FAQ/Walkthrough - Guide for Blaster Master: Enemy Below
- Cheats |
- Unlockables |
- Hints |
- Easter Eggs |
- Glitches |
- Guides
Scroll down to read our guide named "FAQ/Walkthrough" for Blaster Master: Enemy Below on Game Boy (GB), or click the above links for more cheats.
__/__/ __/ __/ __/__/ __/__/__/ __/__/ __/__/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/__/__/ __/ __/__/__/__/ __/__/ __/ __/__/ __/__/__/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/__/__/ __/__/__/ __/ __/ __/__/ __/ __/__/ __/ __/
__/__/ __/__/ __/ __/__/ __/__/__/ __/__/ __/__/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/ __/__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/ __/ __/ __/__/__/__/ __/__/ __/ __/__/ __/__/__/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/
__/ __/ __/ __/ __/__/ __/ __/__/ __/ __/
ENEMY BELOW
_______________________________________________________________________________
For Gameboy/Gameboy Color
FAQ/Walkthrough v1.0
By Deathspork
[email protected]
_______________________________________________________________________________
________
Contents
________
-INTRO
History
How To Play
Controls
Level Layout
Item List
General Tips
-WALKTHROUGH
Area 1
Area 2
Area 3
Area 4
Area 5
Area 6
Area 7
Area 8
-EXTRAS
Boss/Upgrade Chart
Boss Strategies
Locations of Hidden Items
FAQ
-WRAPPING IT UP
Credits
Final Notes
Legal
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
=====================*=*=*= INTRO =*=*=*=======================
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
_______
History
_______
Blaster Master: Enemy Below was released rather unceremoniously in September of
2000, after some major delays. It is the sequel to the classic NES game Blaster
Master, and features similar levels, palettes and gameplay, although it does
include some new aspects. The game is one of only a handful of dual carts,
meaning it has 2 games inside, one that is compatible with Gameboy Color, and
one that is compatible with older Gameboys, Gameboy Pockets or Super Gameboys.
The plotline of the game is as follows: Weary from battle, Jason (hero of the
game) moves far away to start a new life. Then one day, a woman he's never
seen before comes to his door, and pleas with Jason to rid a secret underground
facility of a reproductive life form that's on the loose. This, of course, is
the offspring of the organisms of the original Blaster Master. The life form
spreads fast and hollows out the image of it's old lair (hence explaining why
the levels are so similar). Jason knows what he must do, he re-activates
S.O.P.H.I.A. the third (AKA Sophia, his tank) and heads back into battle
___________
How To Play
___________
Blaster Master EB features 2 distinctly different modes of play. There is a
sidescrolling overworld comparable to Metroid games, in which you are usually
controlling Sophia although you can hop out as Jason at any time. Then there
are catacombs which you can enter as Jason, which have an overhead view and can
best be described as 2D Goldeneye. All of the games bosses will be fought in
this mode. The game is split up into 8 separate areas, but they are not
connected in numerical order. When you defeat a boss, you get a new upgrade for
Sophia, and are brought back to the entrance of the catacomb. It's up to you to
find the next level, and the boss's upgrade will make the next level
accessible. For example, the level 1 boss gives you the high jump upgrade,
which you use to reach a ledge you previously couldn't to make it to area 2.
Unlike in the original Blaster Master, in this game Jason must find 1 or 2 keys
to open the boss catacomb.
In catacomb mode, Jason has a meter which can make his gun more powerful as you
fill it up with gun power-ups. At first it has only 3 levels, but with the
hidden Gun2 powerup you can power it up to 8.
Sophia can fire only straight ahead or up. You can also collect 3 separate
kinds of special items for Sophia, which can be used when you press down + B.
There are the Thunder Break, 3-Way Attack and Homing Missile. I recommend that
you only use Homing Missile, and only in certain circumstances.
Sometimes you must roam around in sidescroll mode as Jason. He is very weak,
and cannot handle falls that are higher than his head, so be very careful. This
mode is useful for destroying enemies that are shorter than Sophia's gun,
making it through block mazes, and swimming underwater before you receive the
water upgrade for Sophia.
________
Controls
________
| Input | In Sophia | Alone as Jason | In Catacombs |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| D Pad, Left and | Move left and | Move left and right | Move left and |
| Right | right | | right |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| D Pad, Up | Aim gun upward | Climb a ladder | Move upward |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| D Pad, Down | Press down + B | Crouch; climb down a| Move downward |
| | to fire a | ladder; enter a | |
| | special weapon; | catacomb | |
| | pass through an | | |
| | entrance to a | | |
| | level | | |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| 'A' Button | Jump; hold in | Jump | Launcher/Shotgun |
| | midair to hover | | Attack |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| 'B' Button | Attack | Attack | Attack with gun |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| Start | Item select | Item select screen | Item select screen|
| | screen | | |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
| Select | Hop out as Jason| Hop back in Sophia | Not used |
----------------- ----------------- --------------------- -------------------
____________
Level Layout
____________
The following is taken from the instruction booklet, the area's are connected
as follows:
__________ __________
| | | |
| Area 1 | | Area 6 |
/|__________| |__________|
/ | |
__________/ _____|____ __________ _____|____
| | | | | | | |
| Area 4 | | Area 2 |--| Area 3 |--| Area 5 |
|__________| |__________| |__________| |__________|
| |
_____|____ _____|____
| | | |
| Area 7 | | Area 8 |
|__________| |__________|
It should be noted that the direction in which the levels are connected in the
above chart are a non-issue. For example, you do not travel downward to reach
level 8. This simply shows which level connects to which, without any regard as
to how.
