________ ________ ________ ____ ____ ________ ___ __ | | | | | | \ \ / / | | | \ | | | __ | | __ | | __ | \ \ / / | __ | | \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ \/ / | | | | | \ | | | |__| | | | | | | | | | \ / | |__| | | |\ \ | | | | | | | | | | | | \ / | | | | \ \ | | | _____| | | | | | | | | | | | __ | | | \ \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ \| | | | | |__| | | |__| | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ | |__| |________| |________| |__| |__| |__| |__| \___| Copyright Konami 1985 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 1.0 Dates Written: December 17th I dedicate this to the NES fans out there, as this one is part of the NES FAQ completion Project of 2004-2005, courtesy of the FAQ Contributor Board. We honour the most truly awesome and great system... the Nintendo Entertainment System! Never mind about Atari, Commodore 64, Colecovision, Sega Master System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, or any of the newer systems, we all know that the good old NES is where true gaming is at! 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 December ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Introduction 2) Controls 3) Enemies 4) Items 5) Falling Stage 6) Rising Stage 7) Bonus Stages 8) Final Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Introduction--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Pooyan is one of the early offerings from Konami... you know Konami? The company behind the Castlevania series, all sorts of action adventure games, and great series like the Contra and Twinbee. Anyhow, the greatness achieved by Konami really shines through here in what most would consider a primitive game, offering multiple stages, tough challenges, and even some subtle depth with a limited cast of dangers. This is a game that is definitely worth checking out! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------Controls----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) This section will take a look at the controls to be used to stop the ravenous dogs from chowing down on the children of the land! D-Pad...: UP and DOWN move the elevator Pooyan occupies in the corresponding directions. SELECT..: Used on the menu screen to change the cursor from a One Player to a Two Player game. START...: Pauses/unpauses the game. B Button: Fires off projectiles into the space that the dogs occupy. A Button: Fires off projectiles into the space that the dogs occupy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------Enemies----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will examine the enemies, explaining the behaviours on all the possible stages. o--------------o | Ravenous Dog | o--------------o These vicious red foes will use their balloons to float up/descend downward in their attempts to take out Pooyan. When they float upwards, they will attempt to push a large rock onto Pooyan, but if they are descending downwards, they will instead move up onto a ladder behind Pooyan, looking to try and bite him as he moves past their positions. They can also throw out missiles of their own, flying in arcing patterns towards Pooyan. o--------------------o | Alpha Ravenous Dog | o--------------------o This pink beast acts just like a normal Ravenous Dog, but if they manage to get through the hail of arrows from Pooyan, he will add 5 more Ravenous Dogs to the attack. He always appears as the last Dog in each level, so be ready to take him down, or face more Dogs. He also will drop fruit in some areas, which can be shot for extra points, but it also takes arrows while defending the regular Ravenous Dogs from attacks. o------------------o | Balloon Strength | o------------------o Most balloons will pop from one arrow, but this is not always the case. After the first Bonus Stage, Red Balloons will require multiple hits, typically two or three hits, but sometimes as many as five hits before they pop. Keep this in mind for when the Heavy Shot is appearing, saving it to use on these tougher balloons (or shoot VERY accurately... ominous I know). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------Items------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) This section will look at the Items, listing points along with the situational occurrences of their appearances. o---------o | Balloon | o---------o Balloons that are loose (ie no Ravenous Dogs holding onto them) are worth some extra points. o------------o | Heavy Shot | o------------o This frequently appearing Item will flash along the line of Pooyan's elevator, appearing at the very top. This Item is shot out in an arc, quickly falling straight down after a brief period, hammering any Ravenous Dog that is unfortunate enough to get caught underneath the hurtling object. For using this Item, extra points will be awarded, further increased by multiple kills with one shot. The order of points is as follows: 400 (first kill) -----> 800 (second Kill) -----> 2000 (third kill onward) As you can see, this is an excellent way to score fast points, so try to line up a shot at three or more Ravenous Dogs, taking into account the trajectory of the Heavy Shot before firing. o---------------o | Fruit Produce | o---------------o These lovely and luscious food stuffs will be dropped by the Alpha Ravenous Dogs, in Bonus Stages initially, followed by in regular stages. When shot, the fruit will yield a set amount of points, dependent upon the type of fruit that is hit by an arrow. The fruit goes from Strawberries (worth 100 points) to Cherries (worth 200 points) to Peaches (worth 400 points), but the increase will only occur if the fruit is continually hot, not allowing a single object to reach the ground. This is difficult to do most the time, so only try to do so when in a Bonus Stage and the Ravenous Dogs are non-existent. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Falling Stage-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) This section will examine the stage where the Ravenous Dogs will seek to reach the ground to try and get Pooyan. o----------------------o | Ravenous Dog Attacks | o----------------------o The Dogs will enter from the left side of the screen, dropping down from the tree tops to float sedately downwards toward the ground. As they fall, they will attack with projectiles while en route to the grassy surface below, where they will turn right and make their way onto the ladders behind Pooyan's elevator (starting with the lowest position and occupying each space that is above after that). While in these spaces, the Dogs will howl in an attempt to disrupt your concentration, followed by sneaking out a touch to try and physically bite Pooyan (if his elevator is in range, they will succeed). Once Pooyan returns, the Ravenous Dogs will be scaled back to no residents on the rungs behind the elevator, but with each loop of the levels, they will not all disappear after a death. This means that they can continue to attack from behind, making things far more dangerous than before. o----------o | Strategy | o----------o Start as high as possible on the elevator, attempting to down as many foes as possible near the top of the screen. From this position, it is more likely that the Heavy Shot can be applied as soon as it appears, so feel free to liberally apply it as soon as it appears, as it will help keep the Ravenous Dogs from falling too far downwards. If the Dogs start to get away from Pooyan, it is time to drop down and start attacking the lowest positions, which is an ideal time to get a Heavy Shot before descending (hopefully one is available). If the Ravenous Dogs start to populate the ladders behind the elevator, it is time to start tactfully positioning Pooyan, resting only when in between ladder reaches, always watching to the right of the elevator before moving positions (dodging the attacks). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Rising Stage--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) This section will examine the stage where the Ravenous Dogs will seek to reach the treetops to try and crush Pooyan. o----------------------o | Ravenous Dog Attacks | o----------------------o The Dogs will enter from the left side of the screen, grabbing a balloon to float up towards the ledge above, throwing projectiles while en route. If the Ravenous Dogs reach the ledge, they will get behind the massive boulder and begin to push it forward. If seven Ravenous Dogs reach the ledge, they will have enough strength to send the boulder crashing down onto Pooyan, taking away a life in the process! Once Pooyan returns, the Ravenous Dogs will only number four on the ledge above, leaving a bit more breathing room for Pooyan, BUT they are still close enough that they could quickly deliver another boulder with vicious effectiveness. o----------o | Strategy | o----------o Start out by staying at the bottom fo the elevator's reach, firing off arrows yo peg off the Ravenous Dogs as they begin to use their balloons, followed by moving upwards as they begin to sneak through. As soon as this progression upwards has occurred, it is time to bring the Heavy Shot into play, firing into a long line of the enemy for multiple kills. Work back downwards, attempting to keep the enemy totals low, remembering that if a couple Ravenous Dogs sneak through, it not a large concern, but as the enemy totals above Pooyan's position increase, it becomes more and more important to not let any more Ravenous Dogs past the stream of arrows from the elevator. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------Bonus Stages--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) This section will examine the bonus stages where Pooyan can take some unrequited revenge upon his enemy, the Ravenous Dogs. o---------------------o | Heavy Shot Shooting | o---------------------o Perfect Showing: 10,000 points These bonus rooms have Ravenous Dogs coming to the field of battle as defenseless targets, floating into range of Pooyan's attack. However, Pooyan will only be able to fire off Heavy Shots for his attacks, requiring him to collect a fresh one after every shot. Use the Heavy Shots to plow through multiple enemies, but note that the empty balloons (created by the departing Ravenous Dogs) can bounce the Heavy Shots away from their intended flight path, so do not be shocked when a target lives due to bad luck for Pooyan. o--------------------o | Fruit Firing Range | o--------------------o Simply put, use Pooyan's arrows to pick off the falling fruit, noting that missing no shots will increase the values of the Fruits (Strawberries to Cherries to Peaches). However, when the Ravenous Dogs appear, it is time to just concentrate on staying alive, so stop actively hunting the fruit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Final Word---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) 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.