A FAQ/walkthrough by Mr. NES ([email protected])

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            ZEN - INTERGALACTIC NINJA
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0. TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. Revision history
2. Introduction
3. Story
4. Items
5. Basic tips
6. Walkthrough
  a. Stages 1-4
  b. Stages 5-8
7. Disclaimer

*******************
1. REVISION HISTORY
*******************

06/25/01 - version 1.0

***************
2. INTRODUCTION
***************

"Zen: Intergalactic Ninja" was one of the two NES games that Konami released
in 1993, the other being "Tiny Toons 2". 1993 was a year during which systems
like the Genesis and Super NES gained more popularity among gamers while the
NES didn't receive as much attention anymore. It might be one of the reasons
why the game isn't as well-known as most of the other carts Konami made for
the NES over the years; it might also be partly caused by the play control,
which doesn't initially feel as crisp as it is in other Konami games.

I still think that the game is worthy of the time needed to master the play
control: it offers varied stages, a lot of technique, plus original (and
vital) bonus stages and bosses. The game isn't too difficult, but gameplay is
kept challenging by the multiple skills involved in the completion of the
levels.

The game lets you choose a difficulty level and how many lives you get at the
beginning; the following walkthrough was written while using the default
settings, which are the "normal" difficulty level, and two lives left. You
also have three continues.

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3. STORY
********

Taken from the manual:

"Zen would have been nothing more than a speck of space dust if he had stayed
on his birth planet. But lucky for him, and for intergalactic ecology, he was
rescued by the Masters. It was on their planet OM that the young Zen learned a
futuristic form of ninja and meditation for superior mental ability. As he got
older, these skills earned him the reputation of being the most sought after
soldier-of-fortune in the cosmos.

Zen even captured the attention of the Gordons, an ancient alien race of high
intelligence. They observed the brash blue vigilante on routine missions as he
brought swarms of interstellar outlaws to their knees with his Photon-Stick.
Just the Intergalactic Warrior for the job. The Gordons, being the
environmental watchdogs of the entire galaxy, hired our hero to be their
enforcer. Zen thought it sounded like an easy job on the third planet from a
sun in the Milky Way galaxy. Little did he know he was about to face his
ultimate nemesis.

The trouble starts on Planet Earth, one of the Gordons' most amusing
favorites, at the brink of serious disaster. Just when Earthlings have started
to become more careful about how they treat their planet, they're plagued by
the crazy plans of the putrid Lord Contaminous. The treacherous Contaminous
emerged from a festering toxic waste dump and he and his army of foul
followers are out to trash the biosphere. To make things more complicated, an
Earthboy named Jeremy has accidentally discovered the Geocrystal, a gem with
the power to save the world, and the forces of Contaminous will stop at
nothing to snag that rock.

So Zen must save Jeremy the Starchild, pocket the Geocrystal and defeat the
supreme forces of filth if Planet Earth is to ever see another Earth Day! Read
on to see how you can help."

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4. ITEMS
********

Scattered throughout the levels are items you'll need to collect if you hope
to eventually beat the game. Here's a quick rundown:

o Life-regenerating item: this item is gold and looks like an helmet; you can
carry more than one at a time, and it is recommended to save them unless
you're in a critical situation. To use one, press SELECT; your life gauge will
be refilled in its entirety.

o Shield: its form is that of a black circle. Once you get it, three points
rotate around Zen, indicating the amount of hits Zen can take without his life
gauge decreasing (every time you're hit while holding the shield, one of those
rotating dots will disappear).

o 1-UP: small Zen-like item which gives you one more life.

o Fire extinctor: item which you'll get to use in the oil rig level to save
seven people from certain death.

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5. BASIC TIPS
*************

- The items you've collected throughout a level are carried over the next;
thus, even though you can play the first four stages in any order, it's
preferable to start with the easiest (or the one which gives you the most
items), as you'll build your power for the toughest areas. The walkthrough
below addresses this issue.

- When fighting an enemy whose attacks are bombs, blasts, etc., primarily use
jabs (press the control pad towards the enemy + B), since their range is more
considerable than that of straight-ahead blows (done by pressing B without
touching the control pad).

- Instead of running as fast as you can to complete the "slower" stages of the
game, always look out for what might fall in front of you.

