_________
+---___ _______| __/ \__ | ___ ____ ____ +---__
----___| |_____ | \ # # / | | | | | | /|____--__ ----__-+
+---___| |__ / /|_/_-^-_\_| _| | |/ / / |____--_ \ +---__--
__---___ / / / ///_|||___ |___|___/_<___ -_ \ \ /-/-/ -+
+__---__ \/ / --_|||__|____||_ | ____- \ \ | | | | |
-__---_ \ | --_ ///__ | ___| | | | \ \ \ | | |/ / /
+ \ \|--_ \ \___|||___ | | |____/ / / / | || |_--_
| | _\ \|____|____| | | < __/ / / / / \___ \ \
_/ / /- \ |___ | ___| | | |\-- __/ _/ / / | | |
_- _/ / \o\ /_/__|||____ | | | --- __-- _/ / _/ / /
\_- _/ \ \_/|_____|_____| | | | \__-- _/ /--_-/ /
\_- \__/|_____|_____| |_|_| \__-- \_/___/
Urusei Yatsura - Lum's Wedding Bells
Version 1.00
January 2007
Stephen L. Maxson
smax@netcommander.com
Urusei Yatsura is (C) Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc./Kitty Films
Urusei Yatsura - Lum's Wedding Bells is (C) 1986 by Jaleco
INTRODUCTION
------------
Urusei Yatsura was a long-running manga (comic) and anime (animation) series
in Japan. It was the first highly successful property from creator Rumiko
Takahashi, whose later works include Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2 and, more
recently, Inu-Yasha. UY ran several years in Japan and is considered there
with the same fondness and nostalgia that The Flintstones and Scooby Doo enjoy
in the United States. UY is still popular enough that it runs in constant
syndication in Japan, and a Nintendo DS game was even released as recently as
2005.
As for Urusei Yatsura itself ... Well, I rewrote this paragraph about a
hundred times trying to pare it down before I finally decided that you really
don't need to know about the backstory to play the game. If you really need to
know why you're a green-haired, tiger-stripe-bikini-clad alien girl who shoots
lightning bolts, I recommend visiting Tomobiki-cho at:
http://www.furinkan.com/uy/index.htm
As for the game: Guide Lum (the aforementioned alien girl) up to the roof of
each school and into her UFO(1) passing by overhead. As time passes, lower
floors will be consumed in flames, so you must keep moving upward. It's an
annoyingly difficult platform game, with plentiful enemies and a relatively
short time limit. Jump physics are just slightly worse than the first MegaMan
or Castlevania games. Another annoyance: Enemy sprites are often spawned right
on top of each other, sometimes three deep. Firing off two shots, and still
getting hit prompted a lot of "gamer's indignation" from my corner. Just don't
move forward unless the way is completely clear.
Although the learning curve seems steep, you'll actually pick it up after a
dozen or so tries (if you can stick with it that long). In the space of a
single evening, I went from losing all three lives without making it past the
second floor to almost clearing two buildings on one life.
For some reason, Lum starts out as a small tyke, and ages as you pass each
school. It was probably explained in the instruction booklet, but I can't
understand Japanese. Even if I did, I probably still wouldn't understand the
explanation, but that's just the wacky way Urusei Yatsura is. If you make it
through all the stages, Lum finally manages to marry Ataru, the world's most
lecherous loser. To each their own, I guess.
Trivia: Jaleco developed a (slightly more complex) arcade version at the same
time, but was only able to obtain rights to publish the Famicom game. They
eventually altered the character graphics and released the arcade game under
the name "Momoko 120%." Oddly enough, they left in the UY music.
(1) Yes, it's called a "UFO" even though it's identified. The Japanese use
"UFO" to mean a flying saucer.
