The Little Mermaid for NES
FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.0
by Rachel "Triple Rach" Oliver (
[email protected]) 12/08/01
========
Contents
========
1) Updates
2) Story
3) Basic Controls
4) Items
5) Walkthrough
A) Sea of Coral
B) Sunken Ship
C) Sea of Ice
D) Undersea Volcano
E) Ursula's Castle
F) Final Boss
6) Game Genie Codes
7) Author Stuff
8) Credits
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Updates
=======
1.0 (12/08/01) - Started and finished.
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Story
=====
After having become human and getting married to Prince Eric, Ariel
receives bad news from her old friends: Ursula is trying to take over
Atlantica and has turned all the fish evil! Ariel tells her beloved
Eric farewell, and returns to her mermaid form to save the ocean from
the evil sorceress.
Sounds kinda cheesy, especially if you didn't like the Disney movie.
But this is a simple yet surprisingly fun game, with lots of neat
exploration elements that can keep you busy for at least a little
while.
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Basic Controls
==============
Swim - D-Pad
Swim Fast - Hold B while moving
Splash Fins - A
Release/Throw Bubble/Shell - D-Pad + A
Jump from Water onto Ledge - Up on D-Pad + A
Enter Warp Tunnel in Ursula's Castle - A
Pause/Status Screen - Start
- Just swim up to a bubble or shell to pick it up.
- Swimming fast is really only useful when chasing falling shells or
running away from baddies. Otherwise, it's best to just go normal
speed as not to bump into any fish.
- Splashing your fins around creates bubbles you can use to trap fish,
or kicks up sand to find hidden items.
- Shells are much heavier than bubbles. Keep that in mind when throwing
things around.
- When you find a shell on land, just keep jumping to toss it towards
whatever direction you're taking it.
=====
Items
=====
Magic Shells:
These are probably the most useful items in the game. They can be
found just sitting around or buried in the sand. You can drop or throw
them into the various little nooks and crannies to find items, or throw
them at enemies, but it's best to save them to throw at treasure chests
if there are any nearby. Shells will reappear in the spot you found
them if you drop them down a hole, but not if you use them to find and
item or open a treasure chest. They don't disappear when you throw them
at enemies.
Fish Bubbles:
Not really items, but they work a lot like the shells do. Once you
splash your fins and trap a fish in a bubble, you can use it to attack
enemies or find items. They aren't strong enough to open treasure
chests, though. They're just bubbles, after all.
Barrels:
You can push the barrels around with a splash of the tail to send them
rolling down onto a treasure chest when you can't use a shell. They'll
reappear if they haven't crashed into anything (including walls).
Small/Large Rocks:
The rocks work similar to the barrels, in that you can push them down
onto treasure chests. But the rocks are square, so they don't roll
(simple physics ^_~). You have to keep splashing at them to get them
where you want em.
Small Hearts:
You can find these things in the sand or in the little nooks and
crannies. They recover 1/5 of your life.
Big Hearts:
Also in the nooks, crannies, and sand, big hearts recover 2/5 of your
life. These are actually much more common than the small ones for some
reason.
Ariel Dolls:
Probably the rarest item in the game, the Ariel Dolls are worth one
extra life. But there's not much point in collecting them, since dying
in this game is very irritating. You may as well just hit reset if you
die anywhere but the first level (unless it's against the first boss).
Dinglehoppers:
Also known as forks, they don't do anything but garner you 800 points
each at the end of the level. And comb your hair. ^_^
Snarfblatts:
The little corncob pipes you find hidden around are worth 500 points,
and that's about it.
Red Pearls:
Found only in treasure chests, Red Pearls increase your Power (the
strength of your splashing) and give you 1000 points at the end of the
level. You can have a maximum of three to increase your Power, but you
can collect all you want after that for more points.
0 RED PEARLS - Pick up shells, bubbles, kick up sand, and trap weak
fish in bubbles.
1 RED PEARLS - Catch most fish in bubbles, and move barrels.
2 RED PEARLS - Catch all fish, plus bigger sea creatures, and move
small rocks.
3 RED PEARLS - Catch enemies in stronger bubbles, and move large
rocks.
Green Pearls:
Also found only in treasure chests, Green Pearls increase your Range
(the distance the bubbles you splash go) and give you 1000 points at
the end of the level. There is also a maximum of three on the status
screen, but collecting more after that is more points. Every time your
Power increases, your Range meter clears and starts over at zero.
NOTE: You lose all pearls when you die. This becomes a huge nuisance in
the later levels. Avoid dying at all costs!
Magic Pots:
They don't really do anything. It appears after you beat a boss, and
you have to collect it to clear the level.
- Gathering lots of points can grant you extra lives, but like I said,
you don't need them because you don't want to die. Pretend this is an
arcade game and only use your high score for bragging purposes.
