Esper Bouken Tai:
A Complete Walkthrough and Item Index
By: Alice Kojiro (MotherKojiro(AT)gmail(DOT)com)
Note: This work is mine exclusively. I've spent several hours writing it. If
you don't believe me, try writing one yourself. Anyway, if you need to contact
me, just send me an e-mail. E-mails have 3 main criteria. First of all, they
need a subject line that tells me that the message is about my walkthrough.
Another important criterion is that it needs to be suggestions about the
walkthrough. I don't appreciate invitations to blogs, invites to chat rooms,
flaming, or anything like that. Your suggestions can be anything from spelling
and grammatical errors to new sections you think I should add. The only other
reason you should be writing to me is to ask me to use this guide on your
website. You cannot do so without my consent, as it is illegal. All you need
to do is ask and it is highly unlikely that I will deny you the use of this
guide. You also have to give me credit for writing this. Failure to do so is
plagiarism. I appreciate your cooperation. Thanks for choosing this guide.
~Kojiro
=================
Table of Contents
=================
I. Intro
II. Thanks
III. Mechanics & Tips
A. Controls
B. Stats
C. Miscellaneous
IV. Idols
A. Foyer
B. Eastern Courtyard
C. Red Arrow Room
D. Eastern Yard
E. Atrium
F. Eastern Tower
G. Garden
H. Eastern Lake
I. Eastern Falls
J. Ice Room
K. Central Tower
L. Kitchen
M. Western Courtyard
N. Mask Room
O. Cylindroom
P. Western Tower
Q. Devil's Well
R. Western Falls
S. Underground Lake
T. Fire Room
U. Observatory
V. Prison
W. Gallery
X. Secret Basement
V. Walkthrough
A. The Shark's Fin
B. Rescue Round Up
C. Getting Rich
D. Unlocking the Prison
E. Preparing For the Devil
F. The Final Battle
VI. Items
VII. Characters
A. Akio
B. Mako
C. Genta
D. Naoyuki
E. Bunzo
VIII. Treasures
A. Foyer
B. Eastern Courtyard
C. Red Arrow Room
D. Eastern Yard
E. Atrium
F. Eastern Tower
G. Garden
H. Eastern Lake
I. Eastern Falls
J. Ice Room
K. Central Tower
L. Kitchen
M. Western Courtyard
N. Mask Room
O. Cylindroom
P. Western Tower
Q. Devil's Well
R. Western Falls
S. Underground Lake
T. Fire Room
U. Observatory
V. Prison
W. Gallery
X. Secret Basement
IX. Level Chart
X. Conclusion
========
I. Intro
========
Navigating this guide can be done either by searching for the corresponding
roman numerals or by searching for the section title. I haven't spaced the
titles out like T I T L E for this very reason. Let us begin.
I've written this guide because the game was fairly interesting and I couldn't
find one (or even much information at all) anywhere on the Internet. It's a
Metroid-style Action-Adventure title with RPG elements. Bear in mind, though,
that the game is fairly buggy.
==========
II. Thanks
==========
Jaleco for making Esper Boukentai.
Nintendo, for licensing this game and making the NES/Famicom to play it on.
aishsha for the translation.
My lady, as always.
Anyone who reads this.
=====================
III. Mechanics & Tips
=====================
I've created this section because the game takes some time to figure out. In
this section, I've laid out a few things that every player should know before
tackling this game, lest it become a confounding maze of logic.
A. Controls
===========
This might seem a bit excessive for a game on the NES/Famicom, especially one
that was made in 1987, but I feel that they require a bit of explanation
Attack - B Button
Jump - A Button (Hold button down for higher jump)
Low Jump - Hold Down, then press A.
Float - Hold Up while descending.
Talk - Start Button
Menu - Select Button
B. Stats
========
This is a list of the stats in the game and what they do.
L (Life) - This is the amount of health you have. If you lose it all, you
die. All characters share L from the same pool.
E (Esper) - This is the amount of power you have. This is used for your
Esper. All characters share E from the same pool.
