Jackal Speed Run FAQ Copyright Konami 1988 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 1.1 Dates Written: March 4th, 2005 I dedicate this to the great game of Jackal, and it is overlooked as a fun as all hell speed running title. Definitely worth the time and investment, I hope it assists other in improving their times to sub 10 minutes! Also, for Cougar, Howler, and Koonce. I miss you, and I hope you are living it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my memories, and you will never be forgotten. ----------- Version 1.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on March 4th, 2005 ----------- Version 1.1 ----------- -Submitted guide on July 16th, 2005 -I added in Retronintendo as a site allowed to use my FAQs -Altered the format to make it easier on the eyes of the reader ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Introduction 2) Speed Run Basics 3) Level One 4) Level Two 5) Level Three 6) Level Four 7) Level Five 8) Level Six 9) Final Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Introduction--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) This FAQ will lay down the walkthrough on how to finish the game of Jackal in around 10 minutes. With practice, you will be able to finish off the six levels in less than 10 minutes. Now, if you have anything to add to this FAQ, please go ahead and e-mail me. However, before you send me anything, note that I HAVE SEEN the emulator time attack made by the biskwit boys (it did help me a bit in improving my times, especially on the last boss), so anything in their run that is not the same as mine I do not need in here since I have deemed it way too difficult/impossible to pull off consistently on the console at full speed. This is not a knock on what they do (as what they do can be very useful to the legitimate speed runner), but stuff that they do (like standing toe-to-toe with the final enemy) is just not feasible when the game is played properly. That said, enjoy this file, as it is the combined knowledge of my own experiences, friend's experiences, and a bit of help for the final boss from the biskwit video. Enjoy!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Speed Run Basics------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) This section will look at a few basic ideas that must be understood to speed run effectively. Each bit will be looked at separately, so read up to better understand the speed walkthrough for each level. o-----------------------------o | How To Use This Walkthrough | o-----------------------------o This walkthrough is not meant to be used by someone new to the game. Rather, this walkthrough is intended for those who can beat this game at will, showing a skill level that surpasses that of the programming. It is intended to stretch every player's skill towards achieving an attack that would not be more fun that emthodical enemy elimination, but likely closer to that of a single unit attack against such an overwhelming force. This means that reading the entire document and putting the path and strategies to memory, so they can be brought out at will to use in a split decision, since stopping to check soemthing during a speed run defeats the purpose of such a document. o-------------o | Terminology | o-------------o The following are terms used within the speed walkthrough and they should be fully understood to assist in getting the best possible times: Combination Attack.....: This term is used when the need to use both Bullets and Heavy Ordinance in combination, as it will help to reduce time spent fighting an enemy (usually a Boss Fight). Heavy Ordinance........: Otherwise known as Grenades/Missiles. Grenades are the default weapon, but each Officer pick-up will increase the ability of this weaponry (see Splash Damage for specifics). One death will revert the Heavy Weaponry back to Grenades, so usually this is not a desired state of affairs for a speed run. Officer P.O.W. Building: These off-coloured holding cells only hold one P.O.W., but since he is an Officer, he will upgrade your weaponry in return for the pick-up. However, note that these buuldings are only a concern for the first level, as they can be ignored from the third pick-up onwards, as the Heavy Ordinance will be fully upgraded to four-way Splash Damage. Splash Damage..........: Heavy Ordinance begins as simple Grenades, but they can be upgraded to Missiles by grabbing an Officer from an Officer P.O.W. Building. With a second Officer pick-up, the Missile gains a dual splash damage capability, sending small, destructive fireballs sideways from the impact spot. One more Officer pick-up will increase the impact fireball discharge to include a four-way (cross pattern) pattern. Death will revert the set to Grenades only, but death in a speed run is rarely a planned occurrence (though one area does have some potential for exploiting this). o-----------------------------o | Bullets vs. Heavy Ordinance | o-----------------------------o This is perhaps the most important thing to understand for a speed run, as proper use of attacking