Toki FAQ(Arcade game) version 1.1.0 copyright 2001-2003 by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net Please do not reprint this for profit. I wrote this document largely to help preserve good old memories and interest in classic(and especially 'retro') games--both for myself and for others. If you really would like to post this on your website, please send me a polite e-mail addressing me by name and referring to this game specifically. If I don't know you I generally give away one FAQ at a time at first. ** AD SPACE ** My web page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762 ================================ OUTLINE 1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL TIPS AND PORTS 2. POWERING UP 3. JUMPING AND STRATEGY 4. BESTIARY 4-1. UNNAMED AND INANIMATE 4-2. OPPONENTS AND STRATEGIES 4-3. CHART OF WHO'S WHERE 5. LEVEL ONE: OUTSIDE 6. LEVEL TWO: UP THE CANYON, DOWN INTO THE LAKE 7. LEVEL THREE: FIRE CAVERNS 8. LEVEL FOUR: ICE CAVERNS 9. LEVEL FIVE: THROUGH THE RAIN 10. LEVEL SIX: GOLDEN CASTLE 11. BUGS AND QUIRKS 12. VERSIONS/CREDITS ================================ 1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL TIPS AND PORTS As Toki, you must go through six levels and defeat many weird monsters(weirder than you!) to defeat Vookimedlo, who has stolen your love Miho and changed you into a monkey(thank God he gave you chronic halitosis as well!) Each level has a certain theme and although monsters may be cross-level each level is distinctive enough so that the game doesn't get boring. I think it can be seen as an improved version of Ghosts and Goblins although it has that Karnov flavor to it as well. In the arcade, you can continue a game for a quarter until level 6, where you have only 5 extra continues after you're killed off first. Level 6 is really annoying, especially the final boss, but in fact you'll have your hands full until then. Toki's a funny little fellow and more detailed than the human he wants to turn into. He looks like he appreciates a good fart joke and is just waiting to tell several(his death noise also sounds like he's heard a REALLY bad joke) and the scenery is amusing, which helps when the game's kicking your you know what. Moving Toki is pretty simple. You can get him to crawl, but he will move slower. He can also duck or jump, and he can change direction while he jumps. So if you are trying to jump over a wide pit, remember to follow through with your jump, or Toki will stop in midair and plunge to his death. Toki can turn and shoot in midair, which is useful. He can also shoot diagonally--in the top five of eight directions when he is walking left or right. He's restricted climbing down a plane to back- forward shooting, and on a vine he can shoot five of the eight directions(to one side.) There are ports of this game to the NES and Sega Genesis systems. I've played the NES, and it's a dumbed down version of the arcade(you get several lives and a heart counter for health, i.e. a few hits) without some of the more exotic backgrounds. The Genesis version is apparently similar to the NES in difficulty, but it looks a bit nicer. Apparently the ROM translation is imperfect and you need the bootleg version(tokib.zip versus toki.zip) to get the sound in there. I think sound adds to the game, especially the wicked background tune for the second level, so why not get the augmented version if you can find it? 2. POWERING UP There are two sorts of power-ups: firing and non-firing. All power- ups wear off with time or with Toki's death. **** NON-FIRING **** Toki can only have shoes or helmet at any one time, never both. This award appears as a trophy, and it's pretty clear if getting it will give Toki shoes or a helmet just by looking. You just have to remember that the shoes may look like wings. They seem to alternate, starting with a helmet. Shoes: Toki jumps higher. These aren't terribly useful. In fact if you have the helmet you may want to avoid these. Helmet: Toki is protected from the chest up. "Low blows" will still kill him, as will blows from behind. However, he can duck to protect himself, but he will move slower. It's also a powerful offensive weapon. If Toki runs into something ahead of him, or even jumps, that monster will be destroyed immediately. Against the hardier monsters later on this is extremely useful. **** FIRING **** Toki can only have one of these at any time. They last for about 20 seconds each. 3-way shots: Toki can fire three shots, two diagonally(20 degrees above and below) and one in the direction he's looking. Actually he can have a maximum of four diagonal shots to each angle but only two straight ahead. lava: Toki can shoot bigger shots for twice the damage. He still gets 50 points for each hit, though. scramble: Toki's shots will bounce up and down. There will be three of them. Only one of the shots may connect, but there's a wide range. All these are interchangeable, but FIREBALL is a bit different; Toki's first shot is usually lethal(10 hits) but he will have normal shots until it recharges. A gauge at the bottom of the screen shows how long it takes(a second or two, really) but each shot means Toki will have to wait the full length of time again. With the fireball, Toki is advised to shoot, wait, and shoot. 1-up: on levels 3 and 5, trick jumps will net Toki an extra life. Given their challenge you deserve something for getting them. The challenges disappear if you die and get kicked back. Clock: nets you 50 extra units of time, which should not usually be a problem. Toki can also pick up 50 gold coins from vanquished Shartoesi to get an extra life. 3. JUMPING AND STRATEGY Toki can bounce on enemies to get higher. He bounces a bit higher after jumping as opposed to just dropping. This is useful to get certain power-ups or even extra lives, although there is a limited window because of how deterministically the game spits out enemies. Toki's got a good deal of range when he's up in the air, but often you have to watch for monsters above, especially ones that may appear as you move on. You can also use the bounce from a monster to shoot a bit. Often when a monster appears it's safe to pull back and fire. Time shouldn't be a factor, so don't worry about that too much. Also sometimes if you can jump past a certain point, you can shoot a monster that appears in the air, or you can bounce on a monster that's ahead. On the other hand you may also crash into it, so you need to have a rough feel for what's ahead. I had to take a couple of full runs through the game before I learned a good part of what tricks were where, or which were the most deadly. You should also get acquainted with diagonal shooting, too. The only problem with it is that Toki inches forward as he shoots, which could land him in hot water. When jumping on a moving platform, your momentum doesn't carry you, so you have to steer yourself in the air if you want to stay on. The ability to twist in the air is, in general, very useful and if used correctly, it can help you sneak by some troubling monsters. In general you'll want to stay ahead of a moving platform you're jumping on so you can pull up at the last moment. Toki gets 100 for jumping on an enemy but only 50 for shooting them. Jumping also has the effect of hitting an enemy twice, but there are weird 'tie' cases where Toki jumps on an enemy and dies. 4. BESTIARY In the bestiary, I describe the character, how many hits it takes, how it gets around, and the best way to go about attacking it. Points and hits(by fire) before you kill it are located later. Monsters are predetermined and appear when you pass a certain scrolling point. You get points for monsters dying even if you don't kill them, so if one jumps in the lava, you get points for it. Which is fair as they are possible to trick. If you're wondering where I got all these names, they appear at the end of the game. I've arranged them in the order they appear in the game. --Herbamo: the green shell thing that crawls around. One hit and it dies. It can be useful as a springboard. --Garnidare: crablike thing that can climb up vines. You can wait for it to get to the top and fire