Code Name: Viper -- NES FAQ/Walkthrough By Kertra kertra servihoo com Final Version March 20, 2003 Please note that this name has nothing to do with the TV series. Although that would have been cool. Note, this doesn't mean this game is not cool. © 2002-2003 Kertra. All rights reserved. This document is protected by US Copyright Law, and the Berne Copyright Convention of 1976. Any reproduction of this document without the author's express permission is strictly prohibited. This guide is meant to be viewed on GameFAQs only. Do not bother asking me for permission, your e-mail will simply be ignored. If you found this guide somewhere else (as there are people who will not hesitate to steal such work), please let me know. Code Name: Viper © 1989 Capcom U.S.A., Inc. The latest version of this guide can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com. Unless I'm too lazy to send it there. This guide is currently at its final version. It will not be updated anymore unless something really big/interesting pops up, something which I'm 99.96% sure will not happen. Booya! <<*-*-*-*-*-*>> CONTENTS <<*-*-*-*-*-*>> I. Introduction II. Game Overview III. Controls IV. Walktrough V. Enemy List VI. Tips VII. Miscellaneous Info VIII. Game Genie Codes IX. Frequently Asked Questions X. Revision History XI. Credits +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ I. INTRODUCTION +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Where introduction refers to the purpose of this guide and why the author found it amusing to write one for such an obscure game. As if anybody cares anyway.] As blatantly stated at the top of this document, you are now reading a FAQ/Walkthrough for Code Name: Viper on the NES. Yet another great game on the NES bites the dust and is left alone while everybody should be talking of it. Hopefully, now that you have lost your way along the mazes of GameFAQs --since there is no way you really decided to read it--, here's hoping you will go ahead and play the game. Recent surveys show you will most likely enjoy it. Unless you loathe it. ...Simple gameplay is sweet. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ II. GAME OVERVIEW +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Whereby the author explains how the game is played and provides a brief overview of what you are supposed to do in Viper. Getting to beat it is and will be treated as optional.] In Code Name: Viper, you play as a secret agent known as Viper whenever he's been assigned a task. Of course, that's not his real name. I mean, do you really except someone to behold such a name? Even Solid Snake, who doesn't have a social life, has another name. To get on with it, Ken Smith, which is his real name but let's just call him Viper, has been assigned to eradicate a drug-empire...ALONE! Your main task consists of surviving through the enemy encounters, obtaining a bomb from a fellow agent (who's being kept as hostage) and getting out of that area. Each time you beat a level, you will meet with someone who holds a piece of a message which, when completed, will point out why the cartel exists and how it functions. The gameplay mechanics are not limited to just shooting and walking though. On the way, you can also rescue hostages. Doing so just nets you additional points but it is quite rewarding to know you've fully completed the game and saved everybody that could be save. Viper also carries two weapons, a pistol and an assault rifle. And finally, the game features the common life bonus where Viper's health is refilled and a pretty useless time bonus. Rescuing hostages, getting ammo clips, obtaining the bomb and claiming the items are all done the same way. By standing by a door and pressing Up on the directional pad, it will revolve to reveal what is hidden behind it. Not all doors hide items or hostages though, some are empty. However, they allow you to escape from dangers. I'll delve more in that aspect of the game in the "Tips" section. As a matter of fact, I would recommend you to check the "Tips" section before reading the walkthrough itself. Yes, I know that seems the most obvious thing to do but you'd be surprised to know how common sense is lacking nowadays. Otherwise, starting the game is easy. Just press the Start button and choose your difficulty between Easy, Normal and Hard. If this is your first playthrough, I suggest starting with either the Normal or Easy modes. You need to know a bit about the game before attempting the Hard one as enemy encounters are drastically increased and they benefit from a better AI. If you are continuing a game, just put the cursor at the "Passwords" option and press the Start button. Then, put in the password you got through playing the game and voilà! If you are greeted with a black screen and nothing else, I suggest you grab the Rocket Launcher that's lying around in your dad's room and run back to Funcoland to demand a refund. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ III. CONTROLS +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Grasping the controls is essential to beating a game. Playing it until the end is required too.] Viper's controls are actually very simple and you shouldn't have any problem getting used to them. Understanding the game mechanics is another story though but, hopefully, this guide will answer all your questions. ~.~ The basic control scheme is as follows : Up : Look up/rotate door Down : Crouch Left : Walk back Right : Move forward A : Jump B : Shoot Start : Pause game Select : No use ~.~ That's just the basic controls though. Viper benefits from other features which make the game _that_ enjoyable. · It is possible to jump and shoot. Simply tap B after jumping and this should enable you to take care of enemies who are on upper ledges. In addition, you are not limited to a single shot per jump. · For a high jump, hold Up on the pad and press A. However, it is impossible to shoot during these "super" jumps so be careful while resorting to these. · To rotate a door, stand in front of it and press Up on the pad. Doors should automatically rotate back after a while but you can have Viper hide forever behind any of those by holding Up. · Obviously, it is often hard to attempt high jumps while in front of a door. · To jump down to a lower ledge (which is possible throughout the game), hold Down to crouch and press the jump button. You cannot shoot while you are performing this action. · You can have access to two weapons, namely a normal pistol and an assault rifle. The assault rifle can obviously fire endlessly as long as ammunition is plentiful and is a necessity in the last 2 levels. The pistol has a short loading time between successive shots and you need to constantly mash the button to have the bullets come out quickly (while you just need to hold the button with the rifle). · Ironically, you cannot switch between the weapons yourself. When you get the rifle, Viper discards his pistol for the time being. As you run out of ammo for the rifle, he'll begin using the pistol again. It should moreover be noted that even when the pistol is discarded, whatever bullets you get along the way will still add to the total. · For each weapon, the maximum bullets you can hold is 300. · Viper starts with 2 health bars (well, circles actually). The heart items will add a bar when you claim them though. You can only have a maximum of 4 bars. Beyond that, any life item will merely refill them. · The clock item adds more time to what you have left. It's not an important item though because the game gives you ample time, even on the hardest difficulty. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ IV. WALKTHROUGH +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...The premise is set.] As the game starts, the chief tells you that the different hideouts of the drug cartel have finally been located. It is now up to you to take them out. In each hideout (there are 7 of them), you will also have to find the commando who's being held there. The latter will then provide you with a bomb which will allow you to get the hell out of there and move on to the next area. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...Adventuring in the South American jungles doesn't necessarily make you notorious.] |||||...............................................................||||| Doors in this stages are easily located. No further description needed as far as those are concerned. (Note: The reason I'm mentioning this is because, later on, the doors are located in dark walls and not very obvious. I will thus dedicate a smaller paragraph to locating those at the start of each stage.) |||||...............................................................