Rod Land

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Rod Land

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for the Famicom/NES

- A Guide by 'CJ' Lagoona -
2008-2010

Table of Contents:
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* Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0100_]
* Game Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0200_]
- Getting started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0210_]
* Game Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0300_]
- Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0310_]
- Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0320_]
- Special Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0330_]
- Enemy Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0340_]
* Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0400_]
* General Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0500_]
* Walkthrough/Scenes Guide . . . . . . . . . . [_0600_]
* Codes & Secrets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0700_]
* Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0800_]
* Version history. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_0900_]
* Legal stuff / Donations. . . . . . . . . . . [_1000_]
* Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [_1100_]

Use the search codes in brackets (Ctrl + F) to quickly jump to your desired
chapter.

------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------
+ Introduction + [_0100_]
------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------

Welcome to my guide covering RodLand, sometimes also written 'Rod Land', a
Famicom title also released on the NES in Europe, but not in the US. I am
writing this FAQ as a part for the NES FAQ completion project running on the
GameFAQs FAQ Contributors - General board. This game was developed by Sales
Curve Interactive and published by Jaleco in 1992 (Japan) and 1993 (Europe).

Rodland is an action/platform game with a slight puzzle touch, very similar to
the better known Bubble Bobble games. You take control of Rit (and/or Tam) and
need to make your way through the stages in order to save their mother who was
kidnapped by a monster. Good thing they got a magic rod and a pair of rainbow
shoes to help them on their way. And good for you that also the game's graphics
and soundtrack are very nicely done.

-----------------------------+++++++++++++++++--------------------------------
+ Game Controls + [_0200_]
-----------------------------+++++++++++++++++--------------------------------

As a premise, here's the NES Joypad:

|#|
________________|#|__________________________________
| _________________________________________________ |
| | |_____________| | |
| | ___ ,-------------. | |
| | | | |_____________| Nintendo | |
| | ___| |___ ,-------------. | |
| | | ,-. | |SELECT START| ___ ___ | |
| | |___ `-' ___| ;=============` |,-.| |,-.| | |
| | | | | === === | |._,| |._,| | |
| | |___| ;=============. '---' '---' | |
| | |_____________| B A | |
| ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ |
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(the cross in the left part is the direction pad)

Menu controls:
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Start - Start the game (title screen)

Select - Toggle through the selected option (Options menu)

A button - Toggle through the selected option (Options menu)

B button - Toggle through the selected option (Options menu)

Direction pad:
Up/Down - Change the options point (Options menu)
Right/Left - Switch from title screen to Options or Scores

Game controls:
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Start - Pause and resume the game (during gameplay)
- Use continue (if left after losing all lives)

Select - not used

A button - Jump (if enabled, else not used)

B button - Fire button, attack enemies or create ladders (in combination with
Up/Down on the D-pad)

Direction pad:
Up/Down - Climb up/down ladders
Right/Left - Move sideways

_______________
Getting started [_0210_]
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At the start-up screen you can read the credits by pressing 'right' on the D-
pad. Then on the title screen you can view the present highscores by pressing
'right' and you can go to the Options Menu by pressing 'left'. Go back to the
title screen and press 'Start' to start a game.
If two players are playing, simply press 'Start' in the second control pad in
the first scene.

"RIT and TAM, your Mom has been kidnapped by a Monster."
"She is imprisoned atop the Maboots tower."

-----------------------------++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------
+ Game Mechanics + [_0300_]
-----------------------------++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------

______
Basics [_0310_]
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Every stage - called scene - consists of a single screen, filled with
platforms, ladders, flowers, enemies and you. You, controlling Rit (or however
you named your character in the Options Menu) have to run through them, climb
the ladders and kill the enemies. A stage can be beaten in different ways. The
most straightforward way is to kill all enemies, which directly takes you to
the next scene. If you take too much time, 'Meanie mode' starts, all enemies
turn into fast Meanies and if they kill you, this costs you a life, but it
also takes you to the next scene. The best option, however, is by getting to
the EXTRA game.

Collecting all flowers starts this EXTRA game part of a scene. It causes all
enemies to turn into Kaburas, turnip-like beings. If you kill them now, they
leave behind a letter, an A, E, R, T or an X. If you manage to collect one of
each, forming the word EXTRA, this will end the scene and take you to the good
fairy, who will award you an extra life and 10'000 points.

"Take this life energy and good luck. Well played, RIT. Bonus 10000 points."

Every ninth stage is a boss battle, just to add some diversity. Beating them
also nets 10'000 points.

Collecting a single flower gives 50 points, but picking them up in a row
doubles this, so the second in a row gives 100, the third 200, then 400 and
800, which is the maximum. After a short time, this effect 'wears off' and it
starts again at 50 per flower. Bashing an enemy (see 'Abilities' below) gives
50 points, killing him 100. Killing an enemy with a special weapon (see below)
and collecting the reward it drops, even nets 1000 up to 3000 points.

You yourself lose a life on contact with an enemy or an enemy projectile. You
start out with three extra lives. Once they're used up, you have one continue.
If you use it, this gives you another four lives and you can go on from the
very scene where you used it. When you lose your lives again, it's definitely
Game Over.

