Snake Rattle 'n Roll NES FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.1 By Christian Holopainen (Seruna) Email: chri152@hotmail.com ------------ Introduction ------------ Welcome to my Snake Rattle 'n Roll FAQ/Walkthrough. If you think the content and quality is low or doubtful, you should know this is the first FAQ I have written and my native language isn't English. I know these are pathetic excuses... Even though I am an old school gamer I never got the chance to play this game on NES. That is the reason why I made this FAQ with an emulator. Emulators and roms may be illegal, but they are still the best way to experience old gaming culture. ---------- Disclaimer ---------- This FAQ is meant for personal usage. It is meant to be published for free at GameFAQs.com. No other sites may use this FAQ without my permission. You may not publish it in magazines, articles or any other form of reproduction without my permission. You are not allowed to sell it. You are not allowed to steal or copy anything from this guide to your own guide without my permission. I don't mind if you want to use material from this FAQ, but you have to ask for permission and give me the credit for the used material. I'm loyal to GameFAQs.com and I don't have any plans to let other sites publish this FAQ. In my opinon GameFAQs.com is the best FAQ site that exists today and I think everything ends up in here at some point. I don't see any reasons why I should let other sites publish this FAQ. Of course I will sell this FAQ to any site. I think these kind of guides are supposed to be for free, but I'm just a poor writer who needs every penny he can get. If you buy this FAQ that doesn't give you the copyright. You may publish it, but it will belong to me forever. I hope my Gods will tell me if someone is violating my copyright. Remember that my katana thirsts for blood forever. --------------- Version History --------------- Versio 1.0 This is the first version of this FAQ. In the next versions I will correct typos and grammar. I will also add better descriptions of enemies, bonuses etc. This version contains the full walkthrough. It may be a bit short, but everything necessary is included. Besides the walkthrough there are also some information about the game, enemies, controls etc. Version 1.1 The walkthrough has been expanded. I added better item and enemy descriptions. ----------------- Table of contents ----------------- Introduction Version history Disclaimer Table of contents Controls Specials Moves How the game works Nibbley Pibbleys 2 Player Game Game Over Bonus items / Power ups Enemies Bonus Levels Warp Lids Walkthrough Level 1 Walkthrough Level 2 Walkthrough Level 3 Walkthrough Level 4 Walkthrough Level 5 Walkthrough Level 6 Walkthrough Level 7 Walkthrough Level 8 Walkthrough Level 9 Walkthrough Level 10 Walkthrough Level 11 Cheats Final Notes -------- Controls -------- Control Pad: Move in different direction. A Button: Jump. B Button: Flicks out the snake's tongue. Makes the snake swim. Open a sewer lid and release its contents. START Button: Starts the game. Pauses the game during game play. ------------- Special moves ------------- Swimming Use B to swim faster. It's not possible to jump while swimming. If the water is flowing due waterfalls it's possible to avoid falling down the waterfall by swimming against the flow. Swimming up a waterfall Press B to start climbing and A + direction to climb. You can do this after eating a Fish Tail. Reaching higher places by using the shark In the two first levels you can reach unreachable places by letting the shark bite you. Use the direction buttons to steer your flight. Diagonal jumps Jump first at some direction and during the jump change the direction. This lets you jump around corners. ----------------------- How does the game work? ----------------------- If you got hit by an enemy (any moving object besides the Nibbley Pibbleys), you will lose one tail segment. When you are out of segments, you lose one snake. Most of the enemies that you encounter can be defeated by multiple tongue hits or by jumping on them (use the A Button for this). If you eliminate an enemy by jumping on them, you will get more points than by using your tongue. The Nibbley Pibbley suspenser These machines are found almost on every level. They pump out all Nibbley Pibbleys you need for unlocking the exit. The suspensers are sometimes the only places where you can get more Nibbley Pibbleys. The scale When you have enough tail segments the last segment starts to blink (or becomes at least invicible or sometimes white). In this state you can use the scale and the bell will ring. This unlocks the exit. ---------------- Nibbley Pibbleys ---------------- The object of each stage is to eat as