Walker Boh's Guide to: Fantasy Zone on NES Contents 1. Legal Notice 2. 2. About the Game 3. 3. Controls 4. 4. Walkthrough 5. 5. Upgrades 6. A. Engines 7. B. Weapons 8. C. Misc 9. 6. In Closing Legal Notice This here FAQ is mine and no one else's. Ya can post it on your web site if ya wanna, but ya can't change it one bit! Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to b-peterson@earthlink.net. Be specific and be polite! The more specific you are, the more likely it is that I'll be able to help you or at least point you in the right direction. The more polite you are, the more likely it is that I'll even bother. About the Game Fantasy Zone is one of the most bizarre yet addicting games available for the NES, and indeed for any gaming platform. Sadly, it's not very well-known---at least as far as its NES incarnation is concerned. This is probably due in part because the NES version was made by Tengen and wasn't licensed by Nintendo. Then again it may have nothing whatsoever to do with that. Like I said, it's definitely a game to add to your Bizarre Titles list. The gameplay is simple and straightforward. The music is also pretty damn catchy and for the most part does not get annoying. The story is extremely basic. You control Opa Opa, a living spaceship on a quest to stop the evil Menon army from overrunning Fantasy Zone, one of the most beautiful solar systems in the galaxy. And guess what, it won't be easy. The enemies and bosses in Fantasy Zone are some of the most bizarre creatures imaginable. I didn't know the Menons were blobs and blocks. Pretty bizarre if you ask me. Oh well, I'm not complaining. As far as the difficulty level goes, it's both easy and incredibly tough. The levels themselves are nothing to get worked up over. I'd say only the bosses are likely to cause you any real grieff, and not all of them will. I could name a few in particular, but I'll save my commentary for the walkthrough itself. Fantasy Zone shares some elements with traditional RPG/Adventure games, namely the shops. Every now and then a bubble will fly across the top of the screen (usually one appears at the beginning of a level and sometimes in the middle). Touching one of these with your ship results in your being transported to the shop, where you can use the gold you get from destroying enemies to buy weapons, extra ships (lives), and faster engines. You're going to need these enhancements if you want to beat the game with as little frustration as possible. Don't get me wrong; this game will at times frustrate the living hell out of you. However, with proper planning, you can cut down on the amount of frustration you get from playing. I still have trouble beating this game and I'm a vet. Controls Fantasy Zone's controls are simple to learn and generally respond the way they're supposed to. Here they are. A Button: Drop bombs. B Button: Fire currently equipped weapon. D-Pad: Move Opa-Opa or cursor (shops only). Start: Press to begin game, Not used in actual gameplay. Select: Pause/resume game. Walkthrough Aaaaaand here it iiiiiis, the event you've all been waiting for (drum roll please), the waaaalkthrooooough! Ok, I'll shut up now and get onto the walkthrough. Stage 1 Groovy music! In fact it's one of my favorite tunes in this game. Anyway, this is an extremely easy stage, but it should give you a general idea of what future stages will be like. There'll be several big ships that need to be destroyed before you can advance to the boss. Then of course there are smaller enemies that are there to get in your way. Oh yeah and I ought to mention that one hit will kill you, so be as careful as you can. The game is very unforgiving in that extra lives are the most expensive and have the most drastic price increase out of all the items in the game. Oh yeah (again), and collect all the gold you can. Each coin is worth varying amounts of money. Larger coins are worth more, and you'll need every coin you can collect for the shops. Boss coins (the ones that come after bosses are destroyed), are worth more still. Anyway, you might be able to stop by the shop in this level, though I really don't feel you need any boosts for this area. It's way too easy. Incidentally, if you destroy all but one of the big ships in a level and then die, you won't have to destroy them all over again. At least the developers gave us that little bit of leeway. Anyway, once all ships in this level are destroyed, you'll encounter the boss. Boss: Bizarre Cube Thingy This boss is pathetically easy. Avoid its shots (enjoy the really weird noise it makes when it fires), and shoot at its mouth with whatever weapon you have. Once it's dead, collect the coin remains. They'll really come in handy in the shops. Stage 2 Ah, more groovy music. Anyway, kill off the big enemies and collect as much money as possible. If you can afford it, you may want to buy a Laser Beam and some Big Wings. The Laser Beam does more damage than the default Twin Shot and the Big Wings will give you a speed boost that really comes in handy against bosses and big enemies. One thing you'll notice is that this game has pitiful collision Detection. Anyway, pretty soon it'll be boss time. Boss: Weird Round Thingy Like the prior boss, this boss makes an incredibly weird noise when it unleashes its attacks. Your goal is to shoot out the inner parts. Obviously, the outer defenses will try to block you. If you have a Laser Beam, you won't need to worry so much about that. Just time your shots right and you should win. Collect the coins. Stage 3 Yet another groovy tune. In this level, you'll encounter spinning ships that fire smaller shots that can be a pain to avoid. Buy a faster engine and a better weapon if you can afford it. Destroy the enemies and collect the gold. Boss: Incredibly Easy Missile Launcher Thingy This is an easy boss. Avoid the shots by moving to the top of the screen and dropping bombs on the cannons from above, thereby keeping out of their range. . Interestingly enough, the launchers will continue to fire in the same pattern even when some of them are destroyed. That is to say the surviving ones will pause to allow those that were destroyed to fire, which of course they won't do. Once they're all gone, the battle is yours. Collect the coins after the boss is destroyed. On to level 4! Level 4 The music in this level sounds a little like Cupid, Draw Back your Bow. Anyway, once again, buy a better weapon and engine. You'll probably need 'em. Destroy the big enemies and as many of the smaller ones as you can, collecting