if there's a vine to climb down. --Webstamite: buglike thing that hovers in the air, shoots red bullets, and explodes again on death. The more you hit it, the faster it will go. It has several arcs it sprays bullets in so try to keep a distance from it, or jump and shoot at it just after it releases. --Ivor: anteater-looking thing that crawls around. Not as pokey as it looks, but not too hardy either. --Timagon: fire-breathing lizard with bug-eyes that pops out of a green-and-red shell, which also can be a nuisance, since the shells take hits. The Timagon also roughly seems to know where you are, and your best bet is to run/jump/fire away at it, preferably with power-ups. --Shartoesi: flying tadpoles that drop coins. They fly back and forth, getting a bit lower each time as they wrap off the screen and back on. --Killer harna: brown bird that flies in a figure eight. Often useful for jumping on, and it coughs up a power-up which isn't always useful but can be nice. --Flying shardu: green and red thing which dives from the top of the screen. Combined with other monsters it can put you in a squeeze. Best to jump on it in those cases. There's also a small version with satellites. It twirls around randomly. Kill the center one and get 100 for the remaining satellites, which get 50 if you shoot them. --Thorpedo: brown bird that often leaves power-ups(powers-up?) --Wobalin: blue devil that appears above you and chucks spears downward. 3 hits. --Kalgatrobe: square thingamabob that stands around and pauses when he swipes at you. If you don't run into him he won't have the range to kill you. More for shock value than anything else. Jumping on him often allows you to reach a power-up or a protection. --Bellzador: winged animal with a spear that swoops at you. It's taken aback if it hits you but has an annoying spear it thrusts right after. It can also go off the screen to the left, which is annoying, so you want to shoot diagonally at it up/right, then up, then watch for the spear off screen to the left to fire. --Armorel Kemin: the guys with the swords that shoot energy fields at you on the sixth level. They often do so just as they appear, or when you start a life. So you need to know where they appear. --Galartor: Annoying *** that looks like a brown-and-white prehistoric animal head and bounces up and down off the side of the screen, then bounces toward you. It also breathes flame missiles that act like curveballs. The best strategy is to use a helmet to crush it or to jump on its head. Sadly you can't run under it as it catches up to you, and in one situation if you don't use your power up you're reduced to jumping, firing, and hoping. --Gabranha: red fish with blue spots that appears on the water levels. Small ones are 100 points and take 1 hit--large ones are 300 and take 2. The large ones tend to follow you around but the small ones are more numerous and gum up narrow passageways. Neptuna also belches them out. --Mortoise: underwater turtle that can turn into spikes. It has a circular path until it rises to the surface quickly, straight up. --Cupper: green froggy thing underwater. It travels in a figure eight but does not fire. --Blastums: land-based goldfish that fly horizontally at you from an enclave once they "see" you. However they're killed if they run into a wall and miss you, and they only take one shot. --Pengafin: penguin that runs away from you and leaves power-up when killed. --Bungataras: dumb bird on level five that you can shoot and get 3000 from if you pick up the resulting bonus chicken breast that flies up as it dies. --Raktura: fire breathing bird that swoops down, fires a swaft of three bullets, and loops some more. --Creepavore: crawler guy who sticks out his tongue, loops three bullets in the air, moves in, and repeats. --Shoshanu: fish that go in the four angular directions. They can nip you from behind if you don't expect. --Vipus: octopus-like fish that breathes the smaller goldfish(100 points.) --Gate of Moornah: flying fortress on first level that two Geeshergam operate. There are four steam breathing thingamabobs on each side that require 2 hits(8 total) and plungers that also require 2 hits on the bottom. The Geeshergams making energy for it on top take 5 hits and are don't give special points when you're killed. --Geeshergam: the petulant monkeys that somersault out at you with a springy noise and yelp and die amusingly. They take two hits and give 300 points. Jump when they're in the air, and you'll nail them. --Katyerows: Trees that appear when a ball falls from the sky. They drop balls that bounce toward you that you must shoot or duck. The balls take two hits and give 100 points. You can also shoot the ball that falls before it reaches the ground for 50 each time but it delays the inevitable. --Catecormos: nasty jumping tulips that usually appear in pairs and jump to seemingly random heights. Your best bet is to run away when you see them and jump after one makes a weak jump. The first bounce is the toughest. There are also bosses. Many of them give no points beyond the many times you hit them, but the challenges are entertaining. --Boloragog: level 1 boss, big black guy with big head and earrings. He has several moves: 1. Summon two waves of four Geeshergam(only 100 points here) to fly in at you 2. Two bounces from one side to the other 3. Move to the center and just sit there 4. Big leap from one side to the other(toughest to deal with, head for the other side of the middle, turn and shoot the Geeshergams that come-- diagonally to be sure) --Neptuna: level 2 semi-boss, this giant scaly mer-man turns colors when you hit him and not his shield, which protects all but the lowest part of his body. He belches out gabrahna to distract you. Sucked into a vortex when killed. You'll want to follow his nether region and fire away. When he starts moving his shield up and down, you'll hit him, and he'll flash. You may want to dispose of gabranha near you before dropping down--you'll also want to stay away from Neptuna as far as possible although the chamber is a bit crowded. --Rambacha: level 2 boss, this eyeball splats out three eyeballs that may die by themselves but are probably better off shot ASAP. You can jump on them or run under when they bounce, or shoot them. I prefer the third way as Rambacha can disappear and reappear right where you're jumping--R.I.P. Toki. --Mogulvar: level 3 boss, an intestine with arms and legs that kicks out you and occasionally launches the letters for the word "burp." Melts when killed. Your toughest part is figuring when to do what. First you'll want to stay on the left and fire right. When Mogulvar gets close you'll want to jump straight up and keep firing, as he kicks out at you then. --Zorzamoth: level 4 boss, this green elephant tries to nail you with a springy beady trunk and red boomerang tusks. Then he comes crashing toward you. Ee e's a big 'un. But he falls pretty easily. When the first tusk comes, jump as it goes almost all the way off the screen, then jump again immediately. Then start firing. When he flexes his trunk, it will spring at Toki. Jump when it comes at you. It may do so three times. You have to watch for the third but if you jump reflexively you should still be able to nail Zorzamoth as he bounces towards you. --Bashtar: level 5 boss, a pair of feet, two bobbing fists, and a heart(fists sometimes close around it)--shoot the feet to hold them off(or they'll bounce all the way to the left,) then shoot the heart when you've got a free view to kill it. It's best to shoot diagonally. Often when a hand dips in front of you, you'll want to walk into the space where it was. If you run away you may get cornered, and the hand bobs up and down high enough that you'll have time to sneak to where it was. The other hand will be circling the heart, and eventually you'll be in near(shooting the feet whenever there's nothing better to do) and the heart will be unguarded, and you'll get some shots in.Bashtar drops off the screen when killed, but if he drops on you he, uh, gets a rematch. --Vookimeldo: level 6(final) boss starts out in a robe and throws rainbow boomerangs, then sheds it and turns into a rib cage with a heart and a springy neck. The hand will also fly off and seek you out. Very nasty. 