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A Portal Runner Multiplayer Strategy Guide
v1.0
by Ober On (
[email protected])
Last edited: November 20th, 2001
Own Portal Runner? Own two controllers for your PS2? Give the multiplayer
mode a try. The following is a quick rundown of all the secrets and strategy
to be found in the multiplayer mode of this... ummm... game.
CONTENTS
General Strategy
Power-Ups
Multiplayer Level One: Forest Frenzy
Multiplayer Level Two: Castle Crash
Multiplayer Level Three: Chess Match
Multiplayer Level Four: Moat Arena
Multiplayer Level Five: Jungle Tangle
Multiplayer Level Six: Zero G Showdown
+------------------+
| General Strategy |
+------------------+
-Rules of Engagement:
When you die (get 'tagged'), you lose no arrows and will be spawned at the
spawn location farthest from the current location of the other player. There
are 4 spawn locales in each level (not including the 4 in each secret arena).
Killing yourself counts as a 'tag' for the other player. This includes
falling from trees, jumping into the moat, getting struck by lightning, or
killed by a chesspiece. Matches will end as soon as the preset number of tags
has been reached. You can choose 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 tags. There are
five total outfits, Vikki in Camo, Vikki Flintstone, Vikki in Medieval garb,
Space Vikki and Bridgette, AKA Miss Manly. Not much difference between the
costumes other than that certain costumes blend in better in certain terrains.
Both players cannot pick the same costume. Incidentally, the second player
can ONLY pick the costume, the second player may not choose the arena, or the
number of tags.
-How to hit:
Auto aim. Portal Runner has a very generous auto aim built-in, taking into
account velocity and facing of the target. If your target is running in a
straight line, your auto aim will compensate and automatically 'lead' your
target. The auto aim will hit the target as long as they aren't dodging, and
as long as they remain within your auto aim cone. Your auto aim doesn't
change facing with the movement of the second analog stick, but is fixed to
Vikki's (or Bridgette's) facing.
Firing at your opponent in first person mode should be avoided because you
cannot move in first person mode. If you are strafing or running in the same
direction, the auto aim feature will allow your opponent to easily strike
you. So mix up your strafe with forward and reverse runs, jumps, etc. You
cannot fire while jumping, so only jump to dodge while you are fleeing in
terror. Be VERY careful of using the second analog stick while playing. You
don't want to get off-center to the left or right.
In many levels, you don't want to aim at your opponent so much as aim at
things which will cause your opponent pain. Blowing up barrels they are near
to, turning on the gravity when they are in mid-jump, knocking them into the
moat, etc. Often these things will be as effective if not more effective
than the most powerful arrows.
Finally: these levels are HUGE! Use your opponent's screen as a radar to
find them, or you will never find them in some of the larger arenas.
+------------+
| Power-ups: |
+------------+
Basic arrows are free. You start with several and get more each time you get
tagged. They do 2 points of damage and have no blast radius. Speed rating:
10 (from 1 to 10, 10 being fastest)
Fire arrows do 4 points of damage to your opponent and leave a few scorch
marks. Speed rating: 3
Trident arrows fire three arrows in a spread and do 3 points of damage on
contact. Each of the trident arrows also has a medium sized blast radius that
does 1 point of damage. The spread is excellent for nailing even strafing
opponents. Speed rating: 9
Explosive arrows do 6 points of direct damage and have a large blast radius
that does 3 points of damage. Speed rating: 1
Lightning arrows do 8 points of direct damage and have no blast radius. The
second fastest arrows in the game. Speed rating: 7
The piercing arrow is an instant kill, no substitutions or refunds. It will
go through destructible objects and has a medium sized blast radius that does
7 points of damage! Speed rating: 4
Water arrows suck! They do only 1 point of damage and don't seem to have any
blast radius. They only appear in the Moat level and are only good for
putting out torches.
The yellow heart heals one point, the green hearts heal 3 points and the red
hearts will completely refill your health.
You will not find: golden arrows, rage meat, stone keys, playing cards or any
other key items in Multiplayer levels.
+---------------------------------------+
| Multiplayer Level One: Forest Frenzy |
+---------------------------------------+
This large multiplayer map is a sniper's dream. It has plenty of vantage
points and very little cover on the ground. Health is moderately distributed
along the forest floor. Some fire arrows can be found behind a few of the
giant trees.
Into the trees! Use the rising stone shafts to climb up into the trees for
the best arrows. Use the floating leaves to safely descend back to forest
floor. Be careful, the branches here are much more narrow than the ones in
the single player forest level! A fall from them can mean an extra tag for
your opponent!
