Ganso!! Yancha-Maru
Game Boy
Developer: Irem Publisher: Irem
By: GammaBetaAlpha
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Table of Contents
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How to Play [HELP]
Walkthrough [WALK]
Contact Info [CONT]
Credits [CRED]
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How to Play
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[HELP]
Ganso!! Yancha-Maru is a platforming game, part of a series of 4 games
released in the late 80s and early 90s. The other three games were released on
the Famicom, with only the very first game making it overseas as Kid Niki. The
game is reasonably challenging without hitting the level of Nintendo Hard many
platformers do.
Yancha-Maru, as a ninja, swings his sword in front of him as his main
attack. Through breaking blocks in levels, he can sometimes pick up 10-packs of
shurikens that he automatically fires one at a time every time he swings his
sword until he runs out of shurikens. However, Yancha-Maru is a glass cannon,
incapable of taking even a single hit - should you touch an enemy or get hit by
a projectile, you will be tossed back to the start of the level.
The game is split into four worlds with three levels in each. At the end
of each world is a boss.
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CONTROLS
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A - Jump
B - Swing your sword
Down - Crouch
Left/Right - Move around
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ITEMS
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Items are occasionally dropped by enemies, and most blocks have an item
of some sort, with the standard pellet being the most common. Many of the blocks
in the game have fixed items, useful for the runner who likes to know ahead of
time the location of scrolls and 1-Ups.
Pellets - The most common item. If you collect 100 of them, at the end of a
stage they will be cashed in for an extra life
Shurikens - Gives Yancha-maru 10 shurikens. Every time you swing the sword from
then on, Yancha-maru automatically fires a shuriken with it until
he runs out of shurikens. Shurikens are NOT able to break blocks or
damage bosses, however
1-Up - Gives you an extra life
Scroll - Gives Yancha-maru temporarily invincibility for as long as his sprite
is flashing. Any enemies that you come in contact with are slain
automatically (in the case of snail enemies, however, they have to be
exposed for this to happen, and not in a shell). If you move into a
boss area, however, the effect of the scroll terminates automatically
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HIDDEN ROOMS
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In every level, there will be a door hidden inside one of the crates
(where it is is fixed so it never changes from playthrough to playthrough). If
you touch the door, you will be taken to a separate room without any enemies
that has several crates. Some but not all of the crates will have pellets in
them. Once you are finished in the room, you can exit out by climbing the ladder
on the right side of the room.
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Walkthrough
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[WALK]
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STAGE 1-1
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From the start, head right, using your sword to take out a couple of
enemies coming at you, then use your sword again to break a couple of blocks.
Once you get past the second block, watch out for falling objects from above.
Spin your sword multiple times on the floating block to push it back,
while collecting the multiple pellets the block leaves behind. Contiue breaking
blocks and kill the rabbit as you go across. Be certain to break the three
blocks floating in the air for a shuriken from the middle.
Once you come to another set of three blocks on the ground, break the
lower right one to reveal a hidden door to take you to a bonus room. In here,
you can break all the blocks in the area, some of which have pellets hidden in
them, before climbing the ladder to the right to exit out.
Back outside, continue walking right while destroying more blocks and
taking out a rabbit. After hopping over a pit, there will be the first bird
enemy of the stage, along with one more normal human enemy. Eliminate a few more
blocks, then walk along. Once you see the staircase, anticipate a large 'B'
symbol floating along the side from the right. Be sure to contact it to collect
it, as it will take you to an end of stage Bonus Game.
A note: to end the level, you have to stand on top of the staircase.
In this Bonus Game, when you press the B button, Yachamaru shall fire a
shuriken out right. Depending on your timing, you may collect a block that gives
you either 1 pellet, 10 pellets, 1 extra life or 2 extra lives.
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STAGE 1-2
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Hop over the gap from the start and proceed to break blocks as you go
over the first brick floor. Once you get to the next section, you will encoutner
a large snail, but it will go down as easy as all the other enemies.
Make your way over a large chasm by first jumping onto a hovering
platform, then waiting for another platform to come over. Land on the small
island past the first chasm and break the blocks to find a hidden door on the
right side. Enter for a bonus area with numerous blocks. Break the blocks for
more pellets, then head bcak outside.
Back on the main stage, jump onto the platform to your right, then hop
onto the brick floor up top. Continue to break blocks and kill any enemies that
come your way. Be careful, as one of the enemies will drop a bomb down on the
floor - should it do this, move back a bit and wait for the bomb to detonate
before proceeding.
