Hydlide FAQ/Walkthrough By Mike Jenista mjenista@math.duke.edu Version 1.00 May 2008 Table of Contents ----------------- I. Introduction II. Controls III. Basic FAQ IV. Monsters V. Spells VI. Items VII. The World VIII. Walkthrough IX. Legal Mumbo-Jumbo I. Introduction --------------- Hydlide at first glance is awful, but upon further reflection is decent. The decentness comes from the fact that it is easy and short which offsets the lamer aspects of the game. It is a very generic story: monster kidnaps princess, collect treasures to win the right to face the evil guy and rescue her. The key to enjoying this game is to know how it works and figure the puzzles out yourself. The initial portion of this guide is made of information intended to get you going so you don't just turn it off in frustration. If you are really stuck or don't care about solving the puzzles yourself, keep going. II. Controls ------------ A - Toggles between attack mode and defense mode (hold down for attack mode). NOTE: attack mode must be activated to cast spells! B - Toggles spell choice, and casts spell (when in attack mode). Select - Brings up menu, which is entirely information. Start - Pauses game. III. Basic FAQ -------------- It took me a long time to figure out how to do things, so if you are asking a simple question, look here first. Q: How do I fight enemies? A: You run into them. When they run into you, they damage you, so you should run into them first. The best thing to do with enemies stronger than you are is to run into them from the side as they pass in front of you, or chase them down from behind. This is very easy to do in mazes unless you are getting cornered by oncoming enemies. When attacking an enemy from any direction other than head on, hold the A button to activate attack mode and increase the damage rate. In defense mode you take less damage and deal less damage, but you should usually fight weaker enemies anyway which allows for attack mode without dying. Q: How do I heal myself? A: Stand still. When standing still on grassy terrain, you slowly heal. Note that your enemies never leave the terrain they start in; this means that you can usually just hang out in a patch of grass and avoid the wimpy slimes while you regenerate. Q: How do I use spells? A: When your magic meter rises to the amount needed for a spell, tap B until the spell toggle reaches the one you want. To cast it, activate attack mode and press B. Q: Why can't I activate the Wave spell? A: Because you are facing vertically. For some crazy reason, Wave only works when you face horizontally (there actually is a sort of reason, but I won't tell you until you give up on something and look further down). Q: How do I save? A: You bring up the menu and select Save. This will allow you to come back to wherever you saved before you died (just start a new game and select Load). However, if you want to stop playing and turn off the game, you must select Password, which gives you a long alphanumeric string that you can re-enter when you come back to the game to pick up where you left off. Short version: Save anytime, often. Get Password before turning game off. Q: What am I questing for? A: Good question! There are obvious things to obtain, like treasure chests and higher levels, but what is the goal of the game? You need to collect three fairies and three treasures. The fairies allow you to travel to the final castle and the treasures allow you to face the boss. They are will hidden! Q: Can I get a hint? A: Sure. Two fairies are hidden in trees, and the third is being hidden by twin enemies. The three treasures are all in chests, but only one of the chests is immediately visible. Q: Do I ever need to buy anything or talk to people? A: No. There are no towns in this game. Everything you need is obtainable by finding it or revealing it through some accomplishment. It would be nice to have a FEW people who could give you hints in this game, but it is what it is. Q: Can you kill those moving rocks and trees? A: I don't think so. They usually kill you very fast and I have never killed one. But you need to interact with one of them... see walkthrough for more info beyond that hint. IV. Monsters ------------ In this section I will describe all the monsters, plus some tips on when to go after them. They will be in roughly the order you would encounter them. Note that each monster stops yielding experience after a certain level, so don't keep attacking easy ones hoping for a slow build up. You should use attack mode less and less as you progress through the game. The stronger enemies will MURDER you if you are in attack mode, whereas you can "hit and run" using defense mode. *** Slime *** This crawly little slug is easy to beat, but when you just start out you should be careful not to take on two at once. Stays on grass. *** Kobold *** Brown trollish creature that lurks in the trees. Easy to kill if you don't attack head-on. *** Wasp *** When you touch the trees in the Grove area, you will release a swarm of wasps. They are fast and hurt you a lot, so never go after them. *** Stirge *** These are basically bats that are found in the Vampire's castle. They move slowly, but over the walls. They are pretty dangerous when you are low-level and that is when you need to face them, so I say just avoid them. *** Vampire *** This enemy is unique; he lives in a castle near the beginning of the game and can not be killed unless you posess a special item that vampires fear. You must get behind him to attack because he will eat you alive front the front. *** Wisp *** Looks like a