Jaws

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Turn On Your NES



James Browne
12.15.03

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Version 1.0

I do not forsee any revisions

Copyright 2003 James Browne

Used with permission

[email protected]
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Table of Contents:

I. Introduction
II. Story
III. Controls
A) Title Screen
B) Map
C) Underwater
  1) Diver
  2) Boat
  3) Mini-Sub
D) Bonus Screen
E) Final Battle
IV. Statistics
A) Score
B) Shells
C) Power
D) Jaws' Power
E) Lives
V. Items
A) Drop Items
  1) Star
  2) Crab
  3) Conch Shell
B) Purchase Items
  1) Receiver
  2) Bonus Strobe
C) Pickup Items
  1) Mini-sub
VI. Gameplay
A) Map
B) Underwater
C) Bonus Stage
D) Final Battle
VII. Enemies
A) Jellyfish
B) Stingray
C) Baby Shark
D) Jaws
VIII. Walkthrough
IX. Notes


..............................................................................


I. Introduction


Just 12 short years after the movie Jaws kept people out of the ocean for the
rest of their lives, we got to enjoy a taste of that same terrifying feeling on the NES,
battling jellyfish and sting rays to earn conch shells which are bartered at seaports
for great white shark radar beacons.

You play a boat captain and professional diver in a world about as big as the treasure
chest at the bottom of my goldfish tank. Taking your boat back and forth between
two ports, every 10 feet you'll see the message "You've Hit Something!" At this point,
you leap out of your boat and fight sea creatures for points and the invaluable conch
shells, which is ironic, because when I tried to buy the game with sand-dollars and
crab skeletons, they acted like my money wasn't as good as other people's.

But don't think the fun stops there - in bonus levels, you get to fly around in a private
jet and drop cannonballs on dancing jellyfish to earn points that transform into more
priceless shell money. And once you reach level 5, you should be ready to take on the
big man himself. He'll only take 5000 shots with your unlimited supply of mini harpoons
and then you can stab him with the front of your boat and send him back to the deep
abyss from where he came, which seems to be the lake in someone's backyard.


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II. Story


Straight from the manual:

********
This can't be!  There has never been a Great White in these warm tropical waters
before.  NEVER!  This is more than a coincidence... this shark appears to be
possessed... as if it's hunting you down... like it's personal.  You'd better prepare
yourself and strike back before it's too late.

Will you use the mini-sub, sea plane, sail boat, or just scuba gear?  Perhaps it won't
even matter.  Remember, this is some kind of unbelievably powerful eating machine
you're dealing with.

Quick, grab your weapons, pack your explosives and check your maps.  It's out there...
you know it... and it's coming for you.  This is serious!  This is the ultimate Jaws
challenge, because this time it's not over until only one of you is left alive.
********

In other words, kill the shark - with your boat.


..............................................................................


III. Controls


 A) Title Screen


Start - Begin game


 B) Map


D-Pad - Guide boat around map


 C) Underwater


   1) Diver


D-Pad - Move diver
B - Fire Harpoon


   2) Boat


D-Pad Left/Right - Move boat
A - Drop bomb right (When attacking Jaws only)
B - Drop bomb left (When attacking Jaws only)


   3) Mini-Sub


D-Pad - Move Mini-Sub
A - Drop bomb
B - Fire torpedo


 D) Bonus Screen


D-Pad Left/Right - Speed plane up/slow plane down (following or opposing traveling
direction)
A/B - Drop bomb


 E) Final Battle


D-Pad Left/Right - Move boat
A - Fire strobe
B - Attack with boat


..............................................................................


IV. Statistics


 A) Score


Except for the final battle, your score is constantly visible in the bottom left corner of the
screen. Just about everything you collect or shoot through the game will increase your
score, but a high score is worth no more than bragging rights.


 B) Shells


Next to your score, you will find your collected shell statistic. The most important item
in the game, shells allow you to purchase equipment and upgrades throughout the
game.


 C) Power


As your power level increases, the number of hits Jaws (and Jaws only) can withstand
decreases dramatically. Don't try to finish the game until your power level is at least 3.
You begin at the power level of 1, but you may trade conch shells at the sea ports to
increase your levels. You may increase your power level to a maximum of 9. Of course,
each new power level requires more conch shells to excel. Below are the shell
requirements for each level:

Level 1: Default
Level 2: 3 shells
Level 3: 5 shells
Level 4: 7 shells
Level 5: 10 shells
Level 6: 15 shells
Level 7: 20 shells
Level 8: 25 shells
Level 9: 30 shells

You may not advance your power level until you have purchased the receiver, which
you lose when you die, so when this happens, you must collect the receiver again
before gaining any more levels. After the maximum power level 9, you may collect
bonus strobes, used in the final battle with Jaws, for 10 shells a piece.


