Shadow the Beast 2 Walkthrough
Version 0.95
(C)2003 Seth Paul
DISCLAIMER: Shadow of the Beast 2 is (C)1990 by Psygnosis Ltd. It was designed
and coded by Reflections. This guide is not affiliated with either company.
All other products mentioned in this guide are copyrighted by their respective
properties. All items, except where quoted, are based on my own experiences
with the game and in my own words. I do not condone plagiarism, nor do I hope
anyone reading this guide does. This guide may be distributed freely as long as
it is not done for profit and has my consent, oral or written.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This guide is done with the Amiga version solely in mind. Other
ports may differ in various ways (for one thing, I know the Genesis owners have
the advantage of a difficulty option...lucky gits), including puzzles. Keep
this in mind while being frustrated by this game.
Yes, this game is over 10 years old, and yes, I'm writing a guide for it. Why?
Well, with the new Amigas coming out right around the corner, this might be one
of the games to be dusted off once again.
For those of you wondering, yes, I will supply the cheat code with this game,
but this walkthrough is designed with the non-cheating gamer in mind. Yes, it
may take awhile, and yes, it's danged near impossible, but according to the guys
at Reflections as written in the Beast 3 instruction manual, it "...was actually
possible to complete the whole game [Beast 2] with one bottle of energy!"
Although I won't go into detail over every single enemy that can be encountered
in the game, I will make every attempt possible to lessen the amount of damage
that will crop up in the game (and much damage will you probably receive, dear
reader).
The most recent version of this guide will always be found at www.gamefaqs.com,
and I may be e-mailed at greypatch3@wideopenwest.com.
So, with that said, let's get to the guide!
I. Credits
II. Revisions and Updates
III. Storyline
IV. Objects and Weapons
V. Walkthrough
Part 1: COMPETING DRAGONS: ISHRAN AND BARLOOM
Part 2: THE GOBLIN HORDE
Part 3: SOUNDING THE HORN
Part 4: ZELEK'S KEEP
VI. Cheat Code
VII. Final Words and Some Rambling
I. Credits
Thanks to Martin Kjeldgaard, who reminded me of another way of doing the Beast-
in-Pit puzzle. This was the way I'd originally done the puzzle, and it works.
Granted, it may not be perfect, but the 'official' way isn't much better.
II. Revisions and Updates
Version 0.95 Release:
ENORMOUS UPDATE!
Despite the need for an update (well over a year between 0.1 and 0.4), I may
have been a little hasty...Between the time 0.4 was published (Oct. 13) and this
update (Oct. 15), I actually managed to go from dying at the goblin's hideout
to...Zelek. Yes, I went from a little over halfway through to destroying the
final boss. It's not really all that hard after the goblins...more nuisances
than anything else...but that Zelek is something else. Ouch.
Revised pit strategy slightly...am now getting much more significant results.
Revised sliding spiked block strategy...tried ducking and it DOES work...now
noted (see topic in walkthrough for details).
Cleaned up some 'key' business in the goblin hideout to make it understandable.
Also revised some goblin hideout strategy. You may be able to prolong that
health bottle a little longer.
Next version: 1.0? All that is really needed now is all the topic conversations
each character can discuss (concentrated completely on beating the game at long
last, so I didn't stay and chat with most of the characters).
This version was completed October 15, 2003.
Version 0.4 Release:
BIG Update: Got quite a bit further.
Revised strategy slightly...now takes player up to (but not including) the
escape from the goblin fortress (Wow! Quite some distance from last time.)
New feature! Each section includes amount of damage you are, basically, allowed
to sustain if you're on the right track. See the walkthrough for more details.
Some minor errata corrected. For example, key 1 is now correctly labeled in the
'items' area.
My optimism for completing this game without cheats went up immensely, since I
beat the first game shortly before continuing this guide. 13 years, and SOTB 1
is finally under my belt...yes, it's sad, isn't it? And all that for a danged
"Congratulations" screen. But, I beat that one, so I can beat this one as
well...I hope.
This version was completed...wow, more than a year later, October 12, 2003.
Version 0.1 Release:
First edition of the guide. This version was completed March 18, 2002.