ATK (Attack) - This determines how high your character's damage output is.
DEF (Defense) - This determines how much damage your character takes.
SPD (Speed) - This determines how fast your character moves. This refers
specifically to motion speed, not attack speed.
JMP (Jump) - This determines how high your character jumps.
HVR (Hover) - If you hold up while jumping, your character will float down,
rather than falling. The higher this value is, the more slowly the character
will descend while floating.
BOOST - Most doors require a certain BOOST value to open. Essentially, the
higher the BOOST value, the more doors you can open. All characters have the
same BOOST value at all times.
EXP (Experience) - At certain values, your level will go up.
C. Miscellaneous
================
+ Doors in this game do not open in the typical manner. You must first touch
the nearby idol. If you get a ding, the door will open. If you get a
buzzer, the door will not open, signifying either that your BOOST is too low,
or that you need a special item to enter.
+ The only Esper in the game that I have found is Stormball, with which you
begin the game. It is a simple rotating shield that drains your E with
time. Since enemies don't get knocked back when you hit them and the hit
detection in this game is sketchy, I have found this power to be useless.
+ The denizens of this castle appear by "zones" of sorts. You'll hear a noise
signifying when you enter a new zone, causing a new being to appear. Using
this, you can exit and reenter a zone repeatedly to fight the same monster
and grind EXP.
+ To restore your L & E, talk to a Bath, Shower, Refrigerator, or Bed. Be
aware that you will be charged for this, but you will be completely refilled,
regardless of the price. To get a password, talk to a Bed and select Yes for
the first choice.
+ While this is incredibly difficult in the beginning of the game due to your
low amount of both L and money, try not to die. You will resume the game at
a checkpoint having lost none of your progress, but 2/3 of your money will be
gone! That can cause big problems, since you need money to recover L and E
and to buy an item necessary to beat the game. Money is also somewhat hard
to come by, especially in large amounts.
+ You can talk to any of the strange, googly-eyed inanimate objects throughout
the game, but be careful. Some will attack if you talk to them and some will
try to scam you out of your hard-earned money.
+ Conversely, if you attack a friendly creature, you will receive no EXP for
its defeat.
+ When a creature is attacking you, it will spit out little projectiles that
move in strange ways. If you hit them with your hammer, they will disperse.
+ Flying enemies will ascend and descend along with you, making them difficult
to hit. Try to jump so that you trap them against a ceiling to attack them.
+ While swinging your hammer in midair, you will not descend. Use this to your
advantage when fighting flying enemies.
+ While each character has his or her own specialties, I have found that Akio's
high SPD and JMP make him the best character for most situations.
+ The in-game map isn't terribly helpful. If you need a map, it would probably
be best that you draw your own.
=========
IV. Idols
=========
Here, I have written out every room's idols and corresponding doors as a quick
reference. Note that some areas are shown by their actual names and some are
the names that I have given them, due to lack of in-game reference. The
format will be as such:
#. Room Name (Beginning to End)
============
Color [Requirement for use (BOOST level or item)] => Destination
A. Foyer (Lower-Right to Top)
========
Pink [1] => Eastern Courtyard (Ground)
Yellow [3] => Western Courtyard
Blue [0] => Eastern Courtyard (Building)
B. Eastern Courtyard (Building)
====================
Pink [3] => Foyer (Top)
Green [3] => Fire Room
Green [0] => Red Arrow Room
Green [2] => Gallery
Pink [0] => Foyer