 D) Jaws' Power


The 20 bars of power at the bottom of the screen indicate Jaws' power level. When these
bars of power are completely diminished, you will fight Jaws in the final battle. These
power bars remain depleted after an encounter with the shark, but every time you
resurface (whether or not you were battling Jaws), he heals himself 4 bars.


 E) Lives


You begin the game with 3 lives, and they are all you'll have through the game, so be
careful not to die.


..............................................................................


V. Items


 A) Drop Items


Sometimes, when enemies are defeated, they will drop an item for you to collect.


   1) Star


A star dropped by an enemy will merely give you 500, 1000, or 2000 points. The decision
is random.


   2) Crab


A crab is worth 30 points and slightly increases your diver's speed. The new speed level
remains until you die.


   3) Conch Shell


Conch shells are the currency for the game and are used in trade at the two ports in this
world to add power levels and receive equipment. They are also worth 30 points.


 B) Purchase Items


   1) Receiver


Price - 5 conch shells

Basically a useless item, the receiver is purchased for 5 conch shells at a port and allows
you to track Jaws' movements by sound. It's not very handy, as every time Jaws
attacks, he sticks his larger-than-your-boat fin out of the water so that no sound is really
necessary. If you have no receiver, one must be purchased before anything else and you
lose the receiver every time you die.


   2) Bonus Strobe


Price - 10 conch shells

Strobes are required to defeat Jaws on the final battle stage, but you begin the game with
3 and you only need one, so bonus strobes aren't too helpful, but they may be purchased
after you reach a power level of 9. When you die, you lose all collected bonus strobes and
return to the default of three. You probably won't waste your time getting past level 9
before you beat the game to collect bonus strobes.


 C) Pickup Items


   1) Mini-Sub

When traveling the map stage, you may discover an icon for the mini-sub (which appears
at random). Used automatically upon receiving, your diver underwater will be in the mini-sub
until he gets hit by an enemy. Firing torpedoes, dropping bombs, and moving twice as
fast as the diver does with no equipment, the mini-sub is an invaluable alternative to the
lone diver, also adding one hit of protection. If a player get's hit by an enemy in the mini-sub,
he returns to the diver state and must locate another mini-sub on the map to have the
ability again.


..............................................................................


VI. Gameplay


 A) Map


Upon entering this tropical world, you will travel around in your boat searching for ways to
better yourself for the fight with your nemesis, Jaws. There are two ports on opposite sides
of this area, to which you must travel, back and forth to gain items and power by bartering
conch shells. Once you have received an item from one port, you must go to the other
to receive the next. When traveling, you may see a large fin sticking out of the water -
that's Jaws, of course. Avoid him at the beginning and search for him later. Randomly,
and quite frequently, you will see the message "You've hit something!" Then you will
decend into the water and fight the sea creatures below for points and shells. If you hit
Jaws (or he hits you) while in the map stage, you will decend into the water below with
Jaws present.


 B) Underwater


There are two underwater scenes. One is for shallow water and one for deep. The
decision is based on where your boat was on the map screen when you hit something
to bring you below. If you were off on the coast of the mainland, you will be in shallow
water (which is much more difficult to manuever), and everywhere else, you'll be in deep
water.

If you just hit something random, your boat will disappear and you will dive down into the
water to attack enemies for a limited amount of time (or until you die). If you hit Jaws,
however, you will stay in the boat, dropping bombs on the shark, until he comes on the
boat with his first pass and knocks you in the water. Either way, there is a limited amount
of time you will be underwater and your job is merely to survive until you resurface
automatically. If you are fighting Jaws (and your power level is high enough) and you
take him down to zero life bars, you will jump directly to the final battle. Otherwise, you
just need to survive like any other underwater scene and you will return to the map
screen. Every two or three underwater scenes you survive will take you to the bonus
stage before putting you back in the map screen.

Note: Even if you didn't hit Jaws directly, he may still join you underwater after a short time
if he was close enough to your boat in the map area.