the money. Then, yep, you guessed it, boss time! Boss: The Weird Looking Snake Armed type Thingy This was for me the most frustrating boss in the game. If you really have trouble with this boss, the music will quickly start to get on your nerves, 'cuz it's the only tune you'll be hearing. Anyway, this boss is a weird ball with arms that wave around as it spins. It also shoots pellet things which must be avoided. Shoot the arms until they're green, then the body. A faster engine is recommended and, if possible, a Laser Beam. Collect the coins when the boss dies. Level 5 time! Level 5 The music in this level is pretty damn catchy. We're also walking---ahem---flying in a winter wonderland. The routine is the same. Destroy enemies, collect gold, dodge shots, buy weapons and engines. Then battle boss. Boss: Snowman Troopers The boss is an army of snowmen of varying sizes. The smaller ones are a royal pain, but the larger ones are less of a nuisance. Destroy the one giant one once the littler ones are gone and---well---you should probably know by now what happens. Need I remind you to collect as many of the coins as you can? Level 6 The music in this level sounds a little like that Runaway song by that guy Del Shannon (I think that's who it is anyway). Avoid the enemies and collect as much money as possible. And yeah, buy some speed and some firepower if you want. And if you feel you need to, you may want to buy an extra ship or two. Just remember that the extra ship is already one of the most expensive items to begin with, and the price increases far more drastically with each succeeding purchase than any of the weapons (the price of engines is fixed). Well, if you've got the money don't sweat about it. Just make sure you have a decent amount for what's coming next. Boss: The Eye Thing Avoid its barriers and shoot it whenever possible. If you want to make this fight really easy, buy a Heavy Bomb before the battle. The moment the Eye appears, drop the Heavy Bomb on it for an instant win. Collect as much money as you can and then move on. Stage 7 The music in this level is just as catchy as the other music, although I do have to admit that you don't want to have your TV's volume set too high for this one. Its high pitch is enough to leave a painful ringing in your ears if it's too loud, and it's already a rather loud tune all by itself. The tune itself is great, it's just the instruments that are objectionable. I think it's the NES' version of a tin whistle. Anyway, destroy the big enemies and as many of the smaller ones as you wish. Buy some upgrades if you've a mind, then it's boss time. Boss: Weird Rectangle Thing This boss's mode of attack is simple. It splits itself into sections and tries to reassemble itself on top of you. Shoot it and avoid its attacks. If you want, buy a Heavy Bomb and use that for a quick victory. Then, collect the coins (what? I'm not done yet?) Boss Gauntlet The name is pretty self-explanatory. After destroying the Rectangle or whatever you choose to call it, you'll be taken to the shop. By this you can tell your work isn't done yet. Buy at least a Jet Engine, Laser Beam and, if you can afford it, three or four Heavy Bombs. Remember that weapons increase in price by at least half after you purchase your first one. Anyway, this level is really not that tough, but it can be frustrating. You have to fight all seven bosses again. Avoid dying or you'll lose your upgrades. You may want to use Heavy Bombs for some of these bosses just to make sure you have enough lives for what's next in case you screw up somehow. Final Boss: Giant Opa Opa The music in this battle is bizarre but not unfitting. The huge enemy ship shoots out little critters. The objective is simple, though accomplishing it can be tough. Destroy all the little critters to win the game. Nope, you don't even touch the big ship. Enjoy the ending and the accompanying music. It's soooo catchy! Upgrades Here's a list of the upgrades you'll find in the shops. Engines Name: Small Wings Cost: N/A Description: This is Opa Opa's default engine. It's also the slowest. Name: Big Wings Cost: $100 (fixed Description: This is a slightly better engine. It allows more maneuverability and speed. Name: Jet Engine Cost: $1000 (fixed) Description: An even faster engine. Name: Turbo Engine Cost: $10000 (fixed) Description: This is an even faster engine. If you can afford it, buy it. Name: Rocket Engine Cost: $100000! (fixed) Description: Without a doubt, the best engine, its only real fault being that it can sometimes be a little bit faster than you really need, which can sometimes lead to fatal miscalculations. It's also fitting that it be the most expensive. Weapons Name: Laser Beam Cost: $1000 (+$800 for each successive purchase). Description: This is the weapon of choice, as it does a nice amount of damage. It has a time limit of fifteen seconds. Name: Wide Beam Description: This is about three times larger than the others but doesn't seem to do as much damage. Stay away from this one. Cost: $500 (+$400 for each successive purchase). Name: 5 Way Beam Description: This weapon is good for taking out several enemies at once but is less effective against single targets. Cost: $5000 (+$4000 with each successive purchase). Name: Single Bomb Description: This is the default bomb. It does decent damage but you can only drop one at a time and aiming can be tough. Cost: N/A Name: Twin Bomb Description: Drop two bombs instead of one! Cost: $100 (+$100 with each successive purchase). Name: Fire Bomb Description: Acts like a normal bomb, but if you press A again after dropping one, it'll split into two fireballs that can take out multiple enemies. Cost: $2000 (+$500 with each successive purchase). Name: Smart Bomb Description: Instantly destroys all normal enemies on screen. Cost: $2000 (+$1000 with each successive purchase). Name: Heavy Bomb Description: This is an extremely cheap weapon. It's not so much a bomb as a huuuuuge weight. Dropping this on an enemy will kill it instantly, even bosses. Cost: $2000 (+$1000 with each successive purchase). Misc Name: Extra Ship Description: Gives you one extra life. Cost: $5000 for first purchase, $20000 for second purchase, $50000 for third and so on. Yeah, lives ain't cheap. In Closing I hope this FAQ has been of some help to you. Feel free to send me suggestions or comments. Just remember to be polite about it. Also be as specific as possible. Write me at b-peterson@earthlink.net with your contributions. Enjoy this FAQ and enjoy Fantasy Zone!