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--+ CONTRA +--
FOR THE NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
Author: RobG
Contact:
[email protected]
Last updated: 3/26/01
____________________
I. Table of Contents
--------------------
I. Table of Contents
II. Version History
III. Author's Note
IV. Introduction to Contra
V. Weapons/Items
VI. Walkthrough
VII. Secrets/Codes
VIII. Acknowledgements
IX. Copyright
___________________
II. Version History
-------------------
0.7 - 1/29/01 - Walkthrough completed for the first half of the game (a.k.a.
levels 1-4). Also completed all the other sections.
0.8 - 3/22/01 - Walkthrough completed for stages 5 and 6.
1.0 - 3/26/01 - Walkthrough completed for stage 7 -- all stages completed.
__________________
III. Author's Note
------------------
This is my first FAQ to write. I still own and play the original 8-bit Nintendo
Entertainment System (a.k.a. NES). Contra is a game that I loved before I ever
got my NES, and I got it for myself soon after getting the system. I've beaten
this game countless times, both singly and with a partner.
__________________________
IV. Introduction to Contra
--------------------------
Contra was released for the NES by Konami way back in 1988. This game soon
became a classic side-scrolling shooter, with a variety of weapons, challenging
gameplay, and 1 and 2 player-simultaneous modes. The object of this game is to
destroy the Red Falcon, and alien who, along with its minions, has invaded the
earth. It's just you (or you and your partner) against the whole alien army.
The game can be quite a challenge as you die after taking 1 hit, and you only
start the game (normally) with 3 lives. The controls for the game are very
simple:
A - Jump
B - Shoot
Control Pad - Move left and right, crouch, aim weapon
(Note: To shoot straight down, you must jump up with A, then hold down while
pressing B.)
Down + A - Drop down a level (if possible)
Start - Pause
Select - Pick between 1 and 2 players
Also, I'm not claiming to call everything by its official name, but hopeuflly
most people won't care.
________________
V. Weapons/Items
----------------
You start out the game with just a basic single-shot rifle. Fortunately, you
can get more powerful weapons (otherwise this game would be extremely
difficult). You can only hold down B to fire multiple shots if you have a
machine gun or laser, and this is probably the best way to fire these. All
bullets strike targets with the same force. The laser strikes with the force of
4 bullets. Upgrades are found by shooting flying capsules, shooting upgrade
boxes, or by shooting brownish-red colored soldiers in the bases.
R - rapid fire - This only affects the standard rifle and the spread gun. Quite
obviously, it just speeds up your bullets.
M - machine gun - Has the advantage of auto fire. Just hold down B for a
constant stream of bullets.
F - fireball - The bullets of this weapon move in a circle about as tall as your
player while they travel forward. I don't particularly like it because the
bullets travel the slowest of any weapon, but you can hit enemies that are
crouched.
L - laser - The laser strikes hard and is equivalent to an extremely fast-firing
standard rifle. Don't hit B rapidly with this one, or your current laser beam
will disappear and a new one will launch.
S - spread - This one's my favorite (especially when combined with rapid fire).
Bullets come out diagonally up and down as well as straight ahead, giving you a
very wide range. In a 2-player game where both players are armed with rapid
spreads, heads will roll.
B - barrier - The barrier makes you invincible for a little bit. You'll flash
between red and blue. Be very careful with it, though, because it gives you no
warning when it's about to end.
There is also an item in the shape of a falcon that destroys everything
currently on the screen. However, it appears only once, about midway through
stage 6.
_______________
VI. Walkthrough
---------------
LEVEL 1: JUNGLE
You start out the game landing on a cliff, armed with a standard rifle. Since
you have no ammo limit, feel free to jump around and shoot and all directions to
get the feel of things (if this is your first time to play). You can fall down
into the water without being hurt/killed, so go for it if you like. While in
the water, you can duck as long as you like to avoid enemy fire. If you're
playing a 2-player game, notice that your fire won't hurt the other player (now
that would REALLY suck!) and that you can pass right through each other.