Hop onto another outcrop platform before dropping down to the right,
then move forward again until you hit the end of the level. Grab the B symbol
again for another bonus game round.
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STAGE 1-3
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Break the set of blocks at the start of the stage for some pellets, then
take out the bird that comes your way. Continue on past a snail and onto a
rooftop, eliminating a few more enemies, including another bird. Power on some
more to the next rooftop. Here, take out the snail on top of three blocks and
destroy the centre block for the hidden door of the level.
Outside again after collecting multiple pellets, along with multiple
blocks, you will also have to deal with the enemy type that drops bombs. As
always, so long as you stay far enough away from the bomb it will not damage you
once it detonates.
After making your way past the rooftops and more foes and blocks, you
should eventually hit the end of the level, where you will duke it out with the
game's first boss.
STAGE 1 BOSS
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The first boss vaguely resembles a mouse, and without the game's manual
or some other official source of information the author cannot assert precisely
what the boss's species.
Regardless, the mouse does not have any actual attacks. Instead, it
bounces from the platform on the right to do a double-hop to reach the left
side. It then does a double-jump right to land back on the platform, and repeats
this left-and-right motion ad infinitum, with it only being able to cause
contact damage.
The mouse's jumping patterns leave quite a bit of space for Yanchamaru
to stand under. Its left and right jumps are the same, though the first jump
going left leaves more room under it than the other three. Your best bet to win
is to stay under the parabola of its right side jump, then once it lands on the
top platform, quickly get a close-contact shot in with your sword before falling
back down to earth and out of its jumping area.
It should be noticed that firing shurikens at the boss will not damage
it - only direct contact with your sword shall. This is true for every boss in
the game.
Once the boss is defeated, grab the log to finish the level.
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STAGE 2-1
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Defeat the first human enemy you come across before breaking through
some crates, then hop onto a floating platform. Fend off any birds that come by
as you jump onto the next set of platforms. Take the top cloud up to avoid some
ogre enemies on the lower cloud, and smash the block up here multiple times to
grab several pellets from it.
Hop over the first small cloud that will shoot bullets straight up onto
the second cloud platform. Take out another human enemy before jumping onto the
brick platform, and anticipate a tornado foe to come your way. Take it out as
you would any other enemy with your sword. Continue on, and you should run into
more of the tornado-type foes. Drop down in the hole between the brick floors
and smash the blocks to your left to find the bonus room for this area.
After you get past the brick flooring, you will need to make your way
past several cloud platforms with the gun turrets installed in the clouds that
shoot straight up. Watch for when they shoot and time your way across to avoid
getting hit, all the while eliminating more birds and human enemies. Once you
get to the end, grab the B symbol to play another bonus game.
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STAGE 2-2
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Take out the first enemy that comes your way, then move across the cloud
platforms. Take out the normal enemy and ogre, then as you continue on take a
combined human-bird foe out as well. Make your way onto a cloud platform with
two turrets on it, destroying a block on top, then continue right across the
top, destroying more blocks while generally staying away from the bottom side.
On top as you cross by, with a long row of blocks on the very top of the screen
and only one block below, the hidden bonus room is in one of the top blocks
here.
After you cross a long distance of cloud area, you should eventually get
to terrain with blocks. Shortly thereafter, you will run into a long stretch of
cloud platform, along with the end of the stage.
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STAGE 2-3
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Take out the initial batch of enemies that come your way at the start,
then head right, destroying several blocks. Drop down and take out a swarm of
ogres before using the platform to hop onto the top cloud. Continue on right and
you will drop through an invisible hole in the top of the next cloud platform.
Continue along the bottom path for a while, taking out more human enemies, until
you come to some more moving platforms.
From the first moving ledge, fend off a tornado enemy, and then continue
to deal with tornado and bird foes as you move right. Smash your way through a
top or bottom section of 9 blocks (the hidden bonus room door is on the top
side), then beat up some more regular humans before coming to a hovering
platform. Go up, taking out some avian foes, then hop down, eliminating one last
human enemy before you fight the boss of this stage.
STAGE 2 BOSS
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This cloud boss, much like the first stage boss, has an attack set that
it repeats, though somewhat more complicated. To start, it will move left across
the screen, dropping small pellets straight down three at a time. It will then
move back right. Once it has done a forth-and-back motion, it will then swoop
down to the centre of the screen before moving back up as it hits the opposite
side of the screen. It then repeats this entire motion, though this time it ends
back on the right side.
