Secret Scout(NES) FAQ/Walkthrough
version 1.0.0 by
[email protected](anti spam spoonerism)
Please do not reproduce for profit without my consent. You won't be getting
much profit anyway, but that's not the point. This took time and effort, and
I just wanted to save a memory of an old game and the odd solutions any way I
could. Please send me an email referring to me and this guide by name if
you'd like to post it on your site.
This FAQ is part of the NES Completion project. Visit boards.gamefaqs.com or
faqs.retronintendo.com for more information. Especially if you know Japanese.
Thanks to all who contributed to it, gave me games to try, gave general
encouragement, etc.
================================
OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CONTROLS
2-1. YOU
2-2. ITEMS
3. BASICS AND STRATEGIES
3-1. DYING AND EXPLORING
3-2. YOUR ENEMIES
3-3. CONSERVING TORCHES AND TNT
4. THE WALKTHROUGH
4-1. FIRST SCREEN
4-2. THE FIRST BOSS
4-3. FLOOR 1
4-3-1. URBAN AREA
4-3-2. LADDER AREA
4-3-3. THE KEY BOSS FIGHT
4-4. PAST THE GATE
4-5. LEVEL 2
4-5-1. MAIN PART
4-5-2. BOOMERANG AND SHIELD DETOUR(AS YOU EXIT, IF YOU WANT)
4-6. LEVEL 3
4-7. RECONNAISANCE
4-8. UNDERGROUND
5. CHEATS
6. VERSIONS/CREDITS
================================
1. INTRODUCTION
Secret Scout is an unquestionably bad game for the NES. But it's possible, if
you're patient. You control a boy scout who frolicks through eighty different
screens on the way to defeating the totally evil Dr Demise...and getting a
really, really lame ending for your efforts. This side scroller follows a
basic pattern for the most part: beat your enemies, then access another part
of the level that opens up, and go to the next room and do the same. You
collect special items throughout the game, and you have to use some to
collect others. This can be confusing, especially with some items strewn far
and wide, though there are some amusing puzzles.
You also get infinite continues, which you really need, and though they
render health useless, they open up a new level of strategy. Relatively
simple button-mashing can win out in the end, and in fact in the early
stages, you can just let monsters kill you and move on, and that's that. The
really important things to save are the items. You have torches, shields,
TNT, a wall climber and a map. Use them wisely, and you will be able to get
past Dr. Demise. Well, you can do so without them, but it is very hard.
The one mantra to remember throughout the game: The controls are really
stupid, but the enemies are, too. Patience is necessary. If you remember
that, you'll do okay. You also have to jump a lot. Enemies can't figure you
out when you jump. They also do not reappear once you have beaten them, which
is handy, but I can't blame most people for not having the patience to stick
it out.
It's not so bad once you know how to get around the monsters. But it is
certainly not very good! Oh, the controls are horrendously counterintuitive,
too. So let's get them out of the way first.
2. CONTROLS
2-1. YOU
left/right moves left and right. Momentum plays a factor here. You can jump
with the A key. You can move fast by holding the B key, which generally kicks
short term, and then running. You jump farther this way.
up/down goes up/down a ladder. If you are on the left side of a ladder, you
may wish to push right to go to the center so you can fall left onto the
level you want. Otherwise you may fall all the way down. There's no damage
for this other than basic annoyance. You can grab a ladder while jumping with
up/down, and you can move diagonally to facilitate this.
Start pauses the game. Select selects an item, but that is annoying.
Hold select to tinker with the items.
Select-up uses an item.
Select-[left/right] moves between items. It goes through all slots even if
you have no item for that slot.
If you are going into a room where you know you'll be using a certain item,
shift to that item beforehand.
Select can be combined with moving just when you don't want to. If you are in
the dark and need to use a torch, select all the way to the right then go
back 1 left, then select-up.
2-2. ITEMS
TNT: you usually need 2 of this to blow up a door. Doors you can blow up with
TNT have a black-and-(white or orange) covering. You need them to be on the
edge of the screen when you throw the dynamite, and it should not be a
problem if the dynamite blows up a bit below them. TNT can also take out
enemies, but they jump around too much for it to be useful.
