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Bones ###@@R*4R44#@@H##Sj34H@H4#HR4#@@@SSR A Useless Walkthrough #SSH@@S$44*#@HRS*$~!!#@HS4S4SR@@@S*R by Benjamin Paul Galway R#3j*R@@@@@@H#'=%jjj' SH@HHH@@@@H4~%# e-mail #HHRRS4$3SSS$$$4$$%HHHH* `=4SSSS3j==!!''R > bpgalway@netscape.net HHHR#RHHRRHR#SS3==S@HS@@$ ``!=$%jj=j=!` 'R PayPal @RSH@H@HHHRS$~=jRH@H4#HH4!!*SSRHHR#S4$SR > bpgalway@netscape.net R#S$%=$j `j3=j~!4S=!=*#R March 15, 2006 HRS*4*= !!!!! !=$4#RR > Version 1.1 HHHR#SS$4jjj'`!=!==~!!jjj%=4 HR#*R#SSSS$=j!!!!=~=jj43=$==%H H#H4'%#RS44$*4$4%$j=$*##%=!=3@ RRRH%$##S*j%==S#!!~!=!jj'=!~$H R#RRjSS#S3*$%4*4%$$~!===~!34 HH4%SS4S4SS*S*S44j$#4' R###S#SS##RHHHR -------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------- Introduction I. F.A.Q. History II. The Story III. Controlling mr. Bones IV. Walkthrough V. Extra stuff VI. Credits VII. ========================================================================== I. I N T R O D U C T I O N mr. Bones is an action/adventure game by Angel Studios available exclusively on the Sega Saturn video game system. The game, released winter of 1996, tells its humorous story via several full motion video clips and a combination of many different game engines. Thus, almost every level is a completely new experience. The graphics and animation also fluctuate with each level but are very well done for the most part. The soundtrack is a mixture of blues, rock, and electronic styles, which suit the game well. This is/was my first walkthrough, begun after defending mr. Bones a lot on the USENET group rec.games.video.sega. Hopefully, this walkthrough will answer any question and then some that the reader may have concerning mr. Bones. Although the game can be a challenging and even frustrating at times (usually the result of several quick, successive deaths on a particular level), it is hardly impossible. This walkthrough was written with Windows' Notepad and is meant to be viewed at a fixed width font. This document is viewable with MS-DOS Edit, Notepad, or most major web browsers -- which should be obvious enough for those reading this. ========================================================================== II. F . A . Q . H I S T O R Y Version 0.9 -- The first edition of this walkthrough which will 05-15-2000 hopefully see the end soon. This document was started January 13, 1999, and submitted May 15, 2000. I've grown sick of having this guide remaining unfinished and hope to resolve that soon. Version 1.0 -- So much for that. This ridiculously overdue update 06-22-2003 includes strategies for The Valley, The Icy Lake, and Dry Moat. Fifteen "new" jokes were added to Funny Bones, and the buttons to be pressed to trigger the lines have been included as well. The guide has also undergone a slight reformat to push the text away from the left edge as well as fix some embarassing spelling and grammatical errors. While I don't care for the way this guide reads, I have avoided any sort of thorough rewrite because I honestly rather not spend the time to do it. Version 1.1 -- Added information regarding differences between the U.S. 05-15-2006 and Japanese versions of the game under Extra Stuff, including some additional music information. ========================================================================== III. T H E S T O R Y The freaky looking scientist DaGoulian (who looks remarkably like Mr. Good Body) has discovered skeletism, a force which can revive dead skeletons... well, skeletons are always dead, it's the creatures who die. Anyway, DaGoulian reanimates a graveyard of skeletons with the newly found energy force, all with eyes glowing red and ready to assist the good doctor and conquer the world -- all except mr. Bones. mr. Bones' eyes are blue, and he has a soul unlike the other skeletons. He knows Dagoulian is up to something and that whatever it is must not be good. DaGoulian singles out mr. Bones, an "impurity" in his army, and sends the other skeletons to stop him. After mr. Bones escapes, he reluctantly realizes that has been given the task to put a stop to this new evil. ========================================================================== IV. C O N T R O L L I N G m R . B O N E S Since mr. Bones incorporates many different game engines, a variety of control schemes are used although they are all structured similarly. I've chosen not to diagram every minor derivative since 1) it would spoil some of the later game environments and 2) be rahter lengthy to include. The following is the general control layout for the 2-D, usually side-scrolling levels which make up most of mr. Bones, and any major derivatives will be diagrammed in that section's walkthrough. START Pauses the game/freezes the on-screen action. D-Pad Moves mr. Bones in that direction Pulls mr. Bones up onto a ledge he has grabbed Makes mr. Bones duck A BUTTON Generates skeletism power Reattaches missing bones when found B BUTTON Shoots beam weapon C BUTTON Makes mr. Bones jump upward With DOWN, mr. Bones will drop With UP, mr. Bones will grab onto ledges X BUTTON Disassembles mr. Bones Reassembles in the long legs configuration Y BUTTON Disassembles mr. Bones Reassembles in the long arms configuration Z BUTTON Disassembles mr. Bones Reassembles in the slim jim configuration L BUTTON Not used. R BUTTON Not used. ========================================================================== V. W A L K T H R O U G H Upon completion of each level, the game will allow that level and/or accompanying video clip to be selected right from the start via a level select. The walkthrough provided will be ordered according to the level select screen [see "Extra Stuff" (Section V) for more details]. Note that the "Underwater Ride" stage begins disc two, so to play any of the stages or watch any of the videos from then on require you to swap the disc. Be warned that reading any further may spoil certain points about the game if you've never played it before! With that said, on to the useless walkthrough! GRAVE ESCAPE The game begins with mr. Bone running away from the chasing skeletons while dodging their projectiles and other barriers in this somewhat lengthy forced scrolling level. Stay near the center of the screen to give yourself sufficient opportunity to see and avoid oncoming obstacles and keep the approaching enemies in sight. Holding down the C button allows mr. Bones to jump higher and farther than normal, so keep that in mind. Fences, tombstones, fire pits, and other objects must be leapt over, while mr. Bones needs to duck under certain tree branches while running. If mr. Bones takes a hit, remember to rapidly push the A button to charge him up in order to recapture the lost body part, if any. Blue butterflies can be picked up to recharge mr. Bones, so