===========
Walkthrough
===========
----------------------------
**Stage One - Sea of Coral**
----------------------------
Head right until you find the shell, then take it to the first treasure
chest to receive a Red Pearl. Then keep going right until you reach the
next screen. You can use the shell to kill the squids, and then take it
up to the treasure chest to collect a Green Pearl. Keep going up, and
if you turn the fish up there into a bubble and throw into the little
nook in the left wall, you might receive a Big Heart. Head off the
right to the next screen, and you can swim down one of the holes to
find an Ariel Doll. Take the shell to the treasure chest to get another
Green Pearl. Don't rush off past the chest, though, wait for all five
starfish to go off the screen before continuing, and stay low to avoid
being hit by one of them falling. Then keep going right until you reach
the boss.
BOSS: Shark
Simple to beat. Just avoid being directly in his horizontal pathway,
preferably below him. When the fish come, trap the middle or bottom one
in a bubble and throw it up at him. Throwing it diagonally up is the
easiest, it's quicker than waiting for him to get above you or for you
to get below him (and he'll probably move before you're positioned
below him anyways). It takes four hits to beat him.
Flounder informs you that Ursula's headed for the Sunken Ship!
---------------------------
**Stage Two - Sunken Ship**
---------------------------
When you start off, you can find a shell hidden in the sand. Shells
found in the sand don't reappear, so if it goes off-screen then it's
gone. Those ghosts are just fish with sheets over them, it takes one
splash to get rid of the sheet. In the nook in the floor closest to the
treasure chest, you can find a Big Heart! If you have the shell, you
can use it to open the chest and find a Red Pearl. If not, wait for the
lobster to stand up, then get rid of it and splash the barrel down from
behind. On the next screen, you'll find a treasure chest and two
barrels. Splash the lower barrel to the left, and after it smashes into
the wall you can collect the Ariel Doll. Then kick the barrel on the
stairs down to the right, and follow it as it opens the chest that
contains a Green Pearl. On the ledge closest to the stairs, the right
nook holds a Big Heart! You should have two Red Pearls, and that's
enough to trap the squids in bubbles now. Up and to the right, on the
next screen, you'll notice a shell on the ledge above the water. Knock
it down into the water, then throw it up at the treasure chest to get a
third Red Pearl, the max for your Power. On the next screen, urchins
are falling from the sky for some reason. Wait one space below and to
the right of their dropping point, then jump up and collect the shell,
and use it to open the treasure chest to find a Green Pearl. Quickly
dispose of the squid, then head down and splash the small rock off to
the left. Once it starts falling, speed up to chase it. When it lands,
kick it to the right, being careful to avoid the urchin, and you'll
find another Green Pearl in the chest. If you're having trouble with
the rock, there's a shell buried in the sand. On the next screen,
there's a few shells and fish, but there's no treasure chests. You can
find a Small Heart in the third nook from the left. Head right to fight
the bosses.
BOSS: Flotsam and Jetsam
These annoying eels are much harder than the Shark. They randomly
appear from one of the holes in the ship. The trick is to stay as close
to the bottom as possible, and they'll never touch you. It's the
lobsters you have to worry about. There's almost always two of them,
and they constantly fall from the sky. Catch the little critters in
bubbles, and launch them up at the eels. Once of the eels takes two
hits to kill, and then the lone second one will have to be hit three
times. Five hits in all.
Sebastian now tells you that Ursula has frozen the sea!
----------------------------
**Stage Three - Sea of Ice**
----------------------------
This level seems easier than the last to me. On the second ledge on the
surface, you'll find a shell. Knock it down to the left, and then swim
with it past the first treasure chest (it's empty) and to the second
one (surrounded by dolphins and seahorses) that contains a Red Pearl.
Once you're in the ice cove, the first nook on the bottom contains a
Big Heart! Swim down the hole to find a large rock you can push down on
the chest to get a Green Pearl. Head back up and to the right, and take
the shell back to the first chest to find another Green Pearl. The
second chest is empty, so don't bother with it. The nook just above the
chest has a Big Heart! On the next screen, knock the shell down and use
it to get a Green Pearl out of the chest. Down and to the right on the
next screen, the first chest is empty. Take one of the shells and throw
it up on the small ledge (be careful not to get it stuck in the ice!),
then bring it over to the second chest, which holds a Red Pearl. On the
next screen, take the shell all the way up, and you can get another Red
Pearl outta the chest. Keep heading right, avoiding the fish, until you
come to the boss.
BOSS: Walrus
Compared to the last boss, this guy's a cinch. Position yourself in the
middle of the space at the top of the water and wait for him to knock
down a shell. When you catch one, wait for the next fish cube (??) to
drop, then toss it up at him from as close as you can get without being
right next to the ice. Four hits is all it takes.
Flounder says something's up at the sea volcanoes!
---------------------------------
**Stage Four - Undersea Volcano**
---------------------------------
This level is much harder than the last. Watch out for the sand fish,
volcanoes, and the shrimp, and in the second sand pit you can find a
Big Heart! On the next screen, trap one of those annoying shrimp in a
bubble and use it in the little nook to find a Small Heart. Once the
baddies are all gone, there's a shell hidden in the sand. You can take
it down to the two treasure chests if you want, or use the one that's
already there, but the one on the right is empty. The left chest has a
Red Pearl. Keep going down until you come to the two large rocks.
