Jackal Speed Run FAQ
Copyright Konami 1988
Written By Brian P. Sulpher
E-mail:
[email protected]
Version 1.1
Dates Written: March 4th, 2005
I dedicate this to the great game of Jackal, and it is overlooked as a fun
as all hell speed running title. Definitely worth the time and investment,
I hope it assists other in improving their times to sub 10 minutes!
Also, for Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living
it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my
memories, and you will never be forgotten.
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Version 1.0
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-Submitted guide on March 4th, 2005
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Version 1.1
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-Submitted guide on July 16th, 2005
-I added in Retronintendo as a site allowed to use my FAQs
-Altered the format to make it easier on the eyes of the reader
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-----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------
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1) Introduction
2) Speed Run Basics
3) Level One
4) Level Two
5) Level Three
6) Level Four
7) Level Five
8) Level Six
9) Final Word
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-------------------------------Introduction---------------------------------
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1) This FAQ will lay down the walkthrough on how to finish the game of
Jackal in around 10 minutes. With practice, you will be able to finish
off the six levels in less than 10 minutes.
Now, if you have anything to add to this FAQ, please go ahead and e-mail
me. However, before you send me anything, note that I HAVE SEEN the
emulator time attack made by the biskwit boys (it did help me a bit in
improving my times, especially on the last boss), so anything in their
run that is not the same as mine I do not need in here since I have
deemed it way too difficult/impossible to pull off consistently on the
console at full speed. This is not a knock on what they do (as what they
do can be very useful to the legitimate speed runner), but stuff that
they do (like standing toe-to-toe with the final enemy) is just not
feasible when the game is played properly.
That said, enjoy this file, as it is the combined knowledge of my own
experiences, friend's experiences, and a bit of help for the final boss
from the biskwit video. Enjoy!!!
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-----------------------------Speed Run Basics-------------------------------
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2) This section will look at a few basic ideas that must be understood to
speed run effectively. Each bit will be looked at separately, so read up
to better understand the speed walkthrough for each level.
o-----------------------------o
| How To Use This Walkthrough |
o-----------------------------o
This walkthrough is not meant to be used by someone new to the game.
Rather, this walkthrough is intended for those who can beat this game at
will, showing a skill level that surpasses that of the programming. It is
intended to stretch every player's skill towards achieving an attack that
would not be more fun that emthodical enemy elimination, but likely closer
to that of a single unit attack against such an overwhelming force.
This means that reading the entire document and putting the path and
strategies to memory, so they can be brought out at will to use in a split
decision, since stopping to check soemthing during a speed run defeats the
purpose of such a document.
o-------------o
| Terminology |
o-------------o
The following are terms used within the speed walkthrough and they should be
fully understood to assist in getting the best possible times:
Combination Attack.....: This term is used when the need to use both Bullets
and Heavy Ordinance in combination, as it will help
to reduce time spent fighting an enemy (usually a
Boss Fight).
Heavy Ordinance........: Otherwise known as Grenades/Missiles. Grenades are
the default weapon, but each Officer pick-up will
increase the ability of this weaponry (see Splash
Damage for specifics). One death will revert the
Heavy Weaponry back to Grenades, so usually this is
not a desired state of affairs for a speed run.
Officer P.O.W. Building: These off-coloured holding cells only hold one
P.O.W., but since he is an Officer, he will upgrade
your weaponry in return for the pick-up. However,
note that these buuldings are only a concern for
the first level, as they can be ignored from the
third pick-up onwards, as the Heavy Ordinance will
be fully upgraded to four-way Splash Damage.
Splash Damage..........: Heavy Ordinance begins as simple Grenades, but they
can be upgraded to Missiles by grabbing an Officer
from an Officer P.O.W. Building. With a second
Officer pick-up, the Missile gains a dual splash
damage capability, sending small, destructive
fireballs sideways from the impact spot. One more
Officer pick-up will increase the impact fireball
discharge to include a four-way (cross pattern)
pattern. Death will revert the set to Grenades
only, but death in a speed run is rarely a planned
occurrence (though one area does have some
potential for exploiting this).
o-----------------------------o
| Bullets vs. Heavy Ordinance |
o-----------------------------o
This is perhaps the most important thing to understand for a speed run, as
proper use of attacking mechanisms can save seconds at a time. Heavy
Ordinance (Grenades/Missiles) are powerful and fly out in whichever
direction the Jeep is facing, so they would seem to be the ideal weapon at
all tiems. Bullets on the other hand, only fly directly upwards, regardless
of which direction the Jeep is facing (weaker than Heavy Ordinance as well).