CONTROLS
--------
D-Pad LEFT: Move left
D-Pad RIGHT: Move right
D-Pad UP: Go up/down escalators; enter some open doors; climb with Rei
D-Pad DOWN: Crouch; Drop down from railings
A Button: Jump (press rapidly to fly in the bonus stage)
B Button: Fire a bolt of lightning (hold down for constant fire)
SELECT Button: Select between 1 or 2 player game at opening screen
START Button: Start game; Pause game
SCREEN LAYOUT
-------------
Not much to the screen other than the playfield. At top left is the current
player indicator, with the current player's score beneath. Just right of the
center at the top is a letter "I" followed by the number of special items
(power-ups) the player has found in the current stage (before summoning Rei,
see the "power-ups" section below). At top right is a letter "F" followed by
the current floor the player is on.
ENEMIES
-------
CHERRY: Actually, just Cherry's face. These only appear in the little fox
minigame, and are much harder to dodge and shoot than the Karasu Tengu.
FLYING FISH: The bane of your existence, you'll be cursing these things all
the way through. I have no idea what these really are -- I don't remember
seeing anything exactly like them in the show -- so we'll just call them fish.
They fly in a wave pattern, sometimes on two different overall heights. You
can walk under the higher-flying ones, but the lower-flying fish will need to
be jumped over, or zapped.
KARASU TENGU: Literally "Crow Goblin." They fly in wave patterns, like the
fish, but they can hover in place and change their height before moving again.
They also fire projectiles (rarely). They also appear the little fox minigame.
KOTATSU NEKO: Literally "Heated-Table Cat." A regular in the series, Kotatsu
Neko shows up here more as an obstacle than an enemy. He falls from above onto
your current floor, then doesn't move at all. He's difficult to jump over, so
you either have to go back the way you came (to scroll him off screen) or
slowly push him out of your way with lightning bolts.
KUROKO: Traditionally, Kuroko are a type of stagehand in Kabuki theater. They
dress completely in black (so as to fade into the shadows) and move things
(and sometimes people) around on stage while the show is going on. The
audience is meant to ignore their presence. In the series, the Kuroko featured
are servants of the Mendou clan. In the game, they move at you a little faster
than the octopuses. They are immune to your lightning, but can be jumped over.
They won't kill you, but if they touch you, you'll be stunned for a few
seconds.
LITTLE GIRL: A small child in a white dress. They move just like the
octopuses, and are dealt with in the same way.
MENDOU GUARD: A tall man in black suit and sunglasses. Stands still, but is
too big to jump over. Carries a rifle that has a white barrel for some reason.
Fires as rarely as the Karasu Tengu.
OCTOPUS: Living symbols of the Mendou clan, these octopuses have inexplicably
gained the ability to walk on land. They're constantly falling from the upper
levels, so be wary of jumping into them. When they're on your level, you can
jump them or zap them.
PTERODACTYL: They fly along on a straight line, but will fly upward and bomb
you with eggs when they get close. They take two shots to kill.
POWER-UPS
---------
Every once in a while, you may see an item appear along with a short sound
effect. It will usually appear above your height, requiring you to jump to
obtain it. Each one you pick up increments the "I" counter at the top of the
screen. If your "I" counter is at 2, the next item you pick up will summon Rei
instead, and reset your "I" counter to zero.
ALIEN: Grab the "Dappya" fish alien (looks like a guy in a spacesuit) for a
5,000 point bonus.
BIRD: Grabbing the bird gives you your school uniform. For the Infant School,
you get a white dress; for the Elementary School you get a blue dress; for
Junior High and High School you get the typical "sailor suit" school uniforms;
and for the Studio you get a red dress (and matching shoes). These give you a
one-hit survival. The first enemy you touch passes through you. The uniform
blinks a few times before disappearing; during the blinking, you continue to
be invincible. On rare occasions, the game may forgive a brief contact and let
you keep your uniform. Also, the uniform will carry over if you still have it
at the end of a stage.
KATANA: Grab the katana, and Shutaro Mendou jumps onscreen and takes up a
defensive position about a body-length in front of you. He kills enemies that
run into him. He leaves you after about thirty seconds, or after you move up a
floor. When Mendou is with you, you can't uncover other power-ups.