Lightning crash… Be careful of lightning strikes here. There are three giant
stone lightning monoliths. Shooting one of them will light it up and center
the lightning strikes near that stone. Lightning strikes hit power-ups and
platforms, so when you enter an area with a stone, it's best to make sure it
is not lit. Lightning strikes do a whopping 4 points of damage!
Secret stash. There are two secret stashes in this level.
Use the stone platform to climb up to the branch on the giant tree with the
ramp. Then ride the leaf halfway down again and leap to the rear section of
the tree. There are a bunch of explosive arrows behind the tree and a
teleporter that allows you to get back out again.
Use the stone platform by the large tree with the lightning stone in front of
it to get up into the branches. Climb along the highest branch to where it
connects to the tree. Jump to the right and you can get to a branch that is
otherwise inaccessible. Walk to the end of the branch and several piercing
arrows will appear! Use the leaf to ride safely back down.
+--------------------------------------+
| Multiplayer Level Two: Castle Crash |
+--------------------------------------+
Demolitions in a medieval setting? What could be better! This map is full of
powder kegs, and plenty of fire arrows and explosive arrows to detonate them
with! Make sure you collect a lot fire and explosive arrows and stay away
from those kegs! Yellow hearts are distributed in either of the large
courtyards.
Beware large piles of kegs. Remember this: the larger the pile, the bigger
the explosive radius and the greater the damage. The largest pile will take
you out even if you are at full health!
Piercing goodness. If you jump towards the grassy courtyard from the
archways, you can get a piercing arrow! This is the only one in the level,
but its one-shot kill goodness is more than worth the leap.
Hidden Green Heart. Destroy the large crate in the grassy courtyard for a few
extra points of health.
Secret stash. Light the torch in the second story room with the giant powder
keg pile. Then run out into the courtyard with the crate and the secret stash
will be open. Run quickly, before the torch goes out. Inside you will find
plenty of lightning arrows, and a red heart! The doors will probably close
behind you, but there is another torch (and a few fire arrows) in there to let
you back out.
+---------------------------------------+
| Multiplayer Level Three: Chess Match |
+---------------------------------------+
Chess Match is a fast and furious arena. All the good arrows are up high, and
there's nothing below but dangerous chess pieces, basic arrows and a modest
supply of health.
Precarious Platforms. Those white platforms may let you get great ammo, but
the other player can shoot them out from under you! If you are fast on your
feet, you may be able to hang on, otherwise, you will fall to the floor below,
possibly even land on one of the chess pieces!
Powerful Arrows. The two outside platforms have 3 explosive arrows each, but
the leap to reach them is difficult. Also from the rising platforms you can
find a lightning arrow or a piercing arrow by facing towards the nearest tower
and doing a long jump.
+-------------------------------------+
| Multiplayer Level Four: Moat Arena |
+-------------------------------------+
The moat is a small but complex arena. The central plateau provides no cover,
and there are four platforms rotating around the plateau. Outside the plateau
is a deadly moat. On the outer ring surrounding the central plateau is a
large supply of yellow hearts.
Precarious Platforms. Like in Chess Match, your opponent can shoot your
footing out from under you, but here the result can dump you into the outer
Moat! The inner pair of platforms follows a path of Fire Arrows. The outer
pair allows you to nab explosive and lightning arrows.
Shield Power. Firing at each pair of shields on the castle has a different
function. The bottom pair of shields will temporarily raise the rotating
platforms, keeping the other player from getting the arrows. Shooting the top
pair will lower the platforms into the moat itself for a short while, taking
an unwary rider for a dunk! The middle pair activates a temporary trail of
platforms to the drawbridge area on the castle, where one can find a few
piercing arrows and a fire arrow.
Burning Bridges. Lighting the torches on the castle wall will raise a path up
to the drawbridge area on the castle, but beware; the other player can put out
the torches and strand you out there!
Crystal Arena. Lighting the torches on either side of the main plateau will
put both players into a secret crystal arena! The playfield is full of
destructible crystals, and plenty of arrows to destroy them with. Watch
carefully through the crystals for your opponent because trident arrows and
piercing arrows will go right through the crystals. Two piercing arrows spawn
in the center of the arena, and the trident arrows spawn along the edges. If
the combat gets too sticky, light the torches inside and you will be
transported back into the Moat Arena.
+----------------------------------------+
| Multiplayer Level Five: Jungle Tangle |
+----------------------------------------+
This sprawling jungle expanse is riddled with traps and powerful arrows. The
health supply is moderate, and there is a red heart floating above the vine-
covered pillars.