"Game Over, Mom needs you RIT and TAM."

_________
Abilities [_0320_]
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Attack:
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Push the Fire button (B) either while standing or while running sideways. You
will use your magic rod, seen as a star, which stuns an enemy when you hit
one. Repeatedly press B to bash the stunned enemy around. When defeated, he
will leave behind a special weapon.

Create a ladder:
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Push the Fire button (B) while pressing Up or Down on the D-pad. This creates
one ladder which you can climb up or down. Only one such ladder can exist at a
time, so once you create a new one, the old one disappears.

Jump:
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Jumping can be enabled/disabled in the Options menu. Even if it's disables,
there are two scenes where you can still do so. Press the Jump button (A) when
on solid ground or atop of a ladder. It does not work while climbing a ladder.

_______________
Special Weapons [_0330_]
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When you kill an enemy by bashing him, he leaves one of different possible
special weapons. If you kill another enemy with one of these, he drops a
fruity reward. Collecting that nets from 1000 to 3000 points.

Special weapons activate as soon as you touch them. These include:

Revel : Four small balls zoom through the stage in billard style,
very effective

Bomb : Causes a small explosion with a fire staying at that place for a
short while

Dynamite: A sonic boom-like wave propagates horizontally in both directions to
the end of the screen

Rocket : A rocket is launched in the direction you faced activating it, hits
only the first enemy in line

S-Ball : Hops around the screen, hits only one enemy or disappear at the
border of the screen

Not all special weapons appear in all scenes.

(There are more special weapon types in the C64 and the Amiga versions of the
game, but I haven't encountered them here yet. If you know more about them,
please let me know.)

___________
Enemy Types [_0340_]
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Spud: Looks like a yellow blob with bunny ears and two eyes, likes to
reproduce by dividing into two

Shark: Blue enemies who can throw a tear (projectile) downwards

Wasp: Flying enemies that can shoot arrows at you, very dangerous, so kill
them as fast as possible

Nessie: Red serpent-like enemies with a horn on their head, they follow you
around when on the same floor

Polymorph: Pink worms with a big mouth, they attack by rolling out their tongue

Squirrel: Brown squirrels that run very fast when they're on the same floor as
you, avoid this or kill them quickly

Gargoyle: Gray bunny-like enemies that run towards you when on the same floor,
avoid this or kill them quickly

Spiney: Green, walking balls with horns, they can shoot slow spines upwards,
especially when they're beneath you

Monkey: Brown monkey enemies, they start running fast once they're on the same
floor as you - and don't stop running

Starfish: Star-shaped enemies, beware of their boomerang attack

Chicken: Looks like a Banana with small arms and feet, they start running very
fast when on the same floor as you (like e.g. the Squirrel)

Lobster: Purple lobster enemies, can attack you by extending one of their
claws

Meanie: Normal enemies change into these when you take too much time for a
scene, very quick, so keep your calm

Kabura: Red turnip-like enemy, remaining enemies turn into them after picking
all flowers of a scene, leaves behind one letter of the word EXTRA

Mini-crocodile: Small crocodiles running straight along a platform, only
appear during the first boss fight

Squid: Green squids that only appear during the second boss fight, they swim
down from the top, but can only be killed once they reach your level,
turn and charge towards you, very annoying

Hat-Man: Orange man-like enemy, he can throw his hat at you horizontally like
a boomerang over a large distance (about half the screen), only
appears in the part right before the third boss fight

Mini-elephant: Small elephants thrown at you during the third boss battle,
they can propel themselves straight up to the top, relatively
harmless when you're on the bottom floor

Slimey: Green stationary slime-blob with eyes, shoots bubbles straight upwards
with a high frequency, only appears in the part right before the last
boss fight (you cannot kill them, but you don't need to, either)

(There are more enemies on the very last scene, but they will be described
there directly.)

------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------
+ Options Menu + [_0400_]
------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------

Pressing 'Left' on the title screen takes you to the Options menu. You can
navigate through the different points by pressing 'Up' and 'Down'. Switching
options is done by pressing 'Select', A or B.

RIT wears green/gold/silver/pink/purple/blue - change Rit's looks
TAM prefers blue/green/gold/silver/pink/purple - change Tam's looks

No hints/show hints next game - Toggle on/off hints during the game

Music and effects are on - Change music settings (Alternatives are:
Only effects are on, Only music is playing,
Silence is golden)

RIT and TAM are friends - Change Rit and Tam's interaction (Alternatives are:
Rit and Tam share scores- both scores add
Rit and Tam are tough dudes- they can hit each other)

RIT and TAM do not jump - Toggle on/off the ability to jump and if they hit
their head while doing so

Squirrel music on titles - Change the music played on the title screen

Scene changes are pretty/quick - Choose fast or flowing scene change

Player one is called RIT - Change Rit's name to your liking
Player two is called TAM - Change Tam's name to your liking

------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------
+ General Tips + [_0500_]
------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------

While the fastest way to beat a scene may be to kill all enemies, it's often
worth to go for the Extra Game and win an extra life. However, don't overdo
it. I, myself, for example took every chance to kill the wasp enemies as soon
as I could, because I didn't like them at all. The spuds, however, are easily
evaded even in bigger numbers.

