Few have been there, fewer have returned. One man, determined beyond belief,
motivated to flee horrors no human should have to face, managed the
impossible...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
|THE ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS|
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
A reluctant adventurer's guide to an unreleased prototype NES game by Color
Dreams.
v1.01 - Completed 5/19/03
Written and maintained by Adam Lamontagne
Copyright ©2003 Adam Lamontagne (
[email protected])
A Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game presented by Color Dreams.
Dedicated to Martin Nielsen. A true NES patriot...from Denmark.
=================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
I. Revision History
II. Introduction
III. Story
IV. Walkthrough
-Stage 1
-Stage 2
-Stage 3
-Stage 4
-Stage 5
-Stage 6
-Stage 7
V. Frequently Asked Questions
VI. Miscellaneous
VII. Acknowledgements
VIII. Disclaimer
===================
I. REVISION HISTORY
===================
5/19/03: v1.01
-Elimated erroneous data.
-Added more useless info and comments throughout the guide.
1/18/03: v1.0
-Started and Finished the Walkthrough.
-Added the Miscellaneous section.
-Added the Acknowledgements section.
-Added the Disclaimer.
-Added the Frequently Asked Questions section.
1/17/03: v0.2
-Began layout of guide.
-Added the Introduction.
-Added the Story.
================
II. INTRODUCTION
================
Wonderfully awful. Those were my first thoughts upon playing The Escape From
Atlantis. No game has officially been released for play on the NES since 1995.
That's a long time for an NES maniac like myself. However, once in awhile
great discoveries occur out in "the wild" that breathe new life into the old
system.
Awhile back it was a game called Robocop vs Terminator. Aborted before its
release, probably because the NES was in its dying days and the SNES was the
feature attraction, RvT never saw the light of day on the NES. We'd see it
listed as an upcoming or future release in several magazines, yet for some
reason us game players never got to play it.
Drac's Night Out is another one. I remember a Halloween issue of Gamepro
reviewing "scary" themed NES games and seeing screen shots and protips for
Drac's. Months went by and no stores seemed to be carrying it. Years go by
and you forget about its existence.
Then there's The Escape From Atlantis. I'd never actually heard about this
game until last year. EFA is an unreleased Color Dreams title that was
developed back in the NES' heyday, probably sometime between 1989 and 1992.
Like Robocop vs Terminator and Drac's Night Out, EFA is another title that the
NES player was deprived of. Now, thanks must go out to the programmers of
these games who actually kept the source code for them. These 3 games,
considered lost forever, are now available to the general public. RvT and
Drac's have been available for some time. The Escape From Atlantis, newly
released to the public on 1/16/03, could be considered the forerunner of what
could be termed "The Great NES Renaissance of 2003." Top secret details to be
revealed in a future update.
As for the game itself being "wonderfully awful," the game is wonderful just
for the fact that it is a "fresh" NES game to play. Martin Neilsen, of NES
World fame, graciously unleashed it upon us. To him we must bow. However, the
game is awful because...it is just plain awful.
==========
III. STORY
==========
It began with a trip to the Azores Islands, about 900 miles west of the
Portugese coast. Martin, an eager young man, lost his job as a post office
employee when the office he worked for closed down due to the imbeciles running
the place ineptness at proper mail handling technique. Martin, a semi-pro
billiards player became distraught at his unemployment and upset over the fact
that his favorite Cue Stick had been stolen, decided to get away from it all
and hopped the first cruise ship out of town. After a lengthy stop in
Portugal, where Martin discovered the healing effects of alcohol, the trek
continued on to the Azores Islands.
On the second night of the journey, awoken from a dead sleep after having a
vicious nightmare about a blood-thirsty pig chasing him around, Martin got out
of his cabin to have a nice walk on the upper deck to breathe in the fresh,
salty sea air and clear his mind of the menacing swine. Leaning over the bow
he noticed an orange light in the distance. It actually looked like an
erupting volcano to him, but he could not really tell from that far.
