This walkthrough was created because Cloud Master is one of my favourite games
for the Sega Master System. I feel that I've mastered it and I want to share my
knowledge and strategies of the game with others. Cloud Master is a
side-scrolling shooting game and 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
-Middle Bosses
-Bosses
-Power-Ups
-Special Weapons
-Walkthrough
-Final Notes
Cloud Master was a game released on the Sega Master System in 1989. The game
was released by Taito but unlike the other Taito games on the Sega Master
System, it only mentions this in small print on the back of the box and on the
title screen. Cloud Master is a port of a Japanese arcade game called Chuka
Taisen which was released in Japan and the USA in 1988.
I played this game a lot when I was 12 and after a few months I completed it. I
found the game very frustrating and it took me weeks just to get to the second
stage but after that I became adept at it.
This is the strangest story I've ever known in a game. The player controls
Michael Chen who is a hermit who meditated in the mountainous regions of China
for several years. He grew very powerful and wished to gain the title of Cloud
Master which would make him even more powerful. This sounds normal so far until
you find out that in order to gain the title of Cloud Master, Michael Chen has
to ride a cloud-like chariot and shoot some of the most bizarre enemies ever
found in a game. After Michael does this, he will earn the title of Cloud
Master.
In this section I will list and describe each enemy found in the game. I will
describe their appearance, describe their attack strategy, explain the best way
of dealing with them, how many points killing them is worth and say in which
rounds they can be found. Please note that the firepower needed to kill enemies
differs between enemies.
Remember that the object of the game is to get to the end and not to kill every
enemy you see. If it's easier to let an enemy go off the screen rather than to
kill it, let it go off the screen and disappear. Memorise attack patterns and
learn to anticipate what is coming next by learning from your mistakes, that's
the only way to beat this game.
-Gyoza: 100 Points. These enemies fly from right to left in groups of four in a
vertical formation. It is important to kill these enemies and not to let them
fly past because killing all of them will cause a Power-Up to be left behind.
They are very easy to kill, just shoot all four of them before they fly off
screen. They look like pink crescent moons lying on their side and appear in
every round.
-Shumai: 100 Points. These enemies fly from right to left then go upwards and
then back to the right in groups of four in a horizontal formation. It is
important to kill these enemies and not to let them fly past because killing
all of them will cause a Power-Up to be left behind. They are very easy to
kill, just shoot all four of them before they fly off screen. They look like
white squares and appear in every round.
-Ramen: 100 Points. These enemies fly from the top right to the left then go
down and then finally to the left and out of the screen in a horizontal
formation. They will shoot a fireball just as they're going down. They are
very easy to kill one by one. They look like white bowls of brown soup and
appear in rounds 1, 3, and 5.
-Kanton Man: 200 Points. These enemies fly from the right, two at a time and
will go up close to Michael Chen and shoot two fireballs before flying
backwards quickly out of the right side of the screen. They're easy to kill on
their own but when other enemies are present they can be quite tricky. The
closer you are to the right side of the screen, the more quickly they will
shoot their fireballs at you so it's best to keep as far to the left as
possible to prevent them from shooting. They look like men dressed in blue
with blue wings and appear in every round.
-Flying Tiger: 200 Points. These enemies fly quite quickly from the right to
the left and will sometimes shoot a fireball. Sometimes they fly in a
straight line and other times they will fly at an angle. They fly at quite a
speed so try to shoot them as soon as they appear. They look like brown cat
heads that spin around and appear in rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5.
-Pig Head: 200 Points. These enemies are similar to the Flying Tigers in that
they fly from right to left at speed. They are different from them though in
that they only fly in straight lines and once they hit the edge of the left
side of the screen they bounce off and fly up-right at a 45 degree angle. They
look like pink pig heads that spin around and appear in rounds 1, 2 and 4.
-White Tile: 300 Points. These enemies will appear in groups of three from the
top of the screen. They are quite tough and need a fair few of the weaker
shots to kill them but the more powerful shots kill them more quickly. These
enemies will pursue Michael Chen and will not stop until they die. They look
like blue and white rotating rectangles and appear in rounds 2 and 5.
-Mushroom: 100 Points. These enemies will appear in a horizontal line of four
from the top left of the screen, move to the middle of the screen, go down and
then go back to the left before disappearing out of the screen. To get these,
I always wait for them to get in front and then shoot them. You can use a
backwards shooting Special Weapon to get them but they're really not worth
having a Special Weapon for. They look like red mushrooms with spots and
appear in rounds 3, 4 and 5.
-Chu Tile: 100 Points. These enemies will appear in groups of four scattered
across the screen. They shoot one fireball either up, down, left or right
and when shot and killed will shoot one last fireball aimed directly at
Michael Chen. They look like White Tiles except they have a red symbol on the
white part of them and appear in rounds 2 and 4.
