C O M M A N D E R K E E N
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S e c r e t o f t h e O r a c l e
FAQ/Walkthrough, v1.0
Written by Snow Dragon © 2004
All rights reserved
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= | TABLE OF CONTENTS
= | =================
1 Introduction
2 The Story So Far
3 Menus
3a Keen's Wristwatch
3a-1 Game Files
3a-2 Configuration
3a-3 Miscellaneous Stuff
3b Vital Statistics
4 Controls
4a Basic
4b Advanced
5 Items
5a Trinkets
5b Power-ups
6 Bestiary
7 Walkthrough
7a Border Village
7b Slug Village
7c The Perilous Pit*
7d Hillville
7e Miragia
7f Lifewater Oasis*
7g Sand Yego
7h Crystalus*
7i Chasm of Chills
7j Cave of Descendents*
7k Isle of Tar
7l Isle of Fire*
7m The Wishing Well*
7n Pyramid of the Moons
7o Pyramid of the Gnosticene Ancients*
7p Pyramid of Shadows*
7q Epilogue
7r Pyramid of the Forbidden^
8 Credits, Legal Junk, Etc.
* Indicates that there is a Councilman to be saved in that level.
^ Sort of a council member. Not really. You'll see.
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= | ============
1 | INTRODUCTION
= | ============
Hello everyone, and welcome to my 39th FAQ, an encyclopedically thorough run-
down of Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle. SotO is the first of two games
in the Goodbye Galaxy! saga, the other one being Commander Keen V: The
Armageddon Machine. Hopefully, with this walkthrough, you can track down all
eight of the councilmen needed to activate the Oracle machine and race to the
Shikadi planet in time to save the galaxy from total annihilation and
reconstruction.
I'm finally glad to be covering this game, as this is one of my favorite old-
school PC series, and with luck I covered all my bases. If I didn't, however,
you can e-mail me any time at [
[email protected]] to correct my follies
or even just give me a pat on the back for a job well done. I appreciate both
types of messages. Just make sure, however, that you do the following before
sending an e-mail my way:
> put the name of the game you're addressing in the subject line
> triple-check to make sure that what you're contributing isn't already in the
guide
> be literate, and don't sound like an idiot
That's all for that, so let's have fun playing Commander Keen IV!
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= | ================
2 | THE STORY SO FAR
= | ================
Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle opens immediately after the conclusion
of the three-part "Marooned on Mars" series, in which a younger, blockier Billy
Blaze (aka the Keen we know and love) thwarted the happiness-threatening plans
of the evil Dr. Mortimer McMire. After saving the universe, Billy goes home,
does homework, eats mashed potatoes, and mows the lawn, all the while shutting
himself away in his laboratory so that he can be ready for when the Next Big
Thing strikes.
Sooner than you can say "Bean-and-Bacon Megarocket," the Next Big Thing appears
on the scene. Keen has invented a type of radio (it has a name, but it throws
around a lot of science jargon and is easily forgettable) that picks up signals
from all over the galaxy. One night, one of these signals happens to be a
distress beacon from the far-away planet of Gnosticus IV. Heeding the call,
Keen puts on his brother's football helmet and runs full speed ahead into
action, not knowing what obstacles lie ahead.
Will Commander Keen save the galaxy? Will he figure out the eponymous secret of
the Oracle? And the most pressing question of all: will he get grounded when
his parents discover that he's gone? Oh, it's no life for a child! But surely
we must beat the game to find out the answers to these brain-busting queries!
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3 | MENUS
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There are two main menus to keep abreast of as you proceed throughout the game:
the one found on Keen's wristwatch, and his vital statistics menu.
-- | -----------------
3a | Keen's Wristwatch
-- | -----------------
Most of the commands on this small menu can fit into one of two categories -
those relating to saved game files and those relating to the way you configure
the game. What doesn't fit gets to go in its own fun but mysteriously vague
"miscellaneous" category. What fun!
---- | ----------
3a-1 | Game Files
---- | ----------
NEW GAME
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Starts a new adventure. You can choose to play in one of three difficulty
modes: Easy, Normal, or Hard. This walkthrough is based on the Normal setting.
LOAD GAME
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You can load a game at any time from this option on the wristwatch. If you are
currently in the middle of a game, you will be reminded as such, and then
forced to choose whether or not you want to load the game. Press Y to accept
and anything else to decline.
SAVE GAME
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Commander Keen IV is almost like its own little emulator. You can save anywhere
you want, and you'll maintain the same amount of lives, ammo, etc. each time
you start back up! This makes the game a little too easy in this regard, but
you should nonetheless remember that any time you enter a sticky situation, it
is a good idea to save that you don't lose a truck load of progress!
When you save a game, you will be asked to name your save file. Basically
anything that fits in the field is acceptable. Save games can be renamed any
time you save.
END GAME
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You can close out any game at any time in order to start a new one or attend to
business out in the real world (pssh!). Once you choose "End Game," you must
load a saved game or start a new one to play again.
---- | -------------
3a-2 | Configuration
---- | -------------
CONFIGURE
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Choosing this opens up a world of options, the most relevant of which are
listed as bulleted items below:
> Choose the type of sound and music you want. Older systems were much better
at handling sound capabilities; I pretty much played the game mute.
Under the Options menu, we have a variety of .... options .... to choose from.
> Toggle the score box in the upper left-hand corner.
> Turn two-button firing on and off. I highly recommend leaving this feature
off, because two-button firing requires you to shoot using the Ctrl and Alt
keys, which are the same keys you need to execute the super pogo jump. This
is a necessary move to pull off at some points in the game, so leave those
keys available for that handy-dandy trick and just use the Spacebar for
shooting the ray gun.
> Toggle an option that makes the game fix jerky motion (not a problem on newer
systems).
> Make the game compatible with an SVGA monitor (now obsolete).
You can also choose the object you will control Keen with. If nothing is
plugged in, you'll have to use the keyboard by default. Keen IV supports the
Gravis Gamepad, which is about as good as PC peripheral controllers come. If
you have one, I recommend using that instead of the keyboard. A joystick is
just plain unwieldy.
---- | -------------------
3a-3 | Miscellaneous Stuff
---- | -------------------
Where the stuff that didn't fit anywhere else goes.
RETURN TO DEMO
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Allows you to watch a fun demo of Keen strutting his stuff in Border Village.
If you wait long enough, you'll get to read the game's storyline, which is
presented in a Star Wars-spoofing manner.
PADDLE WAR
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What a cool kid. Keen actually has Pong on his wristwatch! It's even more
accurate than the old 70's Atari game in that it goes all the way up to the
regulation score of 21 instead of 9 like that old relic did. If you're tired of
the hustle and bustle of boring humdrum monster killing and universe-saving,
use this mini-game as a diversion to get away from it all.