- While fighting bosses, always keep an eye not only on your own life gauge,
but also on the bosses'; if you have a lot more energy than he/she does, keep
attacking him/her even though you're vulnerable to his/her counter-attacks. If
you only have one or two life points left, use a life-regenerating item by
pressing SELECT. But...

- ... if you fight a boss and see that you have no chance of defeating him/her
(assuming you have more than one life), don't use life-regerating items and
spare them for your next try.

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6a. WALKTHROUGH part I
**********************

The player first gets to choose among four levels, which can be completed in
any order; still, here's the one I suggest:

..................
Biggs Toxic Factory
..................

This is the second easiest level among the first four, but the most helpful as
far as items and points are concerned. It has a 3/4 overhead view, which means
that pressing UP will make Zen move towards, and pressing DOWN will make him
move backwards.

The player must be meticulous in his/her attacks: throughout this level, it's
preferable for Zen to land one jab (UP or DOWN + B) at an enemy, then walk
back, and then strike again.

In the middle of the stage, there will be a gold life-regenerating item to be
found; grab it, as it'll prove extremely useful in future boss battles.

Making successful jumps is easy if the player takes note of Zen's shadow as
the character leaves the ground: always make sure that the shadow "disappears"
while you jump, which means that you'll be able to safely land on the
platforms you're aiming for. A few times, a mechanical hand will try to grab
you and throw you into oblivion; to dodge it, stay still for a short time, and
as you see the hand approaching you, proceed further in the stage.

When battling the "moving net", attack once at a time while always staying
near the safe purple area. When you're circled by blue robots, stay still,
wait until they stop their rotation around you and destroy them with precise
jabs. Also, be prepared to make two well-timed jumps near the end of the
level, as a zapper will come and twice cut the surface Zen moves on.

BOSS: This stage's boss is easy to defeat; as he oozes from one of the
underground spaces, move Zen near him and lend a jab (UP + B), and then as
many conventional blows as you can (press B repeatedly). Then, jump away as
the boss will throw obstacles at you. Keep track of where he's going to
reappear, and repeat the process until he's done. If you need it, use the
life-regenerating item you collected in the level by pressing SELECT, but wait
until you've only got only one or two energy points left: sparing these items
is part of what will make your journey easier in the later stages.

...............
Acid Rain Forest
...............

This is the easiest/shortest of the first four levels, but still should be
played second as you might need an extra life-generating item.

You have two objectives in this level, one being far more important. First,
you need to keep the forest's flowers from drying out; at the upper-left of
the screen, you'll notice flowers which are either healthy or dried up. These
flowers are scattered throughout the stage, and to make them blossom, you only
have to tap them with Zen's stick. You don't need to keep them all straight
up; it's only if they are all dried out that your life gauge will start to
decrease - don't lose time trying to heal them all.


BOSS: After having tapped a few flowers, you must jump on green surfaces which
will enable you to reach the stage's boss, Sulfura, who's on a ledge at the
very top of the level. On this ledge, there's also a life-regenerating item
that you must pick up. When the boss stays still in one of the corners of the
screen, attack her with straight-ahead strikes by repeatedly pressing the B
button; you will probably have to drop down again to heal a few flowers, and
then come back up and deliver the final blow.

..............
Slixxon Oil Rig
..............

This starts out as a more straightforward, conventional side-scrolling level
than the others; it takes place in an oil rig which has five floors, plus
another part all the way to the right.

At the upper-left corner of the screen, you'll notice seven different faces;
these represent the people trapped in the fired-up oil rig. There are a lot of
enemies along the way, mainly small black ones; the best way to get rid of
them is to land a jab first (press towards the enemy + B), and then you can
bring them down by pressing the control pad in the opposite direction.

There's no one to save on the first two floors of the stage, but on the
extreme left side of the second floor, get the life-regenarating item. All the
while, learn the patterns of the "dropping fire" and move slowly enough to see
what's coming. As you'll proceed to the third floor, you'll notice a small
item: it's a fire extinctor. To save someone, you'll have to use this
extinctor by pressing UP + B in front of a door in fire (there'll be a "Help"
sign near these doors). The first such door is on the left side of the fourth
floor. Keep grabbing extinctors as you see them (you can only carry one at a
time).

There are two more people to save as you walk to the right of the fourth
floor, and then another one just under, on the third floor.

