================================ BUCKY O' HARE WALKTHROUGH (NES) ================================ By Hoffman Frenchman (Formerly madhair60) mad_hair60@hotmail.com "And now, an update on Bucky O' Hare and the Toad Wars!" v1.1 - Guide now covers entire game! ========= CONTENTS ========= - Introduction - Controls - Items - Walkthrough - Character Bios - Extra - Conclusion ============= INTRODUCTION ============= Hello and welcome to my second FAQ. Bucky O' Hare is one of the most difficult games I have ever played and also one of the best. I was surprised that it did not already have a walkthrough for it posted on GameFAQs, so I am taking the liberty of writing one. I hope it will assist you in completion of this fine game. ========= CONTROLS ========= D-Pad: Move your character. B Button: Fire weapon. A Button: Jump. Charge B Button: Power up special ability. (Release B Button: Use special ability.) Down and A Button: Drop off platform. Up and B Button: Fire weapon upward. SELECT Button: Select character. START Button: Pause game. ===== ITEMS ===== Most items are found as circular icons. This section details the effects they have on you. =1-UP= This icon will bestow your character with an extra life. Fairly common, but usually hard to access. =EMPTY ICON= A 3000 points bonus. Not really worth risking your life for. =L-HEART= Completely refills your energy bar. Superbly helpful! =P-ICON= Increases the maximum length of your Power Bar. Well worth a look. ============== WALKTHROUGH ============== =BUCKY= The main character and the one you start the game as. He will probably be by your side until you get Deadeye. Bucky's special ability is a Hi-Jump that will allow you to reach higher ledges and bonus items. Believe me, you need all the help you can get. ============= GREEN PLANET ============= +ACT ONE+ Let's croak Toads! Walk to the right firing your gun to destroy the Toad Soldier blocking your path. Use the ledge to get across the gap, killing the Soldier as you go. Hop to the next ledge and do a Hi-Jump to your left to reach a 1-UP. Continue right, staying on the high ledges and you will avoid the Soldiers below. You will reach a Points bonus guarded by a Gun Turret. The bullets the Turret fires will reduce one point from your Life bar, so do your best to avoid them and continue over the high ledges. You will be under fire by Turrets so take care. Eventually you will reach a ledge with a Points Bonus underneath it, flanked by three Gun Turrets and a Toad Soldier. The Bonus isn't really worth the hassle but if you must have it, drop down, kill the Soldier and quickly nip under the Turrets to grab it, before retreating. Hop on the ledge to your right and jump up to grab the Life Bonus. Continue along until you reach the ledge that is patrolled by a Toad Soldier. When it is heading away from you, drop down and blast it. The same applies for the final platform as well. Drop down and destroy the final Soldier, then head right off the screen to exit the act. +ACT TWO+ Stand still until the descending Spider has exploded (!) and all its bullets will miss you. Quickly shoot the approaching Soldier then begin to climb the tree. Jump from the nearest branch to the one on the far right of the tree, and then jump straight up. Bees will approach you from the left. Face towards them and fire repeatedly to take them out. Now leap to the branch on the left and carefully jump and fire at the Soldier. Hop across to where the Soldier once stood. Central to the tree are two branches. Stand on the top one. Shoot the Soldier to your right and leap onto his perch. A Spider will descend to the right. Stay still and the bullets will miss you when it explodes. Hi-Jump to the middle platform and jump to the branch above. Jump and fire at the Soldier then head up to the platform in the centre of the tree (Underneath the Beehive). Shoot the Bees. Jump and shoot until the Hive is destroyed then Hi-Jump up onto the platform to the right. Another Spider will attack. Jump over the bullets to avoid damage. Continue climbing until you reach another Beehive. Jump and shoot it until it explodes (If Bees emerge, they should be caught by your blasts). Hi-Jump upwards to the next branch and shoot the Caterpillar. Continue to climb (Killing anther Caterpillar and Soldier) until you reach another Beehive. Destroy it carefully (Regarding the Bees) and head upward avoiding or killing the Caterpillars. Another Spider will attack, jump its Bullets. At the top of the tree, kill the Soldier and hop onto the cliff to your right to finish the act. +ACT THREE+ Drop down when the Soldier begins to walk away from you and quickly shoot him twice. Go to the brown ledge just before the water. Hop onto the branch, then quick as a flash hop to the next before the first collapses. Drop down (DOWN + A) onto the log. You will float to the right. Keep firing to destroy the two marauding fish, grab the "P" Icon then jump off the log onto safe ground. Hop over the two platforms hanging from the vines. They act as scales; so do not stand onto one for too long. The swinging platforms ahead can be traversed easily if you wait until the first one is at the peak of its rightwards swing before leaping to the next. On the next scales, ride the second platform down to grab the 1-UP. Keep jumping as it falls and once the 1-UP is yours, do short hops to get yourself more or less level with the branch again before jumping to it. Cross the swinging platforms and make your way up the ledges to the top of the screen. Drop from the ledge to your left to the log floating below you. Once you have the 1-UP Icon, hop to safe ground before the log (And you) drop off the bottom of the screen. Head to the top and right and you reach another log. Jump on it and ride it across. When it drops down to the second level of rushing water, hop off it to the right to grab a Points Bonus. Hurry right from here and drop onto the passing log, before leaping up the two collapsing branches to a safe ledge. Head right until you are on a ledge next to a Toad Soldier. Again, wait until he is not facing you before jumping to shoot him. He takes two hits. Hop onto his (Now vacant) platform and jump to the log below. Travel left, shooting to destroy the fish. When you touch the 1-UP, double back and leap to the overhanging branch. Now head right to exit the act. The Toad Soldier may have respawned, so take care. +ACT FOUR+ Drop off the edge of the waterfall then freefall... avoiding the rocks as you go. There are a few Bonus Icons fly past you as you drop, but it's down to luck more than anything if you grab them or not. When you hit the bottom, head right to exit the (Short) act. +ACT FIVE+ This area is patrolled by flying Toad Battleships. They shoot laser beams from below them and they open their metallic mouths to fire two bullets at you. Make your way right, jumping gaps and avoiding their fire. When traversing holes