HINT: The CPU paddle is susceptible to the ball being hit at a very sharp
angle. You can often score two points in a row if you hit it hard enough.
QUIT
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Quit the game.
-- | ----------------
3b | Vital Statistics
-- | ----------------
For your viewing pleasure, a crude ASCII diagram showing the menu that appears
when you press Enter during a level or on the world map:
| |
| |
__|______|__
____________|____________|____________
|\ __________________________________ /|
| | | |
| | LOCATION | |
| | |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| | |
| | |____________________________| | |
| | SCORE EXTRA | |
| | |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| | |
| | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | |
| | RESCUED LEVEL | |
| | |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| | |
| | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | |
| | KEYS |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| AMMO |¯¯¯¯| | |
| | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ | |
| | KEENS |¯¯¯¯| DROPS |¯¯¯¯| | |
| | ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ | |
| | |¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| PRESS A KEY | |
| | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ | |
| |__________________________________| |
|/ \|
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And now, because I'm so nice, an explanation of what all this gobbledygook
means follows.
LOCATION: Where you currently are at the moment. You don't have to be a
geography major to know this.
SCORE: Your current score.
EXTRA: The score you need to attain to earn an extra life. Each time you get
another life, the amount needed will increase by the next power of 2.
For example, once you get the extra life at 20,000 points, you'll have
to get 40,000 for the next, then 80,000, then 160,000, etc.
RESCUED: Little councilman icons go here. The number of them that you see in
this box indicates how many (out of eight) that you have saved.
LEVEL: The difficulty level you're playing the game on (Easy, Normal, or Hard).
KEYS: Shows you which color keys you have (out of red, yellow, blue, and green)
AMMO: Gives you the most accurate count of how many blaster shots you have. The
score box in the corner of the screen only displays up to 99 shots, but
you can in reality hold many more rounds than that.
KEENS: How many lives you have currently.
DROPS: You've probably seen these around, floating or ostentatiously hanging
from ceilings posing as dewdrops. Well, if you collect 100, you'll get
an extra Keen. These can also be found in the form of Lifewater bottles,
which is the equivalent of getting 100 drops at once (i.e. a 1-up).
???: You won't know what goes here at the start of the game, but once you get
the scuba diving outfit from the Miragia level in the desert, the word
"Wetsuit" will appear in that box. You can't go in water without the
diving equipment, but you need it to save two of the game's eight council
members.
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= | ========
4 | CONTROLS
= | ========
Like any good hero, Commander Keen has a variety of useful moves at his
disposal. Unlike most heroes, he's a little more believable on account of his
radiant youth.
-- | ----------------
4a | Basic Techniques
-- | ----------------
Left & Right
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> Walk.
> Control the paddle in the Paddle War mini-game.
> Scroll through pages in the help file.
Up & Down
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> Press Up to turn switches (the panels on the walls with red and green
lights).
> Enter through doors (up).
> If you are hanging on the edge of a platform, press Up to pull yourself up.
> Hold either direction to get a peek at territory out of your line of sight.
> Hold either direction to point your ray gun that way.
> Climb poles or slide down them.
> Navigate the menus.
Ctrl Key
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> The default key for jumping.
> Hold down Ctrl to increase the height of your jumps while on the pogo stick.
Alt Key
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> The default key that activates Keen's pogo stick. Press it once to whip it
out, and again to put it away.
Spacebar
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> The default key for firing your ray gun.
-- | -------------------
4b | Advanced Techniques
-- | -------------------
Ctrl + Alt
Super Pogo Leap
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Press Ctrl and Alt at the same time in order to perform a pogo leap that has
far more height and range than the normal one. This allows you to grab things
that are out of your reach even when you hold Ctrl to enhance your pogo leaps.
Ctrl, then Alt
Controllable pogo jump
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The pogo stick is a rather chaotic item in terms of control, but if you jump
and then press Alt, you stand a better chance of landing where you intend to
when you use the pogo.
Ctrl, then hold Up or Down and press Spacebar
Midair shot
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You can fire your gun in the air as well as on the ground, and you can fire it
up or down while in the air. Just hold the direction in which you want to fire
the gun in the middle of your jump, then press the spacebar to shoot it. This
is good when you're in quite the awkward fix.
Hold Up, press Ctrl
Faster pole climbing
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This combination of key presses allows you to climb poles faster via a series
of repeated jumps.
Hold Down, press Ctrl
Drop through ledges
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If you are on the right type of terrain, Keen can drop through the ledge to the
one below by using the key combination listed above. This is very handy for
getting to certain items and secrets.
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= | =====
5 | ITEMS
= | =====
Commander Keen has about as many items to collect as he does vegetables that he
hates. His mission would certainly be a chore if all there was to collect was
broccoli and alfalfa sprouts, but fortunately the Shadowlands are littered with
yummy candy to pick up, as well as a few other useful power-ups. Read what said
items are in further detail below.
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5a | Trinkets
-- | --------
Basically, to fall under the category of a trinket, an item really doesn't do
much else other than raising Keen's score. That's still somewhat important, as
you can gain extra lives if you earn enough points, but they don't do anything
to really increase his status. Other items that have a greater impact on Keen,
like ray gun charges and the pogo stick, are listed in another section below.
Here are all the little things, mostly types of dime-store candy and whatnot,
that slowly build upon Commander Keen's score like mildew on shower tiles:
ITEM POINTS
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soda 100
gum 200
chocolate bar 500
jawbreaker 1000
donut 2000
ice cream cone 5000
Another trinket to be on the lookout for is the droplet, which usually gather
in great crowds or are spaced fairly evenly apart. You can see how many drops
you've collected on the pause menu (press Enter to access it). 100 drops later,
you'll have an extra life! That's pretty nifty!
-- | ---------
5b | Power-ups
-- | ---------
RAY GUN & AMMO
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Keen's main weapon of choice is a blaster, which is good for him because he's
not yet at the age where overdosing on caffeine causes shaky hands and
withdrawal migraines. Ammunition for the gun looks like the gun itself: a small
green, kind of rounded device. You'll know when you get it; you'll hear a short
trumpet fanfare.
POGO STICK
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This common children's toy is essential for getting up to spots that even a
precocious pre-adolescent boy can't hop up to. Press Alt to start hopping on it
and to stop, and hold Ctrl to get very high boosts out of it. There are even a
couple more interesting moves you can do with it if you're good enough.
GEMS
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Along the way, you'll find colored jewels that are used to open locked doors in
certain areas. There are little placeholders in front of or near such doors,
and to unlock the door, you will have to place the gem in the holder whose
color corresponds with the holder. Got that? Don't worry if you don't, you'll
soon find out how they work. Gems come in four different colors (red, green,
yellow, and blue).