fireball; found only in the cave near the Vampire's castle. They are fairly dangerous to attack but you can survive them easily in defense mode and that's all you need to do in that cave. *** Roper *** Weird lumpy blue enemies in the Labyrinth. When you are about level 3, you can kill them easily by ambushing them but they still can damage you badly if you hit them head-on. *** Zombie *** These brown dudes lurk in the mud of the Graveyard. By level 4 you should be able to deal with them ambush-style, but they don't yield great experience anyway so don't spend time on them. *** Goldam *** This actually is short for "Gold Armor," and it is a well-earned name. They are tough enemies to face but they only appear in two of the caves so you won't have to fight them a lot and you will be able to ambush them most of the time. Wait until you have the Sword and about four or five levels. *** Ladyam *** Stands for "Lady Armor." These pink versions of Gold Armors will damage you bad if you attack head on in attack mode, but are otherwise very easy. *** Worm *** They look like cobras actually, and since they are in the Desert I thought that is what they were. But in fact they are Sand Worms and they are very dangerous. You should only fight these if you are at level 7ish. They do yield decent experience. *** Eel *** The eels are found in the water and they are very strong. You should use Turn to get them out of your way rather than fight them. Wave also works well. There is no room to fight them in the water, so don't try. *** Hyper *** I think this means "hyper slime" or something like it because they start to appear when you kill Slimes at a high level. They yield GREAT experience and are easy to kill so they should be your primary target for levelling up. *** Goblin *** Goblins start to appear when you kill Kobolds at a high level. They give good experience, but they can wander through both grass and forest. Really, they are not tough in defense mode. *** Wizard *** The twin wizards roam a patch of grass near the final castle. They are totally invincible except for the Wave spell. Since you can only fire it horizontally and they wander a vertical patch of grass, it is a pain to kill them. And it is an even bigger pain to kill them in one shot... wink wink... However, they are basically harmless to touch. They shoot fireballs that do hurt but you can avoid them easily. *** Dragon *** Tough. Huge. Flies. And is invincible. At first. You can't attack the dragon until you have accomplished a special objective, which I will say is NOT getting to the final island. You have to do something else first... look in the walkthrough for the answer. *** Blackam *** Stands for Black Armor; by the time you get to these guys, you probably can't get any more levels so just avoid them or use Flash or Turn to get them off your back. Stay in defense mode so they don't destroy you on contact. *** Skeleton *** Ditto Black Armor; just stay away. They only wander in the big open dungeon of the final castle, so they are easy to dodge. *** Varalys *** The final boss; he is a tough dude but you can lick him if you are patient and willing to retreat a lot. See the walkthrough for the details on how to do this if you can't figure it out on your own. V. Spells --------- See the controls or basic FAQ section on how to cast spells. You will get a new spell with each level you earn, starting with Turn on level 2. After that, you just get more magic for your spells. *** Turn (cost: 2 bars) *** Turn reverses your enemies' paths. They will turn around a bunch and you will not be able to move during this time (bummer), but when they stop spinning they will be going the opposite way from before. This is really useful inside mazes when strong enemies are about to corner you or two enemies are trapping you. *** Fire (cost: 3 bars) *** The screen freezes while a fireball shoots in the direction you face. It stops when it hits a wall or an enemy, and it usually kills. I am fairly certain that killing enemies with Fire does not yield experience. Ultimately, this spell is not useful. *** Ice (cost: 4 bars) *** Ice travels through walls, but is otherwise just like Fire. Also not very useful when you really think about it. *** Wave (cost: 5 bars) *** Wave can only be cast horizontally, but you can still waste magic power if you aim it vertically, so be careful. Wave travels through walls AND enemies, so you can kill more than one at a time! This is the only attack you have that can kill the Wizard. *** Flash (cost: 6 bars) *** Flash is your typical "nuke" spell; it kills basically everything on the screen. The exceptions are the Dragon, Wizard, and Varalys. It is the most useful spell beyond Turn because you can clear out enemies while retreating, or even while trying to do something else complicated in a dungeon. VI. Items --------- You don't "use" the items; they simply work once you get them. The only items you can do without are the combat items, but you should get them anyway because they make the final battle easier. Most items are found in chests (yellowish blobs that you will only recognize as chests once you open one), but some are found upon completion of a task. Some chests are hidden! *** Cross *** Makes it possible to kill the Vampire. *** Sword *** Boosts Strength by one, allowing for a maximum of 10. You can get it early and you should. *** Lamp *** Makes it possible to see in caves (except the Vampire's castle, which you can already see in). *** Pot *** I don't know why, but it opens the cave in the Labyrinth. *** Key *** This opens the Graveyard chest. *** Jewel *** One of the three treasures; does nothing that I know of. *** Shield *** Boosts defense. By how much? Dunno. It's not drastic, but it is something. *** Ring *** One of the three treasures; it boosts healing powers. *** Medicine *** This medicine will revive you upon death, but disappears afterward. Basically, it helps you when you face Varalys. *** Ruby *** One of the three treasures; does nothing that I know of. *** Fairy *** You have to rescue three fairies, and they appear on your item screen when you do. When you have them all, they transport you to Varalys's island. Now, you can't get off that island without completing more quest stuff, so don't find all three fairies unless you are really strong. VII. The World -------------- The world around you is a grid of five screens by five screens. You can reach most of the world right in the beginning, but the important parts are all in the caves and small areas that you can't reach. Here is a crude map: A B C D E _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ |w w | w | w | | w ww |w C w | w | Q w | | wwwww |ww ww | wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwQ | | wwww 1 wwwwwwww | w | | | w | | | w | | | w | +---------+--w------+---------+---------+-------w-+ | | w | | | w | | |www +=========+ | | w | wwwwwwwwwwww [ | ] | | www 2 | w | +===+ | ] | | Q | | w | [ | ] | | | +---w-----+--[------+------]--+---------+---------+ | w | [ Labyrinth ] | | | | w | [ | ] | | C | | w | | ] | start | | 3 wwwww | +=============+ | | wwwww | . wwwwwwwww | | | w . | +---------+-w-------+---------+---------+-----w---+ | . . | w | | | w. .| | . . | wwww x |x x x | | w | | Desert | w | | Grove | w . | 4 | . . | w x x|x x x | | wQ | | . . | w Graveyard | | w. .| +---------+----w----+---------+---------+-----w---+ | . . . | w x x| x x | | w . | | . . .| wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww | wwwwwwwwwwww | w | | w C w 5 wwwwwwwwwwwwwww | w | | w ww ww___wwww_|___w_____|______w__|_________|_____w__ww w - water C - castle Q - cave This map is mostly descriptive, so I will fill in important details. The world wraps around in both directions, so you can from column A to column E and vice versa, likewise with rows 1 and 5. There are plenty of little details all over like chests, rocks, trees, etc, but this is enough for me to refer to so you can tell what I mean in the walkthrough. In addition, here is some terrain info: You can heal yourself in most terrain, but the best is grass. Mud and water are hazardous and you will lose life (the Ring negates the hazardous effect). There are some rocks and trees which move around; they are VERY dangerous! I will not draw maps of the various caves because they are very easy to navigate and are no more than two screens large. But I will include the following info: Cave 1 ("Desert Tunnel"): Starts in C1 (on the right side of the water) and ends in the desert in E4. It is filled with Gold Armors and Lady Armors, and contains two hidden treasures. Cave 2: This cave is in E2, it is very small and has Wisps and a chest in it. Cave 3 ("Labyrinth Cave"): Starts in C2, although entrance is hidden, and ends in C1 across the river from the Desert Tunnel. Filled with Gold Armors and many false chests (and one real one). There are three caves next to castles, which I will refer to as Castles. Castle 1 ("Vampire's Lair"): Located in E3, it houses the Vampire and a hidden treasure. Castle 2 ("Lakehouse"): Located in E5, it is does not have a maze; it just spits you into the water. There are two exits from the water-one in E3 next to the Desert and the other in B5 leading to the small area near the final castle. Most of the water is only one unit wide, so beware the Eels that are lurking there. Castle 3 ("Varalys's Lair"): Located in A1 and guarded by the Dragon. The cave to enter this castle is hidden. It has one maze section, and a large two-screen lair after that where Varalys lurks (but not until you have all three treasures). There are Black Armors in the maze part and Skeletons also in the lair part. NOTE: I made these names up, so don't send me e-mails about the real names. VIII. Walkthrough ----------------- Okay, I have given hints to most of the puzzles in everything that has come before, but here all the puzzles are solved. The game is very short if you know what to do, so you really should try to solve the puzzles yourself. But here we go. Make sure to SAVE really really often. You will probably die a lot, so this reduces the things you have to repeat. *** Get to Level 3 *** On the first screen, kill Kobolds and Slimes until you get to level 3. Go to the Grove (B4, directly below the start screen) to heal since there are no enemies running around. If you touch the trees, Wasps come out. So don't touch them! After level 3, Slimes and Kobolds give you no more experience, so forget about them from now on. *** Get the Cross and Kill the Vampire *** The Cross is just lying in a chest south of the Labyrinth. Go to screen B3 and walk over the chest to get it. Now go to the Vampire's Lair where you will be in a two-screen maze. Dodge the Stirges to get to the bottom screen and look for the Vampire. You have to get behind him, so wait in the lower parts of the screen. When he comes down away from the top edge (which allows him to escape) try to get behind him and ram him while in attack mode. You should be able to kill him in a few hits as long as the Stirges don't interfere. Use Turn if you get in a jam. Once you kill the Vampire, a chest appears. It contains the Lamp, which allows you to see in all the other caves