2 Fast 4 Gnomz on Nintendo 3DS Walkthroughs, Strategies, Information, and Frequently Asked Questions -------------------- General Data -------------------- Author: Dale Hoffman (Chickenbolt) Email: dalemichelleh@aol.com Originally Created: March 9, 2013 Version: 1.0 -------------------- Table of Content -------------------- General Data Table of Content Scope About the Game General Walkthrough Sock Collection Highlights Nightmare Area Highlights Unlockables Glitches Differences Between Wii and 3DS Versions Frequently Asked Questions Credits Final Note From The Author Legal -------------------- Scope -------------------- I was amazed when I saw that nobody had yet posted any game information on www.gamefaqs.com for this excellent game. That made me want to submit something. Most courses in 2 Fast 4 Gnomz have a simple layout. Though there are a few hidden paths, there is little in the way of strategy or puzzles. Nightmare courses 4 and 5, however, are more difficult, in that some switches must be found and hit in the correct order. This document is intended to help people find alternate or hidden roads, and to clear this most difficult part of the game—the Nightmare area. A secondary purpose for this document is to express some other trivial thoughts and information about the game. -------------------- About the Game -------------------- 2 Fast 4 Gnomz is a platform game with a unique style. The intensity of action is constant, in that your character, Bumb, is on a forced speedrun, unable to move backwards in normal time. Since the King has commanded him to be a hero, Bumb has started a mad run through Gnomia, and simply will not stop for any reason. It is your task to control Bumb, and give him some direction in this hero quest. At the time of this writing, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz can be purchased in the Nintendo eShop for $4.99 USD. -------------------- General Walkthrough -------------------- If you have never played 3DS 2 Fast 4 Gnomz before, I recommend completing it in the following order: 1. Run through all 40 courses without worrying about collecting stars. This will allow you to unlock all your abilities as fast as possible, learn all necessary skills, and to give you access to as many areas of the game as possible. 2. Next I recommend systematically earning all 9 stars in each course in reverse order. The reason to master each course in reverse order is so you will be forced to learn skills that will make areas of lower difficulty easier and faster to clear. Also, since you have already opened the first 40 courses, you should be able to run them in any order. Most importantly, you will have all your abilities, and should be able to get all the stars. Earn stars in this order: a. Start by collecting all the socks in the course, and earn those 3 stars. This will familiarize you with the entire course, and will make it easier for you to earn the speedrun and no-death stars. (Read the highlights below help with collecting socks.) b. Next earn 3 stars for the speedrun. To do this, learn to dash as much as possible, whenever possible, and however possible. If you only earned 1 or 2 stars, start over again. Keep increasing your speed until you are awarded 3 stars for that course. Keep trying. With practice, you can do it. c. Lastly clear the entire course without a single death. This will earn the last 3 stars for you. Since you’ve already collected all the socks, and sped through at blinding speed, you should know the easiest route through the course. Don’t worry about collecting socks, or moving fast. Just take it slow and easy. If you die, press start and choose to restart the course. 3. Now that you have all the stars, you will have opened the first 4 Nightmare courses (these will open if you are only 10 stars short—having earned 80 in each area). I recommend collecting all 9 stars in each Nightmare course from beginning to end. That way, once you are familiar with the course, you don’t have to learn it again later. First run though the entire course to familiarize yourself with it. Then collect all 3 socks in each course. Then speedrun it until you earn those 3 stars. Lastly, run through the course one last time, but each time you die, press start and restart the course (there are no checkpoints in Nightmare courses). You have to do it without a death to get the last 3 stars. Do this in each of the first 4 Nightmare courses. (Read the highlights below for help with Nightmare-4). 4. You only needed 26 Nightmare stars (10 short of all 36 stars) to open the last Nightmare course, so you will already have noticed that it has been opened. Finish the last course by first running through it once, then go through again to collect the socks, then speedrun it, then run through with no deaths. Congratulations, you’ve completed everything in the game. From what I can tell, there is nothing unlocked after earning every last star. (Read the highlights below for help with Nightmare-5). -------------------- Sock Collection Highlights -------------------- Most of the courses are linear, which makes the socks easy to see. There are some hidden or alternate paths, though, which might be the reason for missing a few socks here and there. Here are listed ways to collect many of the socks that are the trickiest to find: Course I-4 After collecting the first 4 