LITTLE FOX: Touching the little fox takes you into a bonus game. You're
transported to a one-screen room with a few platforms. Several enemies fly
around on the screen. Lum can actually fly here, by pressing jump (A button)
continuously. Dispatch all the enemies and you get a point bonus for time
remaining. Touch one of them or run out of time and you're kicked out of the
stage with no bonus. Either way, you return to the same floor you left in the
main game, although you'll typically be moved to somewhere else on the floor.
ONSEN MARK: Looks like a circle with wavy lines coming up out of it. In Japan,
this is the universal symbol for onsen ("hot springs"). In Urusei Yatsura,
Onsen-Mark is the name of Lum & Co.'s teacher (He is so named due to having
this symbol on the back of his jacket). Grabbing this symbol causes Onsen-Mark
to appear, and for thirty seconds Lum gets to use him as a human shield (which
also kills enemies). When Onsen-Mark is with you, you can't uncover other
power-ups.
REI: This isn't a seperate item. Grab any power-up after your "I" counter
reaches 2 and Lum turns into/gets replaced by Rei. Specifically, Rei's
transformed state, which is a large Tigercow. All the enemies are turned into
taiyaki (a type of sweet-filled baked good shaped like a fish). Run into the
taiyaki and Rei eats them for points. Of course, this means that you lose out
on the normal power-up you would have received, so plan accordingly. Rei can
jump but not shoot. He can uncover and activate switches, but can't ride on
the platforms, and can't uncover power-ups. He also can't use railings,
escalators or trampolines. There's a cool upside however; he can't fall. He
just walks over the gaps, even the normally impassable ones. Also, the flames
don't climb while you're in Rei mode. Rei can also move up floors; after
eating about five taiyaki, push up while jumping. He can ascend several floors
this way, if you're quick and the taiyaki are plentiful. The screen flashes
annoyingly the whole time you're in Rei mode, with the flashing winding down
as you get close to losing Rei.
RUBBER DUCKY: Grabbing the little rubber ducky summons Lum's young cousin,
Jariten. Ten-chan will fly slightly above and behind Lum, facing the same
direction, spitting a fireball at a downward angle (hitting about a body-
length in front of Lum) about three times per second. After a short time, he
flies away. When Jariten is with you, you can't uncover other power-ups.
STAR: Nab the blinking white star, and Lum "charges up," surrounding herself
with an electrical field. This makes her invincible for about thirty seconds.
Enemies just pass through her. She can still jump and shoot normally, and is
still susceptible to dying from falls or the fire.
PLAY MECHANICS
--------------
You begin on the first floor of each building (the gray basement you can see
-- where the fire starts -- is inaccessible). All the floors repeat if you
travel far enough horizontally, but you usually won't have time for extra
exploration.
There are gaps in the floors that you'll need to jump over. Some gaps are too
wide to jump; these will often have either a railing or a moving platform. If
they're completely impassable, they'll have a small 'X' marking at the edge.
Railings are visible on the wall above some gaps; jump up to grab onto the
railing, move across the gap, then push down to get back to the floor. Note
that you can't shoot while on a railing. Moving platforms will be stationary
when first approached. When you get near the edge of the gap, a small blinking
graphic that says "SW" will appear. Jump to hit the switch, and the platform
will begin moving. Expect to lose a few lives on these platforms before you
get used to the jump physics.
In some places, there will be shortcuts; you basically enter an open door by
pushing up and then emerge further along, avoiding the floor hazards between.
There are three ways to move up a floor: Escalators, trampolines and
vertically-moving platforms. Escalators are easy; just push up when you're on
the dark patch in front of them. You can't shoot while you're on an escalator
(usually), but it doesn't matter; you're invincible while on one. Even better,
in a quite stunning display of game-fairness, you remain invincible for a
split-second after leaving the escalator. This means you don't get hit if you
emerge directly onto an enemy.
Trampolines require you to jump on them, then hit the jump button again right
as you land on them to be bounced up high. If you're also pushing left or
right when this happens, you'll bounce high and far in a direction; this is
required to ascend in some places. You are vulnerable to enemies while
bouncing. Expect to lose a few lives before you get the hang of pushing A and
a direction at just the right time.