in the floor, make sure you aren't going to be hit by any bullets or laser beams mid-jump. If you are, you'll drop instantly to your death. When you reach an "L" heart, jump onto the platform next to it and charge up a Hi-Jump. Release it when a Battleship passes over you and you'll hitch yourself a ride. Grab the "P" Icon suspended in mid air then return to the exit. +BOSS ACT - TOADBORG+ When Toadborg grabs a BIG boulder, run as close to him as you can and charge up a Hi-Jump. BE WARNED: If you touch the Boulder while it is still in one piece, you will be instantly killed. When he lobs the Boulder, hop over him so you are behind him. He will run away from you, slamming into the far wall. This is when you shoot him! Unfortunately, he will also cause rocks to rain down on you. Do your utmost to dodge them while firing at his back. He will run back towards you again and drop more rocks. Keep firing at him! He will move a little way towards you and grab another Boulder. Repeat the Hi-Jump technique to dodge his attack. He will then charge at you again... repeating the earlier attack pattern. Keep up the previous technique to do him in. Green Planet completed! Well done! =BLINKY= Congratulations on rescuing Blinky! His special ability is a Rocket Pack he can use to fly out of danger! Blinky's weapon flies in a downward arc, and destroys walls made of Ice and Stone. (PASSWORD: 67JZJ) ========== RED PLANET ========== +ACT ONE+ Make your way right to the first lava pool. A fireball jumps out in front of you at 3-second intervals. When it has landed back in the pool, quickly hop over the lava to the safe ground. Carefully cross the next fire-spitting pool. The next lava pit has a Toad Soldier patrolling the safe ground beyond it, so walk towards the edge and fire at it as it walks into view. You can then safely cross the pit. You will see a Soldier on a small ledge, taking up all the space. Bucky can fire through walls, so stand back on the previous Soldier's territory and shoot the Toad from here, then go onto his platform. Jump the lava pit and stay still. A volcano erupts in the background, showering fireballs around you. Stay where you are and none of the flames will hit you. When they stop coming down, continue right over three more lava pits. Another volcano will erupt, but standing still will avoid the threat. Continue right until you reach a spitting lava pit. Hop across it onto the next platform. Stand still to avoid the fire. Continue right, carefully crossing the lava pits until you reach a Soldier. Destroy him when he is heading away from you and head right. Just two more lava pits and a Toad stand between you and the exit. +ACT TWO+ The spiky ceiling in this cave is deadly to the touch, so watch the height of your jumps! Cross the first two lava pits (One of which is a spitter) and you'll reach a large fire pit. A boulder falls down from above into the pit. Use the boulder as a platform and carry on to the right. Carefully kill the Toad Soldier (He takes two hits) and drop to grab the "P" Icon. Hi-Jump back to the platform you came from (The Soldier may have been replaced) and continue right over more fire. Push the two boulders into the lava and use them to cross the large fire pit. At the next lava pool, climb to the top boulder and push it over the edge into the fire, then push in the lower one. Use them as an impromptu bridge. Next, push the boulders NEAR the edge of their platforms (NOT into the lava!) and use them as stepping-stones to the next platform. Be careful destroying the Toads guarding the road ahead, they can be annihilated with two swift shots. Go onward. You will see a 1-UP floating above. Jump the gap and push the boulder to the left, but not into the lava. Hi-Jump off the boulder and grab the 1-UP. Hi-Jump again from the boulder and land on the HIGH platform. Go to the right, grab the points bonus then leave the act to the right. +ACT THREE+ Go right and drop down, then drop down the gap to your left. OK, now it gets tough. Really tough. If you want to make it through this intact, I suggest you pause the game after every instruction to get your bearings for the next direction you must go in. Drop to the right and HURRY down the stairs to the left. When you drop off the steps, go right and drop straight down. Start left over the edge. You grab a points bonus. Go over the left edge and start right again. You'll go down three steps. When you land, start left. You'll drop four steps this time. Go right until you drop then instantly bank left. Keep going left until you can fall no further. See the drop on the right? Fall down it whilst hugging the left wall. Drop over the left edge whilst travelling right. You'll drop onto another platform. Fall off it, head right and drop again. Hold left and you'll fall onto a 1-UP. THE EXACT SECOND you grab it turn back and run right to leave the act. Phew! Ever played Megaman 2? This reminded me of Quickman's level. Only tougher! +ACT FOUR+ Go right, avoiding the fireball from the lava. Grab the "P" Icon and go onward until you are on a platform over the HUGE snake of fire (You'll know it when you see it). When it is disappearing into the lava, drop down to the centre of the platform and crouch. The lava jet will miss you, hopefully...! When it is safe, leap to the next platform. Quickly destroy the Toad! Make your way right, avoiding spitting fire. You will reach a small platform with a Toad walking on it. It's clearly going to cost you to hop down and kill it with Bucky. There's no space! So, we switch to Blinky (SELECT Button). Use Blinky's arcing bullets to waste the Toad, and then hop onto his platform. The rest of the level is best tackled with this guy, so stick with him! Leap to the centre of the Lava snake's platform when it is safe (Blinky doesn't need to crouch) and continue when it is safe. Go on (Avoiding fireballs) until you reach another Lava Snake with a Soldier on its platform. Waste the Soldier with the arcing bullets. Cross the platform when it's safe. Continue until you reach two single block platforms going downwards. They are protected by Fireballs. Simply wait until they are going back down and hop across them to the exit! Oh, and the Fire Snakes remind of Contra 3. +ACT FIVE+ Switch to Bucky and run to the right, firing. You will see a blinking arrow signifying an exit (Not THE exit, for the record). Walk into it to enter the next section of the act. I hate to say it, but there isn't much I can do for you in this area. Just stay away from the spikes on the side of the screen and make your way up when there is a gap in the platform. Keep firing to destroy rolling Toads! There is an "L" Heart near the top. The exit is at the top right. +ACT SIX+ Jump onto the first rolling rock and charge up a Hi-Jump. Release it when you are on the right so you can access the next platform. Head across a little way, using rocks for transport until you reach