Well, despite the seemingly superior statistics in favour of Heavy
Ordinance, but there is one big strike against it in a speed run. That
strike is the fact that in a speed run most enemies will be driven by
instead of killed, which will leave many sprites on screen at once. This
means that the potential for slowdown by taxing the NES for that extra
memory space (to support the extra sprites) is far more likely. Heavy
Ordinance (specifically Missiles coupled with splash damage) uses up even
more of that limited memory, making slowdown extremely possible, which will
add extra time to your speed run, even though your path through the level
may be flawless.
So, the walkthrough at times will say to use Bullets on Tanks and such
instead of Missiles, as it will help avoid slowdown, helping to increase
your chances of breaking your personal best time for finishing Jackal!
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--------------------------------Level One-----------------------------------
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3) This section will look at the Front Lines. The Walkthrough will have the
main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight
sub-sectioned for convinience.
o-------------o
| Walkthrough |
o-------------o
Start off by rolling right on a diagonal towards an Officer P.O.W. Building
(this is the upgrade to Missiles), so blow the door open and grab the
Officer. Next up is a move left and up around the building to go up past a
rock, driving between two Cannons to find a gate to obliterate with a
Missile. Upon entering the compound, go cut diagonal to the left, shooting
the Soldier (ready to dodge if he shoots) above as you turn upwards, exiting
the compound.
Go up and to the right briefly, skirting the river shore, arriving at a
bridge (shoot the Soldier ahead of time to avoid any problems). Move left
across the bridge, then roll on a left diagonal past the trees. Cut up to
missile the Brown Tank that appears, then go up and break out a second
Officer (upgrade missiles to horixontal Splash Damage), then go right and
cut up. Look for a small space between a barrier and trees to diagonally
drive through, heading straight up, using bullets on a Soldier, then on a
Brown Tank. Follow this up by going diagonally left till the jeep reaches
the area by the trees:
TTTT ^
TTTTTT |
TTTT JEEP
Now head upwards, shoot the Officer P.O.W. Building (netting that third and
final missile upgrade), then turn diagonal to shoot the Cannon, finally
going to grab the Officer. Next up is to go to the right, bulleting any
Soldiers, going up to the Boss Fight!
o------------o
| Boss Fight |
o------------o
The tanks will appear one at a time, four in total. Watch the bottom of the
screen for first Heavy Tank to appear (use two missiles to destroy), then
look to the top for second Heavy Tank (one missile and bullets are faster
than two missiles by a wee bit, so use the Combination Attack to destroy
this one). Now the remaining two should follow the same spawn points
(however, they will rarely change their spawning point, so do not be
surprised if that occurs, so be ready to change locations), so repeat to
finish them off.
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--------------------------------Level Two-----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) This section will look at the Wrecked City. The Walkthrough will have
the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight
sub-sectioned for convinience.
o-------------o
| Walkthrough |
o-------------o
Right off the start drive up past two Cannons and a Brown Tank, running over
a Soldier in the process before going right diagonally. Move upwards as soon
as the Jeep will go by the Cannon on the right of the set of two ahead,
shooting the gate open to pass through. Drive up and just to the right of
the Officer P.O.W. Building, blowing the gate out, then start firing bullets
like mad to kill the Bull Tank (if you are not as fast as you can be, this
Bull Tank will shoot you, while Missile use causes slowdown) as you split the
Cannons. Next, go up till a passage to the right appears, cutting through it
quickly to go up by a Brown Tank (even if you are right by the pillars, he
will not get you).
Take a diagonal left route to another passage, then left till a diagonal path
past some columns presents itself (watch for the falling column piece). Now
go up with the columns on your right, as this line will allow the Jeep to
bypass Cannons and a Bull Tank (though an Enemy Jeep can appear here
sometimes, so shoot it with Bullets the second it appears), seeing some
columns ahead (from here on, dodge falling pieces as they appear). Continue
upwards until a path to the right appears in the columns. Enter that
passage, firing a missile to kill a Jeep and a Bomber, then cut up to split
the remaining two Soldiers (the middle one should be destroyed by the Splash
Damage from the missile fired to clear out the Enemy Jeep and Bomber). Now
your Jeep is on the bridge, it will be met by a waiting Enemy Jeep, so
Bullet it to death, then use the Missiles and timing to kill the dual Cannon
reception committee on the far side of the water. Continue upwards,
repeating the Missile splash damage (position the Jeep by using the exact
centrer of the previous dual Cannon set) to take out the two Cannons as you
enter the Boss Fight!