make sure to keep his energy up by gathering them as needed. The level ends once mr. Bones runs through the large fence and reaches the mausoleum. MAUSOLEUM mr. Bones has made it to the top of the mausoleum to avoid the skeletons, but they still haven't given up yet. The skeletons, hanging from the "front" and "rear" of the ledge, first attack by swiping at mr. Bones. As time progresses, the speed and "length" of the skeletons' slapping gets faster, higher, and longer, so be ready to jump in rapid succession. Remember that you can adjust the height and duration of mr. Bones' jumps by holding down the C button. Also, try and leave the blue skull power-up for the next obstacle, since there are more than enough blue butterflies passing overhead. After the skeleton's stop swiping at mr. Bones in waves, a new challenge will present itself. mr. Bones will be flanked by skeletons on top the mausoleum roof who will charge at him and the skeletons hanging from the edge will swipe directly where mr. Bones is standing before plummeting off the edge. Guide mr. Bones to the right near the edge of the mausoleum, being ready to dodge those skeletons hanging by the edge. You can leap on a skeleton's head with no harm inflicted to make your way to the right. You must defeat all of the standing skeletons to complete the level; there are two ways to accomplish this: 1) Use your beam to kill the approaching hoard or, 2) Entice the skeletons to charge at you and leap over them before they strike. The skeletons will run off the edge. Once all skeletons are disposed of, mr. Bones can run off the roof and fall to the right himself to enter the valley. THE VALLEY The valley has many underground pits throughout the level hiding items and enemies. There are two respawning blue mushrooms hidden in a pit underground far left of start to restore mr. Bones' health before heading to the right. Travel right over the hill and dodge the flying bones as best as possible using the two pits for cover. You can drop down the second pit and kill a couple of skeletons safely by shooting their legs which hang underground. With them out the way, emerge and take out the bone throwing skeleton. Walk carefully to the right and retreat if a skeleton pops out from the ground. Lure them out, quickly back away, and shoot them with your beam weapon. A slew of bones is underneath the large black box in the background if you need them. Tap the skeletism button to power your beam to reach the kicking skeletons from a safe distance. Trick the rattling coffin to fall by moving right a bit past it and retreating once it falls. If you've lost some bones, you'll find replacements in the pit to the bottom-right of the large carving of two angels, but you'll have to defeat two kicking skeleton legs to grab them. Step on the tomb marked with a key to open the path to the right. Dodge the tossing bones while running right. You'll probably take a couple of hits, but you're likely to take more trying to actually dodge them all. Besides, once you leap over the rocky hill, you can get your life restored by jumping on top the blue glowing tombstone. Dodge the tossed bones and run right to the large carving of two skeletons holding sickles. Kill the bone thrower and push the tombstone in front the carving three times to get entry into the pit. Kill the kicking skeletons, staying as far away and to the right as possible. Once mr. Bones gets close to the key tombstone, a skeleton will materialize and rush mr. Bones to attack from the right. Quickly hit it with the beam and jump on top the key tombstone to open the path. Kill the two bone throwers atop the hill and proceed right, watching for and dispatching any skeletons that pop out the ground. There is a pit that contains bones to right of the opened path under the tree. Two skeletons will form and flank mr. Bones if you try to go near the bones. There is a second opening to this pit on the far right as well. Trick the coffin to the right again and continue along the path. You'll find bones in the pit to the right of the large stone carving of a demon but will have to fend against four kickers and two skeletons to get them. Climb on top the large "shining ball" carving (jump and then press and hold jump with the D-pad up) to get to the key tombstone. After jumping on it to open the path, carefully make your way under the entrance. You'll immediately be attacked by skeletons in the ground before you have a chance to dodge and may lose some bones. You can try to lure them out before exiting the opened pathway to dispose of them safely. mr. Bones will need legs to jump and reach over the rocky hill to the right -- backtrack if necessary to get some legs. You'll find more bones in the pit to the right of the drop from the hill under the tree and blue respawning mushrooms in the pit to the right of the tree if you need either. Skeletons will emerge from the ground as you head right; try to lure and kill them to be safe. You'll once again need legs to climb up the hill to the right. The daddy long legs configuration power-up is available to the right with some bones scattered above ground. Dodge the ghosts, grab the power-up, and then switch to the long legs form by pressing the X button twice. Jump on the right branch and then over to the hill. Finally, run to the right while avoiding ghosts to the exit to leave the valley. BLIND MAN'S CABIN [ video clip ] GUITAR SOLO Using his new guitar, mr. Bones plays some riffs for the skeleton crowd to calm them down. In this game, the A, B, C, X, Y, and Z buttons are all used to activate a specific short guitar rhythm, which play to its entirety as long as the button stays pressed. Anyone with the slightest sense of rhythm should be able to string the riffs together well enough to please the crowd. The skeletons' eyes will gradually change from red to blue as long as mr. Bones plays well. Just listen to and play along with the background rhythm while holding down a button and stringing together a song. Alternately, playing the first few notes of the "A" and "C" rhythms again and again seem to work well. WHERE'S MY GUITAR? [ video clip ] NIGHT OF THE BATS Night of the Bats is the first of the bat trilogy, all sidescrolling levels focusing on reassembling mr. Bones after some bats steal his body parts from him. Some general tips about these three stages: ALWAYS KILL THE BLACK BATS! One or two black bats will usually descend either when a bone has been picked up or when mr. Bones defeats a monster. Brown bats are merely annoying; black bats will not only hurt you, but also steal your bones as well! KILL FROM A SAFE DISTANCE! Don't run into a monster or bat. Take them out from afar if possible, behind some rock or above a ledge. You can