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Turbo Sub is one of those games that can seem too hard the first time it is
played. This is a shame, because some players may be tempted to give up
when this happens biasing their judgment towards a very cool game. With
luck,this FAQ can help retro game collecters appreciate a solid title for
a game system that was ahead of its time when it came out in 1989. As an
FYI, I also posted a review of this game on Gamefaqs if you wish to see it.
Extra-life 4 gems
Fuel 4 gems
Mega-bomb 3 gems
Multi-blasters 8 gems Item must be repurchased after each level
Rapid-fire 5 gems Item must be repurchased after each level
Shields 8 gems
Range-missiles 8 gems Item must be repurchased after each level
Tracking 9 gems Item must be repurchased after each level
General info: You start the game with 2 mega-bombs, a tank of gas,
shield, 10 lives in reserve (no continues), and last but not least a
set of working wind-shield wipers. I like to save mega-bombs for the
final boss and/or the cannons that occasionally pop up. It is worth
noting that the very first level is actually somewhat challenging
because it is the only level in the game you have to play without the
luxury of browsing the in-game store beforehand for helpful items like
the tracking system. Now is the time to start getting a feel for the 3d
environment of the game, including but not limited to becoming acquainted
with the game's sense of hit-detection, peripheral vision, depth
perception, personal space, object permanence, distance, and other
subtle nuances of the game. This can be daunting at first, and can
result in many lost lives. Stick with it, though, and you will probably
notice that the game will work itself into your muscle memory over
time. To put it another way, the game has a non-linear difficulty
curve, where the first time you play you can royally suck but with
practice you can learn to beat the game with over 20 guys left in
reserve!! In general I like to use the cross-hair itself as a basic point
of reference, and use that as the basis for navigating around the
under-water structures or collecting powerups. It might behoove the
player to note that "objects in the turbo-sub viewing screen may appear
closer than they are." Focus on the cross-hair!! Also, don't worry too
much about finding the astro-foils. It is always a pleasant
surprise to find one, but they are not all that important considering
that extra lives and fuel can be easily purchased at the store. During
the under-water sections of the stages, it is a good idea to descend as
far as possible to the ocean floor and in general "follow the money" as
they say and pick up gems as you avoid the ground structures. However,
do feel free to veer slightly upwards to grab that out-of-reach gem or
shoot that pesky row of vertical barracudas. Lastly, keep in mind that
when you purchase a tracking system for your guns you GOTTA HIT OPTION 1
ON THE LYNX TO ACTIVATE IT!!
Level 1: You will notice some I.F.O's in the distance. What are I.F.O.'s
you ask? Identified flying objects, of course, which the game calls
'saucers.'Simply fire some shots into them. If one of them fires,
position yourself in the space between the 2nd and 3rd bullet
(it shoots 4 horizontal shots at you simultaenously). Rinse and repeat
till the game prompts you to "DIVE". Don't be a cool rebel and disobey the
command. Why? You may be cool but you will eventually run out of gas on
the very first level.........not cool! Do feel free to shoot any
remaining enemies before diving, though, for points. Now, be very careful
here. This is where getting to know the 3D world is so very important. The
hit detection is more forgiving than you may realize, so don't
underestimate the little turbo sub. So steer the cross-hair more or
less towards the purple gemstones whilst avoiding the pillars. If you are
relatively close to a purple gem you can pick them up (listen for the tone)
so don't get too caught up in aiming directly at the gems. Likewise, don't
get too caught up in making large turns or wide sweeps across the screen
to avoid pillars. Subtety is the key........for collecting gems AND for
avoiding obstacles. Try to collect as many gems as you can. Soon you will
see swarms of crabs. Fire at will. Fly into the red area of the rock
formation and you will find yourself in a rather posh shopping mall. Avoid
the clothing aisles and focus on the mission at hand! I like to save at
least some of the money after levels to maintain a modest nest egg.