C. Red Arrow Room (Bottom to Top)
=================
Green [0] => Eastern Courtyard
Red [1] => Kitchen
Green [0] => Eastern Yard (Ground)
Blue [2] => Kitchen
Green [0] => Eastern Yard (Building)
D. Eastern Yard (Building)
===============
Blue [1] => Red Arrow Room (Top)
Green [0] => Atrium
Green [Magic Tome] => Devil's Room
Green [0] => Eastern Tower
Green [2] => Central Tower
Yellow [0] => Red Arrow Room (Arrow)
E. Atrium
=========
White [0] => Eastern Yard
F. Eastern Tower (Top to Bottom)
================
White [0] => Eastern Yard
White [0] => Garden
G. Garden (Top to Bottom)
=========
Red [0] => Eastern Tower
Blue [2] => Ice Room
Blue [0] => Eastern Lake
H. Eastern Lake (Top-Right to Top-Left, then Down)
===============
Blue [0] => Garden
Pink [1] => Eastern Falls (Middle)
Blue [Secret Key] => Secret Basement
Blue [0] => Eastern Falls (Bottom)
I. Eastern Falls (Bottom to Top)
================
Pink [1] => Eastern Lake (Bottom)
Pink [1] => Underground Lake
Yellow [0] => Eastern Lake (Top)
Blue [1] => Ice Room
J. Ice Room (Bottom-Right to Left, then Up)
===========
Purple [3] => Eastern Falls
Blue [2] => Gallery
Blue [3] => Garden
Blue [1] => Central Tower
K. Central Tower (Bottom to Top)
================
Blue [2] => Ice Room
White [1] => Eastern Yard
L. Kitchen (Bottom to Top-Left, then Right)
==========
Red [1] => Red Arrow Room (Bottom)
Red [2] => Fire Room
Red [3] => Red Arrow Room (Near Top)
M. Western Courtyard (Bottom to Top)
====================
Yellow [2] => Devil's Well
Red [2] => Western Tower
Green [2] => Western Falls
Yellow [3] => Foyer
Yellow [2] => Mask Room
N. Mask Room (Top to Bottom)
============
Blue [3] => Western Courtyard
Teal [2] => Cylindroom
O. Cylindroom (Top to Bottom)
=============
Blue [3] => Mask Room
Purple [2] => Western Tower
P. Western Tower (Bottom to Top)
================
Yellow [Magic Tome] => Devil's Room
Blue [2] => Cylindroom
Yellow [2] => Western Courtyard
Q. Devil's Well (Right to Left)
===============
Purple [2] => Western Falls
Blue [2] => Western Courtyard
R. Western Falls (Bottom to Top)
================
Blue [2] => Devil's Well
Pink [2] => Underground Lake
Blue [2] => Gallery
Blue [2] => Western Courtyard
S. Underground Lake (Bottom to Top)
===================
Yellow [1] => Eastern Falls
Green [2] => Western Falls
T. Fire Room (Bottom-Right counterclockwise to Bottom-Left)
============
Red [2] => Kitchen
Red [2] => Observatory
Red [3] => Eastern Courtyard
U. Observatory (From Fire Room; Down, then Up)
==============
Red [2] => Fire Room
Blue [Light Ball] => Prison
Red [Magic Tome] => Devil's Room
V. Prison
=========
Blue [Light Ball] => Observatory
W. Gallery (Right to Left)
==========
Blue [2] => Ice Room
Yellow [2] => Western Falls
Blue [2] => Eastern Courtyard
X. Secret Basement
==================
Green [Secret Key] => Eastern Lake
==============
V. Walkthrough
==============
This game isn't entirely linear, so you don't necessarily have to follow this
walkthrough to the letter. However, I drew a map of the entire game by hand in
order to give myself a visual guide. Said map took me the better part of an
afternoon to complete and is 2 sheets of 8.5" x 11" paper taped together. It
was using this map that I created what I thought to be the most efficient path
through this game. I have broken the walkthrough into sections for your
convenience. Each line break means a new room. Next to each section, I have
noted where you should be at its beginning.
A. The Shark's Fin (Foyer)
==================
As you begin the game, head to the left. Smash the treasure chest for $3,500,
then jump up. Continue left, then go up, first taking the right branch, then
the left. Head to the right a bit and you should see a green vacuum cleaner.
Touch the Blue Idol here and enter the door.
Jump up and leave the internal area. Fall toward the right, touch the Green
Idol, and enter the door. If the idol buzzes, go back up a bit until you reach
one that dings.
