Pinball Quest FAQ/Walkthrough

Pinball Quest FAQ/Walkthrough

by Brian Mills "DarkBlade22"
version 1.1 (9-16-2004)
e-mail - [email protected]

Version History
---------------

version 1.1 (9-16-04) - fixed my e-mail, copyright and version history

version 1.01 (2-15-03) - changed my name back from DarkBlade to Darkblade22
also made a few cosmetic changes

version 1.0 (2-10-03) - completed walkthrough for RPG mode as well as guides
to the other three games

Contents
--------
1. Introduction
2. Controls
3. RPG Mode
a. A Little About Shops
b. stage 1 - graveyard
c. stage 2 - witch
d. stage 3 - mines
e. stage 4 - river
f. stage 5 - throne room
g. stage 6 - final battle
4. Pop!Pop!
5. Viva!Golf
6. Circus
7. Tips
8. Thanks
9. Copyright

1. Introduction
---------------
Hi, and welcome to my walkthrough for Pinball Quest! My name is DarkBlade22
and this is my second FAQ. This game was made by Jaleco in 1990 during the
latter days of the NES. If you have not played it, you are missing out. It
takes a pinball game and an RPG setting and combines it into a unique
experience. In addition there are three other pinball games for a good deal
of variety. This walkthrough will take you through the six levels of RPG mode
and describe the important features of each level, and it will also give an
introduction to the three classic pinball modes. If I discover anything else
that I may have missed, I will update it as I find it. So, without further
ado, here is the game.

2. Controls
-----------
control pad - selects game
during RPG mode - pressing up will move the flippers up
pressing down will move the flippers down
left - moves left flipper
right - tilts the table right
start - starts game; pauses game
select - in RPG mode, this brings up the item selection screen
A - moves right flipper
B - tilts the table left

3. RPG Mode
-----------
You are a knight in a kingdom of pinballs. One day, a mob of goblins kidnaps
the princess of the kingdom. You must venture to the enemy's castle in order
to rescue her.

During play, you must do certain things on each board in order to advance.
Each table is different. Each one is also bigger than one screen, so you
must learn to move your detachable flippers up and down the screen using the
control pad. As you hit targets and enemies, you will earn gold to spend in
the shops for stoppers and better flippers. You will also gain power, and it
will be easier to defeat your enemies. Each table has a boss, and only
by defeating each boss will you advance. Each boss's energy meter is located
in the bottom left of the screen. Also, it is possible to fall back
to an earlier board, so you may spend a long time in this game.

A Little About Shops
--------------------
Between each stage (whether you are moving up or down) you will have an
opportunity to spend your gold at the shop. Just move out of the hallway
into the big room, and the shopkeeper will appear. There are three options:
- purchase - purchase items
- leave - leave the store (can also do this by pressing B)
- steal - This option allows you to fight the shopkeeper in order to steal
some items. If you are successful, you will leave with a variety
of items selected at random. More often than not, however, you
will leave black and blue and missing half your gold.

Here is the shop list:
- stoppers - single (500G) - This stopper covers either the left or right
lane for one hit. It can only be used on one
table.
- floor (2500G) - This is the same as the single, but can be hit
multiple times.
- permanent (30000G) - This covers both lanes and can be hit
over and over. In addition, you can use
it on multiple tables, but must select it
each time.
- center (8000G) - This stopper is located between the flippers.
It can be hit multiple times and lasts for
one table.
- flippers - strong (40000G) - These flippers will hit enemies at twice the
damage of the regular flippers.
devil (50000G) - These flippers hit at 4-5 times the damage of
the regular ones. However, these flippers
may stop working right in the middle of the
table, dropping you to a lower table. All
flippers are kept through each table after
you activate them.

Stage 1 - Graveyard
-------------------
boss - Big Skeleton (18 hp)
targets - trees, tombstones, bumpers, rock, skeletons, Big Skeleton

For now, you are stuck in the lower part of the stage. To get out, break the
big tombstone in the upper left corner and hit the ghost. He will tell you
the story, after which you will be able to break the wall and move up. After
moving your flippers up, attack the skeletons until their bones stop moving.
When they are all defeated, their bones will form the big skeleton! Just keep
hitting the skeleton with your ball, and don't worry when his head comes off
to attack you. Grab the key after he is defeated to move on. On future
visits, just grab the key to advance.