Once you're ready, just walk forward firing your rifle. You'll blast a soldier,
and right after this, shoot diagonally down to take out a general and to get an
M, which is in a box (you can only shoot these when they open up). Right after
this an R will fly by (left to right), which won't do anything for you if you
have the M, but it'll be great for a second player. Keep walking forward while
shooting. Take out another general down below just as you did before.
Soon you will come across a bridge which will explode as you cross. Don't
worry... the explosions won't hurt you. In order not to fall, you must jump
constantly as you cross it. Sometimes soldiers will charge you as the bridge is
exploding, so you might have to fire diagonally down as you jump. After
crossing a second bridge in the same fashion, you'll encounter the first gun
turret in the game. Gun turrets can shoot up, down, left, right, and diagonal.
At the same time, you'll encouter 2 hiding generals. You can only shoot them as
they emerge. Stop just a step or 2 past the gun turret and duck. Shoot the
generals as they emerge, and then shoot the capsule, which contains the
wonderful S. Now you can simply jump where you are and shoot down, and the S
will take out the gun turret. If you fail to get the S, you can take it out by
jumping back and forth over it and shooting down while in the air. Just time
your jumps so you don't hit any bullets. Or you could just keep running forward
and say to heck with the thing altogether.
Continuing on, you'll encounter another gun turret and general. An F lies in a
box, but I definitely recommend keeping the S if you have it. Otherwise, go for
it. Try to stay on the top level as you work through this area. Soon after a
second gun turret, you'll happen upon a pop-up gun turret on the middle level.
It's disadvantage is that it can't shoot straight up, so just get right above it
and shoot down. When you get about halfway along the upper ledge that's just
above the pop-up turret you just destroyed, another one pops up, but this time
it's on your level. Thankfully, you'll have ample time to duck before it fires.
Just duck and blow it away. Another S is in a box right before the first pit.
Be careful, though, because a general awaits just beyond the pit. Take him out
before you cross (or as you cross if you're up to it). Get the S if needed.
Soon you'll get to a cliff with several levels of ledges. As you jump to the
lower ledge, 2 capsules will fly by. The bottom one has an L, and the top has
an R. Get whatever you want/need, and work your way up to the top. Jump across
from the very top. Walk to the right half of the ledge you land on, duck and
hit A to drop down, walk forward a few steps, and duck when you see the pop-up
turret. Jump across the pit, and notice the gun turret across the second pit.
If you have the S, just duck and take it out (you have to get close enough for
it to actually appear). Otherwise jump the pit and take it out from above. A
second turret lies just ahead on the same level as the first one; drop down to
its level to take it out. Jump up to the top level. The boss is just ahead.
LEVEL 1 BOSS
This one shouldn't be too hard. First, kill the general who perches up top.
When he emerges, he'll shoot a few bullets at you that might be hard to dodge.
You can either jump them or move up a little and duck them. Next, take out the
2 things that lob shells at you. To do this, stand at the very left of the next
to highest level and shoot. After they're both gone, just walk up to the target
and blow it away.
LEVEL 2: BASE 1
This level, along with Base 2, is different from the rest of the game's levels.
You are positioned behind an electric barrier, and enemies run across at the
other end of the room. If you press up, you'll step into the barrier, which
won't hurt you, but you'll be rendered immobile for a second and won't be able
to shoot. And you'll be quite vulnerable to enemy fire. Ducking will protect
you from all enemy bullets. To advance to the next room, you must destroy all
targets in the current room. There are also turrets mounted on the wall in most
rooms, but taking them down is optional. And if you stay in a room for a very
long time, the targets will start to shoot at you. But this shouldn't be a
problem.
The first room is very straight-forward, with only 1 target in the very middle.
Wait for the brownish-red guy to hop by (I have no frickin' clue why this guy
would choose to hop...). If you kill him, an R will come your way. After
destroying the target, the barrier will disappear. Walk forward to room two.