Climb to the absolute top of this room. There should be a bed to your left.
Touch the Green Idol and head through the door.
Now, head up, smashing the chest along the way for $4,800, and out, but stay to
the left as you fall until you hit the first platform. If you don't, you'll be
in deep trouble. See that cute little blue bunny balloon? Its attacks can
easily destroy you at this point, so avoid them at all costs! After this, work
your way down and stay to the right. You'll reach a Green Idol that you can
touch, but don't do so just yet. Go down a little bit and to the right.
You'll see what looks like two blue bubbles stacked on top of each other. Hit
that with your hammer and you'll see a blue girl inside of a black door. This
is Mako; touch her to rescue her. Now, you can switch to her in your menu
screen if you so desire. Now, drop to the bottom of this area, touch the
Yellow Idol, and enter the door to your left.
Climb back to the top of this area again, touch the Green Idol at the top, and
go through the door.
On your last trip, you may have noticed a Green Idol on your way up, before
leaving the enclosed area. This time, touch it and go through the door.
Go to the very bottom-left of this area, and you'll meet a lecherous spoon.
Switch to Mako and talk to him to get the Shark's Fin. You can now enter
water! Previous attempts to do so would cause your instant annihilation at a
mere touch. Switch back, if you wish, touch the White Idol at the top, and
leave this area.
B. Rescue Round-up (Eastern Yard)
==================
Go up, leave the enclosed area, and return to the Green Idol above where you
rescued Mako. Touch it and enter the door to the right.
Head to the right, but be careful before you drop. There are many treasure
chests in this area, but not only are they difficult to hit, there are many
flying enemies here and no ceilings to trap them against. If you really want
the treasures, I'd recommend building up a few levels, then just blasting
through without trying to fight back. I'd recommend Akio, since your speed and
reflexes will determine whether you make a lot of money ($149,510) or lose a
lot of money (2/3 of what you have). At any rate, fall to the bottom as
quickly as possible, touch the White Idol, and go into the door.
You can just make your way to the bottom of this room, but I'd recommend
grinding levels by repeatedly fighting the pink chair. Once you beat it, you
can sometimes pound the edge of the top step and kill another one that isn't
there for another 6 EXP. You will want to reach Level 3 (400 EXP) at the very
least. You will need to raise your BOOST to at least 1 very soon and this is
the safest battle in which to do so. It will also make fighting the upcoming
enemies much easier. Once you're ready, go to the bottom, touch the Blue Idol
and enter the door.
If your BOOST is 1 or greater, you can simply head to the left, touch the Pink
Idol, and head through the door. Doing this will start you halfway up the next
room. If your BOOST is 0, you'll have to go to the bottom, go left, touch the
Blue Idol, and go through the door, winding up at the bottom of the next area.
If you must do so, climb up until you reach the Yellow Idol on the next screen.
Head straight up the right side of the room, reaching a bed. Now, head to the
left until you reach a Blue Idol, then drop down, rather than enter the door.
Make your way down along the left side of the room until you reach another
object like the one that imprisoned Mako. Smash it and rescue Genta. On your
way up, you can head right to find a treasure chest containing $120,000. Now,
go back up to the Blue Idol, touch it, and enter the door to your left.
Note: you must have a BOOST of at least 1 to enter this door.
You can go left to reach a refrigerator if you really need it. Otherwise, head
up and to the right. Keep heading up until you reach an area with many objects
like the ones that imprisoned your other friends. Go up past them to a
platform on the right that has only 2. Smash the rightmost one to rescue
Naoyuki. Now, on the other side of the remaining object, you'll see 2 green
couches enter the area. They'll attack you if you talk to them, but if you
beat them without talking to them, you'll still get 18 EXP each and they won't
fight back. This is the best place in the game to grind EXP; all you have to
do is walk off the edge, then back on quickly. If you're about 4 pixels or
less below a platform, you can still get onto it, so just step off, then snap
back on to refresh the sofas. Now, you can do this now or when you have Bunzo,
whose incredible strength will make the process much faster. You can also go
until you reach Level 5 now, enabling a shortcut for you to come back later.