Map: This shows you where you are. Blue rooms are dark and require torches. A
good way to see if you've missed anything, or where a passage leads.
Wall grips: Select them and you can climb up walls. You will fall if hit.
This helps you to get to secluded ledges which often have important items.
Push (select) to release them. You will fall.
Shield: protects you some of the time for a short time. Overhead bombs still
seem to get you. I say don't bother.
Boomerang: nails an enemy on the way and then goes above and back. Not worth
the effort to get.
Key: Stand to the side of a door, face it and use the key. A locked door will
have a lattice work of iron bars with clear gaps in it. You cannot blow up a
locked door. One type key fits all.
3. BASICS AND STRATEGIES
3-1. DYING AND EXPLORING
There are no points per se but rather you have health. You start off with 20
health and have no upper limit. Hearts give you 4 health points. Monsters
take 1 health point away if they hit you, not counting the annoying chain
reactions. If you fall to the bottom, you lose a life. When you lose a life,
you start on the very left.
If you don't care about perfection, you can kill yourself in order to move to
the left of a room, if you start in the right. That is lots of fun. It can
save a lot of annoying jumping and running.
Most rooms have 2 exits, but ones with 3 exits go to the room down/up in the
map in the middle.
If you have TNT and a heart appears where you can't reach it, you can run
into the wall(if you're at the edge) to dynamite yourself and thus get the
heart. Hearts aren't really valuable with infinite continues, while TNT is
finite, so this is not practical. But it's amusing.
For big fights near the end, you may be better just killing yourself off
quickly to get the 4 lives to start with, then trying again. At the very end,
monsters regain their hit points, but they do not early on. So if you are
near to death, don't use any valuable items. Conversely, falling off a ledge
is one of the worst things you can do in a late fight, as it can allow
monsters to regenerate, but it's nice in early fights, as you can often skip
past those monsters.
3-2. YOUR ENEMIES
First, remember that for every guy you beat, you get 4 hearts. So doing 7
damage and taking 3 is a definite win, and even if you lose a bit, you can
still continue. No need for even close to perfection.
The red guys, first, seem impossible. But you can practice on them. There are
two ways to beat them. They take 7 hits.
1. Jump up/down and when they do the same, run at them and kick them. Then
get on a different level and repeat. The idols are great places to stand to
start out.
2. Jump when they run at you, then tap the controller ahead of them, since
you can move in midair. Strike from behind.
This strategy works for many monsters. Determine if they are jumpers, and run
under them. If they don't jump, you can also jump down on them and surprise
them. If they jump up to you, stay away from them. You can switch between
ledges to really mess with their minds. Suddenly your short range attack is
lethal when they jump right into it. Also, if you pin monsters against the
wall, you can brutalize them.
The white bosses with knives can be tricky, but you can watch to see if they
jump or run. Do the opposite, sneak behind them, and kill them.
The city thugs are pretty stupid, too. Just get on the first stair and
clobber them.
Falcons are tough. They only take one hit but you need to kick them when they
are almost at ground level. If you need to, pause the game, make a 45 degree
angle, and picture where to turn around and kick. You may wish to fake them
out by jumping up so that they come down at you. When they attack from below,
they bob up and down, which can be very confusing. I haven't found as good or
exact a way to do things with them from below as from above.
Archers shoot diagonally in the city. Just jump on a window to squash them.
Jump continually to confuse them inside the buildings. You can jump down from
the ledge where you enter, remember, and this will buy time as you come close
to them. Then jump behind them and BAM.
Mini-ninjas come in threes and are annoying. They seem to be lumped together
at first. Your best bet is to jump over them and kick at them--landing in the
center can split them and make them much harder in the future. Once you kill
one, the fight becomes a lot easier, thankfully. But you may get burned by
chance. If they split apart, try to kick them back together and make them
easier to track.
Platform fighting is difficult as if you take a hit, you fall to your doom.
However, with care you can knock an enemy 1/4 across the screen and down.
That is as good as beating him to death.
Skeletons take 7 hits and can't jump particularly well, so just drop on them
if you have the time, or jump behind them and clobber them if you don't.
Gunners take 7 hits and are a bit tougher than Skeletons, but you should be
able to long jump past them, turn them around, and beat them up. They take
two shots at once.