There are two other consecutive doors on the left side of the fifth floor.
Once you stopped the fire there, there'll be only one person left to save.
Grab one of the two extinctors on the extreme left of that fifth floor.

You can then get to the top of the building, picking up the shield at the
extreme left of the screen. Go all the way to the right and go down the
stairs; the final person to save is there. Once you used the extinctor to take
care of it, keep walking to the right as there's an hidden 1-UP. This
completes the first part of the level.

Once all seven people are saved, you're allowed to get to the boss; to do so,
you'll need to dodge fire and mice (there's also another life-regenerating
item along the way).

BOSS: Beating this boss isn't too tough, but doing so without getting hit
often is another matter; once it materializes, hit him with repeated straight-
ahead attacks (by repeatedly pressing B), and then get as far of him as you
can in order to dodge its attacks (he'll also try to "swallow" you).
Regenerate your life gauge when needed.

..................
Runaway railway car
..................

Zen travels in a car in this stage, as game view varies between 3/4 overhead-
scrolling and more straightforward side-scrolling. You'll first have to make a
jump, and as with all the jumps in this level, wait until you're near the edge
of the road to press the A button. You'll then have to battle some driving
opponents; the best way to get them is via jabs. Always be aware of the jumps
you have to make while battling, though, and try to stay in the lower portion
of the screen.

The scrolling will eventually become horizontal. In the first part of this
portion, five to seven enemies will appear one after another; to defeat each
one of them, land a long-range jab and two quick straight-ahead attacks.

The next side-scrolling part involves moving objects which come right at Zen.
The non-flashing objects can be broken by jabs, but you'll have to jump over
the flashing ones. To do so safely, wait until you're near them, jump and
immediately press right so that you'll be carried farther from them after the
jump.

There will then be a series of jumps to make, jumps which are a lot easier
than those of the third level of "Battletoads"; just wait until you reach the
edge, and press the A button immediately after landing on the next platform.

While at full speed, you'll see an arrow pointing upwards and an "X" sign;
keep looking at the left side of the screen, and when you notice a colorful
ball, hit it (it'll change the rails' direction). Then, immediately press
right, and you'll reach a new area. Make a final jump near the edge and you'll
be led to the stage's boss.

BOSS: He's quite easy to beat if you have a life-regenerating item. Try to hit
him with jabs, and then head back while dodging his attacks. He'll disappear
in the ground; track his moves and jump when he seems to come right under you.
Along the way, he'll make a flew of barrels roll, but either jump over them or
keep attacking the boss, as his life gauge will be quite feeble by then.

.............
Rescue mission
.............

After playing two of the first four stages, you'll come across a rescue
mission because a kid named Jeremy has been kidnapped by Lord Contaminous. To
get to the Lord (!), you'll have to climb on buildings until you see him. To
climb, use the "Batman" method: jump on one of the walls, and then press the
jump button again while pressing the control pad in the direction of that
wall; etc. This way, you'll zigzag all the way to the top. While climbing the
walls, throw a blow if you come close to the boss. At the very top of the left
building, grab the life-regenerating item but save it for later boss battles,
since you shouldn't have too much difficulty defeating Contaminous with a
single life gauge. If you're successful, the kid will be free.

...........
Bonus stages
...........

In the first part of the game, you'll get to play two bonus stages; even
though the way the items fall from above can differ, the rules are the same:
get Zen under these items, and whip them to the Recyclotron (by pressing the B
button). There are five kinds of objects, and there'll six of each for you to
recycle; if you're successful in getting all six of a type, you'll earn a
bonus, which can either be 10,000 points, a 1-UP, a shield, a life-
regenerating item or maximum life value. Thus, the importance of these bonus
rounds is considerable.

***********************
6a. WALKTHROUGH part II
***********************

The final few stages (mostly boss battles) are played in a pre-determined
order.

.................
The cavern of Crud
.................

This is an vertiginous, fast vertical-scrolling stage. Zen keeps falling in a
cave, as he's chased by spikes hanging over him; your main enemies in this
level, weirdly enough, are platforms: they stop Zen's descent while the spikes
keep moving down. The trick is a) to keep pressing the B button while falling,
so that most obstacles won't harm Zen, and b) to learn when and where
platforms appear.