an area where rocks periodically drop down onto the spikes. Jump onto a rock when you can and ride it to the right. See the gap in the spikes? See the boulder above? Hop off your rock to the next when it drops down! Switch to Blinky as you travel and destroy the Toads who are waiting for you. Switch back to Bucky and Hi-Jump to the 1-UP. Go right and grab the points bonus. Jump the spikes. Another rock drops down. Hop on it and charge a Hi-Jump straight away. Jump through the gap in the ceiling, kill the Toad and grab the 1-UP. Get onto another rock and ride it off-screen to exit. +ACT SEVEN+ Stay on the rock. When the huge green sphere rolls at you, jump onto it, and then back onto your rock. Ignore the "P"! When the sphere comes back for you hop onto it and ride it to the right. Hop onto the ledge when you see it. Wait until the sphere goes back to the left again. When a rock drops down, hop onto it and head onwards. Hop onto the green sphere when it passes. When you see a ledge, hop up and grab the "L" Heart then quickly get back onto the sphere. Crouch to avoid the overhead spikes. Do a TINY hop if you MUST have the 1-UP, trying to land back on the sphere here is HARD! Grab the points bonus when you see it then walk right to the exit. +BOSS ACT - TOAD SENTINEL+ Ah! There just HAD to be something more to that Sphere, didn't there? Well, stay on the far left. Jump and shoot at it when it opens up. The bouncing bomb will miss you and if you jump well, so will the laser fire. When it closes, charge a Hi-jump and leap over it as it rolls towards you. Charge another, because it'll be back! Hop over again and return to the left. Repeat until the Sentinel is destroyed! It isn't hard. Congratulations! You cleared the Red Planet! Things are starting to heat up (No pun intended). =DEADEYE= Congratulations on rescuing Deadeye! His special ability is the climbing of walls. This comes in helpful a little later on. Deadeye's weapon is a 3 Way Blaster! Helpful for certain situations, but it's better to stick with Bucky. (PASSWORD: 67KZ3) =========== BLUE PLANET =========== +ACT ONE+ Switch to Blinky right away. His weapon can destroy the blocks of ice on this planet. First, go right and jump over the gap. Turn and fire at the two blocks of ice. One contains a Point Bonus. Grab it and continue right over the many gaps (There are no enemies to hassle you) until the ground becomes a platform entirely composed of ice blocks. When you reach this point, jump to the second ice cube platform and fire Blinky's weapon at the ledge you just left. You will reveal a 1-UP Icon. Grab it and head right until you cannot go further without destroying the blocks. Don't destroy them yet! Stand a safe distance away and jump to hit them. You'll see why in a second- one of them contains a Toad Soldier! Happily, the other low block contains a Point Bonus. Pick off the Toad and pick up the Icon then continue. When it appears that you will need to "Dig" downwards to continue, walk to the ice blocks on the right and fire at them. A Toad will drop down. Wait until it is safe and fall down and nail him. Go right and blast your way down through the blocks. Be careful not to destroy the ground you are walking on in the middle section! The leftmost block above the ground contains an "L" Heart. Grab it then dig right. See the little area that dips downwards? The blocks above it hide a Toad Soldier. Stay on the higher level then destroy them and annihilate the Enemy. Before leaving the act, destroy the ceiling-mounted ice blocks. The top-left one hides a 1-UP! +ACT TWO+ A Snake emerges from the freezing water! Wait until it curls around and jump on its back. DO NOT TOUCH THE SNAKE HEADS! Follow the Snake's path until two more appear, one from above, one from below. AS SOON as the lower snake becomes accessible, leap onto its back and stand shock still. The other Snake will pass above you. Now just make your way right to the exit. +ACT THREE+ A Snake will emerge. Leap onto it and grab the "P" icon. Use Blinky's weapon to destroy the ice cubes then hop onto the Snake as it doubles back. Jump on top of the next set of ice cubes and leap onto the snake as it emerges from below. Avoid the Snake from above and it will turn right and form a tunnel. Destroy the ice, walk to the very end of the tunnel (Watch out, it's slippery!) and power up your jetpack and boost to the exit. +ACT FOUR+ Jump to the next platform, post-haste! A tricky Snake is just WAITING to eat you up! When it is safe, hop onto the Snake from below and destroy all the ice cubes. Make your way along, avoiding the other snake until there is a gap and you must jump to another Snake. Hop to the next and be ready, because it will double back! When it does, hop over it, onto the ice cubes, then straight over to the exit as fast as you can! +ACT FIVE+ Shoot out the boat-riding Toad using Blinky's weapon as fast as you can, because his blowtorch will melt the platform you need to use. Go right, killing airborne Toadies. Drop down and right to grab the 1-UP icon and from this nice ledge destroy the Toad boater. Switch over to Bucky and super-jump your way to the right, annihilating Toads as you go. Try to annihilate all Toad flyers in the area before jumping, as a bullet to the chest makes you drop like a stone (As per life). It's only a little way to the end now. +ACT SIX+ This stage is a gauntlet of sorts. All you really need to know is switch to Deadeye and STAY AWAY FROM THE EDGES! The platform will get smaller and smaller as the battle goes on. Don't stop firing and try to maintain control of your character. Eventually the platform will sail off to the right. +ACT SEVEN+ Switch to Blinky. DO NOT TOUCH THE BOTTOMS OF THE PLATFORMS. YOU WILL DIE INSTANTLY. Break a hole in the first tower and head right. Keep firing at the next Toad until a spiky block breaks a hole in the floor. Drop into said hole (CAREFUL OF THE EDGES) and continue firing to the right. You will drop through to the next level. Step left and break through the tower so you can grab the "L" heart. Make for the bottom right t grab another Icon then jump to shoot your way out. Keep firing at the next Toad so that another hole is knocked in the ground. Drop down and land on the tower of cubes. Break a hole and walk through, standing next to the Toad. Wait until he is holding he spiky block over his head, then drop down with it so you fall straight through the hole it makes. From here run immediately left, drop down the hole, then switch to right, left, right etc. until you land on a platform with a Toad on it. Now you need only to reach the right-hand gap in the wall to exit the Act. +ACT EIGHT+ Ride the pipes WITHOUT being pushed into the ceiling. Destroy the spheres to reveal an "L" heart then hop onto the left edge of the rising pipe. Destroy the spheres from here then hop onto the platform when it is safe. Make your way safely over the next