4-2. UNNAMED AND INANIMATE --The circular spinning things on level five. They get you 100 for jumping on them. --The spiked cones require two hits and give 100 points. Be sure to jump out of the way of the spikes that result. --There are some sinking platforms that will only rise when you jump on them. Often there are treasures beneath them. Timing shouldn't be too much of a problem. --There are 16 ton weights that you can use to jump high up(the see- saw.) 4-3. CHART OF WHO'S WHERE Name |Levels|Hits|Points| ---------------+------+----+------+ Herbamo |1 4 | 1| 100| Garnidare |1 5 | 1| 100| Webstamite |1 3 | 4| 300| Ivor | 3 5 | 2| 200| Timagon |1 3 | 5| 1000|4/500 shell Shartoesi |12345 | 1| 100| Killer harna |12345 | 3| 300| Flying shardu |123456| 2| 300|small 2-5 Thorpedo |12 4 6| 1| 100| Wobalin | | 2| 300| Kalgatrobe |1 3 5 | 6| 1000| Beilzador | 2 4 6| 6| 3000| Armorel Kemin | 6| 5| 1000| Galartor | 3 6| 24| 3000| Gabrahna | 2 4 | 2| 300| Mortoise | 2 | 3| 500|small 1/100 Cupper | 2 4 | 3| 1000| Blastums |1 4 | 1| 500| Pengafin | 4 | 2| 100| Bungataras | 5 | 6| 1000| Raktura | 3 | 10| 3000| Creepavore | 5 | 8| 1000| Gate of Moornah| | | |2x4+2x8+2x5 Geeshergam |1234 6| 2| 300| Katyerows | 5 | 12| 3000|(seeds 2/100) Catecormos | 5 | 6| 300| Shoshanu | 2 4 | 4| 1000| Vipus | 4 | 24| 3000| Boloragog |1 | 30| 7000| Neptuna | 2 | 40| 3000| Rambacha | 2 | 40| Mogulvar | 3 | 40/60 Zorzamoth | 4 | 40/52 Bashtar | 5 | 40/60 Vookimedlo-1 | 6| 20| Vookimedlo-2 | 6| 40| 7000| Other points: --You get 1000 points for each coin you pick up whether from a shartoesi, a spike, or just lying around. --Apples, bananas, and strawberries occur at fixed points and get you 500 points but are not good for much otherwise. --You get an extra Toki at 70000 points or when you clear 50 coins. There doesn't seem to be an extra Toki beyond 70000. I played through a game (with save states, I admit!) and got 250000 without having to restart. 5. LEVEL ONE: OUTSIDE "1: LABYRINTH OF CAVES THE EVIL HAND OF BASHTAR HAS SEIZED THE LOVELY MIHO. HER BELOVED, THE MIGHTY TOKI, HAS ALSO BEEN DEALT A WICHED(sic) BLOW. NOW, REDUCED TO A LOWLY APE, TOKI MUST RISK A PERILOUS JOURNEY TO FREE MIHO AND REGAIN HIS MANHOOD." This is not an easy introduction--I know I got killed very quickly the first time I tried this game. Two herbamos block your way at first. Crouch to shoot the second although for fun you can also run up to it without dropping off the edge. Fire up rapidly to nail the Shartoesi but save a couple shots for the first Geeshergam--jumping on it is bad as the Shartoesi will come back and get you while you're vulnerable. You can pick the Shartoesi off on the return to be safe. Make sure to get the firepower increase and hit/jump on the kalgatrobe and then fire straight up if necessary to tackle the killer harna, which drops a Wavy- firepower box. Try to wait until you're at the bottom to jump and kill the spikes ahead. Then jump up and let the platform sink until you get the helmet. You'll need to position yourself in the center here and you may want to run around a bit as you descend--you have more time than you think and you can always jump, wait, and run a bit more. Go right and wipe out the birdies before and while jumping on the Kalgatrobe--you'll want to go fairly quickly so that the helmet is still effective. You can jump or shoot or use your helmet on the blastum to your left, and jump again to use the see-saw. Wait until parallel with the platform above, go left in the air and run into the Timagon if your helmet is active. If it's not you may have to jump again--bounce on the shells and Timagon to get rid of things. The gate of Moornah, the next part, is big but not so hard. Just knock out the feelers on the bottom while you're still climbing the vine(diagonal shots.) Then at the top, fire up a bunch, and before taking the next rope, do the same. That will knock off the steam- breathers(you can shoot diagonally on the rope,) and when you get to the platform at the top, move left a bit, then crouch and shoot the Geeshergams operating it until the thing crashes. Run across to get the fire, then duck a bit down the rope and kill the garnidares. Climb down the vine and nail the shardu. Jump off the vine and jump again immediately to avoid another blastum--or turn and fire if you want the points. Go to the edge before the diagonal drop and duck and shoot the geeshergam. Start down the hill, fire, and move back to the right to avoid the spikes from the cone. Once you're down the hill, there are two Wobalins to dispose of. Activate them, move back, turn left, fire up. Fight them one by one. The webstamite, next, is a bit annoying, but shoot it diagonally or jumping from a distance, and eventually it's toast. Next you'll meet a Kalgatrobe but instead of killing it immediately wait for it to get left of under the power-up and jump on top of it. Swerve in the air for the helmet. Go to the edge of the spiked pit, nail the geeshergam, and jump over the pit. Don't stand on the ledge as it will crumble. Nail the kalgatrobe, jump to the next ledge, and shoot up and to the right until you've knocked the troublesome webstamite out. On the third ledge, wipe out the killer harna above, then on the top ledge, fire up and to the left until you've got the next webstamite. Remember to jump out of the way of debris if necessary. Get the shoes, fire up, and climb up. You are in the home stretch now. When you get to the top there will be a Wobalin. DO NOT JUMP HERE. You'll jump into him. Just fire up and you'll get him. Go left a bit more to fire up at another Wobalin. Only then, jump on the see-saw and go left at the height of your jump, then jump again to get the helmet. Shoot the cone(helmet will absorb spikes) and head right when the scenery opens a bit. Shartoesi will appear, but first the shardu and a kalgatrobe, which shouldn't be too hard, especially if you have the helmet. The Shartoesi should be easy when they come back lower. The waterfall to the right is easy to pass. Although it pushes you to the left, a couple of quick jumps will get you over. It's more risky to jump on the killer harna, but it's a bit more fun. Soon after that, there is the boss. You'll want to be a little left of center so that it will probably order geeshergams to come flying in at you. Just wail away at the fire button, and you will nail a bunch of them. Now, Boloragog, the boss, has four things it can do. --continue to summon monkeys(you just shoot) --jump to the other side of the screen and summon monkeys(go center right and shoot) --bounce up and down(the toughest. You need to gauge his jumps) --it may also move to the center(knock out folks who get too close) and sit there, which is good for you, because you have open season on it then. Boloragog shouldn't be too tough, and you're on your way to level two. Just avoid the outright edges fighting him, or you'll have to put up with his ridiculous grin. 6. LEVEL TWO: UP THE CANYON, DOWN INTO THE LAKE "2: LAKE NEPTUNE HAVING SAFELY TRAVELLED THE LABYRINTH OF CAVES AND ESCAPED THE JAWS AT THE GATE OF MOOR-NAR(sic: moornaH,) TOKI SETS OUT ACROSS THE SHARK- INFESTED WATERS OF LAKE NEPTUNE. BUT, BEWARE THE EYES OF RAMBACHA!!" Nail the cannon guy. Easier said than done--the cannon balls seem uniform and drop right in front of you, but after a few you should either be able to 1) run past them, turn and fire or 2) jump, fire, hit the Geeshergam while on the start of the slope, and have clear sailing. This is actually the only time where you'll be delayed without a firefight, so don't feel bad taking time to get it right. Then wipe out all the birds as you climb up the right rope, firing left. (Note--you can get onto the cannon ledge by using two ropes, but there's nothing really to do there.) Pick off the small flying shardus(always fun to try for the center one first) and jump to the next ledge. You won't be able to help picking up the flame, but again, as you go up the vine, wipe out the airborne enemies. With a big jump off the