and castles. I am pretty sure that the treasures in the dark caves can not be obtained until you have the Lamp, but why would you try? *** Get the Sword and Level up a Bunch More *** From the Vampire's Lair, go north to the cave in E2. Dodge the Wisps to get to the chest which contains the Sword. This is a big boost to your Strength at this point in the game and you can level up a lot now. Go to the Graveyard and kill Zombies for experience or go to the Labyrinth and kill Ropers for experience. I think the Ropers are easier because it is much easier to get ambush them from behind or from the side. Get a couple of levels this way and then continue your quest. *** Gut the Caves *** Go to the Labyrinth and get to the chest in C2. You will find the Pot, which opens a cave in the same screen (but you have to backtrack to get there). Go to this cave and see if you can kill the Gold Armors inside without much trouble. If yes, try levelling up. If not, dodge them and start opening the chests. Most are empty, but one has the Key. Now exit the Labyrinth Cave and head to the Desert. Go all the way west to screen E4 and the back end of the Desert Tunnel. Save and try ambushing a Worm to see if you can kill them easily. If you can, try levelling up. If not, go in the cave and you will see Lady Armors. Kill a bunch of them until one gives you the Shield. Now go to other half of the cave, but make sure that you are in the top half. Kill a whole bunch of Gold Armors (helps if you have Wave or Flash to kill them through the walls) until a chest appears. Go grab it fast because it will disappear soon. It contains the Ring. *** Collect a Bunch of Stuff and Max Levels *** You should be able to kill Kobolds and Slimes to make Goblins and Hypers appear once you get to a decent level. When this starts happening, just run around in defense mode mowing down Hypers and Goblins until you have maxed out your levels (your Strength bar will be totally full, the others one short of full). Grab the Jewel in the Graveyard; you need the Key to open that chest. Go to the Grove and touch one of the northernmost trees to find the first Fairy. Go two screens away to clear any wasps that get in your way. Go the Desert, then east to screen B4 to find the moving trees. Find the one that doesn't damage you and press A to find the second Fairy. Once you have maxed levels, all items except the Ruby and Medicine, and two Fairies, go to the Lakehouse castle in E5 (south of Desert). *** The Final Stretch *** Enter the Lakehouse which spits you into the river. You can see the Eels now, so use Turn or other magic to destroy any in your way. The fastest way to your goal is one screen down to E1, one screen east to A1, one north to A5, and then one east to B5. Use the break in the wall to get out of the river. Now go south one screen to B1. The twin Wizards are here, and you have to kill both of them in one shot with the Wave spell. This is a ridiculous puzzle, but whatever. The Wizards won't actually hurt you much except with their fireballs, and they won't walk in the mud. So stay in the mud until the Wizards are walking side by side up to you and then shoot a Wave spell sideways at them. When you accomplish this, you rescue the third Fairy and they immediately take you to Varalys's island. DO NOT ATTACK OR TOUCH THE DRAGON. You need to use a Fire spell on the middle tree to open the secret entrance to Varalys's Lair, so do that and go in. Dodge the Black Armors in this maze (which has less side paths than the others) to get to the other side. You are now in the lair, so go down. You will see a grave down there, so go to it and press A. The grave goes away, which at first means nothing to you. But once you leave the cave you will find that all the water outside has disappeared! Furthermore, the Dragon, which is no longer invincible for some reason can be killed simply by running into him until you are low on health and then resting. Repeat until he dies. He gives you the Medicine, and a break in the wall appears north in A5. Go out and follow the dry riverbed to B1 to find a secret chest that contains the Ruby. Now you can make Varalys appear to fight him. Re-enter the castle and get to the lair. Varalys is a big blue demon who shoots fireballs and teleports often. You should be in defense mode at all times. Go to the bottom screen with the missing grave and Skeletons. Dodge the Skeletons until they are all milling around the grave area. By standing near the top right part of the grave fence (on the north side) you can make the Skeletons walk around and around the grave and never come out. They are trying to use a "left hand rule" to track you down, but they are stuck forever as long as you don't screw it up. Now go back up to Varalys. Immediately use Flash to clear the other enemies and then run into Varalys until your life bar is a little below one half. The other enemies are back by now, so you want to have the last bit of your life to run back to the grave and rest. If you run back to the sweet spot, the Skeletons will still be stuck. Once your life and magic are full, repeat. Do not try a suicide run (banking on your Medicine); you want to save your Medicine for a time when you get stuck next to the extra enemies and they kill you before you can retreat to safety. Anyhow, you will kill Varalys in about three to four cycles of this and then you get to watch the fairies turn back into the princess and then nothing happens. Awesome. IX. Legal Mumbo-Jumbo --------------------- Copyright 2008, Mike Jenista This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.