LIFEWATER BOTTLES
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Grabbing one of these is the equivalent of getting one hundred drops, resulting
in an instant 1-up. Not only are such things rare, but they're often put in
very hard-to-reach spots, so if you're able to track one down and obtain it,
consider yourself quite the platforming genius!
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= | ========
6 | BESTIARY
= | ========
Keen will meet a number of enemies in his quest to save the universe before
bedtime (I swear I'll try to keep obligatory kid-saves-the-world jokes to a
minimum). Bearing that in mind, let's meet some of the varied cast right now.
Unlike in the help files provided with the game, these enemies are listed in
their order of appearance (more or less - this is a rather nonlinear game) as
you meet them throughout the game. There are also some enemies here that you
won't find listed in the help files, so be on the lookout!
* * *
Poison Slug
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WHERE FOUND: Practically everywhere in the game.
ATTACKS: Pooping.
DESCRIPTION: A little yellow slug who does little aside from crawl along the
ground. Occasionally he will freeze, contort his face, and leave a
sticky green present on the ground. Don't touch the slug poop at
any cost - it can kill you! It doesn't stay forever. If you're
just THAT afraid of jumping over, you can wait for it to fade out
of existence before moving on.
Bounder
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WHERE FOUND: Hard to say, really - usually in places where there are trinkets
or power-ups way out of your reach (because you can stand on him
and get them).
ATTACKS: None, but sometimes you get unlucky and he kills you through some
funky glitch.
DESCRIPTION: This red ball grins constantly and bounces along the ground of his
own free will. It's kind of hard to get on him because he usually
moves away at the last minute, but if you land on him, he's sort
of under your control (he'll bounce in whatever direction you're
facing). Although he won't attack you, he can be put out of
commission with a single ray gun blast.
Lick
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WHERE FOUND: In spots where he's really hard to kill.
ATTACKS: When he gets near you, he shoots fire at you.
DESCRIPTION: Looks like a demon-possessed hackysack with a constipation issue.
He hops around in really random patterns that don't make a lot of
sense. The best way to kill him is to employ the services of the
midair shot. He'll never see it coming.
Skypest
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WHERE FOUND: Along the ground and all about the air.
ATTACKS: Divebombing you. He's a kamikaze bug.
DESCRIPTION: These little bugs, which might as well have just been referred to
as mosquitoes, the similarities are so evident, are among the most
annoying enemies in the game. Their fancy flights include barrel
rolls and nosedives aimed right at our hero. Stay well away from
them at all costs. If you feel the urge to kill him, wait until
he's on the ground, then squash him with your pogo stick. Really.
Mad Mushroom
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WHERE FOUND: Almost every level.
ATTACKS: None. If you feel like dying at the hands of a Mad Mushroom, run into
one.
DESCRIPTION: A rabidly stupid mushroom that does nothing but bounce up and
down, usually serving the purpose of poorly blocking your passage
to some important area. That look on its face is truly psychotic.
Every third bounce it makes will be a really high one, so use that
time to move deftly under it.
Inchworm
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WHERE FOUND: Mostly in pyramids and woodsy areas.
ATTACKS: If being so darn cute counts as an attack, then he scored a hit on me!
DESCRIPTION: These small yellow worms are utterly harmless. However, one way to
have some fun with them is to find a ledge where a bunch of them
are and let a horde of them gather around your feet. Isn't that
cute the way they eat your shoes? Awww!
There's more to these little boogers than meets the eye though.
Particularly in the Pyramid of Moons *wink* *wink*
Wormouth
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WHERE FOUND: Cruising slightly above ground in various locales.
ATTACKS: Pops out of the ground to bite you.
DESCRIPTION: You might barely notice it cruising around the ground as a tiny
green dot, but you don't want to be near it, or else it will pop
up and take a chunk out of your fragile, boyish complexion.
Fake Rocks
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WHERE FOUND: Most any cave stage.
ATTACKS: Sneaks up on you and jumps awkwardly and lopsidedly at you.
DESCRIPTION: These rocks look just like a background object, but will try to
sneak up on you and catch you unawares. If you see it coming near
you, get out of its way immediately.
Angry Clouds
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WHERE FOUND: Roaming the skies along with other, nicer clouds.
ATTACKS: When it gets near you, it will unleash a comical spray of lightning.
DESCRIPTION: Upon approaching this cloud, it "wakes up" and starts hovering
near you. If Keen stands under when it rains lightning down on
him, you'll have some Kentucky-fried Keen on your hands. Simply
stay away from it, as there's no way to stun it into submission.
Big Bad Bird
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: Crystalus.
ATTACKS: Finding you and beating up on you with its big bird muscles.
DESCRIPTION: If you see a blue bird with its fists clenched walking at you,
then don't just stand there! RUN, you fool! It's not too happy
about having its slumber disturbed. Shooting it with your blaster
will buy you some time, but unlike most enemies, the big bad bird
doesn't stay out of it forever. Run while the running's good!
Berkeloid
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Isle of Fire.
ATTACKS: Being fiery, throwing fire at you.
DESCRIPTION: These flaming entities have a tendency to hover near you, so avoid
them at all costs. They can't be destroyed with your gun either,
so that makes these baddies doubly dangerous! If you must be near
one at any time, get away from it fast!
Schoolfish
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Wishing Well.
ATTACKS: None. Totally harmless.
DESCRIPTION: Sort of like the watery version of the Inchworms, these fish will
give Commander Keen a loyal following if he floats near them. They
don't attack him, so they're kind of nice to have around.
Sprite
¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Wishing Well.
ATTACKS: Firing electricity from his dangerous trident.
DESCRIPTION: This hoary mischievous imp roams the seas waiting for Keen to swim
down and eat the bolts that come out of his trident. The grin on
his face is most certainly not to be trusted.
Dopefish
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
WHERE FOUND: The Wishing Well.
ATTACKS: Eating you whole.
DESCRIPTION: The Dopefish means well, so I wouldn't exactly consider him an
enemy. He's just a big dumb lug who needs a bite to eat, and it
just so happens that you're the meal that will satiate his
appetite. You might be kind of rubbery like calamari in the
wetsuit, but what does that matter to a giant buck-toothed marine
being? Since your blaster is rendered useless in water, you'll
have to find a way around him. No small task indeed!
Some Big Fat Red Thing Whose Name I Am Not Aware Of
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WHERE FOUND: The Pyramid of the Gnosticene Ancients.
ATTACKS: Being a goofball, running into you.
DESCRIPTION: This oddly grinning monstrosity has a tendency to disappear into
thin air when you approach it, so it's best to shoot it on sight
to keep it from trying anything funny. There's no telling where it
will run off to if you don't catch up with it, so go ahead and
eliminate the threat while you can!