||||| As Viper appears, walk forward and kill the soldiers that come your way. When you reach the second, longer ledge, there is a door below. You cannot miss it as a couple of soldiers will come out of it to threaten you. Simply kill them and wait to ensure that no other will come out. Then, use it to liberate your first hostage who will greet you with a booming "Thank you". Then, proceed forward and be ready to shoot whenever required. This level is a piece of cake but you still need to be careful as you have only 2 lifebars so far. When you reach the small green statue, jump over it. There is another door some steps ahead which will reward you with some pistol rounds. As you move forward, a bunch of soldiers will very likely drop from above and land on the upper ledge. You can either wait for them to drop to the ground or jump up yourself to kill them. In the second case, be careful while jumping and make sure you do not jump onto them. There are three more doors in this area, two up and one down. The lower door and the upper left one have nothing while the upper right one hides a hostage. Since the lower path is blocked, you are forced to take the upper one. There will be another bunch of enemies waiting for you after the statues. The best thing to do here is to wait for them to jump and unload a couple of bullets on them. Jumping down or even on the other ledge is _not_ recommended. When you're done, check the 2 doors in this section both of which are adjacent to the same ledge. The upper one has nothing while the lower one will grant you the amazing assault rifle! You cannot directly jump onto the next ledge because of the statue. Jump on the ledge above the door first and then, jump over to the next one. Make sure there are no enemies to greet you with a nasty surprise first. There is an empty door here, should you ever need it. Again, proceed foward, kill the soldiers, and jump over the statue. Note that the statues block your bullets, so you cannot just hide behind them and shoot away like a madman. There are 2 doors here. Both are empty but you'll very likely need them to hide from the enemies who abound in this region. As you go on past the small statue, there are another two doors on the upper ledge and there will also be some soldiers guarding them. The left door will reveal a skeleton who will crumble as you rotate it while the right one has absolutely nothing. Further on, there is a lone door just before the waterfall but it has nothing too, so just jump on the ledges to move on. Going to check the door will be merely a waste of time. Make your way through until you need to jump over the gaps. Be careful of soldiers who may suddenly appear from the water and shoot at you. It is possible to kill these as they show up but it is usually much better to just avoid the bullets and quickly jump forward. There is another door above one of the platforms but a soldier will come out of it first. Just wait for him to fall into the water and use the door for some ammunition for your assault rifle. Move to the right again once you're done. When you reach safe land again, you'll have to be careful of the snipers that appear from the holes in the walls. In most cases, crouching and shooting will suffice but you still need to make sure you aren't caught by stray bullets. Moreover, try to dispose of them as soon as humanly possible. Before you jump onto the upper platform, move on land until you come to a dead end first. There is a door here, using it rewards you with the commando who will give you the bomb. Once you're done with him, jump up and kill the soldier. There is a door a few steps back but there is nothing behind it and unless you are surrounded by enemies and need shelter, don't bother about it. Jump to the next ledge and look for the door on the left side. There are pistol bullets behind. If enemies suddenly spring from behind you, just remain behind until they fall down. Another soldier will also suddenly appear from the door when you leave it, so watch out for bad surprises! Walk forward until you are in the jungle again. A blue-capped soldier will show up. Crouch, wait for him to come near you, shoot away. If someone comes from the left (i.e. behind you), quickly turn back, unload some bullets and turn around once more to face the other one. Finally, proceed to the right. As you reach the next familiar ledge, the way is blocked by tall statues. Jump above and look for the two doors here, one on each side of the hole. The left one has nothing but by doing so, you'll encourage a guy to come out of it. Kill him before going into the next door as the latter conceals a hostage. There are 2 more doors to the right of the statues but these are on the ground itself. Drop down à la Viper (crouch, press jump button) and examine them still à la Viper. In most cases, they will just be empty but there are sometimes bullets available. Jump back up and kill the soldiers. The door between them is devoid of interest but it will enable you to hide from enemy fire. Further ahead, statues prevent you from staying on the ledge. Drop down and keep moving to the right. The door holds nothing, so don't bother with it. When you see the sniper, you'll need to be very careful as he can shoot in 2 directions. First, wait for him to stop shooting and quickly jump up so that you land where the door is. As soon as you reach it, hide behind it. The soldier will shoot just as the door starts revolving. You just need to hide while he shoots and once he stops, retaliate. Also note that you'll need to crouch to successfully nail him. Next, go on to the right and kill the soldiers who think they are up to the challenge. As you reach the green wall, Viper will throw the bomb at it and will exit through the gaping hole which results from the ensuing explosion. Mission complete! You'll obtain the first fragment of the letter! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...Dock 6, the orange warehouse! Be ready at 23:55 and have the goods readily available!] |||||...............................................................||||| Doors here are mostly within the orange warehouses and their outlines are clearly visible. Just look for horizontal breaks amidst the usual vertical ones. Doors can also be blue, red or grey at times but these too are very easily located |||||...............................................................||||| As the second level begins, kill the bad guys who come out of the door and move forward. The door is empty but since several enemies will show up, use it effectively to avoid any loss of health (or loss of a life if you're that unlucky). When you see a blue-capped thug on a ledge above, another two ruffians will show up behind you. Be prepared to take them out and turn around to deal with the first one as he jumps down to attack you. The door directly above you has nothing and the one to the right reveals a skeleton. The next one on the small ledge conceals bullets for your pistol. Once you're done, drop down and take care of any enemies who are still alive. The following warehouse has another two doors but both have nothing behind them. However, enemies will swarm out of those. Be ready to take them out one by one. Once you've sent all of them to the blazes of Hell, jump on the ledge above and proceed to the right as a brick wall is blocking your way beneath it. When you drop down from the wall, crouch as soon as possible and take care of the thugs. One of them will probably fire at you and that's why you need to crouch. Then, walk forward and you'll reach a new section which features a lot of crates. As you walk in this new section, a bunch of thugs will show up from both sides. Deal with them and have the blue door revolve to grab some ammo for your assault rifle. There is another door right above the "Danger" sign but it is unimportant as far as items are concerned. Watch out for people who may come out of it though. There are another two doors here (i.e. below the rail) but both are of minor importance too. Jump up until you reach the upper ledge and check the two doors there. The left one reveals a hungry hostage while the right one just has thugs coming out of it. You'd be suprised at what lies beneath these. Finally, go on to the right and jump over the gap onto the next section. As you come to the small blue warehouse, you will meet the first bright enemies. First, drop down and crouch immediately to take care of the soldier who will arise from the door in the blue warehouse. Then, turn to the right and wait until the masked man stops shooting. As he stops, stand up and shoot at him while he raises his head again. You are also advised to crouch soon after shooting to avoid any on-coming bullets he may have had the time to spawn. Now that the area is clear, you may check the door to rescue a hostage. You will meet other masked men behind the boxes. Use the same strategy each time although just walking and shooting as soon as they show up will work. Doing so is risky though and since you die with one shot at this point of the game, revert to the original strategy instead. After you've jumped over the next gap and come to a new crates-section, check the red door. Don't worry about missing it, a thug will be more than glad to bring its presence to your attention. You will get some pistol rounds from behind. As you proceed to the right, be wary of a spiked ball that will drop down and attempt to crush you. Avoiding it is a breeze but if you just walk forward heroically, you will very likely run into it. At least, you can then claim to have asked for it. There are 3 doors here, one on each level. The first two ones are uninteresting, the last one yields more ammunition. It is located by the far blue crate, to the left of the "Danger" sign. After some linear exploration, jump above. For the record, there is another blue door between the two orange crates but it serves no purpose whatsoever unless there are some thugs around you. Same goes for the orange one but you'll be dealing with a thug when you finally reach it. As you lightly hop