The choice is yours, but once you get Bunzo, you should come back here and get
to Level 7 if you haven't already. Once you're ready, head left and up to the
top of the area, touch the Blue Idol, and head through the door.
There is only one door in this room, other than the one you entered through, so
either get to the top of this room to recover at the bath, or go up until you
see White Idol. Do not stand to the right of the White Idol, because you'll
fall through a trap door. Touch it from the left, then head through the door
to the left.
Drop to the bottom of this area, touch the Yellow Idol, and enter the door to
the left.
Now, head down and left until you reach a Red Idol. Touch it and head through
the door to your left.
In here, go as high as you can and you should see a bookshelf with sunglasses.
From here, drop into the little alcove. Use Genta to smash through the floor,
which I believe is done by jumping (perhaps holding Down in midair). Now, go
to your right, make your way to the top, then go down and you should be able to
find Bunzo, then rescue him. Now, go back out the way you came in.
Go down to the bottom of this room, touch the Green Idol, and enter the door.
Drop to the bottom of this room, touch the Pink Idol, and enter the door.
*******************************************************************************
To go any further, you need a BOOST of at least 2. I would recommend raising
your Level to 7 now, so you don't have to worry about it later, but Level 5 is
all that you need for now. Once you're finished, return to the room where you
began the game.
*******************************************************************************
C. Getting Rich (Foyer)
===============
From the point at which you began the game, head up, sticking to the left wall.
Using Naoyuki, (or Akio, if your Level's high enough) ascend to the top of the
room, then go right to pick up the Gas Mask. Now, go back down, head toward
the beginning point again until you reach the Yellow Idol. If your BOOST is 3,
you can touch it and enter the door to take a huge shortcut. If your BOOST is
2, or you want to face powerful enemies in order to make some extra scratch
($1,090,000 to be exact), then take the following section that I've marked off.
Otherwise, just skip it.
*******************************************************************************
From the game's starting point, touch the Pink Idol and enter the door on your
right.
Go up a bit and touch the lower of the two Green Idols and enter the door on
your right to enter a new room.
Head down and right until you see a split in the path above you. Go up the
right side to find a treasure chest containing $500,000. Go back down until
the next split above you. Go up the right side for another chest containing
$350,000. Go back down until you reach a Yellow Idol. Touch it and enter the
door either now or after going to the right and up for a third chest containing
$80,000.
Head to the left and stay on the upper path for a chest containing $100,000.
Keep going up and left to reach a spoon, who will give you $1000 every time you
talk to him. Now, go back right and keep going until you're at the bottom,
stopping for a bath off to the right, if you need it. Touch the Blue Idol and
enter the door to your left.
Drop down and beat the tough, hard-hitting hammer, then continue down until you
see a split above you to the right. Go up to reach a chest containing $10,000,
then head back down to the bottom. At the bottom, switch to Genta, run to the
right, then smash the wall for a chest containing $50,000 and another that
doesn't even open. Go back up to the door you came in, then head left to a
candy jar that gives you $500 every time you play his lottery. Continue left
until you see a Blue Idol. Touch it and enter the door to the right.
*******************************************************************************
In this room, keep going up until you reach the top, stopping at the bed a
little ways up from the bottom on the left if you need to. Touch the Yellow
Idol up here and head through the door to the left.
Head up and all the way left at your earliest opportunity, being careful not
to be attacked by the red chair, which can hit for 450+ damage, even at Level
7, and jump up into the leftmost "ceiling" to break through and reach a chest
containing $15,000,000. You should never need money again. Now, go back down
and go up the right side, up to the top, where there's a funny-colored wall.
Smash it down with Genta and grab the Light Ball on the other end. Now, have
a snack at the refrigerator on the right if you need it, and go down to the
very bottom-right of this room. Touch the Teal Idol, then go back left and
enter the door.