many Nibbley Pibbleys (the colorful spherical beings in this world) as you can and make it to the exit. Move your snake using the Control Pad and eat the Nibbley Pibbleys by hitting them with your tongue (the B Button). To progress to the next level, your snake must be a certain length. When you eat a Nibbley Pibbley, you length increases as follows: For both, Rattle and Roll in the two player game: Color of Nibbley Pibbley consumed Value ---------------------------- Other Color 1 unit Your Color 2 units Yellow 3 units NOTE: The table is taken from the manual. In single player game with Rattle, the pink snake: Color of Nibbley Pibbley consumed Value ---------------------------- Red, purple 1 unit Pink 2 units Yellow 3 units NOTE: Four units are required to gain one snake segment. You will find Nibbley Pibbley dispensers here and there. They shoot out Nibbley Pibbleys for your consumption. You can also collect these from sewer lids. The Nibbley Pibbley Family Here are the members of the Nibbley Pibbley family and the levels in which the begin to appear: Level 1 -- Pibballs Rolling balls. Easy to catch. Level 2 -- Pibbleboings Jumping balls. Easy to catch. Level 3 -- Pibblejoggers Running balls. Easy to catch. Level 4 -- Pibblesplats Splashing balls. A little harder to catch. Level 5 -- Pibblebats Flying things. Rather hard to catch. Level 8 -- Pibblefish Fishes. Annoying to catch due the isometric view. Level 9,10 -- Pibblecopters Floating balls. Harder to catch than the avarage Nibbley Pibbley, but not as hard as Pibbleybats or Pibblefishes. Note: Pibblefishes also come in the color black. when they get licked few times, they transform into yellow Pibblefishes. Points Yellow: 300 Pink: 200 Purple: 100 ------------- 2 Player Game ------------- On the title screen, press the SELECT Button to choose the 2 PLAYER option. Then press the START Button. Game play is basically the same as in the 1 PLAYER mode, except both players are simultaneously on the screen. Remember the first one to exit the level gets 5000 bonus point. Both players compete against each other in points, but they have to co-operate in order to advance to the next level. When you are going to take on the last boss, two players are recommended. ------------------------- Game Over ------------------------- You start the game with 3 snakes. The number of snakes remaining is displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can increase this number by finding extra lives--flashing snake heads with their mouths closed. You lose a snake when: 1. You are hit by an enemy and have no snake segments left. 2. Your snake falls too far (more than 4 vertical blocks) 3. The timer at the bottom of the screen reaches zero. 4. Your snake lands on a sharp object (spikes). 5. A falling object squashes your snake. If you lose all of your snakes, your game is over. If you have any continues left (you start the game with 2 continues), you may press any button to "PLAY ON". In the game it is possible to gain more continues--Look for the open mouthed flashing snake heads. -------------- Exiting levels -------------- Keep eating the Nibbley Pibbleys until you snake's tail begins to flash. This lets you know that your snake is heavy enough to go to the next level. Somewhere in each level there is an exit that must be opened up before you can go through it. Somewhere else in the level is a scale. If your snake is long enough, jump on the scale. The bell will ring and the door opens--you may exit at any time. 5000 points are awarded to the first snake through the door. When you exit the level, you lose all of your segments and your tongue extensions. A bonus is awarded--1000 points for each segment and extension. Bonuses will also be awarded for the amount of Nibbley Pibbleys eaten throughout the level. ----------------------- Bonus items / Power ups ----------------------- Tongue Extension (1000 points): Adds length to your tongue. This does not affect the strength of the tongue or its power--it only increases the distance that you can shoot your tongue. Extra Life (1000 points): Gives you an extra life. Isn't this self-explanatory. The bonus looks like a snake's head. Extra Continue (5000 points): Gives you an extra continue. The bonus looks like an open snake's mouth. Clock (1000 points): Adds 30 "snake seconds" (in-game-seconds) to the timer. One snake second is about tworeal seconds. Diamond (1000 points): Makes you invincible for a short period. Speed Up (1000 points): Speeds up the snake for a while. Reverse (1000 points): Temporarily reverses the control. The effect last for 5 snake seconds. Fish Tail (1000 points): In level 6 you must get the fish tail in order to swim up the waterfall. ------- Enemies ------- Record Levels: 1 Tongue shot: 500 (1 