3d Battles of the World Runner- 1987 Square
FAQ by James Beier Copyright 2001,
[email protected]
Gamefaq Name Aganar
--------------------
1. The Legal Stuff
--------------------
I don't like putting this stuff in the FAQ, but I have to so I can protect it.
This FAQ was created by me, James Beier, or furthermore known as Aganar. All of
my work is 100% original. Thanks to Gamefaqs, this FAQ is copyrighted, meaning
that attempted theft can be punished by law. If anyone uses this on his or her
site without giving me credit (i.e. claiming that they wrote it), I will sue
you. I am aware this is just a simple Walkthrough, but I still will since this
is under copyright. If anyone uses this on their site without my permission but
still gives me credit you will receive a slap on the wrist.
(c)Copyright 2001, James Beier
All rights (r)Reserved
---------------------------------------
2. Why I am writing this FAQ
---------------------------------------
While I was watching an old ABC Signal tape with tips for NES games, I
happened to see one with a tip for World Runner. The game looked really cool,
so I got it. It was surprisingly fun, and then I noticed that it was made by
Square. Puzzled by why no one remembers it, I did some research on Square's
earlier games, and sure enough, this was one of them. Since no one remembers it
I have taken it upon myself to write an FAQ for it combined with my review to
encourage people to play this.
---------------------------
3. Table of Contents
---------------------------
1. The Legal Stuff
2. Why I'm writing this FAQ
3. Table of Contents
4. Version History
5. Controls
6. Items
7. Walkthrough
8. Boss Guide
9. The Alternate World
10. Game Over
------------------------
4. Version History
------------------------
V 1.0 December 19, 2001- I finally got up the courage to start writing this.
This is my first FAQ, so this might take awhile.
V 1.1 December 22, 2001- Added an FAQ for World 3 and 4. Also added new boss
strategies and expanded on old ones.
V1.5 December 22, 2001- Apparently by pressing select, the game has a 3d mode
which is activated, if you have glasses. This sounds too cool to be done on an
NES game.
V2.0 June 1st, 2003- Well, it's been about a year and a half, so I figured I
should finish it. The walkthrough and boss FAQs are now done. I still have a
lot of work to do, but at least my conscience can rest easy now.
---------------
5. Controls
--------------
Up- Run faster
Down- Run Slower
Left- Move to the left
Right- Move to the right
A- Jump
B- Fire
Start- Pause
Select- Enables 3d mode. If you have 3d glasses, the pictures will jump out at
you.
----------
6. Items
----------
Items in this game often determine your strategy throughout the game. If you
chose not to use weapons or protection, you will always be jumping. However, if
you use items, the game becomes much easier although much more risky. Items can
be found by smashing into green or white pillars. The following can come out of
them:
Potion- this makes you invulnerable for one hit. It turns you orange to let you
know it's on. When you are hit, you change back to your normal color.
Rocket- this allows you to fire without reaching a boss. It is very useful, but
like the potion, fades when you get hit, so it is better to use this sparingly.
Mushroom- Contrary to Mario's growth Mushroom, this kills you instantly. Avoid
it or your game will end.
Atom- This little thing doesn't appear much, but is quite useful. It will make
you invincible for approximately 3 seconds. Ironically, I've only found it in
places where there aren't many enemies with the exception of Level II.
Heart- this can only be found in the Alternate World. It gives you an extra
life.
Balloon- you do not receive this by crashing into a pillar. This are scattered
throughout the level. If touched, it will lift you to the alternate world.
Star- Like the Balloon, this is not received by crashing into a pillar. It is
lying around in many places. If you see one or a series in the air, it means
you must time your jump to get all of them. All it really does is increase you
score, or possibly give you an extra life if you get enough. If you die, all of
them are lost.
--------------------------
7. The Walkthrough
--------------------------
Here is my walkthrough for the game. The game itself is quite difficult, but
progresses through practice. Hopefully, this will make your progression easier.
This will take awhile and I will be making many changes throughout the course
of the FAQ, so bear with me and be patient.
Author's Note: Because an ABC Signal Video gave me the idea to write this, it
is written like one.