socks, take the high road for the next 4 socks. Just before the goal, don’t miss the last 2 socks on a high platform. Course I-6 After the 1st checkpoint, go up the 1st updraft, then down the 2nd updraft so you don’t miss those socks. Course II-5 After the 2nd checkpoint, there are 4 small platforms—after the 4th small platform, do not go up. Go down to get 4 socks. Course III-2 After the 2nd checkpoint, cross over some brambles and go down at the updraft for 8 socks. Just before the upper goal, go down through the odd-looking, false snow to reach 6 socks and an alternate goal. Course III-8 Drop down the hole just after the 1st checkpoint to collect 15 socks. Course III-9 Go down the hole immediately after the start of the course to collect some socks. Course IV-1 At the beginning of the course, hit the upper switch, rewind the clock, hit the center switch, rewind again, then and go down. There are 4 socks down there. Rewind and continue forward. Course IV-4 After the 2nd checkpoint, take the low road where 3 socks lead to a switch, then rewind the clock. Now, instead of taking the upper path that opens, pick up the 4 socks that are located above the clock and continue. If had taken that high road, you would have missed many socks. Course IV-5 At the beginning of the course, drop down the 2nd hole to collect 5 socks. After the 1st checkpoint, go down the 1st updraft to collect 4 socks. Course IV-8 At the beginning of the course, drop down immediately for 3 socks, then ride the updrafts over some brambles, and fall immediately back down for more socks. If you stay near the ceiling, you will miss many socks. After the 1st checkpoint, don’t miss the one red sock which is located below the 2nd arrow sign. After the 2nd checkpoint, go down through the updrafts to find the low road and 8 socks to collect. Course IV-9 After the 2nd checkpoint go up the updraft. You will see a gliding sign, but go down instead to find the last 7 socks and an alternate goal. Course IV-10 At the beginning of the course, if you take the low road, you will miss some socks. After the 1st checkpoint, go down and hit the switch to open the way forward. Rewind the clock, but do not continue forward. Rather, ride up the updraft through a false ceiling to collect 5 socks. -------------------- Nightmare Area Highlights -------------------- The Nightmare area is a collection of bonus courses of high difficulty that appear to have nothing to do with the main hero quest. I have not yet been able to find any reward or anything special to unlock after finishing the Nightmare area, or after collecting all 45 stars. The Nightmare courses are likely intended for the enjoyment of people like me who want to take the challenge to the next level, and complete everything possible in the game. Also, if you like the Wii version, these 5 special courses might make it worth buying the 3DS version as well. This walkthrough focuses on Nightmare courses 4 and 5. Courses 1, 2, and 3 are basically linear, and the average player should have little confusion advancing—as far as finding and hitting switches, and gathering socks are concerned. The Nightmare courses are different from the main game in that you will find no checkpoints, and there are only 3 socks in each course that are usually difficult to collect. Although this walkthrough only covers 2 courses, I welcome emails with questions about other courses or to engange in other discussion about the game. Nightmare – 4 Walkthrough This course is divided into 4 basic parts. Part 1 has 3 switches. The middle switch opens one of the 2 doors to the lower switch. The upper switch also opens one of the 2 doors to the lower switch. The lower switch opens the door to part 2. Hit the switches in this order: middle, upper, lower. (Of course, press left to activate the clocks after hitting the upper and lower switches.) Part 2 has 6 switches—3 upper, and 3 lower. Each switch also is next to a clock which should be activated immediately after hitting it. Glide over the brambles, and hit the first switch. This will open one of the lower switches. If you are collecting socks, you can grab 1 of the 3 socks by dropping to the very bottom of the screen, gliding through the sock, and activating the clock. The next switch is the first of the lower switches, which opens the next upper switch, which opens the next lower switch, which opens the next upper switch, which opens the next lower switch, which opens the upper way to part 3. Part 3 has 3 switches. Each switch opens one of the 3 doors leading to part 4. The upper and middle switches lead to the same clock. The lower switch leads to a different clock. I prefer to hit the upper switch, then the lower switch, then the center switch, then follow through to part 4. However, these switches can be hit in any order. If you are collecting socks, the second of 3 socks can be collected after hitting the lower switch, and gliding through the sock. Part 4 has 4 switches, but I have not been able to determine what switches 1, 2, and 4 are for. If you know, please send me an email. You can dash through all 4 switches, but you only need to hit switch 3 to open the way to the goal. If you are collecting socks, drop down through the last sock just before the goal, and activate the clock in the pit. Nightmare – 5 Walkthrough There are 8 switches in this course: Switches 