-Small Rock: 500 Points. These enemies are static, inanimate rocks that float
in the air from right to left. They don't shoot any fireballs or have any
attack strategy but they do take a lot of shots to kill even the more powerful
shots. Unless you have powerful shots, don't bother trying to kill them, just
avoid them. They look like small, brown, angular stones and appear in round 2.
-Sword: 500 Points. These enemies are also static and inanimate except that
they float in the air from right to left at a much greater speed which makes
them even harder to kill. They don't shoot fireballs and are best avoided in
my opinion even when you have powerful shots as their speed makes them hard to
kill. They look like small swords and appear in round 3.
-Cone Rock: 500 Points. These enemies fall from the top of the screen to the
bottom and don't shoot fireballs. They take a lot of shots to kill and are
best avoided. They look like small downwards pointing brown stones and appear
in round 5.
-Big Rock: 500 Points. These enemies float slowly from right to left and do not
shoot fireballs. They are quite big and can be difficult to avoid. They also
move quite slowly in comparison to other enemies and as they need even more
shots to kill than other enemies, they can be quite a nuisance. My advice
would be to leave them alone and let them pass. They look like big, square
brown stones and appear in round 4.
-Panda: 100 Points. These enemies appear from a floating cloud at the top of
the screen that moves from right to left. The cloud will stop moving twice
before leaving the screen and each time will drop three Pandas that float
down, shoot a fireball each and then move to the right at speed then
disappear. This attack pattern is quite tricky to avoid. The cloud from which
they come cannot be killed and is also harmless while it is not dropping
Pandas. The enemies themselves look like small panda heads and appear in
rounds 4 and 5. A good strategy is to try to kill them as they come out of the
cloud or stay to the left of them as long as possible and then they will
disappear off the left of the screen rather than the right.
-Piggoid: 300 Points. These enemies stand on the ground and will shoot fire
balls at you at regular intervals. They look like pink pigs standing upright
holding a black gun and appear in rounds 1 and 5.
-Soldier: 200 Points. These enemies sit on the ground and shoot fireballs with
their rifles at regular intervals. (The manual erroneously states that they
rarely shoot.) A few hard to reach Soldiers will leave Power-Ups. They look
like blue soldiers with blue helmets and appear in rounds 2 and 3.
-Turtle: 100 Points. These enemies sit on the ground and shoot fireballs at
regular intervals. They look like little green turtles and appear in rounds 1
and 3.
-Monkey: These enemies will walk from right to left and, before leaving the
screen, will jump backwards twice. Each time they jump, they will clap their
hands and shoot a fireball. They look like brown monkeys and appear in rounds
2 and 4.
-Tiger With Shield: These enemies will either walk from left to right or from
right to left along the bottom of the screen. They shoot two fireballs each
at great speed before disappeaing off the screen. They look like yellow,
upright tigers holding a white shield and appear in round 3.
-Ground Dragon: These enemies stick their heads out of the ground and shoot
fireballs. They look like green dragon heads on top of scaly necks and appear
in rounds 4 and 5.
-Rock On Ground: These aren't really enemies per se but can kill instantly. If
you touch them you won't get hurt but if you go between it and the edge of the
screen and get stuck while the screen is moving to the right, you will get
crushed and die. They come in various shapes but all have the same size and
appear in every round.
In this section I will list and describe each Middle Boss in the game. I will
describe their appearance, describe their attack strategy, explain the best way
of dealing with them, how many points killing them is worth and say in which
rounds they can be found. Please note that Middle Bosses require a lot of fire
power to kill. If you fail to kill them, they will start moving to the left and
eventually off screen. If you do kill them, you will get the points and a door
with a question mark on it will be left behind. In this door will be a
selection of four Special Weapons from which to choose. More information about
these weapons can be found below. All Middle Bosses fire lightning bolts that
kill Michael Chen instantly.
-Lightning Boy: 5000 Points. This Middle Boss appears twice in round 1 of the
game. He looks like a half naked man with green hair.
-Evil Hermit: 6000 Points. This Middle Boss appears twice in round 2 of the
game. He looks like an old man dressed in yellow with a white moustache.
-Bad Buddha: 7000 Points. This Middle Boss appears twice in round 3 of the
game. He looks like an oriental man with a moustache sitting cross-legged.
-Two-Headed Demon: 8000 Points. This Middle Boss appears twice in round 4 of
the game. He looks like a two-headed standing humanoid.
-Kaimyo Beast: 9000 Points. This Middle Boss appears thrice in round 5 of the
game. He looks a little bit like a yellow lion.
At the end of a round, the screen will flash, the music will fade into silence
and you'll be transported to a separate room with different music and a Boss.
