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</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
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.