_________
Item List
_________
NORMAL ITEMS
---
P Item: A circle with a P in it. Increases the POW meter by one as both Sophia
and Jason
H Item: Circle with an H in it. Increases the HOV meter by one after you have
the hover upgrade
GUN Item: Circle with a pistol icon in it. Increases Jasons GUN meter by one.
Thunderbolt Item: Circle with lightning icon in it. Increases Sophias
thunderbolt shots by 10
Homing Missile: Circle with an H and missile icon in it. Increases Sophias
homing missiles by 10
3-Way Missile: Circle with a missile icon in it. Increases Sophias 3-way
missiles by 10
BOSS ITEMS
---
High Jump: Allows Sophia to jump higher
Engine Boost: Allows Sophia to go against the wind
Hover: Enables Sophias hovering ability. Press and hold 'A' in midair to
hover.
GUN1: Upgrades Jasons gun in sidescroll mode, allows you to break certain
blocks
Dive: Allows Sophia to travel underwater
Wall 1: Allows Sophia to travel up and down walls; must be turned on to work
Wall 2: Allows Sophia to travel up and down walls and across ceilings; must be
turned on to work
HIDDEN ITEMS
---
Crusher: Upgrades the strength of Sophias gun
Hybrid Armor: Gives Sophia 10 POW levels instead of just 8
GUN2: Gives Jason 8 GUN levels instead of just 3 in catacomb mode
Launcher: Allows Jason to throw a grenade further in catacombs
Shotgun: A weapon. In catacomb mode you can switch between grenade and shotgun
____________
General Tips
____________
For The Overworld
---
*If an enemy is too short for Sophia's gun, hop out as Jason to destroy it. He
can shoot at ground level if he ducks, and if he is damaged his life is
automatically refilled when he gets back in the tank
*After you receive the Wall upgrades, you can turn them off on the item select
screen so you don't accidentally use them when you don't mean to
*Stock up on homing missiles from wherever you can find them, try not to run
out as they are by far the most useful special weapon
*Search EVERYWHERE, map out the area somewhat in your mind
*If Sophia is running low on energy and about to be destroyed, hop out with
Jason to kill any enemy that may be a threat. If he is hit, he can refill all
his life by re-entering Sophia. If the enemy leaves a POW capsule, get back in
Sophia and retrieve it. Do this for any potential threat until Sophia's energy
level is out of danger.
For The Catacombs
---
*Grenades are considerably more powerful than Jason's gun, use them whenever
possible
*You can strafe (maneuver around without changing directions) by holding down
the grenade button as you move
*There is no sound effect for the grenades when they connect with the enemy.
This is confusing because at first you will probably think you're not hitting
them, especially in boss fights
*Stealth is required throughout the game, usually when you want to surprise
attack an enemy who is positioned behind a wall and coming around it
*Be extremely careful not to get hit when you have a fully powered gun
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
=====================*=*=*= WALKTHROUGH =*=*=*=======================
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
NOTE: By nature, the areas in Blaster Master: Enemy Below are hard to describe.
To make matters worse, I have only played the game on a regular black and white
Gameboy and Super Gameboy, so I can't use colors to describe things. Just try
to bear with me here.
==========
= Area 1 =
==========
Key
---
Head right until you get inside, if its you're first time playing you may want
to take a little time to get used to the controls. From the first door, head
onward and up and take the first door you see. Hop from ledge to ledge, drop
down at the end and take the bottom right door. Now go through that room, and
halfway into the next room you find the catacomb containing the level 1 key.
Hop out as Jason and go inside.
There's no real way to walk you through the catacomb, just keep going until you
reach the end, where you will find the key. Get some experience fighting the
enemies in here as you will be seeing them the entire game. When you reach the
key, walk all the way back out and hop back in Sophia.
Boss Hideout
---
From the key catacomb, continue right. After the next door, hop over each of
the holes. There comes a point where you must jump directly onto a mine, so
buck up and take the hit. When you reach the end, don't take the door but
instead drop down. Head through the door at the bottom, then drop down some
more and take a door there. In the room you are in now, make your way to the
bottom and along there you'll see a ladder leading down. Hop out as Jason and
go on down. Do not jump off the ledges, as you will lose life, only jump onto
them. At the end you find the boss's catacomb.
Next Level
---
Now with the hi jump upgrade, go all the way back to the beginning, to the
first room you entered from outside. You can now make it to the top of the
room, and from there, exit left. Keep heading that direction until you reach
the end, and from there go up and you will see the door. Drop down to reach
the entrance to level 2.