increase the reach of mr. Bones' beam by tapping A, so use that to your advantage. Also, always duck when attacking bats. mr. Bones is less likely to be struck by a swooping bat when ducking. Only stand to add reach for killing monsters from below. WATCH OUT FOR LOOSE BONES! If mr. Bones is struck too many times and has consequently lost some skeletism, then a drop longer than his jumping height could shake a bone loose. Surprisingly, mr. Bones has a very agile spine and can leap well enough with it. Exiting this stage requires mr. Bones that secure a rib cage and his right arm back from the bats. The replacement bones can be found scattered throughout the levels. Begin by moving left and positioning mr. Bones atop the second tree stump. Lure the monster toward you and leap over it, jumping your way to the left. Right before the safety of the ledge, you'll see a rib cage on the ground. Tap the A button to pick it up before jumping and evading the monster. Some brown bats will fly out of the log as mr. Bones advance to the left. Duck and keep right to avoid them, and they will shortly return to the log. You can use the branches to leap over them. The hip bone located in the hole in the log is not needed for this level, so there is no use in risking energy picking it up. There are two paths to take: left above ground or down into the cave. Drop down into the cave but try to stay high on the ledges to avoid the monsters below. Be wary of falling debris, as it indicates that a monster is about to fall in the area. An arm can be found by a rock obstruction that blocks a monster. If you missed it and the monster is nearby, just fill the skeletism gauge and mr. Bones will obtain the bone. Once you have the arm, quickly kill the black bat that descends. If you continue left past the exit above ground, you'll encounter a monster and a couple of black bats, but you'll also have an extra arm to pick up. While not necessary to exit the level, a second arm would make a good spare in case one of the final black bats makes off with mr. Bones's arm at the end. Remember to press and hold C after jumping to grab onto ledges and press UP to climb. A spare bone can be found on the top ledge in the surface break halfway through the cave while another is located to the left of the cave's exit above ground. The exit is at the top left of the level located above a giant log. The tree to the right may be used to climb up higher and leap to it, though the log itself can be climbed and leapt from as well. Nearing the exit will release a swarm of brown bats and two black ones. Quickly dispatch of them or touch the exit. If you're unable to exit the level, it could be because you either have too many or too few bones. If you have more than a rib cage and a right arm (or if your only arm is on the left), use the X, Y, or Z buttons to disassemble and reassemble mr. Bones until he is configured properly to exit the level and move onto Dawn of the Bats. DAWN OF THE BATS The exit here is to the top right of the map. Avoiding the brown bats, use the branches to bounce mr. Bones upward and move to the right. Although you should already have a rib cage, you'll find a second arm just a bit to the right. Another arm is hidden behind the large tree's roots on the ledge above. Proceeding to the right, mr. Bones will encounter a long wall with a skull engraved in it. At the bottom of this wall and on a ledge on the wall itself are leg bones -- be sure to grab one. There's an arm on the ledge near the base of the huge right tree and a hip in the hollow log to the right of it. Finally, a rib/arm can be found next to the giant stump at the bottom to the right of the slanted, thin, small ledge. The second long wall to scale is made difficult thanks to a monster and bats waiting on the top left ledge, which is needed to reach the right. Climb onto the left and jump quickly, holding C to increase the distance of the jump while being ready to grab onto the ledge if needed. The exit requires mr. Bones to have a rib cage, a right arm, a hip bone, and a right leg. DAY OF THE BATS Unlike the two levels prior to this one, the challenge is not so much in keeping the black bats from stealing your bones as it is to simply remain alive and whole. Swarms of brown bats make this stage particularly challenging; remember that the weaker mr. Bones is, the more difficult it is to keep the bones attached. Begin by picking up the leg right by mr. Bones' starting point and get the arm near the right, being careful to avoid the brown bats. Now that mr. Bones is complete, you must climb your way up and to the right to the exit. Jump on and climb up the thin tree, heading right and dodging the brown bats. There's a hip/leg replacement to the right next to the huge tree stump near the long right wall. The ledge above the wall with the skull is a bit difficult to pass over. Bounce on the branches to make your way to the top. To reach the right ledge, you'll need to jump from the left ledge which is conveniently guarded by a monster and black bats. Grab onto the left ledge, pull yourself up and jump off as soon as possible before the monster strikes. Leap to the right and grab onto the ledge. Pull yourself up quickly and rush and attack the monster waiting for you there, being sure to kill the black bat as well. The area with the dozens of teeny tiny platforms houses two replacement bones. A leg bone and be found at the bottom heading to the right, and climbing up and right on the ledges will reveal a rib cage/hip bone replacement as well. An arm/leg replacement can also be found on top the small ledge above ground with the small vines hanging underneath. A leg lies next to the exit, guarded by a monster atop a log pile and a black bat. Remember that mr. Bones can only exit the level if he is complete, so be sure to have all bones attached when touching the door. ROLLING LOGS This is the second of four different full motion video stages. The stage begins when a bat removes a stick holding back the log pile, sending dozens of rolling logs after mr. Bones. It is a good idea to stay a bit right of center on the screen during this segment since that will allow enough time to react to the rolling and bouncing logs. Since this is a video stage, there are no variables present; if a section is proving to be too great a challenge, then just look for a pattern to avoid the logs. This is a difficult stage if mr. Bones is struck, since it can be very difficult to regain energy and bones without legs. Remember that a weak skeletism bar will allow bones to be shaken loose, so if you're struck by a log, then be sure to pick up one of the blue butterflies passing by. The bouncing logs' shadows help indicate when they will strike the ground, so