In general, the only items I find necessary include shields, free lives,
and the tracking system. Mega-bombs, rapid fire, fuel, and others are more
or less luxury items! I have not found running out of fuel to be an
end-of-the-world issue, as when it happens you only lose a single life.
But I understand how hard it can be to save your money for a rainy day
when every day feels rainy to a submarine captain!
Level 2: The sky-section of this stage consists of Mogoggs, which sort of
resemble the Andross boss of the first Star Fox for Super Nintendo. I like
to keep moving to the side and keep firing until they are dispatched. It
is easy to avoid the missile explosions this way. When it is time to dive,
watch out for the gamma-charges (two electrical balls tied together). These
are fairly nasty, and I like to focus on collecting lots of purple gems
until I start to see one of these and then quickly steer away from the
closest side of the charge. When the warp mines come, shoot and/or avoid
them as appropriate. If you have tracking on, this task is much less
daunting. Just remember to activate the system with option 1!!!! Fly into
the store as before and use the gems to buy the items you need.
Level 3: The sky-section of this stage consists of stealth raiders. I like
to repeat the strategy I used with the Mogoggs of level 2 to defeat them.
The water section consists of barracudas and green poldarcs. With tracking,
you can make short work of these adversaries. Fly into the store. Hopefully
you have enough gems to buy the lives, shields, and tracking you need.
Level 4: It is night-time, and the sky area consists of stealth raiders and
saucers. Manage to 'ride the side' away from the stealth raiders as before
but watch out for any 4-way blasts from saucers (and remember to wiggle
your way between the 2nd and 3rd shot as before. The water section consists
of green nebulus and cannons. The former are rather easy with tracking,
but the latter enemies can make it a bit tricky to dovetail collecting
gems, dispatching them, and avoiding enemy fire. It seems to help to 'ride
the side' in a more jerky manner (pressing/releasing joypad) so that your
shots have a bit more time to hit the cannons. The first boss will emerge
next. Ride-the-side of the screen while firing at Galactupus (remember to
keep tracking engaged). He should go down with little trouble (you know you
are hitting it when you see a green blast in front of the boss). Next,
shop till you drop.
Level 5: The sky area consists of Mogoggs. The water section debuts a series
of lasers for your viewing pleasure. These structures are rather scary to
behold the first time, and you may even notice some lives go down the
proverbial drain! Try to treat them like the pillars and go towards purple
gems as if it were business as usual. They really aren't that much harder
than the pillars. Watch for the movement of the laser beams, and act
accordingly. Don't panic and work the required movements into your muscle
memory. After this, get ready to fight some snub-fighters. They look kinda
like saucers, but shoot the cross shots like the stealth raiders. Ride
the side and blast tracked shots into them.Now be a good mall rat at the
shop.
Level 6: Defeat the stealth raiders and saucers as with level 4. When it is
time to dive, the pillars from stage 1 make another appearance. After
these, destroy the crabs with tracked shots and collect the myriad of gems
as per usual (it is an easy area to really stock up). Fly into the shop and
as usual focus your attention on the lives, tracking, and shields. If you
have lots of extra cash, feel free to splurge and use some gems on rapid
fire or something. It is interesting to note that this sub must be like a
rental car, as the weapons must be repaid after each stage! Or maybe the
sub's features are "Rent-to-own" like a sofa or large screen TV. While
musing about that, get ready for the next stage.
Level 7: Rinse and repeat the sky section like the previous level. Under
water,avoid the annoying gamma charges as with level 2, and don't forget
how they seem to expand towards you!
Level 8: Defeat each Mr. Mgoo, er I mean Mogogg, as before by riding the
side and shooting simultaneously. After diving, go ape shooting the
barracudas whilst grabbing fist-fulls of gems like Scrooge McDuck. Watch
out for the Poldarcs and dispatch them (gotta love these alien handles).
Of course, the tag of "mech-shark" is rather self-explanatory........as
is the next objective........boss time! Fight the shark exactly like the
galactupus.
Level 9: Defeat the combination of stealth raiders and saucers as per usual.