D. Unlocking the Prison (Cylindroom)
=======================
Switch to Genta and fall to the bottom of this room as quickly as possible,
smashing and avoiding projectiles to the best of your ability. At the very
bottom, go left and up a little bit and grab the tiny object you see. It's the
Talking Bird, which translates any language. If you are at Level 7, you can
switch to Naoyuki, go to the right side, and jump to the top of the room.
Then, smash through the floor with Genta to find a chest containing $2,200,000.
Once you're all done here, touch the Purple Idol at the bottom right, then
enter the door.
Head down and you'll see a saucepan. Remember his location because to the left
is a gap that leads to one of the Devil's Rooms. If you leap over that gap,
you can smash through the floor to reach a chest containing $150,000. Head up
and right until you reach the Yellow Idol, touch it, and enter the door.
If your BOOST is 3, go up until you reach the first Yellow Idol, touch it, and
go through the door to your right. If not, go back the way you came originally
to reach the point where you began the game. From this point on, while you
don't ever need to reach Level 7 to complete the game, I will assume that you
have, meaning that your BOOST is 3. A BOOST of 3 will open many convenient
shortcuts.
From the beginning, make your way up to the Blue Idol by the green vacuum
cleaner, touch it, and enter the door.
Head up to the Green Idol, touch it, and enter the door, making sure that you
have the Gas Mask.
Keep heading straight up until you come to a Red Idol. Touch it, then enter
the door on the left.
Drop down and you'll see an orange high-heeled shoe. Talk to it if you have
$2,000,000. If not, go get it, then come back and buy the Golden Fleece. At
the top of this room is a chest containing $100,000. Head back down, making a
mental note of the door near the Red Idol, which is another Devil's Room. The
idol is on the opposite end of the room from the door, by the way. Continue
down past the bed to the bottom of the room. Go to the left, touch the Blue
Idol (assuming you have the Light Ball), and enter the door.
Head to the bottom of this room and go left. You'll see a huge door made out
of those things that trapped your friends and a small key hanging on a chain
in front of it. Grab the key (it's the Secret Key) and go back up. Head
to the right, pass the Famicom, and smash the chest for $510,000. Touch the
Blue Idol here, then loop back around to go back out the way you came in.
E. Preparing For the Devil (Observatory)
==========================
Go up, touch the Red Idol on the left side of the wall and enter the door on
the right side.
Go right, touching the Red Idol on the way down, and enter the door at the
bottom.
Go all the way to the right, touch the Red Idol, and enter the door on the
right.
Climb to the top, touch the Green Idol, and enter the door to the right.
Go up, out, and down. If you go back up to where the bunny balloon of DEATH
is, you can see a door. This is the third Devil's Room, so note its location.
Go down to the nearest Green Idol (just above Mako's former cell), touch the
Green Idol, and enter the door.
Head to the bottom of this room, touch the White Idol, and enter the door.
Head to the bottom of this room, touch the Blue Idol, and enter the door.
Head down until you see an hourglass, go right, touch the Blue Idol (you need
the Secret Key), and enter the door. Just a word of warning before you enter,
though: the enemies in here take a while to kill and they all hit for 350+
damage. I'd recommend going through this room as Bunzo or Genta.
The chest you see from the entrance contains $170,000, if you care. Climb to
the top to find a chest containing $230,000, a particularly strong keyboard,
and the Magic Tome. Smash the first two and take the third. Now, go back out
the way you came, heal up somewhere, and find the Devil. Just as a point of
reference, here are the rooms in which you can heal and by what means:
Eastern Courtyard - Bath
Red Arrow Room - Bed
Atrium - Refrigerator
Eastern Tower - Shower
Eastern Falls - Bed
Ice Room - Refrigerator
Central Tower - Bath
Western Falls - Bath
Western Courtyard - Bed
Mask Room - Refrigerator
Observatory - Bed
F. The Final Battle (Eastern Lake)
===================
Getting to the final battle is difficult. You have to enter the Devil's Room
that the Devil is currently occupying. As far as I can tell, it's random. The
three rooms are in the Eastern Yard, the Observatory, and the Western Tower.