---------
Level 1
---------
This is the first level, so you might want to not worry about getting through
it and just get a general feel for the game. I strongly suggest this. Right at
the beginning you will see a small area of green pillars. Crashing into the
first row will get you a rocket, allowing you to fire at unwanted enemies.
Crashing into the second will get you a potion to make you invulnerable for a
hit. Crashing into the third will be rewarded with instant death from a
mushroom.
After moving on you will encounter your first enemies. They are small,
ugly, and green. Although they may seem like something to get in a fuss about,
they aren't. This is the first level. Just move out of the way or jump over
them. Soon you will come to a black pit you must jump over. Don't jump too far.
After doing a series of small jumps you will encounter these small
white-floating faces. Again, don't worry about them.
Here there is no real strategy for learning how to get past this. Just
play around with it and learn where the large jumps and the small jumps are.
You should be in World 1_2 now. When you get here, your time limit will reset.
Don't stress yourself out about getting to the next world before the time runs
out, in this level, its not a factor.
Ok, now you should be getting to your first balloon. Grabbing on to it
will take you to the Alternate World, also known as world 1_B. Here there are
no enemies, just stars. Have fun, explore, collect the stars. Also here there
are pillars. Most will contain potions, however, usually the last one before
leaving the world will contain a heart.
Now that you've gotten past that, you should come back to world 1_2.
Mainly there are just a lot of stars. There should be another balloon around
the area, so watch for it, and just go at a steady pace.
It shouldn't be too long before you get to World 1_3. Once you get here
you will have a chance to replinish your items. Watch here for baloons and fire
cacti. They will kill you if you touch them, but if you follow them they will
usually lead you to where you need to go.
World 1_4 is fairly short. Just dodge the enemies and watch out for the
variation in small and large jumps.
Finally, you're at the first boss. As soon as you get to him you will
hover into the air and start to fight him. If you couldn't fire before you can
now. When he comes at you dive to the side of down. Start firing rapidly at his
head for a quick kill. Congratulations! You've gotten past the first level.
---------
Level 2
---------
Here you will meet several new opponents. Your first will be these little oval
shaped monsters. They move fast, but aren't really a problem. Avoid them ,
you've got bigger fish to fry. The blue pillars are your source of items here.
Take what you need and run off. The main challenge in World 2_1 is jumping
correctly. Again, get acquainted with the level to learn when to jump. Watch
out for the small blue balls when jumping though. They like to follow you so
that when you land you'll hit them and die. A gun is helpful here.
Now we face World 2_2. It's not really hard, just time consuming. Here you
will see these small hands, which will block your path. Intentionally ram into
one then quickly jump over it to avoid wasting time looking for a blind spot.
When you start to see fire cacti and stars, immediately go into that lane and
stay there. It is the blind spot in the hands' range.
You will soon come to an area where you will be tempted to follow the
stars instead of the cacti. Don't. stay in the cactus lane. When you get to
World 2_3 you will be able to replenish your items once again. This part is
pretty easy, but don't get cocky, it gets a little tricky with the overflow of
enemies.
Now you're at the boss. This one is mechanical and has a little more life,
so watch out. This time not only his head can kill you. After beating him
another one appears. Use the same strategies to beat him and you're done.
---------
Level 3
---------
This level introduces the Froggy Springs. Curse them! For world 3_1 all you
need to do is avoid enemies and keep a steady path on the springs. It takes
practice to get adjusted to them, but it will eventually. There aren't any new
enemies here, but they're still annoying as ever.
World 3_2 takes the most practice of any of the first 3 Worlds. You will
start off by just jumping on springs. After a couple rounds of it, while
jumping on one, a fire cactus will block your path. Here comes the tricky part.
You must now turn left or right, getting the angle just right so that you land
on another spring. Keep going steadily from there until it happens again, and
switch. The key here is looking ahead to see where the next spring is. Chances
are you'll have to jump to that area. When you get to an area where you start
being engulfed by green flames, just keep going straight, they won't hurt you.
After awhile you'll finally reach the end of the world.