==========
= Area 2 =
==========
Key
---
From the start, head right and take the bottom-most door on the right. There
will be an enemy blocking your path under you, you will need to use the homing
missiles to dispose of it. Now you come to a bit of a maze. Hop on the ledge
just above you coming out from the left wall, from there jump to the platform
just above that, and take it all the way across until you see the next 2 ledges
(it will look sorta like an upside down "T"), jump on the right one, then right
onto the platform from there and you find the door you want to go through. In
this next room, keep dropping down until you get to the very bottom, then take
the right door. Now you should see a medium sized room with a big plus sign in
the middle of it, take the bottom right exit here as well. Go straight across
the next room and take the right door (I bet this is getting redundant..). In
the room you are in now, hop from ledge to ledge until you get to the right
wall, then drop all the way down. After you exit that room, drop down all of
the stair like structures and again take the right door, you come to another
big maze-like room. Heading right, drop down the first 2 ledges, jump up the
next one, then take the left jump. Jump up again and when you come to the next
fork in your path, head left. Continue that way until you meet the wall, and
then jump up near the top and head right until you drop down a bit and find
the exit you are looking for. FINALLY you are at the room with the key
catacomb, drop down and make sure you stick close to the middle or you will
miss it and have to do it all over again.
In the catacomb, there are 3 different rooms where you have multiple choices of
exits. In the first of these rooms, take the top exit, in the second and third,
take the left one. Otherwise it is straightforward.
Boss Hideout
---
From the key catacomb room, drop down from the ledge in the middle and take the
right door. Now you come to another big room, keep making your way to the top
right and exit there. Scale the wall upward in this next room, until you see
the door on the left wall, and then go through it. After a series of annoying,
persistant enemies and some jumping over spikes, you reach the bosses lair.
This catacomb is straightforward. The next to last room is filled with walls of
blocks running diagonally, its unique but shouldn't be mind boggling. It does
require a bit of Goldeneye-like stealth to shoot the enemies before they can
shoot you.
Next Level
---
Head out of the room with the boss catacomb, and go up and over the divider in
the middle of the next room, take the door at the bottom right. Either way you
go from here, you eventually start over at some familiar place in the level.
Travel to the second big maze-like room and take the very bottom left door.
Here travel along the bottom once again, you see the arrows pointing back where
you previously couldn't tread (before you got the engine boost upgrade). At the
edge of the room is the entrance to level 3.
==========
= Area 3 =
==========
Key
---
This will be much easier to explain than the jumbled mess that was level 2.
Simply head right from the start and continue in that direction through 6 rooms
until you come to one with a ladder heading up. Hop out and go in as Jason, as
the rest of the room is blocked off to Sophia. Be careful about not letting
Jason fall from any higher than about 2 blocks high. Also you can now jump on
ladders unlike in the original NES game. It's pretty straightforward, if you
have a choice of 2 ladders to take, always take the one leading up. Eventually
you will find the key catacomb.
In the first room of the catacomb, you will find the door in the top right
corner. From there it's a linear path to the key (tough though).
Boss Hideout
---
When you make it back to Sophia, head out, backtrack through the previous room,
and when you get to the room before that, take the drop-down on the left side
and from there take the right door. Drop down the steps in this room until you
find the door at the bottom right, and beyond that is a dark section of the
level which is straight-forward all the way to the boss hideout. It is,
however, a very long way.
The catacomb is tricky and difficult, but not too open-ended. Travel down
instead of right from the beginning of the second room to start off, and when
you get to the third room, make your way to the top right corner by busting the
blocks with your gun. Those should be the only tips you need to not get lost.
Next Level
---
After defeating the boss you have the hover upgrade, head right and hover over
the tall wall to come out at the beginning of the area, in the first room. You
must trek back all the way through levels 2 and 1 to find the area 4 entrance.
When you get back to area 1, head back up and outside, I suggest getting the
Crusher item while you're here, but digressing back to the mission at hand:
continue across the outside area, go back inside and straight through the tree
trunk to another outside area. Having at least one hover point, jump up the
ledges and hover to the one that is just out of jumping range, and from there
jump way on over to reach the cliff with the entrance to area 4 on it.
==========
= Area 4 =
==========
Key
---
You begin area 4 in the first of many reoccurring mazes in the game. Your path
will repeat until you complete some objective along the way, in this case
finding the door and having enough hover power to reach it. If at this point
you are empty on hover, travel left 2 screens until you see an open catacomb
at the left side of the room, where you can fill up on hover and gun power
(simply re-enter as many times as you want and the power-ups will be back).
Now, go right from the start room through 2 doors, and at the end of the room
here instead of going through the door, hover up to the pipe ledge. Make your
way back left and enter the door there. Head dead left, along the bottom, soon
you will need to make 2 hair pin turns through a series of doors, after that
continue left along the bottom until you reach another open catacomb with 8
hover capsules in it. Fill up, and float on up the chasm to your immediate
right. When you reach the top, head up, and over to the left side as soon as
you can. Drop down and take the first door heading left that you see. Continue
in that direction. You're not having deja vu, you soon come to a part that is
exactly like the part you just finished, except that when you come to the point
where the open catacomb should be, there is a door there instead. Go through
it and send Jason on up the ladder. On the above platform, jump on the right-
most ladder and make your way left by crossing over to each sequential one
(shades of Donkey Kong Jr.). The key catacomb is on the right side of the
above platform.