platforms near the top and a few shots, you can nail a few shartoesi, but the more immediate problem is the bellzador. Move right quickly and try for the thorpedo first--jump in the air if necessary to prevent the helmet from falling down and left out of reach. Because with it the Bellzador will be toast. Just run into him. If you can't get the thorpedo then fire up and right as quickly as you can. Fire straight up and be prepared to shoot up/left as the Bellzador ducks off screen. Don't climb the ledge yet but make sure the geeshergam gets hit in the crossfire at some time. You have now fallen into the water. Toki's a bit vulnerable here as he's rather laid out--maybe that's why he's frowning. Don't worry about surfacing for air, which is unnecessary. A rule of thumb when you see a big sea monster is not to go left or right but to track them until you can blast them. Observe the sharp turns of the shoshanu and cupper's figure-eight motions and sneak in when you know their patterns. Try to avoid mortoises. Note bigger monsters all have pre-ordained paths except for gabranhas which follow you slowly. You're not too fast either but you can reverse and flee. Also, going diagonally unless you've got a good reason(i.e. no monsters are present) is usually deadly. Don't do it. There's no time pressure. Eventually you'll hit a big wall on the right if you stay low, which gets you 3-shots. Go up top to see a thorpedo that you can jump out of the water and shoot for a helmet. It's not that useful against Neptuna, as the gabranhas spit out may get the back of you. When you get to Neptuna, the mini-boss, move Toki up and down and stay as far away as possible. Stay near its bottom and don't worry if you hit its shield with most of your shots. Fire away. There's a small tunnel behind you with goodies and the baby gabranhas shouldn't cause you much trouble. Watch out for the killer harna when you exit the water and don't jump on the moving ledge until it's gone. After jumping on the moving platform and down a ledge there will be a wobalin(stop when it appears,) and then you face Rambacha. I find that diagonal shots work best. Although it seems much safer to get to the opposite side and jump and shoot, Rambacha may regenerate over you in that case as well. You usually have just enough time to sneak under any eyeballs that Rambacha may throw at you as well. Be ready to move when you shoot at it and don't get points and it seems a little blurry; Rambacha is about ready to teleport. Try to kill off remaining eyeballs and then stand in the center when this happens. You can jump on the eyeballs to fire at Rambacha, but you just have be be aware that when it vanishes, it can reappear right where you are, killing you. Only do so just after Rambacha appears. Some timing is required to help Toki take out eyeballs, although they tend to go splat on their own. But when you do manage to kill a few, you'll be able to get several hits in a row in on Rambacha. Otherwise there'll be a bit of bad luck. 7. LEVEL THREE: FIRE CAVERNS "3:CAVERNS OF FIRE MADE BOLD BY HIS RECENT CONQUESTS, TOKI ENTER(sic) THE BLAZING HART(sic) OF THE CAVERNS OF FIRE IN SEARCH OF MIHO. HERE, HE WILL FACE A DEADLY TEST AGAINST MOGULVOR(sic,) THE BEASTLY GUARDIAN OF THIS UNDERGROUND INFERUO(sic.)" Time the jump on the moving platform so you don't jump in the fire, i.e. well before it gets close to you. Then jump on the Kalgatrobe and get the power-up. Jump across the fire to the other side and note that there are two places in the ground where flames sprout up. Between them, two wobalins will come up. So wait for the left flame, walk in, get the two wobalins to show, run back left and blast them easily. Your first Raktura awaits below. It will be an easy one if you use the helmet, but you can also shoot it twice with full flame. You can jump when it starts coming down, or you can peg it while on the left edge and then when you recharge. You won't even have to worry about its three- pronged flame missile. Get the key in the middle. Now if you're quick you can just drop down the shaft, get the bellzador to run into your helmet, as you run right, and drop down. Fire at the spikes to get them out of the way and crouch. Otherwise, drop down and blast the bellzador to the right. Try to nail the Shardu as you go back up the elevator--you'll want the power up here. You'll have to deal with the spikes below one by one: fire, jump, etc. After this you'll meet your first ivor, who should not be a hassle. Then duck to nail the webstamite and let the Kalgatrobe come to you. Wait until he's to the right of the helmet and then jump forward and move backwards when you've picked it up. Then there is another ivor followed by a wobalin. A large flying shardu is on next, and then Geeshergams guard the hill going up, although they are not too tough. Then you climb down the vine and kill the harna, shooting from above. Don't worry about the clock on the right. Fall off to left, nail the webstamite from afar, use the platform to get over the lava, fall to right, kill the small shardus and get the power-ups. Jump down into a chamber where you'll fight a Raktura. Fire away for all you're worth. You'll have to duck bullets here. Remember to shoot it as it loops into the upper left. Then it will swoop down, and you need to duck. Then it will fire, and you should be left-center. Jump to avoid the three shots. You should then be able to bombard it to death and get the key. From there jump on the stairs that are revealed and fall down. The next webstamite is tough--jump after the bullets have gone past, stay at the right and fire left, being prepared to jump when it's killed--but fortunately if it kills you it won't be there when you regenerate. Now, fall down the slope and get on the platform moving right. There is a way to jump on the harnas to get the 1up but survival is more practical here. As the lower harna starts coming back, jump and hold right. You'll bounce through to get the 1up. Too soon and you'll run into the third harna you're supposed to jump on. There'll be a shardu to shoot and some geeshergams and spikes. Shoot right in the air, up/right on the ground. Playing without the elusive 1up, you need to jump off the rock just before it breaks up and you should be able to bounce off the shardu and the Geeshergam(unless it's already fallen into the lava pool) and are ready to face the Hill of Four Spikes, as I call it. Shoot the spikes one at a time. The first two can be nailed with upper-right shots. Then when Toki is peeking over the plateau, take out the third and run back. The fourth is a bit trickier. Get Toki to start down the slope and fire twice. If he goes hard right in the air, he will be safe. Then to jump across the lava pit. This isn't too bad. Just don't go too far right when you jump off the rope. Start inching forward, and there will be shartoesi that appear. Get rid of them(this is for safety more than points, actually--the Timagons that appear will be tough, and you don't need something random flying by and killing you once you're through the worst and things reset) before doing anything else. It is very important to get through the three Timagons the first time through, or it will be much tougher without power-ups. Basically you will want to jump forward and blast away every chance you get for the first Timagon, then run to the edge and jump onto the second, and from there fire at the third. Hide against the right wall and jump up and fire when it's at the right edge. However, if you are killed, you may wish to bait the Timagon(s) into breathing, jump away and turn forward and fire in mid-air. The second Timagon is best dealt with when it is halfway on the platform, facing away, and the third is best dealt with like the first. Now after bouncing on the Geeshergam beyond you need to jump across two ropes in a row. Beware that the ledges will fall if Toki stays too long. However, jumping from a ledge to the rope to a ledge to a rope will be good if you have your timing correct--you can jump from rope to rope but I generally just drop on the left of the ledge, wait, go right and jump onto the second