If you go for Extra game, only stun the enemies and then run by. While
stunned, they can't hurt you.

When you pause the game, the game may be a bit glitchy. Continuously tapping
'A' now makes the game run bit by bit only, until you unpause the game
pressing 'B' or 'Start'. This works best when jumping is not enabled.

Try not to take too much time in order to avoid Meanie mode. The blue Meanies
are rather fast. But if it happens, don't worry, you can still beat them like
any other enemy.

------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------
+ Stages Guide + [_0600_]
------------------------------++++++++++++++++--------------------------------

I will give short descriptions of each scene here.

Scene 01
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Plenty of space with complete platforms and enough ladders. There are only
Spud enemies here. Just stun them when necessary and collect all flowers to
get some EXTRA letters.

Scene 02
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There's one platform to the left and three to the right. There are quite a lot
of Spud enemies around, only stun them, or maybe kill one or two of them to
get to the left platform, and it should be easy to collect all flowers and
complete the EXTRA game to get an extra life. In fact, this is a good place to
play around a bit and practice dodging enemies.

Scene 03
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Together with two Spuds you meet some Sharks for the first time. Just don't
spend your time below them, else you can treat them exactly like Spuds. You
can make your way from the bottom upwards, collecting all flowers. If you feel
comfortable doing so, let some Spuds divide before you pick up the last flower
so you get more EXTRA letters.

Scene 04
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The two 'first floor' platforms can only be reached by your own ladder or by
falling down from above. With four sharks here, it's advisable to get above
them quickly if you're going for the flowers, or just kill them as fast as
possible.

Scene 05
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There's a new enemy species, Wasps, and one big platform at the top which you
cannot reach with your magic ladder. You need to step on a balloon that comes
out of the floor in order to be carried up. However, the first thing you'll
want to do is kill the two wasp enemies as quickly as possible. They are very
dangerous because they can move around freely and they throw arrows at you. If
you get lucky (or have a good timing), one of the first balloons after you
collect the flowers on the lower platform will take you up, then you can
ignore them.

Scene 06
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Again a scene with Spuds, and two Sharks. Kill the Sharks when you meet them.
The uppermost platforms are somewhat hard to reach because of the long
ladders. Don't take any risk and either wait for the enemies to come down. You
may also get lucky with a special weapon taking out the enemies above. Two of
the flowers in the upper right part are suspended in mid-air. But if you build
a magical ladder one block beside the floor below them, you can still reach
them from below - or simply jump down from the upper floors.

Scene 07
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A new enemy species here: Nessies. Don't worry too much about them. Simply
kill them when they drop down to your floor. You need your magic ladder for
the flowers suspended in mid-air, and the platforms above can only be reached
by balloons. The balloons appear either in the middle or to the right of the
screen. Don't take any risks, it's easiest to just kill all enemies.

Scene 08
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Two complete platforms connected by two ladders. The slightly tricky thing is
the length of the ladders, which is two 'ladder units'. Stun the Nessies, or
kill them when they get on your nerves, but here's another good chance to
collect all flowers and get some EXTRA letters.

Upon getting rid of the last enemy, a door opens on the ground floor. Walk
into it to be taken to your first boss battle.

Boss Battle - The Crocodiles
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There are four floors, and on each side three crocodile mouths on mobile
platforms moving up and down. When a mouth opens, it releases small crocodiles
that run along their platform very quickly. The small ones take one hit to
kill, but the big heads - the real boss - take 8 hits each with your wand
until they disappear. As soon as only two of the heads are left, they will
release much more mini-crocs, and you don't want to find yourself trapped
between two of the heads launching them at you. So it's best to first kill all
heads on one side, then care about the other side. For all of this you don't
actually need to climb up a platform. It's safest to just stay on the bottom
floor and wait for the croc heads to come down to you.
Anyway - take care when hitting on one of the heads. When their mouth opens
and they do release a mini-croc, make sure to time your wand zap such that you
kill the small one, or else it will cost you a life. This gets harder when
only two heads are left, but the principle stays the same.

Beating the boss nets a nice 10000 points bonus!

Scene 09
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New enemy type ahead: the Polymorphs. When you seen one prepare its tongue-
attack, quickly get away two blocks or build a magic ladder and climb it. This
is an easy scene to collect some EXTRA letters, start by picking the flowers
from the bottom to the top.

Scene 10
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There are only two floors here, the bottom one and a complete platform at the
top. At least they're connected by a long ladder. A second short one going
down from the top allows the enemies to fall down. Two enemies, a Polymorph
and a Spud are directly falling down to your floor. As getting all flowers
here is a bit annoying and time-consuming (you need to build a lot of your own
ladders upwards and downwards or take a few balloon rides), it's best to just
kill them. If you're patient enough, you can still get some more EXTRA
letters, but more often than not Meanie mode will come earlier than EXTRA
game.

