8 EYES BOSS FAQ

                          AUTHOR: THE SPELUNKER
                       COPYRIGHT - 2003 - 2008, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Please contact me if this is the case.


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

I - INTRODUCTION
II - BOSSES
III - CREDITS



Version 1.1: Corrected e-mail, rewrote some sections of guide
Version 1.0: First submission


::::::::::::::::::: I. INTRODUCTION :::::::::::::::::::

This FAQ is for the classic and underappreciated multi-player NES game, 8
Eyes. I want to draw more attention to this great game and also help out
those who get frustrated it by offering a guide that details the strategies
my dad and I have developed to defeat all of the bosses. Please note that
this guide does not require you to beat the bosses in any specific order, and
we have beaten all of the bosses without the benefit of the pertaining weapon
power-up. It is possible; believe me.

I would have to recommend that players attempting this have two-players,
though it is not necessary; you will just have to control both Curtris and
Orin at once. If you're by yourself, I recommend you follow the game in the
set pattern: Spain - Egypt - Italy - India - Africa - Germany - Arabia
because it will be much easier. Even then, this FAQ should still aid you as
having a more powerful weapon does not necessarilly guarantee a boss win
against the incredibly challenging bosses of 8 Eyes.

I'd also like to stress the importance of fighting these bosses patiently.
Most of these strategies will require the bird to soften up the boss so that
the man can move in for the kill, and we all know that the bird is very weak;
so patience is a virtue. Other than that, have fun, don't lose your cool,
and enjoy this great NES game.



::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


:::::::::::::::::::::: II. BOSSES ::::::::::::::::::::::


======
INDIA=
======

The easiest boss in the game is the stage boss of India. To make things easier,
the level isn't too difficult either. The boss launches magic balls at an arc,
but there is one key point about him -- he pauses after he appears and before
he disappears. You can stand out of range of his magic arc and only walk up and
pop him when he stops. You can beat him without even taking a hit if you do
this right, which makes him similar to a regular enemy in ways. Supposedly
there is a "Z" Jar in his lair, too, but I've never had to use this. You may if
you have trouble, though. Once beaten, you'll acquire his stone, then sit down
and have a cup of tea with him courtesy of the skeleton.


======
SPAIN=
======

Next on the list is Spain. I am unsure if this is the second easiest boss, but
he's pretty easy. The trick to him is to have a good bit of health with Curtris
and send him to harass the boss. The  good thing about this strategy is that
the green guy has A LOT of trouble hitting a flying enemy, and theoretically
can be beaten without Curtris ever taking a hit(especially if you use the
fly-to-shoulder-after-striking trick that will give you temporary
invulnerability). If Curtris dies, though, you always have Orin as back up.

The problem with confronting him with Orin is that, even though you can duck
his slashes, he will constantly run into you, making the fight more of a test
of who has more health rather than who has more skill. This is why it's best
to soften him up with the bird. It'll be tea time before you know it if you
follow this route.

======
Italy=
======

People who have played through this game are probably surprised, but let me
explain. Italy has perhaps the hardest bosses -- there are two -- in the game,
but it's always best to take out the hard guy early on, right? At any rate the
fact that Italy is an easy stage is a bonus too. When the fight begins, you'll
notice a blue panther(this guy is nothing like a regular stage panther and
is, in fact, a mini-boss) as well as a card-tossing Italian in Khakis and a
dress shirt(this game is full of stereotypes). Contrary to what you might
believe, the panther can jump on the top platform, either by rebounding off
of the left ledge or bypassing through the gap under the stairs.

It's not a good idea to have Curtris attack the panther at all because you
want to have him focus on the boss for now(while you wait on the ledge), but
it is inevitable that the panther will jump up and attack you, so be ready.
First, let me cover Curtris' strategy. He should have a good amount of health
left over from the stage(I recommend at least 4 bubbles). Curtris will have
to use the swoop then fly to shoulder(up + B) trick to avoid card damage, but
he'll probably get hit anyway -- that's okay.

As for Orin, if the panther mounts the platform, he should start whacking at
it like crazy while ducking. Don't worry about trying to dodge it because you
just want to take him out, and he's not really avoidable in such a closed
space. The panther might fall back down, but if he does you can just go down
LATER, as in when Curtris has died, and finish him off. So, let us say
Curtris is dead, the boss is not and neither is the panther.

Here is what you do: hop down when the panther is not directly below the
stairs, go towards the crevice in the right wall as much as possible(to avoid
the card-thrower) and finish him off. After the panther is dead is when it
gets tricky. I sincerely hope that you have a Freeze Ball left over from the
stage because you will need it(and you'll need to have collected the full
health jar from earlier in the stage as well because the panther hurts).
Right in that crevice, inside the first block above you, is an
invulnerability potion.

Don't use it yet! Wait to grab it until you see the boss arriving from the
left side of the screen and immediately take it. The goal now is to charge
the boss and push him towards the right edge of the platform -- NOT THE LEFT!
If you push him towards the left you will miss a lot of attacks and the
invulnerability will be wasted. On the right, he will be stuck(because he
doesn't go on the lower platform) and you can wail on him. Once the
invulnerability is gone, start chucking Freeze Balls at him and finish the
job. Enjoy a nice lunch with the boss and prepare for the next stage.

