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Mountain King for the Atari 2600
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Full FAQ
Last Updated 1/25/06
Version 1.0
Written by Frogtorch
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CONTENTS
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1. Story
2. Controls
3. Playing the Game
4. Time and Scoring
5. Tips
6. Cheats
7. Credits
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1. Story
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"Deep inside a long-lost diamond mine is the secret Temple Chamber of a
forgotten civilization. There, a priceless Golden Crown sits high on a
pedestal, vulnerable to plundering explorers seeking to control its power.
But this treasure is jealously guarded by the denizens of the mountain, and
whoever has the daring and courage to challenge them, seize the Crown, and
escape to the mountaintop with it will become MOUNTAIN KING!"
from the Mountain King Game Manual
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2. Controls
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Move - Left or Right
Jump - Move the joystick up and at a 45-degree angle to the left or right
and the Explorer will jump in the respective direction.
If you jump or fall to a lower plateau, you won't be killed. But if you
fall too far, you'll be momentarily stunned and unable to proceed for a
few seconds.
Watch out because you can't jump from the top of a ladder.
Climb Ladder - Move the joystick Up.
Descend Ladder - Move the joystick down when above a ladder.
Kneel - Move the joystick Down.
You must kneel in order to claim the Flame Spirit, open Treasure Chests,
gain entry to the Temple and dodge cave bats.
Flashlight - Press the shiny red button.
You must use the flashlight to find treasure chests and the exact location
of the Flame Spirit and Skull Spirit. The flashlight can only shine in the
direction your Explorer is facing left or right. It can not shine up or
down.
You cannot use the flashlight and pick up diamonds at the same time. It
also will not work when you are being chased by the Giant Spider or when
you are in possession of the Flame Spirit or the Golden Crown.
Break Free of Spider Web - Rapidly move the joystick left and right.
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3. Playing the Game
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The object of MOUNTAIN KING is to get the Golden Crown of the Temple and bring
it to the Perpetual Flame at the top of the mountain before your time expires.
The displays at the bottom of the screen show your current score and below
that, the amount of time you have to accomplish each level.
To enter the Temple, you must first gain the Flame Spirit. To find the Flame
Spirit you must collect over 1,000 points. There are diamonds in the cavern
walls all through the mountain. Touch them and you will pick them up.
Treasure Chests are randomly hidden throughout the mountain and you can only
see them when using the flashlight. Each treasure chest is filled with
diamonds. There are an infinite number of treasure chests because when you pick
one up, a new one will be randomly hidden somewhere in the mountain.
After you get 1,000 points, the score at the bottom of the screen will change
from GREEN to YELLOW. At this point you need to go find the Flame Spirit.
While searching for the Flame Spirit, the background music is very important.
The louder the music gets, the closer you are to the Flame Spirit.
Watch for a very slight flame flicker. This will help you find where the Flame
is hidden. You must use the flashlight for the Flame Spirit to be fully
visible. The Flame Spirit is hidden randomly inside the mountain.
When you find the Flame Spirit, kneel down and pick it up. The Explorer will
then be surrounded by a flickering halo and you'll score some bonus points. The
faster you get the Flame Spirit, the higher the bonus. Next, go find the
Temple.
All around the outside of the Temple is a force field that guards it from
entry. Trying to enter or exit the Temple from any platform other than the main
entrance will temporarily stun the Explorer. You may only enter the Temple if
the Skull Spirit lets you. Guarding the entrance to the Temple is the Skull
Spirit and you can only view it in the flashlight beam. Give the Flame Spirit
to the Skull and it will allow you to enter the Temple. Be quick about it
though, the Skull won't let you enter if you dawdle.
Once inside the Temple, climb to the top and grab the Golden Crown. You must be
under the Golden Crown push up to wear the crown and then down to get off of
the pedestal.
Once you have the Golden Crown, the Mountain King theme music will begin to
play. Exit the Temple and go back up through the mines. Get back up to the top
of the mountain where the Perpetual Flame is located. You must move quickly so
that your time does not run out. Be careful because at this point, the Cave
Bats will try to steal the Crown back. If you make it to the mountaintop you
will see a dazzling colorful flashing of the screen the likes of which only
the Atari 2600 could provide, then you will move on to the next (harder) level.
If you do not get to the Perpetual Flame before the music stops and time runs
out, the Crown will return to the Temple and you will have to begin your
adventure again.
The game ends when the Explorer runs out of time or is eaten by the Giant
Spider. When you have 59 seconds left, the timer display below your score will
turn RED. You can continue on the same level, by pressing the shiny red button
on your joystick or you can use the GAME RESET switch.