rope. The right part will take longer to fall off that way. Then there is a Geeshergam followed by a Shardu. Jump and shoot diagonally. Run to the edge and jump full right and shoot. Hopefully you'll hit the Thorpedo which will give a useful power up against Mogulvar. If not then just settle for bouncing on the Timagon twice to get rid of that nuisance and veer left after the second bounce to try for a shot on the Thorpedo. Another gold to jump for, some spikes, and after a brief walk you should run into Mogulvar and the final battle of the third level. Mogulvar is the only really nasty boss before Vookimedlo. Go to the left edge of the screen and fire away. When Mogulvar comes at you, jump and shoot, as his kicks are deadly. If he fires "BURP" into the air, shoot above yourself before jump-shooting. If he fires one letter at you, jump to shoot it. Although there are only three things he can do, timely execution may be a bit sticky, especially when he does two in a row. 8. LEVEL FOUR: ICE CAVERNS "4: ICE PALACE FROM FIRE INTO ICE, TOKI'S MISSION TAKES HIM INTO THE FORBIDDEN REACHES OF THE ICE PALACE. AFTER SWIMMING THE UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAY, HE MUST EMERGE TO FIGHT THE FROZEN MONSTER, ZARZAMOTH(sic.)" Leve four seems a bit easier than level three, even if the monsters are a bit more exotic here. The boss is probably easier, too. But do enjoy the backgrounds of the ice caves on the way. Jump on the first herbamo. It's possible but dangerous to get the thorpedo, but you don't really need to as it gives the flame weapon and you'll be picking up lava as you jump on the blocks anyway. Make sure you jump continually from one platform to the next(they have a habit of sinking and disappearing) and once you are back on solid ground, fire to the right continually and then up and to the right when you see stairs. Be careful of Geeshergams falling down. Some can come down the stairs but others get trapped. Now there is another set of steps to play stepping-stones with, but first you should really take all the small shardus out. The two herbamos guarding the ledge can be nasty, but if you shoot them on the jump without trying to get on the ledge and then retrace your steps back up, there is little risk. As usual, you have plenty of time to solve this level. Assuming you axed all the baddies, you'll be on an elevator up, and you'll want to go close to the right edge of the plateau. When the wobalin appears, fire up. Now, below are a pengafin and two herbamos that shouldn't be a problem. The main thing to worry about is that the shoes may be a curse; shartoesi will shortly appear overhead, and if you jump at the wrong time to avoid the blastum in the next gully, you may hit them. Jump vertically if you can. But first there's a large shardu. Nail it, jump right, and on the slope blast up to get the shartoesi easily. After another short drop you will have a blastum, two herbamos, and another pengafin. With a shardu coming down. Best bet is to jump on a monster. Then you can shoot the shardu, and the blastum will go crunch against the stairs to the right. Wipe out everyone and get the pengafin's helmet. Now you can just run into the bellzador but if you want to play fair then use the standard up/right fire, retreat, shoot up if you have to, face up/left as a las resort. Take the elevator down and jump or duck or turn and shoot to neutralize the blastum--with the helmet you don't have to worry just don't face away or it'll get you. A nasty surprise awaits ahead as the game starts scrolling to the left: your first Galartor! I've found encounters with this Galartor to be random and merciless without the power-up--the one on level six is much easier. With the helmet, you can just drop off the bottom of the elevator and run under the Galartor. It will drop into your helmet. Next please! Assuming you didn't make it, the strategy is generally to fire and jump a lot and try to time things so you hit it before it bounces toward you. Very first thing to do is shoot the Pengafin and get the power-up. At first you can shoot diagonal/up and then you'll jump/fire. If you don't, you're in big trouble, but don't let up. I don't believe you can jump on the Galartor, but if you're cornered you might as well. BTW forget about running under it. It changes direction and you don't have time to shoot while it does. After that, there is the relative ease of the Wobalin and the Herbamos--just avoid standing over the flame pits. Be prepared for the Geeshergams somersaulting down the hill and before you fall down be sure to calculate the jump so that you fall right, jump on the herbamo(more bounce that way) and pick up the protection. Get the key(right side, in fact move that way after getting the helmet) to go underwater. Side note--if you've moved quickly, jump in the water and just go hard right. Bust through everything. You can even get through the Vipuses that way but be sure Toki's made it to the right end of the ledge below the Cupper before zooming in diagonally to take out the second Vipus. If you moved slowly, though, the second underwater is less exotic than the first. There are a couple of Shoshanu but no mortoise or big giranhas. You just need to know how to beat the Vipus. Basically you'll want to keep as far left as you can and fire at its center. Be warned that fish the Vipus breathes moving diagonally can hit you with a grazing blow, so stay far back to make the "diagonal fish" moot. The second Vipus is a good deal tougher than the first. You will want to get a bit below his center and move up and down quickly while firing. This is because the fish the Vipus spits out that go downward diagonally will bounce off the ocean floor, and the fish that go left can clip you from above. If you ignore one set of fish, they'll get you. If you focus on them too much, the other fish will get you. So you need to move up and down. Pick up the gold coins and power-up and nail the Cupper(wait til he's going left) and jump out onto solid land. After the group of small shardus, you will walk a bit and reach Zorzamoth. As an aside here, you should have gotten an extra Toki around now for collecting fifty gold coins. Zorzamoth is not too tough to defeat. You won't need to move Toki once combat starts. The tough part is figuring out when to jump. Go to the left of the screen and fire away(to the right, of course.) You won't hit him much--his trunk protects him--but you may want to prepare for the rapid-fire session ahead. When a tusk comes, jump before it hits you(when it's as far left as it can go,) and jump again. Fire away for a bit, and when his trunk starts to move, jump. After it retracts, jump again and a third time. While you're not jumping, be sure to fire, because Zorzamoth will start jumping toward Toki, who will be in trouble unless he's hit Zorzamoth a lot already. Enjoy how Zorzamoth gets diced up. 9. LEVEL FIVE: THROUGH THE RAIN "5:DARK JUNGLE THE CRASHING OF THUNDER LEADS TOKI TO THE DENCE(sic) CANOPY OF THE DARK JUNGLE. FIGHTING HIS WAY THROUGH THE TANGLE VINES, TOKI FACES A DEADLY CONTEST AGAINST AN OLD ENEMY, THE PONCING BASHTAR, IF HE WINS, MIHO WON'T BE FAR." Toki is probably pretty far underground by now, but it's still raining. This next level's pretty stop-and-start, and it's definitely tougher than the previous two. You also have your first encounter with a Bungatara here. If you want to kill it right away, no problem--notice how it zigs and zags sharply up and down. When it's at your level, a few shots will paralyze and kill it. Every Bungatara coughs up a turkey after it's shot, and if you can get to it, it's three thousand points. No big deal if you can't--just a note FYI. Often when you kill one right away its 'carcass' falls into the pit. Which is nasty to jump over. You have to run next to it before you jump over it. After that, there's a creepavore. Creepavores are nasty because they'll stick their tongues out to lick you and fire three red balls in the air. So when one appears, back up slightly and fire away. You'll just get it. From there, you will face, in order, spikes, a killer harna, spikes, a killer harna, spikes, a