When you get to world 3_3 immediately stop going on the springs. Here you
will need to actually jump because the springs will either take you too far or
not far enough. Here, like the other world 3's you will be able to replenish
your items. After a couple of jumps and dodging enemies you will find a row of
balloons. Get on it and make another trip to the alternate world. In the
alternate world there are many pillars, but only the last one contains a heart.
When you leave, you will encounter a very difficult part. Jump on the first
spring, but slow down a bit so you will hit the spring in the middle. After
that you will encounter the fire cacti blocking your path again, so use the
strategies you hopefully developed from World 3_2. If you keep a straight path
at a certain point, when you enter land you should crash into a pillar. This
will contain a heart.
Finally, World 3_4. You'll run into a couple of pillars near the
beginning. Just get what you need and continue. Dodge the green flames and keep
a steady pace. The boss isn't too far ahead. The fire cacti here don't really
do much, so don't worry about it. You won't need to be doing any more jumping.
You've reached the boss. This one is black so it fades in with the
background. Just use his shadow to fight him and kill him quickly and his
other. Now you can move on to World 4.
---------
Level 4
---------
World 4_1 is a pain in the arse. Hands are all around the pits, so to go
through you must jump within the blind spot where the fire cactus lane is. As I
have said before, these things will guide you, so wherever you see two of them,
immediately run to that area so you can jump freely. After awhile you will find
two pillars. One of them contains a potion, and another contains a mushroom.
After that the lanes will start having a fire cactus at the end. Dodge to
either side to avoid it, but not to far or you will crash into a hand. You will
encounter a couple of these, and then enter World 4_2.
World 4_2 I dub "small world" because it has small cacti and pillars. Get
items from the pillars, and dodge the cacti. In between a row of cacti should
be a balloon. Grab it, and once again enter the alternate world. On the right
side of the stage (the balloon was on the left) you will find the small
pillars. I'd suggest staying on that path. After some of those you will find
the white-faced ghouls who now can jump and orange little spherical guys. Dodge
them and after a minute you will be in World 4_3.
It's World 4_1 all over again, except this time the hand are on land as
well. Don't hesitate to slow down because it is difficult to get the timing
right to get between the cacti. Half way through you'll find a pillar with a
clock. This isn't essential, but it can be helpful in case you are slowing
down.
You should be used to having to fight two bosses, but you're in for a
surprise this time. You get to fight 3!
----------
Level 5
----------
You start off coming to 3 pillars. Avoid the first 2, because they only carry
mushrooms. The third one carries potions, so I recommend you get them. Next
you'll come to rows of hands. You're in luck, because these hands can't jump
like most of the others. Jump over these while still avoiding the blue faces.
When you start to get to a gap allow yourself to hit a hand. Then, when your
character backs up, push forward and jump. You'll make it over the gap. After
making it over, you'll find a row of small pillars. Crash into them. If you get
a mushroom, run to the right and hit the nearest one for a rocket. Afterwards,
continue forwards jumping over the hands. When you get to the next gap, do what
you did last time and jump over. If you jump and accidentally land, but after
the hand, stop immediately by holding back then jump and hold forward. After
that, jump lightly over the hand because there will be a short gap. Jump one
more gap, and start running. Once you see the first fire cactus, you'll see
balloons. Jump on them since you'll probably need everything in there.
World 5_2 isn't too hard. Start running and jump over the hands. When you get
to a column of fire cacti, get in because pillars are always inside. You'll be
pleasantly rewarded (usually). When you jump over a gap and see a column of
cacti near the edge of the landing area try to land in there. If you hit the
pillar you'll receive the first heart outside of an alternate world. You'll now
encounter new enemies, which look like walking doorstops. Avoid them, or shoot
them if they get in your way, but shooting is risky. After you find some more
flaming cacti, you'll also find walking tri-forces. Avoid them as well because
they're pretty fast. Always try to go inside the column of cacti, since they
always have something good. Do this right before you jump over the next gap and
you'll become temporary invincible.
Begin World 5_3 by immediately jumping over the first wave of hands and a gap.