Scene 11
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Quite a few small and scattered platforms here, with those at the borders
connected by a triple ladder. The middle ones are also easily accessible by
your own magical ladders or from above. This is a scene where it's relatively
easy getting into EXTRA game, and with the two Polymorphs and three Spuds, you
can easily get four or even all five letters. Start by getting the flowers on
the right side first, then jump over to the center platform and collect those
there. The remaining ones in the top left part are most easily accessed by
your own ladders through the center.

Scene 12
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Bleh, quite easily accessible platforms on all levels, but there are four Wasp
enemies flying around. So try to escape them and their arrow attacks (when
they stop they shoot diagonally from their behind), and use every chance to
kill them as soon as possible. For this, go to the platform directly above you
and grab the first Wasp nearby. Kill it and if you're lucky, you get the Revel
Weapon (4 balls). Else kill them one after the other. It's not worth the
effort to try and go for EXTRA game, but if you're only missing one letter,
you can try. I don't recommend it, though, as Wasps are simply too dangerous.

Scene 13
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Gah - Squirrels! Avoid being on the same floor with them, as they then speed
up significantly. If it happens anyway, quickly leave the floor or try to kill
the beast. The stage itself is nice. Once the only Spud enemy is off of the
platform on the first level, this place is an excellent refuge. From there you
can easily collect all flowers in the top right and the top left part of the
screen to get into EXTRA game.

Scene 14
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First get the eight floating flowers directly above you using your magic
ladders before the Squirrels come down to you. When that happens, priority
here is to avoid the Squirrels, then make your way up the long ladder to the
right (the one to the left is a dead-end and doesn't take you up to the floor
above). Stun the remaining squirrels and collect the flowers on the upper
floor to reach EXTRA game and collect some letters.

Scene 15
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This is the first scene to feature teleport doors. Pressing 'Up' while
standing in front of one will take you to its counterpart (the bottom one is
connected to the upper right one, the one on the left side is connected to the
upper left one). When using them, make sure your destination is clear of
enemies. If you're going for the flowers, it's easiest teleporting up, then
collecting the flowers while making/dropping your way down. If you're very
lazy, simply teleport to the uppermost platform and wait for the timer to run
out.

Scene 16
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
There are three small platforms on the topmost level and two one below. Going
up either means taking the long (3-level) ladder in the middle, which is quite
dangerous, or using your magic ladder to reach the pre-made ladder to the
right side of the center of the screen. Additionally to the two Polymorphs and
the three Squirrels, two green mines are 'patrolling' the two vertical walls
in the middle. Touching them also kills you. My best advice for this stage is
to wait on the bottom floor for the enemies to drop down, then immediately
kill them. It's not worth risking your lives to get to EXTRA game.
Once you kill all baddies, a door appears on the ground floor. Walk into it to
be taken to the second boss battle.

Boss Battle - The Whale
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This fight takes place underwater. You slowly drop down from the top in the
beginning. Controls are a bit different than usually: you can float up, down
and sideways by pressing the according direction on the D-pad, however you're
slowed down. There's no magical ladders here, but your magic wand attack has a
longer reach. The big Whale can appear from the bottom or from the side, his
weak spot is its eye, so this is your main target.
The difficult thing here are the small green Squid enemies that swim from the
top of the screen. As soon as they are at your level, they stop and charge at
you horizontally. You can kill them with a zap from your wand, but only after
they've turned towards you. Most of the time, though, it's easier to keep
moving up or down in order to dodge them. Also the Whale himself has a means
of attacking you, namely by spewing out small bubble-balls. They come out of
his top and then fall down like lava rocks from a volcano.
Avoid both the bubbles and the green Squids (or kill them) and hit the Whale's
eye enough times until the fight is over. Unfortunately I cannot say for sure
how many hits he really takes. Counting points (every hit in the eye nets 100
points), I got values between 30 and 50.

Safe strategy: Keep Rit/Tam close to one side of the screen, facing towards
the center. Only move up and down and keep firing at the green squids as they
come - and of course at the Whale, as soon as the occasion presents itself.
But don't go to the center, the risk of being hit by a squid is much higher.
This takes a bit more time, but you can get away without losing a single life.

Beating the boss nets another 10000 bonus points!

A screen follows, informing you that you've now reached the Maboots tower
where your mom is being held:

"Enter the Maboots Tower to rescue Mom."

Scene 17
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This first scene inside the actual Maboots tower features two teleport door
pairs (the door at the bottom floor is connected to the one in the upper left,
the uppermost door to the one in the center), three platforms above you that
can only be reached by teleporting or by balloons, and two new enemy species:
Gargoyles and Spineys. The easiest way here is to wait for the enemies to drop
down, then kill them. Going for all flowers is quite risky.

Scene 18
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Two long ladders connect the bottom with four intermediate platforms and the
top floor. Enemies are the same as before: 4 Spineys and three Gargoyles. Kill
the Gargoyles, especially the first one that directly drops down to you, but
the Spineys are easy to stun and avoid, also their spine shots are easily
dodged. So go for EXTRA game here and collect a few flowers. Small tip: you're
safest on one of the platforms in the middle and you can get anywhere else
pretty quickly.