Probably the best way to attack the cloud boss is to stay behind it when
it is shooting out pellets (as the pellets leave a blast once it hits the ground
that stays for about a second after impact), then get behind it again once it
reverses direction. Once it moves to do its swooping action, give it a strike
from the centre and then quickly move to the opposite side of the screen (where
it will end up) as it shall move back up before it ever comes in contact with
Yanchamaru tucked away in the corner of the screen. Repeat this motion several
times to finally take it down and out.
As before, pick the log up off the ground once you have slain the boss.
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STAGE 3-1
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Move forward and jump over the pit, and be prepared to face off against
several ninja to start. After destroying multiple blocks, continue on and hop
onto the first platform. Make a careful jump onto the next, thinner platform,
then crouch as you pass under the ceiling.
In the next section you have ledges that constantly expand and contract
from the walls. Jump onto the first high wall, then time your fall for when the
next ledge extends out to smash the blocks in your way followed by a snake foe.
Continue on past. The base block of where you will face multiple snail monsters
contains the bonus door. After, continue along to fight the snails and more
humans along with some bats. Take a platform after awhile and jump above onto
another set of expanding and contracting ledges shortly thereafter.
Clash your way through more snails and humans from there as you progress
right as Yanchamaru. Once you hit the end of the level, once more be certain to
snag the B symbol to go to the bonus stage.
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STAGE 3-2
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Dash forward and break open several crates before sending your first
human opponent flying. One of the crates after will have a tanuki enemy hidden
inside, so be certain to quickly defeat it with a sword strike as soon as it
appears. This gimmick will occur several times throughout the stage.
Progress forward, defeating multiple snakes, snails and humans. After
two sets of blocks, the hidden door being in the lower left corner of the left
set, you will come to a platform hanging in the air that rotates every second so
it is sometimes horizontal and sometimes vertical. Time your landing so you land
when it is horizontal, then quickly hop onto solid ground. Continue on through
more blocks, where as you may expect, you will have to fight more tanukis hidden
in the crates, along with a larger number of humans.
Shortly thereafter, you should come to a long stretch of water. Wait for
a narrow moving platform to come to you before hopping on (be sure to gently tap
the B button, as the ceiling spikes will kill you on contact), then take the
upper path past a snake. Drop down, take out a few more snails and bats, and go
over a short gap. The B symbol here will fly down only so low before going back
up, so be certain not to end up dying by accident by falling into the gap when
you attempt to snag the Bonus symbol.
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STAGE 3-3
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Hop over the pillars once you start and time your first jump to land on
the platform once it is horizontal, then quickly bounce over to the next pillar
(the top right block going up and down the initial flight of steps holds the
hidden door) Use the second pillar to jump up to the right and over, taking out
a snake right away. Continue on up and past a series of blocks, as always being
leery of breaking any boxes lest they contain tanukis in them.
Ignore the series of rotating platforms and skip by underneath them,
taking out a series of snails and snakes to clear the way before jumping off the
last rotating platform onto the floor above. Continue on past several floating
platforms, crouching as necessary. Once you disembark, manhandle several more
snakes followed by a few humans before you get to the boss at the end of the
level.
STAGE 3 BOSS
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The third boss of the game hangs from upside down on the ceiling of the
boss chamber, and stays there for most of the battle. To start off each attack
sequence, he will drop down four bats that will fall straight down from where he
is at, and then bounce off. Yancha-maru must beat up all four spiders to trigger
the next part of the sequence. You can spin your sword and kill several spiders
at once by standing right under the boss and spinning the sword as the spiders
drop down.
Once all the spiders are dead, the boss itself will then drop down, and
move forward to the left side of the screen. You cannot strike him from the
front side with your sword, only the back side. As such, stay slightly away from
him, then jump over him once he lands, turn around and cut away. Once you strike
him with your sword, he will stop where he is at and immediately go back up to
the ceiling, and repeat the entire sequence. Like the previous bosses, four hits
will do him in.
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STAGE 4-1
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Start off 4-1 by taking out a snake on the first air platform as you
head right, and take out a couple of tanukis hidden in blocks while bypassing
the humans, who will all fall to the ground below if you let them move forward
and drop down. Make a handful of tricky jumps over three small moving platforms
to clear a large gap. Once you land on solid ground again, take out multiple
humans on the ground, then several more humans as you continue up right. In the
two blocks behind a gap with a snake to your right will contain the hidden door
of the level.
You will have to deal with a couple of snakes and still more humans as
you move right onto a rooftop. Walk forward some more to a pit and use the
platform to make it across, being certain to snag the B symbol as it flies by
before landing on the staircase.