Ninjas/samurai take 7 damage but there's nothing special about them. Jump
over them and hit them from behind. They just look tough, is all.
Mad bombers are particularly annoying. 7 hits again. You can't tell if they
drop bombs(delayed explosion) or firecrackers(kill you right away.) While
it'd be useful to use TNT on them without infinite continues, here just
eventually jump onto them and kick. With fire rings they're even worse. Avoid
the fire rings at all cost, as the paralysis they put on you loses you more
than one hit.
Helicopter men take 16 hits and appear in the underground. It's not clear
when they are clobbered, and their gunfire can blow you off a ledge. So find
a big one and fire away. Since you're not in the dark any more, you can even
retreat to the edge for a bunker.
Dr. Demise is a glorified helicopter man but he gets stuck in patterns some
time. There is a ledge on the far right you can use as an anchor to beat him
so you can just button mash, and you do not fall off. Use all your stuff on
him. After all, he's the last fight.
When facing two enemies, I go for the weaker first, actually. Getting hit
from both sides causes the nasty chain reactions where you take several
damage points at once. No invincibility mulligan here for when you just got
hit.
3-3. CONSERVING TORCHES AND TNT
You can chuck TNT at your enemy in the last fight. You may need to jump to do
so, as it has limited range and drops quickly. TNT can be used in a pinch to
see where you are in the dark, if you want to save torches.
Win fights quickly with torches. Be at full health if possible before going
through dark rooms with fights. Without exception, detours are not worth it.
If you emulate, you may wish to run through a level with a torch, then
without one. I wound up with 5 to spare, but then, I had to figure out how to
do things right to get to this FAQ. You can conserve a torch in the boss
fight above the streets if you want.
I advise using a save state before any torches. It must have been very hard
to get through the game on an original console, as in a lot of cases, you
have to go on tangents to explore and see what treasure is in which room. In
general you can clear a room in 20 seconds with practice(you'll get better as
you go through the game,) so if it has a torch, that is a good trade-off. But
then rooms without torches are not worth using a torch to go through, unless
they have keys. Light is simply too valuable as a buffer against mistakes.
4. THE WALKTHROUGH
4-1. FIRST SCREEN
This is an introduction to the wonder that is Secret Scout. You may wish to
play through it a couple of times to master the various idiotic deaths that
occur. The first guys take 7 hits to kill but are really not terribly clever.
You can beat them by jumping up and waiting for them to jump up. Then you
kick them. Be sure to be facing at them.
A very quick way to win is to jump up onto a dais and almost walk off the
edge. Stand on the left edge and kick. The enemy will run into your kick. You
will replicate this tactic later. Get a bit above him, kick when he runs into
you, and repeat. Hand-to-hand combat is nearly impossible, so don't bother.
You can pirouette around the enemy, if you want practice for later, timing
and angling your jump to land by him.
For the second dais, daggers may hit you, and that's that. If you want some
fun, run left and watch the daggers embed into the side of the screen. But
you can attack this guy the same as previous. Lure him left and jump right
over him so you can kick him to death as before.
Now walk right and you will see a pagoda embedded in the side of the cliff.
You couldn't go here before, as you hadn't killed all the enemies. Enter it
and you will be in the upper left of a screen with a ladder.
4-2. THE FIRST BOSS
You can tempt this guy into the left corner, jump over him and then kick him
into the left corner repeatedly til he goes down. Then go to the right and
get the map. Jump back onto the stairs and hold up. Then re-enter the jungle,
jump across the waterfall, and climb up the vine. Be prepared to take
immediate action in the next bit.
4-3. FLOOR 1
4-3-1. URBAN AREA
What the heck? You're in an urban area. Be prepared to run right til you're
just right of the guy with the bat. Then face left and you should be able to
kick the bird. Birds are the toughest enemies here. Then jump on top and kick
the bird. You may need to jump and kick it while in the air--it needs to be
at waist height, or it will get you.
The thugs with bats are really pretty dumb. They take 7 hits, too, but they
can't jump worth a you-know-what, so just get a bit above them and kick their
heads in. In this case, the platform at the top is very nice. You can also
use the stairs.
