Captain Silver Walkthrough
Version: 1.11
Created: June 2005
Updated on 02/09/2011. Spelling mistakes corrected, additional information on
enemies and shops added and additional information on the stages have been
added.
Updated on 19/09/2011. Slightly altered the formatting, and changed two section
headings.
This walkthrough was created because I could find no walkthrough for the
European version of the game which is much better and harder than the US
version as it has two more levels. Captain Silver is one of those games in
which one dies the first time one gets hit or touches an enemy. These games
are numerous on the early video game systems such as the Sega Master System
and the NES. Although frustrating to begin with, they pose quite a challenge
and are quite rewarding once they're mastered.
This walkthrough is split up into sections.
These are:
-Technical Information
-My experience With The Game
-Story/Object Of The Game
-How To Play
-Enemies
-Items
-Walkthrough
-Bugs/Glitches
-Final Notes
Captain Silver was a game released on the Sega Master System in 1987/88 by Data
East. Two versions were made. One for North America and one for Europe. The
North American version has only 4 levels so is not as good and these are just
truncated versions of the European levels. Sega Power Magazine described this
game as: "Looks like a pile of old grog at first but can be surprisingly
addictive."
The object of the game is to find Captain Silver's lost treasure.
You assume the role of Jim. He is a young man who wants adventure and basically
wants to be rich with treasure. That's it I'm afraid.
Controls are as follows:
Left/Right: Makes Jim walk/climb left and right
Down: Makes Jim duck and climb down ladders
Up: Jim climbs up ladders
Down-Left/Down-Right: Jim crawls left/right
Button 1: Jim slashes with his sword and starts the game at the title screen
Button 2: Jim jumps
Be very careful when jumping on to moving platforms. Unless you jump exactly
onto the platform, Jim will fall through it.
There are two types of enemy. One disappears when hit and makes a ripping
sound. The other gets thrown across the screen and makes a weird smack sound
that I can't put down in words. I don't know why they made two types but it's
just weird. All enemies kill you with one hit.
Note: Some enemies are stronger and need more than one hit. They make a ding
sound. When I first played I thought these were invincible but I kept hitting
and they died.
Wolf: These appear on level 1 only. On the first half of the level these only
walk and are easy but after the fountain they jump but are still fairly easy.
Cheshire Cat: These are on level 1 only and jump down from walls. In my opinion
they are very sinister as they come from Alice in Wonderland. They are easy to
kill. Let them come down a bit before killing them as they will leave a card
which will be too high to get unless you wait.
Jack-o-Lanterns: These enemies are on level 1 only and make a weird sound when
they fall down from a tree and make the smacking sound when you kill them. Be
careful of these because if you wait too long they get harder as you will have
to duck to kill them.
Pied Piper of Hamelin: There is only one of these in the whole game and it is
on level 1. It needs a lot of hits to die and shoots musical notes which kill
first time and must be avoided. A good strategy is let him jump over you then
jump and strike from afar with sprites.
Rat: There is one of these after the fountain on level 1 and many inside the
ship on level 2. They leave no cards and can be difficult as you have to duck
to kill them.
Witch: There is only one of these in the whole game and needs more hits than
the Pied Piper of Hamelin but is easier as it doesn't shoot anything. A good
strategy is press the shoot button as fast as you can and then let her fly over
you while you duck or you will die. Then she will come back. This time keep
shooting. You should just kill her in time. If you are a beginner then duck
again and don't kill her just let her fly out of the screen.
Pirate A: These appear on level 2 and 3 and are moderately difficult. They have
a gun whose bullets must be avoided: one hit and they're dead but the same
applies to you. Sometimes they duck and shoot which is annoying because you
have to jump over the bullets.
Pirate B: These are easy. They appear on level 2 and 3. Just hit them once.
Though on the main deck of the ship they climb out of holes; don't let them do
that underneath you!
Pirate C: These are extremely difficult. They are on level 2 and 3. Avoid if
you can. Hit them from underneath or from afar. They need more than one hit and
move more quickly than anything else. They also throw very fast knives. On
level 3 there is one that appears on a boat. Jump over his knife and hit
repeatedly with sprites.