Martin looked around to see if he could share the sight with another passenger,
but did not see any around. He thought it odd that he actually didn't even
hear the ship's engines, not even a hum. In fact, everything was now dark! He
ran into the casino...not a soul to be found.
Panic was starting to set in. He ran back to see if he could make out the
orange light and it was what he thought...an active volcano. As the ship
quietly pressed on towards the volcano a feeling of dread overcame him. He
looked around for a life raft, even a life jacket, but none were to be found.
As he stared towards the volcano, he wondered if he should just jump ship and
deal with the sharks rather than sail helplessly towards a fiery death.
Before he could make his decision, he caught a bit of movement out of the
corner of his eye. Something was airborne and moving towards him. It looked
like...a bird of some sort. A white bird, holding some kind of shiny object.
He knew that white doves were a sign of peace, so a small glimmer of hope
rekindled his frantic heart.
As the bird got closer, he made it out to be some kind of fat white bird...a
Pelican perhaps (Martin is no ornithologist) and the shiny object to be a key.
The bird landed on the ship's railing and made a very peculiar kind of squawk,
sounding almost like an Indoran God from Algos.
"Nunhooooohavcumheeeerhavleftaliiiiiiv."
The Pelican repeated this several times before Martin thought he knew what the
bird was saying. Then, as the bird took flight again and headed straight for
him, he heard, "Welcome to Atlantis!!" That part sounded clear as day, but
when Martin realized that a fat white Pelican had just spoken to him, he had no
time left to block the bird's charge, as it went straight for his head and
knocked him out cold with a blow from its webbed feet.
To be continued...in the Walkthrough.
===============
IV. WALKTHROUGH
===============
Groggy from his blow to the head received from the Pelican, Martin awakes on
the island where the live volcano is still spouting lava. However, he no
longer has control of his own bodily movements, as he appears to be in a state
of paralysis. This is where you come in. Through some kind of distortion in
the space/time continuum, you now control Martin's fate. You, and only you,
possess the ability to help Martin become the only human to ever escape from
the lost island of Atlantis.
Note: I will randomly refer to the main character as either "Martin" or "You."
I started losing track around Stage 2.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 1...WELCOME TO ATLANTIS. STAY AWHILE. STAY FOREVER!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Grab the Key from the Pelican; use key in door
A: Burst of speed
Scenario:
Martin starts Stage 1 in a grassy area looking at a smallish pillared structure
with 2 locked doors to the right of it.
Objectives:
*1: Get the key from the Pelican.
*2: Use the key on one of the doors to the right of the structure.
Gameplay:
*1: To acquire the key from the bird, approach it slowly as it flies toward
Martin, avoiding the fireballs in the process. When it gets about an inch from
him, it will change its flight path and head away from you diagonally. If you
get the right angle on the bird and approach it near the top or bottom of the
screen, it will be forced to fly diagonally towards Martin and you can quickly
hit the B Button to allow Martin to snatch the KEY.
*2: Once you help Martin acquire the key, the Pelican disappears and a small,
grey lizard-like animal will appear on the screen. He will slowly try and hunt
you down, so quickly head to the 2 doors, where you will use your key. Use it
in the wrong door and the Pelican reappears and grabs the key from you. Use it
in the correct door and you move on to Stage 2.
Unfortunately, the choice of doors appears to be random. My theory is that if
you grabbed the key from the bird while on the left side of the screen it would
work in the right door, and if you snagged it while on the right side of the
screen, it would work in the left door. This method seems to work about 75% of
the time, so I believe it is a random occurence as to which door leads to the
next level.
So, whatever side of the screen you got the key on, open the door on the
opposite side by pressing B while holding the key and you will move on to Stage
2.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 2...TIME TO BAIL OUT!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Pick up and use objects
A: Jump; Hold for longer Jump
Scenario:
It now appears that Martin is in the area on the other side of the volcano.
Lava is flowing throughout the area and fire snakes are out to get him.