Now do you see those windows? Stand at the 2nd-top step(jump to get there--
running is unreliable) and push B then run right and jump. You may over-jump
the archer, but that's no big deal. It will make him disappear. You can jump
again to enter the window area. Push up and you're somewhere else!
There are a bunch of archers in the windows, as you noticed, and you need to
kill them by entering the windows. There are also treasures in these areas,
and you can't get some of them yet. Don't worry. I'll show you how later.
Right now, you need to jump constantly to sock the archer from behind. If
they get one hit in, they may get several in a row. Jump even before they
land, and if you get behind them, get a kick in. If they go to the left edge,
jump to the left edge and nail them there.
The first window, you need to be on the right side to enter it. Nothing is in
there. The second has a shield.
Now from the second window, take a running jump right, then jump up the
stairs and back right. Enter the solitary window(room #5) and you will go to
room 5. Room 5 has 2 archers. Don't go all the way right, or you'll have to
take them both on at once. Room 5 has a shield.
You can go back now to defeat the bird and the enemy. Be sure to get them
both, or they will reappear when you return to the streets.
left to the top. Try and knock off the bird from there. Then go left and
knock off the archers. You may wish to skip room 3, which has 2 archers and
is nasty. But room 4 has some TNT, and you'll need that for later. You can
just walk right and avoid room 3. It has nothing, and the enemies won't be
able to attack you.
Take a running jump from the 5th window to get to the 6th, then beat the
archer and take a jump from the 6th to get to the 7th. 10 more TNT.
In room 8 there is one enemy, then two more beyond that. There's also a
blocked door which you can't reach--you don't have what you need to make
sense of what's there yet. Take your lumps beating these guys, then get out.
Or, if you care to do some button-bashing, you can win the fight ahead by
following the button bashing described in 4-3-3.
Now return and enter the cave below.
1
2 shield
3
4 TNT
5 shield
6
7 TNT
8 blocked door
**archers have 5 hits
4-3-2. LADDER AREA
For the most part, it's safe to run, then jump over the ladders. If you miss
a jump, you fall to your death. Three jumps and you reach the boss fight you
must win before you go further right. Go near the right edge, then run right,
drop down, turn left and kick. The enemy will walk into your kick and fall
off the screen. If he doesn't, hold your ground and jump when he gets near,
kicking him some more. Jump across the gap, then jump onto the ladder(hold up
while jumping.) That gets you past the first room.
Now if you want to be obnoxious you can just run left a few times and avoid
the enemies. I'd say this is a bug. It's quicker this way, actually, since
you have infinite continues.
For the next bit, if you want to play honestly, walk left until you're just
past the enemy. Then kick the eagle as it comes flying down. Then run back
right, jumping over the ladder, and the stupid guy will follow you and jump
off to his doom. If not, fall left down the ladder, turn around and kick him,
and that'll make sure of things. If you want a heart, you can drop left of
him, kick him right and then jump and kick when he comes back. But that's
slower and less funny. Jump over three ladders to the left and you're in the
next room.
Again you want to kick when just past the enemy below--he's past the second
ladder. There may be two birds here, which is annoying, so you may want to
tap left after the first. You get another heart for it. Double back right to
drop the stupid thug again. Just keep tapping right til he falls, if you can.
If you're stuck on the main fight field and can't scroll, run all the way
left, then run right and drop down on the right edge of the middle beam. Jump
up and kick him when he runs at you, and he'll fall in.
** 7 hits for thugs, 7 hits for ninjas
Past another ladder you have three ninjas. These guys are really annoying.
Try and keep them together, but again, you need to jump immediately. So stay
at one corner and just kick away.
Enter the door and there are three more ninjas past the next part. Now you
can enter the middle door and head to a new area.
Drop to the bottom and jump to attract the red guy, then kick him from behind
as necessary. The stupid daggers will hit you at random no matter what, so
don't worry about that. Go to the top and get the heart. Go left and drop
down and go right, up the stairs and left to get the heart and exit.
Another similar room. Except the enemy is at the top. Kill him off. Now you
have two places you can go. The middle exit leads to somewhere currently
useless, so let's go to the left exit(another red monster to beat) and see
what's there.
A shield! Jump onto the ladder to get it, then jump left and when you are
past the middle door, jump left and edge to the left side of each platform.