mechanisms can save seconds at a time. Heavy Ordinance (Grenades/Missiles) are powerful and fly out in whichever direction the Jeep is facing, so they would seem to be the ideal weapon at all tiems. Bullets on the other hand, only fly directly upwards, regardless of which direction the Jeep is facing (weaker than Heavy Ordinance as well). Well, despite the seemingly superior statistics in favour of Heavy Ordinance, but there is one big strike against it in a speed run. That strike is the fact that in a speed run most enemies will be driven by instead of killed, which will leave many sprites on screen at once. This means that the potential for slowdown by taxing the NES for that extra memory space (to support the extra sprites) is far more likely. Heavy Ordinance (specifically Missiles coupled with splash damage) uses up even more of that limited memory, making slowdown extremely possible, which will add extra time to your speed run, even though your path through the level may be flawless. So, the walkthrough at times will say to use Bullets on Tanks and such instead of Missiles, as it will help avoid slowdown, helping to increase your chances of breaking your personal best time for finishing Jackal! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level One----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will look at the Front Lines. The Walkthrough will have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight sub-sectioned for convinience. o-------------o | Walkthrough | o-------------o Start off by rolling right on a diagonal towards an Officer P.O.W. Building (this is the upgrade to Missiles), so blow the door open and grab the Officer. Next up is a move left and up around the building to go up past a rock, driving between two Cannons to find a gate to obliterate with a Missile. Upon entering the compound, go cut diagonal to the left, shooting the Soldier (ready to dodge if he shoots) above as you turn upwards, exiting the compound. Go up and to the right briefly, skirting the river shore, arriving at a bridge (shoot the Soldier ahead of time to avoid any problems). Move left across the bridge, then roll on a left diagonal past the trees. Cut up to missile the Brown Tank that appears, then go up and break out a second Officer (upgrade missiles to horixontal Splash Damage), then go right and cut up. Look for a small space between a barrier and trees to diagonally drive through, heading straight up, using bullets on a Soldier, then on a Brown Tank. Follow this up by going diagonally left till the jeep reaches the area by the trees: TTTT ^ TTTTTT | TTTT JEEP Now head upwards, shoot the Officer P.O.W. Building (netting that third and final missile upgrade), then turn diagonal to shoot the Cannon, finally going to grab the Officer. Next up is to go to the right, bulleting any Soldiers, going up to the Boss Fight! o------------o | Boss Fight | o------------o The tanks will appear one at a time, four in total. Watch the bottom of the screen for first Heavy Tank to appear (use two missiles to destroy), then look to the top for second Heavy Tank (one missile and bullets are faster than two missiles by a wee bit, so use the Combination Attack to destroy this one). Now the remaining two should follow the same spawn points (however, they will rarely change their spawning point, so do not be surprised if that occurs, so be ready to change locations), so repeat to finish them off. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level Two----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) This section will look at the Wrecked City. The Walkthrough will have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight sub-sectioned for convinience. o-------------o | Walkthrough | o-------------o Right off the start drive up past two Cannons and a Brown Tank, running over a Soldier in the process before going right diagonally. Move upwards as soon as the Jeep will go by the Cannon on the right of the set of two ahead, shooting the gate open to pass through. Drive up and just to the right of the Officer P.O.W. Building, blowing the gate out, then start firing bullets like mad to kill the Bull Tank (if you are not as fast as you can be, this Bull Tank will shoot you, while Missile use causes slowdown) as you split the Cannons. Next, go up till a passage to the right appears, cutting through it quickly to go up by a Brown Tank (even if you are right by the pillars, he will not get you). Take a diagonal left route to another passage, then left till a diagonal path past some columns presents itself (watch for the falling column piece). Now go up with the columns on your right, as this line will allow the Jeep to bypass Cannons and a Bull Tank (though an Enemy Jeep can appear here sometimes, so shoot it with Bullets the second it appears), seeing some columns ahead (from here on, dodge falling pieces as they appear). Continue upwards until a path to the right appears in the columns. Enter that passage, firing a missile to kill a Jeep and a Bomber, then cut up to split the remaining two Soldiers (the middle one should be