=======
ARABIA=
=======

This boss is actually rather easy for Orin, but hell for Curtris. Thus
you should have Orin get the full-health jar in the level
instead of Curtris. Once you arrive in his lair, immediately climb the
stairs. Your goal is to jump down from the upper platforms when the boss is
at one edge of screen because you don't want him to trap you in a corner as
you fight him -- meaning if he backs you up to the stairs, climb them and
repeat. The Arabia boss has an incredibly predictable pattern. He'll slash
forward once, then do an upper slash and finally toss some daggers at you.

To be as safe as possible, only hit him after his forward slash, then back up
a little ways and duck. By doing this you're going to ensure that you never
get hit. It's quite possible to go in with a full bar of health and leave
with the same using this method. If you try to get risky, you're probably
going to get hit and your concentration will be broken. This boss is quite
easy once you catch on to his pattern.


========
Germany=
========

The boss of Germany is a magician, and he is a very unpredictable one like
Egypt's magician boss. You might be surprised to see that his lair is only
some stairs leading up to a platform, but that is actually to your advantage,
believe it or not. This strategy comes in two parts -- a two-player one and a
one-player one. Both will require you(and Curtris if two-player) to get
through the stage without losing much life at all, if any.

Two-player:

This is by far the easier strategy, and it doesn't require you to defeat
Africa before trying it, either. Fist, Orin should grab the weapon
booster on the second block up behind the stairs. Then, Orin should duck down
at the foot of the stairs, while Curtris should hang out in the upper-right
of the screen. The boss will take his sweet time coming to you guys, but be
patient until he reaches the edge of the platform, then have Curtris dive
down towards 7-8 o'clock and attract the bosses' attention to the left. Orin
should immediately jump up to the next accessible platform(preferably on the
same ground level as the boss) and wail on him.

The boss will eventually turn around, and when he does, Orin should return to
his ducking position at the bottom of the stairs. If done right, you will
take no damage. Keep in mind that Orin can destroy the bosses' magic balls
with his sword if they come to him, so continually slash even when ducking
and hiding. This method will take some practice and coordination between the
two players, but it can be done as long you repeat this pattern and both
players remain patient.

One-player:

You should have beaten Africa before even attempting this because it will be
next to impossible otherwise. Grab the weapon booster immediately as you
enter the bosses' lair, then duck down at the foot of the stairs. Hopefully
the boss won't attack while you're hiding there, but he might so be prepared.
The time you should strike is right when the boss is at the edge of the
platform. Just jump up and aim for his shins. Doing this, most of the magic
disks will glide over your head, and you should take minimal damage as long
as you're not actually touching the boss. You can beat him this way with the
weapon booster and the power-up from Africa, but it might take several tries,
as a lot of this method seems to rely on luck.

=======
Africa=
=======

The boss of Africa is not a hard one -- that is, unless you don't use the "G"
Jar located on the left side of the first pile of blocks. Any sane person
will use this, though, and dispose of him quickly. Just make sure to wait
until he starts tossing axes at you, or you actually see him. Have the
invincibility jar ready to grab, and then charge him. He doesn't run back
like the Italy boss did, so this is to your advantage. You should have very
few problems using this method, and it hardly requires a specially powered-up
weapon.

======
Egypt=
======

Egypt and Italy's bosses are the hardest ones in the game. It's arguable
which is tougher, but I'd have to go with Egypt's since there are no
power-ups in his lair. Thankfully, it's possible to make it to his room with
nearly a full bar of health(getting past the spectres will almost always cost
you health). Just be sure to get the "S" Jar before you even enter the stage.
It's one of the higher left blocks outside the entry door. When you finally
reach the boss' lair, have Orin stay up on the high platform(standing his
ground at the top of the steps), while Curtris waits for the boss to come and
attack.

Using the swoop + fly-to-shoulder trick, Curtris can theoretically win the
fight by himself, but this would take forever. You really only need him to
knock out 4-5 bubbles of health before Orin can leap down. The tricky part is
avoiding damage with Orin, since he will be susceptible to the attacks of the
boss on the platform, if the boss jumps up there. The boss tends to do this a
lot, so it's a good idea to start walking down the steps every time Curtris
attacks. If you see the boss firing magic balls, just walk right back up.

Repeat this until the boss is missing enough health, then jump down with Orin
and use Freeze Balls at point blank range and give it all you got. Trying to
predict the magician's pattern is a lost cause because he is too
unpredictable. Brute strength and a lot of help from Curtris are the only
ways to beat him, assuming you don't have the powered-up weapon from Spain.
This strategy would probably be too hard to execute in single-player, so beat
Spain first instead.

==============
House of Ruth=
==============
A strategy is probably unnecessary for this final boss, who is not particularly
difficult. The "S" Jar is on the end of the right platform. It should be all
you need to conquer Ruth, considering that it restores your and Curtris' item
power and health to full once taken. Freeze Balls and a severe beatdown should
do the trick, but it is also possible to only attack Ruth in between her whip
strikes, though not easy.

Congratulations! You've completed 8 Eyes for the NES.



::::::::::::::::::: III. CREDITS :::::::::::::::::::

GameFAQs - For hosting this site and providing so many resources for old and
new games alike, as well as remaining pop-up free and up to date. I hope this
trend continues for many, many years to come.

Taxan/Seta/Thinking Rabbit - I don't know where you guys went, or what other
games you've made, but on the off-chance that you ever look at this guide, a
sequel to 8 Eyes would be great :)

My dad - For playing Curtris and beating the game with me.

Tom Votava - Without his great guide, I never would have known about the "S"
Jar outside of Egypt and probably would still be stuck at that boss right
now.

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