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= | ===========
7 | WALKTHROUGH
= | ===========
Keen begins his mission in the Shadowlands, where he has two options: he can
explore his Bean-and-Bacon Megarocket to no avail (it's not like he's going to
retreat the second he sees the joint), or he can go on ahead and explore the
fort just ahead of him - a little spot called Border Village. That's probably a
wiser choice. Let's go there first.
Before we dive in, note that this walkthrough is based on the NORMAL difficulty
of the game. There are much fewer enemies on the Easy mode, and while there
aren't really more on Hard, they just have a tendency to be more aggressive and
require more ammo to take out. So, bearing that in mind, let's hit Border
Village.
-- | --------------
7a | Border Village
-- | --------------
Walk in the first house and grab the sodas suspended up in the corner, then
leave and go in the next one to the left. Among the various confections and ray
gun charges you'll see a pole. Slide down it and take the path to the left.
What we have here is apparently some sort of King Slug worship shrine flanked
by pools of dangerous acid. Use the pogo stick to grab the candy and head left
to the other pole. When you exit through that door, you will be placed squarely
at the stage exit. Leave and go to Slug Village.
-- | ------------
7b | Slug Village
-- | ------------
If you want some cool candy for points, drop into the first narrow pit you see
and hang a couple of rights to go through the wall twice. Among other things,
you'll get some ray gun ammo and an ice cream cone - the most valuable of all
the sweet treats in the game. Continue left after raiding the hidden booty to
a thin hole with two chocolate bars in it. There is another segment of hidden
wall to the right of it. Follow the trail down and left to get a lot of charges
for your blaster.
After climbing up the flagpole, you'll be more or less where you would be if
you hadn't taken the low road through here. There are a lot of treats to the
left, which I'll tell you how to get if you want them. If you don't, head up
the slope to the right, jump out, and start going left. Skip the next paragraph
and we'll meet up with you after it.
The platform to the left that's cruising over the fire has majorly stunted
movement. Flick the switch by the fire pit by pressing Up on the keypad while
standing in front of it. It will start coming over near you. Jump to it and
ride it over. You'll have to blast a hopping Lick to get to the donuts and the
bit of ammo, but he's easy. Once you have all this loot, head out of the pit
and return to the surface world, where you'll meet some nasty Skypests (really
just mosquitoes).
Skypests can only be shot while they're in the air, and they're such tiny
targets that it's not worth it to waste your guns on them. Instead, run away to
the left to the level's exit. If you want to ride the Bounders to grab the
droplets, be my guest. Watch out for the Lick along the way.
-- | ----------------
7c | The Perilous Pit
-- | ----------------
Head in the first stone house for some candy and such, then drop into the giant
pit and hang a hard right. You should cling to a ledge with some ray gun shots
on it. Drop down to the next one with a pole and climb to the middle of the
pole, then jump off to the right to go through a wall for more ammo. Leave the
small alcove and head all the way left to a pole which leads up to a blue gem.
These gems act as keys to doors, and you'll need this one to save the first of
eight council members you need in order to beat the game.
With the blue gem in your inventory, head back to the far right and slide down
that pole to come to an area where a Mad Mushroom is guarding the red gem. Grab
it and return to the top, then fall in the hole to the left to find a small
gem holder. This one is red, and thus requires the corresponding jewel to open
the door in front of it. Once inside, you'll have to deal with a Lick below the
assortment of poles hanging from the ceiling. Kill it, then hop up the steps to
the left and use an enhanced pogo bounce to get to the switch. Flick it to
green.
Upon returning to the central portion of the pit, you'll find that the platform
that before sat still now moves up and down. Hitch a lift on it and jump to the
left where a bunch of raindrops and a Mad Mushroom lie in wait. Behind the Mad
Mushroom is a large door. Enter and place the blue gem in its holder (Keen will
do this automatically). Run into the councilman to talk to him in outdated 90's
jargon, and you'll have beaten the level.
-- | ---------
7d | Hillville
-- | ---------
With Slug Village conquered, the whole world is now open to you, beatable in
any order you see fit. Because it's closest, let's make a quick stop in the
quaint village of Hillville.
At the top of the level's highest hill, you'll meet Princess Lindsey, who tells
you of some swimming equipment found in Miragia that will allow you to swim in
the lake. As you noticed if you tried to step in the waters south of the
Perilous Pit, Keen told you he can't swim. He needs this equipment to go for a
dip in the lake, and so this is advice well taken. We'll head to Miragia next.
As for right now, slide down the pole below where Princess Lindsey was floating
and flip the switch you find to make a ledge move up and down outside. From
there, ride along the series of moving platforms over the lake of fire and the
spikes flanking it. You'll eventually touch down near the level's exit. Beware
the rock that looks like a background object but actually comes to life and
sneaks up on you. If it gets close enough, it will attempt to jump and ram you
in the head. Run away to the exit.
-- | -------
7e | Miragia
-- | -------
From Hillville, walk left and through the mountain pass to the desert. Miragia
may not be there at first, but you'll see it appearing and disappearing in the
desert. Enter when it is visible; you can't otherwise.
There's not a set exit to this level, really. We're just here for the scuba
diving stuff, and it's a short trip. Start by riding the lift up and then
climbing on the appearing and disappearing ledges to the top of the tall dome.
Jump from the dome into the pit to the right, which is lined with sodas and
rain droplets. Slide down the pole and head right, blasting the two Poison
Slugs in your path.
The route leading up is plagued with slugs who have apparently eaten out of a
huge vat of beans, because they like squirting their special juice all over the
ground. For each ledge that you have to jump up to, hold Up and press the
spacebar for a clear shot at them. Subsequent ledges require you to use the
pogo stick's high jump to get up to them. At the top, there is one of those
platforms that fades in and out of existence. When it's solid, hop up to it and
jump up to the top. You'll find your swimwear there; grab it to beat the level.
-- | ---------------
7f | Lifewater Oasis
-- | ---------------
Here's a level near Miragia that requires you to save one of the bearded,
red-robed councilmen, and it's mercifully short if you don't decide to explore
the bottom half, where countless objects can be found to enhance your score and
possibly life count (lots of droplets, and as you know, 100 of those yield a
1-up). If you feel like exploring the way bottom of the level, do that, then
shimmy up the pole to the upper cavern area. There is a switch up that you need
to flip. It will activate a ledge outside to the far right of the stage.
Ride that ledge that drops when you stand on it up and kill the Poison Slug at
the top. A series of moving platforms will lead you to a high-up plateau, on
which there is a single pole for you to slide down. Head down before the angry
cloud sends a stream of lightning down on your head, which contrary to popular
opinion will NOT absorb that bolt, but will kill. Go in the majestic door you
see there.
As you can see, the councilman here is not immediately within your reach. You
will have to get the green gem first, and you can find it by standing on the
first black platform there. It will drop, taking you to the green jewel and a
switch that will activate a way for you to get back up. Unlock the green door
and go ledge-hopping to the councilman.