The Boss must be killed with haste or else it will start moving towards the
left of the screen and will touch you thus killing you. Each Boss will attack
by firing several unique projectiles at you. It is difficult, but there is
always a gap in the mass of projectiles through which you can slip. Specific
strategies on how to kill the Bosses is in the Walkthrough section of this
guide.
-Phoenix: 10000 Points. This Boss is in round 1 and is a yellow phoenix. It
will fire black and yellow shots at Michael Chen. To kill it, fire shots at
its head.
-Kappa: 10000 Points. This Boss is in round 2 and is a green salamander-like
thing that stands on a cloud holding a pitchfork. It fires lightning bolts at
Michael Chen. To kill it, fire shots at the flashing spot on its head.
-Giant Buddha: 10000 Points. This Boss is in round 3 and is a giant yellow
Buddha sitting cross-legged. It will fire yellow rings and bouncing gold dots
at Michael Chen. To kill it, aim for its head.
-????: 10000 Points. The instruction manual erroneously lists this Boss as the
fifth Boss and so only lists the picture as a question mark too. It is in
round 4 and is a green dragon. It shoots yellow rings at Michael Chen. To kill
it, aim for its head.
-Shogun: 10000 Points. The instruction manual erroneously lists this Boss as
the fourth Boss. This boss is in round 5 and is a bearded warrior dressed in
green wielding a sword. It shoots flames at Michael Chen. To kill it, aim for
the flashing skull on its waist.
Here I will describe and explain the various Power-Ups that can be obtained
throughout the game. The Power-Ups look like brown pots with a letter on them.
*** Power ***
You start the game with the weakest firepower in the game which is a Single
Yellow Shot. After getting a P (for Power) pot dropped by Gyoza and Shumai
enemies (when you kill a whole formation of them), the strength of your
firepower will increase by one level. Here's a list with the weakest level at
the top and the strongest at the bottom:
* Single Yellow Shot
* Single Blue Shot
* Single Blue Shot with one Yellow Shot above and below it
* Double Blue Shots
* Single Red Shot with one Blue Shot above and below it
* Double Red Shots
* Single Bracket
* Single Bracket with one Red Shot above and below it
Please note that at any one time, only six shots are allowed on the screen.
This means that you can fire the single shots six times, the double shots
thrice and the triple shots twice. When six shots are on the screen, no more
can be fired. Only two of either of the bracket firepowers may be on the
screen at any one time. The more firepower you have, the less likely it is
that you'll get another P pot. This is most noticeable when you get to the
Double Red Shots; it might take a long time to get another P pot when you have
this firepower.
I recommend keeping either the Double Red Shots or the Single Red Shot with one
Blue Shot above and below it when you get them and not upgrading to the
brackets. As only two brackets may be on the screen at once and as the brackets
are not absorbed by enemies and instead go through them, you have to wait until
they're off screen before you can fire more of them. All the other firepowers
are absorbed by the enemies and therefore the firing rate increases the closer
you get to the enemy. Because of these reasons, it is my opinion that the
Double Red Shots are the best firepower.
*** Special ***
An S (for Special) pot dropped by Gyoza and Shumai enemies works in almost
the same way as the P pot but will instead raise your firepower by two levels.
For example, if you have the Single Yellow Shots and pick up an S pot, you will
get the Single Blue Shot with one Yellow Shot above and below it; it's as
simple as that. These Power-Ups are quite rare and have only appeared with me
when I've either missed a P pot or I've died and the game knows that I need
extra firepower to defeat a Middle Boss.
*** Fast ***
An F (for Fast) pot will increase your speed by one level; upon getting
subsequent F pots, speed may be increased another five times totalling six
speed levels. I recommend only getting a maximum of two of these since any more
will cause Michael Chen to be too sensitive to the D-Pad and you're more likely
to touch enemies accidentally.
*** Auto ***
An A (for Auto) pot will give you auto-fire which means you can now just hold
down Button 1 for continuous fire instead of pressing it again and again. These
are dropped by Shumais or sometimes by Soldiers.
*** Extra ***
An E (for Extra) pot will give you another life. These are extremely rare and
are only dropped by difficult, hard to reach enemies.
Here I will describe and explain the Special Weapons that can be obtained
throughout the game. I will list the attack power for each weapon as well as
the pros and cons of having the weapon since only one may be held at any one
time. To get the Special Weapons, you must defeat a Middle Boss. When he dies,
a door with a question mark on it will be left behind and touching Michael Chen
to this door will cause you to enter it.
Inside the door will be the Special Weapon Selection Room and there will be
four squares with pictures on them, a smaller square with "EXIT" on it and a
woman asking you to make a choice. Place the cursor (a Shumai enemy) on the
EXIT square and press Button 1 if you do not want a Special Weapon or already
have one and do not wish to replace it. Place the cursor on one of the four
picture squares and press Button 1 to choose the Special Weapon that particular
square represents. To use the Special Weapon, press Button 2. Which pictures
match to which weapons can be quite tough to figure out so I will describe
each picture for each weapon.