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STAGE 4-2
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Take on the humans who come forward at the start of the stage. You will
have to deal with a new type of foe as well, a sort of beetle-like humanoid who
can throw bombs out at a short trajectory. They also take three hits to kill,
and will bounce back slightly every time they take a hit. Make your way past the
first rooftop by waiting out the beetle humanoids and smashing by them after
they have thrown their bombs. Continue on past some blocks to the next floor
area, taking out a snake, and you will come to an area with floors growing and
shrinking below you.
Skip by here and head on to the next section, where you will have to
deal with more beetle humanoids and regular humans. After you hit a high wall,
watch below for a ledge that retracts and expands. As soon as it expands out of
the wall the first length, drop down and break a pair of blocks so Yancha-maru
can slip by. On the other side of the wall, one of the blocks right above you
has the hidden door. After you are done and back outside, take out several
humans and snakes followed up by a pair of beetle enemies, then jump over a pit,
killing more snakes and humans and beetle humanoids.
After some time, you should come to another long chasm with several
rotating platforms and a hovering platform. Ignore the rotating platforms and
instead make a long jump onto the hovering platform from the high ledge to your
left, then jump over again to the stairwell. Be certain to claim your Bonus as
always.
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STAGE 4-3
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Coming into the final level of the game, hop along and take out a
multitude of humans and a handful of snakes, breaking blocks to clear the way as
you jump and dash forward. Once you come to the first hovering platform, hop on
and make a jump over to the batch of four ledges moving left and right. Try to
avoid the bottom moving ledge, as it will take you right into the projectile
trajectory of a snake on the other end of the chasm.
If you take the top or second-top ledge, you can jump onto the highest
ledge once hitting solid ground, and break the blocks here to locate the bonus
door. Outside again, move right some more, eliminating several humans and beetle
humanoids. Continue on for a bit longer, getting out of the fortress area. After
you break several blocks on one last section of floor that each contains a
tanuki enemy (the four blocks to the right on the lower floor has the last
hidden room of the game), hop over the last pit to take on the game's final
boss.
STAGE 4 BOSS
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The game's final boss, what appears to be a kitsune given a
transformation sequence at the start of the battle, takes 8 hits to defeat
instead of 4. Like the Stage 3 boss, he is also immune to damage on most parts
of his body, and can only be damaged by hitting him on the head.
The kitsune boss starts by tossing out three tiny underlings straight
forward across the screen. Yancha-maru can either jump over them or strike out
with his sword as they fly across the screen. If you do not take them out right
away, they will fall to the ground once hitting the opposite end of the screen
and then walk back across the floor, so you should attempt to kill them right
away. By pressing the B button and timing you sword strikes as they come within
range, you can defeat all of them without moving.
Immediately after throwing the third underling, and with very little
cool-down time, the kitsune boss will do a double jump, first landing on the
centre of the screen, then on the other side of the screen, before turning
around and repeating. The kitsune has a fairly large body area of contact,
especially with his head area, so you will need to be more precise with your
movements as you either run under him or jump to strike. It is probably safest
to only attempt to attack him right after he starts jumping, by running
underneath him during his first jump, then quickly turning around, leaping up
and swiping at his head before he hops away again.
After you defeat the boss, a cutscene will play with a good ending and a
bad ending. The author believes but is not certain that to get the good ending
you need to beat the game without dying once. Apparently you also need to press
the A or B button at a specific timing? Any information on this would be
appreciated, and you can email the author using the email at the bottom of this
guide.
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Contact Info
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[CONT]
Although I believe I have found everything there is to find in this
game, there is occasionally the possibility of some super secret level in an
obscure game that was never found because it was too obscure, or the like. If
you have anything that you feel needs to be includes, feel free to email me at
gammabetaalphafaqs AT gmail DOT com
If you have any other information to contribute or notice any errors,
again, shoot me a notice at gammabetaalphafaqs AT gmail DOT com
If you wish to host this guide, or use information from it, consider the
FAQ semi-public domain: you can host it without asking and derive information
from it word-for-word if you wish, but keep the document unchanged if hosting it
and give credit where due if using information
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Credits
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[CRED]
Thanks go to the atwiki website for information on this game:
http://www14.atwiki.jp/gball/pages/408.html
Another thanks goes to this Youtube user whose video playthrough I used
for assistance and double-checking my own work:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Patryk429
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ_7xL8F2Ko
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©2014 GammaBetaAlpha FAQs