Seagull: These are on level 2 and 3. They float around above trying to touch
you. They're fairly easy but be careful on level 3 as there isn't much room to
avoid them. They make the weird smacking sound.
Flying Fish: These are on level 3 only. Same as seagull except easier and come
out of the water from the right hand side.
Bat/Vampire Bat: I think the only difference between them is that the Vampire
Bat is on level 1 and is slightly bigger. They wake up from sleeping
upside-down and will move towards you in a downwards angle while shooting a
slow fireball. Bats are on level 3 and 4 only.
Skeleton: This appears on level 4 and 6 and is very quick and seems impervious
to sprite stars which is unlucky since they need more than one hit. Let it come
towards you then press Button 1 like mad.
Ghost: This appears on level 4 and should pose no problem. They float quickly
from either side of the screen and try to touch you but there aren't many of
them and they only need one hit.
Poison Frog: This is easy. They jump slowly from either side and need only one
hit to die. It appears on level 4 and 5.
Killer Fish: 3 of these are on level 5. Each on bridges. When walking over a
bridge, duck and crawl and hit when one appears. If you have herbs you know
there has been one because suddenly your herbs are gone!
Savage A: These are on level 5 and need more than one hit. They shoot slow
arrows but can duck. Watch out.
Savage B: These are on level 5 and are like the skeleton in that they seem
impervious to sprite stars except they are slower and need fewer hits to die.
Just get close then hit them like mad.
Crab: Move along the ground at tremendous speed on level 5. Duck and hit. They
make the smacking sound.
Coconut: Look at the trees on level 5. If they have coconuts on them then stand
close, wait for them to fall and hit. They are quite easy.
Man Eating Venus Fly Trap: Not really man eating but hard. They shoot and are
in awkward places on level 6 only. Caution recommended.
Moth: Strangely, this moth comes out in the daytime and looks like a butterfly.
Hmm... Anyway they are easy and on level 6. Just don't run away as they are
surprisingly fast.
Eagle: The last one that makes a smacking sound. They are easy enough as they
fly slowly from either side of the screen. They're on level 6.
Panther: These are on level 6 and need more than one hit. They will stop and
try to jump over you. It's easy to kill them before they do.
Shops can be found on levels 1 to 5 so on level 5 spend all your money as it is
useless on level 6. Don't bother with the shop on level 1 as you won't have
enough money unless you waste time or lose a life - in which case spend it. In
level 2 find the chests. In one chest is a shop and in another there is a crown
but it's random. This is the case for level 4 as well. In level 3 is a shop on
a boat which is amusing but hurry on and off as the boat will go with you on it
if you don't and you'll die. On level 5 is another normal shop but none on
level 6.
Just walk in and you have 20 seconds to choose what you want. Level 1 and 2 has
things for 10,000, level 3 and 4 has things for 20,000 and level 5 has things
for 30,000. Touch what you want and the money is instantly deducted. In normal
shops a key is required for entrance otherwise it's locked and you can't get
in. This is not good business advice I know but there you go. The chest shops
on levels 2 and 4 require no such key. Just hit them with your sword and if
you're lucky and it's the shop and not the crown, you'll instantly be
transported to the shop.
The shops always have a sprite, a pair of High Jumping Shoes, a clock and
a pot of herbs for sale.
To get money you must kill enemies. If done a card will appear.
Several types of these cards exist:
-A blank card gives 100 gold
-A lettered card gives 300 gold
-A changing lettered card gives 500 gold. (Not mentioned in the manual.)
These are not obtained after killing enemies but are found in throughout the
levels in various places:
-Coin: 300 gold. Only one in game on level 1.
-Large coin: 500 gold.
-Small Coin: 300 gold.
-Ring: 2,000 gold.
-Crown: 3,000 gold.
Anyway here are the items and what they do:
-Clock: Stops the clock and gives more time. This item is useful for getting
more time bonus at the end of each stage.