pipe to end the Act. +ACT NINE+ Kill the icicle-throwing Toad soldier then head right. Hiding inside the raised spheres is a Toad, so be wary. Continue right, avoiding falling icicles and killing Toads. At the cluster of spheres, do not destroy any of the ones on the lowest level. An "L" heart and a 1-UP are hiding amongst the others. On to the boss! (Finally) +BOSS ACT - AL NEGATOR+ Switch to Bucky. Stand on the far left side of the screen and fire at Al non- stop. You will have more than enough time to avoid the missiles. When Al fires a blue beam, jump up, or you will get stuck and take a guaranteed hit. Eventually, you will need to make small hops, as you will constantly rise towards the deadly ceiling spikes. Keep firing, though, and there shouldn't be a problem. =JENNY= Congratulations on rescuing Jenny! She has a beam weapon and a "Toad Turbo ball", which is Konamispeak for a "Quasi-Homing Missile". Charge it up and use the arrows to direct it anywhere on screen. Not as useful as it sounds. (PASSWORD: MPV2J) ============== YELLOW PLANET ============== +ACT ONE+ From the start, run and jump to the right until you see a 1-UP icon floating overhead. You will be attacked by snakes, but just keep running. It doesn't matter if you take a few hits, there's an "L" heart at the end of this short act. When you see the 1-UP, kill the snake nearby (DON'T worry about taking damage) and super-jump up to grab it. Continue on, past more snakes. Kill the snake guarding the "L" heart, grab it, and then move on. +ACT TWO+ This is a similar level to the last, in that all you really need to do is keep running and grab the "L" heart at the end. But, if you must have all the items, follow these directions. Destroy the gun emplacement that pops out of the first crater, then make your way right. You will be absolutely bombarded by gun turrets, Toad fighters and Air Troopers. Pass under the Icon until you reach the lowered platform you can jump onto. Make your way back right to grab the Points Icon. When you have it, head left and get back onto the lowered platform. Switch to Blinky. Charge the jetpack to full blast and fly up and to the left to land on a high platform. Again, use the jetpack to fly left and grab the 1-UP. Once you have it, switch back to Bucky and run to the left, climbing the platforms to grab the "L" heart. Once you have it, switch back to Blinky, walk to the extreme left edge of the "L" heart platform and charge the jetpack. Fly up and to the left to grab a "P" icon. Switch to Bucky and head left to exit the act. +ACT THREE+ Destroy the gun emplacement and Toad Soldier then jump onto the crater. When a Toad Ship passes overhead, leap onto it and let it take you for a ride. Along the way you will grab a Point Icon and an "L" Heart. Once you have them both, wait until you reach the edge of the screen, then drop down and exit the act to the left. +ACT FOUR+ The SECOND you start this act, hop up and right, then up and right again to grab a "P" Icon. When you grab it, double back in mid-air to land on the Toad ship you just leapt off (WARNING: This manoeuvre is incredibly difficult to pull of and may not be worth the hassle). From this position just ride the ship left and you will grab a 1-UP icon. Stay on the ship, firing to the left to destroy asteroids until the act ends. +ACT FIVE+ This is a nightmare... first, wait until the ships are aligned well enough for you to climb up them until you reach the first stationary one. Us these ships as a sort of breather point. From here, carefully climb up to the next one. The ships are more or less always aligned here, so quickly reach the next still ship. From there, carefully climb up to the next. You may notice asteroids and bullets attempting to stop you. Pay them little heed, as most will simply miss you. You must continue this ritual, climbing a little way then stopping for a breather, until you reach the exit, which is off to the left of the red platform. I apologise for being so vague about this act, but there really is nothing I can write that would help... it's down to your skill. +ACT SIX+ When the act starts, a red asteroid will pop up underneath Bucky and head for the top left of the screen. Jump onto it and ride it up a waiting "L" Heart. Once you have it, leap to the red planetoid at the bottom of the screen. Wait for an asteroid heading for the top left and take a ride on it to the next planetoid. Kill the toad and leap directly to the next platform. From here, you can see a 1-UP. Wait a while, and an asteroid will pass directly underneath it. Take a ride on it and grab the 1-UP. Reach the next planetoid and get on an asteroid heading up-left. Ride it over the Toad and drop to the platform at the extreme bottom of the screen. From here, use only asteroids heading up and left until you reach a "P" Icon and subsequently the exit. +ACT SEVEN+ Switch to Deadeye and hop onto the cart. It will go to the left at a sickening pace. Keep firing and ride the cart until it suddenly stops. The instant this happens, jump up to the next one and face right, firing all the time. Switch to the next cart when the current one slows down and head left again. This time you must drop down and to the right to land on another cart so be aware. The next cart is above you and heads right. Ride it the next (above and heads left). Drop to the next and you will be taken to another cart above you. Take a very short ride on it, and then leap to the next. Another short ride and you'll reach a lower cart. Jump onto it. This one will travel slowly. Crouch to go under the rows of spikes. Stand to the right of the cart when the spikes end. This next bit is brutal! When the cart slows to a crawl, jump to the lower cart an INSTANTLY crouch. Stay crouched and be ready for an overhead cart. Hop to it. You must then traverse a series of carts, lower, higher. Lower, higher. Remember to crouch when boarding the lower carts. On the final cart, you will crawl past free "L", "P" and 1-UP icons. Well done! +BOSS ACT - TOAD TANK+ This is a total bitch to see off, so don't get too despondent. Switch to Bucky. As soon as you see the monstrosity, concentrate your fire on what looks like a satellite dish atop its cranium. When it is destroyed, the Tank will make a screeching noise. This is your cue to dive into one of the cubbyholes and crouch as it comes rocketing forwards. Now concentrate your fire on its lower gun. When it makes any noise, get in that cubbyhole! Now concentrate on the higher gun turret, remembering to hide when it screeches at you. Watch out for homing missiles! Using Deadeye at this point is recommended. Eventually, the guns will have been destroyed. Now concentrate on its eye. Use Bucky for this. As long as you hide from the beam laser and the charge, you'll see him off soon enough. =WILLY= Congratulations on rescuing Willy! His weapon is called "Thumber". Basically, it's Megaman's Mega Buster. Hold