Twinkle Star Sprites


Guide Version 1.0 (12/12/2001)

By Kurt Linsenbardt
[email protected]


This document Copyright 2001 Kurt Linsenbardt.  You are not to use this
document for profit, but please contact me if you wish to use it on your
site.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Contents:


I      Updates
II     Controls
III    Game Overview
IV     Weapons and Hazards
V      Character Guide
VI     Stages
VII    Strategies
VIII   Secrets
IX     FAQ
X      Recognition

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I      Updates:


12/6/2001   v1.0   First Edition

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

II     Controls

Joystick - Move character

A Button - Shoot

Hold A, Release - Power Shot

B Button - Bomb

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

III    Game Overview


Twinkle Star Sprites was an unusual hybrid shooter/puzzle/fighter game that
was released by SNK in 1996 as a Japanese arcade game.  It was then ported
onto the Dreamcast, Saturn, and Neo-Geo.  You can play it in English language
mode, however the translation is abysmal.

All of the action takes place in a vertically scrolling shooter mode.  It is
split-screen between the players, and the goal is to knock out all of your
opponent's five hearts.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

IV     Weapons and Hazards

A.      Normal Shots

These are done by pressing the A Button.  These can be done quite rapidly,
but you cannot directly attack your opponent with them.

B.      Charged Shots

These can be done by holding down A to charge up, then releasing.  The charge
meter at the bottom of the screen starts off at a maximum charge of level
one.  You can increase the maximum power level by killing the stage enemies
(covered later) with normal shots.  A level one shot is basically a more
powerful version of the normal shot, the level two shots send three special
attacks (more on these later) to the opponent's side, and a level three shot
sends a boss (covered later) over to attack the opponent.

C. Bombs

In each battle you start off with two bombs.  These destroy all enemies on
screen, regardless of whether the on screen graphic of the explosion touches
them.  You can pick up more bombs from the coins that are occasionally
dropped off by flying pigs.

D. Stage Enemies

Each stage of the game has different kind of enemy, such as birds in the
first stage, clams in the second, snowmen in the third, and so on.  The
difference is purely cosmetic, as they all have the same properties.  Contact
with a stage enemy will take off one life heart, restore one-half heart of
the enemy's life, and temporarily stun you.  That is the bad news. The good
news is that they cannot take the last bit of your life away.

Stage enemies come in different colors, which represents their amount of
life.  The colors from highest life to lowest life are:

Purple-Blue-Green-Yellow-Red

E. Chain Explosions

Each time you shoot an enemy, it drops a color, and when you shoot a red
enemy, it explodes.  This explosion can destroy the surrounding enemies,
which then explode, and this is a chain explosion.  Unfortunately, some
enemies are surrounded by bubbles that can absorb one explosion or shot.

When the chain of explosions end, a number of fireball (orange for player 1,
blue for player 2 or the computer) are sent to the opponent.  The number of
fireballs sent increases as the length of the chain grows.  The fireballs
either go to the top of the screen and drop or they travel in an arc to the
opposite corner.

F. Reflecting Shots

If you can shoot the fireballs that your opponent sends at you, they will be
sent back as a flashing fireball.  You can use the aforementioned chain
explosions, level one charged shots, or normal shots to do this.  If you can
manage to hit back a flashing fireball, it will be either a special attack,
or a boss attack if you can send enough of them back at once.

G. Special Attacks

Each character has a different special attack.  These send a small creature
over to your opponent's side to attack them.  These will be covered more in
the character section. These are caused by level 2 charged shots or by
reflecting flashing fireballs.

H. Boss Attacks

Each character also has a different boss attack.  These send a large creature
to attack the opponent.  The boss usually has a number of different attacks,
but they can be destroyed.  It takes the equivalent of 2 bombs plus a few
normal shots.  The boss also leaves after around 10-20 seconds.  You can
summon bosses with a level 3 charged attack or by reflecting a large number
of flashing fireballs at once.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

V      Character Guide


Key
-------------

Name: Character's name
Speed: Speed of the character's movement
Power: Power of the character's normal shot
Bomb: Description of their bomb attack
C. Shot: Description of the level 1 charged shot
Special: Description of the special attack
Boss: Description of the boss attack
Comments: Misc. comments

-------------

Name: Load Ran
Description: The young, blond heroine
Speed: 2
Power: 2
Bomb: A large star fills the screen
C. Shot: A forward energy blast
Special: A spinning, slightly homing Rabicat
Boss: A large Rabicat

Comments: A good all-around choice.