Scene 19
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
There are two platforms on the first level, both already connected by two
ladders with the bottom floor, but beware of the two centermost ladders, they
have a mine hovering above them. Altogether, there are four green mines moving
between the platforms, so there's no easy jumping over. And there's a new
enemy type: the Monkeys. Once they're on the same floor as you they start
running like crazy, and don't stop doing so even when you climb up or down. So
it's safer to stun, or even better, kill them than try to dodge them by
climbing. By means of stunning it should still be possible to get into EXTRA
game and get one or two letters. At the start, all four Monkey are climbing
down: kill the closest one to the left, then climb up when going for the
flowers. Then you need to time your 'going down to get over such that you can
stun the remaining ones. Once you're back up on the right side, all flowers
are yours for the taking.

Scene 20
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Another scene with teleport doors (the door located in the center right atop
the middle ladder is connected to the one in the upper left corner, the two
doors on the right side are connected to each other). Using the doors can be
tricky, especially with those Gargoyles and Monkeys around, so you have two
options to play it save. Either wait in the bottom left corner (below the
platform), let the enemies come, then kill them, or you make your way to the
top left platform and just wait there until time runs out and you're taken to
the next scene.
If you want to go for flowers, here's a good way. At the start go up the left
ladder, then up to the top left platform as soon as at least one of the
Monkeys has dropped down. Kill the other one of necessary. Then collect the
flowers up there using your magic ladder. Then build a ladder on the rightmost
block on this platform, climb it and jump over to the top right platform as
soon as it is free of enemies. Then collect the flowers up there, and here we
go: EXTRA game. (The biggest risk is the start with the Monkeys.)

Scene 21
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This scene has three small platforms on the first level, one on the right half
of the second and one on the left half of the top level. All platforms are
connected with ladders already, but some of the flowers can only be reached by
your magical ladders. Enemy-wise there are three Monkeys and four Spineys.
Even if you're going for the flowers, don't risk anything with the Monkeys and
kill at least the ones coming down at the beginning. Spineys are easy to just
stun and dodge. My advice, though, is to kill all enemies as quickly as
possible.

Scene 22
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Bleh, another scene with Wasps (and two Monkeys). So the general strategy
should be to not get hit while killing everything on screen as soon as
possible. Assuming you haven't enabled jumping, you need ladders to get away
from the starting area using the pre-existing ladders (that don't go through
to the upper platform) or your own, as the left and right parts of the bottom
floor are one block higher. Or you can take a balloon ride upwards, but with
the Wasps around, this is quite risky. If you're lucky, you'll get a Revel
special weapon early, to finish most of the enemies quickly.

Scene 23
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Two Monkeys and five Spineys on a scene where the platforms form a closed
square: the floors on the first, second and third floor are closed by vertical
walls. There's one pre-made ladder going in from the bottom floor and one
going out at the top, but of course you could use your own magic ladder to go
in. That is, if you want to go for EXTRA game. The save way, however, is by
waiting at the bottom beside the ladder for the enemies to come down, then
kill them. If you do want some letters, only stun the Spineys.

Scene 24
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Again a scene where I strongly recommend to kill all enemies as fast as
possible, as there are two Wasps with five Gargoyles. Especially, as many of
the flowers are floating distributed at the top of the screen.
Once you kill all baddies, a door appears on the ground floor. Walk into it to
be taken to the second boss battle.

Boss Battle - The Elephant
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This fight is a bit special in more than one way. First of all, you have the
ability to jump using the 'A' button, irrespectively of what you had selected
in the options menu. Then you first have to make your way through a small
maze-like level leading (and scrolling) down to the actual boss. This way
already is quite tricky, as there are the small Hat-Man enemies that
dangerously (especially when not alone) throw their hat at you (horizontally,
reaching about half the screen). And there are water drops falling from the
ceiling, which can also hit you. You need a bit of good timing, especially to
avoid all hats before you can kill their throwers.
At the start, drop down facing left, then immediately kill the Hat-Man. Next
are some water drops to avoid. Drop down to the right when the Hat-Man below
is a bit away and immediately kill him. Drop down on the left. Kill the next
Hat-Man and drop further to the right. The next three Hat-Men are a bit
tricky. Drop on their floor just when the hat of the leftmost one has passed
and the two others are a bit away. Quickly kill the first two. Then wait for
the leftmost one to throw the hat again, jump up to him and zap him and dodge
his returning hat by jumping or directly dropping to the left side. Go on to
the right. Time your next drop such that you land to the right just after the
hat of the rightmost Hat-Man has passed, without being hit by the water drop,
then immediately kill said Hat-Man. Quickly retreat a bit to avoid the second
Hat-Man's hat, then go after him. Drop down to the left, kill the next Hat-Man
and dodge the water. The following fall is also a tricky one, as it needs to
pass two hat-throwers. As there's no reproducible way to get by without losing
a life without seeing the second Hat-Man throw his projectile, you need to do
a little trick. When you're at the edge, go back a bit, almost to the water
droplets (to the block that has a fire torch). Now you can see the second Hat-
Man throwing his hat. If both throw their hat almost simultaneously, that's
good. If not, jump to the right and wait a bit, then go back to the block with
the fire torch. Repeat until you get the simultaneous launch. Now jump to the
right directly after they launch their projectiles and drop down just before
they catch it again.
The room you land in now is the area of the actual boss fight - finally. There
are two ladders, one to the right side and one to the left side of the screen.
Both lead to two small platforms. The Elephant boss will appear in the center
of the screen as soon as you touch the ground. During the whole fight, he will
hover around the screen and release small versions of himself. These Mini-
elephants slowly jump around and can propel themselves straight up to the top
of the screen, where they vanish. This is why being on one of the platforms
with Mini-elephants alive is a bad idea. The safest places are in the bottom
corners of the screen, or two steps up the ladders, such that you can still
zap the Minis. When the Elephant is in reach, zap him with your wand, but take
care not to be stomped. Fortunately, he will not be able to hurt you when
you're on one of the ladders. If you're not the patient type, follow him
around, always remaining at some distance when he's up in the air and killing
all Mini-elephants, then close in and zap him when he comes stomping to the
bottom. All in all, he takes 25 hits.