the fire button to charge it and do more damage. (PASSWORD: 6PL!4) ==== CELL ==== +ACT ONE+ Only Bucky and Blinky are available, so switch to Blinky and destroy the blocks to your right. Continue through the blocks, killing the Toad. You will reach a conveyor belt. Quickly make small hops across this area. It is very difficult to avoid being hit by one of the gun turrets. Quickly destroy the third turret then hop over the spikes and ride the next conveyor belt to the right. Use Blinky's jetpack to fly to the next platform. Quickly switch to Bucky and destroy the turret. Switch back to Blinky and use your jetpack to collect the bonuses to your right, and then fly up to the platform to the left. Go, left and kill the Toad. Once you have destroyed three breakable walls, you will come to a short drop, with a pipe running out of the first block. Stand on the block and jump to the left to avoid a falling block trap. Destroy the wall (The top blocks contain a 1-UP) and jump over the rabbit dude. Head left, destroy the flying sentinel and leap over the spikes. Head left off the screen. Here, ride the lift up, then head right. Hop over the spikes and destroy the breakable wall. Time your movements through the electric beams (they sap a lot of health). Continue right and quickly hop over the conveyor belts to minimise damage. Be careful on the next obstacle. Use continual jumps to travel through the beams, as you will maintain your speed on the conveyor belts. Now just continue right off the screen. Head up the lift and head left into the next room. Grab the "P" Icon and backtrack. Watch the pattern of the blocks here and use them to reach the bonus item, then use them to reach the high platform. Destroy all the blocks to find an "L" Heart, then continue left. Hop over the rabbit dude, then move on. Where the flying sentinel is, there is a green panel on the wall. Stand underneath it and jump to the left to avoid another trap. Now jump left and exit. +BOSS ACT - DOPPLER JENNY+ Use Blinky for this fight. Destroy the blocks and approach Jenny. When a bolt of lightning zaps her, back off. She will fire a semi-homing ball of light at you (Dodge it), and the Toad air Marshall will descend from the ceiling. Wait for the Marshall to fly off before commencing your assault. Stand on the top platform and fire at the middle one. Jenny will leap onto it and fire another light ball at you. Run to the right and jump to dodge this, then drop into the little alcove on the top right. You can hide here and dodge all her attacks, or you can take a risk and take some pot-shots when she is heading in the opposite direction. She will jump down onto the middle platform again. Take this opportunity to get a cheeky it in, then dodge her light ball. She will jump to the bottom and fire another ball! Dodge this then hop to the middle platform. She will make two passes, during which you can hit her a good number of times. On here way back from the second pass, hop back to the top platform. Thus the cycle repeats. Keep this up until Jenny switches back to her normal colours. Wait for her to disappear. She's back under your control! Head through the bottom left exit. +ACT THREE+ Ride the lift up and go right, destroying the blocks. Head for the top-left exit, avoiding the pink blocks. Ride the lift up and go right, destroying every block for an "L" heart. Kill the Toad and grab the 1-UP then retrace your steps to the pink block room. This time, hop onto the lowest block with an arrow facing right. Ride it to the flashing block. Ride the flashing bock up and left, jumping the left facing block to grab the 1-UP. Now ride the flashing block around, destroying the blocks on the next platform. When they are all gone, jump onto the safe haven. Hop onto the flashing block, and when the bonus is within jumping reach, grab it. Head right for an easy 1-UP then climb the re/disappearing blocks to the top-right. Head into the lift and go left. Pass the beams of electricity and walk under the conveyor belt to the left. Stand on the edge of the spike pit and charge Blinky's jetpack. Fly over to the next platform and then repeat the process. Climb the staircase and jump to the right. Make your way right and keep jumping to avoid the trapdoor. Exit the screen. +BOSS ACT - DOPPLER WILLY+ Destroy the blocks and then switch to Bucky. When Willy is possessed, retreat to the left and face him, firing. Willy will follow this pattern - Walk left, fire, walk right, fire, turn, fire, jump up, fire, jump down, fire. Rinse and repeat. Just stay n the same position, firing. Jump straight up to avoid his shots. He'll be done with in next to no time. Head right. +ACT FIVE+ Drop down onto the pink block and prepare for a tricky manoeuvre. Switch to Blinky and charge the Jetpack. Wait until the pink block is the furthest it will go to the left, then fly off, under the spikes, onto the green upward block. Drop from here onto the lowest pink block when it appears, then hop to the upwards block to reach the save platform. Jump across the two flashing blocks, straight onto the lowest block. Ride it to the left and hop onto the platform. Use the Jetpack to fly up to the next area on the high left. Wait until the pink block appears then hop over for the "P". Make sure to hop back quickly. Hop onto the pink arrow block and ride it right. When it returns, walk onto the pink cube. When it disappears, you will stand on the next one. From here, carefully jump down to the arrow block. Jump to the platform, smash the blocks, then drop down and exit to the left. +ACT SIX+ Switch to Bucky. Grab the "L" Heart. Stand about one block's worth form the right edge of the lift, and fire upwards. Continuously. If you got the positioning right, nothing will touch you save for ONE boulder. Once you reach the spikes that CAN'T be destroyed, switch to Blinky and carefully dodge them, killing the Toads when you can. Once you reach the top, head right. +BOSS ACT - DOPPLER DEADEYE+ Break the blocks and approach. Switch to Bucky and stay in the bottom left, facing and shooting right. In total you will have to avoid two small bullets per pattern, one when Deadeye starts his assault and one when he turns to climb the wall. Use your straight jump to avoid this, then just keep shooting right. Once Deadeye is back with you, the level is cleared! (PASSWORD: MPL64) ============== SALVAGE CHUTE ============== +ACT ONE+ Switch to (Gasp) Willy and use charged shots to see off the Toad Hopper. Make your way right, jumping over the broken wires. Kill another Hopper and exit. Not rocket science, that stage. +ACT TWO+ Switch to Deadeye and kill the Toad. Use Blinky to grab the "L" heart and then switch back to Deadeye. Drop off-screen to the right and then fall to the left. You will land on the same platform as a Toad, so kill it fast. Fall to the extreme right, then turn and kill the Toad. Another flying enemy will attack, but