Vertically-moving platforms work just like the horizontally-moving ones, and
also need a "SW" switch activated. You need to time your jumps even closer
here than with the horizontally-moving platforms: You absolutely must wait for
the platform to come to a stop before jumping on or off, otherwise you won't
make the jump. Expect to lose a few lives, etc.
There's only two ways to move down a floor. One is by pushing up while
standing on the dark patch in front of the top of an escalator. You shouldn't
ever need to do that, but it's possible. The other method is to jump onto a
trampoline below you. There are some places where this might be useful.
When you shoot a lightning bolt, it travels in a straight horizontal line from
where it was fired. You can fire when jumping, and when crouching. You can
have up to three bolts on the screen at the same time. An oddity: If you have
bolts on the screen when you enter an escalator, the bolts will remain
vertically relative to you, moving up or down with you.
Once you reach the roof of a school, you'll see Lum's UFO flying past from one
direction or the other. Wait until it approaches, and then jump straight up
into it. You'll need to watch for enemies while doing this, but it's
relatively easy to pull this off compared to the rest of the stage.
After boarding the UFO, the stage ends. You're given bonus points for each
enemy you dispatched, you see Lum grow older, and you move on to the first
floor of the next school.
When you lose a life, you'll see a screen showing your number of lives
remaining as hearts, and the current floor you're on. A graphic of Lum will
urge you on with "Ganbare-cha!"("Go for it-cha!"). You'll then be placed back
on the same floor you died on, usually moved to a new spot horizontally.
You get an extra life at 20,000 points, then another at every 40,000
thereafter.
WALKTHROUGH
-----------
STAGE 1: INFANT SCHOOL
Lum starts out around 4th-grade age, in a cute little tiger-striped dress. You
meet three types of enemies here: Flying Fish, Octopus and Little Girl.
Floor 1: From the start, travel up the escalator. Optionally, you could pick
up a power-up first: Move left, then at the second open doorway jump in front
of the closed part of the door and the rubber ducky will appear. Grab it to
get Tan-chan, then enter the doorway (by pushing up) to warp back to the start
point.
Floor 2: Upon arriving on the second floor, head left. At the left edge of the
top of the escalator jump and you'll find your school uniform. It won't appear
if Ten-chan is with you; either wait until he leaves, or just move on without
the uniform. Continue to the left and enter the next door you come to. You'll
come out just left of the next escalator.
Floor 3: Head back to the right. You can once again find a power-up at the top
of the escalator. This time, it's the alien. Walk to the right and you'll
encounter your first gap. It's an easy one, but you may need to watch for
enemies, who have an annoying habit of approaching in large numbers from the
other side of a gap, forcing you to spend time zapping them before you can
safely cross. After two more gaps, you meet your first moving platform.
Remember to jump and hit the switch before attempting to continue. If you jump
while on the platform, a star may appear. It's up to you if it's worth taking
another trip to get the invincibility. Once you successfully get past this
obstacle, you have one more short gap and then an escalator takes you to floor
4. Note: If you got both Jariten and the uniform, you'll get Rei at the alien,
and can just walk over the gaps to the escalator.
Floor 4: Once you arrive, check the usual spot on the escalator for the little
fox. After the minigame, head to the right and you'll find a trampoline. You
can jump onto the trampoline either while moving, or by standing "underneath"
and then jumping. If you can manage to use the trampoline correctly (remember
to push left or right), you'll end up on the roof.
Roof: Look for the UFO, and jump up into it when it comes by.
Once the stage is complete, Lum's age increases to about 10 or so, and she
dons a halter-top and shorts.
STAGE 2: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
On this stage you lose the Little Girl enemy, but you gain Kotatsu Neko and
the Karasu Tengu.
Floor 1: Begin by traveling left this time. Jump two gaps. Pass by the
escalator, jump one more gap, and a star will appear. Jump back to grab it,
then head back and hit the escalator.