up, don't forget to stop by the middle orange crate. Within it, lies a door. Within that door, lies a hostage. The door on the ledge to the left needs no checking out. Just leave it alone because as you move to the right again, another spiked ball will fall down and getting to avoid the latter can be quite tedious. When you reach the top, there are 2 blue doors. Both hold nothing. Well, the one on safe ground shields a skeleton but why you should bother about it is utterly beyond me. From here, jump forward so you land next to the box. Doing any other action leaves you in a tough situation as a masked man will suddenly appear behind the box and he'll literally assault poor Viper with bullets. By jumping next to the box, you can kill the cheap bastard as soon as he shows up. Now, to reach the white ledges, you'll need to backtrack to the gap and jump on to the blue crate. From there, it is easy to reach the white ledge. The first red door doesn't shield anything, the second red door hides a timer, and the third one is as empty as the first. Cross the gap and move to the right. Another of those annoying masked men will reveal himself behind the box but with impervious precision, you should be able to take him out without much opposition. Then, stand to the left of the box and high jump. You'll land just beside the upper box. Wait for another cheap-ass shooter to appear and finish him off swiftly. Move away quickly when you're done though, another may appear soon afterwards. As you proceed to jump up again, you'll notice a door by the tall blue crate. Don't bother about it. Instead, move to the far left and when you reach the end, jump ahead. You will land on a small ledge with a door, use it to liberate the commando with the bomb. Go back to the right. If you land by the upper box again, be cautious as a fresh masked man will try to take you by surprise. Hopefully, you'll be able to greet him in fashion...By putting a bullet in his brain. The blue door can be left alone, so just walk forward. The next region is infested with boxes. And who says boxes also say masked men! You should be able to take care of them quite easily by now but just in case you suddenly forget all those hard-learnt lessons and the infamous VR Training Missions, crouching still remains your best friend. Then, just walk towards the brown wall and Viper will use the bomb. Mission complete! Second message fragment available! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...Within a castle, lies a baron...The Baron of Death!] |||||...............................................................||||| Doors during this level are mostly red or grey and situated within walls. They can be recognized by the upper part which is very prominent, to say the least. |||||...............................................................||||| Why is it that, as soon as a level starts, someone comes running at you? Sigh! Anyway, you know how to deal with such madmen now. Two bullets will suffice and he's an easy target. Move forward until you reach the first door which is shamelessly devoid of interest. You can however use it for safety should a hectic situation arise. Otherwise, prepare to endure a heinous death. :) The grey door you'll see soon afterwards grants you a hostage to boast about. As you can see, there are 3 men crouching behind big boxes here. Well, the fact remains that you are now in the third level of the game and it wants to point this out to you by dragging as many enemies as possible to hinder your progress. These men have a pattern whereby they will hide behind the boxes for the most and then quickly get up to shoot. They will repeat as required until you are dead. The trick to avoid this is to kill them first, obviously. To do so, crouch next to the box too and get used to their pattern. Next, get up before them on the next shot and send them away. Or you can just stand there and shoot until they stand up but that seldom works. Kill the first lower one first, then jump on the ledge to take care of the one above you. You obviously need to go back a few steps before you are able to jump. Once this one dies, hop over the box and drop down such that you land between the 2 lower chests. Apply killing strategy again. Check the door behind him (or what is left of him) for a hostage. It is however better to kill the next hunter first because he'll very likely start shooting as the door revolves and you run the risk of appearing as a bullet flies by. Once this is done, jump on the ledge and check the door which is just above the last hunter for some bullets. The door behind the third chest yields nothing. As you proceed forward, you'll notice big orange pillars amidst the dark background. This region is tough because some green-capped men will drop down. It is primordial to kill them quickly because they have the bad habit of continuously shooting. They seldom stop and if you don't take enough precautions, you will be dead in no time (well, they do stop but since they are in group, that doesn't really change anything). At one point, two of them will simultaneously drop down, one on each side. Kill the one to the left as he drops, then quickly turn around to face the remaining one. If you are thinking of just jumping over the right guy to make short work of him, you may as well stop playing here because another one will drop behind you. So, you'll die anyway. As you reach the next grey wall, watch out for the thug who comes out of the door. When he's no more, check that door for ammunition for your rifle. Take care of the hunter behind the nearby chest. Jump over it and repeat to dispose of the second hunter. In some cases, someone may appear from the door behind him and jump near you. To avoid this, don't get too close to the chest. The door I'm talking about will reward you with a crumbling pile of bones which is commonly referred to as a skeleton. You will now be in a section with red and orange walls. The first door hides nothing, so don't bother with it. When you walk forward, be careful of the springs that are on the ground. If you walk on them, Viper will be catapulted forward. In some cases, you can thankfully avoid the springs by jumping up yourself but in others, you have no other choice than to step on them. The springs may seem harmless but if there are any enemies on-screen, they have a bad tendency to project you onto the same enemies. Another bad thing is that Viper takes his high jump stance when he surges forward and you should already know what this means if you read the "Controls" section (in case you didn't, that means he cannot shoot). The door just behind the first spring will reveal a hostage. Don't forget about it if you want to be a real hero. The next one is woefully empty but you'll probably need its shelter to dispose of the thug that should normally make a grand entrance. The one behind the double spring will give you your first life item. Your lifebar is comprised of 3 sections now which means you can afford getting hit by a bullet. After you reach the barricaded door, avoid the spring if necessary and check the first door behind it to liberate the commando. As usual, he'll give you the bomb so you can get the hell out of this place. The second door gives some bullets for your pistol. If you have managed to keep your rifle all this time, you should have more than 250 bullets for your pistol by now. Be careful as you cause the second door to revolve because a white-capped thug will show up from the first one and you'll probably need to hide for a while until it is relatively safe to come out. In front of the grey house, kill the sniper in the window and any other enemies around. The next door (near the spring) hides a skeleton. Move to the right and you'll see another of those hunters again (ironically, he looks a lot like the guy who wants to eliminate Alan Parish in "The Jumanji" -- of course, that doesn't mean anything). However, as you are bold enough to move a few steps again, you'll see a couple of snipers behind him on the lower level. First, shoot the first sniper as fast as possible. When he can no longer harm you since he's just dead, do a small jump to land near his former location. Then, crouch and kill the second one. There are however two things you must note: i) time your jump carefully because you may either touch the hunter himself or meet one of his bullets, ii) even when crouching, you are still vulnerable to the sniper, so be quick. There is no real need to dispose of the hunter once you're done with the second sniper but that's your call. The next door behind the stack of wood yields nothing but it should serve its main purpose. As you proceed forward and reach the crumbling wall, be careful of grenades which will be thrown from behind it. To avoid these, just walk quickly without ever stopping. Next, a couple of thugs will emerge from the trees. These are fairly quick and they will try to surround you before pummeling you into oblivion. The trick to avoid this is to walk cautiously and slowly such that only one will appear. You still run the risk of having a surprise apparition from another one but there's nothing you can do about that. If this happens, you can try jumping too to land on the far right but that seldom works. When you reach the train, beware of more snipers. Just walk forward and shoot. Crouch where necessary. If one of them is facing the other way, be quick as he'll turn to stare at you the second you get a bit close. Birds will also swoop down upon you and try to attack you from behind. Killing them is pathetically easy though. Just turn around and blast as long as required. Kill the couple of hunters hiding behind the haystacks next. Jumping between them and quickly shooting at the right one first followed by the left one surprisingly works. You need to carefully time your jumps though. There is a last hunter a few steps to the right but this one is harder to reach. The best method is to jump such that you land to the extreme right of the haystack. Getting him from there is a breeze but some thugs may appear from behind you as you shoot as him, so be ready to turn around quickly. Birds too will appear to peck at your eyes. Then, just walk forward until you reach the infamous wooden wall. Viper will use the grenade on it and will make a rapid exit. Only to face more enemies and bigger levels. Mission complete! Read the third fragment of the letter and arm your rifle for some major shooting! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...Attack of the Killer Totems...? Yes, featuring Ken Smith!] |||||...............................................................||||| Look for a big vertical line here to make out the doors. You can also rely on the upper marks but they aren't so obvious to make out and you may still miss them. |||||...............................................................||||| Walk to the right and jump on the totems. Kill the bunch of thugs after the second totem and go on to the right. Going left means backtracking anyway. When you reach the door, you'll notice how there is a menacing totem to the right. This weird statue can move about and will do so in a fixed pattern. The best way of avoiding being hit by this one is to hide behind the door until it has completed one cycle and resumes the original position. You will need to use the door anyway as it yields more bullets for your pistol. Once you can safely get out, jump onto the roof. Check the first door for the hostage and remain in hiding if someone comes out from the right one. The latter doesn't hide anything and the same thing go for the one below it making it pointless to drop down. Instead, continue to the right until you need to jump over a gap. On the other side, the lower-right door yields ammunition for your rifle while the other 2 (one to the left and one on the ledge) are pointless. As you move on and reach the bizarre stairway, be cautious because you may get surrounded by a couple of thugs. You know how to deal with those now. When you can drop down, do so but be careful of the totem to the left. It cannot move like the previous ones but it sometimes releases a pillar of fire and falling next to it would be a big mistake. Once you're on the middle ledge, jump down. There is a door to the upper-right which is easily accessible but you'd just waste your time with it. Drop down once more and keep to the right to use the door. It nets you a mere skeleton but at least, you did what you could. Next, move to the left and kill the sniper. As soon as he disappears, two arrogant totems will mysteriously appear from nowhere. Just drop down yet again to render them harmless. Continue dropping down. When you reach one of those totems which can "fire" at you, there is a door next to it with a hostage. Don't miss it (look for the vertical shadow). As you reach the brick ledge, walk forward and kill any thug that shows up. The door releases another skeleton but you'll probably need it to escape from enemy fire. Then, walk to the right. Don't drop down yet. The door in front of the sniper is useless in regards to items too but since crouching is not effective in this situation, hide behind it until you can kill the badass sniper. You can now drop down through the small ledge. After dropping down twice, walk to the right. Be careful though because the totem below can release vertical pillars (as opposed to the horizontal ones you encountered before). Wait until the route is clear and check the door for more bullets. You may now return to the left. The two more totems (which, this time, use the regular horizontal pillars) can be very painful. Wait until both pillars disappear and quickly drop down. Be very quick though because if you take too much time, they will reappear as you are dropping down and you will still be hit. Walk a few steps to the left and drop down yet again. Use the following door to dispose of the sniper and guess what you should do next? Yes, that's right, you should drop down. When you reach the giant ledges, you should sweat because you are now in the toughest part of this stage. You are supposed to make it to the far right without dying. There are two totems on each level, all of which are very quick. In addition, some thugs will also appear to make things even more difficult. What you need to do to survive is to drop down and up continuously such that the totems cannot touch you. Kill the thugs as soon as possible or they will get in the way. While you are safe, walk to the right and whenever you see a totem coming your way again, just jump up or drop down depending on the situation. Repeat until you reach the dark forests of the Amazon again. The next totem you see is a vertical-pillar fanatic, so time your jump well. Then, just stroll forward until you reach a new mansion with several snipers. Kill them and walk to the right, jumping onto the ledges whenever required. The door on the first ledge will give you more bullets for your pistol. Once you are on the top, proceed to the right. A guy should normally appear and he'll automatically start shooting like crazy. Since you are not on level ground, you will be forced to jump to avoid his bullets. It's very simple, shoot once and jump immediately afterwards. You'll avoid getting hit and the sole bullet you used will be more than enough to make him regret his debatable frequentations. Next, move on to the right and avoid the charging totem. The lower door has nothing but the upper one holds someone captive. To kill the hunter effortlessly, jump up way before him such that he will not shoot at you. After this, you will reach a section with four doors. The lower-left one has bullets while causing the right one to revolve will free the guy who has the required bomb. Both of the upper ones are utterly pointless unless you forget to kill the last enemies you encountered. Then, just walk to the right and dispose of the remaining drug addicts. Finally, you will reach the exit and Viper will use the bomb. Mission complete! The fourth fragment of the letter begins to shed some light on what is really going on. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...As the mission comes to an end, Viper courageously moves on although he knows what awaits him next is a nightmare.] |||||...............................................................||||| Look for deeper lines which indicate the presence of doors. You need to squint at those though because most of the time, they are very hard to make out. Because of this, I will make ASCII maps to point out where the important ones are located. Keep in mind that you will need to make full use of every single door in this stage since it is extremely tough and always abounds with threats. |||||...............................................................||||| Kill the two thugs. The ledge under which you start hides a door but it's pointless to check it for the simple reason that there's absolutely nothing behind it. Note: ## ## - window O - pipehole | | Actually, although the door holds | ## |¯¯¯¯| nothing, you may need it because wall | ## | | enemies will constantly appear | | | if you take too much time. | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Ledge Further to the right, there are 2 doors adjacent to the big ledge. The lower one is located exactly where the ledge begins while its upper counterpart is at the extreme right edge. The lower one gives way to a skeleton while the upper one will give you more bullets for your rifle. Obviously, make sure you check it at least once to take the goodies. ____ ## | | ## | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ledge |¯¯¯¯| O O | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ground Now, jump onto the upper ledge --or just remain on it if you were originally there--. Jump over to the next ledge. The latter consists of an upper and a lower part and there is a door on each part. Both don't hold any items or hostages but you will need them because as you jump forward, more enemies appear and they are of the shooting type. Crouching will obviously not work as they will be on the lower part and even if you crouch, the bullets will still hit you. ## |¯¯¯¯| ## | | ## |¯¯¯¯| | | ## | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ledge O ## |¯¯¯¯| ## | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ground As further shown on the map, there is also another door directly below the right one. Unless you take yourself for Rambo, simply crouch at the upper door and jump down. This door holds the first hostage of this level but you'll also need it to hide for a while. Move on again and more enemies will run in. Crouch to kill them but be ready for those who may appear behind you. There is another door on the ledge, use it if you need shelter. As