keep an eye on them. When the shadow is large, the log is high in the air, allowing mr. Bones to run underneath it safely. Rocks on the ground tend to cause rolling logs to leap and bounce. Generally, running near them on the right will protect mr. Bones as the logs are sent up and over his head. In the autumn section of the stage, two bouncing logs will be sent after mr. Bones -- just work your way left, passing under the first log then the second. Once mr. Bones crosses the log bridge, many of the logs will only lightly bounce when striking a rock. Be ready to jump over them instead once they have landed and begun rolling again. You may be pushed to the left during the latter section of this stage while dodging the logs. That's not a problem. Just move back to the center-right when possible. mr. Bones does not need a complete skeleton to exit the stage (contrary to the exit door), though he will likely die at the start of the next stage if he exits with too little energy remaining... so grab that blue skull right before the exit! DRUMATIC DISCOVERY [ video clip ] DRUM SOLO Unlike the guitar solo, the drum solo plays more like the game "Simon," being based on quick reactions more than melody. By hitting all the beats, the volts on the antennae gradually raise, with the level ending once they reach the top and open the portal to the wraith world. Notice the red cables on the ground -- they correspond to the four individual drums. Red lights travel from the edge of the screen, along the cable, to the drum to be played. When you see lights entering a certain drum, make sure to point mr. Bones in that direction and hold the D-pad so that he can play that drum. mr. Bones will only play the right drum, so if nothing is being played, he is obviously facing the wrong one. TO THE WRAITH WORLD [ video clip ] GLASS SHARDS mr. Bones must find the exit by leaping from glass shard to glass shard. There are four types of glass shards: regular platforms, blue skeletism platforms, breakable platforms, and spinning platforms. The breakable shards appear split in the middle and will collapse if stood on for a few seconds. The spinning platforms (which often enlarge to view) increase the height of mr. Bones's jumps and are needed to reach the exit. This stage is relatively easy with it being near impossible to die. The enemies are easy to avoid or destroy, and falling at worst will just hurt mr. Bones a bit if he touches the smokey bottom ground. Reaching the exit requires movement in a "Z" pattern. There are several "blind" jumps near the end, meaning that the platform you need to reach will not be in view while attempting to leap to it. Still, these aren't too bad; just leap from the edge when there is no place else to go and hold the C button to increase the length of the jump. Disassemble mr. Bones when in front of the exit since the doorway specifies that just his head and spine may enter. BIG BONES This is a bizarre stage which requires you to bounce mr. Bones himself on his own skull while attempting to reassemble him. You must deflect mr. Bones off his skull by moving the skull left or right, which will move his body in that direction. Use the C button to increase the height of the bounce when appropriate. Note the two different skull obstructions in this level: the stationary skulls will temporarily dissolve when struck, and the spinning skulls will deflect mr. Bones like a pinball bumper. If mr. Bones falls past his skull, he loses some skeletism as well as a bone. During the first section, move left to acquire the spine or go right first if you need the blue power-up skull available there. During the second section, move left to pick up the rib cage. (There is nothing of interest on the right.) During the third section, move left to acquire the hip bone or right to pick up the arm. When going after the arm, you must bounce mr. Bones over the heads after destroying the leftmost one. This section repeats twice so that both bones are captured. During the fourth section, move mr. Bones over to the right after the arm. You must deflect mr. Bones near the edge of his skull to pass beneath the small parallel vertical walls of spinning skulls. Once mr. Bones is in between, use the center of his skull bounce between the walls and nab the arm. (There is nothing to the left of this stage.) The fifth section is quite similar to the fourth except that there is a low horizontal wall of spinning skeletons which mr. Bones must pass before getting to the area where the leg is. Moving right, deflect mr. Bones off the edge of his skull and dribble him along. (There is nothing to the left.) Two legs are found in the sixth section. Getting the one on the right means dealing with several scattered skulls. Be careful to not lose mr. Bones if he strikes a spinning skull and is deflected too far. The other leg is to the left just past a short horizontal wall of stationary skulls flanked by spinners. Try launching mr. Bones over the spinning skull, destroying a stationary one, and then doing a high bounce over the rest. WRAITH SERENADE [ video clip ] VORTEX A relatively simple game that requires mr. Bones to piece himself back together again. The vortex spins counterclockwise, so pushing LEFT will slow mr. Bones down while pressing RIGHT speeds him up. Keep an eye on the pattern of the red crystals as them move closer through the vortex and make sure to dodge them. It is much better to let a bone go than to risk getting hit, since being struck also means giving up a bone. Also, remember that mr. Bones can leap to the center during this section, which is a good tactic to avoid getting hit and/or picking up things coming up through the center of the screen. FALLING HOME [ video clip ] UNDERWATER RIDE Another full motion video segment has mr. Bones trying to avoid smashing into the walls while drifting in an underwater cavern. Try to not get distracted by the video, since you should be concentrating on dodging the walls at the edge of the screen which can hurt mr. Bones. A good general strategy is to try and keep mr. Bones over the lighted sections of the screen; that is to say the light blue tinted video indicating the path through the cavern. Later on this becomes difficult to do thanks to several hairpin turns, but the four swarms of blue jelly fish should help recover any energy lost during these later sections provided that the earlier parts were handled well. Note that the UP and DOWN controls are reversed in this section. Like every other video stage, everything is set to a pattern, so keep that in mind if a section seems too difficult. You must make it to the end as a complete skeleton to exit. LILLIPUTIAN NIGHTMARE [ video clip ] LITTLE PEOPLE VILLAGE You must save the little people from