This one has a turret on the right and a target on the left. The guy in this
room yields an M. Take out the turret or don't, and take out the target. The
third room has turrets on the left and right and one target down low in the
center. Soldiers will come out that toss bombs at you if they get directly in
front of you. You'll recognize them because they move and then pause. The big
proglem with the bombs is that they can kill you even if you're ducked. So
you'll have to either jump right before they hit or move out of the way. Just
watch out for other bullets at the same time. No items can be gotten in this
room. The fourth room has a target in the center, a turret up above it (which
you must jump to hit), and slots on the ground level that roll things at you.
You can destroy these things by ducking and shooting them, or you can jump over
them with a well-timed jump. Get the M in this room if needed. The fifth room
is the final one. Guys toss bombs at you on the run in here. Turrets are to
the left, right, and above. A large target is in the middle. The guy in this
room gives an F. You'll encounter a bit more fire in this room, and the target
takes a few more shots to bring down, so be careful.
LEVEL 2 BOSS
Your view is slightly different for fighting the boss... like the normal side
view, but your gun is aimed up. This boss is laid out as follows:
_ _ _
|G||T||G| G - 3-directional gun turret
- - -
_ _ _
|T||T||T| T - target
- - -
Move to the left and stand just to the right of the center of the gun above.
This way, you'll be inbetween the gun's central and right bullets. But jump up
when shots come, because the right gun still could possibly hit you with it's
left bullet. Take out the target first, and then blast the gun when it's open.
Note that you don't have to be directly under the center of it to hit it, even
with the rifle. Take out the second gun in a similar fashion, and then take out
the central targets. Now for the second part: an orb will move back and forth
up at the top and drop large bubbles at you. Just make sure you destroy the
bubbles and don't worry too much about aiming right at the orb. Enough of your
shots should hit it anyway. It'll explode soon enough.
STAGE 3: WATERFALL
Stage 3 is unlike any other stage in that you go from bottom to top. Controls
are back to normal now, as opposed to the controls in the bases. In this stage
you hop from ledge to ledge, and the screen scrolls up once you get high enough
up on the screen.
*** Multiplayer Note *** If you make the screen scroll up while your partner is
at the very bottom of the screen, he'll die. Of course, if you don't like your
partner, this could be fun...
When you're ready, head to the right and then start jumping upwards. You'll
soon encounter a new problem: falling rocks. These are pretty much easily
avoided. You can shoot them several times and destroy them, but I don't really
think it's worth it (unless you're going for a high score). An F is in a box
between 2 rock outlets. An L is just a few levels above the F. Right above the
L, you'll find a general. Watch out for his low-angled fire as you take him
out. Now you'll notice someone hiding in the waterfall. When you jump up high
enough that this guy is at the bottom of the screen, he'll fire a shell straight
up in the air. When this shell gets to the top of the screen, it splits into 3
shells, which fall back down and explode. This scuba guy can be shot when he
emerges, or you can just keep jumping so he'll be below the bottom of the
screen. At any rate, use care. Take out the gun turret that's on the right
side of the screen right after the scuba guy.
Now you'll see a bridge above you that has 2 flames moving back and forth across
it. You'll approach it from the left side. As you jump to the bridge's ledge,
2 capsules will fly upward from the bottom of the screen. The one on the left
(which should come right below you) yields a very much appreciated B, while the
one on the right has an R. Be sure to get the B, then cross the bridge. Jump
up and then back over to the left side. You can duck directly in front of the
gun turret and destroy it without being killed.