Safe strategy: At the start of the fight, immediately run to the left side of
the screen and stand at the bottom of the left ladder. From here, you can kill
all Mini-elephants and also hit the big one when he's close. If he remains to
the right part of the screen, only releasing the Minis, approach slowly (while
killing the Minis), get to the bottom of the right ladder and work from there.

Beating the boss nets another 10000 bonus points!

Scene 25
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This is a tough screen where you can easily lose a life or two; try to finish
the enemies as quickly as possible. Together with three Wasps (argh) and two
green mines, you encounter e new enemy species: the Starfish. Actually, three
of them. They walk around pretty normally, but from time to time they make
sort of a kneefall and throw a boomerang in the general direction they're
facing. So, as mentioned, don't take any risks here and kill any enemy you
can, especially the Wasps, as fast as possible. If you're lucky, you'll even
get a Revel special weapon early.

Scene 26
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The platforms and walls are symmetric on the right and left side, dividing the
scene almost in two. Together with three Starfish enemies, there's again a new
type of enemy: the Chickens. They're like Squirrels earlier, they start
running a lot faster when they're on the same floor as you, so avoid this or
zap them quickly. If you want to go for EXTRA game, which is relatively well
doable here, you should start out by climbing the small platform in the middle
of the first floor using your magical ladder. Then jump over to the ladder on
one side that is almost clear of enemies and collect all flowers there,
stunning or killing enemies where necessary, then falling back on the center
platform from the top. Rinse and repeat for the other side.

Scene 27
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
And yet another new enemy type: the Lobster. He sometimes extends his claw to
attack you, similar to the Polymorph extending its tongue. The bottom half of
the screen is divided in two by a wall of blocks and flowers guarded by two
green mines. While it is possible to get into the wall and also making your
own magical ladder inside, thus allowing you to go directly to the other side,
it is a dangerous thing to do. For that reason it's easiest (and I strongly
advise you) to just wait near the starting point beside the leftmost ladder
and kill any enemy coming down, either until time runs out or until all
enemies are dead.

Scene 28
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This scene consists of the bottom floor and a complete floor at the top of the
screen, connected by two long ladders on each side of the screen. All flowers
are floating between the floors, but too high up for you own magical ladder,
so you'd need to get them from above. The worst thing about the level, though,
are the enemies. There are three Wasps flying and four Chickens walking
around. Two of the latter are directly falling to your floor. So best kill
them directly and possibly also some Wasps with them. For this to work out
without losing a life, you need to move slightly towards the left ladder while
still being invincible, only then grabbing one of the Chickens. Else they'll
run into you at the same time from both directions. If after the initial
killing there are still some Chicken enemies left, you can try to go for the
flowers, but getting all of them within the time limit is a difficult thing to
do, so you can as well kill all enemies as soon as possible.

Scene 29
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Gah, yet another scene with Wasps. Above the bottom floor, connected to it
with one ladder, the middle platform has two walls, forming a broad 'u'.
(Beware the green mine floating up and down in the center, it can kill you on
both the bottom and the first floor.) The top floor is divided in two parts,
and both are connected to the middle platform by a ladder.
The safest strategy is to use a magical ladder to climb up to the first floor
one block beside the left horizontal wall (thus prolongating the left ladder).
Here you should be able to kill a good part of all enemies, especially some of
the Wasps. Still, it's easy to lose a life here, so take care. If only one or
two enemies are left, you can try going for EXTRA game, but it's not worth
taking any risks. So if you feel more comfortable killing also the last
baddies, climb up to the top floor and wait for them to come up.