he's easily dispatched. From here, drop off the very edge of the platform to land on another platform, lower down. Use Blinky to grab the "P" icon but make sure that you land back on the platform. Jump as far left as you can off this platform and you will land on a crusher. Stay to the left for now. When the route is safe, drop down to the left of the central platform and grab the points bonus. Again, stay to the left of the crusher. When it is safe, run to the right and fall straight off the edge. Do not move whist falling! You will land on a small platform above more crushers. When it is safe, drop down to the right and, all being well, you will drop down twice, grabbing an "L" heart on the way. You will land on another crusher. It's VERY difficult to get the above 1-UP, so I recommend you leave it. Run off the left of the crusher when it's safe. From the next platform, dive onto the left-hand crusher. Grab the "P" icon if you feel able, and then fall on the left of the next three crushers. From the safe platform, drop past the last crusher and head right. You're home free! +ACT THREE+ Use Blinky to jet between the sets of pincers, but don't get too close! Grab the 1-UP along the way with a normal jump. Eventually you will reach a Toad. Kill it and head right. You will reach an obstacle of pincer beetles travelling up and down. Very Metal Man. Observe their pattern and try and make your way through. Use Bucky's high jump to get to the next platforms. Watch out for the set of broken wires towards the end! Kill the last Toad, then exit. +ACT FOUR+ Switch to Deadeye and make your way right, shooting continuously to fend off the swooping slimes. If one attaches to your head, make a small, careful jump into some overhead spikes to kill it. Jump the pits and continue right, killing the Toad. When you see a "P" icon and a 1-UP, use Deadeye's climbing ability to access them. A little further right and you're clear. +ACT FIVE+ Make your way right as Blinky (He's smallest) and avoid the crushers and exposed wiring. After you find a "P" Icon, you face a tricky jump. Wait until the crusher is heading upwards, then rush underneath and leap the wiring, but not too high or you'll collide with the overhead spikes. Now head down the steps and grab the 1-up. Be careful here - pressing against the sides of the crushers and waiting for them to pass will most likely kill you. Wait until Blinky can fit through the gap COMPLETELY before passing. On the final step, switch to Deadeye and wait. The crusher won't hit you. When a Toad comes from the right, blast it then make your way across to where it came from. Go right, destroying another Toad until you reach a predicament similar to one you faced earlier - ceiling spikes. Wait in front of the crusher, then when it raises hurry underneath and hop onto the platform, firing to get rid of the enemy there. Now head right to exit. +ACT SIX+ Switch to Deadeye an quickly climb the wall in front of you. As you head right over the pipes, the lights will flicker on and off, then shut off for good. Fireflies will pass - look at them to see where the pipes are and continue right. TAKE YOUR TIME - there is very little I can help you with here. My only tip is - when in doubt, Jetpack with Blinky. Head right to exit. +ACT SEVEN+ The same as the previous act - just take your time and make your way right. +ACT EIGHT+ Similar to the past two acts - follow the same instructions. +ACT NINE+ First thing's first - the red stuff WON'T kill you, but it will suck you down. Keep jumping to remedy this. Switch to Bucky and sail over to the first tentacle pod. DO NOT TOUCH THE TENTACLES. Bucky can stand on the very edge of these pods without being damaged, so do this and make a super jump to the 1-up. Now continue right, standing on the edges of the pods then jumping over the tentacles. Super jump left at the end for an "L" heart. +BOSS ACT - TOAD OUTPOST+ Switch to Deadeye and stand on the far left of the screen. The Outpost will drop down in the centre and fire a lot of missiles. Stand near the legs and fire. Deadeye's bullets will hit the Outpost's weak spot and destroy most of the missiles. You should be able to dodge the stragglers easily. After several volleys, the Outpost will pause. When it does this. Move left and crouch. The Outpost will fire a ground laser, then fly into the air again. Run right. The Outpost will land on the left and begin firing missiles again. Repeat the above actions. It will then fire the laser and fly off once more. Head left. The Outpost lands on the right of the screen. Repeat the missile and laser manoeuvres and it will fly off, landing on the far left. Keep up the pattern - the Outpost will head for the far right, then back to the centre. On this pass the core may be destroyed - if this happens, focus fire on the Toad pilot. Do this by standing near the turrets and jumping while shooting. The Outpost's movement pattern will reset here, so keep up this attack until the Outpost is destroyed. (PASSWORD: 6PX2X) ========================= CENTRE OF MAGMA TANKER ========================= +ACT ONE+ Run right and quickly hop onto the yellow and black platform as it recedes to the right. As Bucky, stand on the right and when the spikes retract, quickly super jump onto the platform above and move right to exit. Ignore the "P" - it isn't worth the hassle. +ACT TWO+ Switch to Blinky and wait for the platform to move towards you. Walk into it then charge your jetpack to max. When the platform moves away again, fly onto it, avoiding the spikes. Next, move right and switch to Bucky. Super jump up to the top right hand platform, then onto the spiky area where the "P" is. Move left to exit the level. +ACT THREE+ As Deadeye, make your way to the left, then charge the climb ability. As the right hand wall just begins to move away, climb it, jumping so you make it in time. Then exit to the right! +ACT FOUR+ Easy one, this - just head to he right, climbing the walls to pass through. Exit lies in wait. +ACT FIVE+ Jump and annihilate the Toad. See that electric beam? When it's off, jump onto the platform and head right. When you reach the next beam, destroy the Toad and charge Deadeye's climb. When the beam deactivates, quickly nip up the wall onto the platform. Drop past the next beam and leap over the pit - notice the gravity wave pulls you upwards. Head right, destroying the Toads and then use the gravity wave to jump the next pit. Dodge past the next two beams and use the gravity waves to grab the "P" icon. Quickly hit the downwards pull then use the upwards ones to reach the next platform. Jump past the beam with a small jump and make your way quickly to the downwards pull to avoid hitting the ceiling. Grab the "L" if you can and then make your way to the next platform. Destroy the soldier. From here, simply make your way right avoiding the usual hazards until you grab the next "L" Heart. From here, jetpack