Kick when you see the eagle, then jump and kick to defeat the thug. You may
lose here, but if not, it's a bonus. Exit out the left door.
Jump off the edge of a platform to reach the next one, unless the next
platform is lower. Then when you see the two enemies, jump past them, then
turn and kick left from the edge. Jump if they come near. You should be able
to kill everyone. The birds may flip you into the gap, but if it happens, you
won't have to fight these guys again. Keep jumping right, and when you see
the torch, jump when you are at the edge. It's weird--you can't jump over it
to get it, just where your outstretched hand would be. Jump right several
times. A door.
Again jump right and when a guy appears, go to the right edge and kick left.
A few more jups and you get TNT. Then enter the door next to you.
Jump onto the ladder then go right and jump right. You can jump right some
more and enter the door here. Now run right and you'll have a boss fight. Run
against the edge and judge the falcon's flight up. Kick it and drop down--you
know what to do. But then the jumps and runs back left are tricky. Entering
the door now leads you to the bottom area where you've been before.
4-3-3. THE KEY BOSS FIGHT
What you have to do, which sort of sucks, is to go back to the 8th window in
the city street area. But there is a cool part. Go to the door and face it.
Throw the TNT. When you're blown up, you go to the top row! Now move to the
right, and go all the way right so the door is visible. Jump back, stand on
the right edge of the next platform, and let the dynamite go. Boom!
The next area is like the second room, where you found the map. However, you
need to have readied a torch to see it. The torch lasts for one minute, which
should be more than enough. If you can get by without using the torch, it'll
be useful later. If you're well healed, you can actually bash around in the
dark for a while til you kill the enemy. Just stand near the edge and wait
for the relevant sound effects. It takes 7 hits and I generally take about
16, so if you have more than one life, you can randomly thrash around. You
need sound available for the cheaty method.
Once you win the fight, you can jump onto the right ladder. It's there even
in the dark, so keep trying. It's a bit away from the edge, though, so if you
overshot it, run backwards. Drop right and enter the door and you'll find
yourself just left of an iron gate. Ready the key, face the door and use the
key. You can be a step away from the door--that way you avoid the water.
Enter the door.
4-4. PAST THE GATE
Now run and jump across the bottom, making a fast run for a big jump. The
bottom is quicker and safer(no water drops) and you will eventually face
three ninjas. After beating them, jump right and get the Secret Scout extra
life above. To the right, there's a door to the next area.
The next room is a repeat of the last. So no need to bore you with the
details. But the next one has two exits. The near one leads down on the big
map. It is at the third ladder to the right. You will want to go there. The
far one leads right--it's at the fifth room, but you don't have what you need
to get through it, so you will want to wait.
Three ninjas greet you in this room to the right. Tackle them. Now you can go
right or left. I suggest going left. Stand under the stone step and kick the
two falcons as they come down. Then jump on the lower step and kick the thug
to death.
Now go left and you have another tough room. Two thugs here. The fight is
tough to win, but it is not bad to get the torch. Wait for them to go under
you, fall off the ladder and run left, jump and climb up. Reverse this to
come back. Fall off to the left and here you are--stairs up to level 2. You
could go down, but that leaves the underground, which you'll want to avoid at
first.
If you want to win the fight, drop down and start kicking around. You can run
away from them, then when they jump at you, go under them and backstab. Don't
jump, as they can jump and knife you. You can also use some TNT if you want
to.
4-5. LEVEL 2
Up two rooms from level 1 is--you guessed it--level 2. It's not huge, and it
has a detour, but you will definitely take more damage here, so watch it.
4-5-1. MAIN PART
(0e) If you want, you can just go right and meet the bomber and the fire
ring. Jump over the fire ring whenever possible. You can running-jump to the
top so you can drop down to get the bomber. He will jump up for you and be
easier to pick off. You have to run back and forth so the fire ring chases
you.
(22) There's a guy with a sword here. You can just walking-jump above(don't
hit your head on the platform above,) then drop down and kick him, and
repeat. Or you can jump behind him.
(33) There's a guy with a sword, then a bomber with a ring of fire. I may
have messed up here by going across the top or not going far enough to the
right. But I was able to avoid the ring of fire. You can kick this guy into
the corner if you are lucky, and you can again jump back and forth between
the platforms.