o------------o
| Boss Fight |
o------------o
The Sentry Statues attack by firing missiles off and calling Brown Tanks
into the fray to assist their efforts. Go up and right to shoot three
Missiles into the first statue, then go left, starting to fire Bullets and
three Missiles into the second statue (the Bullets will help destroy their
Missiles, making all of your Missiles connect on the statue instead of
wasting time by blocking your damaging Missiles). Continue this pattern for
the remaining two statues for the quick victory.
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-------------------------------Level Three----------------------------------
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5) This section will look at the Shipyards. The Walkthrough will have the
main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight
sub-sectioned for convinience.
o-------------o
| Walkthrough |
o-------------o
Immediately go right and up to blow the gate to pieces, then go through the
opening, lobbing a Missile ahead to kill off some Brown Tanks and parked
Enemy Jeeps. Next is a path diagonally left, cutting through the swath of
fire from all sides, finding a path between two Cannons that leads to a
small bridge. Staying closer to the left side of the bridge, go straight up
past a Soldier, a Cannon, and a Destroyer to drive over another Soldier to
get onto a new bridge.
Stay on the yellow and black warning paint job as you roll upwards, firing
Bullets to destroy a Brown Tank (time saver vs. a Missile), then get onto
the white line to shoot a couple Soldiers with Bullets. when the bridge
ends, go up and to the left (again, back to the yellow and black warning
paint job), cutting a bit left to shoot a Soldier. Continue up, lobbing a
Missile as you just pass over the head of an arrow (kills a Brown Tank with
the Splash Damage), then turn right to enter the laser defense zone.
This area has the laser defenses, which can be a huge time killer (or time
cutter) depending on how agressive you are. The following yields the best
time through the area:
i) if you cut right as soon as you could, the Jeep can go straight
through one laser, just remember to fire a Missile to clear a Brown
Tank away past the laser.
ii) As soon as the second laser stops firing, pass through (sometimes the
Brown Tank mentioned previouslt waits here, so be ready if it did not
appear earlier) the second and third lasers, angling up and to the
right, shooting a Soldier.
iii) As soon as the up turn is done, fire a Missile to clear away two Brown
Tanks (Splash Damage takes care of them), then turn left to shoot a
Missile through three Soldiers, just making sure they do get a stray
shot into your Jeep.
iv) Your Jeep can then go left through two laser sets, but fire a missile
as you pass the second one, cleaning out another Brown Tank.
v) Once the third laser stops firing, go left through to exit this brutal
area.
Make sure to be along the top wall, then fire a Missile through the first
Soldier, with Splash Damage killing another Soldier as the Jeep goes up and
then diagonal right, driving over a Solddier (ignoring the Cannons). Now
fire a Missile past the second Cannon diagonally, killing the Cannon and
destroying the gate, allowing the Jeep to race past a Brown Tank through the
opening. Go up and then diagonal left, firing a shot to kill the two
Cannons that are directly ahead (watch out for stray bullets and change
course accordingly), followed by driving past a Tank to destroy another gate.
Now cut between the two parked Enemy Jeeps, going up while watching for
Spread Cannon Bullets, angling right to destroy a Brown Tank as the Boss
Fight ensues!
o------------o
| Boss Fight |
o------------o
The Super Destroyer has Spread Cannons on it, but these Spread Cannons take
two hits of Heavy Ordinance to kill instead of the usual one hit. Start off
by going under the right-most Spread Cannon, firing Bullets and Missiles
(Combination Attack time!) to kill it quickly, then turn left and diagonal
to fire away on the next Spread Cannon. Now move under the next Spread
Cannon, firing away, then repeat the same pattenr for each one, dodging
Bullets to destroy it. Just remember to use Combination Attacks when firing
straight onto the Spread Cannons, as they die quickly under that type of
fire (as opposed to just Missile attacks).