-High Jumping Shoes: You jump higher than usual. More of a hindrance really
as the run out too quickly without warning and they're never actually needed
either.
-Herbs: These are the most useful and you should always get some when you have
the chance unless you already have them. They make you invicible for one hit.
This is very useful for the majority of the enemies which die after one hit
and the fireballs, bullets, knives etc. but they're useless on enemies that
need more than one hit and the bosses themselves.
-Sprite: If found outside they must be caught or they will go soon go. They
make you shoot stars from your sword. Catch 2 and you shoot 3 stars. Catch 3
and you shoot 5! very useful. Always get some if you don't have the maximum
allowed.
All of these items can be found in the levels although they're usually in
awkward, hard to reach places or surrounded by enemies. The sprites also move
up and down and must be "caught" before they disappear off the screen. There's
a sprite on each level except levels 3 and 6.
Cards: As well as giving you money, they will also give you a life if you can
spell "CAPTAIN SILVER" with them (a record of the cards already obtained is on
the top of the screen). Blank cards have no letter and are therefore useless in
this endeavour but the changing cards can be a great help. Just wait for the
letters to change to the ones you need and then take them. Enemies that need
more than one hit drop these but they're also found in rooms on levels 2 and 4.
The letters always change in the same order. The order is almost the same as
the order of the letters in "CAPTAIN SILVER" but with a few exceptions. The
first two letters are the ones that appear twice, so A and I are first and are
then followed by C, P, T, N, S, L, V, E, R. The changing letters will go
through this cycle twice and will then disappear on their own. Grab them
before they disappear even if it's not the letter you need as they're worth
500 Gold.
This is relatively easy once you've had practice but if you've not played
before it is hard. The player will start by a wall. Keep walking forward, kill
the Wolves and the Cheshire Cats and grab the key until you see a tree with
Jack-o-Lanterns. Carefully walk forwards and kill each one one at a time
slowly. Climb up the ladder and grab the High Jumping Shoes (you can now reach
the herbs you saw earlier if you want them) and walk off the top. The music
will change here because a sprite has appeared bobbing up and down. Touch it to
grab it and bingo! You now can shoot a single star from your sword. Walk
forwards and the music will change again because the Pied Piper of Hamelin has
appeared. He's tricky but once you learn his pattern he's simple. Walk forward,
dodging the music notes he shoots and let him jump over you. After he does this
shoot stars like crazy until he dies. The music will revert to the normal music
and he will leave behind a changing letter card. Wait, if you wish for it to
change to one you need or simply grab it, kill the wolves behind and in front
and start walking towards the right again. Take the Coin here worth 300 Gold
(the only one in the game) and after this, the Wolves should start jumping but
they're still easy though. At the fountain, quickly jump on the water jets
(they will hold you). Don't attempt to walk through the fountain by going on
the water, you will die. Anyway, jump on the water jets before the rat comes
so you can avoid him. Take the clock on top and simply jump down. A shop should
be here. If you haven't lost any lives you shouldn't have enough money (I
usually have around 8000 or so Gold which isn't enough for one item). If you do
have 10000 Gold and wish to enter, just touch the door, and you will be
transported inside. Touch the item you want and the value will be instantly
deducted from your Gold. The key that you got earlier will also be lost. If you
don't want to enter the shop, jump over where the door is and you won't be
transported in and you'll keep your key. The last part of this level involves
the only Witch. You'll see her flying before you get to the last tree with
Jack-o-Lanterns. Fire stars like crazy at her and then duck to let her pass.
When she comes back, fire again and she'll leave a changing letter card. If you
want you can let her pass twice and she'll fly away on her own, it's your
choice. After the last tree with Jack-o-Lanterns will be a few bats. Kill them,
avoid their fireballs, continue right and when you hear a cackle, the boss will
start.
Boss
The boss here is the Sorceress. She moves around the screen dropping
Jack-o-Lanterns. This can be quite tough for a beginner as they can quickly
start to pile up. The trick is to shoot stars like crazy at her relentlessly
and you'll not only kill the Jack-o-Lanterns but also hit her as well. After a
fair few hits she'll disintegrate, turn into a skeleton, and die. Your
remaining time will be multiplied by 100 and added to your Gold.