III. Storyline
The game picks up approximately some time after the first game (a few weeks or
so). Our hero, Aarbron (whose name was not revealed until Beast 3, but is being
listed here for ease of use throughout the guide), has managed to, basically,
slaughter his way through vast crowds of demonic creatures and creations to a
confrontation with Zelek the Beast Mage. The Mage was defeated but not
destroyed, and Aarbron was rewarded with his humanity. At least, SOME of his
humanity...although not some alien creature anymore, he ain't exactly a movie
star, either. He's got sort of Neanderthal-like qualities that make him a
little unpopular at parties.
Anyway, Aarbron has been trekking his way back home, hoping to see the family,
his family, that had been denied to him for so long. When he finally arrives,
his homecoming is less than heartening. Not long before, Zelek had managed to
regain some of his powers that were lost in the battle. Needing a new
messenger, and feeling a little vengeful to boot, Zelek took on a dragon-like
form, swept through a big, stormy night, and bashed his way into Aarbron's home.
There, he took away Aarbron's infant sister into the night, preparing to
transform her into a slave the same way that Aarbron was so many years ago.
Needless to say, this is not something that sits well with our hero. Hearing
that Zelek had taken her to the far-off land of Karamoon, Aarbron sets out to
stop Zelek's evil plans...a little more permanently this time.
IV. Objects and Weapons
This is a list and small description of objects found in the game, to my
knowledge. This also includes objects that are rumored to be in the game but
have not been found, based on my perusal of the back of the box. If you have
any others, please e-mail me.
Aarbron can hold a total of 4 objects at any one time, each one selectable with
one of the first four function keys. If a weapon is not currently selected, it
cannot be used until it is highlighted. This is a very important thing to
remember, especially considering that when an item is used up the cursor does
not default back to your mace.
MACE
You begin the game with this. Aarbron's main weapon, it fires a certain
distance depending on how long the fire button is held (with a fairly short but
respectable maximum range). It takes several hits with this to kill most
enemies, though some go down with only one hit.
JUG
Found at the Karamoon Oasis. As far as can be discovered about it, it contains
an alcoholic beverage of some sort.
POTION
Found in various places on the map, especially inside treasure chests. When
used, a heart indicator appears above Aarbron, and about 1/2 of the health
bottle is filled back up.
LARGE KEY
This key is found in Ishran's hideout, and looks unique compared to other keys.
KEY 2
Found by killing a winged demon in Ishran's hideout. Notable for a small '2'
being next to its picture.
This key exists again later on as a key that a goblin guard drops.
AXE
Aarbron can use this weapon to fire multiple axes at enemies, ranging across the
entire screen. It has a terrible weakness, though; upon its activation, a
countdown appears. When the countdown runs out, the axe disappears permanently.
Ah, well, at least you still have the mace.
KEY 1
Found in the goblin's hideout, to the right of the dining hall. Notable for a
small '1' being next to it.
SCROLL
Found in Barloom's lair. It contains a spell of great power.
RING
Found near the exit of the prison in the goblin's hideout. It's a relatively
nice ring with a small jewel set into it. Why do the goblins have it?
SPELL
Found next to the old man after completing a puzzle. When used, it fires a blue
ring which gets larger the further it gets. It only has a medium range, but
never runs out. It is also weaker than the mace overall, but it has its uses...
HORN
Found in the whirlpool area, to the left just after climbing down a vine. It's
large and probably makes quite a loud blast.
COINS
Found by bashing open treasure chests with the mace. Each contains six coins.
Move fast to collect them, as they disappear after a few seconds. There are six
chests in Karamoon for a total of 36 coins, and you'll need them all.
KNIFE, ROCK, CAN (at least, it LOOKS like a can)
Unknown location. These are shown on the back of the box and may have been
removed in release, though I do not know for sure. I have never found them in
the game.
V. Walkthrough
It's official, folks...this game CAN be beaten without a cheat code. It's
exceptionally difficult, more than a little frustrating, but it IS possible.
Yes, the monsters can still be very frustrating, but it IS possible. Luck still
plays a factor, but now skill is definitely paramount.