-- | ---------
7g | Sand Yego
-- | ---------
(Get it?)
Sand Yego (a play on San Diego, in case you didn't GET IT) is due south of the
Lifewater Oasis. Enter it and find the many secrets of the hidden walls in the
first area before you move on. Head to the right to an area where several fake
rocks sit atop raised plateaus. Pogo into each of the gaps to get the trinkets;
the rocks won't detect you. At the last of these, use the pogo to get to the
ledge above you and to the right, at the top of which is a green jewel-key.
With that in hand, slide down the pole just below you to the right and walk in
the narrow door.
If any of the Poison Slugs drop their lethal slug doots in here, you'll have to
wait for them to be magically Febrezed by that invisible source before you pass
through. Place the green gem in the jewel-holder to open the door, then shimmy
up the pole. Drop down the gap next to the Mad Mushroom, where you'll see a
different type of switch which looks more like a lever. Pull it and watch the
blue floor disappear before your very eyes! Plunge into the new hole and pull
both switches in there, then ride the black platform to the left out of here.
Take the low road where the path forks to the right. There are a number of
Skypest mosquitoes located in here to bug the crap out of you (no pun intended)
and generally cause mischief. The minute you see one, run away, then come back
and take it out with the business end of your pogo stick while it sits on the
ground licking its lips. Ride the platform to the top (being careful to avoid
the nasty fake rock), then follow the linear path to the exit.
-- | ---------
7h | Crystalus
-- | ---------
After conquering the desert, head north to the icy region of the Shadowlands.
Crystalus is the level with the markedly ice-covered gate. Go inside and let's
net our third councilman. (This isn't the NES game either, mind you!)
Shoot the Poison Slug, the Lick, and the other Poison Slug in that order, then
prepare to begin the maddening journey upward. There are a lot of gems to get
in this level, and we're going to have to backtrack a lot to accomplish
everything we need to.
When the ground slopes up, jump to the thin ledge above and head left to a
vertically moving black platform. Both ledges at the top have a slug on them;
get off to the left and make your way up. At the very top you'll see a door
requiring a yellow gem blocking the way to a red diamond. A green gem (!) is
just to the right, in the middle of a narrow but long chasm. Hang a hard right
to get it, then return to that door with the yellow gem-holder. This time, make
a curved jump to the top of the ledge above the door.
Here you'll locate some very small ledges that require precision jumps to get
to. Do a high pogo jump to the first of these, and a super pogo jump (Ctrl and
Alt at the same time, remember?) to the second. At the last one, above which
you'll see two jawbreakers and two ammo rations. Jump from there to the right,
making the biggest longest jump that you can. If you succeed, you'll end up
on a ledge in a sort of short tunnel. Drop down to the right to get the yellow
gem. If you don't make it, keep trying until you do. Only perseverance will
help you!
With the yellow gem in your possession, return to the yellow jewel-holder/lock
and place it in. Get the red gem and fall down the long narrow pit to the right
there. From there, head right still until you meet up with a Mad Mushroom,
whose lofty bounce will take him to the next ledge up. You can go either left
or right from here, but we choose to go right, because eventually the path
upward will yield the valuable blue gem key - the final one in our exhaustive
mission.
With that blue gem (which you had to use your red gem and kill a Lick to get,
as you undoubtedly discovered), drop all the way to the bottom of the level.
What, you say? All the way back? Yes, to where you blasted those two Poison
Slugs and that single Lick. Go to the right and prepare to meet the rather
nasty bird that pops out of the egg. He will chase you without mercy, but you
can stun him temporarily with a well-placed blaster shot. While he is stunned,
you'll have ample opportunity to unlock the blue gem door and go in the door
that indicates that there is a councilman behind it.
Enter that door and blast the Lick on the other side of the short wall. There
is now a series of horizontal moving ledges above a small but surprisingly
hazardless section of floor (unless you count the slugs as hazards, but their
poop is deadlier than they are). The reason to stay off the floor is because of
the egg at the end of the line. If you're foolish enough to sock it with a ray
gun shot, a bird will pop out and will be none too happy to find his incubation
coming to a premature halt.
Instead, it's wisest to ignore the egg totally and save the councilman, which
brings your total to three.
Three down, five to go.
-- | ---------------
7i | Chasm of Chills
-- | ---------------
This is the cave just to the left of Crystalus, and it's a fairly short level
that doesn't offer too much challenge. The main thing is staying atop the high
road, although there's nothing much in your way on the low path either. Ahh,
I'm confusing you, let's make sense of all this rambling hash.
The first few platforms can be gotten to with a regular jump, but for almost
all the others along this road, you'll need to make repeated use of the super
pogo jump. (If you don't know how to do it, refer to the Advanced part of the
Controls section.) Keep super pogo jumping until you see a Lick at the top of
the canyon along with (gasp!) the light of day. Aim up and kill the Lick, then
do a super pogo jump to the open air.
There are a few rewards up here, but the biggest deal is the return appearance
of Princess Lindsey, who has even better advice for you to heed. This tip is in
regard to the Pyramid of the Forbidden, which is the one you may have seen with
the red hand on it. It's closed off, so you can't exactly walk to it, but she
tells you that the key to making it there is in the Pyramid of Moons. To find
her, locate the cloud that you can step on (there is a black platform hidden in
it). Pogo on the hidden black platform to reach her. The full scoop on how to
get to the Pyramid of the Forbidden is located in the walkthrough for the
Pyramid of Moons, located in subsection 7n of the document.
After listening to Princess Lindsey, go to the far right and drop down to the
rock ledge, then fall off and hang a hard right to reach the exit.
-- | -------------------
7j | Cave of Descendents
-- | -------------------
Over in the corner of the polar area, you'll find the Cave of Descendents. Save
the old bearded councildude here and you'll be halfway done with the game. Yes!
Walk down the hills and all the way until you see a narrow hole to drop into.
Plummet down it to get to a black platform with highly inhibited up-and-down
movement. There are some rewards to the left if you feel like squashing a very
finicky Skypest and toying with death. Not recommended. Instead, grab the red
key and turn the switch to give the platform just to your right the full range
of its movements. Get out of the pit and head to the far right edge of the
level, but not up the path that leads back to the beginning. Take the low road,
where the path will fork once again. The high road leads to a red gem-holder,
and since you have that item, place it in and grab the yellow key.
With the yellow key, make the long trek to the far LEFT side of the level. (A
lot of walking, I know - it'll all end soon.) There, you will find the familiar
door that tells you that a councilman of the Oracle is inside. Enter. The final
room of the stage is an easy exercise in platform-hopping and avoiding a slew
of Mad Mushrooms. Leap to the top and save the fourth councilman.