There are twelve types of Special Weapon. If you manage to get one and then go
inside a second door afterwards without dying, you will be able to choose from
the more powerful weapons. In the first door you can choose between the
Four-Circle Guard, the Two-Way Guard, the Dragon Fire and the Bomb. In the
second door you can choose between the Four-Circle Guard, the Three-Way Guard,
the Search Bomb and the Bouncing Bomb. In the third door you can choose between
the Four-Images, the Dragon Fire, the Two Crescents and the Bouncing Bomb. In
the fourth door you can choose between the Four-Images, the Four Crescents, the
Super Bomb and the Scatter Bomb. Remember that you can choose none simply by
selecting EXIT but if you do this, you will be given the same choice at the
next door and won't be able to choose from the more powerful Special Weapons.
So if you want to choose a weapon from the fourth door, you'll have to select
one from the third door - even if you don't want one - otherwise the third door
will appear again next time.
Once you reach the fourth door, you won't be able to choose from the other
Special Weapons unless you lose a life. For each life you lose without entering
a door the door will be pushed back one level; so if you lose one life after
going in door four, the door will be the third door; if you lose two lives
after entering door four last, the door will revert to door two and so on.
Please note that the contents of each door might differ slightly depending upon
your previous choice of Special Weapon.
Getting the same weapon twice in a row (if it's available) will cause the
weapon to become stronger. This is impossible to achieve with the normal Bomb
and the Search Bomb as there is only one opportunity to get it but with the
Super Bomb, it is possible so if you get the Super Bomb, try and make it
stronger.
*** Four-Circle Guard ***
After activating this weapon, four flames each with an attack power of 6 will
encircle Michael Chen. Each time they kill an enemy, they will be extinguished.
To get more flames, press Button 2 again once all the previous flames have been
used up. This Special Weapon isn't very good in my opinion. The flames are weak
and are difficult to use up in order to replace them. The picture is of four
flames.
*** Two-Way Guard ***
After activating this weapon, two flames with an attack power of 4 will shoot
out above and below Michael Chen hurting or killing any enemies in their path.
This weapon isn't that bad because it can be used to kill tricky enemies above
and below; it is a bit weak though. The picture is of two flames.
*** Three-Way Guard ***
This weapon is similar to the Two-Way Guard except an extra flame with an
attack power of 4 will shoot out behind Michael Chen. The picture is of three
flames.
*** Dragon Fire ***
Activating this weapon will cause a long flame with an attack power of 10 to
circle Michael Chen. This flame will circle Michael Chen once, move forward,
circle again and then move off the screen and disappear. Only one Dragon Fire
may be activated at any one time. The picture is of a circular flame.
*** Four-Images ***
When activated, this weapon will shoot four miniature images of Michael Chen
each with an attack power of 4 out of each corner of Michael Chen. They will
all shoot off diagonally and disappear when they either hit an enemy or leave
the screen. All four images must disappear before this weapon may be activated
again. The picture is of five images of Michael Chen.
*** Two Crescents ***
Activating this weapons will cause two crescents with an attack power of 4 to
shoot out of the back, roll around Michael Chen half way and then shoot
forwards. Both crescents must disappear before more can be activated. The
picture is of three yellow crescents.
*** Four Crescents ***
This weapon is similar to the Two Crescents and has an attack power of 4 except
four crescents are shot out of the back instead of two. All four crescents must
disappear before more can be activated. The picture is of five yellow
crescents.
*** Bomb ***
Activating this weapon will cause a small red bomb with an attack power of 10
to be released by Michael Chen. The bomb will move forward slightly before
falling to the ground. This bomb must hit an enemy with a direct hit otherwise
it will simply disappear through the bottom of the screen. Two bombs may be
released at any one time. The picture is of six white circles.
*** Bouncing Bomb ***
This weapon is similar to the normal Bomb and has an attack power of 10 but
instead of disappearing through the bottom of the screen, it will bounce
forwards until it hits either an enemy or disappears off the screen. Two bombs
may be activated at any one time. The picture for this weapon and the Search
Bomb are identical: they are both six red circles; however, the Bouncing Bomb
will always be the picture on the right.
*** Search Bomb ***
This weapon is similar to the normal Bomb and has an attack power of 10 but
instead of disappearing through the bottom of the screen, it will slide
forwards until it hits either an enemy or disappears off the screen. Two bombs
may be activated at any one time. The picture for this weapon and the Bouncing
Bomb are identical: they are both six red circles; however, the Search Bomb
will always be the picture on the left.