Objectives:
*1: Locate the Pails of Water and use them on the fire snakes.
*2: Locate the Larger Pails of Water and use them on the Jumping Fire Worms.
*3: Find the Large Cork and plug up the Stone Head's mouth.
Gameplay:
*1: You must move Martin by jumping over the lava flows. Due to the poor
jumping control scheme, it is difficult to tell where you are going to land, as
you have to hold the A button when you jump to jump further, yet depending on
how long you hold it, you will jump either too far or too short, often landing
in a lava flow.
Soooo, jump over the lava flows, avoiding the fire snakes as they appear, and
locate the Pails of Water. Pick them up by pressing B, then wait for a fire
snake to appear. Standing parallel to a snake, standing about 3 or 4
Martin-lengths away, toss the Pail at the snake to destroy it. You will hear a
sound letting you know that you hit it. Repeat this 3 times and the fire
snakes are destroyed.
*2: Now you have a new enemy...the Jumping Fire Worms. To defeat these guys
you have to locate a different looking Pail of Water (bigger than the other
one), then get rather close to a worm and press B to douse it. There are about
5 of these guys to take out.
*3: Once they are all taken care of, you must now locate what looks like a
Large Cork. Pick it up using the B Button and go to the right of the screen
where a large stone head is spitting out rocks. You need to throw the cork in
his mouth, so the best way to get near him is approach from below and stand
right where his eye is. You can touch him without dying and rocks will avoid
you here...just don't touch his mouth where the rocks are coming out. Get as
close to the mouth as you can and hit the B button to toss the cork at him and
put an end to his rock-spewing.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 3...AN UNEXPECTED ALLY
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Swing Axe
A: Jump (can only use at the end of the Stage)
Scenario:
Moving away from the Volcano, you discover a wooden ramp by the Sea. You
decide that is the only way to go, but halfway up the ramp you notice logs are
rolling down at you. Armed with a newly found axe, you feel there is only one
course of action.
Objectives:
*1: Hit the rolling logs with your axe before they hit you.
*2: Take out 3 of the Large Green Bugs.
*3: Get help from an unexpected friend.
Gameplay:
*1: This level starts quickly, with the logs already coming at you. It takes
good timing to hit the logs with your axe, so this might take a few tries. You
want the log to be about 2 Martin-lengths away from you when you swing, as you
want the head to come down on the log a little bit before where the axe
actually comes down. Continue to hit the logs, working your way to the right,
and after chopping 4 of them you are attacked by an insect. Just be sure to
head to the right and only to the right. If you move too far up or down you
will fall off the ramp and die.
*2: Right after you eliminate the last log, a large green bug appears. Quickly
chop it with your axe. Move a little more to the right and another appears.
Watch its pattern and slowly move in, dissecting this one with your axe. A
little more to the right and a 3rd bug appears, moving in a circular pattern.
Figure out a safe spot to stand and bring down the axe to do in the last bug.
*3: The last bug gives way to...the fat white bird! Martin, still leery of the
past encounters with fatty, wants to go back the way he came, but you know the
only way is forward. Little do you know the bird is here to help you this
time. Walk to the right up to the first hole in the pier. You can move a step
up and stand just above the hole, but only stand a little above and to the left
of it. Now wait for the bird to fly by you to the left, then when it comes
back to the right, wait for it to get over the first patch of green grass on
the ramp, then hit and HOLD A while jumping to the right and you will jump up
and grab onto the bird. Make sure to HOLD the A Button and HOLD to the RIGHT
as the bird carries you across the 4 holes. You automatically let go of the
Pelican when you are over the last hole, so holding Right will make sure you
glide over to safety. Exit to the right.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 4...FIRES AND SPIDERS AND SWINE, OH MY!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Picks up ladder.
A: Holding down A, you can move your Shield Up or Down; Burst of speed.
Scenario:
You arrive at a small village that looks like it has recently been destroyed by
the volcano.
Objectives:
*1: Block fireballs with your Shield.