hit) Jump on: 750 (3 hits) I think these look more like old tires, but they are supposed to be vinyl records. Old tires would have been a much better choice. Just imaging! A brave snake on a journey to the moon fighting cranky, old mutated tires! Nah, that's lame too. They are ideal enemies for practicing purpose just as they should be. Shark Levels: 1,2 Tongue shot: Can't be killed Jump on: Can't be killed This is by far the coolest enemy in the entire game. The very own white shark of Snake Rattle 'n Roll. This is clearly a tribute to Steven Spielberg and his movie "Jaws". Stay too long in water and it will hunt you down and bite off a tail segment. It can't be damaged or killed. The Shark is actually a very convient method to reach otherwise unreachable bonuses and places. Big Foot Levels: 1,2,3,4 Tongue shot: 5000 for the kill. 200 for every hit (3600 points if you kill it with the minimal amount hits). Total 8600 + points. (18 hits) Jump on: Can't be killed with jumps. A giant foot which jumps around and stomps everything it lands on. They mostly hide under sewer lids and attack you when the lids is removed. Hit it with a steady flow of licks. After every lick it will freeze for a moment. If you let it heal from this paralyzed state it will regain its hit points. After it explodes an Extra Life appears. Bombs Levels: Here and there. Mostly in most of the levels. Tongue shot: can't be killed Jump on: Can't be killed Bombs are masters of camoflauge. They appear be either Nibbley Pibbleys or valuable Extra Lives and when the hasty player is about to pick it up, it transform into an exploding bomb. Some of the items the dispensers pump out are bombs, but they rarely give any difficulties. Extra Life Bombs can be deadlier even though they are also easy to dodge (the real Extra Lives blink, bombs don't). From this we can understand that bombs aren't deadly, they are just annoying. Mushroom Levels: 2 Tongue shot: 500 (1 hit) Jump on: 750 (3 hits) A jumping mushroom. Does it symbolize the drug called mushroom? Probably not. Krazy Seat Levels: 2,3,4 Tongue shot: 500 (2 hits) Jump on: 750 (3 hits) They are fast and dangerous. Avoid them. They come in three different colors: pink, purple and yellow. The only difference between them is that the stronger colors are faster. Why are they called Krazy Seats? They are crazy all right, but are they supposed to be toilet seats? In my eyes they are more like shells or chattery teeth. Bladez Levels: 3,4 Tongue shot: Can't be killed Jump on: Can't be killed Chainsawlike blades that hide under the ground and appear to slice you when you walk over them. They are more of a trap than an enemy. There are two kind of Bladez: those who appear when you step on them and those who appear on regular intervals. The former ones don't have to be avoided because the game gives you Diamonds everytime these Bladez appear. The later ones can be simply dodged with the a single jump. Pin Cushion Levels: 4 Tongue shot: 500 (1 hit) Jump on: Doesn't work A poisonous plant that shoots poisonous spines. You better kill it quickly before one of the three pins it emits hit you. Anvilz Levels: 4 Tongue shot: Can't be killed Jump on: Can't be killed They are thrown down at you and you will lose a life if they squash you, no matter how many tail segments you have. There are three different colors of Anvilz. Red/orange Anvilz are the weakest ones; they are easy to dodge due their cicular parabol. Blue Anvilz are faster than the red ones; they fall down at a straight angle. Yellow Anvilz are cunning; they have the ability to chance direction during the fall. They can be difficult to avoid because they follow your movements. Bell Levels: 6 Tongue shot: 500 (10) Jump on: 750 (3) This enemy isn't in the manual; that's why I don't know its official name. They are actually very strong due you have to hit them in a steady flow (just as Big Foots) and they can take about 10 licks. The best way to kill them is by jumping. You can combine one-two jumps with a tongue shot. This combo is usefull when you miss the third jump. Metal Trees Levels: 7 Tongue shot: 500 (8) Jump on: Doesn't work. There are two versions of these metallic chrismas trees: silver trees and golden trees. Silver trees are the weaker ones. They never move and they are easy targets for your snakes devastating tongue. Golden trees are a bit tougher due they have to be killed with steady licks. They also skip around very fast. Ice Foot Snakedozer Ice Block Appears in the icy levels. Beach Ball, Snow Ball and Meteorite ------------ Bonus levels ------------ Some lids lead to Bonus levels. In these small area you have to catch Nibbley Pibbleys that comesout of a dispenser. After one lap round the area they jump back into the dispenser. You have