*** Super Bomb ***
This weapon is similar to the Bouncing Bomb and has an attack power of 10
except that it looks like a small flame and, like the Bracket firepower, will
go through enemies and will only disappear once it leaves the screen. Two may
be activated at any one time. The picture is of six flames.
*** Scatter Bomb ***
This weapon is similar to the normal Bomb: it has an attack power of 10 and
getting a direct hit with it will cause it to behave like a normal Bomb too.
However, if you do not get a direct hit with it and the Scatter Bomb touches
the ground, the bomb will explode and scatter six to eight fragments around the
screen which each have an attack power of 5. Two may be activated at any one
time. The picture is of a single explosion.
Notes:
While it is fun testing out all the available Special Weapons in the game it
must be noted that most of them are more of a hindrance than a help. Cloud
Master, as a game, requires a lot of concentration and few distractions as one
hit from an enemy fireball from not paying attention for even a second can
have devastating consequences. Most of these weapons are, in my opinion,
distractions. They cause your attention to be on them while a fireball could
be coming your way. Particular offending weapons are the Dragon Fire, the
Scatter Bomb, the Four-Circle Guard and the Four Crescents. The other weapons,
although not as distracting are simply too weak to be useful. To become good at
this game, you should concentrate on learning enemy attack patterns and
familiarising yourself with how to kill the enemies with the normal firepower
effectively. The only exception to this is the Bomb, the Search Bomb and the
Super Bomb although I still prefer the Search Bomb as it doesn't bounce over
enemies. Enemies on the ground such as the Turtle, Tiger With Shield etc. are
often difficult to kill and will shoot fireballs; Bombs and Search Bombs take
care of them nicely. Even so, only use them when there is an enemy that needs
them as they can distract you too much. Don't take my word for it, experiment
with the game yourself and see if one of the Special Weapons fits into your
strategy. I'm only detailing how I've played and completed the game, use
whatever works for you.
In this section I will guide you through all five rounds of Cloud Master and
provide you with the best strategy for overcoming each enemy as they come.
Please be aware that a little way after the first Middle Boss is defeated, your
progress will be saved and if you die, you will start after the first Middle
Boss. After the second Middle Boss is defeated - even if you get up to the
Boss - you will always start back here if you die. The game works this way on
every round including round five which has three Middle Bosses. If you get up
to the second or third Middle Boss or even the final Boss itself and die, you
will start back after the first Middle Boss on round five.
After you defeat a Middle Boss I always recommend going in the door even if you
don't want a Special Weapon because once you leave the door, all the enemies
and fireballs will have disappeared.
You start the game with four lives. New lives are obtained when you reach 30000
points and every 200000 points after that. New lives are also obtained by
getting E pots. If you lose all of your lives, you can use a continue. You
start the game with three continues and you cannot get any more. Once you've
used all your continues and you've lost your last life, it's game over.
Kill the two Kanton Men, then kill all the Gyozas to get the P pot. Kill two
more Kanton Men and then another four Gyozas to get the F pot. Kill four more
Kanton Men and then kill the Ramens before they shoot fireballs. Kill more
Ramens and Kanton Men before tackling the turtle at the bottom. While you're
attacking the Turtle, kill the Shumais that are also floating along the bottom
and get the A pot that they drop. You will now have auto-fire. Kill some more
Ramens and Kanton Men before encountering another Turtle by a Rock On Ground.
The first Middle Boss should appear now: Lightning Boy. Shoot at him non-stop
while avoiding the lightning bolts he throws while killing the Ramens and the
Shumais that float towards you. If you think this is too hard you might as well
stop playing now because this is easy compared to what's coming. Just practise
at it and you'll get the hang of it. Collect the P pot that will probably but
not always be dropped by the Shumais and keep attacking Lightning Boy. By the
time the ground colour changes and a Turtle appears, Lightning Boy should
nearly be dead if you've not stopped attacking him. Once he's gone, go in the
blue doorway immediately and grab whatever you want: I recommend either the
Bomb or the Dragon Fire. Pig Heads will start appearing if you don't go in it
immediately.
Kill the Pig Heads and the Turtle on the ground while killing the Kanton Men
and Gyozas that appear too. Take the P and F pots that will probably be dropped
and enjoy the greater firepower and speed you now possess. I recommend not
getting any more F pots after this point as it will cause Michael Chen to move
too quickly. Keep killing the Turtles, Ramens and Pig Heads and don't forget to
try out your Special Weapon. If you got the Bomb, try aiming for the Turtles
when they appear. Kill more Shumais who shouldn't drop any pots (unless you
lost a life in which case they'll leave an A pot) and continue killing Pig
Heads, Ramens, Kanton Men and Turtles until you get to a new enemy: the Piggoid.