with Blinky onto the above platform then head left, up and right, destroying Toads and avoiding the beams. Head right at the top to exit. +ACT SIX+ Use Deadeye to hop onto the wall, climb down and get the "L" Heart. Now head up and right, but be careful! The second glass case in the background will shatter and a Storm Toad will attack you! Thankfully, they are very slow and can be super jumped with Bucky, so do this and continue right. The 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th capsules will also dispense Storm Toads. Simply dodge them and make your way to the right hand exit. +ACT SEVEN+ Utilise the conveyor belt hugging platforms and head right. If you stand on the platforms when they change over, you will remain on top of the belt, so don't worry about that. This act is a simple matter of riding platforms and climbing walls, so use Deadeye. Be careful of ceiling spikes and you'll be fine. +ACT EIGHT+ Stand outside the rotating structure and fire until the blue Toads die. Enter the fearsome contraption and stand in the entrance. When the thing shifts, remain where you stand. Upon the second shift, rush to the left and hop onto the raised area. Wait on the next turn. On the final spin, drop down and head right to exit. +ACT NINE+ Destroy the Toads and enter when the arrow is nearest you. Run right as fast as you can, ignoring the turret, and you'll make it to the exit. +ACT TEN+ Defeat the Toads (Again!) and enter when the turret is on the right. When it spins, drop down to the left. On the next spin, jump into the area where the turret lies. Run right on the next spin to exit. +ACT ELEVEN+ Destroy the Toads once more and step inside the structure when the turret is central. Stay in the "doorway" - do not fall into the lower area. After the first rotation, run right and fall onto the same level as the turret. On the second rotation, jump up to the left and wait on the small raised area. On the third rotation, jump up and to the left to the highest path. Now wait for the next two rotations - the exit should be right in front of you. Take care to avoid the turret's shots on the final pass. +ACT TWELVE+ Switch to Deadeye if you haven't already. Charge up your wall-climb and wait for the snake to appear. When it turns to the right, release the B button and jump onto the side of the snake, quickly climbing onto its back. The snake will go off the bottom of the screen. As you approach the gap, another snake will emerge and an enemy will drop from the ceiling. Keep firing your weapon and he should fall straight into your line of fire. Leap onto the next snake and run to the right as fast as you can. An enemy will fall down behind you, then leap in your direction. Pass back left so it leaps over your head, then turn and blast it. A simple wall climb will bring you to the end of the act, but be quick, as the enemy will return. +ACT THIRTEEN+ Wall climb onto the first snake. Continuously firing, make your way to its edge. Enemies will drop from above to attack, as before. Watch the next snake until it finishes its circuit, then wall climb over it and hop to the exit. Be wary of the jumping enemies. +ACT FOURTEEN+ Stay where you are until the snake leaves the screen then climb onto its back. When the next snake turns right, hop onto its back then wall climb to the exit, grabbing the extremely welcome "L" heart. Again, be wary of falling enemies! +BOSS ACT - TOAD OUTPOST 2+ It is recommended that you stick with Deadeye for this boss. His wide range will eliminate most of the hazards fired at you. The first thing to keep in mind is to never, ever stop firing. Continuous attacks are the only thing that will get you through this rather horrible battle. As soon as you appear, run and fall into the little cubbyhole, standing in the centre of it. Now, begin continuously leaping and firing at the lowest missile launcher, moving left and right periodically to avoid the stream of fire from the emplacement above. Your bullets should take care of the missiles and Toad soldiers flying into the arena. After a few shots, a small globe-like object will emerge from the missile launcher, firing a wide laser across the bottom of the screen. This can be avoided by staying in the lowered area. Between shots, keep up the leaping and firing until the lower missile launcher is destroyed. At this point you must concentrate your attention on the upper launcher - make your way to the middle platform and begin jumping and firing again, avoiding the lasers from above. As with the first launcher this higher one will begin shooting a wide laser after a few shots, so keep up the pattern from before and leap up, firing between passes. Take into account that you now have less platform to work with. After destroying both launchers, begin firing at the glass shield protecting what looks like the core of the outpost. Once it is shattered, the core will begin firing purple energy balls, which then split into a star formation of smaller projectiles. Get onto the middle platform and switch to Willy, charging your gun as far as you can before releasing it into the core. A few shots of this and the core will be destroyed. Who ever said this game was easy? (PASSWORD: MPX6X) ======= ESCAPE! ======= Note: While the escape does feature "acts", it is difficult for me to tell exactly where they begin and end. Therefore, the entire "Escape!" chapter is listed as one long section. Bear in mind there are several restart points, however. You're almost there, thank goodness, but it ain't gonna be an easy ride! Switch to Deadeye and head right, leaping onto the small blue ship. Now you're in a scrolling shooter! Use the D-pad to direct the ship and the B button to fire. Now, let's begin. First, stay low to avoid the blue plumes of fire, and shoot the panicked Toads at the bottom of the screen (if you don't, they will grab your ship and drag it down - as if this wasn't unimaginably hard already). Now head over the spikes. Make your way to the middle of the screen and quickly dodge in and out of the fire, shooting away the Toad pests. Keep this up until you reach a small cluster of six Toads, then dash right. In a high chamber will be a much-needed "L" heart. Grab it then quickly retreat to the lower path. Continue right, avoiding more fire and shooting more Toads until you reach another cluster much like the one encountered earlier. You will shortly pass through a narrow tunnel and be set upon by flying drones. Do your best to dodge their bullets and pile shots into them. Dash right and nip down for another cheeky "L" heart, then continue right, shooting down the drones. When you see a neon arrow, head up to grab a quick 1-UP then duck back down again and continue. Ignore the "L" heart you see (trust me, it's a nightmare) and head up and right. You will see a couple more 1-Ups - to grab the first, you must head to the extreme right of the screen then double