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Sanrio Carnival(GameBoy) FAQ/Walkthrough
version 1.1.0 by schultw.andrez@sbcglobal.net
(typo to discourage spam)

Please do not reproduce for profit without my consent. You won't be getting 
much profit anyway, but that's not the point. This took time and effort, and 
I just wanted to save a memory of an old game and the odd solutions any way I 
could. Please send me an email referring to me and this guide by name if 
you'd like to post it on your site.

================================

            OUTLINE

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. CONTROLS

  3. DIFFERENT SUBGAMES

  4. CHEATS

  5. VERSIONS

  6. CREDITS

================================

  1. INTRODUCTION

Sanrio Carnival is another one of those block drop games that seem like they 
should be pretty simple, but weird controls hinder it. You drop 1x2 blocks 
with 5 different possible faces into a 6x8 well. The short-term object is to 
get 3 of anything in a row so they vanish, but the more long-term one is to 
perform a useful trick or combination. The levels ask you to score a certain 
amount of points(more points for a chain or double) or make a 4-long combo or 
even make a chain, double or triple. Counterintuitively, chains are easy and 
doubles aren't. I can imagine this getting frustrating for kids, as the 
blocks come down fast pretty quickly. By the end, I was reduced to using save 
states to buy time to see where to drop something. But still, the cut scenes, 
win or lose, are cute, and there is enough strategy to poke around for a bit 
before moving on to the next Sanrio game.

  2. CONTROLS, POINTS AND ODDS

The controls can be horrendous. A rotates clockwise around the original right 
piece. B rotates counterclockwise. The game will not bounce the piece off the 
side for you if there is no room, which is a problem given that the pivot may 
be against the edge. Also, the controls are bumpy(at least on Visual Boy 
Advance) enough that you usually push a square 2 left or right when you mean 
to go only one. One solution to this is to push the block against the right 
wall and back, if it is vertical. Left wall for columns 1-3-5, right for 2-4-
6. If the block lies flat you can only get 1-2 and 3-4 this way, so you need 
to rotate it, push right, then push A(or left and B) then move back. The 
other solution is just to wait til the block hits the bottom then move. You 
only move one square that way.

In general you don't need to make a tricky placement where you weave into a 
gap in the block structure in the well, because there's just not enough space, 
so don't focus on that too much. The only time you need to worry about spaces 
is when you leave an overhang.

 ab
 vv
             ab      a
xy  goes to xy  not xyb

Then you can get rid of the overhang and any above the a by knocking out the 
a block.

Points don't apply in all games, but when they do, on level 1:
100 points for a 3-wide
160 points for a 4-wide
250 points for a 5-wide
180 points for a double
100+160 points for a chain
Level 2 = 150 for a 3
Level 3 = 210 for a 3
Level 4 = 270

This seems like a ripoff as doubles/chains are a lot harder, but as you gain 
more levels, doubles/chains gain a lot more rapidly than regular 3-links. In 
fact they far outweight the points you get for moving a piece down quickly, 
so just concentrate on putting a piece in the right place and don't push down.

(level #) points for each square you push a block down--this is just not 
worth it. Use the extra time to plan a chain or look for chains to plant, 
unless you really have very little on the board.

Levels appear to advance after a certain amount of time and not after a 
number of blocks or a certain point total.

  3. DIFFERENT SUBGAMES

    3-1. GAME 1 (30 LINES)

You don't need to do anything fancy for this level. In fact, trying to do so 
is strictly discouraged, because you will not get any bonus points for doing 
anything. However, if it happens, great. You should just be focused on simple 
moves. For instance, a 4 in a row won't get you an extra line, but a 
combination or a double will get you two, if it is there. The emphasis should 
be on mastering the basics and keeping the pile low, aligning blocks so you 
have a lot of 2-in-a-rows so that whatever comes down, you should be able to 
make a match. You can have one tunnel down if it allows you to match up a few 
different blocks for a line, but be careful not to block any empty squares 
unless you can get rid of the offending block soon. Use the "next" here for 
reference, as either 1) you will have 2 of one block, or 2) you will have 1 
of 4 different patterns, leaving only one pattern out. So that should allow 
you, at worst, to make some 2-patterns.