to catch them before they do that. If you catch all of them you get 5000 points. The timer stops when you enter a Bonus level. --------- Warp Lids --------- Some lids lead to secret warp zones. ----------- Walkthrough ----------- Most of the levels are simple by design and there are very few puzzles. A walkthrough isn't really needed. Describing every step seems to be very unnecessary, but I will still do it. Even though the levels are simple by design they are filled with tricky sections, dangerous jumps and a tough time limit. ------- Level 1 ------- Enemies: Record (5), Big Foot (1), Shark Bonus items: Tongue Extension (2), Extra Life (2), Clock (2) Secrets: Bonus Level, Warp to level 8 The first level is a breeze even if you are unfamiliar with the game. Learn the game play and get some extra lives. You will need both in the following levels. The first thing you’ll see is a Tongue Extension bonus. Grab it and kill the enemies. Open the two sewer lids and get the Nibbley Pibbleys. Later on in the game the lids can reveal both traps and bonuses, so be careful and learn which lids are good and which are bad. In the blue water surrounding the green grass lurks an evil shark. It will hunt you down if you stay too long in the water. Still there are times when the shark will “help” you. After you have gotten past the first two enemies, you’ll see a waterfall and an extra life on a ledge high above. It is impossible to reach by jumping. It’s here the shark comes into the picture. Make sure you have at least one tail segment and place yourself near the ledge with the extra life. When the shark bites you, you will fly high up and if you press to the direction where you want to fly, you’ll hopefully land on the edge under the extra life. From there jump to the ledge on the left and finally do a diagonal jump to collect the bonus. When you are going down remember that it's suicide to jump down from high places. You have to descend to a platform under the highest platform and climb down one step at time. After the waterfall open the two lids, take the Tongue Extension and start eating Nibbley Pibbleys from the suspenser. You can do this until the timer has about 15 seconds left. Collect the Clock from the ledge high up by using the shark method. There will be a small cube floating in the water. I call these islands. Open the sewer lid on the island and you will be transported into a Bonus Level. The next lid reveals a Big Foot. Above the last Nibbley Pibbley dispenser is an another Clock bonus. Take it and eat more Nibbley Pibbleys. Next to the exit there is a huge scale. If you have enough tail segments (you know you have enough when the last segment starts to flash) jump on the scale and it will blink. This unlocks the exit. If you are fast enough you can catch a space rocket which warps you to level 8. Keep pressing right from the beginning of the level and never stop. Jump over the enemies. Jump into water and out of water. Practice this few times and learn to time the jumps correctly. The rocket will leave after about 3-4 in-game-seconds. ------- Level 2 ------- Enemies: Mushroom (5), Krazy Seat (1), Big Foot (1) Bonus items: Tongue Extension (2), Diamond (2), Speed Up (2), Extra Life (2), Clock (1) Secrets: Bonus Level Open the two lids for Nibbleys Pibbleys. Reach the platform with a Tongue Extension with the shark method. Note that you have to jump diagonally and land on the “stairs” on the righter side (or upper side, depending on how you look at the screen) when you jump down. If you just drop down you’ll lose a life. Kill the mushrooms and open the two lids. Take the Tongue Extension near the Nibbley Pibbley dispenser and start eating Nibbleys. When you have about 20 seconds left (if you are not familiar with the game you shouldn‘t use too much time for eating Nibbleys), open the lid (Speed Up bonus) and go get the Clock. It’s in the second floating cube. The first cube leads to a Bonus level. Before or after getting the Clock you can open the two lids next to the second Nibbley dispenser. The upper lid contains a Krazy Seat and the lower an another Speed Up bonus. Near the second Nibbley dispenser there is a ledge high up with an Extra life. Use the shark method to reach it. Find the scale. There’s a sewer lid with a Big Foot on the area under the scale. Kill it for an extra life. After that climb up the waterfall by jumping on the green platforms. It can be tricky if you are not used to the controls. As a tip remember that many of the jumps are diagonally. If you can, kill the final mushroom from the dispenser platform if you can. This requires Tongue Extension. After that climb up to the platform above the exit. If you climb on the dispenser and jump from there, you don't have to use the