the spiders either by killing the spiders with the skeletism beam or by jumping and touching the web they use to descend with, causing them to fall or die. Since the beam weapon takes a few seconds to kill the spiders, it is best to stop them by breaking their support string, though doing so requires the spider to be low enough to come into contact (there is no real difference in reach between either method though). Note that touching the spider causes no damage unless mr. Bones leaps up directly under one. Don't worry about the houses, either, as crushing them causes no harm as well. Simply save 21 Lilliputians to exit the level. The meter at the bottom of the screen shows 20 figures -- saving one will add to the meter while letting a spider capture one will deduct from it. Keep an eye on the on screen indicator hands pointing to the locations of the descending spiders, and try and stay in the middle of the screen (preferably atop that little ledge) at all times. The slim jim configuration bonus is available on this stage at the left, allowing mr. Bones to reconfigure himself with a stationary snake-like form though losing the ability to both move and attack. Unfortunately, this configuration proves to be quite useless and serves no use during the remaining levels of the game. The blue skull to the right is only reachable with this form, but the stage itself has enough blue mushrooms and is easy enough without needing to go after the blue skull. TO THE ICY LAKE [ video clip ] THE ICY LAKE Hell hath a name, and it is The Icy Lake. mr. Bones must travel north to cross the icy lake, using floating ice blocks to hold his weight and avoid falling through the ice. You will die and die often on this stage since mr. Bones can only withstand two falls into the icy lake before, um, dying. It makes for a nice challenge, but the stage is too frustrating to be any fun. At the start there are several blue spheres to the left, right, and below your starting position. Note that the dark ice is safe to walk on, but the light ice like the small patch above mr. Bones will crack beneath him and send him into the water. mr. Bones must ride the ice platform circling around beneath the ice. The ice blocks under the surface can support his weight and prevent him from falling into the water. Use the floating ice disc above to travel to the solid ground across the thin ice and use this as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with keeping mr. Bones balanced on the floating blocks. You'll find two blue spheres to the left. You'll see a large path of thin ice to the north, but you'll be able to walk along the far right wall on a small path of solid ground, hugging the side all around until you get to three blue spheres. Continue up and left (along the right wall) until you come to an ice disc floating in place under a large crack in the floor. Get on the block and walk left across two more stationary discs. You'll be on the third one from the right, which will let you access the north-western trail of stationary ice blocks leading to solid ground above. Carefully walk across the blocks up, up-left, left, up-left, and up (this last block is a bit father, and the ice will begin to crack as you walk to it). mr. Bones will now have to leap from it up to the next disc. Hop up from it to two more discs then jump onto the solid ground above. You must jump quickly or mr. Bones will fall into the water and risk being injured or dying. Jump on the stationary ice block above to free it and immediately jump back on the solid ground. Then, quickly walk on it and follow it around the large rock obstruction, collecting the blue spheres as you go. Cross over to the two stationary discs and wait for one moving clockwise to pass by -- walk on it when it gets close enough. Follow the block up to solid land. Run across to the second disc above and jump up-left to solid ground. Follow the path up to a column of three stationary discs. You'll need to jump on the bottom-right one to get it moving, retreat to solid ground, then wait for the disc to return to ride it around the large rocks to the top-right. Run across the five discs up-left to solid land, picking up the seven blue spheres or blue skull as needed. Wait on the top-right patch of solid ground, following the moving discs up, crossing over when they pass close by. Don't rush across the discs since they travel along short enough paths (up, up-left, up-right, up-left, and right) that you should be able to easily follow it backwards and return if you miss your opening to make the switch. Collect the four spheres if needed before heading right to the trapped stationary disc. Jump on the disc to free it and follow it as it moves north. Look for a path to the left to solid ground and follow the disc up-left to a very small patch of solid ground. In the final challenge of The Icy Lake, you must free two sets of side-by-side stationary ice blocks and follow them further up-left. Walk on the right one, jump on it, then leap to the left one, then jump to the solid ground, and quickly run to the left block before it gets too far ahead. Otherwise, if the timing is wrong, you can leap back and forth between the two discs, but it is very difficult to keep it up for the duration of the trip. FROM BENEATH THE ICE An amazingly short stage (lasting roughly ten seconds) has mr. Bones running from a quickly collapsing icy lake. The view is from beneath the ice, which does make the stage initially awkward to control. Simply run up without stopping to avoid falling in, lightly shifting to the right then left to dodge the slightly protruding wall. SHADOW MONSTER The goal here is to unlock the door against the wall by leaping on the raised "doormat" in front of it. The problems is that once mr. Bones moves closer to the door and further away from the fire, shadow monsters appear from behind the statues to attack mr. Bones. Simply rush to the platform and jump on it, dodging the projectiles as best as possible, then running back toward the flame to scare the shadows away. You'll notice that one of the statues beside the flame rises and its eyes turn blue. Hop on the blue eyed statue to reset the switch in front the door and repeat the process. If mr. Bones is injured, simply wait for the blue butterfly shadows to appear to the left and right, grabbing them with your own large shadow. THE GUARDIAN [ video clip ] DRY MOAT While this level is simple enough to understand, it demands a good bit of skill to complete. The goal is to free the skeleton dragon from the chains which bind it to the castle walls. mr. Bones will have to leap up to the gold screws and jump on them. Each time mr. Bones successfully lands on a screw, his fall will loosen the screw a little