In 2004 the GameFAQs FAQ Writing Community started a Master System Completion
Project for which I wrote fifteen different FAQs before I moved on to other
projects. My urge to cover more SMS FAQs however has never wavered and that is
why I'm back today in the newest SEGA Master System Completion Project which is
hosted on the FAQ Contributors - General Board.
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2- Gameplay [A200]
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2.1- Story [A201]
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The Kingdom of the Penguins is declining and its Princess suffers from a
terminal illness that only the Golden Apple can heal. But there’s a problem:
this apple can be found only on the Continent of Dreams, whose Penguins were
driven out by terrible dragons. Penguin, a young penguin, in love with the
Princess Penko, will devote himself to seek the Golden Apple, facing many
dangers, and to try to bring it back in time to the Princess.
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2.2- How To Play [A202]
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– GENERAL GAMEPLAY ------------------------------------------------------------
At the start of the game you need to decide between Level 1 and Level 2 which
translates into 'Normal Difficulty' and 'Hard Difficulty' with more enemies.
After choosing a difficulty level the game can really start. During 24 levels
you will be racing a certain distance to reach the end of the level before the
time runs out. At first this time constraint might seem strict, but it is quite
easy to reach the end of the level within the time. When the level starts, your
penguin moves at its base speed but by pressing the 'Up' button. You can raise
a maximum speed of five which will make evading enemies and obstacles harder,
but will make the levels seems shorter. Luckily it is also possible to slowdown
so most of the time will be spent focusing on going left to right, while taking
into account your speed.
In each level you will be confronted by many obstacles including holes in the
ground, and enemies. Being touched by an enemy or by an obstacle – excluding
holes – will kill you. In these cases you will lose a life and be able to start
over from where you were killed. As you have only five lives it is important to
pay attention and make sure you don't get hit. As the enemy placement is random
it won't be an easy task. In the meantime you'll also see a lot of fish jumping
around. If you can grab them – by jumping – you can use them to buy items in
the shops you will find in the levels.
– SPECIAL ZONES ---------------------------------------------------------------
Throughout the game you'll encounter multiple holes, where certain holes will
bring you to different zones. These holes look like regular holes, but are a
bit smaller. They will always appear in the same place and will lead you to
bonus stages, warp zones and shops. The placement of these holes can be found
in the walkthrough section. For each special point in a level I have listed the
distance. This is the number that appears in the upper left corner of the
screen next to the remaining time.
- BONUS STAGES ----------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus stages are relatively simple. You fly around in open space and different
items are coming towards to you. It is mostly fishes that come flying to you,
and you can pick up two colors of fishes. The red fishes are regular fish that
add to your total and can be used to buy extra items in shops.
– SHOPS -----------------------------------------------------------------------
The shops you will encounter, have three different types which are different
based on color. The red shop keeper is Santa Claus, who will give you one free
item. When you encounter him, it is often best to ask for the 'Map Item' as it
is necessary to finish most levels in which Santa Claus appears. The second
type is the green shop keeper who doesn't give free stuff, but has really good
prices for all the times you might want. The last type is the blue shop keeper
whose prices are about double of the prices set by the green shop keeper. When
you need an item, it is best to buy it at a green shop keeper. Paying for the
items is quite a simple task: you pay using the fish you collect in the levels.
You can also try to win fish using the slot machine that is available in the
shops. You set an amount of fish you want to bet, and if you get three of the
same kind you receive a huge amount of fish in return. It will however require
supreme concentration to get the machine to stop on three of a kind. You need
to focus on making sure each line stops on the same sign. You can bet three
times per shop, but there is no limit on the amount of fish you bet. It is
however safer to limit the amount you bet as it is easy to lose them. The bet
limit is removed if you own a necklace.