platform below the waterfall and avoid that annoying part. ------- Level 3 ------- Enemies: Krazy Seat (7), Bladez (3), Big Foot (1) Bonus items: Tongue Extension (3), Extra Life (2), Extra Continue (1), Reverse (1), Diamond (2), Speed Up (1), Clock (1) Secrets: Bonus Level (2), Warp to level 5 In the beginning of the level there are two Tongue Extensions: one in the water (right side) and one on a platform (left side). If you want that one on the platform you have to collect it before doing anything else, because there is no way to reach it after you drop down from the first area. Drop down to the stream, take the Tongue Extension and swim up to the platform where a Krazy Seat awaits you. Kill it and do a diagonal jump to the lid. It can be difficult at first, but when you understand how the jumping works it’s not hard at all. The lid leads to a Bonus level. Collect the extra life and continue the level. Kill the yellow Krazy Seat and collect Extra Continue it is guarding. Continue down the stairs. Jump over the Reverse and collect the Diamond. Now you are invincible for a short time. Use this power to sprint through the next section where some kind of traps (Bladez) try to cut you in half. Kill the Krazy Seat and start eating Nibbleys. The lid in the middle contains an another Krazy Seat. Above the dispenser lies a lid leading to level 5. In order to reach it you have to do three jumps. The first is from the little platform between the leftmost dispenser and the spikes to a platform between both dispenser. The lid on that platform gives you a Clock. From there jump to a platform on the right. From there you can reach the final platform. When you do these run as much as you can on that platform. There isn’t much room for that, but try to use every inch you can. At the same moment when you start to lift off release you direction arrow and press to that direction where you want to land. A sewer lid near some spikes leads to a Bonus level. After that you’ll find four lids (two on the stairs and two below them). A Krazy Seat is hidden under the upper left lid. You can take the diamond (lower right lid) before you confront that enemy. Swim and collect the Tongue Extension. Jump on the scale, open the lid and kill the foot. Make the jump in order to reach the exit. ------- Level 4 ------- Enemies: Krazy Seat (4), Big Foot (1), Pin Cushion (2), Bladez (3), Anvilz (4) Bonus items: Speed Up (2), Tongue Extension (2), Diamond (2), Clock (1) Secrets: Bonus level The first lid gives you a Speed Up bonus. The third lid contains a bomb, so don't open it. After the first section there's a Nibbley Pibbley dispenser. Because all three lids contains enemies you better use the Diamond before you take on them. Kill the weird thing in the middle (Pin Cushion) before you start eating Nibbleys. A Big Foot hides under one of the lids. Kill it before it escapes the area. Or ignore all three lids since this Big Foot doesn't give you an Extra Life and the other enemies are plain old Krazy Seats. Near the waterfall lies an another Pin Cushion and a Diamond. Became invicible and finish off that evil plant. Cross the stream and drop down the waterfall while you keep pushing to the direction where the platform is situated. Take the Tongue Extension. Next you'll meet a Speed Up. I dislike Speed Ups because they make the precision of jumps lower. The following ledges are filled with Bladez. They can surprise you if you are not aware of them. The lid after the first trap contains a bomb. Go past two more Bladez and jump over a spike to a platform with a lid. It leads to a Bonus level. From that platform jump to the next level of ledges. On the way to the scale there is a lid with a Clock. Watch out for the Anvilz on the ledge where the scale is located. Wait for the two first to fall before you run past them. Wait for the third one to fall, but note that this one is faster than the pink Anvilz. When you are past the the third, the blue Anvil, sprint to the scale. If you dash quickly to the start of this ledge you will avoid the Anvilz before they get a chance to fall. The last jump can be tricky, but you will probably make it. ------- Level 5 ------- Enemies: Big Foot (1) Bonus items: Tongue Extension (3), Diamond (1), Reverse (2), Clock (2), Speed Up (1) Secrets: Nothing. In this level you must learn how to use magic carpets. They can be tricky to jump on, but after a while of practicing it’s not too hard. In the previous levels eating Nibbley Pibbleys have been relatively easy, but in this level I found them much harder to catch than in most of the levels. They have wings and they can fly high above you where you can reach them. The best strategy is to quick and catch before they develope wings to themselves or alternatively wait