wobalin, and spikes. Don't worry about the power-up. Just go slowly and surely. Especially when you see a banana. Because next, you will face Catecormos. These guys may jump nastily, and if you face them both the key is to wait until they are both about to land and jump on top. But they don't always cooperate. So just crawl across the bridge until one appears. You can back up if you need to. Firing at them doesn't work as they are very quick. So crawl until you release one, back up, and jump when it's about to land. No matter how quickly it jumps back up you'll be all over it. Just bounce on it until it's dead, go right, and repeat again. Your first katyerow is next, and it should be pretty easy. Don't get too close, but just keep firing at it, and even if it starts shooting balls, you can jump on them while firing. An easier three thousand points than shooting a Galartor. After this, don't overlook the ivor before you need to jump over another pit. A webstamite is next, and you should just stay away from him and fire. If you get too close, a creepavore will appear, and the combination will be deadly. This is often a place where you get kicked back after you die so I think I should point out the best strategy in detail. Stay back to take out the webstamite. Jump when Toki's just left of the helmet. Bounce on the creepavore and go back left. Crawl right to axe the creepavore. From here you can run with the helmet a while--up to the pit with the rope on it, making sure to let the Catecormos land on you on the way and to crawl by the spikes. If this is too blunt for you, jump the next pit, wipe out the katyerow, jump another pit, and when the creepavore and Bungatara both appear at once, move back and fire to take out the creepavore. You can duck under the Bungatara as it goes to the top, butbe prepared to either duck under again or fire upward left very quickly. Then you have spikes, spikes, catecormos and spikes. If you have problems with the catecormos I think it is possible to run at them, get killed, and start where you die--only you are past the spot that triggered the catecormos. Then you have more catecormos followed by a Bungatara and then a vine you need to use to jump across a pit. Once at the vine, swing back and forth once before jumping or you will get killed by the shartoesi. You might as well pick off the shartoesi afterwards even if you don't really have a chance at another extra man. You also probably want to shoot the kalgatrobe and not jump on him(a wobalin appears to kill you if you go for the power-up, and I don't know how to get around that or what use it could serve) before there's a group of small shardus. Now we're going in for an easier '1up' then in level 3. Fire up/right to kill the upper harna, and jump on the lower one to bounce for the helmet. Use the 16 tons to jump all the way up. Drop right when the harna below heads right. It's toast. You can jump between the pillars for goldand then kill the next harna and jump for the 1up. You can actually jump on the harna without shoes and get the 1up, but this requires timing--just as it's coming back. Planning ahead works so much better. Next is a rope up. Shoot the garnidare and run up when the Catecormo appears. It's nasty--it can go up to the top of the screen or go under you. If it goes up, fire away up, but if down, you need to run up post haste. There will then be a plateau with a sort of island to the left. A spiral will spin around the island, and you can get far enough behind the spiral to drop down and pick up the shoes and gold coin. Then you'll have to jump on the up/right spiral and stay jumping on it until you reach a ledge to the right. Up the rope and Next comes a nasty part wherer a webstamite is in an excellent defensive position. You can go under to get the shoes but they in fact may make you jump wildly. Now there is a moving platform that you must jump on, and when you do, DUCK. If you can get to the other side, shoot up and left at the webstamite and don't be scared to jump off to avoid the shots it releases, especially if you've just killed it, or if you feel you need to wait to time your jump onto the moving platform. Feel free to jump to the bottom. You can always come back. You can also fire when underneath the Webstamite and duck quickly. From your moving platform, jump onto a ledge up and to the right. Kill the garnidane and then get the apple if you want. After jumping onto a see-saw you will soon approach a three-part pit where platforms bounce up and down. It is not too bad. Just remember that no two platforms go to the bottom(and spikes and death) at the same time, so you should be able to jump on one as it is going up. It is also possible to collect the power-up to the left of the third platform and still be able to jump right to where you can face Bashtar. Although Bashtar will have more life, your increase in firepower will more than make up for it as it is a quick enough fight. By the way, if you happen to die fighting Bashtar, you can pick off the power-up by moving to the left and jumping onto the vertical elevator block. Stand on the left edge and you'll get the firepower, and then you can move back to the right. It doesn't seem like you have much time, but in fact it will take 5 seconds to do something that will mean ten less hits in the boss fights. Now Bashtar can be a bit of a pain. Don't let the one hand going off screen fool you; it will come back on the side where it went out in its bobbing pattern. To start I recommend going to the middle of the screen and firing away at the feet to keep them at bay. If they box you into the corner, one of the bobbing hands will get you eventually, and you'll be relegated to jumping/firing to hit the heart. Once the hands release the heart, and you manage to get to the middle, fire diagonally up and right to get the heart. The hands bob up and down every two-fifths of the screen, so beware. Also, you'll need to keep the feet in check by firing at them constantly, a good thing to do if a hand squeezes and protects the heart. Also beware that, for a split second after you kill the boss, you are still vulnerable, so don't celebrate too soon once you seem to have won. 10. LEVEL SIX: GOLDEN CASTLE "6:GOLDEN PALACE TOKI'S FINAL QUEST TAKES HIM TO THE PLACE OF MIHO'S IMPRISONMENT, THE GOLDEN PALACE. SKATING ACROSS THE BRIDGES OF THIS GUARDED DOMAIN, TOKI MUST BATTLE HIS GREATES FOE, VOOKIMEDLO. EVERYTHNGS(sic) HANGS IN THE BALANCE." Parts are too easy, parts are unfair. It's a depressing climax to an otherwise very strong game even with the neat city background. To make things worse, you only can spend five continuation quarters on this level(unless you're cheating with MAME and infinite lives!) Start off by firing IMMEDIATELY(you'll need to do this a lot after you've died, too so beware) to take out the Armorel Kemin, who are stunned when hit, and when you get to the pipes banging down, wait until just after one starts to go up. After the second and fourth pipes, a herbamo and shardu will try to converge on you. Stay as far left as you can, and either jump so you land on the shardu, which is less risky than shooting the herbamo and quickly firing diagonally up and right to get the shardu(that may slide you forward so you hit the pipe.) Again, time is no issue, so don't worry about rushing through the pipes. Once you're through there will be a geeshergam among other things to greet you. Eventually you'll see a raised metal plateau with a pipe. Time your jump(go right a bit) so the torch doesn't hit you, as if you can shoot past the pipe and hit the bellzador on the other side, you have an edge over the two bellzadors it will split into. Don't be scared to back up 
and fire at them to keep them each on the right of you, because if one 
goes to the left without the other being dead, you're through. Too tough 
to fend off attacks from both sides. Then you'll have to time a run past 
another pipe. Then drop on a ledge, crouch and shoot because more 
Armorel Kemin are waiting. The first one's right there, but for the 
second, drop back to the bottom, wait until he appears, and jump back 
left.