Stage 2 - Witch
---------------
boss - Witch (30 hp)
targets - skull bumpers, spider(hit to destroy one skull bumper), statue,
skulls(destroyable), cats, Witch

This stage is one big battle with a witch! Be prepared, because you will be
spending a LOT of time on this level and the previous one. The witch will
send out a bunch of cats to block your shots. These can be destroyed. The
witch will also create a bubble once in a while. If you let it touch your
flippers, they will fall off the screen! Once in a while, the witch will do
something with a statue in the upper right corner and refill her energy. Your
first priority is to destroy this statue. After that, the cats will turn blue
and you will be able to attack without fear of her energy being replenished.
Beat her to move on. Also, if you come back you'll be able to move on by
getting your ball in the doorway on the top.

Stage 3 - Mines
---------------
boss - Goblin King (50 hp)
targets - goblins, skull bumper, face bumpers, knights, Goblin King

The goblins in this stage will be your best friends. If you hit them, they
will either be destroyed or they will catch the ball. If they catch the ball,
they will either throw it back at you or they will carry it to the mine cart
and carry it to the top of the table, where the boss is. It is very hard to
get the ball there on your own, so try to have them catch it. If you do
destroy them, hit the panel in the upper left twice to move one of the face
bumpers so you can get there. At the top you will see the boss flanked by
nine knights, but he isn't moving. How do you get him to move so you can hit
him? Destroy nine of the knights to get him to move. He doesn't attack, so
you can defeat him easily. On future visits, just hit the doorway on top (he
doesn't come back).

Stage 4 - River
---------------
boss - Armored Knights (30 - 50 hp)
targets - turtles, bumpers, knights

This level is interesting. Your initial goal is to get the ball into the
slot in the corner. The three turtles will block your way, but they can be
destroyed with a few hits. Once you get the ball in the slot, it will shoot
up through several more slots until it shoots out and either hits the turtle
or goes into the roulette spin. Eventually you will get to the roulette,
which will randomly deposit the ball into one of three slots. Two will send
you back to the beginning, but one (the one with the white ring around it)
will send you to the riverbank to await a boat. Get on a boat to go to the
top, but if you have the misfortune to get a dilapidated one, you will be sent
back to the beginning. Once you get to the top, a ghost will possess the
first suit of armor, which you will destroy as you are shot out of the slot.
Quickly bring your flippers up as the ghost possesses the second suit of
armor, which has 30 hp. The hp of each armor is 5 more than the previous
one, and you must destroy each one to advance. Be careful, because the suits
will attack your flippers with their swords. Later, you just have to get
the ball in the slot in the corner above the suits to advance.

Stage 5 - Throne Room
---------------------
boss - Vampire (70 hp)
targets - skull bumper, monsters, vampire, throne

First off, this level has TWO sets of flippers, and it may take some getting
used to. Get the ball over to the flippers on the side of the board and let
it fall into the slot. It will shoot up, over, fall down, and be in position
for your flippers once you bring them up. Destroy the four monsters, and hit
the princess. Surprise, she's a fake! She turns into a vampire and will
attack your flippers. Destroy her and then hit the throne until it slides up
and exposes a staircase. If you end up back here, just flip your ball into
the stairs.

Stage 6 - Final Battle
----------------------
boss - Beelzebub? (99 hp)
targets - candles, Beelzebub

Flip your ball up to one of the three candles and it will spin your ball to
the top of the screen, where you will encounter the final boss (I remember
seeing his name somewhere, probably in the instruction booklet, as either
Beelzebub or Bali, I'm not sure. If anybody knows, feel free to e-mail me,
until then I will refer to him as Beelzebub). A big picture of his face will
be painted on the ground. When the eyes glow white, he is about to attack.
When the screen flashes, he will shoot a bunch of skulls at you. If too many
hit your ball or flippers, your flippers will freeze and you'll lose your
ball! Hit him enough times, and you will destroy him and rescue the princess!
Congratulations! How long did it take you?