-- | -----------
7k | Isle of Tar
-- | -----------
You have the swimming equipment, but maybe you haven't explored the full
possibilities that said scuba gear has to offer yet. In that case, let's travel
to the lake south of the Perilous Pit and discover some of the landmarks
within. The first of these shall be the Isle of Tar, the island with all the
goopy black puddles all over it.
The first house you see has some ammo in it. Collect, then go outside and shoot
your way through a line of Poison Slugs until you come to a gaping pit. Jump
into it and hang right, then use the super pogo jump to get up to a plateau
that contains a pyramid structure of raindrops. I don't recommend going any
farther right from here, so go back in the pit and fall to the removable floor
below.
Don't turn the removable floor switch just yet, but remember this place,
because you'll be returning to it shortly. Head left and kill the two slugs on
the slope, then use the stationary ledge hanging in the air to get to the step
formation to the left. Pogo up to a small corridor peppered with tar puddles
and maneuver through them. When you fall off to the right, hang right and pull
yourself up to the small alcove containing a switch. This activates a thing to
the left that allows you to get to the red gem.
Return left and hop to the ledge with the door and the patrolling Wormouth.
When it reaches up to bite you, shoot in the face and continue left. Wait for a
platform that moves up and down to come down to you. Hop on it and ride up to a
wide open room housing the red gem and a pesky Skypest.
Squash the Skypest and grab the red diamond, then hold Down and press Ctrl to
drop through it. Keep to the right and you'll land on the ledge where you
killed the Wormouth. Return to the removable floor, and this time pull the
switch to make it disappear. Fall through to an area with black ledges situated
dangerously above a bubbling tar pit. You don't want to become an Earthling
fossil, do you? I thought not. So jump to each ledge going to the right before
one dips down under young Keen's weight and kills him. At the last one, pogo up
to the pole and climb it.
Turn the switch you see to green and ride the platform that now services you
all the way to the top. Behind the red door is a yellow key. Grab then, then
fall down one ledge, shoot the slug, and climb the very long pole to the right.
This will take you full circle back to the removable floor. Walk down the slope
where you stunned the two Poison Slugs to find the door that requires the
yellow key. Follow the linear path downward to find a switch that will take
away the floor in another part of the level. But just where is that?
A hidden wall to the right will take you down a little bit. Hop over the small
hump to the right and either shoot the Wormouth when he goes to eat you or
avoid him entirely. When you enter the next room, you'll discover that the
floor that was here is now gone. Drop down and kill the TWO Wormouths that
appear here, and to the right you'll find the blue gem/key hanging high over
what you'll soon discover is familiar ground. That's right: it's the ledges
hanging over the lake of tar. Make your way back to the right, back up the two
poles, and you'll be back at the area with the first removable floor. However,
this time, go right to discover the blue gem-holder. This will lead to the
stage's final sequences.
Ride the platform up to the rock house near the exit. Inside the rock house,
you can get a 1-up if you're good enough with the pogo stick. To get it, stand
on the falling black ledge. As it falls, walk to the left of the ledge and do a
well-placed super pogo jump from the edge to get it. Once you have this rare
valuable extra life, exit the rock house and leave the level.
-- | ------------
7l | Isle of Fire
-- | ------------
Hike up the hill salted with fire to the top, where there are two poles which
essentially take you to the same spot. Slide down either one and head left
through a swarm of fake rocks (face them to get them to calm down). Scoot
slowly left until you find the yellow key and a switch that needs turning. If
you jump somewhere in here, you'll also find a tunnel leading to several
valuables, such as ammo and a 1-up.
From the place where you found the key and flipped the switch, head all the way
to the right to a pole leading down a short distance (watch out for slugs and
their feces). Blast your way through until you find two ledges leading up. Pogo
to each and then climb up the pole, then walk through the winding corridor that
leads to the surface. From there, hop over the small brushfire and drop
straight down.
To the right is a pole, but you can't just slide down it willy-nilly. There's
a fiery Berkeloid at the bottom waiting to sample his wares on your face.
Luckily, the blue jewel-slash-key lies in wait at the bottom of the pole. If
necessary, lure the Berkeloid away from the pole by staying at the top and
adjusting your vision to look down (hold Down). When the time is right, go down
the pole and swiftly climb back up it before the fiery demon can get to you.
Afterward, simply drop down and make your way to the right. The councilman is
just behind the locked door.
-- | ----------------
7m | The Wishing Well
-- | ----------------
Just a few notes before entering the Wishing Well: you're in your wetsuit
swimming around as opposed to walking, and you can't use your blaster, so it's
going to take some fancy movement to get around all the obstacles and save the
councilman located here. However, this isn't a difficult level. Watch and
learn.
Swim down, avoiding the spiked mine that moves back and forth; it will blow up
and take you with it if you touch it. Stay far left of the floating Sprite (the
little imp with the electrified pitchfork) and swim down past his lethal bolts
to a Lifewater bottle which provides an extra life. This essentially gives you
infinite tries to beat this level, as it's always there whenever you die so you
can retrieve it once again.
After getting the 1-up, swim down to the bottom of the well to find a forking
path. (No remarks about watching my language, please.) At this split, take the
road to the right until you see a large Dopefish waiting for you at the end of
the tunnel. You'll know him by his green skin and pronounced overbite, and he's
certainly a force to be reckoned with. You can avoid him by waiting until he
turns his back momentarily, then making a quick getaway by going up past the
single spiked mine. Once you're past that bomb, he's basically off your back.
Continue up.
You'll soon pass through a line of three pointy ball-bombs and a Sprite before
coming face-to-face with yet another Dopefish. This one is a little harder to
get around, but fortunately, he's the only thing standing between you and the
councilman, who apparently possesses quite the breath-holding ability. To get
by this Dopefish, sit on one of the steps in front of him. Move up and to the
left so that he turns left and starts going that way. In that small space of
time, dive straight down into his territory, but stay against the wall. What</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
will most likely happen is that he will try to eat you, but will miss. There is
a short space of time during which he will face the camera and burp, giving you
ample time to make an escape if he fails to eat you. With that small time space
you need to go even lower, to the lowest alcove of this room, and stay in it.
Here, the Dopefish will try to eat you, but will repeatedly come up short.
While he's lollygagging around burping up bubbles and such, make your getaway
up and to the left, but not too far up.
I say "not too far up" because you have YET ANOTHER Dopefish that requires
dealing with before you can save ye olde bearded one. You hopefully won't have
to see much of him though, because you'll be taking a short way around to the
councilman. After the first Dopefish attempts to eat you, make your way up and
"feel" around the wall, but not too slowly, or the second Dopefish will close
in and have you for a snack. This requires a combination of skill and luck, as
it is likely that the Dopefish will have you anyway. If you can somehow fool it
into moving outward a little bit, you can probably make it, but if you're
having too much trouble, it's best to save your game in a spot where that first
Dopefish can't get you (preferably the low low alcove) and keep loading your
game until you make it in. Once you're in the gate where the council member
resides, you're safe.