You start on the edge of the ship. Walk to the right and wait for the Pirate Bs
to crawl out of the trap doors. Never let them crawl out underneath you or
they'll touch you and you'll die. Kill the Pirate A and grab the sprite while
fending off Seagulls. Climb the cargo net, grab the herbs and climb up some
more. Here, a Pirate B will climb up after you so either stab downwards to kill
him or step off onto the platform and wait to get him. A Pirate C will be
walking around above. It's easiest if you kill him from underneath. Once he's
gone, continue to the right and dispatch the Pirate A. Climb down and avoid
the Pirate B who tries to catch you by surprise. Kill the Pirate Bs here and
move on. Kill the Pirate As and Bs here and climb up another cargo net. Same
as last time, kill the Pirate B who tries to climb up underneath you. Kill the
Seagulls and the Pirate C and move on to the right. Climb down again, kill the
Pirate C by getting close enough so your hits land on him but so that he
doesn't move and try to hit you back. Climb down the trap door. Collect the
coins and don't climb down (this will lead to a room with nothing but a Pirate
C) instead, move to the right. In here kill the rats until you have enough room
to climb down (the rats are endless). After climbing down you'll be in a room
with two chests, one contains a shop while the other contains a crown; which
is which is completely random. To open the chest, duck and hit it. If you get
the shop, pick up a sprite, herbs if you need them, and a clock if you have the
money. It's wise to get everything you need here as the next shop will have
everything for 20000 Gold whereas here it's only 10000 Gold per item. Don't
bother with the boots as you don't need them. If you get the crown from the
chest, take it (it's worth 3000 Gold, not bad). Don't bother trying to open the
other chest, you'll find it's quite impossible! From here, don't go to the left
(this will lead to the aforementioned Pirate C who is quite difficult to kill;
try it and see if you want at your own risk!). Instead, climb down and two
Pirate Bs will be there. Dispatch them from the safety of the ladder and move
to the left. In here will be coins, collect them and go back to the right.
Climbing up here will lead to... the aforementioned Pirate C! Anyway, go back
to the right, kill the Pirate Bs again and move to the right. Kill the Pirate B
and the Pirate A in here and climb up. In here are five changing letter cards.
Wait for the letters you need or grab them for the Gold, it's up to you.
Whatever you do, don't wait so long that they disappear as it's easily done
trust me. Climb up again and you'll be back on the main deck. Move to the right
and the boss music will start. A little further and you'll meet the boss.
Boss
The boss here is the Captain of the ship Captain Cahbad. He can either be very
easy or very difficult depending on how he moves. When he's easy he will just
stand there while you button mash and hit him very fast until he eventually
melts and dies. Most of the time though, he will jump over you and start
walking towards you while stabbing with his sword. If he does this just back
off a little, hit him and wait for him to jump over you and repeat the process.
It won't be long till he's dead. The only dangerous thing is that sometimes he
will corner you and most of the time that happens you will die. This is due to
getting too far away from him because he won't jump over you if you do. Just
stay close to him (not too close though!) and hit him and wait for him to jump
over you and he'll die in no time.