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-------------------------------Level Four-----------------------------------
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6) This section will look at the Mountain Pass. The Walkthrough will have
the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight
sub-sectioned for convinience.
o-------------o
| Walkthrough |
o-------------o
Start off the donnybrook by going up along the wall on the left side of the
pass, destroying the Brown Tank in your path. Now go up, only turning
briefly as the homing missile from the Missile Launcher in the bog closes
in, destroying it (if you do the path right, the marsh will not affect the
Jeep's speed, meaning the Missile Launcher will only have one shot at your
Jeep). Next up is a path past the Brown Tank and Cannon, then cut right by
a rock, using it to aim upwards (though keep fading right to the inner wall
as soon as the rock is passed), arriving at the wall on the right. Move
slightly right upon the wall moving right, using the Officer P.O.W. Building
as an aiming guide, going directly up past a Cannon to Missile the gate
down.
Upon entering the compound, just skirt the first prison, going up till a
diagonal path right past the Cannon is there, blowing the gate out to pass
through the smouldering opening that results. The next step is to move
diagonally left to get near the side railroad track path (off-shoot of the
main line which runs northward), then cross it and adjust your aim to pass
through the hole in the mine field set-up (usually covered by a Soldier, who
should be run down). Another diagonal cut (this one to the right) to the
wall, going up till the mountain moves right, indicating the Jeep should
follow (getting by an Artillery Truck).
Once you are about one Jeep width past the Artillery Truck, move upwards to
allow your Jeep to bypass the Cannon and Brown Tank. Continue on the
upwards route, firing a Missile to kill the dual Cannon set, then go
diagonally right so the left-most Cannon is directly south of your Jeep.
From there, go up towards the boss fight, firing a Missile to destroy a
Brown Tank that waits, which will follow into the Boss Fight!
o------------o
| Boss Fight |
o------------o
Move diagonally right to kill the second Brown Tank, then land at least
three Missiles (though more hits are better) on the Helicopter, then kill
the Paratroopers as they deploy. Now wait for the Helicopter's return,
finishing off the Helicopter with Missile shots (seven in total scraps the
whirlybird).
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-------------------------------Level Five-----------------------------------
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7) This section will look at the Training Grounds. The Walkthrough will
have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight
sub-sectioned for convinience.
o-------------o
| Walkthrough |
o-------------o
From the start go diagonally right towards the bridge, turning upwards as
soon as possible. Continue upwards, firing a Missile through the gate, then
go through the resulting opening (the Bull Tank shots will miss if you are
far enough left when entering the compound). Move diagonally right past a
Brown Tank and a Cannon, then turn up to pass through the opening. Now move
a little to the right to split two more Cannons, then obliterate the gate
with a Missile shot to sail on through the hole.
Immediately go diagonally left to go up the middle of the bridge (using
Bullets to kill the Brown Tank that appears), then, after crossing, cut up
and to the left to see some barriers, so fire a Missile that lands here:
\___/
X <----RIGHT THERE
\___/
This will destroy the Brown Tank and a Cannon, so speed through the barriers
(ignoring the other obstacles, as you should be able to get through now
without getting hit). Note that this is a frequent death spot, so just keep
trying, as it is a very tough spot to perfect the movement for.
Continue upwards and then go right of the Bull Tank, looking for a narrow
opening as diagrammed below:
/
ROCK WALL | ^\___/\___/\___/\___/
___________| |
GO THROUGH HERE
Pass through here quickly, going up, then a quick diagonal right along the
wall direction change, and then go diagonal left once the wall stops being
in the way. Turn left (align your Jeep along the wall to the north),
cutting up along the turn of the rock wall to bypass some Cannons (if you
are too far from the wall, the Cannons will shoot you, so be careful).
Continue upwards, blowing the gate out while killing Soldiers, then go up
and right past a Bull tank to shoot a Napalm Tank, followed going upwards
onto the bridge, using Bullets on any Brown Tanks foolish enough to
challenge your Jeep. Now go left at the top, circling the Cannons and their
barriers to go above the last Cannon passed to go up to a gate that needs
remodelling. Pass through the newly decorated spot to go straight through
two Cannons, then cut diagonally left, lining up above the left Cannon to
drive up to shoot a Tank as you enter the Boss Fight!
o------------o
| Boss Fight |
o------------o
The Gatehouse only requires that the four Garages get blown to pieces, so
stay out of the Machine Gun's Bullets, shooting the left garage first (opens
first), then immediately shoot the right garage to destroy it (if you are
too late, the emerging Tank will be destroyed). Now go right to put the
second set of Garages on screen, then repeat the "left Garage first, right
Garage second" pattern to destroy them as well. Now go left (mindful of the
Bullets from the rooftops) to shoot the gate, ending the fight.