Here's what this level's 15 platforms look like, where they appear and how to
dodge them (i.e. where the openings are in each case):

a. half-screen large, opening left
b. half-screen large, opening right
c. small and in the middle, openings left and right
d. small and in the middle, openings left and right
e. all-screen large, save for a small opening near extreme right
f. all-screen large, save for an opening at extreme right
g. all-screen large, save for an opening at extreme left
h. half-screen large, opening on the left side
i. all-screen large, save for a small opening near extreme right
j. all-screen large, save for an opening at extreme right
k. all-screen large, save for an opening at extreme left
l. small and in the middle, openings left and right
m. half-screen large, opening left
n. all-screen large, save for a small opening near extreme right
o. all-screen large, save for a small opening near extreme left

Anticipating what is coming is obviously the key to success here.

...........
The Cesspool
...........

This isn't a level per se, but a boss battle. Some platforms are scattered,
and between them is water (fall into one of these holes and you lose a life).
The boss comes from the water and throws very small creatures at you; use
those creatures to go near the boss (if they come from the right, the boss is
on the right side, and vice versa), and nail him with a jab. These creatures
are his main weapon, but he sometimes throws something which can push you into
one of the holes - when this happens, keep moving towards the boss so you'll
be able to fend off the attack. Destroy of the little creatures as you see
them, since the more they are, the tougher it is to make it to the boss and
have a chance to hit him.

..................
Scrap Heap's Heaven
..................

This mini-stage is another boss battle - a mechanical boss, this time. Three
rocks rotate around it as it moves around. Jabs are your best friends once
again, but only attack the boss when it stays still after having thrown
projectiles (which will come back to it). Get away as soon as you manage to
get a shot in. The main trick, here, is to attack when the boss changes form -
this is the only time it stays still, so make the most of it with a pair of
straight-ahead blows.

Sometimes, the boss will throw you one of the rotating rocks; just try to
avoid it.

When the boss starts zigzagging on both sides of the corridor, jump over it
without attacking; at the end of its zigzagging exploits, though, it'll stop
and change form, giving you additional seconds during which you can hit it
twice with straight-ahead shots.

.....................
The Impostor's Hideout
.....................

This is a battle between Zen and an evil twin who tries to undermine his
brother's efforts. What makes the fight a little difficult is that the evil
Zen gets to twice recharge his life gauge, while you can only recharge yours
if you have life-regenerating items left. The best way to beat him is to
closely approach him, and as soon as he tries to hit you with a jab (which
won't touch you if you keep a bit more than jab-range distance between you and
him), throw him a jab yourself, and then grab him back (press towards him + B
for the jab, and then push the control pad in the opposite direction). Repeat
the process until he's done.

...............
The final battle
...............

a. First part

The final battle with Lord Contaminous has two parts. You first fight him on
the ground while he sits on his throne. He has two attacks: first, he spits
fire from left to right, then from right to left, etc. Stay at his left, jump
over the fire, and as these blasts move to the right, jump in and deliver
Contaminous a blow. As for the second pattern, he'll throw a few enemies down;
don't bother dodging them - you should have enough life points to take risks,
so hit him repeatedly and he'll be done.

b. Second part

The second part of the final battle is a tad more complicated, and more tiring
for the fingers. Contaminous, like Zen's evil twin, twice recharges his life
gauge, and you also have a "time limit", which is... the potential destruction
of planet Earth.

Once again, two distinct patterns. Contaminous first moves in the center of
the screen and makes four rocks appear (two on his side, two on the other); he
then moves on one side, and throws multiple projectiles which follow one
another.

When he's in the middle, hit him as many times (via jupming blows) as you can
since he dosen't even attack. When he jumps left or right near one of the pair
of rocks, destroy them while at the same time hitting the boss once or twice
(dodging the projectiles he throws is difficult, but you should be able to do
so by moving to the extreme left side of the screen if the boss is there, and
to the extreme right if he's right). Never waste opportunities to hit him,
since the fight might come up short if time becomes an issue.

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7. DISCLAIMER
*************

This FAQ/walkthrough can be reproduced elsewhere as long as its author is
acknoledged and its contents remain unaltered.

Feel free to send me a note if you're interested to use parts of it, or if you
have thoughts/tricks to share with me about the game featured in this
FAQ/walkthrough (I can be reached at [email protected])

Copyright Mr. NES, 2001.

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