If you pick the wrong one, you won't enter, but will receive a message instead.
Once you pick the right one, you're in a black room with an idol in front of
you. Touch it and enter the door if you're not ready yet. Just be aware that
the Devil moves around, so he might not be in that same room when you come back
to it. Once you're ready and in the right room, switch to Bunzo, since he
floats well and has the highest ATK. Jump in when you're ready.
Fighting the Devil is somewhat tricky, since he's the game's first and only
boss (not to mention the dodgy hit detection), but after some of the enemies
you've tackled, he's not too hard. Just float over to his head and just keep
hammering. You'll know when you hit him because his eyes go wonky. If you
fall, you can jump up to his belt buckle and use it as a platform to reach his
head. Honestly, the best strategy I can offer is to just keep hitting him as
Bunzo and he'll die before you do. Once you beat him, there's a particularly
long fanfare (don't worry, your game didn't break).
Once it's over, you'll find yourself in the Prison. Go down to the bottom,
where you found the Secret Key, and free the prisoner. Good job! You just
beat the game!
=========
VI. Items
=========
There are a few items that you acquire throughout the game. Their purpose is
to allow you to access certain areas. Items currently held can only be viewed
when speaking to someone and are listed in the order in which they show up in
the side panel of the conversation screen. The format for this section is:
Item (Location) - What the item does.
Shark Fin (Atrium) - Allows you to enter water.
Talking Bird (Cylindroom) - Allows you to understand what the Fan in the
Underground Lake is saying.
Gas Mask (Foyer) - Allows you to enter the Fire Room.
Golden Fleece (Observatory) - Give to Sakura for the Charming Sake.
Light Ball (Mask Room) - Allows you to enter the Prison.
Secret Key (Prison) - Allows you to enter the Secret Basement.
Charming Sake (Gallery) - Weakens the Devil's powers.
Magic Tome (Secret Basement) - Allows you to enter the Devil's Rooms.
===============
VII. Characters
===============
There are 5 playable characters in this game. You can switch between the ones
you've rescued in the menu screen.
A. Akio
=======
You begin the game with Akio. He has the highest SPD of the characters, and is
otherwise well-rounded. As such, he is the ideal choice for most situations.
B. Mako
=======
Mako is found in the Eastern Yard. She has the highest HVR of the comrades,
but is lacking in all other areas. Since HVR isn't all that helpful for the
most part, she is useful exactly once, when you need a female to get a certain
item.
C. Genta
========
Genta is found in the Eastern Falls. He has the highest DEF of the group, and
has a fairly high ATK, as well. His biggest advantage is his ability to break
certain walls and floors. This is necessary in many situations. He can't jump
terribly high, though, so he is best suited for ground combat or for minimizing
damage when combat is impossible (such as when you're falling through enemy-
infested areas).
D. Naoyuki
==========
Naoyuki is found in the Ice Room. He has the highest JMP of the bunch, which
is an interesting parallel to Luigi, given his tall, slender build and green
outfit. He is useful in reaching high areas, but if you are at a high enough
level, Akio can reach almost anywhere by jumping. The only exception to this
is the treasure chest in the Cylindroom, which requires Naoyuki at Level 7 to
reach.
E. Bunzo
========
Bunzo is found in the Kitchen. He has the highest STR of the party, and a
decent DEF and HVR. His JMP and SPD are fairly low, so he's best suited for
ground combat. However, he is the best choice for fighting the Devil, so
don't count him out completely.
===============
VIII. Treasures
===============
This section lists the treasure chests found in each room. A brief
description of where the treasure is found will also be given. A dummy chest
is a chest that produces no effect when hit.
A. Foyer
========
$3,500 - From the beginning, head left.
Empty - Keep going up, sticking to the right side.