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--------------------------------Level Six-----------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) This section will look at the Headquarters. The Walkthrough will have
the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight
sub-sectioned for convinience.
o-------------o
| Walkthrough |
o-------------o
Start off by going left around the fence, then up and right past the Brown
Tanks to blow a gate out. After passsing through the gate's threshhold,
immediately take off to the left diagonally, finding a conveyor belt path to
move across. Blow out the gate ahead, shooting any Brown Tank/Enemy Jeep
that blocks the path directly upward, which will take the Jeep through a
narrow opening between jets and the wall (the Machine Guns should not hit
your Jeep here, but if you too far left they can get you). Kill the Enemy
Jeep and blow the gate away while ignoring the Brown Tank.
Shoot the Spread Cannon that lies ahead, bypass the Brown Tank, enter the
small opening, and cut right. Destroy another gate next, go through to kill
an Enemy Jeep, then cut left along the wall to avoid a Spread Cannon's shots
that will pepper down, which should be followed by destroying the Spread
Cannon itself. Go up past the Spread Cannon to go around a fence, going
right underneath some Brown Tanks (up to four of them here) while carefully
dodging the Enemy Chopper's Bullets it launches as it flies away to the
right. Another Brown Tank appears to dodge, then go right and up to find
another gate to hammer with a Missile.
Now go right and up to sneak around the fence, then turn left immediately to
hug the fence, firing a Missile to destory the enemy Missile Silo as it
launches it's first homing missile (if you are as fast as possible, this is
a surefire way to get rid of this incredible annoyance). Roll upwards
towards another conveyor belt path, staying close to the right side (this
will, for some reason, make it so the Machine Guns can not shoot your Jeep).
Blow the gate out of the way at the end of this passage, passing through it
to go up till Soliders and Brown Tanks appear, at which point forward
progress should halt for a moment while horizontal driving is used to clear
these obstacles away. After doing this, continue upwards to trigger the
Boss Fight!
o------------o
| Boss Fight |
o------------o
Kill off any more Tanks, Soldiers and the Enemy Chopper's that appear during
this fight that come into view, spending the rest of the time firing off
Missiles at the office Headquarters between the two Laser Cannons. Land
fifteen shots to destroy the position, remembering that being directly in
the middle of the screen makes it so the Laser Cannons can not hit your Jeep
while you blister the Headquarters.
The Huge Tank appears next, so an adjustment in tactics will be needed.
Since the behemoth is incredibly tough, continual hits will need to be
applied to get the victory (luckily, both Bullets and Heavy Ordinance damage
the monster made of metal). This beast will make use of a MASSIVE flame
spewing cannon, which is supplemented with support from a mounted Machine
Gun. With such devestating fire, the only real way to fight this tough
battle (barring extreme luck or the slowdown ability of the emulator time
attack runs) is to hide on the extreme right side of the screen for a lot of
the battle. As the Huge Tank moves away from the side of the screen, move
out to the left, then move up as far as you can when the Huge Tank starts to
the right, lobbing a Missile/Grenade (Grenades are actually easier to use
for this, as their forward momentum is slower, meaning more time for the
Huge Tank to come into range, so consider dying quickly in the fight) for a
hit. Follow this up by driving to the right as the Huge Tank and it's
mounted Machine Gun follow, but you can land extra damage by firing multiple
Bullets off to damage the metal exterior. Repeat this pattern, landing hits
as much as possible, turning the Huge Tank red after fifteen Heavy Ordinance
hits (mind you, bullets will shorten this count), then five more H.O. hits
turn it more red, and finally five more H.O. hits will completely crumple
the Huge Tank to end the game!
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--------------------------------Final Word----------------------------------
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9) As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P.
Sulpher, 2005. The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to
post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, www.retronintendo.com, and
www.honestgamers.com. You must ask for permission before posting this,
as doing so without consent is a violation of international copyright
law.
If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at
[email protected]. You can also contact me through MSN messenger
through the same E-mail address.
This FAQ is being done to help others who might consider following my
Jackal speed running attempts, possibly even gettign a rival into the
game to push me to a better time! Who knows, you might be able to crack
10 minutes and get me moving towards even better times and performances
in my quest to show my appreciation for such a classic! ;)