This is the point where the catacombs start getting tricky. As soon as you
enter this one, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the 8 hover capsules to your
right as you will need them after you're finished in here. Make your way to
the top right corner of the first room and head downstairs. In the second room
there are multiple stairs to take, but the one you want to find is in the top-
left corner. Now, make your way to the bottom of this next room, it is a
raveled and kinda long path, but its nothing you can't easily handle if you've
made it this far. Along the bottom is the door leading to the room with the
key.
Boss Hideout
---
Get back to Sophia and head out of the room you're in. Hover up the long
chasm once again, when you get to the top this time, go out to the outer left
reaches and hop your way up. When you are on the top platform go all the way
over to the door at the top right corner. Continue through the next door, and
again take the next door on the right wall you see. There's a door in the next
room, and from there jump up just a bit and take (surprise) the right door.
Here take the ladder up, go left, take another small ladder up to the left
door. Now keep taking the ladders heading down, and remember not to jump off
of a ledge, no matter how low, with Jason. You soon find the boss catacomb.
Next Level
---
It's time to do some backtracking. Make your way all the way back to area 3. I
suggest getting the launcher while you are passing through (see the Hidden
Items section).
At the end of the second room of area 3, instead of taking the door leading
right, drop down to the bottom and take the left door. Continue until you see
a single break-able block, hop out with Jason and use his new Gun1 upgrade to
destroy it, then hop back in and there will be the level 5 entrance.
==========
= Area 5 =
==========
Key
---
Head right, all the way through the first 2 rooms, and then drop down into the
water at the beginning of the third room. Continue in that direction for 4
rooms until you come to a big drop from which Sophia cannot escape. What do you
do? Leave the tank and go it alone as Jason, he has full maneuverability in
the water. You won't be able to use Sophia again until you get the Dive upgrade
from the boss.
With Jason, exit that room at the top right. Now take the next 2 bottom right
doors in a row, and then follow the path down in this next room until you see a
door on the left wall. Through there, there's a vertically elongated room with
a divider in the middle, swim either over it or under it to find the catacomb
with the key. Be sure to destroy all of the small swimming enemies because they
can deal out a lot of damage from above you if you ignore them.
Boss Hideout
---
After you get the key, leave the room with the key catacomb. Continue to take
the bottom right exit 3 more times, and then swim up, through a bit of a maze,
to find the boss's hideout in the top right corner.
This catacomb is very unique, you can walk into the holes and you wind up at
the floor below (shades of Zelda). From the first room, go through the door in
the bottom right, continue through the next room, and then the third room will
be open and spacious when you enter it. Go up, and destroy the rows of blocks
coming out from the right wall, then drop down the hole at the end. Here it
wouldn't be a bad idea to fill up your POW and GUN meters (keep re-entering
from the staircase at the left end of the room. When you're ready, go through
the door on the right side to face the boss.
Next Level
---
Swim back to Sophia and get in (I feel sorry for Jason having to haul that Dive
upgrade all the way through the level). If you don't feel like finding your way
back, you can purposely die to restart. From the point where you had to drop
off Sophia, take the next 5 bottom right doors, or to better describe it, go
2 rooms right of the area that led to the key catacomb. Now go up and through
the door at the top right. You'll have to swim down and under a divider, then
when you reach the top of the other side, the water ends, dry land begins, and
the door to area 6 is within sight.
==========
= Area 6 =
==========
Key 1
---
The ground in this area is covered with ice and very slippery, you may want to
take some time to get used to it. In the first room, travel through the door at
the top right, and in the next room stay along the bottom until you find the
door on a ledge along the right side. After you go through there, you will need
to jump out as Jason to fit down the hole, once you are down head right and
finish a block maze, until you reach the outlet along the left side near the
top. It's easy, except that you must remember to start off by breaking the
second row of blocks from the bottom, instead of the third. Once you're through
here, you soon find the catacomb.
In the first room of the catacomb, head straight up, careful not to fall in the
holes at top, cross the bridge and go right to find the door to the next room.
The key room is just beyond here, at the bottom.
Key 2
---
Go back to the second room you crossed to get key 1, and starting on the left
end continually jump onto each of the floating ledges, first over to the right
side of the room and then back again until you reach the door in the top left-
hand corner. Now in this area, if you make a wrong turn the level will
infinitely reoccur until you are brought back to this central room (although
you don't need to worry about that if you are reading this FAQ). Exit this room
at the very top left. From there, continue ledge hopping up and leftward
through the next 2 rooms, if you fall down, go right until you eventually end
up at the middle-left exit of the previous room. After you've accomplished all
of the ledge hopping, you are at the continue point. Now just progress through
the next 6 fairly linear rooms to make it to the key catacomb, at the 4th room
you come across make sure you take the top right door, and in the next room
take the right door as well. From there just go up a bit and you'll see the
catacomb
In the second room of this catacomb, do not take the stairs in the right hand
corner, but instead travel down and cross the ice bridge, then head right to
find the key
Boss Hideout
---
Travel back to the very first room of the stage. Go straight across from the
door you usually exit from, and its just a hop skip and a jump around and up to
the boss's lair.
