasionally she screams out and attacks rapidly with her
legs. If this happens, try to get a parry-slash in to slow her down.
Once you have knocked her back, the camera pans up. QK the giant
spider walking across the ceiling for 2000pts. Back on the ground,
quickly kill the small spiders, then slash vertically at the giant
spider's head to kill it before an attack (or block and parry-slash if
you can). When you turn around, there will be two more giant spiders.
Block the spit, then quickly slash at the right spider, then the left.
If you don't kill the right spider fast enough, you will have to block
the left spider's attack (this is tough). Spider Lady will then come
forward and restart her spider leg attack. Two more parry-slashes will
force her to transform into a mutant spider.
When the cut-scene ends, two giant spiders will attack. BE WARNED! -
one may hang down from the ceiling, so be on your guard. After some.......
small spiders, she'll jump forward and attack with her two front legs.
These attacks are hard to avoid - but look closely and you'll see the
leg she will use is drawn back more. After blocking the leg, quickly
slash at her head. You can parry-slash these attacks but it's tricky,
due to the leg shape. Once she gets thrown back, block her first two
spits, then quickly kill the two small spiders on the right. Now block
the remaining spit by 'wiggling' the sword left and right as you'll
need to kill the other small spiders attacking at the same time (talk
about unfair!!).
Now she will spit some more and then either restart her legs attacks or
walk directly in front of you. If it's the latter, quickly slash
vertically at her head to inflict maximum damage! At some stage, she
will jump up high and spit at you again. Once she jumps down, she
will restart her front leg attack. There is a chance you might face
two more giant spiders as well. Keep going until Spider-Lady kicks the
bucket.....PHHHEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
HELP!: Can anybody provide some tips on parry-slashing her front legs
effectively? If you can, e-mail me!
* A good end-of-level score would be between 330,00 - 350,000pts
(Champion). Well done if you can reach over 370,000pts (Master)!
8.3 Stage 3
-------
* As you begin the level, there is a life-up bonus in a plain vase
ahead.
* After killing the first spearman with the oar, the camera quickly
pans left. Slash the screen rapidly to grab the 5000pt bonus vase.
You only get a second to do it!
* When the camera pans left after you kill the first lava fish, QK
the knife dwarf directly in front (1000 pts).
* After killing the second lava fish, you will be faced with two
knife dwarfs and another lava fish spiting from a distance. Block
BOTH spit attacks before killing the dwarfs.
* You can break the spikes and the stone statues for extra points.
* To kill the giant demons, block the attack and then flick your
sword up their club to parry. Then quickly slash!
* Further on in the stage, you will see a cave with a door closing
over it. Parry-slash the red demon (I find this VERY difficult)
to kill it quickly and get inside the treasure cave. Inside,
smash as many vases as possible, but beware of the constant dwarf
attacks. Near the end, you will be rushed passed two vases while
being barraged with projectiles. You can try to break them if you
want but it's VERY DIFFICULT to avoid being hit!
Remember that not every bonus will register because of the scoring
problem!
HELP!: When you first enter the cave and the camera turns right,
there is a vase at the bottom I can never get. If you've managed to
break it, please e-mail telling me how you do it and what's inside.
FINAL BOSS: Sorcerer (Soulstealer's Creator)
--------------------------------------------
They say the last boss is usually the toughest and the Sorcerer is no
exception. Even though I've beaten the game in one credit, he's
killed me more times than I've killed him. What makes this battle so
tough are his sword-arm attacks; it's hard to judge which direction
they come from. Try keeping the on-screen blade high up so it's
easier to block them.
He begins by jumping down/running in with a sword attack. If he jumps,
he will swipe diagonally-downward, so have your blade in position.
Look carefully and block the ground swipes, then parry-slash. When he
jumps back, he will throw fireballs. 'Wiggle' your sword across the
screen to block them. When he runs back, he will stab at you. Block
CAREFULLY, then get ready to counter the following swipes.
NOTE: Watch out for that nasty swipe that comes from below!
When he's been hit enough times, he will make his sword-arm grow. He
will either swipe down or from the side. For the downward attack,
position the blade horizontally. As he swipes, bring the sword
up/across to block the arm and parry. Then when the camera rushes in,
slash like crazy!.
After the cut-scene, he will rush in with a series of poke attacks.
To block them effectively, keep the blade horizontal. Get ready to
move quickly when he reverts back to swiping. It is possible to parry
the pokes by moving the sword slightly while blocking, but I haven't
perfected it yet.
Strike him enough times and he'll jump on some flying rocks. Again,
watch his arm and parry the swipes, but get ready to block afterwards
as he will swipe again. He will use successive swipes when flying
up-close, so be vigilant!
Once you force him down, he will suspend knives in the air and begin
throwing them at you. Look for the knives that turn gold as they will
come next. Hold the blade horizontal and move it carefully to block.
Let the knives rebound off the blade; don't slash at them or you may
get hit. After a while, the Sorcerer will restart his swipe attacks.
Keep the blade horizontal to avoid being struck by a knife as he comes
in. Now parry-slash the following swipes. He will alternate between
the knives and sword-arm until he is dead.
If you beat the Sorcerer, stand back and enjoy the lamest ending in
arcade history!! :(
HELP!: Occasionally I get a 5000pt bonus from this guy. It's
during the second phase and I was striking him in between sword-arm
attacks. If you know to obtain this bonus, please contact me.
* A good end-of-game score would be between 400,000 - 450,000 with a
Master grade. Kudos to you if you can grab a higher score with
SBM/SGM grades!!
9.0 WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
-------------------
For convenience, I have again listed all the things I need help with.
I will credit those who assist me in the next revision.
* Can anybody provide tips for parry-slashing:
a) the giant spiders?
b) Nefarious Arachnid's legs during her second transformation?
* Do you have any effective methods for parry-slashing the red
demon guarding the treasure cave (Stage 3)?
* How do you get a 5000pt bonus from the Sorceror?
* What is the EXACT criteria for gaining the top two grades?
Any other information/suggestions/criticisms welcome!!
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Please include MAZAN within the subject heading as I don't want to
delete your message thinking it's junk mail. I will try to respond
ASAP.
10.0 Credits/Shouts
--------------
* NAMCO - For making this enjoyable and challenging game. Visit their
websites below.....
+ www.namco.co.jp - See the internet ranking. Choose the 'English'
page, click the 'Official Ranking' and scroll to 'Mazan'.
+ www.namcoarcade.com - Choose 'Game Info' from the menu and click
on 'Mazan'.
* SEGA PARK, SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - For bringing the game in. Please
don't replace it with House Of The Dead 3 (I don't mind Time Crisis
3 though)!
* ALL MAZAN ADDICTS AND THE TOP PLAYERS ON NAMCO'S WONDERPAGE - Giving
me a reason to play the game more!
* SEGA PARK ENGINEER - For changing the difficulty back to Normal so
I could get the password screen!
* MR NICE 4 - King Of The Road!!
* HARPREET - Silly Little Boy Go Na Na Na, Innit Mushty?!
* MAC - Only Jim Duggan & Vince Russo can save wrestling now!!
* RSH HOSPITAL & C.I.S (NURSLING) - Miss you all...take care!!
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Mazan: Flash Of The Blade (C) 2002 Namco Ltd. - All Rights Reserved.
This guide (C) 2003 R-Jay (
[email protected])
"Because you are the main dish on the menu tonight!" - Nefarious Arachnid
[End Of File]