Once you are at the first row of small pillows, crash into them. If you get a
mushroom, veer to the left or right. You should then get a potion. After
jumping over another wave of hands and a gap, you'll come across a row of small
pillars again. Avoid the mushrooms, and remember that every other pillow will
contain a rocket. Over the next few gaps, range your jumps from short to
medium, but never too long, or you'll miss the land completely. Learn to get
your timing right to jump over the first wave of hands without jumping over the
second and falling to your death. Finally, you should come to a row of tall
pillars right before a long gap. Avoid them completely, because all three
contain mushrooms. Once past there, you get into the really annoying part of
World 5_3. While jumping over your normal gaps and hands, you will notice that
the blue roly-polies now seem to follow you. You must be very careful where you
land, because if you are not fast enough or careful enough you will land on one
of them. For about 3-4 blocks this little guys will do this to you, so be
ready. The best way I've found to get past them is to go into a straight line,
but then zig-zag your path if it looks like you're going to land on one. Never
stay on the ground for more than a split-second. Finally, after getting past
them, you face the boss.
----------
Level 6
----------
You are now entering hell. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at
all times. For the rest of us, we get to jump. Yay. Remember all those lives
you probably accumulated during all the previous levels? Kiss them goodbye.
Learning how to jump on the platforms will take about 6-8 lives, if you catch
on quickly. The only way to get across the first part of level 6 is to time
your jumps just perfectly, so that you land on a platform and are able to jump
across them. Don't worry, you only have to do that series, then the rest is
just regular jumps...for about half a minute. Then, you come across another row
of pillars. There really isn't a set strategy of how to do this, so you just
have to practice until you can do it. And this is not one of those things that
will be a one-time event. You MUST learn to jump the pillars, or you will never
get through the level. For about another few blocks you will then face a series
of large and small gaps. Enjoy your minute without the pillars, but be careful.
If you make a long jump you may find the land coming suddenly then
disappearing. Learn what types of jumps to use where. After one more series of
pillars, you will start jumping on fire cacti. And that concludes World 6_1.
World 6_2 starts off with the familiar hands we all know and hate. Your
reflexes need to be fast here, because you must be only in the range of the
cacti for you to be able to successfully jump. Immediately once you land look
for two cacti and jump in-between them. You'll do this for awhile, all the
while ranging your jumps. If you do a long jump and find land suddenly, press
back as hard as you can to try to slow your character, and immediately jump
again if you are lucky enough to touch land. Near the end you will need to slow
your character as much as you can to be able to get out of the hand barricade.
World 6_3 starts abruptly, with more of the purple balls jumping around.
Zig-zag your path while you jump to avoid them. Soon you will come to a path of
pillars, all of which contain mushrooms. Jump past them. Next, you will run
into a new enemy. These little guys look like floating cylinders, and are hard
as hell to dodge. Because are floating around aimlessly, you can be hit on the
air or ground. I'd suggest staying on the ground to avoid them, but be careful
even there. Luckily, this world is short, so it wont be too long.
World 6_4 is another short one. You will start to see some pillars, which
would make you think that you are about to run into a bunch of gaps. But in
truth they are just there to screw with you. You can however use them to avoid
the purple balls, if you are good enough. For the rest of us, just avoid them.
Keep running until you reach some smaller pillars. These will reward you with a
potion and a rocket. Avoid the balls for just a little longer and you'll come
across the boss. Be prepared because this guy is a real pain.
---------
Level 7
---------
Immediately after you get into level 7, you will notice one important thing.
The entire level is in fast motion. This will cause you to panic, and you will
probably think it is impossible. However, it is really not that difficult. God
was nice, and made the first level nothing but dodging. You won't need to worry
about pillars, springs, or anything else. Imagine it as level 1, but with many
more fire cacti and going extremely fast. Jump, dodge, repeat. That's all you
really need to do to get through this part. Oh, and avoid the first three rows
of pillars. All three contain mushrooms.