*2: Lure the Pig into the cage.
*3: Use the ladder to escape.
Gameplay:
*1: First you must move among the rocks and ruined houses and use your shield
to "block" fireballs. Who knows why you must do this, but it must be done.
You press A to use your shield, and while holding A you can move it around with
the control pad. There aren't any real safe spots that I am aware of, so just
move around and if a fireball gets near you, try to hit it with your shield.
Nail 5 of them to enter the next phase...
*2: Martin freezes in terror as he sees...the Pig. Remembering the dream that
started this whole ordeal, Martin is now face to snout with the bane of his
nasty nightmare. The filthy swine even comes at you at warp speed if you get
too far from him. Luckily for him, a 3D cage just happens to appear in the
middle of the level (for now, ignore the ladder that appears). Now, common
sense would tell you that the pig would probably kill you on contact. Not so.
In Atlantis, cages are actually deadly to the touch, while the pig just briefly
makes you disappear when it touches you. Perhaps it was trying to tell you
that in the dream?
Move over to one side of the cage and as the pig approaches, it kind of mirrors
your movements, so as it gets near the cage, move in the direction you want the
pig to move in so it goes into the center of the cage, and it will get locked
in and mysteriously disappear.
*3: Now head over to the ladder and pick it up with the B Button. On the right
side of the screen you will see a giant crevice guarded by a spider. The thing
does not want you to pass, but we've got other plans here. Head to the bottom
of the screen and stand so the spider is on your right. Now, using the A
Button for a burst of speed, quickly head up, squirming to the right of the
white rocks before the spider squeezes you in and race to the very top of the
screen. Stand right against the crevice and press the B Button to throw the
ladder across as a bridge. The Stage ends instantly after this.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 5...THE ROADBLOCK KNOWN AS CYCLOPS!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Throw Rocks.
A: Use Shield.
Scenario:
Having got past the pig and the spider, Martin faces an even greater foe...the
Cyclops!
Objective:
*1: Defeat the Cyclops.
Gameplay:
*1: You are now on a ramp heading down and immediately must do battle with the
Cyclops. This is the biggest boss battle of the game. Cautiously move toward
him, using the A Button to block his rocks, then when you get close enough hit
B to toss a rock at him (you must have grabbed some in the previous level...now
that I think of it, where did you acquire a shield?!?). Hit him once and it
stuns him. Move in closer and when he recovers hit him again quickly. If you
do this right, you can hit him continuously without fear of retribution. Four
hits will do him in.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 6...THE GREAT WALL OF ATLANTIS!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Use Hammer.
A: Jump; Hold for longer Jump.
Scenario:
Now that the Cyclops is defeated, you find yourself trapped in by a column of
rocks. Luckily for you, Hammers seem to grow out of the ground in Atlantis!
Objective:
*1: Break out of the level.
Gameplay:
*1: This level has been described as "busy work" by my friend TheRedEye. That
it is. This nasty looking green bird patrols the sky while you grab the hammer
that magically appears and use it on the column of rocks on the right side of
the screen. However, each hammer only gets in one swing, as it mystically
disappears into the humid Atlantis air after each swing.
What you need to do is break through the middle of the column. The column is
four rocks wide, so you need to clear a path about 4x4 wide in the center of
it, meaning you have to acquire the hammer 16 different times in the level to
accomplish this task, more than that if you happen to miss the rock while
swinging the hammer. Busy work.
The green bird that drops eggs on you isn't your only enemy. After breaking
about 3 rocks the bird will drop an egg that hatches into...a rather large
"baby bird." The baby bird stays in the area where it hatches, though it does
chase after you, so try to get the green bird to drop an egg in one of the
smaller enclosed areas where the baby bird won't bother you as much.
To make matters worse, when you break the 4th block, a snake appears on the
right side of the screen, guarding the column of rocks. He moves up and down,
slowly calculating your every move.