(43) A mad bomber and ninja are together here. Kick the ninja then the
bomber. Then there is a Ninja. Then a door east.
(10) The soccer balls here are difficult to deal with. You'll want to get the
torch and if you can avoid the soccer balls, great, but be prepared to take
damage. I just went straight for the Ninja and it took some damage with the
soccer balls running around. Try to jump up and down platforms a bit, then
just outrun the soccer ball to the door to the right.
(24) to the right you have a keyed-up door, so you'll want to go to the left.
You have a ring and mad bomber and it's nearly impossible to duck. But if you
win, you get a stick of TNT. Woohoo. There's a door in the upper left.
(35) Run very fast left and into a messy fight with three soccer balls and a
mad bomber. Expect to lose a life or two here.
(45) Run fast left and jump up when the soccer ball comes down. It's worth
picking up the shield here. It'll be on top. Then come back down and run
left. A ninja is here but he shouldn't be too bad.
(07) Another mad bomber to the right. Drop down on him to get rid of him. The
stairs take a while but are useful. He really jumps around. Go across the
top. Get the torch, then there's another mad bomber, then you have the exit
in the bottom right.
(1b) Just one mad bomber here.
(2d) ?? One mad bomber here. You have a keyed gate in the middle, across the
top. You can't go there yet, but it goes the same place the other gate you
saw previously went. Then at the right edge, kill the mad bomber and fire
some TNT right from the 3rd hole where bombs drop.
(3e) The mad bomber is rather easy here if you go along the top, then drop
down one. He keeps jumping to the top and then trying to dive-bomb you.
There's an extra life past him, if you want to drop down for it. Then keep
going right. There's another bomber. Past him, the stairs to level 3.
4-5-2. BOOMERANG AND SHIELD DETOUR
There's a door to your right here. You can open it by running fast left from
it, then getting onto the next ledge up with a big jump. Then you turn around
and throw a bomb, if you can see the door. It may take a couple tries. You
need to be at the edge of the platform. The orange will disappear, though.
4-6. LEVEL 3
(0c) Run right and there will be a gunner. You can jump over him like you did
ninjas and kick him in the back. There are two exits here, right(leads down
on the map) and far right.
(20) Run right past the door. Another gunner you can kill as before and wind
up with a passage to the right.
(31) This room has 4 exits. The first door to the right leads to an extra man
if you running jump onto the platforms above(room 41, trivial to run
quickly.) The second leads down, and the third door leads to the right. That
last one is the one you should take.
(09) For the smashers, jump up platforms to jump over them. This should not
be hard, though you'll want a running jump for a smasher that touches the
edge. To time running past the smashers, get ready to go and on the second
bash, run right.
(1d) You'll have to run under the first smasher. Jump over the second. Then
jump over the third, drop down and run fast(up-right) into the door to the
next area. Though if you want to take a detour for an extra Scout, run right
all the way, jumping over the top, then enter the door to (2f) and run all
the way right(jump up if/when you want) and then back. You need to jump up
eventually for your extra Secret Scout, but I found I was able to run across
with no real damage done.
(48) Go to the right. Ugh, slowdown in the boss fight here. Just stand on the
lower right platform and kick right when he gets near. Maybe some bees will
hit you, but probably not. Jump left from that platform, then running jump
right. A couple more jumps and you're at the next place.
You may wish to go to the left as well. There's another bad guy there. Kill
him. The same principle. Even if it doesn't look like you're hitting him, you
are, and the bees will miss you. He requires 10 hits. Jump to the left.
(38) Same sort of boss, but now just run up to him and kick him a ton. It's
that easy. Really. His stomping is impressive, but the platforms protect you
from any stuff that's falling.
(30) The gunner here is pretty dumb. Jump up on a low platform and start
whaling away. He will go down. Watch out for the bundle here that can kill
you. Exit the first door you see.
(1f) Jump up to the stairs and jump along the top. You get a torch this way.
Even better, keep going, and you'll get a key! Exit left.
(1e) Use the lower platforms to defeat the gunner, then jump up for the
torch. Watch out for the bundle. Now you have a problem because the skeletons
will attack you, too. I just gave up and died. That put me at the left, where
I entered a new room.