you may see if you've advanced a lot, there is another ledge but this one is situated slightly higher than that one. Enemies will also appear from there and obviously, crouching won't help you here. The ledge to the right comprises of two doors, one on it and one below it. There is a hostage behind the upper one. ## |¯¯¯¯| ## | | | | ## |¯¯¯¯| | | ## | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ upper ledge | | | | ## |¯¯¯¯| first ledge ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ## | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ground When you're finally done here, walk on until you reach the lava. You now need to jump onto the small blocks. Falling into the lava equals an instant death. You are probably feeling that this part should be quite easy but, as Zigfried would say, YOU ARE THINKING TOO MUCH! Notice the cage at the top? As you jump forward, a new type of enemies --who bizarrely look like zombies-- will appear behind the cage. They can hit you as you are jumping. Precise timing is necessary here.The best method of dealing with this situation is to jump and shoot as they appear. Logically, this is made easier if you still have the rifle (and you should!). If you fail to kill them quickly enough, they will start jumping around too and become a real nuisance. Whenever there are is a bigger platform before a smaller one, don't try jumping from the first one itself. It may seem possible and you're probably thinking this will allow you to avoid the zombies but you will fail to land on any platform. Basically, you're just buying a ticket to Hell. Even when you reach safe ground, the cage will still be present. Even worse, it has extended to the lower half of the screen now. However, since you don't have to bother about jumping now, you'll take them out very easily. To clear any doubts, the locked doors have nothing to do with the usual ones, no need to waste your time with those. When the lower path ends in a dead end, jump up to continue. Or if you were initally on the ledge, just remain there. The usual enemies will start reappearing now. Quickly drop down the various ledges and crouch to avoid being hit by the green hunters. There is a door on the second ledge and it conceals some ammunition for your pistol. To spot it easily, simply keep in mind that there is a space of exactly one door between it and the wall. | |¯¯¯¯| | | | | wall | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ledge Just drop down from where you are next. There is no need to check what lies to the left as it will just trigger more enemy encounters. The acid drops that fall down steps ahead of you must be avoided too. Wait until they stop --which they do for a short while-- and walk to the other side. You can also try a normal jump as you see a clearing in the shower but I don't recommend using such an extreme strategy. It very rarely works. There is a door under the next ledge and another one directly above. Since the wall behind is orange, they can easily be spotted and there is no need to make a map for these. There is a skeleton behind the lower one, take some bones for your dog. Its upper counterpart, on the other hand, has absolutely nothing. The following ledge comes complete with three doors. Only the upper right one is of any interest though as it yields a timer to enable you to loiter around a little longer. There shouldn't be any enemies here unless you are playing at the hardest difficulty. As you walk forward, prepare to face another ordeal. Here, you need to make sure you are never touched by the machines that move around the set paths. That's not all though. These will often quickly stop and release a fume which can obviously hurt you such that you actually need to watch out for 2 things. I highly recommend going for the upper one since it gives somewhat more liberty and you don't run the risk of stepping on the ledge inadvertently while jumping. But it's really your choice. Each route has its pros and cons, try getting used to both and see for yourself which one suits you better. There is a door on either side of the ledge at the end of the route. Again, there is an orange wall behind such that spotting them is as easy as pressing the trigger of a gun. The lower door will reveal a hostage but the upper one doesn't have anything to offer to you. Walk to the right and you will face the same task. However, this one is slightly harder as the whatever-those-are-supposed-to-represent thingies stop less frequently. There is a door after the top one and it'll reward you with the life bonus which should really come in handy...Well, I don't know about you but I was in dire need of one each time I played the game and arrived here. You will then have to avoid more acid drops and undergo the route test a third time. You should be skilled at it now, so that's not a huge problem. But before you do it, note that there is a door on the ledge where it starts. Behind it are some bullets for your rifle. There is another one on the lower part once you've done it but it's useless. Next, avoid more acid drops and jump onto the ledge until you can take out the hunter. Walk forward and let Viper drop down from ledge to ledge. There is a door with a life-up on the second one. Kill the bunch of hunters afterwards. As you reach the set of bricks, jump on them. Again, dropping into the lava will cost you a life. Acid drops will randomly drop on the middle double brick, so take your time when you need to jump onto that one. There is thankfully a lag between each drop. You will then face those zombies again. The first two doors (one up and one down) can be ignored. Instead, walk below the upper ledge and there will be another two doors. The left one will reveal a hostage. There is a dead end after the right one, so you have no other choice than to jump onto the ledge. When you reach the three side-by-side doors, the rightmost one must be checked out to free the commando. He'll give you the bomb as usual. Finally, just walk forward and kill the couple of zombies which will try to scare you. Fortunately, you are not Jill Valentine and don't care about helping other survivors, mercenaries or whatever. Viper will automatically use the bomb when he approaches the exit. Mission complete! The fifth part of the letter will have you thinking some more about what is in store for you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...The ends gets closer and closer. At the same time, so does death.] |||||...............................................................||||| For the most part, the doors are very obvious. The setting is set in a laboratory and in regards to this, doors have the usual horizontal and vertical strips. |||||...............................................................||||| Walk forward until you reach the ledge and kill any enemies you encounter. One of those grenade-launching guys may also run in. Kill him as soon as possible because his attacks, combined with the other bullets that will very likely fly in, may be too much to handle. The door on the right side of the ledge have nothing of interest other than providing shelter. Walk to the right once more and use the elevator by pressing Up before it just like when you would use a door. You'll end up one story above and there is a door to the left of the elevator which will allows some enemies to run in. You'll thus have to keep in mind that if you want to crouch, you will have to walk a few steps forward (or back, but that would be a stupid thing to do) first. Pressing Down while you are still in the elevator will obviously lower it instead. Otherwise, there are bullets behind the door. Proceed to the right after you've taken the bullets and cleared the screen of any enemies. The next door has absolutely nothing either, just keep walking. Jump onto the ledge when you reach it. For the record, there is another door to the extreme right below the ledge but you'd be wasting your time by moving over to it. Use the new elevator situated on the ledge. After you can move again, a thug will possibly appear behind you and you need to be prepared to face it. In addition, another grenade-thrower may face you from the right but most of the time, he will just throw only one grenade before running away. Kill the hunter afterwards and use the other lift which, this time, will take you down instead. Before you walk to the right to check the four doors and the remaining elevator, make sure you are ready to do a lot of hiding. Why? Well, as you walk to the right, a wave of electricity will be formed on the ground and will move across the whole distance between the extreme doors. You can avoid it by jumping but using the doors to hide is logically more effective since you will also be protected against enemy fire. Simply get used to the pattern of the wave and as it approaches you, get close to a door and hide behind it until it's passed you. To add to the tension, some thugs may also appear and fire at you but you'll be safe if you are behind a door. Just wait until they cease to shoot and retaliate. Of course, keep an eye on the electrical wave too since it would be dumb to forget about it and thus die because you were not careful enough. Out of the four successive doors, only the second one has ammunition. Once you're done avoiding the hazards of infiltrating an enemy base, use the lift to go down. Next, move to the left. A