 C) Bonus Stage


In the bonus stage, you will fly back and forth in a private plane and attempt to drop bombs
on unsuspecting, dancing jellyfish in the water. The jellyfish in bonus stages are a bit
random, but they all follow the same two rules. First, they will always come in groups of
five, and second, they will follow the same pattern four times, then follow a different pattern
twice, each time coming from the opposite side of the screen as the last. Scoring for each
group is 50 points each for the first two, 100 for the third, 200 for the fourth, and 500 for
the last. At the end of the bonus stage, you will receive a bonus shell for every three you hit,
so out of a possible 30 kills, you will receive a maximum of 10 shells.


 D) Final Battle


The final battle with Jaws is simple, and you are automatically transported there when you
defeat Jaws in the underwater scenes. You control your boat and some kind of
strobe pulse, which pains Jaws enough to jump out of the water. Move your boat back
and forth to follow his movements, and when he is close enough, shoot him out of the
water with the strobe and stab him with the front of your boat.


..............................................................................


VII. Enemies


Enemies are found only in the underwater scenes and are all simple enough to defeat.
Unfortunately, the enemies do not become easier as your power level increases - that's
only for Jaws. But most of their movements are predictable and in time, you should have
this game pinned.


 A) Jellyfish


Jellyfish attack from the bottom of the screen, working their way up by pumping the lower
part of their bodies. They may swim straight up or they may swim diagonally, but they
are always fairly predictable. Unfortunately, the jellyfish are probably the least reliable out of
all the enemies for drop items. Attacking a jellyfish once will kill him, resulting in 50 points.


 B) Stingray


The easiest thing about the stingray is the absolute predictability of their movements. They
swim from one side of the screen to the other, extremely slow (most of the time) and can
only receive two hits of damage. They are more reliable for items than the jellyfish and are
much easier to manuever around. Hitting a stingray with a harpoon (or a torpedo in the
mini-sub) gives a player 10 points, and killing him gives 100 points.


 C) Baby Shark


The baby shark comes from the sides of the screen, like the stingray, but he tracks and
follows the divers movements and takes 10-15 hits to kill. This makes him the toughest
enemy in the game, but they are welcomed, as they ALWAYS drop a valuable conch shell.
This makes them the most reliable enemy in the game for items. Baby sharks give 10 points
for each connected weapon and 500 points for the kill.


 D) Jaws


Jaws fights the same way as the baby shark, but with a lot more size. As your power level
increases, he will take less and less hits to defeat. At level 1, it takes about 30 hits with
your harpoon to take him down just one power bar, but at level 5, it takes about 5 hits. He
is easy to outsmart (he's just a shark), and you should find it easy to avoid him through
the game until you're ready to take him on. Jaws rewards 20 points for each hit with your
weapons.


..............................................................................


VIII. Walkthrough


JAWS IS THE EASIEST GAME ON THE PLANET!

I will now walk you through the game, step by step, and show you how easy some NES
games used to be. Overall, it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to defeat Jaws.

You begin with 3 lives, which is more than enough, and your only goal through the game
is to collect conch shells. After the opening screen, you find yourself on the map screen
in the first seaport, represented by the anchor symbol. Your first mission is to collect 5 conch
shells and head east to the second port to collect the useless item, the receiver.

Head south until you come to a clearing, then go east until you see the port, also represented
by the anchor icon. You need 5 shells to collect the receiver, but don't worry - along the
way, you'll see the obnoxious "You've Hit Something!" message at the bottom of the screen,
accompanied by the gloomy music. Now, you will drop down in the water and fight sea
creatures in an attempt to collect conch shells. Crabs are useful for increasing speed and
manuverability, but don't kill yourself to collect them. Your goal when under water is to survive
until you are automatically transported back to the map screen. After surviving a couple of
underwater scenes, you will be given the bonus stage, where you can blast jellyfish for bonus
conch shells. In these stages, you will receive 1 shell for every 3 you kill, so do your best
when you get there.

After you have collected 5 shells, sail into the port and collect the receiver. This item is a little
ridiculous, as when Jaws surfaces, you can see his fin sticking 12 feet out of the water. But
you need to get the receiver before you can gain any bonus levels, so it is necessary in that
respect. It will beep faster when Jaws is close, so if you are playing with your eyes closed,
you'll know when he's near.