4. Pop!Pop!
-----------

To begin with, each of the three pinball games are for one to four players,
and you get three balls per player. This is the first of the games and has
a bowling alley/American/50's dance hall theme. This is probably the easiest
table to earn points on. Hit the bumpers for points. Hit the panels on the
wall near the bumpers to make them flash for more points. At the top of the
table, knock down the three pins, and you will be able to hit the block for
bonus points. Getting the ball through the lanes gets you points, as does the
star panel on top and behind the block. At the bottom, knocking down all the
pins will open up the jukebox so you can play a game of pool. Knock in all
of the balls to gain a bonus. Here is a list of the pool bonuses:

- 1K - one thousand pts
- 10K - ten thousand pts
- ext & 30k - thirty thousand pts and an extra ball
- big 100k - one hundred thousand pts (although I think I got around 1 mil)

5. Viva!Golf
------------

This is the most frustrating of the three tables, because it is so easy for
your ball to fall off. It has a golf theme (I love the fact that a golfer
hits the ball out of the starting ramp), and your main goal is to clear the
field of gophers. There are four gophers at the bottom of the screen, and
you must hit them to raise a flag in their holes. Knock out all three gophers
and sink your ball into the hole with the big flag to make the big gopher
appear and get bonus points (normally you get 1000 pts for this hole). Other
features include bumpers and panels that make them flash, lanes, and a water
hazard.

6. Circus
---------

This is the table that you will probably have the easiest time with because
of the small bumper at the bottom. This table also has moveable flippers and
a circus theme. The top of the table has point lanes with signs that light up
(light them all to make the bumpers flash). Hit the panels next to the seal
picture for bonus points. Then there is the main feature of this table, the
slot machine. Hit the slot and hope for three matching symbols. Three
matching ones (anything else will get you nothing) will get you one of several
prizes:

- plum - haven't gotten yet
- gold - bonus stage
- seal - haven't gotten yet
- weird picture - opens door to the shooting ramp (if anyone can tell me
what that picture is, e-mail me)
- clown - the best one, this one lights up the extra ball sign AND opens up
the bonus stage ramp

The bonus stage is pretty cool. You are the ringmaster and must hit the lions
chasing the girl with the ball. There are also other animals you can hit.
Each time you hit an animal with a ball, it goes to a cage at the bottom of
the screen. Hit what you can, but be aware that the more cages that appear,
the less room you will have to manuever (although I believe you can make them
disappear by getting four of the same kind of animal in a cage). Getting hit
by any of the animals ends the bonus stage.

7. Tips
-------

- On some boards (especially Circus) one of your flippers may not work, and
will give off a crunching noise. Be aware of this as you are hitting the
ball.
- In RPG mode, you will spend a lot of time in the first two stages. Use
this time to build your money up.
- Go for the permanent stoppers first. You can't lose them.
- As for the flippers, devil is a lot stronger, but you run the risk of
freezing them. You may want to stick with strong, but play to your
preference.
- If you go to early stages, beat some of the bosses again to build up your
money and power.
- the flipper trick - If your ball goes off the side, raise your flipper.
The ball will get stuck, and if you time it right, you may be able to shoot
it back up!

8. Thanks
---------

CJayC - for putting this on GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com), one of my favorite
sites

Nintendo - for good systems

Jaleco - until Square decides to come out with Final Fantasy Foosball, this
remains one of the most innovative games out there, and is a
refreshing new take on pinball

9. Copyright
------------

This walkthrough is copyright 2004 Brian Mills, all rights reserved. This
guide may be reproduced for personal use, but otherwise cannot be reproduced
in part or whole for any reason. It may not be sold for any reason, and may
not be posted anywhere other than GameFAQs. If you have any questions, you
can e-mail me at [email protected] and I will try to answer when I can.
If you see this walkthrough anywhere other than GameFAQs please let me know
by e-mail.