If you have the Bomb, try to drop one on top of the Piggoid. Kill more enemies
and eventually you'll get to the next Middle Boss which is another Lightning
Boy. This Lightning Boy should be easier now that you have stronger firepower.
Once he's gone, enter the blue door again and get a better Special Weapon. I
recommend the Search Bomb which is the picture of six red circles on the left.
Once out of the shop, kill some Shumais and they might drop another P pot. Grab
it if they do and upgrade to stronger firepower. Kill some more Piggoids,
Ramens, Pig Heads and Turtles (if you got the Search Bomb, test it on them).
After a while, some more Kanton Men will come, kill them and eventually the
music will fade, the screen will flash and you'll be transported to the first
Boss.
Boss
The Boss here is the Phoenix. To kill the Phoenix, shoot at its head and it
will flash white. The Phoenix has two attack methods which it will repeat, one
after the other: it will spit two yellow and black balls which are easily
avoided and then it will spit nine or so yellow and black balls in a rough
vertical line. These ones are harder to avoid; I recommend going down a bit to
find a bigger gap then once they've passed go up again and resume attacking.
Repeat this strategy and the Phoenix should die soon. One thing to remember is
if you don't kill the Phoenix quickly enough, it will start moving towards you
and will kill you quickly so try not to dawdle. When you've hit it enough the
Phoenix will start sinking and several explosions will occur on its body. After
a small cutscene with a very big bearded old man, you'll be taken to the next
round.
Start off by killing the Kanton Men and the Gyozas. Collect the P pots and F
pots if you want them. After this, lots of Flying Tigers and Pig Heads will now
appear. Kill them while avoiding their fireballs. Eventually you'll see a
Soldier on the ground with some Shumais floating nearby. Kill them all but they
shouldn't leave you any pots unless you've lost a life recently. Next, some Chu
Tiles will appear with another Soldier. Lots of fireballs will be floating
around the screen because of the Chu Tiles so beware and try to evade all of
them. Small Rocks should appear now; only attempt to kill the Small Rocks if
you have at least Double Blue Shot otherwise ignore them. You will now see two
Rocks On Ground with a Soldier on the right of the one on the right. If you
can manage to kill this Soldier, an E pot will be left behind. Bombs or Search
Bombs will help in this endeavour. Things will get pretty hectic here with the
Chu Tiles, Small Rocks and Soldiers but just try to hang in there. The first
Evil Hermit will appear in a second or two. Like Lightning Boy, just keep
attacking him non-stop while killing/avoiding the other enemies on screen and
avoiding the lightning bolts and fireballs. Once he's gone, some more Flying
Tigers will appear: ignore them and go in the blue door to choose a weapon.
Remember that if you want to choose a weapon from the fourth door you'll have
to choose one here otherwise the next door will be the third door too and will
therefore have the same selection of Special Weapons.
Once out of the door you'll encounter a lot more Flying Tigers. Kill them and
eventually you'll meet some more Kanton Men and Gyozas. After taking care of
them and collecting any pots they might drop if you want them, some Chu Tiles,
Monkeys and more Flying Tigers will appear. Make sure you kill the Monkeys as
their fireballs can be quite troublesome. After some Small Rocks, a Soldier
and some White Tiles will show themselves. Remember that the White Tiles are
stronger and that while they don't shoot fireballs, they will follow Michael
Chen around the screen trying to touch him. It's best to make these White Tiles
a priority. The Second Evil Hermit will show up next; shoot at him while taking
care of the Monkey and other enemies. Go in the door that appears when he dies
and after choosing a Special Weapon or taking the EXIT, more Pig Heads, Flying
Tigers, Soldiers, Gyozas, Shumais, Small Rocks and Monkeys will appear.
Dispatch of them all and eventually the music will fade, the screen will flash
and you'll be transported to the second Boss.
Boss
The Boss here is the Kappa. He will move up and down while shooting lightning
bolts from his pitchfork/staff type of thing. Keep moving up and down before he
shoots as this will cause the lightning bolts to be spread out more and be more
likely to provide a gap through which you can pass. Keep shooting at his head
and eventually he will go down. Like the Phoenix, remember not to dawdle as if
you take too long, he will start coming towards you and will kill you. After
the cutscene with the bearded old man, you'll be taken to the next round.
From the start, kill the Flying Tigers and kill all the Gyozas, taking the pots
the P and F pots they might drop if you want them. After a few Rocks on Ground
and some more Flying Tigers you will meet the first Tiger With Shield. Try to
kill it as soon as possible since the fireballs they shoot are extremely fast.
Kill some more Flying Tigers and Ramens while attacking Shumais and Turtles.
Don't forget to pick up the pot that the Shumais might drop if you want it.