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2.3- Controls [A203]
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_____________________________________________________________________________
/ | | \
| Control Ability | SEGA Master System | MSX |
\_______________________|__________________________|__________________________/
| | | |
| Move Left | Left on Directional Pad | Left on Directional Pad |
| Move Right | Right on Directional Pad | Right on Directional Pad |
| Speed Up | Up on Directional Pad | Up on Directional Pad |
| Speed Down | Down on Directional Pad | Down on Directional Pad |
| Jump | Press Button 1 | Press Space Bar |
| Shoot Gun | Press Button 2 | Press 'M' Key |
\_______________________|__________________________|__________________________/
While playing you will not only encounter enemies and obstacles, but also a lot
of different items. These items will (temporarily) help you to achieve your
goals.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
Power Up | Usage
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Cloud | The Cloud is a special item that only appears when you have
| collected a Blue Heart. Once you have collected the Heart,
| the Cloud will appear. It will let you fly for 15 seconds.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Fish | The Fish, appearing in multiple colors including red and gray
| jump up from the holes in the ground. You need to collect
| them to buy different items.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Fish, Yellow | The Yellow Fish is different from the other fish. This fish
| can't be used to buy items, it gives you an extra life when
| you catch it. So pay attention!
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Heart | The Heart is an item that can appear in multiple colors. When
| it appears on the screen, it will keep changing colors. It
| gives a different power depending on the color.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Heart, Blue | The Blue Heart makes a Cloud appear. It means you need to
| collect if you just want to float for a couple of seconds
| and avoid more dangerous sections.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Heart, Green | The Green Heart extends the time of a stage. It adds 50
| seconds to the clock. This can be used if you're having time
| troubles or if you want an higher score.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Heart, Red | The Red Heart has no real use. It only affects your score,
| by adding a couple of points. It is better to collect the
| Green Heart, the remaining seconds will raise your score too.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Heart, Yellow | The Yellow Heart is the most powerful version of the Heart.
| It will make you completely invulnerable and destroy every
| enemy and obstacle on your way.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Secret Bag | The Secret Bag appears under special circumstances and each
| bag contains a specific special item. How to find these bags
| is explained in the Special Items section.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Wings | The Wings are a power-up that will lead you to the bonus
| stage when caught. They will only appear if you're jumping
| when passing the 'Bonus Stage Entrance' point of a level.
________________|______________________________________________________________
- NORMAL ITEMS ----------------------------------------------------------------
The game contains a plethora of different items. Most of these items can be
bought in the shops. Certain special items can only be found in specific cases
on the ground. The following group of items can be bought in a shop and are
owned permanently. It means you buy it once after which you can use it without
any problems until you die, at which point you will lose your items.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
Item | Usage
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Bracelet | The Bracelet is an item that allows you to find special items
| and is necessary to find all of them. The item can be bought
| in stages 6, 13 and 14; but I recommend to buy it in Stage 6.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Golden Feather | The Golden Feather is used to control the direction in which
| you jump. It can help avoiding enemies and catching fish. It
| can be bought in stages 1, 2, 6, 7, 12, 14 and 15. Buy in 1.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Green Shoes | The Green Speed Shoes allow you to run faster. They can be
| bought in stages 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22
| and 24. They aren't a necessary purchase.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Gun | The Gun is an item to shoot and kill enemies. You can buy it
| in stages 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15 and 21. Do so as fast as
| possible because it will be a huge help against enemies.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Necklace | The Necklace is an item that lets you bet multiple times at
| the slot machines. It can be bought in multiple stages, but
| isn't worth the price if you won't bet.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Propeller | The Propeller can be bought in stages 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 12, 13,
| 14, 15, 16, 21 and 24. Once bought it will allow you to jump
| longer and higher making it a necessary addition for you.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Ring | The Ring, found in stages 2, 7, 9, 16, 21 and 22, makes sure
| you won't stumble over the sea anemones that are present in
| those stages. Buy it as fast as possible in stage 2.