B. Eastern Courtyard
====================
None
C. Red Arrow Room
=================
None
D. Eastern Yard
===============
$4,800 - Straight up from the door to the top of the Red Arrow Room.
E. Atrium
=========
None
F. Eastern Tower
================
$510 - *
$9,000 - *
$10,000 - *
$20,000 - *
$40,000 - *
$70,000 - *
*All treasures in this area are found scattered throughout its bottom half.
G. Garden
=========
None
H. Eastern Lake
===============
None
I. Eastern Falls
================
$120,000 - From the top of the room, drop down the left side, then head right.
J. Ice Room
===========
None
K. Central Tower
================
Dummy - Go up, sticking to the left side, then drop down.
L. Kitchen
==========
None
M. Western Courtyard
====================
None
N. Mask Room
============
$15,000,000 - From the Western Courtyard, head up, then left, then jump through
the ceiling.
O. Cylindroom
=============
$2,200,000 - Jump up the right side from the bottom, then smash through the
floor at the top. (Must use Naoyuki at Level 7)
P. Western Tower
================
$150,000 - Smash through the floor near the gap leading to the Devil's Room.
Q. Devil's Well
===============
$10,000 - Drop down the gap near the door to the Western Falls.
$50,000 - At the bottom of the room, smash through the right wall.
Dummy - To the right of the $50,000 chest.
R. Western Falls
================
$100,000 - From the Gallery, head left, staying on the upper path.
S. Underground Lake
===================
None
T. Fire Room
============
None
U. Observatory
==============
$100,000 - At the very top of the room.
V. Prison
=========
$510,000 - Directly to the right of the entrance.
W. Gallery
==========
$80,000 - A bit left and straight up from the door to the Ice Room.
$350,000 - Toward the middle of the room, go up the right side of the split.
$500,000 - Toward the western, go up the right side of the split.
X. Secret Basement
==================
$170,000 - Directly right of the entrance.
$230,000 - At the top of the room near the Magic Tome.
===============
IX. Level Chart
===============
This chart gives the experience values necessary to achieve each level, as well
as some other information. Unlike most games, you begin at Level 0. Color is
the color of your hammer at that level and BOOST is the BOOST value that you'll
have at that level.
One more thing to note is that while the highest value your EXP can reach is
9999, there's no reason to go any higher than 6400, since you can't go any
higher than Level 7.
=============
X. Conclusion
=============
No matter what you want to say about this game, it certainly is interesting.
It used RPG elements before it was a fashion statement and it had some really
great ideas. The use of BOOST to open doors may seem obtuse at first glance,
but it was a really great idea, forcing you to level up to reach certain areas,
so that you didn't get killed immediately upon entering them. The goofy
atmosphere and NPCs (non-playable characters) were kind of fun, making the
Devil's Castle into some sort of Satanic Pee-Wee's Playhouse. I also thought
the ending was hilarious, as it perfectly mirrored my sentiments after having
to trudge my way through it without any guidance other than in-game hints and
my own mind (which can be just as buggy as this game is). While a playthrough
would only take an afternoon if you know what you're doing, it took me at least
two weeks, just playing in between work and sleep, most of which was figuring
out what to do next.
I am prepared to talk about its flaws. The game is pretty glitchy, from hit
detection to "zone" changing. Sometimes a creature wouldn't show up until I
wiggled around for a bit. The constantly changing music was enough to get on
my nerves and I would have gladly hit the mute button and put on my own music
were it not for it being almost necessary to hear the various audio cues to
navigate the game efficiently. Also, while I love bright and colorful, this
game's castle had some of the most erratic wallpapers I've ever seen. It's
like the Devil hired an interior trainwreck-orator.
It's kind of interesting that I played the entire game from beginning to end
without really making up my mind as to whether or not I liked it. Upon
reflection, though, I'd say it wasn't half bad. Sure, it has its flaws, but
once you get acclimated to it, it's a likable game, though it's not for
everyone. I hope you've enjoyed this walkthrough. Until next time...