bit. Each screw must be rotated a total of six times before falling out the wall. mr. Bones will have to jump on top the dragon's head when it attacks to get the lift needed to reach the screws. Lure the dragon to attack low and quickly leap on its head and then to the nearest screw. Be careful not to jump if the dragon attacks high -- be patient and look for the position and aim of its skull before moving. After mr. Bones successfully lands on a screw, the dragon will roar and send a rock down the left and then right walls which skims across the ground -- jump to avoid them. Then two rocks will fall and skim across the ground and collide, sending one into the air -- leap over one and then run under it as it flies up. Once a screw comes out, the above pattern repeats except that the rocks don't collide; you'll have to leap over them. Making matters more difficult is the rocks which will sporadically fall along the side mr. Bones is closest to while trying to lure the dragon to attack. This forces you to jump and possibly leap right into the mouth of the attacking dragon. Try to hug the wall after clearing the falling rock as it bounces to avoid the attack or retreat if possible. It is important to avoid getting hit because it will be difficult to complete the stage if mr. Bones doesn't have a strong enough skeletism meter to keep his bones attached. The blue mushrooms which appear on the ground every once in a while can be used to help recharge the meter if you're willing and patient enough to dodge the dragon until you can collect enough to restore mr. Bones' skeletism. Likewise, try to save the blue skull above the left screw until the right one has fallen out. EVOLUTION [ video clip ] HALL OF PANE This is the final FMV segment of the game and possibly the most difficult. The dragon skeleton carries mr. Bones and flies him through DaGoulian's cathedral-like fortress. There are twelve segments in this level, each ending with a large stained glass window depicting the life of DaGoulian. Note that each time mr. Bones smashes through a window pane, he loses about a letter or so of his life bar. Thus, it is very important that his energy level remains as full as possible by gathering as many blue energy spheres as possible. Section 01 - The beginning (no image) This is an obstacle free area with several blue energy spheres waiting to be collected. There is also a blue skull at the end of the area which completely restores life, so there is no excuse not to leave this section without a full energy meter. Use this area to get accustomed to the way mr. Bones moves and sways through this level. Section 02 - Baby DaGoulian wrapped in blue looking at the sun There is a blue sphere immediately on the right just after crashing through the window, so be sure to keep right near the end of section one to pick it up. Simply glide around the spiked poles while gathering enough spheres to refill mr. Bones' life. Go right, left, right, and left to collect them all. Section 03 - Mother holding baby DaGoulian taking a rose from a vine Smash through this window on the left to pick up the blue sphere at the left. This is an easy section; just move around the three poles refilling your life collecting spheres. Section 04 - DaGhoulian as a child experimenting with dark magic Head right before hitting the window to collect two blue spheres. Steer mr. Bones right and then left after moving as far down the center as possible. Section 05 - Teacher scolding DaGhoulian for his behavior Smash through the left to pick up the blue sphere there. This area is basically a repeat of section three. Use it to completely restore mr. Bones' life. Section 06 - Now older, DaGhoulian is banished from his town mr. Bones can smash through the right side to collect an energy sphere there. Fly down the center, then left, then right through the poles, collecting as much life as needed. Section 07 - Bats fly at night while DaGhoulian surveys his new fortress Smash through the left to collect two blue spheres. This section is the same as section six without all of the blue spheres lining the middle. Just be careful not to swing into the poles and collect the four blue spheres at the end. Section 08 - A sinister looking DaGhoulian holds a skull Head right before slamming into the window to collect the energy at right. While it is possible to weave through the poles to collect all of the spheres lining each side, it is safer to just stick to one side and pick up the six blue spheres already there. mr. Bones should have entered this area with full health (before smashing into the window), so it will not take much to restore his life meter. Section 09 - DaGhoulian makes a concoction in a large pot Aside from the blue sphere at the entrance being on the right this time, this stage is another repetition of the sixth section. Use this area to completely restore the life meter. Section 10 - DaGhoulian adds stuff to potion in skull This is the hardest section, so make sure to collect the two energy spheres at the immediate right. mr. Bones must weave between the poles, and it is difficult to see when and where because of the view point. Wait for a break in the center like of poles and use the opportunity to send mr. Bones to the other side. Section 11 - Skeleton rises from grave Get the blue sphere at left. While there are no obstacles in this section, smashing through the window at the end will kill him if he has taken enough damage in section ten. Section 12 - Trio of skeletons with red eyes Collect as many blue spheres as possible. Section 13 - Arachnid seizing a Lilliputian An easy section which has mr. Bones just collecting more energy and dodging a handful of poles. Section 14 - DaGhoulian holds the world in his hands The end of the stage. WHAT'S THAT RED STUFF? [ video clip ] SKELETISM GENERATOR One of the easier stages has mr. Bones floating in the skeletism generator attacking evil red skeletism. The goal here is to completely fill mr. Bones' energy level by firing at the red blobs with the B button and passing over the blue skeletism residue left behind. Constantly move and fire, aiming the best you can while revolving. Red skulls appear after enough time has passed and will track mr. Bones for a bit; they only hurt mr. Bones slightly, while the blue skull will fill the meter up completely allowing him to exit the level. Note that the gray L and R buttons can be used in this level to control and speed up mr. Bones' movement. JUNIOR [ video clip ] FUNNY BONES The oddest level in any game has mr. Bones telling eight jokes to get by a monsterous skeleton guard named Junior. The six main buttons are used to trigger three to five lines to form a joke. The meter at the bottom left will rise when a correct line