Krull FAQ(version 1.0.0)
by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net
copyright 2003 or something
Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.
However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this
FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that
means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry.
================================
****OUTLINE****
1. INTRODUCTION: THE GAME. THE MOVIE. THE PARTIAL EXPLANATION.
2. CONTROLS
2-1. IN-GAME
2-2. DIP SWITCHES
3. SCORING
4. SCENE 1
5. SCENE 2
6. SCENE 3
7. SCENE 4
8. SCENE 5
9. VERSIONS
10. CREDITS
================================
1. INTRODUCTION: THE GAME. THE MOVIE. THE PARTIAL EXPLANATION.
I'm probably not the best person to write a Krull Arcade FAQ, but no-
one else probably will, and despite really being too weird, Krull is
overall pretty fun to play, even if it sure seems unfair to me. It re-
cycles five waves over and over again, and although the variety is
interesting they fluctuate violently in difficulty and diverge
completely from the movie.
Well, it occurs to me that although I call my stuff 'FAQs,' I've never
really written up anything in standard FAQ form except Archon II which I
rewrote. But here I have the perfect foil: Colwyn! He speaks a bit
haltingly in the movie, which makes him an ideal candidate to ask rapid
fire questions. So I'll have him ask them. Ynyr, the wise man who shows
him what's what in the movie, will answer his questions. I'll supply
details about what happens in later levels and maybe even snarkily get
it into the dialog.
A good appraisal of the movie can be found here:
http://www.badmovies.org/movies/krull/
Yes, Krull has many qualities of a bad movie, but it's quite good and
creative all the same.
The game only vaguely follows the movie and in fact the third and
fourth levels are quite a loss as to plot. Slayers are more or less
invincible except against Colwyn's glaive he must find by climbing this
cliff and avoiding tumbling rocks. The glaive is five pointed in the
movie, hence five pieces. Colwyn also assembles a group of mercenaries
to go in for the final fight. Quite a few get killed. This parallels the
game action where they die in the swamp in scene 2(also a big dramatic
scene in the movie) although they're a bit braver in the movie than in
scene 5(everyone pops out once it's won.) The big beast in the video
game parallels the final fight really well although the chronology is
reversed--Lyssa's a lot more passive in the game.
The movie is also less overtly orange than the game, which was made by
Gottlieb. They also made Q*Bert. Which was better, but Krull is still a
fun challenge.
2. CONTROLS
2-1. IN-GAME
The original had two joysticks. If you are playing on MAME, then you
will need to use the default keys ESDF(move: U/L/D/R) and
IJKL(fire:U/L/D/R.) Sort of like Robotron at Shockwave. Also you'll note
that diagonal movement(hold 2 keys although that can restrict diagonal
shooting due to input limitations) is quicker than walking. Because when
you travel diagonally, you cover the same distance vertically or
horizontally as you'd cover in the four standard directions. This is
useful for getting out of the way of diagonal arrows--which travel
faster for a certain reason.
Arrows shot at your head tend to miss you. Those shot at your feet
tend to be more lethal.
2-2. DIP SWITCHES
Thanks to mame.net for allowing me to pull up the data in their handy
GUI.
Y: The DIP SWITCHES control mightily the universe, aye, how hard thou
wilt find it to defeat the Beast.
C: I know of DIP SWITCHES! I have heard hints I was one! And with a
Glaive I would be more powerful!
Y: Nay, thou art thinking(and here one but postulates thou art) of dip
STICKS.
Of course if you have MAME you can always go for infinite lives but
here's what else you can do:
DEMO SOUNDS on[default]/off
DIFFICULTY normal[def]/hard [starts you on level 2 of normal]
LIVES 3[default]/5
COINS 1 play/2 coins, 1 play/1 coin[default], 2 plays/1 coin, free play
HEXAGON [default]roving/stationary[MUCH harder, 2 things to track down
in scene 4]
3. SCORING
scene 1:
--10 points for each VERY small fraction of a second you are just below
a boulder. It all equates to about 700 points per second. This can
actually add up more quickly than the...