Tabo, chicken and dog say "yes!" to your accomplishment.

    3-2. GAME 2 (50000 POINTS)

Putting together combinations gets 1) more points at the later levels and 2) 
an increasing multiple of points as you go up. Therefore if you can find a 
combination or two around level 10, you can chip away a lot more quickly than 
if you get the combinations early on. So just build up early on. Take 
whatever combinations you can get, of course, but try to set things up so 
that you have a couple of pairs that can be converted to a triple. As the 
pieces fall faster, you still have a fraction of a second when they are at 
the top to decide where to put a piece. You can also use the fraction of the 
second after the piece touches something in the well to move over. By level 
10 a combination = 5 matches straight-up, so try for it, because if you get 
one, you are that much less likely to get to an even faster level. One of the 
key things to look for here is that if you have a clear match, say

xy

   czb
   xxza
You can place the x over the y and maybe wrench a triple from the y in the 
future. That is the most common sort of combination. If you have a lot of 
space, then it is very likely you can get the y's you need. Of course if you 
must place a piece against the side, you have to be careful. But you need to 
look for any way to get a chance at a cheap combo where you could've just 
gotten an easy triple.

When you win, raccoon and small kitty say hi! I should look at the Sanrio 
site again to see who's who.

    3-3. GAME 3 (5 4's)

The mantra here is the same as previous. Don't get a cheap triple unless you 
need it to clear something. I'll go further. Don't knock out a combo or 
double just for the heck of it, but if you need the space and it works, go 
for it. You don't get points here. Here aimlessly getting triples to survive 
will eventually get you to too fast mode. There are in fact two basic setups 
for getting a 4-combo.

 x       x
 v       v
   x
  xb
  yy or
x za    x xx

Or some rotation thereof.

For this you can probably get to a quick start. The chance you'll have 2 of 
the first 4 pieces matching is 1-(4/5)*(3/5)*(2/5) = .808. That's pretty good. 
If that happens, place things as follows:

y.
xx. < z in either

Now you have a chance to drop in 2 x's on either side. OR you can maybe even 
get 4 y's in a row. If you drop the first piece(xy) and the "next" is a y, 
you can place

y  y
xxza

This gets you off to a quick start, which is important. You should get 2 y's 
or x's in short order, and then you need to continue to make 2 in a row with 
1 just out of sight. You'll be throwing away a lot of pieces since you can 
really concentrate on 1, maybe 2, chains and you don't want to disrupt them. 
They have to be horizontal and diagonal, too, as there is only a 1/25 chance 
you'll get 2 x's if you have 2 of 4 verticals.

With 3 of 4 you have pretty much a gimme. It doesn't happen often. But if you 
always seem to come up one short, then this may help you over the edge. 
10*(1*4*1*1)/625=6.4% chance it'll happen. Not great, but then if you have 
any sort of flat surface throughout the round it may come in handy.

y
x xx

Even if you get 4 different pieces, you can try to place the first block on 
the edge and see what the second turns up. Of course, once you get 3 2-blocks, 
2 of the sub-blocks MUST match. You can start to get to work on those.

As the level evolves, you will need to decide if you want to go for a 
diagonal or horizontal match. It's possible to go for both, but just be sure 
you need to eyeball ways to junk cheap 3-bys.

One other possible solution is to have

x-a
x-b < match b and it collapses

x y z
x a z

However, this can leave open space below the top of the well, which is risky. 
Only do this if you can link 2 b's together quickly.

I find I'm generally able to finish this off pretty quickly, and since no 
points are at stake, I never need to hurry up. Just look for a piece that is 
being dropped in abundance, line stuff up on a diagonal--the first 2 squares 
in the center is best--then wait for the rest to fill up. You have a 70% 
chance with 5 blocks that 2 more single squares of the one you want will be 
there, and that is pretty good.