sniper will appear from the window, be prepared to take it out. Remember that you cannot crouch to avoid his bullets, you'll need to jump. And this can get difficult as the jumps are pretty weird in this game. Still, after having played five levels, you should be used to them (unless you cheated). Continue forward --to the left in this case-- and take out the thug who will emerge from the elevator. Before using it yourself to go up, check the door beyond it to liberate a poor hostage. You may now return to use the lift. Once you're up, take out all the enemies who emerge from the lift to your right. Use the empty door if they get too aggressive. There are 3 elevators in this area and 2 more doors. The left door will reveal a skeleton while the right one has nothing. First, use the right-most elevator. When you can move again, go check the door nearby. Behind it is the life bonus. Since the other 2 lifts which lead down will just bring you back to the bottom floor, use the remaining one (leading up). As a side-note, remember that the option is not used if you life is already full. Consequently, if you are hit within the perimeter, just come back to take it. There will be the same electrical wave to the left of the lift when you can move again. Moreover, 2 thugs will appear from the next elevator. After you have killed them, move to the extreme left and use the door to liberate the commando so he can give you the bomb. Since this is a dead-end, proceed to the right. Two more enemies will appear from the right elevator. Crouch to avoid their bullets and unload a couple of rounds in their pixelated bodies. Use the elevator and once on top, move to the right. If you attempt to drop on the left side, you'll just be taken back to the previous floor. The next door will provide you with ammunition for your pistol. As you once more walk forward, en enemy will appear from the elevator. You _must_ kill him quickly because a white-capped thug will drop down behind you. If you take too much time to dispose of the first one, you will very likely die since the white-capped thug will just keep shooting to no end. When the coast is clear, use the lift. Once on the next floor, move to the left and kill the thug who suddenly appears. Be ready to jump to avoid his bullets if he manages to shoot. Use the other lift when he's no longer a threat. Kill the enemy that should normally appear and dispose of the couple of enemies on the ledge. If you choose to walk on the ledge, note that one of those annoying electrical waves may be instantly created. There are also 3 doors here, one below the ledge and two more above it. The upper-left one conceals a hostage. Next, kill all the enemies so you can move forward again. Viper will then use the bomb when he approaches the exit. Mission complete! Read the letter and take enough ammunition to wipe out the next location from the map! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STAGE 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...Viper to the rescue! Call an ambulance!] |||||...............................................................||||| Doors are easily found by the outline created by the fading colors. You cannot miss them. |||||...............................................................||||| Walk forward, jump onto the moving stairway and use the door to free a hostage. If a thug shows up, just kill him before using the door. Jump over the gap and proceed to the right. The next door will allow a thug to appear but doesn't contain anything more. Killing the thug should be quite easy such that you shouldn't need to bother about the door. Move to the right again and jump over the spikes. When you need to drop down, press Right on the pad so you don't jump on the spikes below. Stay alert though because there are more of those forward and Viper will walk into them if you don't hold him back so you can safely jump over them. Jump over the bunch of spikes until you reach safe ground again. After the last one, just drop down instead of jumping. No need to take any unnecessary risks. There is a door here too but it is empty. Use the crates to go up until you need to do some more jumping. Avoid the ensuing spikes until you drop down again. There are 2 doors here and a thug should normally appear from behind one unless he's sleeping. Moreover, the first door will give you bullets for your rifle but the second one is empty. Next, kill the command who's hiding behind the crates. As you reach the big pipes, you will need to stop for a brief moment unless you don't mind dying. Here, pistons come out of the pipes after regular intervals. However, the patterns change each time and it is impossible to predict what kind of pattern will appear next. Thankfully, the game itself provides a way of knowing these easily. As you may see, the pipes have holes in them. Well, just check which ones are white. The white ones indicate that the pistons are in these pipes. Take a few seconds to get used to the on-going pattern and proceed to the right once it's safe. Then, free the hostage from behind the door. You will need to face the same ordeal again but this one has a fixed pattern where the pistons appear from adjacent pipes successively. However, there is an added "bonus" after the pipes. A commando will be hiding after this part and he will try to shoot at you as you jump up to reach the ledge. Avoid him and retaliate before he can shoot again. Check the door next to the now deceased thug for the timer and move to the right again until you automatically drop down. There is another door just next to the crate but there is nothing behind it. There will be more pipes in this section but they are horizontal this time. You will thus have to be careful as you walk. The best way of avoiding the pistons is to stop a few steps ahead of each pipe and get used to the rate at which the pistons come out. There will eventually be both vertical and horizontal pipes after the next bunch of crates. You will thus need to be more careful. When you reach the rolling platforms, jump up and avoid the spikes. As you reach the top, a couple of planks will drop down and need to be avoided at all costs. In order to do so, just refrain from jumping onto the next platform but instead, concentrate on avoiding the lower spikes. Once the planks finally disappear, you may then proceed to the right. When you're finally at the top, jump over the crates. The door between the first two boxes hides nothing but a useless skeleton. Kill the enemy and jump on the ledge to be able to move on. There is a door directly above the single crate behind which the commando was hiding but there is nothing behind it either. Kill the next commando and jump over the crate. There is another of those crouching bad guys but there is nothing between you, so dispose of him as quickly as you can. You'll be in big trouble if you loiter around. Direcly above the computer is a door with some ammunition for your pistol if you need them. The door behind the commando holds nothing though. Jump onto the ledge to be able to move forward. The next door is situated between the next two crates. Don't stay on the ledges if you don't want to miss it. Using it will liberate a hostage. There is another door forward just after second crate. Behind it are some bullets for your rifle. Finally, there is a third door just above that last one but there is nothing behind it. In any case, jump on the ledge to proceed forward. Walk on the crates and check the following door to see a skeleton. Further ahead, kill the hunter and the couple of commandos on the crates. Let Viper drop down afterwards --don't jump onto the ledge-- and check the door to liberate your ally and obtain the bomb. The next part can be very tricky. As you take the bomb, a thug will appear and will start shooting. Killing him is easy if you took the time to get used to their strategies in the game (or if you have read the "Enemy List" prior to the walkthrough) but as you do so, the commando above you will have enough time to turn around. In any case, kill the thug quickly before jumping on the ledge to send the commando back home in a coffin. There are 2 doors on the ledge but they are both empty. You will need to shelter behind them to kill the commando though, so they are not completely useless. Finally, walk to the right and kill the bunch of hunters blocking your way until you reach the exit. Mission complete! Prepare to get a shock and it's on to tackle the final stage! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FINAL STAGE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [...The news sunk into Viper's brain and shocked him. But it doesn't matter, Viper never relied on his grey cells a lot in the first place.] |||||...............................................................||||| The horizontal and vertical marks are very obvious. When the doors are within walls, they appear to be darker so you can easily spot them. |||||...............................................................