Once inside, you'll find the exit for the first room in the lower right end.
The second exit is in the lower right as well, and in the third room travel
over to the upper left side around the large squares of spikes, and you will
reach the room leading to the boss.
Next Level
---
Time to backtrack way on back to area 4. On your way there you can pick up both
the shotgun and GUN2 hidden items. Once in area 4, go on as if you are headed
to the boss catacomb, and when you reach the room with the ladder headed up,
turn Wall 1 on and scale the right wall until you are on the above platform
in Sophia. Head left, and through the door there, and now with Sophia you can
hop on the ledges. Continue that way until you pass through another door,
shortly thereafter you find the area 7 entrance on the bottom.
==========
= Area 7 =
==========
Key 1
---
To be perfectly honest with you, not even I know how this stinkin' level works.
From the start, head through the first door at the top right, and you come to
the big central room with 4 doors, one in each corner. Go through any of these
doors, and you end up at another door in the room, 9 times out of 10. All I can
tell you is this, the Key 1 catacomb will appear after you go through the top-
right door. Go through a random door, then through the top right door to check
and see if its there yet or not. Repeat. I can usually find it after 1-5
minutes of doing this.
When you find the catacomb, be careful not to walk off the gridded platform as
it will mean instant death. The shotgun is ideal for taking out the storm
troopers, if you have it.
Key 2
---
Do the same thing as above, but this time the room you are trying to get to
will eventually appear through the bottom left door. When you finally do get to
a room that looks new, scale the right wall and head up, and then out the door
at the top left. Go until you reach a hole that leads down into the blocks.
Head down as Jason, break them and make your way over to the right where you
will find the catacomb.
This next catacomb is much more of a straight shot than that last one, and
shouldn't give you any trouble at all.
Boss Hideout
---
Head back to Sophia, thanks to bad game design you will have to take some
damage from the first 3-block drop after you leave. Once in the tank, continue
left (unless, of course, you failed to get key 1 before you got key 2). Now
continue all the way until you reach a room with a ladder heading up (you will
only have one choice of paths on the way there, choose the top door). Go up the
ladder with Jason, left until you reach another ladder, take that one down,
then go right and destroy the 3 blocks that are plugging up a hole. Now go back
to Sophia and you can slip through the hole to your left with Wall 1. Clever,
no? Now go all the way left with sophia and through the door that's high up on
the left side wall. Continue left, DO NOT drop down in the next room, and after
that you reach the end of the road, the boss catacomb will be along the bottom.
Next Level
---
The goal now is area 2. From the boss catacomb in area 7, you can drop down to
the bottom in the room to the right, pass through the door there and you come
out at the first room of the stage. Now, once in area 2, in the second big
"maze" room, take the door around the middle of the right wall. Through there
is a rat run of spikes and such, scale the wall to the right and keep going
with wall 2, up and around the ceiling. I've found an effective way to take
care of the annoying enemy that always shoots you when you're about to make it
all the way up, tap the D pad, moving slowly, and he will never appear. Just
beyond is the area 8 entrance, gateway to the final frontier!
==========
= Area 8 =
==========
Key 1
---
Exit the first room at the bottom left, you can get by the spikes in the middle
of the chasm by staying near the edge as you fall. In the next room, the exit
is found in the bottom right, you are supposed to go all up and around the
room, but I like to take a little shortcut. Simply go until you see the first
group of spikes in the floor, and fall through them, from there the exit is
just a bit right. You only take 2 points of damage, a lot less than you would
going through the whole thing. In the next room, stay along the top path and
go through the door in the top right. Now you are in the room with the
catacomb, but it is a very, VERY long way. Go to the right edge, and then use
wall 2 to scale the wall up, then along the ceiling and subsequently around all
of the far dips. Take one hit and you fall, having to start over. When you are
fairly close to the key, you come across a safe place to land. Just stay on the
same track all the way until you get to the catacomb in the top left-hand
corner.
The second room of the catacomb is kinda tricky, but you should take the stairs
down in the bottom left side of the room, in which will be a door leading down,
directly to the key.
Key 2
---
Go back to the third room of the stage, this time take the bottom path to the
right and exit at the right side. Now you are on the path to the second key, it
is very linear with no choice of paths. When you get to a wall with a lot of
spikes on it that you can't jump over or scale, you will need to hover. If you
have no hover, the enemies at this point give hover items off sometimes, I find
they are more likely to appear if I jump away from the spikes. After that bit,
continue onward. When you reach a room with many small ledges leading upward,
stay along the bottom and go through the door on the right. Not far beyond is
the second key catacomb.
This is the easiest catacomb in the game, simply go straight upward about 20
steps from the start, breaking the blocks of course, and through that door the
key will be.