Sniper Spots. There are 4 special sniping locations. Each one has arrows
that automatically respawn when you run out. But there is also a trap on each
one that the other player can activate to take you down.
On the central Ziggurat at the very top, there are four lightning arrows, one
at each corner. From this location, the player can fire upon most any other
location in the level. The trap for this is on the Ziggurat itself, two steps
down. The lightning trap buttons can be activated by touch or by firing at
them, and when they are activated, lightning will strike from above, doing
serious damage to the unlucky target.
The fire arrow platform is directly behind player one's start location. Hop
up onto the platform and ride it up. A few easy jumps and you are on the
floating sniper platform. From here, you can cover the lightning arrow and
piercing arrow sniping locales, and the large clearing where the firetrap
trigger is. To activate the firetrap and burn away the sniper, simply step on
the stone ring with the fire symbol in it.
The explosive arrow platform takes a little more work to get to. Climb the
vine-covered pillars up to the rising platform. Ride the rising platform and
you'll be at the sniping spot. From here you can nail pretty much the same
areas you can get from the fire arrow platform, except you can also cover the
rocks that lead up to the piercing arrow platform. Be careful, the other
player can easily dodge around the vine-covered pillars to activate the
explosive trap.
The fourth sniping location has two piercing arrows on it. To get there,
climb the ziggurat on the corner near the second player's starting spot and
hop across the floating stone platforms. There are two trap button locations,
at either side of the ziggurat on the supporting wall. Just stepping on the
button with the spiral inscription will cause the sniper to be vanquished by a
heavy rain of piercing arrows.
Explosives Arena. Shoot the hidden crystal flower atop the wall near the fire
arrow platform, and two buttons will pop up on either side of the ziggurat.
Light up both buttons and both players will be transported into the secret
explosive arrow arena. All the darker platforms in the arena are destructible
by explosives. Shoot one out from under your opponent and they will be
swimming in lava! There is a red heart on either side of this arena, and an
arch of platforms above with two piercing arrows. If it gets too hot in here,
light up the two buttons on the wall to transport you back to the jungle.
+-----------------------------------------+
| Multiplayer Level Six: Zero G Showdown |
+-----------------------------------------+
This gigantic dome is an excellent stage for long-range combat. The farther
up the globe, the better the power-ups get. This is the most complex of all
the multiplayer levels.
Gravity Well. The various buttons in this level will turn on or off the
gravity when shot. If the button is red, gravity is low and aerial acrobatics
are the norm. If the button is green, gravity is normal and long falls become
deadly. Each setting changes the game play significantly. There are two
buttons in the lower hall, one button in the bottom well, four buttons along
the lower edge of the sphere, a button on the shaft below the center globe,
and two buttons near the ceiling of the arena. Shooting arrows at the
lightning walls also will cause the gravity to change.
Red Heart. On top of the sphere in the center of the globe, there is a red
heart. However, it is easy to get stranded if the other player turns the
gravity back to normal.
Moving Floor. When the gravity is low, the circular floor at the bottom of
the level will move down into the lower pit, allowing the players to move
freely to and from the lower hall. When the gravity is set to normal, the
circular floor will rise and doors will seal off the lower hall from the rest
of the level. Don't get caught in the doors, they are deadly!
Lightning Walls. The lightning walls preventing access to the piercing arrows
in the pit also are activated during low gravity. With normal gravity, they
are shut off, but the floor rises to keep you from getting in there. The best
way to get those arrows is to sit in one of the side niches and activate the
gravity. When the floor moves by, you will be able to access the piercing
arrow stash. Be careful though, if the opponent turns the gravity back off,
the floor will come down and crush you!
Energy Bridges. These bridges allow you to move from platform to platform
while the gravity is normal. If the gravity is deactivated while you walk
them, however, you will fall, possibly to your doom!
Conveyor Ring. The conveyor ring along the outside moves counterclockwise
while the gravity is off, and clockwise while the gravity is on. Ride the
ring to pick up gobs of fire arrows for free.
Rising Platforms. Along the bottom of the central area, there are six square
platforms. Stepping up onto them will cause them to rise up to the conveyor
ring.
Teleporter. In the lower hall there is a teleporter that will take the player
up to the very top of the level, and at the top there is a teleporter to take
the player into the bottom hall. Very handy for exiting the bottom hall while
the gravity is on.
Secret Stash. On the topmost platform, go into hotshot mode and look around
until you see a black box in the distance. Shoot it, and it will fly towards
the platform. If you step onto it before it retracts, it will take you to a
secret stash of piercing arrows.
copyright Ober On! 2001.
