Part 8 - Monsters
Most monsters in the game only take one axe to kill, and they can all kill Wonder
Boy with a single touch. None of them fire projectiles (except the bosses) so
it's only their varied movement patters that are the challenge. Combined with
the obstacles and level design, they can make things very tough at times.
I've used my own naming conventions, based mostly on what I heard expert players calling them in the arcades when I was young. I don't know their real names, but the manual for the Sega home console version reports that the wasps are bees, and one of the creatures is called a coal kid. I'll stick with what's here for consistency and by stubborness. :-)
Snail
Snails are one of the easiest monsters in the game and the first
you'll encounter. They move very slowly forwards, which can be useful when you
don't have an axe and you need them slightly out of the way. They're worth 10
points.
I'm sure in the arcades these things used to drop off ledges when they reached
the edge, but in all the versions I've seen since they just stop at the edge.
Wasp
Wasps move towards you at an average speed, buzzing up and down in a sinewave movement. There are two types - one moves low to the ground and the other sweeps a lot higher in its movement. The low ones can be easily jumped. The high ones can be jumped or run under as they go high. Of course, both can be axed. Later in the game they come in swarms and it's great fun going ballistic with the axe on them.
Snake
The snake is one of the easiest monsters. It does a little hover-strike thing, but it doesn't actually get any closer. It never moves and is easy to hit. It sometimes appears behind rocks where it's protected. The solution is to time your jump-and-axe well, or stand close enough to the rock so your axes go straight over.
Frog
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There are three types of frog - the plain frog that doesn't jump,
the spotted jumping frog, and the backwards spotted jumping frog. All take two
shots to hit, and are worth 20 and 200 points per shot respectively.
The plain frogs are easy enough, they just sit there. The first shot will turn
them orange, then next shot will kill them. The only real danger is later on
when you are always getting spotted frogs and a plain one turns up. You can't
run under a frog that doesn't jump!
Spotted Frog
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Spotted frogs can be tricky. If you hit them with your axe or
get too close, they'll jump at you. You can get under the jump as long as you're
running. Be careful, once they start jumping they'll usually keep going until
they're dead or past you. You can only jump over them if you're jumping from
higher ground. Once you're past them, you can jump back over them and they won't
jump (not that you ever need to).
A good tactic for axing the spotted frogs is to keep them at a distance and
do a high jump. Axe once when you're half-way up the jump, and axe again at
the top of the jump. The idea is to have your first axe hit the frog and make
it jump, while your second axe finishes it off while it's in mid-jump.
Where a spotted frog appears on a step above you, most of the time you can run
straight into the step and let the frog jump over you, much like a fast boulder
will roll over you while you're under the shelter of the step. Then you can
turn around and axe the frog for some easy points.
Leapfrog
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There are only two backwards jumping frogs in the game. If you jump over them they will jump over you. This will continue for several jumps until they simply stop. The first one like this (area 3 round 2) will end in a hidden Doll bonus being uncovered. The second one (area 7 round 4) just stops, so you might as well axe it straight away.
Octopus
The octopus only appear on the water rounds, but can jump out of the water or the water that appears in front of land. There are two types - one jumps low and the other jumps high. Axing the octopus is great for practicing your axe skills. At a distance they can require a bit of good timing to hit.
Blue Creature
I have to admit I have no idea what these things are. Back in
the arcades my brother and I called them Spinning Dolls. Maybe they're natives
in grass skirts. Maybe they're blue monkies. I'll stick to Blue Creature for
this web site.
They move pretty fast across the screen and if you're not ready for them you
can run right into them.
Swordfish
Swordfish appear only on the water levels. Actually they're probably marlin or some other type, but I always called them swordfish. They jump out of the water towards you, flick their tails and dive back in. Most of the time you can ignore them or axe them with relative ease. When you get to Area 8 Round 1, they're all over the place and can cause serious problems. Especially if you don't have an axe.
Bat
Bats are more of a nuisance than anything. They're sometimes in
swarms and you have to slow down to axe them in case you miss and run in to
them. They hover at the ceiling until they're a little way onto the screen,
at which point they drop down and flap towards you in a straight line.
In the caves in the later areas they become very dificult, as they appear around
moving platforms and they're hard to hit and even hard to avoid.
Flaming Skull
These blue fiery skulls look like some kind of witchdoctor thing to me. They behave the same as regular fires, except you can axe them. Sometimes they appear slightly above the ground, in which case you can safely run under them. In the later stages you can get up to four of these in a row. You'll pretty much always have an axe in these cases, but it's handy to know that it is possible to land in between them and not get burnt. The game's collision detection is pretty forgiving.
Spider
There are more types of spiders that anything else in the game.
They can appear at all heights. Some stay still, some move up and down, some
drop down when you get close. Others start moving up and down when you get close.
All continually moving spiders can also be moving over a small range or going
the full height. They're pretty easy to kill though.
They appear mostly on Rounf 4 of every area. If you don't have your axe they
can be some of the most troublesome monsters to get past, because they're mostly
in groups and can be in awkward configurations.
Bear Skin Creature
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One of the weirdest creatures in the game. There are places were
a small flower appears on the ground. Take note of this, because as soon as
it's off the screen this monster will rush you fast from behind. He takes two
shots to kill (turning orange after the first hit) and pauses slightly after
the first hit. Hits are worth 20 and 500 points respectively.
If you manage to kill it while it's in front of you (that is, to the right of
you on the screen) there will be a pause before a special item appears a set
distance in front of you. I don't know what it is, but it's worth 500 points
and a decent bonus to your vitality so it's worth going for.
The standard tactic for killing it is axe once to your left as it comes at you,
perform a high jump over it, then throw your second axe to the right while at
the top of your jump. With a little practice you'll get it every time.
At some points it appears before a rock and when you go for the second hit the
rock blocks your axe. The secret here is to attack it early or late so the rock
doesn't get in your way. Watch also that the special item doesn't appear in
a fire or rock - keep a clear space in front of you for it to appear. Back off
if necessary.
Here's a fun trick to try. Get a skateboard from an early round and hold on
to it until Round 4. Normally at the last hill in Round 4 your skateboard will
automatically disappear. This is to stop you using it on the end boss. But if
you skateboard fast ahead of the final bear skin creature before the 4th signpost,
your skateboard will not be destroyed until the creature is off the screen.
This can be all the way into the bosses cave!
Jumping Bear Skin Creature
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The jumping variety can be recognised by the solid red flower
that appears before it. It behaves the same as the regular variety, but will
perform a huge jump the moment you throw your axe.
The best tactic I've found for killing this one is to do a big jump as it's
due to come on to the screen, and at the top of the jump throw an axe to the
left. The creature will jump into it and halt a moment from the hit, giving
you time to drop to the ground and face right. Then simply throw an axe to the
right as it lands on the ground in front of you.
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