At this point, you must jump to a moving platform. Carefully do this, and then
jump straight up, remaining on the left side. Almost immediately you get to
jump to another moving platform, but this time you jump over to the right side
of the screen. Destroy the gun turret to the left, being very careful as your B
will probably be running out now. After jumping up, you'll see 2 scuba guys and
a box. It's a good idea to take out the lower scuba guy before moving up any
further. Shooting the box reveals the S. Jump up and get it, and immediately
blast the gun turret to the right. Be aware the whole time that soldiers are
constantly appearing at the edges of the screen. Jump up in the air and shoot
down and right to take out the second scuba guy, then quickly jump up 2 ledges
in the center of the screen, since a gun turret appears on the left while you
are shooting at the scuba guy. You should have plenty of time to get up to its
level before it turns enough to shoot at you. After destroying it, jump to the
right side of the screen. A pop-up turret will appear above you... very easy to
kill. But a gun turret appears on the left at the same time, so watch out for
its fire. If you still have the spread, you can easily blast it from your
current ledge; otherwise, jump up a ledge, but watch your back for soldiers
appearing on the right.
After clearing out all the guns, jump to the left side. An M resides in a box,
which will be very helpful if you've lost your S. Hop to the final moving
platform and ride it over to the right side. Jump to the ledge and then up 2
more ledges and then head to the left side of the screen. Jump up again, and as
you do, shoot upwards to hit a general. Even if you miss, it takes him a few
seconds to shoot at you. Now work your way up to the very top, shooting
soldiers and dodging their bullets. When you get to the very top, jump up again
to make the screen scroll all the way up.
LEVEL 3 BOSS
Run over to the left as this boss materializes and begin firing upward.
Tentacles come out of sockets. They're vulnerable at their ends, which are
reddish. A few seconds after they emerge, they'll shoot red bubbles at you.
The mouth will also open every now and then and shoot 3 bubbles at you. Make
your main objective dodging the bubbles. Several of your shots will hit the
tentacles as they move around. Once one is gone, go after the other. You can
focus your fire on the tips when the tentacles slow down, but don't stand still
for long, as it will soon fire a bubble. Once both tentacles are gone, you have
nothing to worry about. Just stand slightly to the left or right of the center
bubble from the mouth and fire upwards. Shots will connect when the mouth
opens, and this bad boy will go down quite easily.
STAGE 4: BASE 2
Back into the base again. This time, you'll notice something a bit different.
Most targets are covered by glowing squares, which you must take out before
blasting the actual targets. But somehow, you can shoot the squares with any
gun but L from a ducking position. You still have to shoot the targets normally
when the squares are gone. Also, you now have guys who roll things at you (the
same things that came from the slots) as they run by.
The first room has 2 guns on the left and right and a target in the center. No
guy appears with an item in this room. The second room has 4 non-covered
targets at ground level and a guy with an F. In the third room, a gun turret is
up above 2 covered targets. Go ahead and jump up and take out the turret to
make things easier. Then work off the covers as you wait for a reddish-brown
guy with a much-needed L. The fourth room has a gun just high enough to where
you have to jump and shoot as you're coming back down. 2 targets are on the
ground, but wait for the guy with a B to hop by. Start out in the fifth room by
taking out the central turret. You can get an R in this room, but if you have
L, it won't help. Targets are on each side of the room. The sixth room has the
slots on the floor that roll things, so keep that in mind. There's only 1
target in the center, but if you wait long enough, you can get an S. Room 7 has
a gun right in front of you and a target above it that you must jump to shoot.
An F is in here if you really need it. The last room is just like the last room
of Base 1, but this time you can get an M.
LEVEL 4 BOSS
This boss is very similar to Base 1's boss:
_
|G| G - 3-directional gun turret
-
_ _ _
|T||T||T| T - target
- - -
This time around, things are a little bit more difficult. Guys will walk out up
above you from the sides and fire at you. After you kill all of them (or they
leave), more guys will come out, this time with wings. They will jump at you.
As soon as you destroy all the targets, no new guys will come out. Also, 4
mechanical creatures will appear at the very top. Like the boss of Base 1, they
shoot bubbles at you, but this time they're smaller and faster. They only take
damage when 2 of them come together. If the gun turret is still around, destroy
it ASAP. Then just move around and fire upwards while dodging (or shooting) the
little bubbles. Things get a bit easier once one set is gone, and the S helps
immensely.