Boss Hideout
---
Again go back to the third room of the stage. In here stay along the left wall,
go down and through the first door you see on the left. Continue down, pass up
the next door you see and take the one in the bottom right. Next take the
bottom left, and then the bottom right doors. Now you are in a room with lots
of jumps and spikes above you, so you must by now have mastered jumping, and
know just how hard to press the jump button for just how high you want to jump.
The first room should be fairly easy, the next one will be tough though. There
is one jump that looks impossible, because there are 2 spikes right in the
middle of your way, but it _is_ possible to pass without getting hit, although
its hard. Remember that the spikes only hurt you when they touch the very
middle of Sophia. The last jump is impossible as far as I know, unless you have
a lot of hover. Just jump through the large cluster of spikes, it will take
off 2 points of life. Directly after that is the boss catacomb. If you don't
have the 2 life bars to make the jump, you can go it alone as Jason out of
desperation, you will be hurting from touching the bottom spikes but you will
make it to the catacomb.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Final Catacomb
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This is a straightforward shot through # rooms, with no choice of path.
However, due to the immense difficulty of the final boss, it is imperative that
you master this catacomb, and get through it with as few scratches as possible.
It will require stealth, intelligence and cunning, as it is a difficult path.
**NOTE**
You need to get the gun2 and shotgun upgrades before attempting this area, if
you don't have them already. You _really_ need to.
********
Room 1
---
When you first enter, make sure you've switched to shotgun, then kill the laser
shooting enemy at left, he always leaves a gun power-up. Leave, re-enter, and
repeat 8 times until your guns are full. Now slip on over to the right side and
head down, firing your gun off along the way, make your way over to the middle
when the floor ends, and down to the door at the bottom.
The small enemies that shoot projectiles that are either wavy or curve may or
may not appear, if you are lucky you will just get 4 way cannons. The storm
troopers are there around the middle and beginning.
Room 2
---
Go left and down the side until you reach the door, remember not to touch the
weird blocks as they will take off life. In here you face lasers and storm
troopers, nothing too difficult, kill the lasers for gun-ups.
Room 3
---
Stay along the right and head up, then to the middle to find the exit. The best
strategy for the small enemies that shoot curving shots: when you first see
them, stand still. When they fire off thier first shot, then go, they'll likely
miss you with the next ones. The ones that shoot wavy shots, they are just a
pain. Stay far away and try to destroy them quickly.
Room 4
---
Again everything in the book is thrown at you, just be quick and it will not
be too hard on you. Stay along the left side.
Room 5
---
OK, at the start here is where you want to fill up your life meter if it is
drastically low. The enemies that chirp and then fly across will come
continuously, often leaving life points. Kill as many as you need to fill up.
After that go over to the left side and haul it downward, to the door at the
bottom.
Room 6
---
Now you can fill up your gun again. The laser enemy here will always give you
one, and always re-appears when you enter the room. After re-entering a few
times, your life and gun meters should be full. If you've lost some life you
can keep re-entering to kill the storm trooper who will give you a life point
around 1 every 6 times. When you're all finished filling up, you have to go
FAST and STEALTHILY down the left side. You will face the curvers, wavers,
lasers, 4 way cannons, storm troopers, flyers, everything in the book. This
part will take some practice to master, if you lose way too much gun power (you
get below 4 points) or life, you should turn back to fill up and try again. The
door to the final boss will be on the left wall.
======================
= End Of Walkthrough =
======================
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
=====================*=*=*= EXTRAS =*=*=*=======================
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
__________________
Boss/Upgrade Chart
__________________
(AREA| NAME OF BOSS | ITEM | ITEM FUNCTION )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 1 | Giant Cannibal Flower| High Jump | Allows Sophia to jump higher )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 2 | Ground Snake | Engine Boost | Allows Sophia to go against wind )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 3 | Poisonous Frog | Hover | Press 'A' in midair to hover )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 4 | Lobster | GUN 1 | Upgrades Jasons gun in sidescroll)
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 5 | Shellfish | DIVE | Sophia can travel underwater )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 6 | Dinosaur | Wall 1 | Walk up and down walls )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 7 | Jellyfish | Wall 2 | Wall 1 + travel across ceilings )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
( 8 | Amoeba | --- | --- )
---- ---------------------- -------------- ----------------------------------
_______________
Boss Strategies
_______________
GIANT CANNIBAL FLOWER
---
The thing to discover here is that his feelers do not hurt you at all, and you
can walk all over them. Once you realize that, he is easy. He moves from side
to side, a little bit at a time. Try to be a *little* bit off center from him
when he stops, and his shots will miss you. After his shots pass you walk up
to him and get one or two grenade shots off on him. Repeat until dead.
GROUND SNAKE
---
The Ground Snake is actually one of the tougher bosses in the game, so don't
think the rest of the boss fights will be exceedingly hard if you have a tough
time with him. He moves back and forth across the screen, at the same time
going all up and down the screen as well. He doesn't travel left until he makes
it all the way to the right side, and vice versa, and he doesn't head down
until he's all the way to the top, and vice versa.