Splash one of them down into the hole, and you'll have room to swim
down and collect the Ariel Doll. On the next screen, swim across until
you get the shell, then bring it back to get a Green Pearl out of the
treasure chest. On the next screen, just swim down, avoiding those
annoying shrimp along the way. To the right, the first chest is empty.
Knock the small rock down onto the second to get a Green Pearl. Keep
heading right to fight the hardest boss yet.
BOSS: Soldierfish
This guy is a real pain. He'll sit atop the ship, launching either
urchins or blue fish from the two cannons. Do your best to avoid them,
and carefully catch the fish in bubbles to throw at the boss. It takes
five hits to beat him, and it is possible to survive the fight with
only one heart!
Sebastian explains that you'll now have to navigate through the maze
that is Ursula's castle!
-------------------------------
**Stage Five - Ursula's Caste**
-------------------------------
I think this is the best level yet, cool scenery and very catchy music.
But, in exchange for all that good stuff, this level is a maze. You can
find a shell in the first sand pit, and there's a Red Pearl in the
first chest, the second is empty. In the walls, you'll notice there are
dragon heads with their mouths opens. These are actually warp portals
you have to use to progress through the level. The trick is that the
ones with flashing eyes are the ones you need to go through to reach
Ursula. So, head through the first flashing one, and where you come out,
that same warp will be flashing, so go back through it. You'll find
yourself trapped beneath the ice, so just head through the door you
came through again. In this room, you can splash the large rock to the
left so that you can swim down to collect the Ariel Doll. Then get the
shell, use it on the second one to collect a Green Pearl (the first is
empty). In the next room, avoid the big fish, then knock the large rock
down and onto the right treasure chest to collect a Red Pearl. Head up
some more, and quickly but carefully knock the small rock down and
follow it to the left chest to get a Green Pearl. Go up some more, and
you can use the shell to open the left chest and collect another Green
Pearl. The right chest is empty. In the next two rooms, you'll find
nothing but seahorses and warps. They aren't flashing, but there's
obviously nowhere else to go. Eventually you'll come to a room with
green slimy things sticking up from the ceiling and floor. If you've
seen the movie, you'll know that Ursula must be somewhere nearby. The
next room, in fact.
BOSS: Ursula
This battle is fairy simple, at least when compared to the last one.
Ursula randomly shoots out fish, seahorses, or urchins from her crystal
ball, and you can use the fish and seahorses as weapons to throw at
her. Six hits to the face is all it takes. But that's not it...
Sebastian and Flounder bring the shocking news that Ursula has
returned, and she's increased in size!
-------------------------------
**FINAL BOSS: Gigantic Ursula**
-------------------------------
You really didn't think you'd get off that easily, did you? Ursula's a
bit harder this time, somehow she's gotten a hold of King Triton's
trident. She can use it to control the flow of water, making it
difficult to swim against whichever way the current is going. Carefully
catch one of the three fish, and get right under her head and shoot it
up. Even if the water isn't flowing normally, just throw it straight
up, the current only effects your swimming power, not throwing power,
for some reason. Seven hits to the head are what it takes to reach the
happy ending. I won't spoil it for you. ^_^
================
Game Genie Codes
================
Cheater! :-P Well, if you really don't wanna do it the hard way,
there's always the Galoob way. Straight from the official codebook:
AASGATZA - Start with one life
IASGATZA - Start with six lives
AASGATZE - Start with nine lives
PASGGTLA + PAXGAYLA - Start with one heart
IASGGTLA + IAXGAYLA - Start with five hearts
SZSSPLVG - Infinite Lives
GZSILLSA - Keep Red Pearls after dying
GZSIILSA - Keep Green Pearls after dying
PAKKGTAA - Start on second stage
ZAKKGTAA - Start on third stage
LAKKGTAA - Start on fourth stage
GAKKGTAA - Start on fifth stage
IAKKGTAA - Start on Ursula stage
LAKKGTAA + ILKKTVOV - Start with all Red Pearls
LAKKGTAA + TLKKTVOV - Start with all Green Pearls
LASIZLAA - Get all Pearls after dying
If one of these doesn't work, it might be a typo on my part, let me
know and I'll fix it if necessary.
============
Author Stuff
============
If you wish to contact me for questions, complaints, or anything else,
I can be reached via email at:
[email protected]
Or, if you have AOL Instant Messenger, my name is Magikarp46
This document is ©2001 by Rachel Oliver. I have only submitted this to
GameFAQs, it should not be appearing anywhere else. If you see this
document anywhere else, let me know so's I can get my fists dirty! If
you would like to use this on your own site, email me and let me know.
I have no problem with it so long as you don't change anything around.
=======
Credits
=======
Well, I couldn't have done it without these people:
Disney -
Thanks for getting me obsessed with The Little Mermaid when I was a
little girl. All those toys and dolls...before I'd even seen the movie
the first time...
Capcom -
For making a simplistic yet fun game. With lots of fishies! ^_^
Me -
For keeping both of my NES's and all the games and instruction
booklets in good condition so I could write this thing.
Game Genie -
For helping me to beat Ursula before I got any good at the game. I
can't get the dumb thing to work anymore, so it's a good thing I've
improved.
GameFAQs -
For being the greatest video game website there is.
And thank you for your time. Bye-bye!