STAGE 5: SNOWFIELD
Move forward in this icy stage until you get close to the first patch of trees.
You'll soon come upon a soldier seated on a gun (which I'll just call seated
soldiers from now on). His weapon fires fast-moving machine gun-sized bullets
at you, but they only come out one at a time and with a decent amount of time in
between shots. Fortunately, they are easily destroyed by simply ducking and
shooting. At the same time you encounter this first seated soldier, you'll also
see and hear something like pipe bombs flying out of the trees. They can't hurt
you while they're in the air, but the explosion when they hit the ground will
kill you.
Carefully move forward, dodging the pipe bomb explosions, and you'll come across
another seated soldier near the end of the patch of trees. Watch your back for
regular soldiers while firing. Up ahead take the top ledge and shoot the box
that contains an M. Jump to the next ledge and quickly duck, as you'll find yet
another seated soldier. At the end of the ledge, you can drop down between
shots to take out the next seated soldier. Then jump up and destroy the next
seated soldier with ease, as he is on a ledge above you. An R is in a capsule
that flies across from the left.
Continue on past another patch of pipe bomb-emitting trees and drop down to
bypass another patch of trees. During this whole stage, you should keep a
careful watch for soldier's bullets; they blend in quite well with the
background sometimes. Another seated soldier is on the current ledge. Fall
down and keep moving right. You'll find an F in a box. When you get to where
you can jump up, don't go too far right. Three capsules are about to fly by,
and you want to be ready for them. Go ahead and get the F if you wish.
Now head to the right and watch for the 3 capsules. The top one contains an R,
the middle one contains a falcon (the only one in the game -- it destroys
everything on the screen), and the bottom one contains an S. Collect the
goodies and carefully jump over the water twice to the second ledge. It's a
good idea to shoot the scuba guy in the water below the third ledge. Now jump
to the ledge and fire as you jump over the final water pit, since a general
awaits you.
Now continue forward and you'll approach what appears to be a floor of pipes.
Walk forward here until you encounter a tank with spikes on the front. As soon
as you do, run back to the very left hand side of the screen and turn yourself
back around. Just barely tap right on your controller. If you do this right,
the tank's bullets will just miss hitting your feet. Now simply shoot as fast
as you can. If you have the S (especially if it's combined with an R), this'll
be a piece of cake. If you have just a plain rifle, however, you might end up
losing a life here. A rapid-fire controller really helps here. If you destroy
the tank, you can be proud of yourself. If you die, you can move on anyway.
Walk forward until you get back to normal ground, and soon you'll encounter
another seated soldier. Dispose of him in the normal fashion and then continue
on. You'll find more pipe ground and (unfortunately) another tank. Use the
exact same strategy here. Continue on after it's destroyed or moved past you,
and you'll eventually happen upon yet another seated soldier. After returning
to normal ground, go on through another patch of trees with pipe bombs. You can
try to jump to the high ledge at the end -- you'll have to be careful of a pipe
bomb though. Either way, though, you can get an L in a block, which you'll
probably need at this point. After this, you'll come to a ledge with no trees,
but with pipe bombs flying out. Walk just past where the first one explodes and
duck and destroy the seated soldier. Continue on (with care) and you'll reach
one more area with pipe floor. The good news: no tank. The bad news: level
boss.
LEVEL 5 BOSS
This one can be a pain. It's some sort of floating craft that drops shells
straight down from its center and lets out smaller things from its sides. It
appears soon after you get to the closed door. After dropping shells and
releasing things for a few seconds, it disappears and then reappears somewhere
else. If you're playing solo, you have your work cut out for you. Position
yourself directly under the craft's center and shoot straight up as long as it's
dropping shells. Your shots will destroy the shells and damage the craft at the
same time. When it finishes dropping shells, it'll disappear and leave you with
the little things it released. They move outward from the main craft, drop down
to ground level, and then move towards you. You can jump over them and/or shoot
them; they're destroyed with one shot of any weapon. After all the things are
gone or destroyed, it'll be about time for the floating craft to show up again.