1-5 are seen before you enter the main course. Switch 6 is found in the 5th hole after entering the course. It opens the high road. Switch 7 is found in the 7th hole after entering the course. It opens the way to the goal. Switch 8 is at the end of the hazards on the high road. It opens the low road to the 3 socks. To enter the main course, hit switches 1, 3, and 4. If you hit switches 2 or 5, access is denied. After entering the main course, jump the first 4 holes, and press down to drop into the 5th hole. Hit switch 6, and press left at the clock to rewind. This will open the high road. You will see that the high road has opened, but continue under the high road again. Jump the first 6 holes, and press down to drop into the 7th hole. Hit switch 7, and press left at the clock to rewind. This opens the way over the castle so you can reach the goal. This time, jump to take the high road. The 3rd step is smaller and may be easier to land on if you press down to cut the jump short. This will help to avoid hitting the wall. Clear the obstacles on the high road. If you want to collect the socks, jump on the switch at the end, and press left at the clock to rewind. If you do not want to collect the socks, simply skip the clock, jump, and press up to glide to the goal. If you choose to collect socks, read the next line. To reach the 3 socks, activate the clock at the end of the high road (immediately after jumping on the switch) to rewind. Jump the first 3 holes, and press down to drop into the 4th hole—all the way down to the low road. Run through the first sock, time a jump accurately to collect the 2 socks in the air, then immediately press left to rewind. If you miss a sock, go back and try again until you collect all 3. Take the high road again. After clearing the hazards, do not activate the clock. Jump and press up to glide over the castle to the goal. -------------------- Unlockables -------------------- Unlock Berserk Clear area I Unlock Speedster Clear area II Unlock the time records Clear area II Unlock Uncle Time Clear area III Unlock Nightmare area Clear area IV Unlock Nightmare course 1 Collect at least 80 stars from area I Unlock Nightmare course 2 Collect at least 80 stars from area II Unlock Nightmare course 3 Collect at least 80 stars from area III Unlock Nightmare course 4 Collect at least 80 stars from area IV Unlock Nightmare course 5 Collect at least 26 stars from Nightmare courses 1-4 -------------------- Glitches -------------------- This is a very rare occurence, in that I have earned every star in every course, and have not found any glitches. Congratulations to the game developers. -------------------- Differences Between Wii and 3DS Versions -------------------- In my opinion, the 3DS version is the better game. However, both versions are fun. Note that the 3DS version was released several months after the Wii version. The game developers did an excellent job of clearing glitches, including more interesting courses, and, most importantly, making the controls better. If you really liked one game, I recommend playing both. Many courses are similar, but are not necessarily identical. The Wii version presents a greater challenge, but the 3DS version is less frustrating. If you have never played either game, I advise playing the 3DS version first. If you enjoyed it, get the Wii version for an extra challenge. Here are some key differences between the Wii and 3DS versions: -The 3DS version has no glitches that I could find, but the Wii version has a few. -The 3DS version sets goals, offering stars for speedruns and minimal deaths. The Wii version does neither. On the 3DS version, a disco ball appears at the end of a course if you have completed all challenges in that course. -After completing a course in the 3DS version, you can choose to either restart the course, or to advance. This is a very convenient feature that the Wii version does not have. -The 3DS version has only one game to play, whereas the Wii version allows you to play 3 different files. -The map in the 3DS version is easy to thumb through, whereas the map on the Wii version is twisty and confusing. Also, in the Wii version, there are some forks in the path, whereas the 3DS map is linear. -The music is slightly different between the two versions, especially during the cut scenes. -The Wii version allows you to delete a file, and the 3DS version does not (that I can find). If you want to start your 3DS game from scratch, you might have to go into your 3DS data management settings, delete the game, and download it again from the Nintendo eShop. -The 3DS version seems to have more responsive controls than the Wii version. Also, in the Wii version, to destroy hollow trees, you must hit it either at the base of the tree, or at the very top. In the 3DS version, as long as you are holding down while contacting any point on the hollow tree, it will be destroyed. -In the 3DS version, it think you can see ahead farther than in the Wii version. Also, in the 3DS version, when you dash, the view backs away for slightly better foresight. In the Wii version, the top and bottom of the screen simply dim slightly during a dash, which can make it difficult to see obstacles and hazards at the top or bottom of the screen. (I play the Wii version on a full screen TV. If this description does not match what you find on