Floor 2: Go right. Use the railing to cross the gap. Jump the regular gaps,
then up another escalator. Your invincibility should wear off shortly after
leaving this escalator, so watch for it.
Floor 3: In the normal spot at the edge of the escalator jump up and a bird
will appear. Grab it for your uniform. Continue left over a railing, a regular
gap, another railing, then another regular gap. If you jump up on the small
platform you find yourself on, you'll see a rubber ducky. Jump to get Ten-chan
(or Rei, if applicable), then continue to the left. Two more short gaps and a
railing, and you'll find a trampoline; jump up and left to reach floor 4.
Floor 4: Left over one short gap, a railing and two short gaps, then enter a
door to warp to the escalator.
Floor 5: Left over a long railing, then two short gaps. After the second gap,
you can jump back and grab the little fox. If you don't get the fox, two more
short gaps will take you to the escalator. If you play the fox minigame,
you'll need to go right over three short gaps to reach the escalator.
Floor 6: Head left. Railing, gap, railing, gap, gap. Jump and hit the switch.
Now, you can either jump onto the small piece of floor to your left, or enter
the door and get warped to the other side of the vertically-moving platform.
It might be easier for some to make the jump onto the platform with more
maneuvering room, but either side will work. Ride the platform up and jump
onto the roof.
Roof: Once again, just jump into the UFO.
Lum is now an eighth-grader, and her trademark bikini first appears.
STAGE 3: JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The Karasu Tengu take a vacation, and the Mendou Guards show up.
Floor 1: Head right and take the escalator.
Floor 2: If you're willing to take the time, you can first go right to the
second set of double doors, then jump at the second door to get a star. You'll
have to walk all the way back to the starting point. From there, left over a
gap and a railing, and finally you'll come to the next escalator.
Floor 3: Right until you come to a gap. Jump at the right half of the double
door immediately after the gap to find a bird. Go right to the next escalator.
Floor 4: At the top of the escalator, check the usual spot for the little fox.
If you play the minigame, you'll come out next to the escalator; otherwise, go
left over a railing and a gap to reach it.
Floor 5: Move left. You'll see the switch for the moving platform, but ignore
it. Enter the first door you come to, then go left to the trampoline. Jump up
to the left.
Floor 6: Left over a gap, then down a long empty stretch, over two more gaps,
then up the escalator.
Floor 7: Left past a railing, and jump four gaps. On your last jump, the onsen
mark will show up. You can grab it without having to jump back over the gap by
standing on the very right edge of the small platform. Jump left over one more
platform, then take the escalator.
Floor 8: Check the usual spot at the top of the escalator for a Dappya Alien.
Go left. Same as floor 5, ignore the platform switch and instead enter the
first door you find. You'll end up perched on the edge of a gap, so you may
want to back up slightly to make the jump. After that, one more gap and then
take the trampoline to the roof.
Roof: Same as the last two. Find UFO, and in you go.
Lum graduates to High School, catching up to her age in the series.
STAGE 4: HIGH SCHOOL
Same enemies as last school, but with Pterodactyls added.
Floor 1: Head right. Jump at the first door to find a star. Continue to the
right and enter the second open doorway to warp to the escalator.
Floor 2: Go left across a railing, then go up the escalator.
Floor 3: Option 1 is to go left across two gaps, then up the escalator. Option
2 is to go right. Jump three gaps. Jump up at the first closed door and find
the onsen mark. Right across two more gaps. Hit the switch, cross the moving
platform, then hit the escalator. Option 3: Start left and enter the first
door, you'll warp out just to the left of the moving platform.
Floor 4: Left across the railing, then continue on to the trampoline. Jump up
to the left.
Floor 5: Go left, and we find a new twist. A switch will appear, hit it, and
it operates the moving platform on the floor above. You won't be using that
platform, but remember the "switch and platform on different floors" trick for
later in the game. Continue left to the escalator.
Floor 6: Left across two gaps and up the escalator.
Floor 7: Option 1: Left across the railing, then left to the trampoline.