If you have the S, you might be able to kill it in one round. If not, count on
at least 2. Probably more if it's your first time. If you have a second
player, this boss is a whole, whole lot easier! One person shoots at the center
while the other worries about the smaller things the craft releases.
LEVEL 6: ENERGY ZONE
Just start out moving to the right until you get to a general and an M. Walk to
the very end of the ledge and take out the seated soldier. Soldiers will
probably come in from behind, so be careful. Jump the gap and take out 2 more
seated soldiers... 1 on your level and 1 down below. Either stay on the current
ledge or drop down one and walk to the end of the ledge. A general and another
seated soldier will appear... do the usual. Move right until you see a box,
which contains an L. A flame will come down from the ceiling when you get close
to the gap. The flame comes out and then recedes for a moment. Unfortunately,
there are plenty of these in this level.
Time your jump to cross while the flame is up. Look out for 2 more seated
soldiers -- 1 on your level and 1 up a level. After destroying them, you can
get the L if needed. If you stay down on the bottom level, you won't get hit by
the flame that comes down at the end of the ledges.
Up ahead is a section that can be a little tricky. Walk up until you see flames
waiting to shoot from a wall. You'll have a short amount of time from when they
come into view until they shoot out. So just run up a little bit and duck.
After the flame recedes, go up a little more and then duck again. Keep this up
until you are able to jump up a ledge, which you'll do right after the flame
recedes. When you hit the next ledge, immediately duck, and then repeat the
process. Be careful that you aren't holding down when you try to jump...
otherwise, you'll drop down.
Once you get to the top, drop down and repeat the whole bit for the next flames
and ledges. This time, when you get to the top, a general will be waiting for
you. Shoot him and dodge any bullets coming your way. Walk to the edge. Now
for another tricky part: wait until both flames (the one shooting down and the
one shooting left) recede, then drop straight down and stay up against the left
wall. As soon as the box above you opens, jump up and shoot it (aiming
downwards). You'll receive a much needed B... time for a well deserved break!
(Unfortunately, if you're playing with a friend, only 1 will be able to get this
item. The invincible player will have to wait on the other one to navigate all
of the following obstacles.)
Climb up the ledges and drop down. Jump up to the top of the next group of
ledges and just walk to the right, instantly destroying whatever you hit. Just
keep holding right, and you'll fall off of that ledge. You can then jump up to
the middle ledge and continue right. If you haven't wasted any time, you'll be
able to walk through the last seated soldier before the B wears off. Otherwise,
you'll have some seated soldiers, soldiers, and flames to deal with.
You should end up facing a wall with a flame coming at you from above. Wait for
it to recede and jump up. Then continue to the right. Soon after the floor
color changes, you'll get to fight another boss.
STAGE 6 BOSS
This boss is probably the most difficult of the remaining bosses. It's a robot
about twice your size that can jump up and down and walk from one side of the
screen to the other. It also stops occasionally to throw little blue things at
you. These things drop to the ground and slide towards you. You must carefully
jump them. Just keep shooting in the general direction of the robot. Don't
worry too much about aiming; you'll hit it enough. When it comes at you, jump
over it with a carefully timed jump. You can also shoot downward at it while
you jump over it. Keep on shooting it -- you'll know it's about gone when it
turns yellow.
STAGE 7: HANGAR
Go forward and take the top route when you have the choice. You'll notice 4
spiked arms reaching down from the ceiling. The far left one will go, then the
next one to it, the next one after that, and finally the far right one. This
isn't too hard... just time it and walk on through. As you get partway through,
an F flies by left to right. After continuing to the right a little, you'll see
something like a mine cart on tracks. You can jump on top of these carts and
they'll move forward. You can also shoot and destroy them for some points.
Jump on this one and ride it under 2 arms. As soon as you're to the right of
them, jump straight up to the ledge. On a platform above and to the right of
you is a seated soldier. If you don't have the S or F, you'll have to jump up
between his shots to shoot him. Just use careful timing.