destroyed by the Splash Damage from the missile fired to clear out the Enemy Jeep and Bomber). Now your Jeep is on the bridge, it will be met by a waiting Enemy Jeep, so Bullet it to death, then use the Missiles and timing to kill the dual Cannon reception committee on the far side of the water. Continue upwards, repeating the Missile splash damage (position the Jeep by using the exact centrer of the previous dual Cannon set) to take out the two Cannons as you enter the Boss Fight! o------------o | Boss Fight | o------------o The Sentry Statues attack by firing missiles off and calling Brown Tanks into the fray to assist their efforts. Go up and right to shoot three Missiles into the first statue, then go left, starting to fire Bullets and three Missiles into the second statue (the Bullets will help destroy their Missiles, making all of your Missiles connect on the statue instead of wasting time by blocking your damaging Missiles). Continue this pattern for the remaining two statues for the quick victory. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Level Three---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) This section will look at the Shipyards. The Walkthrough will have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight sub-sectioned for convinience. o-------------o | Walkthrough | o-------------o Immediately go right and up to blow the gate to pieces, then go through the opening, lobbing a Missile ahead to kill off some Brown Tanks and parked Enemy Jeeps. Next is a path diagonally left, cutting through the swath of fire from all sides, finding a path between two Cannons that leads to a small bridge. Staying closer to the left side of the bridge, go straight up past a Soldier, a Cannon, and a Destroyer to drive over another Soldier to get onto a new bridge. Stay on the yellow and black warning paint job as you roll upwards, firing Bullets to destroy a Brown Tank (time saver vs. a Missile), then get onto the white line to shoot a couple Soldiers with Bullets. when the bridge ends, go up and to the left (again, back to the yellow and black warning paint job), cutting a bit left to shoot a Soldier. Continue up, lobbing a Missile as you just pass over the head of an arrow (kills a Brown Tank with the Splash Damage), then turn right to enter the laser defense zone. This area has the laser defenses, which can be a huge time killer (or time cutter) depending on how agressive you are. The following yields the best time through the area: i) if you cut right as soon as you could, the Jeep can go straight through one laser, just remember to fire a Missile to clear a Brown Tank away past the laser. ii) As soon as the second laser stops firing, pass through (sometimes the Brown Tank mentioned previouslt waits here, so be ready if it did not appear earlier) the second and third lasers, angling up and to the right, shooting a Soldier. iii) As soon as the up turn is done, fire a Missile to clear away two Brown Tanks (Splash Damage takes care of them), then turn left to shoot a Missile through three Soldiers, just making sure they do get a stray shot into your Jeep. iv) Your Jeep can then go left through two laser sets, but fire a missile as you pass the second one, cleaning out another Brown Tank. v) Once the third laser stops firing, go left through to exit this brutal area. Make sure to be along the top wall, then fire a Missile through the first Soldier, with Splash Damage killing another Soldier as the Jeep goes up and then diagonal right, driving over a Solddier (ignoring the Cannons). Now fire a Missile past the second Cannon diagonally, killing the Cannon and destroying the gate, allowing the Jeep to race past a Brown Tank through the opening. Go up and then diagonal left, firing a shot to kill the two Cannons that are directly ahead (watch out for stray bullets and change course accordingly), followed by driving past a Tank to destroy another gate. Now cut between the two parked Enemy Jeeps, going up while watching for Spread Cannon Bullets, angling right to destroy a Brown Tank as the Boss Fight ensues! o------------o | Boss Fight | o------------o The Super Destroyer has Spread Cannons on it, but these Spread Cannons take two hits of Heavy Ordinance to kill instead of the usual one hit. Start off by going under the right-most Spread Cannon, firing Bullets and Missiles (Combination Attack time!) to kill it quickly, then turn left and diagonal to fire away on the next Spread Cannon. Now move under the next Spread Cannon, firing away, then repeat the same pattenr for each one, dodging Bullets to destroy it. Just remember to use Combination Attacks when firing straight onto the Spread Cannons, as they die quickly under that type of fire (as opposed to just Missile attacks). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Level Four----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) This section will look at the Mountain Pass. The Walkthrough will have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight sub-sectioned for convinience. o-------------o | Walkthrough | o-------------o Start off the donnybrook by going up along the wall on the left side of the pass, destroying the Brown Tank in your path. Now go up, only turning briefly as the homing missile from the Missile Launcher in the bog closes in, destroying it (if you do the path right, the marsh will not affect the Jeep's speed, meaning the Missile Launcher will only have one shot at your Jeep). Next up is a path past the Brown Tank and Cannon, then cut right by a rock, using it to aim upwards (though keep fading right to the inner wall as soon as the rock is passed), arriving at the wall on the right. Move slightly right upon the wall moving right, using the Officer P.O.W. Building as an aiming guide, going directly up past a Cannon to Missile the gate down. Upon entering the compound, just skirt the first prison, going up till a diagonal path right past the Cannon is there, blowing the gate out to pass through the smouldering opening that results. The next step is to move diagonally left to get near the side railroad track path (off-shoot of the main line which runs northward), then cross it and adjust your aim to pass through the hole in the mine field set-up (usually covered by a Soldier, who should be run down). Another diagonal cut (this one to the right) to the wall, going up till the mountain moves right, indicating the Jeep should follow (getting by an Artillery Truck). Once you are about one Jeep width past the Artillery Truck, move upwards to allow your Jeep to bypass the Cannon and Brown Tank. Continue on the upwards route, firing a Missile to kill the dual Cannon set, then go diagonally right so the left-most Cannon is directly south of your Jeep. From there, go up towards the boss fight, firing a Missile to destroy a Brown Tank that waits, which will follow into the Boss Fight! o------------o | Boss Fight | o------------o Move diagonally right to kill the second Brown Tank, then land at least three Missiles (though more hits are better) on the Helicopter, then kill the Paratroopers as they deploy. Now wait for the Helicopter's return, finishing off the Helicopter with Missile shots (seven in total scraps the whirlybird). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Level Five----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) This section will look at the Training Grounds. The Walkthrough will have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight sub-sectioned for convinience. o-------------o | Walkthrough | o-------------o From the start go diagonally right towards the bridge, turning upwards as soon as possible. Continue upwards, firing a Missile through the gate, then go through the resulting opening (the Bull Tank shots will miss if you are far enough left when entering the compound). Move diagonally right past a Brown Tank and a Cannon, then turn up to pass through the opening. Now move a little to the right to split two more Cannons, then obliterate the gate with a Missile shot to sail on through the hole. Immediately go diagonally left to go up the middle of the bridge (using Bullets to kill the Brown Tank that appears), then, after crossing, cut up and to the left to see some barriers, so fire a Missile that lands here: \___/ X <----RIGHT THERE \___/ This will destroy the Brown Tank and a Cannon, so speed through the barriers (ignoring the other obstacles, as you should be able to get through now without getting hit). Note that this is a frequent death spot, so just keep trying, as it is a very tough spot to perfect the movement for. Continue upwards and then go right of the Bull Tank, looking for a narrow opening as diagrammed below: / ROCK WALL | ^\___/\___/\___/\___/ ___________| | GO THROUGH HERE Pass through here quickly, going up, then a quick diagonal right along the wall direction change, and then go diagonal left once the wall stops being in the way. Turn left (align your Jeep along the wall to the north), cutting up along the turn of the rock wall to bypass some Cannons (if you are too far from the wall, the Cannons will shoot you, so be careful). Continue upwards, blowing the gate out while killing Soldiers, then go up and right past a Bull tank to shoot a Napalm Tank, followed going upwards onto the bridge, using Bullets on any Brown Tanks foolish enough to challenge your Jeep. Now go left at the top, circling the Cannons and their barriers to go above the last Cannon passed to go up to a gate that needs remodelling. Pass through the newly decorated spot to go straight through two Cannons, then cut diagonally left, lining up above the left Cannon to drive up to shoot a Tank as you enter the Boss Fight! o------------o | Boss Fight | o------------o The Gatehouse only requires that the four Garages get blown to pieces, so stay out of the Machine Gun's Bullets, shooting the left garage first (opens first), then immediately shoot the right garage to destroy it (if you are too late, the emerging Tank will be destroyed). Now go right to put the second set of Garages on screen, then repeat the "left Garage first, right Garage second" pattern to destroy them as well. Now go left (mindful of the Bullets from the rooftops) to shoot the gate, ending the fight. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Level Six----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) This section will look at the Headquarters. The Walkthrough will have the main body of the level marked, then it will have the Boss Fight sub-sectioned for convinience. o-------------o | Walkthrough | o-------------o Start off by going left around the fence, then up and right past the Brown Tanks to blow a gate out. After passsing through the gate's threshhold, immediately take off to the left diagonally, finding a conveyor belt path to move across. Blow out the gate ahead, shooting any Brown Tank/Enemy Jeep that blocks the path directly upward, which will take the Jeep through a narrow opening between jets and the wall (the Machine Guns should not hit your Jeep here, but if you too far left they can get you). Kill the Enemy Jeep and blow the gate away while ignoring the Brown Tank. Shoot the Spread Cannon that lies ahead, bypass the Brown Tank, enter the small opening, and cut right. Destroy another gate next, go through to kill an Enemy Jeep, then cut left along the wall to avoid a Spread Cannon's shots that will pepper down, which should be followed by destroying the Spread Cannon itself. Go up past the Spread Cannon to go around a fence, going right underneath some Brown Tanks (up to four of them here) while carefully dodging the Enemy Chopper's Bullets it launches as it flies away to the right. Another Brown Tank appears to dodge, then go right and up to find another gate to hammer with a Missile. Now go right and up to sneak around the fence, then turn left immediately to hug the fence, firing a Missile to destory the enemy Missile Silo as it launches it's first homing missile (if you are as fast as possible, this is a surefire way to get rid of this incredible annoyance). Roll upwards towards another conveyor belt path, staying close to the right side (this will, for some reason, make it so the Machine Guns can not shoot your Jeep). Blow the gate out of the way at the end of this passage, passing through it to go up till Soliders and Brown Tanks appear, at which point forward progress should halt for a moment while horizontal driving is used to clear these obstacles away. After doing this, continue upwards to trigger the Boss Fight! o------------o | Boss Fight | o------------o Kill off any more Tanks, Soldiers and the Enemy Chopper's that appear during this fight that come into view, spending the rest of the time firing off Missiles at the office Headquarters between the two Laser Cannons. Land fifteen shots to destroy the position, remembering that being directly in the middle of the screen makes it so the Laser Cannons can not hit your Jeep while you blister the Headquarters. The Huge Tank appears next, so an adjustment in tactics will be needed. Since the behemoth is incredibly tough, continual hits will need to be applied to get the victory (luckily, both Bullets and Heavy Ordinance damage the monster made of metal). This beast will make use of a MASSIVE flame spewing cannon, which is supplemented with support from a mounted Machine Gun. With such devestating fire, the only real way to fight this tough battle (barring extreme luck or the slowdown ability of the emulator time attack runs) is to hide on the extreme right side of the screen for a lot of the battle. As the Huge Tank moves away from the side of the screen, move out to the left, then move up as far as you can when the Huge Tank starts to the right, lobbing a Missile/Grenade (Grenades are actually easier to use for this, as their forward momentum is slower, meaning more time for the Huge Tank to come into range, so consider dying quickly in the fight) for a hit. Follow this up by driving to the right as the Huge Tank and it's mounted Machine Gun follow, but you can land extra damage by firing multiple Bullets off to damage the metal exterior. Repeat this pattern, landing hits as much as possible, turning the Huge Tank red after fifteen Heavy Ordinance hits (mind you, bullets will shorten this count), then five more H.O. hits turn it more red, and finally five more H.O. hits will completely crumple the Huge Tank to end the game! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Final Word---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P. Sulpher, 2005. The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, www.retronintendo.com, and www.honestgamers.com. You must ask for permission before posting this, as doing so without consent is a violation of international copyright law. If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at briansulpher@hotmail.com. You can also contact me through MSN messenger through the same E-mail address. This FAQ is being done to help others who might consider following my Jackal speed running attempts, possibly even gettign a rival into the game to push me to a better time! Who knows, you might be able to crack 10 minutes and get me moving towards even better times and performances in my quest to show my appreciation for such a classic! ;)