your widescreen TV, please email me and I will update this document.) -In the 3DS version, obstacles are somewhat easier to see, and do not blend in with the background as much as in the Wii version. The 3D effect allows for better contrast, making it easier to distinguish between foreground hazards and backgrounds, but even with 3D effects disabled, the developers seem to have made it easier to differentiate between visuals in the 3DS version. -In the 3DS version, updrafts are easier to see, because they have white rings spiraling around them. In the Wii version, they are just a light blue column with dots in it that can be difficult to see at times. -The 3DS version has 5 bonus courses that do not appear on the Wii version. In the 3DS version, Bumb only runs from left to right, through 40 areas, plus 5 bonus areas. On the Wii, once you finish the 40 left to right day courses, the map flips over, and the difficulty continues to increase as you complete each area inverted at night, from right to left. In the last 40 courses on the Wii, many obstacles and hazards are added. The most difficult difficult feature of the night courses, once you get used to running the opposite direction, is that there are fewer checkpoints. -The 3DS version seems to have more hidden and alternate paths than the Wii version, making sock collection more interesting. - Both versions put Bumb back in the action quickly after colliding with something. But after falling on the Wii version, it takes a second or two for Bumb to start running again. After falling on the 3DS version, Bumb is a little faster about starting over again. -The 3DS version (obviously) has a second, lower screen. It shows the counts for time, deaths, and socks. There is also a creepy hamper down there swallowing all the socks you collect. If you touch the lower screen, the hamper will follow your touch with its eyes, and even move toward your touch. At the end if a course on the 3DS version, it is fun to watch Bumb chase down the hamper. -The Wii version rolls through credits after finishing the 80th course. (You can also roll credits from the options menu on the Wii version.) When completing the 3DS version, nothing happens (that I can find) after the carrying away of the princess. However, on the 3DS version you can access the credits from title screen, and run Bumb through the credits in slow motion. Speedrun it if you want--it’s rather fun, even though there is no reward. At any time during the credits on the 3DS version, you can touch the hamper to make its eyes open, and anywhere you touch, the hamper will follow your touch with its eyes. -------------------- Frequently Asked Questions -------------------- Q: How long did it take you to finish the game? A: My 3DS activity log showed exactly 13:00 hours after earning the final star in the game. I had played it 18 times, with an average play time of 43 minutes—first played 2/25/13, and last played in 3/3/13. However, I did master everything on the demo download a few days before buying this game, which took a couple hours. Q: What are your favorite parts of the game? A: There are 2 things in this game that I think are genius. One is the the clock rewind feature, in that the display goes to an ancient sepia tone, and it looks like an old video tape scanning backwards. Another fun effect is when you dash, the display backs away to intensify the speed effect, and, more importantly, to allow you to see slightly farther ahead. Q: Do you play in 3D or 2D? A: For the first couple days I played it, this game made me dizzy (but not nauseated). I often turned off the 3D effects during this time. When my brain became accustomed to constant speed and motion, I sometimes turned the 3D on about half. Soon I was not dizzy anymore, and then realized that the 3D effect allows for a contrast that actually makes it easier distinguish between obstacles and the background. That’s when I left the 3D mode on full. Much of the game is a blur, making your brain do most of the thumb controls unconsciously. That is why the 3D effects make the game much easier to clear—it makes hazards and platforms stand out more from the background. (Here’s a good place for this comment: After playing this game for a few minutes, and when the action stops, does your brain tell you that the TV or the whole room is still moving? It’s an odd optical illusion that never went away, no matter how many hours I played this.) Q: What happens if you collect all the stars in the game? A: From what I can see, there is no special reward for mastering every course. You should be pleased with yourself for completing a very difficult game, and that is reward enough. -------------------- Credits -------------------- Thanks to those who recognize a good game when they see it, and are (like me) fanatic enough to read a document like this. -------------------- Final Note Form The Author -------------------- This was my second FAQ submitted. Email dalemichelleh@aol.com and tell me your opinions. --Chickenbolt -------------------- Legal -------------------- I had no part in the programming, distribution, or creation of 2 Fast 4 Gnomz in any way. This document may not be reproduced for any reason except for private use. It may not be placed on any websites or be distributed in any other way without written permission. Copyright 2013 Dale Hoffman