________________|______________________________________________________________
- LIMITED ITEMS ---------------------------------------------------------------
The following items can be bought in the different shops, but you can't use
them indefinitely. You can only use them for a fixed number of stages after
which you need to buy a new version.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
Item | Usage
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Bell | The Bell is an item that can be used for one level. It will
| ring to warn you there is a warp to another level nearby. As
| such it can only be bought in stages 1, 6, 9, 13 and 15.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Goggles | The Goggles are an item that can be bought in stages 7, 9, 16
| 18 and 22 after which it will remain for two stages. It shows
| you all invisible blocks in a stage.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Hero's Cloth | The Hero's Cloth is an item that protects you against three
| hits by North Pole Bats or Albatross. It is available in
| stages 15, 18, 21 and 24. It is destroyed after three hits.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Map | The Map is an item that is necessary to reach the end of
| three different stages. If you don't have this item in stages
| 12, 18 and 24; you can't finish the levels.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Metal Helmet | The Metal Helmet is an item that protects you against three
| thunderbolts. It is destroyed after three hits. It can be
| bought in stages 9, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 22.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Silver Helmet | The Silver Helmet is an item that protects you against three
| hits of (Sea) Hedgehogs. It is destroyed after three hits. It
| is available in stages 3, 9, 16, 18 and 22.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Torch | The Torch protects you against the Squib's ink. You no longer
| become blind when hit by the ink. It remains active for two
| stages. Buy in stages 9, 18 and 22.
________________|______________________________________________________________
- SPECIAL ITEMS ---------------------------------------------------------------
The following items can't be bought. They need to be found at special locations
in the game. They are much stronger than the normal items that can be bought in
the shops and you should try to gather them as much as possible. They are
hidden in secret bags that only appear in the right circumstances.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
Item | Usage
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Armour | The Armour allows you to hit barriers without dying. In Stage
| 16 you will need to pause the game, then press UP, RIGHT,
| DOWN, LEFT and PAUSE. The bag will appear.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Crossed Tiara | The Crossed Tiara protects you against fireballs. This one
| can be earned in stage 14. When you fall in the first hole,
| press left then right. This will make the bag appear.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Red Shoes | The Red Shoes allow you to keep your balance in corners. You
| need to keep left in stage 13 to earn this item. So you'll
| need to stay on the left border as much as possible.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Priest Robe | The Priest Robe allows you to hit rocks without dying. It can
| be earned in stage 9. After getting the wings at 300 KM, keep
| jumping. The item will appear after the bonus stage.
________________|______________________________________________________________
|
Blue Boots | The Blue Boots allow you to move faster from left to right,
| and right to left. You can earn this item in stage 6 if you
| catch five fish when going through the curve in the desert.
________________|______________________________________________________________
- OBSTACLES -------------------------------------------------------------------
Obstacles come in many forms, including barriers, cracks, rocks, floating logs,
holes and sea anemones. These obstacles need to be avoided so you don't stumble
or die in the case of the rock and the barrier. These items can't be destroyed
but you can jump over most of them. The Barrier and the Rock are the only
exceptions to this rule. You can't jump over them so you will need to avoid
them. Luckily it is quite clear they are too high to jump over them. When you
have the Yellow Heart you will destroy the Barriers and the Rocks on your path.
- ENEMIES ---------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many different kinds of enemies that appear during the stages. You
can protect yourself against most enemies with specific items, but there is one
general solution for all enemies. You can shoot them with the Gun which will
destroy them. The Invisible Block and the Squib can only appear underwater, the
other enemies will only appear in the above water stages.
- FREEZAURUS ------------------------------------------------------------------
The Freezaurus is the only boss that appears in the game. At the end of every
three stages you will find a version of the Freezaurus. They all look similar
expect for their color, and if you figure out how to defeat one, you can defeat
them all. The Freezaurus fires shots at you which need to be avoided, but that
isn't difficult. Defeating him isn't difficult either. You can either shoot him
with your gun which will take quite a bit of time, but is feasible. You can
also destroy him by jumping three times on each of the four blocks in front of
him. Once you have jumped three times on each block, the boss is defeated.
The game contains two different endings. The first ending is the sad ending in
which your mission fails. This ending is achieved by finishing the game in any
manner that doesn't lead to the happy ending. This happy ending is the second
ending, and can be considered the good ending. In this ending the princess
survives thanks to your impact, but getting the ending won't be an easy task.
To achieve this ending you will need to pause the game 1 + 4 x N times where N
is any random number. So you need to pause the game either 1 time, five times,
nine times, thirteen times or more. No other conditions matter. Of course it is
difficult to keep track of the number of times you paused the game. Luckily
there is an easy trick to reset the counter. Once you lose all your lives, you
get transported to a 'Game Over' screen. If you select 'Continue' here, the
counter is reset. It is a good idea to get killed in the last level if you want
to achieve the good ending, but haven't kept track of your pauses.