You start off on a little row boat. Don't worry, it moves on its own so there's
no need to row! However, you MUST stay on the boat as jumping in the water is
instant death. There's not much to be said about this level as you are moved
automatically. Just kill the Seagulls, the FLYING Fish that move from right to
left (don't let them take you by surprise) and the odd Bat that will come down
shooting a slow fireball. When you see the High Jumping Shoes, take them and
wait for the hardest bit of the level. Not long after you get the High Jumping
Shoes, a boat will come from the left with a Pirate C standing on it. He will
throw a knife either high or low. Although it is random, it is easier if he
throws it high. If you have sprites, keep shooting stars at him till he's
dead. If not, wait for him to get close and button mash the sword button till
he's dead. It is tricky and don't feel disappointed if you die, just try
again. What makes this situation more difficult is that sometimes there are
Seagulls who will be flying around at the same time. Try to dispatch them
before the Pirate C turns up. After he's dead, his boat will float away (don't
try and jump on his boat, it's pointless and very dangerous). After a short
time killing a few more Fish and Seagulls, the key will appear. If you still
have the key from level 1, ignore it but if you haven't one, do a high jump and
get it (the High Jumping Shoes will still be active). After a moment, a boat
with a shop will appear. Quickly kill the Pirate A and board it to enter the
shop. Everything here costs 20000 Gold so get what necessities you can afford
(herbs and sprites) and leave. Quickly get back onto your own boat as the
one with the shop on it will float away shortly. After it does, more Seagulls
and Fish will appear and another boat with a Pirate A will appear. Kill him
and his boat will float away. The sky will get darker and a few bats will
appear with some Seagulls and Fish. Kill them and after a while your score
will disappear. In a moment or two, you'll arrive at some land that looks
like a grilled hamburger (you'll see) and the boss will appear.
Boss
The boss here is the Cyclops. He is quite tricky but as long as you follow my
advice, he should die quite quickly. First and foremost, never stay on the
boat. This may seem like a good strategy if you have sprites but believe me,
you will die from one of the stones he throws sooner or later. As soon as you
arrive at the land, jump onto it and walk towards the right. The trick here is
to stay as close to him as you can without touching him. If you do this he will
always throw his infinite supply of stones over your head. All you have to do
is hit him repeatedly while he does this and he will soon petrify and melt into
the ground. Job done.
OK, from the start, go right, and climb up the ladders and jump to the next
platforms. When you see the Skeleton, edge right till he starts to move and hit
him when he gets close enough. Don't bother getting him from afar because
sprites don't work on him. If you don't kill him this way, don't panic as
you've weakened him. Jump to the platform when he's moving away from you and
finish him off. From here, keep going right, killing the Bats and Frogs from
afar. Kill the second Skeleton in the same way. Be careful not to fall in the
water as it's instant death. When you reach land, walk gingerly to the right
taking care of the Ghosts, Frogs and Bats. Be sure to grab the Sprite if you
need it. When you get to the Skeleton, let it walk right up to you and button
mash the sword button to kill it. Keep going right and kill the last Skeleton.
From here, climb down the ladder and head left. Grab the rings (2000 Gold each)
and small coins and head back to the right. Go right again, grab the rings and
small coins and head down the ladder. Go left and choose which chest you want
(it's either a shop or a crown) if you get the shop, stock up (everything is
20000 Gold) and leave. Before you head left, get ready, because a Skeleton
will ambush you really cheaply. As soon as you're in the next screen, button
mash the sword button like mad till he's dead. Head left again, kill the bats
and get the letter cards before heading down (up leads to where we got the
rings and small coins earlier). After going down, head right. Here are two
chests again but inside them is either a ring or herbs. Again, it's random
but you want the herbs if you need them and the ring if you don't but it
doesn't matter too much. Head right, kill the Ghosts (they all leave letter
cards with the letter I on them, strange). Head right again and you'll meet
the boss.
Boss
The boss here is the Dragon. This boss is surprisingly easy. The Dragon only
moves its head and shoots slow fireballs. Just keep hitting him and either
jumping over or ducking his fireballs and although it will take a long time,
he will die eventually.
From the start, notice the coconuts on the trees. They're not decoration, they
will fall on top of you if you let them. Instead, edge close and let them fall
in front of you. Kill them when they do to get their letters. Kill the fast
moving crab and get the Savage A with the sprites if you can. otherwise, either
jump over or duck his slow arrows, get close and kill him. Although he needs
more than one hit, he leaves only a normal letter card. Keep going right,
killing the enemies; when you get to the Savage B, think of him as a weaker
Skeleton i.e. sprites won't work. Get close and button mash the sword button.
When you get to the shop, use the key you should've found earlier and enter.
This is the LAST shop in the game so spend all of your money here as from here
on it's useless. The only drawback in the game is that everything is 30000 GOLD
each. Get the necessities first (herbs, sprites if you need them) and waste the
rest on a clock. Again, avoid the temptation to get the High Jumping Boots.