is initiated and correctly followed up. If the joke isn't said in time, mr. Bones will get smashed and have to try again. Remember that while the order of button presses are important, each line must be fully spoken to continue. Below is a list of all jokes possible: Y) "There were two ships... Z) "one was painted red... B) "and the other blue. C) "They collided. X) "At last report, the survivors were marooned." X) "How many zombies does it take to play... Y) "hide-and-seek? B) "One." Y) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) Z) "Boo." (Boo who?) A) "Aww, don't cry. It's only me." B) "This horse walks into a bar,... X) "and the bartender says,... C) "'Hey, why the long face?'" Z) "You want to make a zombie laugh... C) "on Monday mornings? B) "Tell him a joke on Friday night." A) "Why'd the dinosaur... X) "cross the road? Z) "Because chickens hadn't evolved yet." X) "What do you call a fly... Y) "buzzing inside a zombie's head? C) "A space invader." B) "How do you get two drummers... X) "to play in unison? Y) "Shoot one." X) "Why'd the chicken... A) "cross the playground? B) "To prove he wasn't a chicken." X) "Why didn't the chicken's skeleton... B) "cross the road? Y) "He didn't have any guts." C) "You know that math exam was a piece of cake,... Z) "which was a kind of surprise because... B) "I was expecting some questions on a piece of paper." A) "These two eskimos in a kayak were freezing butt-cold. Z) "So, they lit a fire in the boat and it sank,... C) "proving once and for all... X) "you can't have your kayak and heat it, too." X) "What did the zen master say... Z) "to the hot dog vendor? A) "'Make me one with everything.'" A) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) C) "Orange." (Orange who?) Z) "Orange you glad I came?" X) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) B) "Hanz." (Hanz who?) C) "Hanz up! You're under arrest." C) "Now, why is... Y) "the frog green? A) "Because he eats peanut butter." X) "You want to make a zombie's... Z) "eyes light up? B) "Shine a flashlight in his ear." A) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) C) "Abby." (Abby who?) B) "Abby birthday to you." Z) "Two boweevils grew up in South Carolina. C) "Now one went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. A) "The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. Y) "The second one naturally became known as... B) "the lesser of two weevils." X) "Why'd the turkey... Y) "cross the road? C) "To prove he wasn't a chicken." A) "You guys are so skinny,... Y) "if you were wearing white shirts and red ties,... Z) "you'd look like thermometers." Z) "How do you know when a drummer... C) "is knocking at your door? X) "The knock is out of time." A) "Why did the zombie... Z) "drive into the ditch? C) "To turn the blinker off." A) "You know how people say... C) "'Time flies when you're having fun?' X) "Well, frogs say... B) "'Time's fun when you're having flies." Y) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) Z) "The interupting cow. (The interupting cow who?) A) "Moooooooooo..." [Note that this line must be triggered while the skeletons are asking "The interupting cow who?"] C) "What's purple... A) "and robs banks? Z) "Al Ca-plum." Z) "What's green... Y) "and sings? A) "Elvis Parsley." A) "How do you get a guitar player... Y) "to stop playing? X) "Give him some sheet music." B) "Why'd the siamese twins... X) "move to England? C) "The other twin wanted to learn to drive." B) "Why did the chicken... X) "cross the road? A) "To get to the other side." C) "Why do guitar players dance... A) "while they play? Z) "To get away from the noise the drums are making." X) "Three tomatoes were walking down the road: ... B) "a pappa, a momma, and a baby tomato. Y) "Pretty soon the baby tomato started falling behind, so the pappa tomato went back, ... A) "squashed him flat, and said, ... C) "Ketchup!" A) "What do you call a fish... X) "that's missing an eye? Y) "Fshhhhhh..." Y) "What happens... Z) "if you play the blues backwards? C) "Why, your wife returns to you, your dog comes back to life, and you get out of prison." Y) "What do you get... X) "when you cross a snowman... B) "with a vampire? A) "Frostbite." X) "Now what do you call 100 rabbits... Z) "in a row... A) "all hoppin' backwards? C) "A receding hare-line." A) "I found this violin and this picture in the attic the other day. C) "I took them to the auctioneer, and he says,... B) "'What you got there is a Stradivari and a Rembrant. Z) "'Unfortunately, Stradivari was a rotten painter, and Rembrant couldn't make violins.'" B) "Now why did the monkey... Y) "fall out of the tree? A) "Because he was dead." X) "Now what do a vacuum cleaner... B) "and an electric guitar... Z) "have in common? C) "Both suck when you plug them in." Z) "What do you get... B) "when you offer a zombie... Y) "a penny for his thoughts? A) "Change." A) "Now,... C) "why are we here? Z) "Because they don't want us there." X) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) Y) "Andy." (Andy who?) Z) "Andy bit me again." Y) "I went to the doctor for a check up. X) "It was okay. Z) "He was there." X) "Why did the cow... A) "cross the road? Y) "To get to the udder side." B) "A string walks into a bar, sits down, and orders a drink. C) "The bartender says, 'We don't serve strings in here.' X) "So the string goes outside, ties himself up, roughs himself up in the head, goes back in the bar, and orders a drink. Z) "The bartender says, 'Hey, aren't you the same string who just came in here?' A) "The string answers and says, 'No, I'm a frayed knot.'" Z) "Now, why couldn't the zombie... Y) "write the number eleven? A) "He didn't know which one came first." X) "How do you make a drum... Y) "sound totally cool? B) "Sell it and buy a guitar." X) "Why do ants... Z) "hide behind tress? A) "To trip elephants." B) "What goes... Z) "'Vroom! Screech! Vrooom! Screech! Vrooom! Screeeeech!?' A) "A zombie driving through a flashing red light." B) "Why did the chicken... Y) "cross the road, ... Z) "roll in the mud, ... C) "and cross the road again? X) "He was a dirty double crosser." C) "You guys are so skinny, ... Y) "if you were standing sideways, ... Z) "I couldn't even see you." C) "What do you call a guy... X) "who... A) "hangs out with musicians? Z) "A drummer." X) "Now why do bands... B) "have bass players? Z) "To explain things to the drummer." A) "A mushroom walks into a bar, ... X) "sits down, and orders a drink. Y) "The bartender says, ... Z) "'Hey, we don't serve mushrooms here.' B) "The mushroom says, 'Why? I'm a fun guy.'" Z) "Did you hear about the skeleton... C) "who couldn't go to the prom? X) "He had no body to go with." Z) "Knock knock." (Who's there?) Y) "Who." (Who who?) X) "Hey, is there an owl in