Soon after you enter 7_2, you will see 3 rows of pillars. The first row
contains rockets, the second potions, and the last an atom. Make sure you get
the potion, because getting through the next area without hitting anything is
near impossible. You'll run into our old friends the triforces, and some new
buddies to play around with. Dodge the triforces for three blocks, then get
ready for the new guys. You'll encounter a white ghost, and a small floating
cloud. Beware of the cloud, since it can get you if you try to jump at all.
World 7_3 is nothing but gaps and a lot of fire cacti. Good luck with the
boss!
-------------------------
Level 8- Final Level
-------------------------
You thought all the pole jumping from World 6 was over didn't you? Well,
remember it. To get through the first portion of World 8_1, you need to pole
jump over a series of fire cacti. If you can manage to do it, stay on that
path, and it will allow you to avoid the enemies below. If you can't, be sure
to get the balloon to other world. In world 8 you shall meet the flying
triforce, with all the frustration caused from the first, only faster.
8_2 is more of rapid jumping and dodging. You'll come across two pillars
eventually. Try to get them, and you will be rewarded for it. After some more
jumping, you'll see the stars. Get as many as you can, and veer into the row of
hands. Dodge the cacti inside, and hit the small pillar in the middle for a
potion. After a few more blocks of jumping, you'll meet another new foe, the
chain-ball. The little guys do nothing but roll around in small areas in order
to screw you. Soon after you see them, you'll see another new creature, which
primarily has the same purpose. After some more jumping, you'll reach 8_3
World 8_3 is very small, but fast. After a series of jumps, you'll come to a
short halt. Here the chain-balls, floating triforces, and green computer
thingies will be waiting for you. Just keep heading forward. Not much else to
say.
In World 8_4, when you get to one of the jumps there will be a pillar right
before. Crash into it and get your prize. You will really need this extra life
for the final battle. Soon after you get this you will reach the 8th and final
boss. Good luck.
------------------
8. Boss Guide
------------------
--------------
First Boss
--------------
For the first boss, just dodge him and fire at his head. When he's turned fire
a few quick shots at his tail to send up a spark or two. When he comes at you
its best to keep firing unless he's really close in which case you should dive
to the side, then start firing again. When he turns orange, it means he's close
to dieing. Finish him off quickly and the level will end. I'd suggest playing
through this level a lot, because the boss strategy you learn here carries on
to every level after it. Also, you will need to play this level again every
time you turn the game off.
------------------
Second Boss
------------------
The Second boss(s) provides more of a hassle. When you encounter him, fire at
his head, but be more cautious this time. When he turns around and starts to
fly back is your golden opportunity. Fire rapidly until he turns orange. Then
when he comes back shoot. Don't start celebrating to early, because another one
is right behind him. Do what you did before, but be careful because if you die,
you'll have to fight both of them all over again. This one goes down more
quickly than the most one because you should have gotten the hang of it now.
One rotation around should have it pummeled. If it isn't, just keep firing.
He'll go down soon. Practice makes perfect, and bosses are the things you need
the most practice with.
----------------
Third Boss
----------------
The Third boss is tricky because he is black, so he camouflages with the
background. What you need here is a couple lucky shots and a lot of skill.
When the light flashes you can see him and his shadow so start firing. Remember
where you hit him because if one part of him catches on fire you'll need to use
it to hit the rest of him. Fire close to where the first place sparked to kill
him. If you can't seem to hit him just fire everywhere until a piece sparks.
Using his shadow helps you figure out his position and how to dodge him. When
he turns orange, you should be able to defeat him easily since he will no
longer blend. Another one will appear. Quickly hit this one in the head and you
will be able to see him since he will have a red outline around him. This one
is considerably easier than the other; so don't hesitate to fire quickly. Just
be careful.
--------------
Fourth Boss
--------------
The Fourth level bosses are god-easy. It may be longer, but he's still a
weenie. Just use the strategies you used on World 2. He's a pushover, but they
decided to balance it out by having 3 of him. Oh well, that doesn't make it any
harder, just longer. Beat the other two with a couple bonks in the heads and
kill them quickly. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
--------------
Fifth Boss
--------------
This is definitely the hardest boss yet. For starters, he is a lot longer than
the other ones. Also, he has a lot more life. And, he's tons faster! Sounds
fun, doesn't it? Since he is so fast, don't take any risks on him. Don't try to
get close so you can quickly take him out. Take your time and make sure you
don't get hit. But be careful, even as a head he can still cause a lot of
panic. Stay in the upper corners to avoid him, and try to direct your fire.