Note--on the rare chance you get 2 4's with one blow, it only counts once. 
That happened to me by accident.

    3-4. GAME 4 (10 doubles)

I found this tougher than game 5 due to the fact that you can't really let 
something lie around. The general principles of getting a lot of 2-in-a-row 
helps, but specific formations are probably what you need. The brute force 
way of

xx
yy < wait for x-y

Will take a long time. There's a 2/25 chance the x-y will appear and 
meanwhile you have a lot else to take care of. If you have a more robust 
example of pairs,

 xyzw
xy  zw

In this case, x-w x-y y-z w-z are all valid blocks that will give you a match. 
There's a 8/25 chance your next block will consist of these. If neither of 
these is in the "next" then maybe you can up the ante to

aa
 xyzw
xy  zw

Now you have [axz] [yw] or 12/25 blocks. Even if you get a string of, say, 3 
x-b's you can just place them in a row on the top for a double with 2 pairs 
of x's. Basically, you need to develop a feel for how to set the trap, and 
you need to know the odds are with you. Because you generally need an 
obliging 2-block for the doubles instead of the 1 of 2 for the chains, I find 
this game tougher. Again, throwaway triples should only be used for immediate 
safety or getting rid of stuff you can determine can't make a dounle. If you 
get into a rut of just surviving, the game gets too fast too quick.

Also unlike other games, leaving something to drop later is not productive 
and does not help towards your final goal. And it just eats up space. 
Basically, any chance you can get for a 2-match, use it. 

    3-5. GAME 5

This is much easier than it looks. You've probably done a lot of this by 
accident, or gotten used to making it, along the way while playing the 
previous levels. The basic position is this:

  x
xxy

And now 2 y's can be in any direction, diagonal UL, right, or even UR if you 
can drop a 2-high block 2R of the Y. You have to read the situation and see 
if you can throw away a block or if it can help build something new. Again, 
throwaway triples where you just see something are not so good. In fact, you 
should use any time you have when an easy triple is on the horizon to 
consider, can you make it so a combination can get rid of this easy triple 
later? Sometimes it is possible. But sometimes, it is not such a good idea. 
For instance,
  xy

   cd
|  ab
|  xx

Here you probably don't have the room to place the y next to the x and work 
away. Your best bet is to try and reduce the pile.

    3-6. 100000 POINTS

Just like 50000 only there is more of an emphasis on combos. Use the slight 
pause/bounce when a piece hits bottom.

    3-7. 3 TRIPLES

At first glance this seems nearly impossible, and while it's not easy, it is 
tricky. One square in the block must make at least a double, or you can do no 
better than a double overall. Once you know that, you can see a way to get a 
triple.

 xxy
x xy

This gives a 2 in 25 chance the next piece will work. If you can add to the 
structure so you have

 xxyz
x xy z

or even

 z
zxxy
x xy

Then your chances get a lot better. But perhaps your best hope is to get a 
glut of a certain piece. Again, no cheap triples, but if you get something 
like this:
   xx
 xx
x x

You have a 9/25 chance each time of getting a piece with an x in it, which is 
pretty good. So with a glut of pieces of one type, try option #2. With a few, 
try #1.

    3-8. 3 5-LONGS

5-longs are not hard to conceptualize, but they take a while to put together. 
Obviously, you need something like

bc de
aa aa

After 3 blocks you should have one match, but you can always dump stuff down 
the right side. Some guesswork and luck is required to get the first 5-long 
to work, but it is worth being aggressive in your guessing. Remember that you 
need 2 in a row on one side and 2 in a row on the other before dropping 
something in, and if you get a monochrome block, you may want to start a 
possible 5-long a bit further up. The one problem with creating a 5-long a 
bit above is that it blocks other colors out, so try to place the first bits 
above squares not likely to be matched in the near future. Scramble for 
whatever cheap 3s you can find and use overhangs if necessary--but don't drop 
anything between the a's as above.

You can afford to gamble here because you don't need to make too many of the 
target.