After he's destroyed, jump up to his platform and then fall down to the left
edge of the floor below you. An R will come from the left. At this point, a
spiked wall will pop up in front of you. Just hit it enough times and it'll
blow up. After destroying it, another one will pop up. Next you'll come to 3
more spiked walls that are already in place. Watch out for soldiers while you
shoot the walls. Sometimes you'll get to be humored by a soldier running into a
wall and killing himself.
When you have the choice, I recommend once again taking the high route. Shoot
the spiked wall that pops up and move carefully to the right, dodging the arms.
Just before you get to the last arm, another wall pops up. After getting past
the arms and walls, you'll notice a stationary cart below you. Don't blow it
up! Instead, position yourself directly above it and drop down. Ride it to the
right, jump to the platform, and get the B. Drop straight down to the tracks.
You'll probably run right through the cart after it rebounds off the wall.
Continue forwards without worrying with the arms and fall down on the next cart.
Duck down and ride it, shooting and soldiers that show up (for some reason they
won't blow up if you bump into them). When you see another cart coming at you
from the right, either blow it up or jump in the air as it passes. Otherwise
you might end up on the platform heading to the right.
Jump up as soon as you get to a ledge, then jump and shoot the general. An M
will fly across from the left. You can take a little rest here if you need it.
When ready, jump across to the top ledge with the spike walls. An S will fly
across from the left on the bottom half of the screen. If you shoot it while
it's at the top of its arch, it should land up on your platform. If it lands
below you, you can drop down and get it... however, the bottom can be much more
difficult. If you're still on the top level, you have it easy. Just shoot the
walls and move on. If you end up on the bottom, you'll have to walk under
several arms (don't ride on the cart!). The first 4 aren't bad... just go under
each one right after it drops down and goes back up (but you must be fairly
quick). The last one drops down 9 times in rapid succession before taking a
break. Then you'll have ample time to go past.
Continue onward past 3 walls that pop up. Drop down carefully, watching for
soldiers. Now you'll come to 6 arms, lined up like this:
A B A B A B
All of the A's will come down and go back up at the same time, and then all of
the B's will do the same thing. The best thing to do here is not to panic.
Just take them one at a time. Move under the first A when it recedes, then move
to the first B when it goes up. Once you get to the second B, a wall pops up
ahead, so start shooting. Keep hitting the fire button but pay attention to
your movements. If you don't have it destroyed before you get under the final
B, you can move back a step and then turn around and keep shooting. But you
probably won't have to do this.
After getting past this obstacle, move onward towards a little doorway. When
you get up to it, a seated soldier will appear to the right, so duck and
destroy. Just a few steps later another one shows up. After dealing with him,
jump up to the ledge and immediately duck for yet another seated soldier. A few
steps after him is one more. Continue to the right, being mindful of soldiers.
STAGE 7 BOSS
This boss can be extremely simple if you have the S. Just walk all the way to
the right and shoot diagonally up and right at the target. This boss should be
history in just a few seconds. If you don't have the S, it'll take a little bit
longer. Turrets below ground level will shoot shells in the air that split into
3 as they fall. Soldiers will come from the left and sometimes out of the door
on the right when it opens. You can destroy the turrets, but it's just a waste
of time and, very likely, lives, in my opinion. Just jump in the air to dodge
the shells fired from the right turret when they fall. Shoot soldiers as
necessary, and keep concentrating on the target.
STAGE 8 ALIEN'S LAIR
Jump up to the top ledge and look for two flying capsules from the left. The
top yields an M, while the bottom yields a B. If you can get them both, you're
pretty set for the moment. Anyway, continue to the right, taking the top route
if possible. Before you get to the end of the ledge, alien larvae will come at
you from the right. Shoot or dodge them. Continuing to the right, you'll come
up to a wall and a rather large alien mouth. You find that the mouth is the
source of the larvae. Since the mouth itself can't hurt you, your main concern
should be watching the larvae that it emits. If you jump up repeatedly, your
shots should kill many of the larvae that come out of the mouth. Also, if you
got the B, you shouldn't have any problems.