Scene 30
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This scene is almost like one half of an inversed pyramid. The top floor is
complete, the second floor is three quarters wide and the first floor one half
only (starting from the right side). Both intermediate floors are closed to
the left by a vertical wall. Each floor is connected to the ground by a
separate ladder and two green mines are floating up and down in the upper
part. Enemy-wise there are two Starfish and two Spud-baddies. Take care, the
Spuds got more aggressive compared to the ones outside the tower: they now act
like Gargoyles, running at you when on the same floor. If you want to play it
safe, then simply wait on the bottom floor until the enemies climbs down a
ladder, then kill them. But if you want to go for EXTRA game and get some
letters, here's what worked best for me. Walk to the right and build and climb
your own magical ladder one block to the left of the rightmost white ladder
such that you cross the descending Spud. Go past the mine and collect the
flowers here. Then climb up one more floor as soon as the second Spud has left
the second floor (if he doesn't before the first one comes back up, stun him).
Quickly collect the flowers here (beware the mines!) and climb all the way up.
If the two Starfish enemies are still up here, stun them while collecting the
remaining flowers. There you are, three or four letters for you.

Scene 31
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Oh noes, a scene full of Wasps. Yes, 8 Wasps. So your motto should be: kill
them as soon as possible. Fortunately, you are quite mobile, you can use four
existing ladders to four small platforms on the first floor and two more to
get to the second floor platforms. Anyway, if you're lucky, you'll get a Revel
special weapon from the first Wasp you kill. If not, try to gain some ground
to be in a better position. If there are only one or two Wasps left and you're
still missing only one letter for the extra life, this is the time to go for
it. But remember, it's not worth losing two lives in the process of trying to
get one more.
Once you kill all baddies, a door appears on the ground floor. Walk into it to
be taken to the last boss battle.

Boss Battle - ???
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Much like for the third boss, the Elephant, you first need to pass a side-
scrolling Jump & Run part. For this, you again have the ability to jump even
if you didn't activate it in the Options menu. Run along the castle wall to
the right side. When you see the Slimeys, don't stop but run straight on and
jump over the holes in the floor. If you do stop and still need to pass a
Slimey (or more precisely, the bubbles it shoots upwards), don't try running
between the bubbles, but wait for a short break, which normally comes every
five to eight shots. After the third Slimey, you come to a gap, which is too
wide for a single jump. Wait a bit and you'll see balloons coming up. So use
them to get to the other side, and remember: you cannot jump when on a
balloon, you need to drop to a lower one and steer in-flight. When you get to
the right side, don't hurry on directly. Wait for a balloon appearing directly
one block beside the lower platform, jump on it and ride all the way up. When
it pops, steer to the right to land on the small upper platform and jump over
to the right. That way you not only avoid two tricky jumps over fireballs, but
also get some extra points from the heart-shield thingies.
Continue to the right. Time your passage past the Washerwoman's falling water,
and up the stairs. Jump over the gaps such that the Jumping Jacks with Santa
hats don't touch you, or else you lose a life. Unfortunately, you can't harm
them with your magic wand beforehand. Drop down on the other side and avoid
another Washerwoman. Now you're inside the castle. Go on, pass below the black
pot spilling dangerous bubbles (place yourself between them on a free spot and
press on, in case you can't run through in one go). By the way, the blue
columns work like ladders - you can climb them in order to get the heart-
shields. Careful, though, as soon as you reach the skull-shield, it will
multiply and attack you. Zap the ones close to you and absolutely avoid
standing below any other one: they will quickly drop down vertically. You
don't need to evade them for long, though, the whole attack is over rather
quickly. Collect the remaining heart-shields and continue to the right. Jump
over the gaps while avoiding the fireballs (watch their pattern and jump over
right after one has passed). Go into the narrow passage and drop into the
first small hole. Jump out of it to the right and immediately drop back into
it in order to avoid the flying Bat. Rinse and repeat for the second small
hole for another Bat. On to the right comes another screen with skull-shields
you have to dodge. Again, try killing those on the same floor as you, but the
most important thing is to not stand below them when they drop. I hope you
have good reflexes, but I've got to admit that I have no reproducible way to
get past here without losing a life, even though it is doable. When it's over,
advance slowly up the first step of the small stairway, and back away as soon
as you see another Bat approaching. Rinse and repeat for the second step of
the stairs. Now go through the narrow passage and jump over the gap using the
blue columns. Avoid getting hit by the Jumping Jacks, and heed the advice that
for the last two jumps it's better to jump under the Jacks while they're up
above you. Go up the stairs and take one of the two ways to the right (the
lower one has more heart-shields, but it actually doesn't matter). As soon as
you're out of the castle and on the castle walls again, the music changes.
Time your progress such that you avoid the bubbles coming out of the pot, and
you're there: at the location of the final boss battle, the last chamber of
the tower of Maboots.
The screen itself offers you two advantages: two ladders, one on either side
of the screen, and four small platforms (two on either side of the screen. The
boss, a tall knight with bull horns, either teleports in and out of the screen
or he comes through the ceiling. He has five different kinds of attacks:
- He shoots three slow fireballs that creep along the floor until they reach
the border:
- climb a ladder or stay on the other side
- He shoots five bubbles downwards in a semi-circle, they disappear on the
ground floor:
- stand between them
- He stomps in the middle of the floor, causing skull-shield to fall down:
- dodge them when necessary (and attack)
- He hovers around horizontally in the upper half of the screen, shooting
bubbles downwards:
- stay below a platform or on a ladder (you can attack from a ladder)
- He floats around, stomping down from time to time:
- stay in a corner of the screen (attacking is very risky)

The first thing you should do is get a bit used to his patterns, the safest
places for this is in the corners of the screen: he can't touch you there and
you can climb it to avoid projectiles (but beware of the skull-shields).
Normally it's not worth climbing the ladder, the only time is when he's
hovering horizontally if you really want to land a hit. Once you know how he
behaves, run beside him when he stomps on the floor and zap him as much as you
can. The best time is during the skull-shield attack. Take special care when
he floats and jumps around more or less randomly. Overall he takes between 15
and 30 hits. (I myself have seen anything between 17 and 28. I'm not sure if
losing a life or hitting him while he's of a special color has an influence.)