(0b) You just have 1 skeleton to beat here, and he is easy. Jump on a small
block and wait for him. Bang, bang, bang. Take the left door.
(0a)One gunner, then another as you go left. You need to avoid the bundle
here but it is not too bad. If you lead it far enough right and make the big
long loop back left, you will be okay. It will vanish. Then the next gunner
is easy.
On the left hand side, stand above the rightmost platform below(3rd moss from
the right) and chuck a couple of bombs at the door. Highlight the torch
before entering.
(13) Use the torch, move quickly and be sure to get the TNT across the top.
Smash the loincloth dude and work your way left.
(27) jump across the top and get the torch and drop down. Then jump back up
and don't worry about the enemy--just jump over him and make it to the right.
I was able to get through here without using a torch but you might need one.
(0f) Jump quickly up the side. Even in the dark, you can still find the basic
plan--run right and then enter the door. You can run fast, and if you fall,
no big deal. Just jump again. You may have to go a bit left of the right edge
to get in the door. But the screen will flash, and you'll reappear on the
left. Just saving resources...
(0b) Use a torch for this one. Run all the way right, get the torch, drop
down for the key, and run along the bottom.
Or do you need to? Run across the top until you fall. Then move three body
lengths left and fall. Be sure to listen for sound effects here that will
tell you you got the key. Now if you run into the wall, that is when to use
the torch. Run right and then go up the stairs and jump onto the platform
depending on which way the flying shuriken is going. Then jump to the top and
run left. Run all the way left and jump back down.
Now on the way back you can proceed quickly to retreat as before. You'll have
to take time to kill the big guy and use another torch, but oh well.
Now you can also go back to (44) and get a few more torches and a key. The
extra torches are critical in your quest, because if you lose them, you're
done for. Everything else can be replaced, except maybe the shields. And you
have a few more shields you can get.
(44) Switch to the key. Run all the way right. Drop down for the boomerang.
You should have enough time to jump back up and continue right. Then open the
gate with the key.
(34) Four torches and a key here. Jump across the top for the one torch, then
pick stuff up on the way back. Don't mind the shuriken. Drop down when you
see something to pick up and jump back. You can run right, then run left to
outwit the flying shuriken
Now the last thing you need to do is to get the wall hooks. Those are found
back on level 2, by the gate you couldn't open before. Open it, and you don't
even have to win the boss fight. You can just retreat. I had a key left over-
-not sure how--and so I was able to take the other door out. It's a nice
shortcut to avoid those stupid soccer balls. Head right, then head left.
You'll want to retreat all the way back to the stair on level 1. You may have
to win the boss fight(2 jumpers) this time, but it should not be too bad.
This time, go down. It's time to go underground. I hope you saved your
torches. If you want, you can perform reconaissance on the parts of level 1
you didn't clear at first. But it is time consuming, uses torches, and
doesn't really help you get on with things. Be sure to have torches selected
before you go down.
4-7. RECONAISSANCE
(Later, not relevant but just in case)
4-8. UNDERGROUND
(0d) You can go all the way to the right before turning the lights on. Once
you've hit the wall, use a torch and then whale on the skeleton and you will
take him down pretty easily. Don't worry about the heart here.
(21) Speed to the right and defeat the gunner. Then drop down all the way and
go into the hole in the bottom right. Again, no treasure.
(32) Speed right to beat the gunner(you may need to use a torch here) and
then the skeleton. Don't worry about the door on the top yet. Go to the
bottom right door.
(42) Jump up, run right, get the torch and run back. You probably don't want
to take a detour to the next area, which is, for posterity...
(56) Beat the jumping knife boss and get TNT(10) which you probably don't
need and an extra Secret Scout.
Go back to (32) and at the top, throw two sticks of TNT at the door and jump
down.
(12) run very fast to the right, jumping over holes. Let the bomber come at
you a bit and he may fall in the gap.
(1c) run to the right, dropping down the first vine for a shield. Keep
running to the exit.
(3f) run across the top, jumping over the vines. After getting the first
torch, fall off to get the second. Run right. You'll get the torch on the top
on the way back.
