Part 2 - Play Techniques
There's nearly always more than way to overcome the obstacles in Wonder Boy.
Whether it's jumping slightly early or slightly late to avoid that rolling boulder,
or maybe going slow and steady instead of blitzing past the monsters. I think
this is what adds to the attraction of the game - you can get creative and have
fun.
The Axe
The axe is the only weapon you can get in the game, and you always start off without it. If you open an egg and you don't have an axe, sometimes you can get one. Otherwise you'll find them at predetermined locations. The axe is worth 100 points.
One of the secrets to mastering Wonder Boy is mastering the axe. Wonder Boy's jump is a very fluid arc, so if you develop precice timing you can get the axe to hit any target you like. You can only have two axes flying on the screen at any one time. Most monsters only need one axe to kill them, others take two. Bosses take eight and upwards.
When when Wonder Boy throws his axe, you can see it behind his head for a brief moment before he throws it forwards. It's possible to kill monsters with this backswing, but very risky. You really don't want to find yourself that close in the first place. Still, it's a handy thing to know if you're in a tight scrape.
Jumping
When you press the jump button in the game, Wonder Boy will do a small jump. If you're moving as you press the button, or if you're holding down the axe button (whether you have an axe or not), you'll do a high jump. Mastering your jump height skills is important, especially on the later levels if you lose your axe and have to navigate groups of monsters. The skateboard will give you a jumping advantage because you don't need to create your own momentum and you can change your speed mid-air (the downside is you can't stop moving).
Running
This is a trick you don't actually need until the end of Area 1 Round 4, and even then you can get away without using it. However, it's vital from there onwards. Basically if you're holding down the axe button, whether you have an axe or not, Wonder Boy's legs animate faster and you move faster. This is great for long jumps or high standing jumps. I pretty much use running throughout the whole game. It allows for high jumps while standing still.
Tripping
Occassionally if perform a jump onto a solid ledge and hit the corner directly on, you'll trip on it and lose 4 bars of vitality. It's like running into a rock. If you do it on a skateboard you'll lose the skateboard (with no point bonus) but not take any damage. Keep your jumps clean.
Tips for Scoring Points
Get everything, kill everything. It's so easy to ignore that petty
apple or banana, or maybe jump over that octopus because you never seem to be
able to axe it. If you take the time to kill every monster and get every fruit
you can, it'll all add up.
The big point getter in the game is the magic mushroom bonus, which turns all
fruit into sweets worth 500 points each.
Bonus Lives
Depending on the dip switch settings for the game, bonus lives are awarded at 30k, 120k, 210, 300k, or 30k, 100k, 170k, 240k. The dip switches also control whether you start with 3, 4 or 5 lives. You also get a bonus live for every 4th Escape bonus.
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