If you do run into Jaws this early in the game, or if he was close to your boat on the map
when "you hit something," he will be present with you underwater and you'll need to avoid
him as much as possible. You don't currently have the strength to considerably take him
down and he is a waste of time to fight. Just stay alive long enough to return to the map
screen.

When you have collected 3 more shells after you acquired the receiver, head back to the
first port and gain a power level, putting you up to 2. Then double back to the second port
when you have 5 shells and put yourself up to level 3. A power level of three is enough to
take Jaws out, but if you like, continue back and forth in this manner gaining levels until
you are comfortable. A power level of three isn't enough to take Jaws out in one session
underwater, but with two encounters, he can be defeated.

A couple of things to remember when powering up are stay out of shallow water and avoid
Jaws. When "you hit something," you will either be taken to shallow or deep water,
depending on where your boat was on the map. If you are directly off the coast of land
when "you hit something," you will be taken to shallow water, which seriously limits your
movements. The only time you should go near the coast is when you're entering the ports.

Avoiding Jaws can be tricky. Even though he is easy to outrun, if "you hit something" when
he's near to your boat on the map, he will join you in time underwater and you will need to
avoid him until the survival time is up. There's not much you can do about this, but the
important thing is when you're underwater with him, you don't bother to try to damage him
until you reach a power level of at least 3. Just concentrate on not dying.

If you die, the following things happen:

Lose 1 life
Lose 1 power level
Lose receiver
Lose half your shells, rounded up (i.e., if you have 17, you will lose 9)
Lose all bonus strobes
Jaws regains all power

So don't die. The biggest pain in the butt is acquiring the receiver again and getting back
your power levels, so it's important not to get yourself killed while underwater (the only place
you can die). You can withstand only one hit from an enemy, but all the creatures'
movements are so predictable, you should be fine.

Along the way, pick up the mini-sub if it materializes in the map screen if it is convenient, but
don't go out of your way. It is a lot faster, shoots faster weapons, and protects you from one
hit from the enemies, but it is not a necessary tool for defeating the game.

Anyway, when you are at level 3, find any spot in deep water and wait for Jaws to come and
hit your boat. You will be transported to the underwater scene with Jaws attacking your boat.
Throw as many bombs as you can by pressing A to throw them to the left or B to throw them
to the right, depending which side he is attacking from. When he makes his first pass, you
will be knocked into the water and you will be invulnerable for a moment. He will pass back
and forth, going offscreen each time, and you just need to wail on him with harpoons (or
torpedoes if you have the mini-sub) until your time underwater runs out. When you return to
the map screen, he will have healed 4 life bars. STAY PUT! If you start wandering around
and "you hit something," when you return back to the map, he will have healed another 4
life bars, even though you didn't encounter him. If you stay where you are, he will find you
again and bring you underwater for another battle. You should be able to get him down about
12-14 life bars each time before returning to the surface where he will heal himself 4 bars.
It takes two underwater sessions with him to get his power all the way down, and when you
take him down all the way, you will be transported to the final battle scene.

THE FINAL BATTLE

You will see your ship at the bottom of the screen and Jaws' fin sticking out of the water in the
distance. DON'T PANIC! You have at least 3 strobes (assuming you didn't waste any time
getting any bonuses) and you have unlimited time. Furthermore, Jaws can't hurt you in
this scene, so you have a hell of an advantage. If he goes offscreen, an arrow will direct you
to him. Take your time.

The objective here is to make him jump out of the water by firing the strobe, and while he is
out of the water, you have one attack by stabbing him with the front of your boat.  He will
approach your ship and you must follow his movements so his fin is directly ahead of your
boat. If he is a bit too far to the left or right, this will not work. Now, see those horizontal lines
in the water that are supposed to represent waves of some sort? The first line in front of
your boat is about where he needs to be - any further away or closer and you won't get him.

So basically, when he is directly in front of your boat at the first horizontal, black line, fire the
strobe by pressing A, and when he is fully out of the water, press B to stab him with your boat.

And that's it! Jaws sinks to the bottom of the ocean, your airplane (wherever your airplane
came from - the bonus stage, I guess) flies off into the distance, and then THE END. Thus
ends the easiest game in the universe!


..............................................................................


IX. Notes


Jaws is the fourth of my walkthroughs. The first is a small Zelda first quest walkthrough,
still unpublished, and I have complete walkthroughs for The Karate Kid and Rygar
published on http://www.gamefaqs.com. I am currently working on a walkthrough for
Trojan and Section Z.

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