Mushrooms will appear from the top left next. The best strategy for them is to
let them go over your head and then kill them as soon as they're in front. If
you let them pass, they will circle, shoot a fireball each and then go back to
the left and disappear off screen which is quite difficult to avoid. After one
more Turtle Swords will start to appear. It's best to ignore them as they fly
too fast. Avoid them while killing more Ramens and Flying Tigers and after one
more wave of Mushrooms the first Bad Buddha will appear. As before, just keep
shooting at him relentlessly until he dies while avoiding the various enemies
and fireballs. Shumais, Swords and a few Tigers With Shield will make an
appearance which will make this very tricky unless you can kill the Bad Buddha
quickly. Enter the door to choose a Special Weapon or just to make the enemies
and fireballs disappear and you should come out to face some Turtles, some
Mushrooms and some Ramens.
After a short period some Flying Tigers and Tigers With Shield will appear
causing problems. Make the Tigers With Shield a priority and don't miss the
Gyozas that come remembering to take the pots thy might drop if you want them.
Kill the Flying Tigers, the Kanton Men, ignore the Swords and take care of a
tricky Tiger With Shield who comes from the left this time. When he's gone,
dispatch the Mushrooms and the Turtle and kill the Shumais that may drop
another pot. After another Tiger With Shield and a fair few Flying Tigers, two
Tigers With Shield will appear from the left of the screen. If you can kill the
first one that appears which is the right one of the two, an E pot will be
dropped. If things are too hectic for this to be done without putting yourself
in danger, don't worry about it and just let them walk off the screen and
disappear. Kill more Gyozas and Ramens, avoid or kill more Swords and take care
of another pesky Tiger With Shield before facing the second Bad Buddha. The
only thing that makes this Middle Boss more difficult is the appearance of a
very annoying Tiger With Shield from the left. It's usually best to ignore him
unless you have a Bomb of some description. Enter the door once the Bad Buddha
is dead and you can choose another Special Weapon. Leave the door, kill some
more Ramens and avoid or kill some more Swords. More Mushrooms, Tigers With
Shield, Ramens and a lot of Flying Tigers will appear before the music fades,
the screen flashes and you're transported to the third Boss.
Boss
The Boss here is the Giant Buddha. In my opinion he's easier than the Kappa
because the yellow rings he shoots are easier to avoid than the Kappa's
lightning bolts. The only tricky bit is when he shoots two bouncing gold dots
which, combined with the yellow rings, can be quite tough to avoid. Aim for his
head and he'll soon die so there's no worry of him coming towards you. After
another cutscene with the bearded old man, you'll be taken to the next round.
At the start, Kanton Men and Gyozas will attack followed by Monkeys and Chu
Tiles. Remember that because of the Chu Tiles, a lot of fireballs will be
floating around the screen so be careful. After a few seconds you'll meet the
first Ground Dragon. Ground Dragons shoot very fast so watch their fireballs
closely. Pig Heads, Flying Tigers and more Ground Dragons will come next. Take
care of them and take out the Shumais that might drop an item you can take if
you want it. Kill the Monkey, the Flying Tigers and Pig Heads and get ready for
the Middle Boss which is the Two-Headed Demon. Keep shooting at it relentlessly
while dispatching the Shumais, Monkeys, Pig Heads and Ground Dragons that
appear and it should soon die. Enter the doorway that appears.
After leaving the door and selecting any Special Weapon you want you will be
greeted by some Pig Heads and Flying Tigers. Soon, some Ground Dragons will
come into view along with some Big Rocks. The Big Rocks need a lot of fire
power to kill but move so slowly that you should be able to get a fair few of
them. After they're gone, Gyozas and Kanton Men will appear as usual. Kill them
and take the pots they might drop if you want them. After they're dead a white
cloud will appear at the top of the screen. You can't kill this cloud and it
can't kill you either; it will stop twice as it moves from right to left and
each time it does it will always drop three Pandas. If you keep to the left of
them, they will move off to the left and disappear more quickly. If you keep to
the right of the Pandas, they will move to the right, shoot and disappear off
the screen less quickly. It's best to let them go off to the right as although
they will shoot fireballs, some enemies might get you as you're stuck on the
left of the screen. Kill both waves of Pandas, kill the Ground Dragon and then
wait for another white cloud to come along. Pig Heads, Shumais and another
Ground Dragon will appear while this cloud drops more Pandas. After more Pig
Heads, another cloud and another Ground Dragon will appear along with a Monkey.
After more Pig Heads and Flying Tigers, more Big Rocks will appear. If you
manage to kill the third Big Rock that appears in this wave, an E pot will be
left behind. As long as you have Double Blue Shots or better, you should be
able to pull this off. After more Flying Tigers, Gyozas and Ground Dragons, the
second Two-Headed Demon will appear. The Big Rocks, Shumais and Ground Dragons
make this one very difficult. The only advice I can give is to practise at it
and concentrate on the small fireballs and lightning bolts. Aim to kill it
before the second wave of Shumais and Pig Heads come. Enter the door and leave
again to deal with more Ground Dragons, Pig Heads and Pandas. After a few more
Flying Tigers and Monkeys, the music will fade, the screen will flash and
you'll be transported to the fourth Boss.