Option 2: Right across four gaps, then jump back over the last one to grab the
little fox. After the minigame, head right across two gaps to reach the
trampoline. At the trampoline, jump up to the left.
Floor 8: Just walk left to the escalator.
Floor 9: Search the usual spot at the top of the escalator for a Dappya Alien.
Head left across two gaps to the escalator.
Floor 10: Right across four gaps. Hit the switch. Right across two more gaps.
Jump at the door to find a bird. To the right, you'll find a column of light
(if you hit the switch). Enter it to be taken to the roof.
Roof: The roof is no different here. Your interstellar chariot awaits.
Lum grows to college age (I guess), and she finally gets her hair is finally
drawn in its normal green, rather than in blue.
STAGE 5: STUDIO
Lum is apparently working in a recording studio now. I'm not sure if she's an
OL (office lady, i.e., receptionist), or a recording artist. Her "uniform" is
now a red dress. The way the skirt flares reminds me of an old-school Japanese
singing idol, but it could just be 80's fashion. Oh, and if you're wondering
what the doors say, it's "SU_TA_JI_O" which is the Japanese pronunciation of
the English word "studio."
Same enemies as the High School, and the Kuroko now show up.
Floor 1: Go left to reach the first escalator.
Floor 2: Check the usual spot at the top of the escalator for a bird. Continue
right across four gaps to the escalator.
Floor 3: Go right, cross a gap, continue right to a trampoline. Bounce up to
the left. Yes, left.
Floor 4: Find the switch, hit it, then jump back down to the trampoline on
floor 3. You'll get the "falling" sound effect, but as long as you land on the
trampoline, you'll be fine. Now bounce up to the right. Cross a railing, then
the moving platform, a gap, another railing, two more gaps, and you'll finally
reach the escalator. Depending on how fast you were on the lower floors, the
fire might be closing in on you at this point, but you should have plenty of
time to make it up.
Floor 5: No choice here but to head right, jump the nine gaps along the way,
and make it to the escalator. The enemies should definitely be giving you fits
at this point.
Floor 6: Getting hot now! Left across the gap to find the hidden switch, then
back to the right as quick as you can go. Across a railing and one gap, then
enter a door to be warped to the trampoline. Jump up to the left.
Floor 7: Left, enter the first doorway for a shortcut to the escalator.
Floor 8: Right across six gaps to the escalator.
Floor 9: Left across three gaps to the trampoline. Bounce up to the right.
Floor 10: Right across a gap, and you'll find a switch. Hit it, then continue
right across a railing and two more gaps to the escalator.
Floor 11: Head right. Jump at the first door to find a katana. Move right over
eight gaps to the escalator.
Floor 12: Go immediately to the right. Cross the railing and two gaps to find
a hidden switch. Book it all the way back left past the starting point.
There's a Dappya Alien at the usual spot at the top of the escalator. At the
first door, jump to find a star. Left across three gaps, and you'll find a
light column.
Roof: Once again, a saucerful of you ends the stage.
Lum doesn't age this time; instead she changes into her bridal gown.
STAGE 6: CHAPEL
The music changes to the Bridal Procession, the fire danger is gone, and Lum
loses the ability to shoot lightning or crouch. The only enemies are the
flying fish and the octopuses. Move to the right and you'll see several
platforms containing wedding items, like a ring, a bouquet, a garter, etc.
Jump between the platforms and pick up all the items while dodging the
enemies. This rather short stage will seem like a cakewalk after the main
game. Once you pick up the last of the items, the game takes over and you'll
automatically walk through the door of the chapel.
Ataru approaches from the other side of the screen in a white tuxedo, and he
and Lum meet at the altar. They kiss, and you get to see part of why Ataru
kept Lum at arm's length for almost 200 episodes. *smooch* ZAP!
You get no congratulatory screen, and only a few seconds to savor your victory
before the game restarts at the Infant School. The locations of the power ups
are changed (although you still find them at the tops of escalators and in
front of closed parts of doors), and the fire now climbs faster. Enjoy!
###