  After these guys, there is a hill with flame jets. Wait till each of 
the first three dies down and go past it. Just past the fourth one, a 
Galartor will appear, so don't jump down the slope just yet. If you can 
only see half the Galartor's face, you are in the right spot. Just keep 
shooting, and this will help to tip the odds in your favor. If the 
Galartor starts bouncing at you, retreat over the flame(you should have 
time) and try to jump on his head(running jump right.)

  When done, jump over the last gas jet if need be. Then there will be 
stairs up. Crouch and wait for the first two Armorel Kemins to come at 
you, then blast away. For the third, you can probably get away with 
firing diagonally at the edge of the stairs, but you can just wait, duck 
and fire.

  From there it is on to the carts. You'll run into the power up and can 
jump for gold. The next one will be across a gap. There's a helmet above 
the cart--don't strain too hard to get it but if you don't it's one life 
lost(not as bad as trying it a few times.) You can move hard right once 
you get the helmet and get on the cart but it's at least 50-50 you'll 
fall off.

  After this there are some gold and spikes, pretty easy jumping. Just 
don't move as the cart tracks your momentum. On the next gap, you can't 
stop the Armorel Kemin from firing so you'll want to try to jump at him 
without a helmet, but you can run at him--and his pal above--with one.

  IF you still have the helmet, super bonus! Make quick work by running 
right and onto the next cart. Jump through the spikes for the oneup, 
then over some spikes. Otherwise just jump over the spikes.