here?" Y) "Why did the teacher... A) "draw a dot... Z) "on the chalkboard? B) "He wanted to illustrate a point." X) "Two peanuts... C) "were walking... Z) "in Central Park. Y) "One was assaulted." Y) "This guy went to see this shrink and said, ... Z) "'Doctor, you know sometimes I think I'm a wigwam, and other times I think I'm a teepee. X) "'Wigwam. Teepee. Teepee. Wigwam. A) "'What am I, doc?' B) "And the doc said, 'Well, calm down, son. You're too tense.'" Y) "What did one wall... X) "say... A) "to the other wall? C) "Meet you at the corner." HEART OF DARKNESS [ video clip ] LOS ENDOS mr. Bones must use his guitar to absorb the red skeletism shots fired at him and use them to fire back at the red skeletism field surrounding him. mr. Bones' guitar can only absorb one shot at a time; if mr. Bones hasn't fired off an absorbed burst and takes in another on, mr. Bones will be injured. The skulls engraved around the pit light up around and around, flashing when a shot is about to fire. Thus, keeping an eye on the swirling lights will indicate the direction mr. Bones can anticipate the direction to block. You have a couple of seconds to fire before having to block again, so plan your shots. Shooting the rotating red energy field with a blue skeletism shot will dissolve a small piece of the energy field. Shooting a shoot into an empty section of the energy field will regenerate that section, so it is very important to not only fire as quickly as possible, but also make sure that the shot makes contact with the field. Near the end of the game when only one piece of the field remains, it may be wiser to absorb a second shot and allow mr. Bones to be slightly injured rather than firing it off and rebuilding the energy field. SUNRISE [ video clip ] ========================================================================== VI. E X T R A S T U F F Stereo audio: Note that the game stupidly defaults on the "mono" setting. You must go into the option menu and change it each time the game is played. Level select: As described in the walkthrough (Section IV) above, the game begins with the level select active, available in the options screen. However, one must complete the level before being allowed to access it. This level select may also be accessed without completing the game via the following code: At the title screen, press: R, L, R, R, L, R, L, L, R, L, R, R. This will unlock every level and video clip listed on the level select. Loading text: While the game loads, the title of the level appears on screen for a short time. The controller buttons can be used to play around with the text. Memory requirements: The game consumes two blocks of the Saturn's internal memory, used to saved the player's completed levels. Although the save file can be copied to a back-up cartridge, the game will not access it from there. Redbook soundtrack: A bit of the game's soundtrack is encoded as redbook audio, meaning you and listen to it right from the discs in a standard CD player. From Disc 1: Track 2 - Title Track 3 - GUITAR SOLO Track 4 - GLASS SHARDS Track 6 - MAUSOLEUM Track 8 - VORTEX GRAVE ESCAPE, THE VALLEY, NIGHT OF THE BATS, DAWN OF THE BATS, DAY OF THE BATS, ROLLING LOGS, DRUM SOLO, and BIG BONES use PCM for their BGM. From Disc 2: Track 2 - Title Track 5 - LOS ENDOS Track 7 - SHADOW MONSTER Track 9 - LITTLE PEOPLE VILLAGE Track 10 - SKELETISM GENERATER Track 11 - (bonus track not found in game) Track 12 - (bonus track not found in game) UNDERWATER RIDE, THE ICY LAKE, BENEATH THE ICE, DRY MOAT, HALL OF PAIN, and FUNNY BONES use PCM for their BGM. Hidden audio tracks: The game contains a couple of "hidden" audio tracks, music that can be listened to directly from the CD but do not play during the actual game. The last two tracks on the second disc are not heard during the game at any time: track 11 is a speech by DaGoulian on the nature of evil and morality, and track 12 is a narrative blues song sung by mr. Bones. Region differences: The greatest improvement to the Japanese release of the game is making a number of levels easier thanks to some damage tweaks and bones that stick to the body longer and are easier to reassemble. This is most notable on The Icy Lake, where before you could fall twice with a full health bar before dying; with the Japanese version, you can fall six times. Likewise, it takes three hits in Underwater Ride before you even lose half a letter. Lost bones are also much easier to retrieve on this level as they not only stay on the screen longer, but you can also pull them back to you long after you dropped them behind. The game remains in English and uses Japanese text subtitles for the video clips and level titles. The Japanese packaging is typically better than its US counterpart, with a full color manual, better cover art (despite being a US origin game!), and a nice music listing on the rear, giving titles to the game's great soundtrack. Copied directly from the back of the Japanese box, the following is the game's MUSIC LIST. I've done why I can to sort the titles and try to match them with the in game stages and music on the CDs: MANIFEST unknown BONE IS BONES unknown WHO'S OUT THERE? from BLIND MAN'S CABIN DON'T THINK PLAY from GUITAR SOLO stage (CD1-3) THE VILLAGE from LITTLE PEOPLE VILLAGE (CD2-9) IN THIS WORLD from TO THE WRAITH WORLD THE FIRST THING from GLASS SHARDS (CD1-4) DRY MOAT from DRY MOAT THE VALLEY from THE VALLEY BY THE WAY unknown RED TO BLUE from SKELETISM GENERATER (CD2-10) SHADOW MONSTER from SHADOW MONSTER (CD2-7) MAUSOLEUM from MAUSOLEUM (CD1-6) ICY LAKE from THE ICY LAKE THE LAST WORD unknown Turns out the list is from the official soundtrack which is no longer in print. They still can be bought through second-hand sites such as Amazon. The music credits as listed from the soundtrack: RONNIE MONTROSE - ELECTRIC AND ACOUSTIC GUITARS, BASS, KEYBOARDS, PENNY WHISTLE, LITTLE PEOPLE, VOCALS MYRON DOVE - BASS BILLY JOHNSON - DRUMS JOE HEINEMANN - KEYBOARDS MICHELE GRAYBEAL - PERCUSSION, SNARE AND BRUSHES, LITTLE PEOPLE VOICES SPENCER NILSEN - ORGAN ON "WHO'S OUT THERE?" FITZ HOUSTON - VOCAL ON "IN THIS WORLD" ========================================================================== VII. C R E D I T S All content in this useless walkthrough other than what is specified below is the work of Benjamin Paul Galway. This FAQ is intended to and may be distributed freely if and only if: 1) no profit is garnered from its use or sale unless the author has given written consent to do so, and 2) it is not altered in any fashion. The name, character, and game "mr. Bones" are copyrights of Angel Studios and SEGA. Any input or corrections may be sent to the e-mail address specified below. The latest version of this guide can always be found at GameFAQs.