When he rolls around again, take some time to give a long groan, then kill him
again. Around the third one, you will realize that there is no god. Oh well.
Stay in the top-left corner and the bottom floor to deal the most damage, but
beware that you can be hit when on the floor.
--------------
Sixth Boss
--------------
Remember when I said the last boss was a pain? Well, imagine fighting that.
Now, imagine him killing you the second the battle starts if you don't
immediately veer off to the side. Got that? Now, make him longer and make him a
Cyclops. Good. Now finally, give him more life, make him much faster, allow him
to zoom quickly all over the map except for the top-right corner, and fight him
not three, but four times! Sounds like a bundle of joy! Beating him is not
easy. First of all, he now has another glowing form before he dies, so wait
till he's green now before you can take him out. The best strategy to take him
out is to lay low on the floor and hit the head as he's flying away. As soon as
he comes back jump back up to the top-left or top-right corners and fire. In
many ways this is a good boss because while hard, by the fourth you can do it
easily, and it really helps to prepare you for the last boss.
------------------
Seventh Boss
------------------
They just seem to get harder and harder don't they. Well, this one is a lot
like the last one. Long, extremely fast, and irritating. If you could beat the
last boss without too much trouble then this one shouldn't be too hard. He's
about the same strategically. But, he can now make U-turns, which can be a real
pain if you're hitting him while he's flying away then suddenly turns around,
breaking off from usual pattern. He also seems now to actually track you,
instead of making erratic movements. What you will have to worry about is that
he is quite hard to kill, and so you will often run out of time before you take
him out. So, be quick about it. If you manage to take every area out except his
head, figure out where his head moves around, and get that area in your line of
fire. Don't try to chase it since you probably won't have the time. Kill him
four times and you win.
--------------------
Final Boss (8th)
--------------------
The final boss really isn't that hard. In fact, he's actually easier than the
last one. He's a bit slower, and seems less rapid than the other. However, he
has slightly more life, so it's mainly a fight against time. Use the strategies
you found on the last boss to beat him, and do it as quickly as you can.
-------------------------------
9. The Alternate World
-------------------------------
Otherwise known as World _B, this is the Alternate World. It's sort of a break
point if you're tired from fighting. Here your only objective is to collect
stars and items. It can be accessed by reaching a balloon. In the alternate
world you can find Potions and Hearts. Hearts are the main reason one should
come here. They are usually the last pillars you reach before the world
vanishes. Get to it for an extra life.
Every world has its own unique Alternate World. In the earlier levels, it's
just to get stars, but later the emphasis changes to hearts.
------------------
10. Game Over
------------------
This is the section on how to avoid death and the consequences.
What Happens:
When you die, you lose one life, lose all your items, lose all your hearts, and
you must restart that world over again. So, if you died at World 4_2, you would
restart at that world, but not at that point. However, if you get a game over,
you restart at World 1_1 with everything gone.
How to avoid it:
1. Don't take stupid risks like jumping over a fire cactus.
2. Don't think you're Rambo because you can fire. The fireball is a last minute
resort. If you find alot of enemies dodge them or jump over them, only fire if
you can't do anything else.
3. Practice. I can't stress this enough. The game is challenging and very
unpredictable. The only way to get through it is to practice and get a feel for
it. I can't tell you when every long slope or short one is. This FAQ is meant
to HELP you. You must actually learn how to play the game.
If All Else Fails:
If you come up with the unfortunate event of a Game Over, hold A and press
start. You should start over in the level you were in. So, if you got a game
over in world 3_4, by doing this trick, you will start at World 3_1
What to look for Next Update:
-Monster list (this will take awhile)
- Detailed "Alternated World" descriptions for every level
Also, I love feedback. It helps me write better. To anyone who views this,
email me. Tell me what you think I should improve on or your general opinion.