--1000 points for each glaive piece
scenes 2-4:
--100 points for each slayer you shoot
--1000 points for each good guy rescued or reconnoitered/brought back to
the hexagon
--100 points for each slayer left behind in 3-4
--1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 points for each band of the hexagon.
scene 5:
--100 points for each fireball you shoot
--100 points for each time you hit the beast
--1000 points for each survivor that pops out
I find I can pull 50000 on the first wave of five scenes, but this
decreases with subsequent ones as I can't pick off extra points(i.e.
with boulders or getting all my army)--I just need to survive. Still
it's about 40000 per after that. The bonuses from slayers left behind
doesn't quite make up for what you lose in rescue points.
Note the 'glink' noise for an extra guy.
In terms of difficulty you will probably find:
level 3 > level 5 > level 2 > level 4 > level 1
There's a daily and all-time high score list, too.
4. SCENE 1
Y: Thou must first learn to avoid rocks.
C: Why can I not start scoring points now? Why can I not do so
indefinitely and obtain this 'extra guy' you speak of?
Y: Too long and a 'smart rock' will come after thee and cause thee to
spin around and say that annoying 'Oww-oww-oww.'
C: I will find slow rocks to avoid!
Y: Nay, for thou art not a jerk just for personality. So is thy movement
jerky, and so are the slow rocks. (Thou art also slow.) Thou would do
best to let a rock of equal speed follow you to the bottom and cut off
at the last minute so thou dost not get trapped.
C: Tis cowardly!
Y: If thou had thought of it thou would brag. But thou would probably
not have seen how faster boulders can come from behind and wipe thee
out. In general when thou seest a couple of boulders faster than thee on
the screen, hasten to the rest of the glaive parts.
C: Thy advice is useless. 'Tis easy enough to figure out. Why dost thou
it not thyself?
Y: I have earned the right to complain about my creaking bones. And thou
art no wise man, merely a wise guy. Listen thou up!
The glaive parts are distributed randomly and you'll probably want to
go in a downward facing arc from the right to left. The stuff at the top
is of course toughest to get because rocks can ambush you more easily
there. Also the rocks spread out as the terrain does. Bigger but fewer
rocks seem to fall to the left, and it's hard to cross over the center
as rocks start to infest the area, so start on one side and work your
way over. You may have to step between slow rocks. Rocks tend to move
away from the center, as if shot linearly from a vanishing point two
screens above. But the smaller ones can veer wickedly and catch you,
too.
Boulder-running technique: for those as fast as you, you can stay a
few steps ahead. Just copy how they move--left or right but still always
combined with down--to be sure you still get the points. A few steps
below the bottom, veer sharply diagonally out of the way.
I can get about 15000 on the first wave then 10000 before I get
bored/get worried about a fast rock.
5. SCENE 2
'Thou hast much to learn about the swamp.'
'I will learn through experience! Thou hast taught me all thou
can...err...enough.'
Y: Do not rave.
C: But I have the glaive!
Y: Thou art still a knave.
C: But I am brave!
Y: Lo, things ARE grave. Harken: thou must take leave of any rudimentary
knowledges of physics and ethics. Tis hard but thou may have a fit of
trying to understand things when thou should be shooting. Thou may wish
to use they army cohorts as shields. Thou should stay at the edges. Thou
should not waste shots. Thou should be aware a 'super-warrior' may run
extra fast at thee. Thou hast not finished the level til the last one
collapsed. Thou should move left and right only to avoid shots. And thou
should try to use cactuses too. Thou should note slayers get faster as
more appear. And if things take too long, thou should grab the last
comrade so slayers no longer pop up from the swamp.
C: And THOU should hand me such rhetoric on ten stone slabs!
At the start of the scene eight friends will be placed in eight
cardinal directions from the center. They'll try to run at you(they get
distracted on later levels,) but slayers may shoot them. They can
sometimes kill the slayers hand to hand(100 points to you, yay) but two
hits and they collapse. The object is first, and ostensibly always, to
rescue all your guys and then destroy the remaining slayers. It's not
practical after the first level.