until they land on the ground. Swim and get the first Tongue Extension. You can reach the other bonus by jumping from the magic carpet. Eat some Nibbleys Pibbleys from the dispenser. Get the Diamond. There’s a Tongue Extension above the spikes. It is hard to reach. You must sprint towards it, jump, collect it and return to the platform. The Diamond doesn't guard you from the spikes if did think that. It's there just for nothing. Notice the Reverse bonusand the magic carpet. Because we don’t want the Reverse it’s preferable to jump over it and land on the carpet. Near the next dispenser there are three lids. Two of them are bombs and one is an extra life. The lid closest to screen is the extra life. Jump on the carpet and prepare yourself for an another tricky jump. You must jump over the Reverse bonus, otherwise you will most likely fall down. Do you see the pink rectangles? They are traps. Jump over them. Among the following lids are two Clocks. If you are almost out if time, use them both, otherwise save the other one until you have eaten enough Nibbleys. The Big Foot here is tougher than the ones you have encountered earlier. The best way to kill it this time is to follow it through the upper ledge near the spikes and rapidly flick out the tongue. Try to practice a steady flow of hits. This is the technique you are going to use in the final levels. After you have unlocked the exit, you have to ride the magic carpet to reach it. The only problem is that it keeps disappearing once a while. When the carpet starts to blink jump straight up. The carpet will reappear on the same spot. Jump over the Reverse and exit the level. ------- Level 6 ------- Enemies: Bell (7), Big Foot (1) Bonus items: Tongue Extension (2), Clock (1), Speed Up (1), Extra Life (1), Fish Tail Secrets: Warp to level 8 Collect the Tongue Extension. Kill the bell. After few platforms you'll see the second Tongue Extension of this level. This bonus can be tricky to get. I think the best way is to swim and get it. Remember to swim uppwards, otherwise you will fall down. This kind of swimming techniques can be difficult at first. Release the direction against the flow and press to the direction you are going to. Quickly press again against the flow and then press again to the swimming direction. Continue like this. On the next platform there are few traps. You can use it to reach a Warp to level 8. Run straight forward, let the trap put you off the paltform and keep pressing forward. This area is actually a part of level 4. I don't know if this is a glitch or a real secret. It feels like a glitch due in the red area you will be killed during falls that should be able to survive. The enemies are also gone. Go through the next section with platforms. After that there will reach stairs with two bells. The trick here is to do a short jump landing on the step where the bell is. It is possible to stand there if you are very close the edge. Then simply jump over the bell. Collect the Clock. It's in the middle ot the stream. You can jump on that spot where the bonus is located, collect it and then swim to the other side. Keep going left until you reach a waterfall. Eat one of the bonus items (Fish Tail) that comes out of the hole and avoid the bells. You can swim up waterfall. Take the Extra Life. Go through this section with platforms and spikes, avoid the Big Foot and eventually reach the exit. Drop down and press left to exit this level. Note: I don't know if the Big Foot gives you an Extra Life or a bomb. ------- Level 7 ------- Enemies: Metal Trees (27), Big Foot (1) Bonus items: Tongue Extension (2), Extra Continue (1), Clock (1) Secrets: Nothing Kill the silver trees and jump to the next platform. There are two ways to get past the trees: either approach slowly killing every tree or jump past the tress without killing them. When you meet a gold tree and a silver tree, stand on the upper side of the platform and wait when the silver tree starts to skip away from you. When it’s almost at the turning point, jump as long as you can. When you land on the ater or the platform keep going forward and let the stream take you to the next platform. By doing this you will get past the platform where the golden tree skips. Jump over the silver tree to the platform with a Tongue Extension. From there jump over the next tree to an empty platform, and from there to an another Tongue Extension. Next up are two skipping golden trees. Between them is a safe square. Jump and swim onto that spot and jump over two silver trees. Be carefull here. You must land and stay on that single square behind the trees. When you step on the two following squares, two new silver trees will appear under you and you are dead in the same moment. The Extra Continue bonus can