back and down to grab it. The second can be reached by popping up and right to its location then quickly back on course. Beware of the fire. The next section is a fairly straightforward shoot, until you reach the red and black tunnel area. This section is extremely easy - switch to Willy and use his rapid fire to destroy the glass barriers before quickly dashing through them. You will snare an "L" heart on the way. After a few of these barriers, you will enter another red/black tunnel area. Don't worry - just keep using Willy to blast barriers. When you reach the next red/black tunnel, switch back to Deadeye and head right, blasting the drones and making your way through the course. After you count five neon arrows, switch to Bucky and begin firing. Drones will appear from behind you (Auugh!), Continue flying the course while constantly firing. Bucky's handy reverse fire should take care of them nicely. Soon, you will pass through another red/black "warning" tunnel and enter a strange, dark area. Grab the "L" heart. A strange, snake like structure will come into view. Switch to Willy and use your rapid fire to slam bullets into the glowing platforms at the top and bottom of the screen. If you maintain a nice rhythm, the snake's bullets will be of no worry to you. Once both are destroyed the snake's head will begin bouncing around the room, spitting a copious number of bullets. Switch to Bucky and carefully manoeuvre around the head, dodging the bullets whilst firing your own back at him. After what seems like seventeen years, the head will be destroyed. You will pass several handy bonus icons - grab them all. Pain is coming. +BOSS ACT - TOAD ESCAPE SHIP+ You'll cruise for awhile before the boss music begins. Stay high - the ship appears from below. Switch to Blinky and head for the top left of the screen, firing continuously. You will be jumped by a ton of panicking Toads, but they will mostly fly into your bullets (stragglers can be eliminated by flying them into the spikes below). Soon, the ship will rise upwards, leaving you little vertical leeway. You don't need it - keep on firing and slide left and right to dodge the bullets. It's tough, but you've come this far. keep up the attacks on the turrets (the ship will flash red to register damage) and eventually it will begin to slide to the right. Stay up in the top right to avoid the tail fin of the ship and wait for an opportunity to get behind it. At this point switch to Willy and start pounding the engine from which the blue fire is flowing. You'll know when you're hitting it as the ship will flash. Stay below the blue laser, and move quickly to avoid the bullets. Soon the ship will begin to fly over your head, leaving you stranded underneath it. Switch to Blinky. Hide in the cubbyhole and avoid the bullets. When the ship rises again, get in front of it as soon as you can. Switch to Bucky and start firing at the turrets. Stay above the blue laser and avoid the green bullets - Bucky's shots can devastate the turrets, making this battle a whole lot easier, so make your shots count - Bucky doesn't have long before he's forced to get back on top of the ship, repeating the process. Just keep this up and soon the ship will fall. You'll be given free items - a 1-UP, an "L" heart and some points. Please tell me the game is over. +BOSS ACT - TOAD AIR MARSHALL+ It's not. This game is CHEATING. Anyway, you'll want to switch to good ol' Bucky for this battle. The Air Marshall will enter from the left of the screen and zoom around, throwing grenades that explode upwards in a cluster. OK, this isn't too bad. Just move around quickly, firing at the Air Marshall and dodging the shrapnel. But - oh, this isn't right! A wall of fire seems to have blanketed half the screen, reducing manoeuvrability to a ridiculous degree. Compensate! Persevere! This is it! The end of the hardest NES game is existence! Continue showing the Air Marshall who's boss - it's exceptionally difficult, but at this point I think you can handle it. After enough punishment, the Air Marshall will be defeated and Bucky will fly out into deep space! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PLAYING =============== CHARACTER BIOS =============== =BUCKY= The main character and the one you start the game as. He will probably be by your side until you get Deadeye. Bucky's special ability is a Hi-Jump that will allow you to reach higher ledges and bonus items. Believe me, you need all the help you can get. =BLINKY= Blinky's special ability is a Rocket Pack he can use to fly out of danger! Blinky's weapon flies in a downward arc, and destroys walls made of Ice and Stone. =DEADEYE= Deadeye's special ability is the climbing of walls. This comes in helpful a little later on. Deadeye's weapon is a 3 Way Blaster! Helpful for certain situations, but it's better to stick with Bucky for the most part. =JENNY= Jenny has a beam weapon and a "Toad Turbo ball", which is Konamispeak for a "Quasi-Homing Missile". Charge it up and use the arrows to direct it anywhere on screen. Not as useful as it sounds. =WILLY= Congratulations on rescuing Willy! His weapon is called "Thumber". Basically, it's Megaman's Mega Buster. Hold the fire button to charge it and do more damage. ====== EXTRA ====== Found Bucky O' Hare for the NES too easy? Not enough of a challenge to a hardened gamer such as yourself? You liar. All the same, here are some ways to wring more torturous fun out of this little cartridge. Try beating the game using only one character, switching only when it is impossible to progress otherwise. Try beating the game without grabbing any icons. Try beating the game as fast as you can. Try beating the game without taking a single hit. Beat the game with the most lives you can (My best: 65). Beat the game with the highest score you possibly can. All right, that's enough of that for now. Frankly I'm sick of this game now. Not that it isn't brilliant, it's just that too many attempts at the Escape section can ruin one's will to live. I'm going to walkthrough a nice, gentle, easy game next. Any suggestions? =========== CONCLUSION =========== If you feel there is anything in this FAQ I have missed or horribly screwed up, please email me at mad_hair60@hotmail.com with details and I shall add them to the next revision. In fact, any questions about the game whatsoever can also be sent to that address. Want to complain about the guide? Go ahead, just do it with a little class. This guide is , Stuart Gipp, 2004 to forever. It may be displayed on any site, as long as nothing in the guide is altered or edited. Thanks to. GameFAQs.com (pronounced EFF AY KYOOZ, Leanne), for allowing me to host my guides there. Matthew Harris (Cyanide X), for owning the game on the NES in the first place. FCE Ultra, for allowing me to revisit the game. HMV, for selling me the Complete Bucky O' Hare DVD set. Go and buy it, priced o12.99. GOOD NIGHT, EVERYBODY!