-------------

Name: Kim
Description: A wizard cat riding a robot
Speed: 3
Power: 1
Bomb: Tidal Wave
C. Shot: A short range 1-2-3 punch
Special: A descending rocket arm
Boss: A large Robot

Comments: I don't care for him, his charge shot is close-range only and his
special is easy to dodge.
-------------

Name: Nanja Monja
Description: A group of multicolored furballs
Speed: 2
Power: 3
Bomb: Furball comet
C. Shot: lightning strike that can be angled right or left
Special: a furball bounces down the screen
Boss: a large, spiky furball

Comments: Their charge shot is not so good, but their special is one of the
hardest to dodge.
-------------

Name: Tinker and Linker
Description: Two blond fairies
Speed: 2
Power: 2
Bomb: a giant laser blast
C. Shot: a crystal is fired (can be shot horizontally)
Special: a slightly tracking blue fairy
Boss: A giant blue fairy

Comments: The bomb looks like it only shoots forward, but it still destroys
all enemies onscreen.
-------------

Name: Really Till
Description: A green-haired girl with a dragon
Speed: 3
Power: 2
Bomb: Flames shoot up and down the screen
C. Shot: A flame-thrower
Special: A dragon drops down, then flies off the side
Boss: A large green dragon

Comments: You can move around while the flame-thrower is shooting.
-------------

Name: Griffon
Description: A group of three guys in white suits
Speed: 2
Power: 1
Bomb: A large rising blade of wind
C. Shot: Two sawblades are sent out at 45 degrees, and then return
Special: A descending griffin
Boss: A large griffin

Comments: The charged shot is pretty hard to hit with.
-------------

Name: Yan Yanyung
Description: A young green-haired girl with flying pigs
Speed: 1
Power: 1
Bomb: Pig comets
C. Shot: A large green energy wave
Special: Descending pigs
Boss: A giant flying pig

Comments: Her charge shot covers most of the screen.
-------------

Name: Arthur Schmitt
Description: A red-haired guy with a jetpack
Speed: 3
Power: 1
Bomb: A laser sweeps over the battlefield
C. Shot: A vertical laser blast
Special: An ascending mini-UFO
Boss: A large UFO

Comments: He can sweep the screen with his charged laser blast by moving
horizontally while it is going off.
-------------

Name: Macky and Pentell
Description: A lavender-hair girl and a younger pink-haired girl
Speed: 1
Power: 3
Bomb: A chomper bear sweeps upward
C.      Shot: An explosive chomper bear
Special: A tracking chomper bear
Boss: A giant chomper bear

Comments: You can detonate the charged shot early by pressing shot again.
This team is one my personal favorites.
-------------

Name: Sprites
Description: An older version of Load Ran
Speed: 2
Power: 3
Bomb: A glowing picture of Sprites with angel wings
C. Shot: A triple energy blast
Special: A faster version of Rabicat
Boss: Large Rabicat

Comments: You play as her in the last 2 story battles, but you can also use
her in other modes with a code.
-------------

Name: Memory
Description: A women in a white robe with long pink hair
Speed: 3
Power: 3
Bomb: A close-up of Memory's face fills the screen
C. Shot: Bouncing balls
Special: Homing food
Boss: A giant cake

Comments: The final boss (Her charged shot hits everything onscreen!), and
also a secret character.
-------------

Name: Dark Ran
Description: An evil version of Load Ran
Speed: 2
Power: 2
Bomb: An evil looking star fills the screen
C. Shot: A dark energy blast
Special: A dark, slightly homing Rabicat
Boss: A large, dark Rabicat

Comments: The fifth story battle and a secret character, she plays the same
as normal Ran.
-------------

Name: Mevious
Description: Evil looking witch woman
Speed: 3
Power: 3
Bomb: A black hole
C. Shot: A red three-way shot
Special: Fluttering bats
Boss: A large bat

Comments: The sixth story battle and a hidden character. It is kind of hard
to hit with her charged shot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

VI     Stages



                    Opponent                        Stage Enemy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1:     Yan Yanyung or Really Till       :        Birds
Stage 2:        Kim or Nanja Monja            :        Clams
Stage 3:  Tinker & Linker or Arthur Schmitt   :        Clouds
Stage 4:     Griffon or Macky & Pentell       :        Snowmen
Stage 5:             Dark Ran                 :        Chests
Stage 6:              Mevious                 :        Chests
Stage 7:              Memory                  :        Stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

VII  Strategies


Use the normal shot on the stage enemies as much as possible, it is the best
way to start chains.

Try set up a chain combo when your opponent is about to launch a massive
attack on you.  That way most of the attacks will be sent right back at them.

If you can't set up a chain when a large assault is sent, either dodge it or
use a bomb.  Some characters can use their level one charge shots, but this
should only be done if you already have the charge stored up.

Bombs give you temporary invincibility, so use them when the situation
becomes too hectic.

Bombs are also good for when there are large groups of enemies in bubbles.

To dodge the arcing attack, try to move towards the outer edge and up.

It is very dangerous to try and knock back the arcing fireballs with normal
shots.

Try to learn the different enemy wave patterns there are. The enemies use
these from stage to stage.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

VIII   Secrets


Play as Sprites - Put the selector on Ran and press up up up up A.

Play as Memory - Same as Sprites code, only use down

Play as Mevious - Put selector on Griffon and press up up up up A

Play as Dark Ran - Same as Mevious code, only use down

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

IX     FAQ


None yet, so feel free to send in your questions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

X      Recognition


My brothers - for always being there to be the second player

Zany Video Game Quotes - http://zanyvg.overclocked.org/ - for exposing  me to
this game

GameSages.com - for providing the codes for the hidden characters

You are viewing proxied material from gopher.endangeredsoft.org. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.