-- | --------------------
7n | Pyramid of the Moons
-- | --------------------
Now we move on to the final section of the game: the pyramids. There are four
of these to conquer, one of which you won't even have to do unless you feel
like being severely challenged. The first one we'll tackle is the Pyramid of
Moons. However, there are two ways out of it, one of which leads to that
totally optional (and hidden, I might add) level. I'll list both solutions
separately for your convenience.
THE REGULAR WAY OUT.
********************
There are two doors here in this first room, each of which leads to a separate
area. Go to the one on the right and enter through it. Once in the other room,
walk to the right to find a yellow gem key surrounded by soda bottles. Grab it
and jump off the ledge to the right, then run in that direction to the exit
before the two-headed Arachnut can kill you. If it starts scrambling after you,
shoot it to stun it temporarily - it can't be permanently killed, but dazing it
will buy you plenty of time.
THE SUPER-DUPER-SECRET WAY OUT.
*******************************
Go through the steps leading to the regular way out all the way up to getting
the yellow jewel. When you get, backtrack through the door to the first room
and go to the room on the left. You'll find yourself surrounded by a few
harmless inchworms. Harmless though they may be, they are your key to finding
the secret exit.
Head right, but make sure the three inchworms you met initially stay hovering
at or near your feet. Continue right to find more worms and another door that
requires a yellow key. Open it to discover a room with a few more crawly
critters and a switch that activates the floor over on the far left side of
this long chamber. You should have roughly seven worms following in your
footsteps now.
Drag them all over with to the other side of the level, making sure to watch
out for Licks and shoot any that you see on sight as you have been. When you
cross the floor that was not there before, three more will cross over to meet
the pile of worms currently following you. When these ten worms all meet in one
place, they will turn into a giant white foot. Hop on this foot for a free ride
to the Pyramid of the Forbidden, a level which cannot be abandoned until you
beat it.
Upon arriving, get ready for some of the fiercest challenge you've faced yet ;)
-- | ----------------------------------
7o | Pyramid of the Gnosticene Ancients
-- | ----------------------------------
Start by walking downhill and killing both the slug and the mysterious red
creature who disappears if you don't shoot him fast enough. Whether you shoot
him or he poofs away to some unknown location, get him out of your way and make
a sharp U-turn in the air with your pogo stick. Find a pole to the left and
climb it, turning on the switch to activate the platform next to you.
The platform leads up to another pole for you to climb. Scale it and go down
the hole to the right, into the lair of yet more Poison Slugs (do those things
ever go away?). Fall in and turn the lever to get rid of some nearby floor,
which you'll find open once you leave this winding pit and walk to the right.
Continue dropping through pits to the right and turning levers until you fall
down a very long one, where you must jump up THROUGH where the floor was to
find the last of such switches. This one opens up the floor where you found the
slug and the fat red guy at the beginning. (Hopefully you showed some foresight
and also turned the switch to make the platform move up and down while you were
there.)
You'll find two slopes parallel to each other; walk the bottom one to find a
red gem/key, which you'll need later on. Return to the beginning of the level
and drop down into the area that was once blockaded by a garish cyan floor.
Head right and hop along a series of wide rock blocks to get to the final floor
switch, then return and start trekking left all the way up a wide slope to the
door that the red jewel opens. Look down as you travel to the depths below; it
would be bad to fall blindly into a new area only to find that there was an
enemy waiting at the bottom and you now have to start all over because of him.
Anyway, walk in the majestic door that indicates the presence of a High
Councilman and grab the green gem. Flick the switch to the green position and
wait for about a minute for the platform to come back (Keen will likely start
reading a thick book if you stand still). When it comes back, jump to each
ledge along the route so as not to get pushed into the oily lake of tar below.
The Licks are nothing to worry about, as they leap straight into the tar
without so much as a thought in their brains. Unlock the door at the end and
save the seventh Councilman.
Only one left....
-- | ------------------
7p | Pyramid of Shadows
-- | ------------------
Climb up the pole right at the beginning and start treading the slope up, up,
and even more up, squishing any Skypests and shooting any Poison Slugs that
harass you until you get to the top of the hill. At that point, slide down the
purple pole and head right for a few power-ups, then left to get to where you
REALLY need to go.
Head down and right, making sure not to take a hit from the arrows that the
wall decorations shoot at you. The bottom hallway is the longest, and
eventually leads you to a lone ray gun charge hidden at the end of the line.
You probably noticed that the path forked up and offered more roads to the
right; these are a decidedly more constructive use of your time, particularly
the second. Follow the path it provides to a floor-making lever, which you
should turn before going through the door.
That door is kind enough to drop you directly in the spot where the floor
appeared, above a nasty tub of carbolic acid which would surely melt our hero's
fair prepubescent skin. Walk over the bridge to a door leading to the final
rooms.
Jump to the ledge that falls when the spear is in the ceiling (it's okay to
touch it when it's there, it can't hurt you there). Bust out your pogo stick
and bounce to the ledge above. Kill the slug and turn the switch, then go back
down and start moving right. This is an easy platforming exercise that won't
require any pogoing at all, just light jumping. Let the final platform fall and
it will take you to a door leading to a very imposing tar pit. Turn the switch
to make it move out, then jump when the arrows don't pose a threat. Enter the
councilman's chamber.
Walk down the slope to find the blue key at the bottom. As you walk up the
other half, remember to watch out for one of those nasty Licks. Shoot it either
before or after you open the door (doing it after makes it a bit easier), then
drop into the candy-filled chamber where the eighth and final Councilman rests.
Now sit back and watch/read the ending sequence.
-- | --------
7q | Epilogue
-- | --------
WARNING: SPOILERS
WARNING: SPOILERS
WARNING: SPOILERS I hope that's ample warning.
WARNING: SPOILERS
WARNING: SPOILERS
If you still feel like reading, however, here's what
WARNING: SPOILERS
Enough already, we get the idea!
Anyway, you'll see all the councilmen you rescued gather around the Oracle
machine. A vortex will open, showing you what's currently going on - namely,
that the Shikadi are on the other side of the galaxy building their Armageddon
machine that will destroy the galaxy so that they can reshape it to suit their
needs. No telling what that encompasses, but it's probably not very pretty!
You'll then see a taste of what's going on back on Earth, and Keen will see
what these mysterious Shikadi chumps look like (but you won't!), and he will
speed off to the Omegamatic machine to stop these heinous aliens' plans from
going through, leaving the Goodbye Galaxy! saga....
TO BE CONTINUED!
Congratulations on beating Commander Keen IV!
Oh, and if you wanted to know what the Pyramid of the Forbidden holds in store
for you, the answers are below.