(37) Go to the right and beat the ninja. Get the torch on the right edge and
retreat. Do NOT go further right. You face a mad bomber and get a boomerang
for your troubles. That is a bad exchange.
In (12) if you were able to get the bomber to fall off as you went right,
then you can plow left. If not, try to either lure the bomber there or kick
him into the gap(about 1/4 screen left of it, kick him from the left.)
(2e) You should go along the bottom, and an old buddy, a red guy, will
appear. Get rid of him, go back up the vine to the right, and go left.
(08) Take the first door on the left on the bottom(fall down through the
vines.) The far one gives you a shield that won't last after a boss-jumper
fight(57).
(26) Run right to a pisser of a fight with a mad bomber and a ninja. Take
care of the ninja first and use TNT on the bomber if you have to. Leave 25
for the next 2 fights.
(47) Beat the Ninja and make very long running jumps. Then there will be one
more fight to win with 2 mad bombers. Once you win this there will be a jump
and a very long jump, though you are probably better off using the wall
climbers. Go all the way right. When you hit the edge, push [select] to fall
to the door. Push up.
(16) The last one. There are some tough fights here. Just be sure not to fall
off and you will defeat the jetpack guy. The first one gets you 10 TNT. It's
hard to anticipate when he goes up, and it's hard to see when he's hit, so
keep poking away and jump when he is about to come up. Stay on the left when
you can. You're going to get hit a lot, but it's okay. You have infinite
continues. If you fall off, that's the big problem--the enemy heals.
Go along the top green platform and face another guy. Again, if you kick
them, you generally score a point, and you have 20 hit points to their 12,
not counting your extra lives. The next platform has two enemies. This is a
good place to suicide and continue, so you have the benefit of all four
lives. Ready the TNT before approaching them. This is a good place to use the
TNT since you already got some from previous fights. Wherever you throw it,
it can have an effect. Keep centralized.
The final guy is not too bad. You need to make a couple long jumps, then
you'll be on an inverted V. Your best bet is to jump to the sides. Flee to
the right edge and you should be able to sock him enough, because there is a
wall on the right side. Use TNT liberally and also use a shield if he is in
close. You just need to hit him enough times to make him go down--1 for every
4 he hits you. Jump-kicks work pretty well to get rid of him. He is not very
mobile, and while he takes 25 hits, he is not as obnoxius as the grenade
launchers.
Congratulations, you win! And if you won, you deserve better than the stupid
joke of a final screen.
5. CHEATS
Secret Scout is a game worth cheating on, even with its infinite continues.
Here are values I found useful to edit. The torches and torch time are
probably the most relevant. You shouldn't need TNT, but it could be useful.
0x46 = # of lives
0x164 = # of torches
0x165 = # of boomerangs
0x166 = # of shields
0x167 = # of grips(note grips are reusable)
0x168 = # of keys
0x169 = # of hacksaws(never used AFAIK)
0x16a = current item selected
0x16c = time left for torch (0x71 mimics this but is overwritten)
0x170 = # of TNT
0x500 = # of your hit points
0x511 = # of 1 enemy's hit points
================================
6. VERSIONS/CREDITS
1.0.0: sent to GameFAQs/Honestgamers 4/23/2009, complete, though I should
flesh out the room numbers in the walkthrough and maybe rework level 3.
Thanks to the usual GameFAQs/honestgamers gang, current and emeritus. They
know who they are, and you should, too, because they get/got some SERIOUS
writing done. Good people too--bloomer, falsehead, Sashanan, Masters, Retro,
Snow Dragon/Brui5ed Ego, ZoopSoul, War Doc, Brian Sulpher, AdamL, odino, JDog
and others I forgot. OK, even Hydrophant in his current not-yet-banned
message board incarnation. I am not part of his gang, but I want him to be
part of mine.
Thanks to the NES Completion Project for keeping it going.
Thanks to SBAllen for all his administrative work and for offering the $10
bounty for this game. It was nice motivation. Given I started the completion
project, I may be more flattered that I should be that he is contributing to
it. You may say it's only $10, but he put bounties on a lot of games. Which
is very cool.
All you people at honestgamers, YELL AT ME if I forgot you and you deserve to
be in there. I mean, it's partially because of HGWars I wrote this FAQ, and I
want to add to this in the future.