Once the mouth is destroyed, head on to the right. Jump over the pit, and
you'll notice some mouths above you in the ceiling. These things spit out
little white things that move slowly at first, then stop, and then fly at you.
Killing the white things should be your primary concern. They take one shot
each, so not much of a worry. Try to deal with these mouths one or two at a
time whenever possible; otherwise, you might end up with a whole lot of the
white things flying at you.
After destroying the first 4 mouths, jump to the platform in the middle of the
gap. An S will fly by from the left -- shoot it so that it lands on the ground
to your right. Also, jump up and shoot the mouth that you should be able to
see. After killing it, you can kill another one before you have to jump. Get
the S, and you can actually take either the top or bottom route for now. Kill
the mouths in the floor and keep moving. Jump up to the next ledge and kill the
2 mouths on your level before jumping up to the top ledge. Jump over the gap
and destroy the 2 mouths down below. Then move right and take out 2 more mouths
right below you.
Jump (or fall) to the right and kill the mouths below you. If you can, destroy
the next 2 mouths before you get under them. A little alien will come at you as
soon as you get under the first mouth (or where it was, if you've killed it).
Shoot it or jump over it. Another one appears when you get under the second
mouth. Keep going forward and shooting or jumping aliens. When you see the
final mouth, try to kill it before you get to it.
STAGE 8 BOSS
You've finally made it to the last boss of the game... this time it's the
alien's heart. The heart itself won't do a thing to you, but it has 2 pods
above and 2 pods below it that dispense the little aliens that you've been
seeing. You can destroy any or all of the pods. I suggest just taking out the
bottom 2. Unless you have the S or F, you're best bet will be crouching and
shooting them from the left side of the screen. Just keep an eye on the little
aliens that pop out. Some of the ones that come out of the top pods will crawl
along the ceiling; others will drop down to the floor. Once you take out the
bottom 2 pods, stand right up next to the heart and shoot it diagonally up and
right. Whenever you see an alien pop out up top, focus your attention away from
the heart and shoot or avoid the alien. The more you shoot it, the faster the
heart gets, and soon enough, it'll explode.
I won't tell exactly what the ending is, but don't expect much. Of course, not
too many games had very detailed endings back then.
__________________
VII. Secrets/Codes
------------------
The only code that I know of in this game is one that Konami used frequently in
their games. It lets you start the game with 30 lives, instead of the normal 3,
which makes the game very much easier. To activate it, enter the following
sequence when the title screen is coming up:
Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A
Then just press Start, or Select and Start if you're playing 2 player.
There is also a little trick you can do in the base levels that might help you
out. You must be playing single player, and you must have 2 controllers. Just
hold down on controller one and up on controller two, and you'll be crouched but
shoot as if you weren't (e.g. your shots will shoot higher). This little trick
allows you to shoot targets while you're crouching, but it might be tricky to do
if you're by yourself. Also, you'll have to let off of up on controller two if
you actually want to shoot at ground level. It's kinda neat, but I never
seriously use it.
The only other secret I know of is stealing lives in a 2-player game. If you're
out of lives but your partner still has at least one in reserve, you can
borrow/steal one from him. Just press A, and you'll drop on down. Keep in mind
that this takes a life away from your partner, so try not to tick anybody off
too badly.
______________________
VIII. Acknowledgements
----------------------
First off I'd like to thank God for giving me the ability to play games well and
write decently.
Thanks to Konami and Nintendo for providing this great game and many others.
Thanks to my cousin Scott, who played this game with me many hours many years
ago.
Finally, very special thanks to my girlfriend Kelly for all the love and
motivation she constantly gives me.
_____________
IX. Copyright
-------------
This FAQ may be freely distributed wherever you'd like as long as it's in its
original form which can be found at www.gamefaqs.com. This FAQ is not intended
to be sold.