Boss
The Boss here is the ???? (the instructions erroneously list this as the fifth
Boss and so do not label or provide a picture of it to add an element of
surprise to the game). The Boss itself looks like a green dragon and to kill it
you must aim for its head. The dragon has two attacks: the first is similar to
the Giant Buddha in that it will shoot yellow rings haphazardly which are easy
to avoid; the second attack is to shoot out a load of yellow rings at once
which is slightly more difficult to avoid. When the dragon is dead you will see
the cutscene with the bearded old man and be transported to the fifth and final
round of the game.
Before I start, please remember that there are three Middle Bosses in this
round and that there is only a save state after defeating the first one and
if you die anywhere after this - even on the final Boss - you will start back
after the first Middle Boss.
From the start, kill the Kanton Men and the Gyozas, take the pots they might
drop if you need them and move on. Ramens will appear next along with Mushrooms
from the top left corner so don't hang around there or you might get a nasty
surprise. Keep killing more of these as well as a few Piggoids and a wave of
Shumais and wait for the fun to start. After one more wave of Ramens, a cloud
will appear along with Cone Rocks which fall from top to bottom like deadly
rain. After a second or two another cloud will appear causing mayhem; try to
kill as many of the Cone Rocks as you can if your firepower is strong enough
and dispatch more Ramens, Mushrooms and Piggoids. After a moment the first
Kaimyo Beast will appear; they look like gold lions on clouds. Try to dispatch
it quickly, take out the Shumais and enter the door to choose a Special Weapon.
From here on, Piggoids, Ramens and Ground Dragons will appear; try to kill them
before they can shoot too many fireballs and don't forget to kill the Kanton
Men here too. After another wave of Ramens, several Rocks On Ground will show
up severely inhibiting your maneuverability. More Piggoids and Flying Tigers
will show up next along with a few waves of Mushrooms. Kill more Kanton Men and
Gyozas, taking any pots you might need and get ready to kill the White Tiles
that appear next along with Ground Dragons. The next combination of enemies is
quite tricky as Cone Rocks will again start falling making the Flying Tigers
that appear next quite tough to avoid; try to defeat the Shumais and Ground
Dragons when you can and the second Kaimyo Beast will appear shortly. Try not
to die here as killing him with weak firepower is extremely difficult. The
Cone Rocks that continue to fall along with the clouds that drop the Pandas
make this the hardest Middle Boss yet. You probably will die the first time you
do it and if you do I advise not bothering to kill the Kaimyo Beast and just to
avoid the attacks and wait for it to leave the screen although this is also
very difficult to pull off. Kill the Ground Dragon and enter the door when the
Middle Boss is dead.
When you're back outside, avoid the Flying Tigers while taking care of the
Pandas and Ground Dragons. Dispatch the Gyozas, take any pots you might need
and move on killing more Flying Tigers. Ramens and Mushrooms will appear next.
Mushrooms will now start appearing out of the middle left of the screen as well
as from the top left so be advised that it's not a good idea to stick around
the left of the screen at all now lest one of these enemies catch you off
guard. After a few waves of Mushrooms and Pandas the third Kaimyo Beast will
show up. Shoot at him relentlessly while killing the Ground Dragons, Ramens,
Piggoids and Shumais. The Rocks On Ground make this Middle Boss difficult as
they reduce maneuverability; remember not to get trapped in-between them. Kill
more Mushrooms, Ground Dragons, Pandas, Shumais, Kanton Men and Piggoids and
after a while the music will fade, the screen will flash and you'll be
transported to the final Boss of the game.
Boss
The Boss here is the Shogun and he's very tough to beat. He has one attack
strategy which is shooting three forward flames and a semicircle of flames at
the same time. There is a small gap in-between the flames but it's very hard to
get precisely between this gap and on more than one occasion, you will die
unjustly. This is very irritating because you'll start again just after the
first Middle Boss and it's quite tough to get to the Boss again from there.
If you can manage to find a small gap (I usually go for the one slightly below
the middle of the screen) in each attack wave then aim for the flashing skull
on the Shogun's waist and it will soon die.
Congratulations, you've completed the game! You will find out from the giant
bearded old man at the end that the journey of Michael Chen is over. He becomes
the strongest superhuman in the world and people praise him and call him the
great Cloud Master.
After the GAME OVER screen, you can start playing Round 1 again except this
time you'll play it with your previous firepower, Special Weapon, score, lives
and continues. Completing the game again doesn't change the ending, all you can
do is increase your score if you wish.