||||| Walk forward and kill any enemies you encounter. Further ahead, kill the hunters but don't climb the steps yet. Instead, walk to the right until you reach the door. Take the rifle bullets behind it and high-jump onto the steps. For the record, there are 2 more doors ahead but there's nothing behind them. However, when you reach the end of the wall, drop down and use the fourth door for some ammunition for your pistol. Further ahead, you will see a commando and a sniper. However, they are situated at the top of the screen and you cannot normally shoot at them. In order to kill them, you first need to stand on the crate between them and jump from there. Only the sniper is mandatory, the hunter isn't a big threat. There will be another hunter just before the ledge further ahead. To kill him, jump on the ledge and he's an easy target. Cross the other ledge above you and dispose of any thugs that roam about. There will obviously be a lot of enemies here, so try to finish them off quickly before proceeding to the right. Finally, drop down when that's your only route. When you reach the open section with the statues representing angels, be careful. Don't just walk forward without ever stopping, that's purely (and maybe heroically but I'm not sure) suicidal. Lighting will occasionally strike the statues and doing so causes a boulder to be released on each side of them. The boulders travel in an arc though and can easily be avoided once you get accustomed to them. The lighting itself cannot hurt you even if you are near statue when it strikes. Walk to the right and avoid all the boulders. There are several of those statues in this section but not all of them will be struck by the eerie lightning. Kill the commando behind the pedestal and any other enemy who attempts to jump at you. A couple of bullets should be enough to calm his idiotic fervour. Then, move on until you reach the house section again (only this time, the walls are grey). Kill all the enemies and jump over the ledges. The path is a dead-end anyway and you're forced to take this route. You will start to meet the green-capped thugs here, don't forget that they take three bullets to die. You will be attacked by birds when you reach the final ledge just before the exit. Kill them quickly and jump onto the exit. There will be a small scene between Viper and the big villain and you will then have to kill him to beat the game. He is a disgustingly easy opponent. If you have a full lifebar, you just need to crouch and keep shooting at him. Otherwise, just avoid his bullets and retaliate whenever possible. Congratulations, you have just beaten the game! Enjoy the ending (which consists mainly of text and which is more of an epilogue)! +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ V. ENEMY LIST +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Viper is confronted with 4 enemies. As bullets fly over the whole screen, he needs to exploit his enemies' weaknesses to his advantage. To hide or not to hide? That is the question.] In this section, I will list the enemies present in their game, how they are easily recognizable and their attacking patterns and also how many bullets are required to kill them (since these vary between 1 and 3). The enemies' names have been made up as they were never called anything to my knowledge. I have made up the names according to their appearance (since most of them are the same basic drawings with different colors -- check the "Miscellaneous Info" section) unless something odd struck me and I could not control my madness anymore. ~.~ How to read >> Enemy name: their name Appearance: how they look like on your screen Pattern: their usual set patterns and AI* Bullets: how many bullets it takes to kill them *In the case of the patterns and AI, it must be noted that although these have been predetermined, the characters sometimes deem fit to be totally unpredictable to make the game more challenging. This obviously happens more often at the hardest levels. ~.~ Enemy name: Angel Appearance: Statue representing an angel Pattern: The angel doesn't really attack itself -- lighting will strike it and a boulder is released on each side, the lighting itself cannot hurt you Bullets: n/a - the boulders cannot be destroyed Enemy name: Bird Appearance: Self-explanatory Pattern: Swoops in from the top of the screen and attempts to attack you from behind Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Blue-capped thug Appearance: Thug is dressed in blue Pattern: Walks in your direction and attempts to hit you back with his body, will also frequently jump Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Commando-B Appearance: A commando dressed in black, you can however only make out his head Pattern: Suddenly appears from behind crates, shoots once and quickly goes into hiding again for one second before firing again -- this enemy can be very irritating because you don't have a lot of chances to shoot at him Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Commando-G Appearance: A commando dressed in green, only the upper part of his body can be seen Pattern: Appears from windows and shoots one bullet every two seconds, can fire either horizontally or vertically -- depends where he is located Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Commando-K Appearance: A commando dressed in khaki, always hides behing boxes, crates, etc... Pattern: Briefly stands to fire one bullet after some time before hiding behind the crate again Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Diver Appearance: A diver dressed in blue Pattern: Emerges from the water and shoots as you once before plunging back again Bullets: n/a - plunges back into the water after being shot once, it doesn't look as if he really dies though Enemy name: Fire Totem Appearance: A simple totem Pattern: Will form pillars of fire either horizontally or vertically after fixed periods of time Bullets: n/a - the pillars of fire can only be avoided Enemy name: Green-capped thug Appearance: Thug is dressed in green Pattern: Looks around for you and shoots once he spots you, there is a lag between every three bullets Bullets: 3 Enemy name: Grenade-thrower Appearance: Bigger than the thugs and dresses in orange Pattern: Jumps in and repeatedly throws grenades, will sometimes throw only one before quickly running away Bullets: 2 Enemy name: Grey-capped thug Appearance: Thug is dressed in grey Pattern: Walks onto you as long as necessary until you die Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Hunter Appearance: A hunter dressed in green and holding a gun Pattern: The hunter will be standing without doing anything and as soon as he spots you, he'll start shooting with a small lag between every 4 bullets Bullets: 2 Enemy name: Ninja Appearance: Thug is dressed in pink and is very reminiscent of a ninja (but he's not really one) Pattern: Swiftly jumps around you, can shoot too and has the unique ability to shoot down if he is above you Bullets: 2 Enemy name: Pink-capped thug Appearance: Thug is dressed in pink Pattern: Starts to shoot enlessly as soon as he spots you Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Piston Appearance: Self-explanatory, white piston Pattern: Appears after fixed periods of time in a chosen pattern Bullets: n/a - cannot be destroyed Enemy name: Red-capped thug Appearance: Thug is dressed in red Pattern: Walks in your direction and hits you until you die Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Spiked ball Appearance: A spiked ball which flashes in the middle Pattern: Rolls forward until it reaches a gap, will self-destruct upon being blocked in the gap Bullets: n/a - cannot be destroyed Enemy name: Sniper Appearance: Thug is dressed in white and red, appears from behind windows with a big gun in his hand Pattern: Remains behind the window and fires at you, there is a small lag between each bullet -- the advantage of the sniper resides in the unique fact that he can shoot diagonally Bullets: 1 Enemy name: Totem Appearance: Looks like a totem (statue) which has the teeth of a vampire Pattern: Will just move forth and back over a fixed distance Bullets: n/a - cannot be destroyed Enemy name: White-capped thug Appearance: Thug is dressed in white and red Pattern: Will either walk forward until he get close enough to shoot or he may just shoot on as soon as he notices you, there is a lag between every 2 bullets Bullets: 2 Enemy name: Yellow-capped thug Appearance: Thug is completely dressed in yellow Pattern: Starts to shoot like a maniac as soon as he spots you -- stronger version of the pink-capped thug Bullets: 2 Enemy name: Zombie Appearance: Looks like an insane man wearing only pants, blue in color Pattern: Jumps from left to right and attempts to chase you Bullets: 1 +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ VI. TIPS +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Surviving through the mazes of the South American jungle is utterly primordial.] · I shouldn't have to say this, but I'll still go ahead and put it as bluntly as possibly. Make full use of the doors to cope with any situation. They allow you to escape enemy bullets and when you are surrounded by half a dozen soldiers, simply remain behind a door until they no longer remain clustered around your current location. The doors are, without doubt, the main feature of the game. · Don't waste ammo. In most cases, 2 bullets should be enough to kill someone. · Be sure to check all the doors for hostages and items. Besides, you get the bomb from a commando who's being held along with those. · Always kill everybody around you before you jump or perform any other action. · Crouching often enables you to avoid enemy bullets. In any case, it's better than _jumping_ above the same bullets. · Crouching is your best ally for another reason. When an enemy takes more than one bullet to die, you will kill him quicker if you are crouching. Why? Well, each enemy kneels upon being hit such that any ensuing bullet will miss him if you are standing. Unless you are smart enough to kneel down too, further shots will miss. However, if you were originally crouching yourself, you will hit the enemy even as he seems to be recovering. This little cheat is particularly effective against the green-capped enemies or the hunters. · Take your time to get used to enemy patterns. If you know what to expect of them, you'll have an easier time ensuring that they don't do what they're supposed to do. · Time your jumps carefully. The jumps are rather weird in this game and you may end up falling on thugs if you don't pay enough attention. · Be sure to get at least 2 life items. If you miss them, you will have a harsh time when you go up against the big guy who's behind all this. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ VII. MISCELLANEOUS INFO +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Where the crazy author points out funny stuff about the game and adds his own uninteresting comments to great parts of the game. Note, he is not nitpicking or anything, he is just being finical.] · Just whatever is up with Viper's jumps? The guys appears to take an idiotic position and the jumping itself is just...weird. As a matter of fact, get used to the jumps in the first level. Otherwise, be ready to die onwards whenever your need to jump over gaps. · Viper's chief in the intro looks strangely like a ghost. · Viper's sole response to the commandos throughout the game limits to a poor "Okay" except during the 2 last levels. Is that the best he can do or does he come from the South American jungle himself? · Although the enemies vary, there are actually only 3 different designs which are the normal thugs, the hunters and the zombies (these exist in only one version anyway -- note: I'm leaving out those who don't appear frequently like the birds and totems). The rest of the crew consists essentially of the same normal thugs and hunters in different colors and with varying AI. · Viper (and most of his enemies) are not prone to gravity. · Isn't it strange how the enemies actually see you go behind a door but will never follow you there? And that's made even more amazing by the fact that most enemies indeed show up from behind these same doors. Oh well, the game would be way too difficult then (which would scare everybody). · The game is balanced, to say the least. Your enemies die too if they touch spikes or are confronted with any of the dangers that instantly kill you. · However, enemies whose attacks consist of walking onto you don't seem to get hurt while your life gets depleted by one bar each time you collide. · The game actually manages to hold your interest through the letter. That's quite surprising coming from a platformer where plots are usually weak. I mean, there's this plumber who had to save the same princess more than 5 times... · *SPOILERS - Don't read if you haven't finished the game yet* ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ If we consider Viper's words after the seventh stage, we may assume that he was well aware of the Commander's illegal activities. And what he says to the Commander when he meets him during the last stage only reinforces this idea. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ VIII. GAME GENIE CODES +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Let's cheat for the sake of winning!] All the Game Genie codes are courtesy of GameWinners.com. Codes are for the North American version of the game. Unlimited lives SZOVKNVK Start with 1 life PENTAGLA Start with 6 lives TENTAGLA Start with 9 lives PENTAGLE Unlimited energy STVPVOON AASOVZPA Start with 200% bullets GTETLIZL Start with 50% bullets PPETLIZU 200% bullets on new life GTOVEYZL 50% bullets on new life PPOVEYZU Start with rifle and 256 bullets VVNVGKSE Rifle and 256 bullets on new life VTOTONSE Keep rifle after losing life GZOTONSE GZEVVNSE Unlimited rifle bullets AAOXLZPA Unlimited pistol bullets AENXZPPA Upper level jump* SXKEVNOU ONEOYEXN *Super jump +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ IX. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...You have questions? Worry not, I have answers. Your question is not listed? Hate not me, hate my brain (or e-mails).] Q1: While reading the walkthrough and playing the game, I sometimes encountered enemies but you didn't even mention those. Even worse, at times where you said there would be several enemies to deal with, there were none. What's up with that? A1: That's because the enemies are randomized and will always vary each time you play. In addition, the 3 different difficulties (Easy, Normal, Hard) provide different enemy encounters. For the record, everything in this FAQ was done with the Normal version, but I have beat all of them several times. Q2: Is Viper's name really Ken Smith? A2: Yes, you'll learn his surname as soon as the game begins. As for the "Ken", I got the info from an old publication. The little story has it that Capcom can't come up with innovative names as they shamelessly called the heroes of the Breath of Fire series "Ryu". Q3: Something strange happened to me. I played the game and got a password AFTER beating it. What's up with that? A3: This password will enable you to face the big villain again. You will start directly at the final confrontation without having to do the whole level. And that's a great idea if you want my opinion. Q4: Is there only one ending in the game? A4: No, there's another one where Viper joins the cartel and marries Pikachu before turning into a demon...Just joking, there is only one ending and it involves a major twist. The story is pretty good for such an old action game (mainly due to the twist). Q5: I loved this game and want to play more similar titles. Any recommendations? A5: Well, there _is_ Rolling Thunder (still for the NES) but it's crap. Still, you might want to check it out to see what, in a sense, spawned Viper. Don't blame me for the side-effects of playing such a difficult game afterwards though. Q6: What does the letter say when you get the last fragment? A6: *SPOILERS -- DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT BEATEN THE GAME YET* ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The letter contains a major twist and really surprised me the first time I played Viper. Here's what's written on it (exact transcript): "Our purpose is to control the whole world by drugs. Supply as much drugs to Commander Jones of Special Missions as possible and he will handle it. Never contact him even though he can be found at his home in Beverly Hills. We must execute our top secret plans now! Pay attention to this matter." *END SPOILER* ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ X. REVISION HISTORY +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...If history is any indication of how Man has progressed, this one indicates how I'm lazy.] v 0.10 - April 29, 2002 Initial draft with first level done. v 1.00 - May 20, 2002 First release. Complete, proofread and all that matters. Wow, nearly one month for a small guide. v 1.10 - May 28, 2002 Edited various notes and fixed some loose parts in the walkthrough. v Final - August 12, 2002 Last update. v Final - March 20, 2003 Corrected stuff, and drank booze. +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ XI. CREDITS +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ [...Inserting tokens earns you credits in arcade games. In a FAQ, "Credits" refer to people who need to be thanked for making the project possible.] As Mr. Ken Smith slowly walks away, the word Capcom is seen in the horizon. Why? Becase Ken Smith belongs to Capcom who created a great game which never got the recognition it deserved. Thanks also go to a fellow called Jeff "CJayC" Veasey for running the best gaming site on the net and for posting this guide on the same site. My cheating personality would also like to thank Al Amaloo for posting the Game Genie Codes for this game on GameWinners.com. Obviously, my gratitude here also extends to Galoob for making such cheating possible in the first place. However pompous this may sound, I'm also thanking myself for typing this up. It's my guide anyway, I do what I want. And I guess I should extend the credits to you too for actually reading the whole guide although you've probably never even heard of the game. You'd do well to search for the game, my friend. Finally, do not forget that you can just e-mail me if you have any questions or want to provide feedback about the lameness of this guide. The only thing you need to remember is to put "Viper" or something as the subject line. Trying to be smart by putting "Something" instead will not make me laugh although it will probably nourish the trash. Any contributions you make to the FAQ will be duly credited. Thank you. "Only a fool trusts his life to a weapon!" - Gray Fox/Cyborg Ninja Does that make Viper a fool? Hmm....... To end this FAQ on a good note, let us recall one of the various memorable arguments by the great JaksTer: "I don't like Capcom, but I like their games." - EOF - © 2002-2003 Kertra. All rights reserved. Plug >> http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/8556.html