Safe strategy: wait in the bottom right corner, on the ladder. Dodge eventual
bubble projectiles and fireballs by climbing. Only leave that spot when he
comes down for the skull-shield attack, then get near him and zap him two to
three times, while avoiding the shields, of course.

Beating the boss nets another 10000 bonus points!

"Thank you RIO and TAM"
"And thus the Monster was defeated"
"And locked away in the Tower forever."

Congratulations! You've managed to beat the game and rescued Rit's and Tam's
mother.

----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------
+ Codes & Secrets + [_0700_]
----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------

____________
Level Select
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(Thanks to odino for telling me about it.)

Enter the first fairy's name as "ICH" and second one's as "EAT". Now start the
game and press Select, this grants you access to the SECRET PASSWORD MODE,
which is a level select menu.
The numbers correspond to the individual normal scenes, while the boss fights
are at the end labeled E1-E4.

You can only open this secret password mode window once. After going to the
selected scene, you cannot open it again. Well, you can just start a new game
and then you can do the whole thing again, of course.

________
Red Head
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(Again thanks to odino for telling me about them.)

If you enter one of the following names your fairie, it will get a red face:
"SHT", "FUK", "BUM", "TIT", "SEX", "VAJ", "CNT", "POO", "NOB", "DIK"

'Tsk tsk tsk!' if you've found that out by yourself! ;-)

-------------------------------+++++++++++++----------------------------------
+ Questions + [_0800_]
-------------------------------+++++++++++++----------------------------------

This section is dedicated to commonly asked questions. So far, there aren't
many... But I will update it whenever I feel the need of it - which means as
soon as somebody asks a question that isn't already answered in this guide.
So if you have a question, or have found a mistake or would like to have
something added, don't hesitate to contact me at:

DrLagoona (at) hotmail (dot) com

__________

Q: What's your highscore in this game?

A: It was 495'650 points
__________

Q: What's the hardest part of the game?

A: Some of the scenes need some luck at the start, especially those with
Wasps. But the only part where I couldn't reproducibly get through without
losing a life was part of the jump&run section right before the final boss,
the two screens with multiplying skull-shields. If you happened to have any
advice on this, don't hesitate to let me know.
__________

----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------
+ Version history + [_0900_]
----------------------------+++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------

Version 1.0 - Beat and included all scenes. All other important sections done
(01/25/08) (basics, weapons, enemies, tips and questions). Added a note
about the ending. Basic formatting performed.

Version 1.1 - Included Codes & Secrets section after getting informed by odino
(05/29/08) about the different 'special names' and the level select. Added
tags to make the guide searchable and adapted the Table of
Contents accordingly.

Version 1.11 - Added neshq.com to the websites allowed to host this guide.
(02/23/10) Also added the Donations part and did some adaptations.

-----------------------------+++++++++++++++----------------------------------
+ Legal Stuff + [_1000_]
-----------------------------+++++++++++++++----------------------------------

This guide is copyrighted 2008-2010 by 'CJ' Lagoona.
The only websites allowed for hosting and public display are up to now

www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.neshq.com

No part of this file can be used without the permission of the author and
credits to the author. To get permission to host this guide on your website,
drop a line to DrLagoona (at) hotmail (dot) com, wait for an answer and abide
to it.
Of course, you can also use this address if you have comments or questions
about my guide or if I missed something that should be included.
Make sure you have <RodLand> in the subject line, or else I'll shred and eat
the e-mail without reading it. ;-)

Donations
---------

If you'd like to make a donation, even a small one, showing your appreciation
of my work, I will of course gladly accept it. For this, best do it via PayPal
to (the same address given above):

DrLagoona (at) hotmail (dot) com

Of course, replace the (at) with the @ symbol and the (dot) with a .
Much thanks in advance.

-------------------------------+++++++++++------------------------------------
+ Credits + [_1100_]
-------------------------------+++++++++++------------------------------------

..to Sales Curve Interactive and Jaleco for creating and releasing this game.

..to http://www.network-science.de/ascii/ , as the header ascii was created
with this ascii-generator.

..to the C64-Wiki (http://www.c64-wiki.de/index.php/Rodland) for some of the
enemies' names.

..to Osrevad - I slightly adapted his ASCII art of the NES pad.

..to odino for the codes you can put in as names.

..to me for writing this. ;-)

And thanks to CJayC for running GameFAQs. Well, actually, for having created
GameFAQs - and to Sailor Bacon (aka SBAllen) for taking over.