-- | ------------------------
7r | Pyramid of the Forbidden
-- | ------------------------
So you decided to have a go at the baddest pyramid in all the land, did you? I
don't think you're ready for it. But if you really think you are, who am I to
stop you? Let's get on with it.
The first major challenge here is dealing with a barrage of Licks as they rain
down on you from the steps above. For each set of Licks that bounces down at
you, stay against the wall on the right and face left to blast them when they
come down. It's a foolproof method that will allow you to survive the entire
way up, where you'll be rewarded with a bottle of extra life-giving Lifewater.
Just like at the Wishing Well, this will be available to you every time you die
so that you have limitless chances to beat the level. After passing the first
of such trials, fall down the pit, but hang a left so that you don't eat spikes
when you land. Grab the red gem and open the door to the next, even harder test
of your abilities.
You'll now have to be very light on your feet in order to grab the yellow gem
that's guarded by two craftily placed arrow shooters. Head over and down the
slope to the left to remove the floor. Come back, hop over to the right, and
look down so you have an idea of just what you're getting yourself into. Here's
what you have to do in one solid flourish:
+ drop down when there's an opening
+ kill the slug and make sure there's no poop lining the ground
+ jump over the arrows and get the yellow gem
+ walk in front of one of the arrow shooting machines and open the yellow door
+ head right and jump over any crossfire that comes at you from behind
+ jump over a small wall and kill another slug before heading in the door
All this must be done just to get to the next room. If necessary, save and load
as if the game were an emulator with save states. Isn't that beautiful?
Once safely in the next area, fall on the horizontal platform when it comes by
or you'll land in a tar pool. Once on it, duck and then drop to the narrow
corridor below, shooting both slugs. Don't think that the long shaft to the
left is safe; just as sure as you turn the switch, two Licks will come down
from an unseen area and lay the smack down on you. Go near the switch to lure
them down, but run to the right and then turn around to shoot them from a safe
distance. After stunning them, flick the switch. Watch as the platform that
took you safely over the tar pit moves past the wall. Pogo onto it and move up.
You'll soon encounter a room packed to the hilt with Skypests. There are
roughly eight of them crammed into a small area which you shouldn't dare to
walk arbitrarily into. Go down one ledge to lure out at least one or two, and
then squish those that come out with the pogo stick until you've cleared out
enough of them to move down into the area below.
In the next room, you'll find yourself flanked by spears that come out of the
ceiling every now and then to stab you to death. Move your vision down and wait
for a platform to come by moving right. It will cross under the rock ledge and
then turn left; when it starts moving left, run past the spears and drop down
onto it. Ride it until you see an area you can jump up into. You'll want to go
to the left for the green key, and then right for the path that leads to the
green door, behind which is the red key. After getting the red key, ride the
platform all the way at the bottom back to where you started in this room (in
front of the door). From that starting point, go up and to the left and place
the red gem in the holder. This will open a door to the right of where you
started. Flip the switch that you find here while you're at it.
The switch allows the platform at the bottom, situated right over the tar pit
you've ridden over a couple of times now, to move the full length of the room.
Board it once again and take it all the way to the right to find the blue key,
which you need to move on in this level, but make sure to duck so that you
don't get pushed off the platform. With that final gem in hand, hop up to the
right through the door you opened with the red key. Follow the single path
around to another door.
You'll fall to an area below in which you'll have to make complicated use of
the platforms provided. Use the pogo to get up to the first one, then let that
one fall under your weight. It won't dip into the tar, so that will put you in
a good position to super-pogo to the next one. Keep the pogo out and bounce
until you have a clear shot at the next one, and the one after and so on, etc.
Let go of the pogo after you see a rock ledge to cling to, then ride up and go
through the top half of the room along horizontal platforms. Watch out for the
Skypests, then drop to the second moving platform when the two cross paths.
At the rock ledge, squash the Skypests and shoot the three slugs before anyone
can do anything threatening.
Once through the next door, you'll be back in the familiar red clay room from
the beginning of the game. This room is not overly difficult since the only
enemies to deal with are the easily downtrodden Licks and Poison Slugs. Just
turn each floor-removing switch that you come to, and find the piece of floor
that the corresponding lever took away. It's fairly easy to find each piece, so
I won't go into detail because this is already an exhaustive enough level as it
is. When you get through the entire slightly confusing maze, you'll see a door.
It's as if .... there's a council member here!
And there is .... kind of. He's not really a council member, even though he's
dressed like one. He's really just the janitor for the High Council. They
really need to learn the importance of distinguishing uniforms, don't they? So
your trip through the Pyramid of the Forbidden has really been nothing but a
colossal joke. I know I laugh heartily when I've just sweated bullets trying to
get through a hard level only to find out that it's all been someone's comedy
act. Oh well.
You do get some compensation, though - a 1-up at the end of the trail, and the
familiar sight of that comical white foot. And so, thus ends your journey
through the extremely taxing Pyramid of the Forbidden. We hope you've had a
nice stay.
See you in Episode V!
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= | =========================
8 | CREDITS, LEGAL JUNK, ETC.
= | =========================
We're at the end of another FAQ, which means doing a lot of stuff I don't want
to do but must anyway. Yes, I must get all my shout-outs out of my system and
dispense with the legal pleasantries.
In no particular order of influence:
> Brian Sulpher, the guy who keeps me in check and makes sure I make good
progress and don't slack off. What a workhorse! Him too.
> My parents, who are so very proud of my award-winning work and encourage me
to do more as long as it doesn't get in the way of school and job.
> My brother, whose laptop I write on while my desktop comp is currently
incapacitated.
> Dr Pepper and Red Fusion. There was a long span where I went without them
during my writing, and I got a massive migraine. I'll never ignore you guys
again.
> Myself, because I rule. I don't have to explain myself to anyone.
> Anyone else I'm forgetting who instilled the importance of good English and
the satisfaction of a job well done in my formative years. If you're not
listed here, this is where you go. In a nice convenient lump.
This version of this guide is © February 8, 2004 by Snow Dragon, all rights
reserved. If you want permission to use this guide on your site, drop me a line
at [
[email protected]] saying that you're going to use, and I'll say,
"okay, that's cool by me" and voila! You'll have my permission. Once you have
it on your site, you may only apply cosmetic changes to it, such as changing up
the font or adding screenshots to it. Keep every letter of every word of every
sentence of every paragraph the same.
Do not sell this guide for profit. Big no-no.
Do not plagiarize.
Do not plagiarize.
Do not plagiarize.
That is very important. I wrote it three times because it's three times as
important as the other stuff in this section.
I'm trying to hurry because my brother wants to go to bed. So I'll make it
quick.
The latest version of this guide can always be found at GameFAQs
[
http://www.gamefaqs.com].
Have a nice day, and have fun playing Commander Keen!
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