Stay along the bottom, get to the outside of him when he is at the top of the
screen headed downward (i.e. if he's moving right get to the left of him). You
can nail him with a gun shot or two when his head reaches the very bottom of
the screen. You can sometimes hit him with a grenade as well, but not too
often, so just wait it out and keep hitting him with bullets. It will be a
fairly long fight.
POISONOUS FROG
---
Very easy, a disgrace to the giant frogs in the original game. He'll jump up
and off the screen 3 times before he stops, and either spits fire at you or
sticks his tongue out. After he jumps for the third time, start walking left or
right and as he's landing, go up a bit so as to get a shot from beside his
mouth. You can walk over his feet without getting hurt. Lob grenades into his
mouth *only when it's open*, when he begins jumping again just repeat. He's as
good as dead.
LOBSTER
---
Here's one of a handful of times when strafing will come in handy. Face the
boss and strafe while dodging his bubbles. He shoots 3 bubbles and then pauses
for a moment. Aim for the end of his 2 feelers, early in the battle you can
nail him as he moves around, and sneak in a grenade shot every now and then. As
his bubbles get more accurate and start curving toward you, you will be
spending more of your time dodging them and can only hit him when he pauses.
The best way to avoid the bubbles is to do semi-circles around them. You have
a big advantage if you go into this battle with your gun powered up, and keep
it that way. Expect a fairly long battle, but not overly difficult.
SHELLFISH
---
This battle actually gets easier as it goes along. There are 5 small shellfish
along the bottom, 3 big shellfish in the middle, and one really big one at the
top, all moving along slowly in one massive formation. For phase 1, stay along
the bottom, you'll have to be good at weaving around bullets, try to get as
many grenade shots as you can on the shellfish when they open up, until row 1
is eventually all dead. If you are good at strafing, you might want to do that,
but I don't. One of the best ways to land a shot against the small ones is to
throw a grenade when you know they are *about* to open up. When you get the
middle of the row cleared out, you can start attacking from beside the fish
too, although I find that method less accurate.
Now, after row 1 is gone, you must deal with the 3 big ones. They shoot more
bullets and have more life, but they're much easier to hit. Use basically the
same method you used on the small ones, although this time it's a good idea to
focus on one at a time. Finally, the head honcho comes down and spews out
MASSIVELY big shots, but they are slow and can't travel directly left or right.
He's simple, stick to the side of him and lob grenades in him when he opens,
before long the battle is over.
DINOSAUR
---
The aptly titled Dinosaur moves back and forth at the top of the screen, then
stops, trounces downward and at the same time spits a couple bullets at you. He
shoots one bullet as he's coming down, and another as he's about to go back
up. Simply walk back and forth so you are never standing where he falls, and
hit him with grenades from the side when his head is at the bottom. Aim for the
chin. You might also be able to hit him a few times when he's moving around at
the top.
JELLYFISH
---
The Jellyfish may seem putridly easy, but he may land a surprise hit on you
every now and then (and they do hurt). He fires a lightning bolt straight down,
moves to the spot where you are standing at (at the time he starts to move) and
then stops and fires lightning again. It's simple really, just be sure to move
sharply away from wherever you were standing when he begins to move, and don't
get caught under him. Aim for around the middle of his body, hit him with the
shotgun if you have it, with grenades if you don't, he takes a LOT of hits to
make up for his easiness.
AMOEBA
---
Unless your name is Ace Ebb (see Nintendo Power issue 1), don't even
contemplate _thinking about_ taking this guy on unless you have found the GUN2
and Shotgun hidden items. If you can beat him without those, you truly have too
much dexterity for your own good. Even with them, it will be an over-the-top
challenging, awe-inspiringly difficult fight. They just don't make bosses like
this anymore.
There are 5 amoeba gathered in one giant mass, slowly moving around the screen.
2 small ones are the closest to you, above them are 2 bigger amoeba on the
sides, between them is the main, big Amoeba that doesn't do anything for this
phase of the fight.
The 4 active amoeba open up sequentially, one at a time, and fire off 3 shots,
thier lasers go out diagonally in both directions. At the same time, there
are blocks that form in the middle of the mass and then home in on you.
Whew, OK, now onto the strategy: You will need to strafe throughout the entire
match. You'll only be able to hit the amoeba with the gun, so if your gun meter
gets below 3 and you're not close to beating them, you may as well just start
over. When an amoeba is opening up, be within thier trapezoidal line of fire so
you don't get hit and fire away at them, shoot the blocks with your shotgun
when they are close, otherwise gun them down if you can. Start moving toward
the next amoeba that's going to open up after the previous one gets off his
third shot. The bottom left one will fire, followed by the bottom right one,
then the top left then the top right, and it continues like that (unless the
next one in line has been killed). After a long time the bottom ones will die,
after even longer the top ones do. However, it becomes a lot easier when only
one top one is left, since he will always be open. Finally, after a grueling
battle (by now your thumbs are surely sore) the mass explodes and the big
Amoeba is set free. This battle is just halfway over.