  Back to the 'main line' so to speak. There'll be two spikes high up. 
You NEED to jump over them to get the helmet. Then for the next jump you 
need to push right with all your heart. Duck under the shoes(you don't 
want them,) jump for the flame, and make the jump to the final area.

  Push right on the jump, and when you land, get past the pillar, fire 
at the Armorel Kemin and take a shot up at the thorpedo for the new 
power up which will last a bit for Vookimedlo. Run into the Bellzador 
and then don't worry about the next thorpedo(useless time bonus) but 
bust through to Vookimedlo for the final fight.

  Vookimedlo, though, is tough. First, don't worry about your helmet 
wearing off. There's no way to stop that. Vookimedlo has two stages, a 
guy with a robe and a dragon skeleton. For the first bit you need to get 
a body length or so away and fire. When he sends out boomerangs, jump 
and keep firing. The aerial maneuvers require you to run a bit back 
left, jump left, and pull right at the height of your jump, as the 
boomerangs are rather smart. Note that fire will not do extra damage 
here, so if you have it, don't wait between shots. Just pop Vookimedlo 
as the boomerangs return to him.

  After a while he will lose his robe, and you need to try to hit his 
rib cage. The only nice thing about all this is that Vookimedlo's 
stamina is 40 whether or not you have a power up. The process is still 
painfully slow, however. You'll need to beware of his moves, and 
sometimes he won't leave himself open--his neck and hands deflect fire 
from the heart in the exposed rib cage. The safest of his attacks is 
when he starts shooting cannonballs(you can stay left, jump and fire) 
but there are three moves and you have to watch for him to tip his hand 
subtly.

--hand reaches out to grab you
--head reaches out to grab you
--he starts firing cannonballs all over the place

  Watch what he does while things seem idle. If the hand clenches and 
opens, it will aim for where you are when it starts moving. Best to 
prepare to jump over it, sneak near the dragon, and fire up/right to try 
to hit it. If the hand is not headed to the left edge, then you will 
just have to retreat to the left and jump and fire and hope you hit 
something. In any case, cowering in the corner is bad.

  If the head shakes, it will protract on its spine and go after you. In 
this case you will need to jump pretty much anywhere, although if you 
aren't in the left corner you have some timing and space leeway as you 
can use some space to the left to jump. The head retracts so slowly that 
you can get close and fire diagonally for a few hits.

  If the dragon gives neither of these but rocks in general then you 
need to watch for cannonballs. Retreat to the left and jump and fire 
right. A few shots will get through. You just need to get to the edge, 
though, as the steam from where cannonballs land will kill you, and 
though they start on the right side they eventually cover the left.

  This is very nasty even if you have infinite lives on MAME, so I 
recommend you just switch to "max lava"--be sure to fire sparingly when 
Vookimedlo loses his robe--and give yourself infinite lives and you 
should have less of a problem beating him.

  On winning, Toki is zapped by a ray and turned back into a quite 
frankly less interesting he-man and he and Miho go frolicing off into 
some scenic vista with a tree nearby and a lovely field laid out below. 
Then you get to see the monsters and their names, which I found cooler, 
anyway.

  10. BUGS AND QUIRKS

  If you shoot a shartoesi at the very top, it may leave the coin to be 
embedded in the ceiling--the coin won't fall down!

  Toki jumps in the air after finishing levels 2 and 4. To get him stuck 
in midair before the next scene begins, just jump a second or two after 
the boss dies.

  Monsters disappear if they go too high up off the screen. This can be 
to your considerable advantage.

END OF FAQ PROPER

================================

  11. VERSIONS

1.1.0 sent to GameFAQs 9/10/2003. Plowed through the game, lots of new 
tips, about the best I can do, probably. Feels very complete now. And it 
only took two years! I now feel less sheepish about the award for a FAQ 
that I felt I could spruce up.
1.0.1 sent to GameFAQs 8/26/2003. I needed to reformat and added some 
tips I'd overlooked. Some silly oversights but I already spent the FAQ 
of the Week money CJayC bestowed on me for this so I feel no great 
compulsion to mail him and say he shoulda picked another of my guides 
for that :).
1.0.0 sent to GameFAQs 8/4/2001. Basic walkthrough written, but not all 
points are tracked. I still need to determine the number of hits and 
points scored for certain monsters and to complete the chart as well.

  12. CREDITS

The usual GameFAQs gang. They know who they are, and you should, too, 
because they get some SERIOUS writing done. Good people too--bloomer, 
daremo, falsehead, RetroFreak, Snow Dragon, and others I forgot.
CJayC for giving this FAQ of the week--thanks for the extra writing 
encouragement--but even without that, for conceiving and maintaining 
GameFAQs.

The US Naval Academy for putting this game by the laundry room where I 
discovered it.