You can use your pals as a bunker(heck, they were ex-criminals in the
movie anyway and it's an honor to sacrifice thyself for the king or
something.) Although this cuts down the maximum potential score in the
next scene it also can make it quicker and less chancy. Still if you
stand against the bottom edge and fire up you can get a lot of guys--
your shots curve back(left, D/R) after hitting something.
If you die then there are always at least two slayers who
reappear(note: you can die in the split second after killing the final
one, and you'll still have to get the last two.) Otherwise slayers,
undiminished in number, will give you distance on restart, and whoever's
left of your side will be restored. Winning against two foes isn't as
easy as it sounds, as fewer monsters means faster monsters. However, you
can just shift to the left or right to avoid any barrages. Then you can
fire, and the bad guys will run into that. Also note how a successful
shot bounces off to the side and can take out more bad guys. So if
there's a clump above, go to the right and fire and your glaive can do
double or triple duty.
Fortunately the slayers aren't too smart. They move in to one of the
eight cardinal directions from you(usually the four major ones) then at
you. I prefer to stay at the bottom because vertical bolts are easier to
judge than horizontal ones(sometimes the 'strike zone' does seem to
waver.)
lvl 1--monsters take a while to appear
lvl 2--a few monsters are around
lvl 3--a good deal of monsters around
6. SCENE 3
Y: Thou wilt do well to listen up here. 'Tis a sign of true evil that
the enemy reverts to unfair advantages. Thy army is confused and does
not run to thee this time. Thou must find thy comrades and enter the
hexagon. On later levels thou may be frustrated by that final sheep.
'Tis a pity they found a way to be invulnerable and not clueless. Thy
path would be much easier.
C: Then I shall let them all sacrifice their lives for a noble cause in
scene 2!
Y: Nay, one is dropped right on top of thee.
C: Wherefore do they go?
Y: Thy grammar is atrocious. Scribe thou not any heroism thou art lucky
to achieve.
Y: (to self) Haha! I slay me!
C: I will run straight at my comrades!
Y: They will run away. And diagonally. Thou wouldst do well to learn the
art of running diagonally--and firing. Often will thy shots rebound when
they seem not to, and often will slayers pop up and get a free shot
before thou can--or after thou hast killed them.
C: 'Tis not fair!
Y: Did thou expect a handshake before the fight from entities so evil?
This is a tricky level and you may find it to be an immense
bottleneck. Although it's interesting strategy to learn how to use
diagonal shooting, one dunderhead running the wrong direction can goof
it all up, and it's possible to lose a guy without any progress at all.
Also you'll note that as many warriors show up as you rescued in the
second wave, although two might be right on top of each other before
they split, making things more confusing.
It's best to zigzag around the edge of the center when crossing from
one diagonal chamber to another. Wasting shots is a bad idea and you'll
want to look both ways before crossing a diagonal zone--if you can do so
diagonally, firing at a right angle, so much the better.
Obviously you want to enter the chamber with the most of your guys--
the hexagon will usually be able to follow you. It pops up in the
quarter-area where you are and in fact if you are in trouble it might be
best to go for the hexagon and resign yourself to probable loss of life.
If you get a comrade and die without getting to the hexagon, he'll still
be lost.
What's worst about all this is how slayers pop up and are able to
shoot you before they're all the way out and you can take them out, and
they even can shoot you as they spin around and die. Once you see them,
getting them right away is tough to time though your reflexes usually
kick in for the worst. There's also a problem with your shots bouncing
back and I find you really have to hit dead center. The best way to
delete a diagonal column is to run past it and fire four times. Here
you're not really running out of shots because only one will go through.
But don't stand and shoot through a column--either you'll use your
bullets or the effort will be useless.
In the inner chamber linking the diagonal ones, you can do some
straight shooting on the edges. But learning diagonal movement and
firing/retreating to take out slayers in a sort of guerilla tactic is
best.
Monsters also get faster as the scene goes on, so if someone's stuck
or just being uncooperative, that's even more trouble for you. But they
do slow down and give distance when you restart after death.