ENEMIES:
Cave Bats
Gray Cave Bats inhabit the caves of the mountain, serving to protect both the
Temple and its Golden Crown. On Levels 2 through 8, Cave Bats will try to steal
the Flame Spirit from you before you make it into the Temple. On all levels,
they will try to steal back the Golden Crown before you get it to the
mountaintop.
The Giant Spider
Lurking at the bottom of the mine is a Giant Spider waiting to wind your
Explorer in its web. If you get caught, you'll be able to escape the web by
rapidly moving the Joystick forward and back. You must do this quickly; if the
Spider returns to find you struggling, he will eat you and end the game. The
Spider will also steal back the Golden Crown should you possess it when caught
and will take back the Flame Spirit as well. You may escape the Spider all
together by leaping over him or jumping to a ladder or higher plateau.
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4. Time and Scoring
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Time is a very critical in Mountain King. You have only a limited amount of
time to complete your mission.
------- ------- -------------- ---------------
| | | | Time to reach |
| Level | Total | Time to find | Perpetual |
| | Time | Flame Spirit | Flame |
|-------+-------+--------------+---------------|
| 1 | 8:00 | Unlimited | 1:30 |
| 2 | 6:00 | 1:20 | 1:20 |
| 3 | 5:00 | 1:10 | 1:00 |
| 4 | 4:00 | 1:00 | 1:00 |
| 5 | 3:00 | 0:50 | 1:00 |
| 6 | 3:00 | 0:44 | 1:00 |
| 7 | 3:00 | 0:44 | 1:00 |
| 8 | 3:00 | 0:40 | 1:00 |
|_______|_______|______________|_______________|
Points:
25 points for each diamond cluster.
250 points for each treasure chest.
Various points for finding the Flame Spirit depending on time. See below.
------- -------------------
| | Point Bonus range |
| Level | for finding |
| | Flame Spirit |
|-------+-------------------|
| 1 | 3000/50 |
| 2 | 3500/1500 |
| 3 | 4000/2250 |
| 4 | 4500/3000 |
| 5 | 5000/3750 |
| 6 | 5000/4400 |
| 7 | 6000/4900 |
| 8 | 6500/5500 |
|_______|___________________|
5000 points for finding the Golden Crown.
9000 point for returning to the Perpetual Flame with the crown.
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5. Tips
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STRATEGY HINTS
1. Practice controlling the Explorer. It will help you with the way he moves
and how he jumps. I have seen people remarking about the controls being awkward
but I have never thought so. I think they are actually pretty good. You will
have to be both quick and surefooted to the mines with the Crown.
2. Music and sound are very important aspects of the gameplay of Mountain King.
Sound lets you know when the Spider is running towards you, your proximity to
the Flame Spirit and how much time you have left. Pay attention to the sound of
the oncoming Giant Spider. If you stay alert, you will have enough time to get
out of the way before the Spider catches you in its web.
3. Remember where Treasure Chests are located and wait until later levels to
get them. This will save you some time in later levels and will help you on
your way as you deplete the diamonds in the mines. The spider's lair is a great
place to find treasure chests when you need points fast.
4. Finding the Flame spirit can be challenging. Remember, once you have 1000
diamond points, your score will change color from green to yellow. This is a
visual clue that the Flame Spirit is out there waiting for you.
5. The volume of the music is the key to the Flame Spirit. When you think the
music is the loudest, then look around there. Watch for the flash of the Flame
Spirit. You will generally notice it only if you are looking out for it. Use
your flashlight to pinpoint its location.
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6. Cheats
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a. To change ladders and platforms, toggle the left difficulty switch, right
difficulty switch or color/BW switch while playing.
b. For quick scoring, start at the top of the mountain by the Perpetual Flame.
Get to the far left side of the platform level below the Flame. Kneel and your
score will rise without having to collect diamonds or treasure chests.
c. There is a huge Easter Egg in Mountain King that will lead you into a giant
extra world. I will not go into detail about the Easter Egg here, but there is
plenty of info about it if you search the internet. I remember accidentally
finding it when I was a kid. I had no idea what an Easter Egg even was and
needless to say I was blown away.
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7. Credits
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Mountain King is copyright 1983 E.F. Dreyer, Inc. It was created by Robert
Matson and programmed for CBS Electronics by VSS Inc.
The escape theme music of Mountain King is "In The Hall Of The Mountain King"
by Edvard Grieg.
This FAQ is designed for personal enjoyment and is meant to help people learn
how to play the game. It is not to be used in any means in order to make any
type of profit. It is also illegal to use this document, without giving proper
credit.
If you have any questions or comments, please keep them to yourself.
Copyright 2006 "Frogtorch"