be collected by swimming. After the waterfall you'll get a Clock. The following section is crowded with golden trees. A safe way to get past them is to have patience and kill them one by one. When you are going to the ledge above the section with the golden trees, you'll meet a golden tree who is standing still. You must jump and do tongue shots at the same time. To find a rhytm that works can be difficult. I can't really help in this combo, just practice. The boulders are easy to avoid. When it rolls towards you, jump over and run to the area behind the square where it lands. The next boulder is always faster than the previous one, but the technique to dodge them is the same. In the next section you have to use geysers launch yourself over streams. The best way to use geysers is to float near them and be ready when they launch you up. Most of the time you don't have to kill the golden trees; avoiding them is enough. The last jump is difficult.You have to land on the last platform and on a safe square. Jump near the first tree and kill it. Move near the second tree and kill it. The foot stomps only a certain squares. Make use of the safe squares. ------- Level 8 ------- Enemies: Nothing Bonus items: Tongue Extension (5), Clock (3), Speed Up (1), Extra Life (1) Secrets: Nothing I really hate this level. Because of the controls and the view it’s really difficult to catch the Nibbleys. And the whole level is based on Nibbley catching. Level 8 actually a really short (and easy if you know how to catch the Nibbleys, but I’m not good at it). It has 3-4 small area with a pool. You are going to dive in these lakes and catch enough of fishes (Nibbley Pibbleys). It’s the same procedure every time. What makes this level difficult is the time limit. I haven’t gotten through this level without losing at least one life and death it caused every time by the timer (or at rare occasion by All Gone, which means that all Pibblefishes have fled). How to catch the Nibbleys quickly? Sometimes the best strategy is to lay on the bottom and wait when they descend down. Be careful that you don’t let any Nibbleys to run away. If they all disappear before you have eaten the amount that is needed to unlock the door, you will lose a life. Stay close them and they can't escape. Sometimes you can catch them before they become fishes, at the moment they get released from the seaweed. Don’t wait too close the seaweed, because if you do that they won’t appear. Before you dive into the first pool, take the Tongue Extension. In the first underwater area there's also an another Tongue Extension. Also in the second pool there is a Tongue Extension. After the second pool you can collect a well-needed Clock bonus. After the third pool there is also a chance to collect a Clock bonus. Jump over the spikes, take the bonus and use the geyser to get back. In the third pool there is Speed Up and some other bonus. I would guess it is a Tongue Extension. In the fourth pool there is a Tongue Extension. After the fourth pool be ready to swim up or right because the stream is strong and it will pull you down the waterfall. It’s really a shame to die this close the exit. You can jump back down using the magic carpet. Collect the Extra Life and Clock. This time the pool can be cleared very fast due all Pibblefishes are yellow. ------- Level 9 ------- Enemies: Ice Block (2), Ice Sphere (5), Ice Foot (1), Snow Ball Bonus items: Tongue Extension (3), Extra Life (1), Clock (1) Secrets: Nothing The nightmare begins when you enter this level. Levels 1-6 were easy. Level 7 wasn’t too hard. Level 8 was more frustrating than hard. But levels 9-11 are really tough. Sometimes impossible. There is ice everywhere. It’s slippery and a little mistake leads to death. And the timer is on. If you are too hasty, you will fall off the course. If you are too slow, the timer will kill you. Remember that if you push the direction arrow at the opposite direction than the slippery cube/platform/ledge you can stay there. Remember that it’s not possible to jump in too high speed. Remember that it’s not possible to stop in too high speed. Be calm and you can reach the exit. Take the Tongue Extension. Jump over the enemy and stop before you reach the following enemy. Jump over it and begin to slow down when you reach the downhill. Stop near the end and do a short jump to the uphill. Keep pressing up. You can release the button for a short (really short) while and press to another direction depending on the situation. Press immediately the direction that balances the slippery floor. With this technique you can slowly move and find a better angle to climb up hills. When you climb hills like this one, use the jump button. Try to jump on the Ice Block. You can get past the platform