Now is the time to just go crazy. When it begins, get right in front of the
Amoeba, and be ready to continue strafing and gunning. He moves side to side,
just as fast as you do, so don't get caught behind him. Follow him along and
fire like crazy, don't even pay attention to how much you're getting hit, just
beat him before he beats you. Change directions a bit before he does so you are
not left behind. If you have 2 or even 1 bar of life left, you can kill him
with a fast finger. After this is done, congratulate yourself with a pat on the
back, and enjoy the ending.
_________________________
Locations of Hidden Items
_________________________
CRUSHER ("Crasher" in the instruction booklet)
---
Area: 1
Needed: Hover
In the outside area near the area 4 entrance, there's a ledge floating in the
air just out of jumping range. Get at least one hover point and the easiest way
to get to it is to jump from the highest in the series of ledges along the left
wall, of course hover a bit, and you'll make it.
LAUNCHER
---
Area: 3
Needed: Hover, Gun1
In the 4th room to the right of the entrance to area 3, hover up and over the
pipes in the top right corner, and go through the door there. Go all the way to
the right, then hop out as Jason and head down the drops. This is the first
you'll experience of the brain boggling block mazes. Generally, just shoot
until you are directly under the blank space, and use it to shoot away the next
row of blocks to the next blank space. When you finally figure it out, you will
be rewarded with the launcher. If you mess up leave the room and re-enter.
HYBRID ARMOR
---
Area: 2
Needed: GUN1
Find the room with what looks like a giant '+' symbol in the middle of it, and
take the left door. The background here should have little diamonds on it, the
same as the background around the boss catacomb. At the end of this room, use
Jason's gun with the GUN1 powerup to break the block, and you'll find the armor
not far after that.
SHOTGUN
---
Area: 5
Needed: Dive, Wall 1
At the point near the beginning where you FIRST drop into the water, take the
left door. Turn Wall 1 on and go down the hole with Sophia, then float your way
over and out of the water, and there will be the catacomb containing the
shotgun item. I suggest going to the item select screen and turning it on
immediately, then don't use the grenades again for the rest of the game.
GUN2
---
Area: 1
Needed: High Jump, GUN1, Dive
From the room with the key catacomb, go right and in the next room, drop down
the hole at the beginning, and take the left door at the bottom. Use the high
jump to clear the next wall, then GUN1 to break the singular block blocking
your way, and drop down into the water at the left end. You CAN go all the way
through it with Jason, but he cannot survive the drop at the end so you need
Sophia and the Dive upgrade. Weave your way to the very bottom, and then head
through the left door. Now hop out, go down the ladder and solve the block
maze. It's a toughie, but just at the end is the GUN2 upgrade, the single
coolest item in the game.
____________________________________________________________
Frequently Asked Questions (not answered in the walkthrough)
____________________________________________________________
Q: What is with the extra entrance to area 5 from area 1?
A: For those that didn't find it, there is an entrance that takes you to area
5 from area 1. However, when you re-enter, it takes you back to the proper
entrance from area 3, so the obvious answer is that they were originally
planning to connect areas 1 and 5, and just forgot to take that out. It can be
used for a shortcut, though. It can be found just across the outside area
near the area 2 entrance.
Q: Sometimes I'll see a block/background/enemy that is not really there..
A: That happens occasionally. Must be glitchy graphics.
Q: Crusher? What's that? There's a CRASHER shown in the instructions but no
Crusher.
A: When you find it in the game, it is called 'Crusher' on the item select
screen. The manual is generally very badly translated.
Q: How has Sophia been upgraded since the original game?
A: Seemingly not at all, although her model number has changed, from NORA MA-01
to NORA MA-02.
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
=====================*=*=*= WRAPPING IT UP =*=*=*=======================
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
_______
Credits
_______
I'd like to thank Sunsoft for making the great game and the great series, not
to mention the instruction booklet which I used as my basis for many of the
important charts, figures, and other info here in this FAQ. I'd like to thank
Santa Claus for bringing me the game ;D I also thank whoever it was that came
up with the diagonal tile style of ASCII art which I used, I've seen it in
quite a few FAQs so I don't know who exactly to thank, plus I've forgotten
where exactly I saw it. I of course thank God for everything.
___________
Final Notes
___________
This FAQ was created with Notepad and Text Pad, it took roughly 7 hours of work
in total.
If you've enjoyed playing this game and have never experienced the original
Blaster Master on the Nintendo Entertainment System, you MUST do so
immediately. You simply must, it's not even an option. Don't got an NES? You
can buy one with the game for less than what you paid for this game.
I appreciate every email I get asking me questions about how to progress in the
game, or just talking about it or thanking me. I do not appreciate emails that
ask me for ROM images of games. Since this FAQ is a free document, there is no
need to mail me asking to put it up on your site, you can do so as long as
nothing is changed.
_____
Legal
_____
This FAQ is copyright 2001 by me, Deathspork. It is a free document, you are
free to upload it anywhere you please as long as it remains unaltered in its
entirety. Always check www.gamefaqs.com for the latest version of the FAQ, as
well as all of my other FAQs and FAQs for almost any game you could imagine.
Blaster Master: Enemy Below is copyright 2000 by Sunsoft, Sunsoft is a
registered trademark of Sun Corporation, All Rights Reserved.
-THATS IT!!-