Perhaps you can try something like below as well, waiting for x's and 
matching the y's later. The overhang doesn't eat up much space.

 yx
xx

    3-9. 3 3-CHAINS

This is tricky but one possibility is like so:

  b
  a
  v

dc
bb aa
  c

You need to wait for precisely the right piece and there may be some 
shuffling around til you do.

Another possibility, better, is to get it so you need only one color.

.c..e
.bbddd
..c.e
...ce

Here a b would make 4 matches in a row pretty easily. It is a bit tricky to 
set up, but there are a lot of squares you can waste.

One more compact example of a 3-chain is below. The general rule of putting 
in a bunch of 2's works pretty well too as you may get something by accident 
if you keep just missing the right piece.

z
?

v

  y
 zx
xxzyy

    3-10. 2 4-folds

This is tricky to do with 1 color as you may wind up thinking you have a 4-
fold but really you have a 3-fold with a 5-long. For instance, below, it 
looks like you have 4 triads in different direction. But triads in opposite 
directions don't count separately.

xx xx
 x.x
x . x

It's also tricky to avoid an involuntary match when you are building things 
up, and taking that into account, let's look at the directions for dropping 1 
color into the center

.   .
 . .
.. ..
 ...
. . .

4 directions, no 2 opposite. Down is a must. Pick left as well, which makes 
right a must, and then DR is impossible because it leaves a match. DL. Now 
the final bit can go either way, which allows you to waste blocks if you need 
to. Once you get a 4-fold, the board will clear, and you can get to work on 
the next one pretty easily.

n   n
 n n
nn xx
 xxn
x x n

Some luck is involved here, but as with the 5-longs you can afford to ride it, 
or expect luck, to get the first one and then the second should fall before 
the pieces drop too quickly. This is one case where you are the "house" when 
gambling. Eventually the right color will turn up, say, 33% of the time, 
making it easy to place things.

On finishing this you get a congratulatory screen. The folks who translated 
this game forgot it.

    3-0. OTHER STUFF

6's are nearly impossible to get as you need just the right piece. I've done 
it while gunning for it, but you have to use up most of the well. To have a 
>50% chance of it working you may have to create a lot of overhangs and such 
even with a good start.

  xx
  vv

xx  xx

A chain of 4's may also be a possibility. In the case below, you need exactly 
the right piece, unless you are able to establish anoverhang with an x and y 
and then match the items to the side of each.

   y
   a
xx x
 yzw  
y

Here you can go

  yy
 axa
xx x
 y
y

That'll do it. But I am just speculating about other things you want to try.

  4. CHEATS

If you use VisualBoyAdvance then you need to g-unzip the save states to edit 
in a hex editor, then re-g-zip. Windows gzip and gunzip are available at 
sourceforge among other places, and  you can use 7z to inflate an archive, 
too.

0x549c = the base row. Rows are 8 wide and pieces are defined as follows:

01 black
02 white
03 grey
04 brick
05 circle
06 snowflake

It's best to start from the base and work your way up. The pieces will not 
show in the save state until something lands, or you make them drop. But you 
can rustle up combos pretty easily based on what is falling.

End of FAQ Proper

================================

  5. VERSIONS

1.0.0 sent to GameFAQs 11/07/2007, complete with strategies, but I'd still 
like to check later levels in the future
1.1.0 sent to GameFAQs 11/29/2007, through all challenge levels

  6. CREDITS

Thanks to the usual GameFAQs gang, current and emeritus. They know who they 
are, and you should, too, because they get/got some SERIOUS writing done. 
Good people too--bloomer, falsehead, Sashanan, Masters, Retro, Snow 
Dragon/Brui5ed Ego, ZoopSoul, War Doc, Brian Sulpher, AdamL, odino, JDog and 
others I forgot. OK, even Hydrophant in his current not-yet-banned message 
board incarnation. I am not part of his gang, but I want him to be part of 
mine.
Thanks to the NES Completion Project folks for keeping it going. This was not 
originally an NES FAQ, but odino suggested the romhacking.net translation. 
Special thanks to him for notifying me about this game.