with the ice sphere simply by jumping. The uphill. Try to get close the Snow Ball before you jump over it. After dodging the first Snow Ball you have to be quick and get past the second Snow Ball before it falls down. Press yourself against the cube at the end and do a short jump straight up. Press only a little on the direction arrow, because otherwise you will fall down on the other side of the cube. From this platform do a diagonal jump to the slope. Collect the Extra Life. Slide past the sphere and stop before you hit the spikes. Do a diagonal jump to collect the Tongue Extension. Jump back down, slide near the wall, dodge the Snow Ball and soon you’ll see the scale. Ignore the Ice Foot and the Tongue Extension. Go near the wall to the right and catch the Nibbleys from here. After you have opened the exit climb up the stairs and stop below the sphere. Use the row to the left when you do the following jump. If you are calm and do the jumps slowly, they aren’t too difficult. Usually here I’m running out of time, so it might be difficult to be calm. Take the Clock. Climb up the stairs. when you reach the last downhill with a Snow Ball remember the trick: when you are almost in the end of the downhill, the flow of boulders dries out. That means the best way to avoid getting squashed is to jump almost to the end very quickly. This leap of faith can result in death, so be carefull. The last corner jump. Press a short time to right (to begin the jump), press up until you have reached the final stairs and then eventually press left as much as you can. -------- Level 10 -------- Enemies: Ice Block (2), Ice Sphere (1), Ice Foot (1), Snow Ball Bonus items: Tongue Extension (2), Extra Life (1), Clock (1) Secrets: Nothing The final level before the final boss! Jump over the first enemy. Go down the slopes. Either crush the Ice Block by jumping on it or just ignore it. Move along the ledge by jumping. It’s mostly the same procedure on every platform. Reach the Nibbley Pibbley dispenser. Notice the pattern the foot makes. Go to the middle of that square and catch Nibbleys. Sometimes you have to slide down a little bit, because the dispenser won’t give any new Nibbleys. It’s harder to see when the tail blinks in the ice levels. It turns only white, it doesn’t blink. When the tail segments are full, slide down the slope and use the scale. On a ledge near the scale lies an well-needed Extra Life. When you are ready jump back to that ledge where you came from, the ledge under the place where boulders drop. Take aim and do a diagonal jump to theuphill behind the Nibbley dispenser. Climb up the slope and get the Clock. Jump over the spikes. The following sections are almost exactly as the previous. One of the jumps over spikes is different (and harder) than the previous ones due the slippery ledge where the jumps is done from. Release the left arrow, press down and jump at the same time and land on the ledge on the other side of spikes. when you climb to the higher platform from this ledge, you have to release left arrow and press first down and then forward (and maybe jump again) really fast. This is an another very difficult jump. When you have come this far, don't give up. Just keep pushing and concentrating until you reach the stairs to the final exit. These stairs are tough, but if you keep your head cool you should make it. When you are going to climb to the last step, press only right, otherwise it’s too easy to fall down on the other side. From here do the final jump and hope you land reach the exit. -------- Level 11 -------- Enemies: Ice Foot (1), Meteorites Bonus items: Tongue Extension (1) Secrets: Nothing The final boss! You have almost finished this incredibly challenging game! I think this boss is by far the hardest level in this game, even though some people say that it’s not hard at all if you know how to beat it. Maybe I don’t know that secret strategy. The last fight is situated on the moon. The last boss is an Ice Foot with meteorites as back-up. I had hoped for a better ending than this. You have to keep hitting it in a steady flow of hits, otherwise it recharges its powers. This sounds easy, but it is really difficult because of the meteors. They tend to screw up every attempt to do this. If you wait near the path the meteors fall, you can change their timing. This can helpf you a little. Learn the route that the foot goes and learn the best angles to follow it. Learn when it is going to jump, so you can follow it at the right moment. Learn the right timing and concentrate. If you succeed following it without missing a single lick, the battle should be over in one or two laps. ------ Cheats ------ ----------- Final Notes ----------- Credits The NES game manual Copyright 2004 Christian Holopainen