After diving, be prepared for nebulus and cannons (like level 4). Use the
same strategies and emerge victorious. As always, watch for purple gems
and any stray astro-foil in the process. Pick and choose from the same
assortment of items in the store. There is no shame in going with a generic
version of the tracking system. It is not the time for decking out the
sub with stereo or "sub"-woofers if you will!
Level 10: Defeat stealth raiders and saucers as per usual. After diving,
avoid those pesky laser beams from level 5. Remember that in general if
you can keep your cross hair free of structures you are safe. Again, think
of your cross-hair as your turbo-sub and don't place too much emphasis on
the turb0-sub's entire viewing screen. Dispatch the onslaught of
snub-fighters that come next as you avoid bullets and find gemstones.
Level 11: More Moggogs. Rinse and repeat (with soap and ocean water). After
diving,avoid the pillars and don't let the slaughtered skeletons of other
weary travelers put you off! They simply failed and were mutilated. No
biggie. Like when giving a speech, just pretend they are in their
under-wear (which shouldn't be too hard considering their clothes are
already stripped away from man-eating sharks). Hopefully you are fluent in
navigating around structures by now. Next, get ready for the crabs that
come. Use tracked shots to dispatch them quickly as you navigate towards
the gemstones. Have a crab-bake or crab-boil and get ready for more
shopping.
Level 12: Night again? Do you like never have time to sleep? I guess
insomnia is a way of life for folks who "live alone in a blue submarine" as
the Beatles might say. Anyway, do the typical saucer-and-stealth-raider
routine in the sky. After diving,avoid the charge-beams like a bad plague
(not the good plagues). Destroy any mines that are present before the boss
fight with the mech-ray. His bullets are fast and wide, but if you simply
"ride the side" as usual you should be fine. You know you are hitting it
when you see an orange blast cloud. After about 5 hits, he is history and
becomes regarded a war-hero within the habitats of robotic sea creatures
(I just wish the game had a mech-sea-cucumber). Unlike many games, the
bosses are a rather pleasant diversion from the other parts of the game
(at least until the final one).
Level 13: Rinse and repeat the sky section. After diving, destroy the
swarms of barracudas and poldarcs and don't let their innocent puppy-dog
faces fool you. Go into red zone as per usual. Pretty standard stuff on
this stage.
Level 14: Defeat the Mogoggs. Dive and dispatch the nebula. Next, turn
that pesky cannon into cannon fodder while reciting the Gettysburg
address :)
Level 15: Destroy the combination of stealth raiders and saucers. After
diving, avoid the pesky laser beams whilst collecting gems as usual. Next,
dispatch the group of snub-fighters whilst stuffing your pockets with gems
and head to the store with a pep in your step.
Level 16: Rinse and repeat the sky section. Enjoy the peaceful night. You
have a long day ahead of you! After diving, avoid pillars, collect gems,
and destroy crabs. Now fight "jellyfish". It is curious that this boss
(and galactupus) do not have a "mech" prefix. Hmmmm. Anyway, fight it like
the other bosses, and watch out for his round blast that he projects.
Level 17 (final boss): NOW you tell me this crate can fly into space!! It
took until the last stage to tell me this news? This guy is tougher than
the other bosses. You can't just "hit and run" like the others. If not
careful, this guy can chew you up and spit you out like dirty 9 year-old
store-brand gumballs. I like to go ape with the bombs while shooting right
in his face. You might lose a few lives, but it will go down eventually.
It seems wise to be aggressive. It is curious that the game-demo does not
list the name or point value of this enemy.
Victory!!!!!!!!! You are now "grand admiral" of the Turbo Sub Fleet. Enjoy
the rather inappropriate jovial music as you watch the enemy mothership
fall apart. Appreciate the irony of watching a "mother-ship" get destroyed
in the foreground whilst "mother Earth" is looming in the background as
you scratch your chin witha pretentious grin! Your score will probably be
somewhere around 150,000 by this point.