Continue your busy work, grabbing the hammer and returning to work on the
middle 16 rocks. When you finally have the space banged out, just press to the
right of the screen and Martin will move on to the final Stage.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
STAGE 7...ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Controls:
Pad: Move Martin
B: Pick up/Use the Spear.
A: Jump; Hold for longer Jump.
Scenario:
This is it. As an angry cloud rages overhead, you see a small Viking-type ship
over on the other side of a row of platforms. All that stands between you and
your escape are a bunch of death defying jumps and a killer...
Objective:
*1: Escape from Atlantis!
Gameplay:
*1: Finally, Martin, with the help of your nifty maneuvering, has made it to
the last Stage. You will have to make some long jumps, holding the A Button
down as you jump, and one last nifty move to make your way back...home?
Start by moving slightly to your left and pick up the Spear. Then slightly
press Down once (Important!) and you will move down so you are level with the
other platforms you have to jump to. If you did not move a single step down,
your jumps would lead you to a watery grave.
Now, study the cloud's movements. It will send down lightning at spaced
intervals. When the cloud passes by, now is the time to jump to the next
platform. Hop the platforms, avoiding the cloud, and when you get to the 5th
platform a Shark will jump out of the water at you. Since you grabbed the
Spear on the first platform, you can simply press B to skewer the Shark...that
was Atlantis' last line of defense?
Carefully jump to the last platform and do the following: make sure you are on
the right side of the last platform, then press A and HOLD Down at the same
time and you will jump onto the Viking boat. The timing has to be precise, or
you will simply fall to the side of the boat and into the water, having to
start the Stage from the first platform.
If you made the jump correctly, wallow in the thrill of victory that is The
Escape from Atlantis and take great comfort in knowing that you got Martin
safely off of Atlantis. His paralysis has magically worn off and now he must
row, alone, through shark-infested waters as you look forward to helping your
next Friend-in-Need, King Neptune, find the Orb of Goodness.
Winner.
=============================
V. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
=============================
Q: Why did you do a guide to a game that nobody will ever play?
A: Why are you reading a guide to a game that nobody will ever play?
Seriously though, send 'em to:
[email protected]
=================
VI. MISCELLANEOUS
=================
http://nesworld.parodius.com/
Check out this site if you're an NES fan. Back when I first got on the net,
this was the only site around. It's still here and still producing. Thanks
Martin.
=====================
VII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
=====================
-Dedicated to MARTIN NIELSEN for making this game available for all to play.
His unselfish act made a lot of people really happy on a cold Thursday in
January (cold in Maine anyway).
-ArnoldRimmer83 for figuring out the jumping methods for the platforms and the
boat jump on Stage 7.
-TheRedEye for pointing out that the wall in Stage 6 was only 4 rows wide
instead of the 5 or 6 wide like I originally thought.
-Skrybe for correcting a huge error on my part. I had it in my head that Al
Bunch was the guy responsible for this game. I gotta stop listening to those
damned voices.
-Everyone at the FeFeA Board(s). Never thought I'd have a freakin'
messageboard as my homepage, but these guys never run out of interesting things
to discuss.
-Predator. He's always around. Whether you like it or not.
-Whoever gave the game to Martin.
-That crazed pig in Stage 4...my dreams had been too vanilla until I met up
with that sow.
-The douche bag who gave me a negative feedback on this guide. I slaved over
this thing for a whole 2 hours one night...I always take negative comments with
a pillar of salt. Email me at
[email protected] and tell me, in your
infinite wisdom, what exactly it was that you didn't like.
================
VIII. DISCLAIMER
================
This walkthrough is not endorsed by Color Dreams, Bunch Games or Nintendo of
America. The information contained within this document is provided without
guarantee. All copyrights and trademarks are recognized.
This walkthrough may be reprinted, posted in newsgroups, or placed on web
sites, as long as the proper credit is given to the author. The most recent
version of this walkthrough can be found at:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.vgstrategies.about.com
©2003 Adam Lamontagne (
[email protected])