To pin your friends down just pick the closest one and try to move
perpendicular to him if possible. Parallel is also OK but your friends
don't seem to turn until they hit a junction.
lvl 1--monsters wait to come up
lvl 2--monsters already there
lvl 3--monsters heavy
7. SCENE 4
Y: Thou wilt find hexagons come in six colors: red, white, yellow,
green, blue and purple and in varying shades of darkness. Thou may also
intuit that orange would clash with the background scenery. And lo, I
foresee that thou may not even have slayers in thy way. Should thou lose
a life the hexagon carving process will not revert.
C: Why wasteth thou breath on such rubbish? 'Tis too easy!
Y: Yea, mayhap a rash fool like thee will get overconfident. And another
fool in a much more demanding alternate universe if found in likewise
happenstance would do well to keep outside the hexagon proper, firing up
only when the next layer to zap turns black. Thou must zap four such
layers. On later levels before commencing 'tis wise to fire diagonal
shots up. Thou can also take out many slayers on the rebound from a
successful shot.
You shouldn't need evasive action to shoot down bad guys even if
trapped into the spot where you carved out the hexagon. The hexagon acts
as a natural bunker and as long as you use down and diagonal down shots
to take out slayers appearing below you, the whole thing will be more of
an adrenaline rush than a pressing challenge.
In later scenes you can move up a bit and fire diagonally just to kill
the first bad guy and in fact you can hold a few off that way. Just
watch closely for anyone coming from the ground around you, move away,
and fire quickly. The slayers seem pretty dumb here and congregate on
the hexagon sides and just stay there--or line up to be blasted with the
glaive en masse.
You die if you touch the hexagon front but not the sides. When you
regenerate the walls you nailed are taken away but the hexagon changes
color.
lvl 1--possible to get through without seeing monsters
lvl 2--they come out more quickly
lvl 3--they appear before the level starts
SCENE 5
Y: Finally thou must face the Beast. 'Tis best to run at him, then loop
around, and head to the top for Lyssa, staggering like thou art drunk.
Thou must fire only when assured of hitting him. Thy friends will follow
after combat...
C: Cowards!
Y: They may still be ticked from thy using them as shields in level two.
Or out of commission from said mishap.
C: Can they not provide distraction?
Y: Nay, the beast flings missiles in random directions anyway.
C: But why must I fight alone?
Y: Because thou art special.
C: Thou hast taken the long road to the truth, old man.
Y: But thou should still save shots when the missiles rebound.
Here the beast will always lumber towards you, and his shots will
rebound off walls. It's not a bad idea, actually, to wait back and then
move forward. There can only be so many missiles on the screen at one
time(I believe) and if they are bouncing off the side walls you can keep
moving up.
You can also run up, left, up(blasting the Beast as you go by to
freeze him,) and run around. Don't cut back right until you're close or
you need to duck a bit. Giving away your position will make the
missiles--which rebound off walls searching for where you are--more
effective. With a spare glaive shot of your own you can probably shoot
anything that comes close unless there are too many. Don't pump the
beast full of bullets as you may have rebounding missiles to deal with.
Missiles can get trapped near Lyssa's throne or just outside it. The
second works to your advantage. For the first just remember to save
something to shoot up as you enter Lyssa's area or you'll get killed.
Also you may want to swerve to the side as you enter as you can get
killed in the small tunnel leading up. But never run in a straight line
for long unless it's clearly safe.
On later levels you'll need to circle around the beast a bit more. He
chucks missiles out unexpectedly. But you can still pause him with a lot
of shots. The impulse to fire everything at him, though, can be fatal.
If you die once the next try doesn't seem any easier.
lvl 1--2 shots right away
lvl 2--3-4 shots
lvl 3--5 shots
end of FAQ proper
================================
9. VERSIONS
1.0.0 submitted to GameFAQs 6/28/2003. Some stuff to recheck for better
strategies but the meat is all there.
10. CREDITS
bloomer, for getting me to watch Krull in the first place, give the game
a second chance, and brush up my review.
Thanks to bloomer, daremo, falsehead, OhioState862, RetroFreak, Snow
Dragon, etc. and others I like to talk to on AIM. Thanks to someone on
eBay for selling me the movie cheap. Thanks to mame.net for allowing
users to see dip switches.