They are useless and will only confuse you. Exit the shop and move on to the
bridge. Crawl and keep hitting the sword button here until you kill the Killer
Fish. It's easy to forget about him but he will either take your herbs away or
kill you if you don't kill him first. Walk right again, kill the Frogs and the
Savage As and Bs. Jump on the turtle here to cross the water (don't fall in)
and duck to kill the Killer Fish while on the turtle. Jump off at the other
end, kill the enemies and traverse one last river. Jump on the first turtle,
kill the last Killer Fish while on it and jump to the second turtle on which a
Killer Fish does not appear. Jump off on the other side, kill the last enemies
and walk right until the boss music starts. Keep going to meet him.
Boss
The boss here is the Top Banana. He looks like some sort of jungle superhero.
In fact he's extremely difficult. He will throw his mace at you either high or
low. He does it very quickly and what's more, he has a shield which means you
can only hurt him while jumping to hit his head (not recommended) or by ducking
to hit his legs (recommended). You'll know you've hurt him because like all
bosses, he will flash white instead of just making a noise. If he doesn't flash
white, you're not hurting him. The trouble is trying to work out if he's going
to throw his mace up or down. Here's the secret: When he throws his mace, he
will stop first. If he is going to throw it up he will first very quickly put
his arm up first. If he's going to throw it down he will just stop walking and
throw. Just duck or jump accordingly. While dodging his attacks, advance
towards him too as this will prevent him from cornering you but don't corner
him ever as he'll hit you too easily. Just keep your distance. With practice
you'll be able to dodge his attacks and duck to get hit his legs. Good practice
is only to hit his legs when you're dodging his high attack then you can kill
two birds with one stone so to speak. Once he's dead, you'll go to Level 6.
This is the last level. From the start you'll see two Man Eating Venus Fly
Traps. Quickly jump to avoid their projectiles and kill them both. Climb up,
kill another couple of them, and climb up to the top of the rock. Kill the
Eagle and drop down to get the herbs. Move right, kill the Moth and the
Panther. Keep moving right, killing Moths, Eagles and Panthers until you get to
a moving platform. Get to the other side and climb down the ladder. Try to kill
the Man Eating Venus Fly Trap with sprites; if you have no sprites just dodge
its projectiles and move onto the next platform. The platform will take you
right. Jump off onto the stationary platform and wait. Good practice here is to
watch where the moving platforms move. Never expect them to go further than
they do because they will turn back as soon as they reach their limit. Time
your jumps, grab the clock here and move on to the next stationary platform.
The next moving platform can be quite tricky as the gap is larger. Again, time
your jump and go for it. Try to kill the Man Eating Venus Fly Trap with sprites
otherwise avoid its projectiles and jump to the next platform carefully. Kill
the Eagle and climb up. Here, if you fall down you'll go to the previous
screen. You might not die if you land on a platform but it's unlikely so try to
treat falling off with as much disdain as you previously did. Jump to the next
platform, grab the herbs and jump to the next stationary platform and wait.
Edge closer to the right until you get the Skeleton moving. (Praise to the
programmers for putting a Skeleton here because it makes quite a challenge.)
Weaken him and try to kill him every time he gets close and jump to the grass
when he's dead. When on the grass, move right until you meet the boss.
Boss
The boss here is the Ghost of Captain Silver. Captain Silver will jump and
throw fast flaming arrows at you. Try to get into a rhythm wherein you jump
every time he throws one. When he looks like he's about to corner you, walk
underneath his jump and jump again to avoid his flaming arrow. Do all this
while attacking him repeatedly and he'll soon melt and you'll have completed
the game. Treasure appears in the tree and your score will be counted up for
the level.
The ending sequence will then start. We learn that Jim used the treasure to
fund excursions on the high seas to far away lands to find treasure. With this
treasure, he was able to get married and lead a very prosperous life. The
sequence ends with a picture of a book called Captain Silver. Enjoy the really
good music here.
Congratulations for leading Jim to a happy ending and completing the game.