The most important element of the game is: Practice, practice, practice.
Knowing what to do is not the same as actually being able to do it. It will
probably take a couple of restarts...most likely a lot of them...to get past
certain sections with your health intact. If you can avoid being hit, and know
where can avoid taking damage, do it! There's a lot of sections in the game
that really aren't all that hard to get by without a little patience and pattern
detection, so save your health for those times when you just can't help being
hurt. Any section with infinite enemies (bats, fish, goblins, etc.) are
obvious, but there are some times it is preferable to take small amounts of
damage if it's choice between that and losing the game. These areas include the
demon kidnapping the guard, the demon cutting the rope, killing the drawbridge
operator quickly, the goblin at the top of the prison chandelier, fighting the
waterfall monster, knocking back the axe twins, and Zelek's blue fireballs.
Included in each section of the walkthrough is a "DAMAGE SUSTAINED" segment that
states how much damage I recommend losing at most in a particular section.
Since health is the main reason this game is remarkably difficult, this should
be top priority in (almost) every situation. You may still be able to slip by
with less than I've listed, but this is a general guideline to how well you
should be doing by this point in the game. It's based on how much damage
particular enemies do and how far away a bottle of health is. If you are doing
better in a section than I've listed, you are well on your way to being better
at this guide than I am!
With that in mind, here it is, from start to finish. (My, that sounds good!)
Part 1: COMPETING DRAGONS: ISHRAN AND BARLOOM
STARTING POINT
When you arrive in Karamoon, you'll be on a small hill with a single tree upon
it. You have a choice of going either left or right. Go left.
THE TREE SPIRITS
You'll eventually reach a small copse of trees, out of which you'll see little
hands occasionally pop out and chuck something. The things they throw explode
and will hurt you if they touch you. These little bombs also pop out of the
tops of the trees, which cannot be seen unless you jump straight in the air.
The best way to go through here safely is to hide behind a tree, wait until
there are no bombs falling, then run quickly to the next tree. No bombs touch
the trees themselves. Repeat this until you leave the trees well behind
you...even the last tree, which has a bombardier up top which flings bombs just
when you think you might be safe. The bombs can be 'maced' to get 25 points a
hit, though a high score is not a priority in this game whatsoever. I recommend
mostly dodging, but macing a few certainly can't hurt.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: At most, getting hit by one bomb is okay. Although not
frequent, they do considerable damage for each hit they make. It's very easy to
make it through unscathed if you take your time, so 0-1 hits is recommended.
THE BRIDGE: PIRAHNA FISH
The next major area is a bridge spanning a waterfall. The odd fish leaping
above it make this crossing less than safe, however. The fish aren't very
tough, and even a solid hit from them won't do too much. Try to aim, though,
for a moment when most of the fish are jumping towards you rather than away.
THe odds are better than you'll run right through them and get hit as little as
possible (whereas fish moving away tend to 'follow' you more). Jumping helps
immensely, when timed right.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: It is possible to cross without getting hurt, but not likely.
Aim for having your health dip to slightly below the lip of the flask. Losing a
full 1/4 of your health is wasteful.
KIDNAP!
Going further, you will see a man resting on a stump. Before you can reach him,
though, a winged demon swoops down, wraps some sort of electrical net around
him, and tries to drag him away. You need to talk to this man in order to get
through the next section, so your only hope of completing the game rests in
killing the demon before it spirits him away to Ishran. Jump and whack the
demon with your mace. Quickly the demon will die and the man will be free.
Wait for him to talk for a bit, and notice that he mentions several things,
including Ishran, Barloom, and traps. Ask him about TRAPS. He'll respond
saying, "I overheard one of the guards mention something about a(n) upper/lower
switch?" Remember which one he says, upper or lower, as this will be very
useful later.
THINGS THE GUARD CAN TALK ABOUT:
ISHRAN
BARLOOM
KARAMOON
TRAPS (IMPORTANT!)
(If you know of anything more, let me know!)
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: If you're extraordinarily lucky, this guy will never throw a
fireball and hurt you...lucky being the key word. At most, you may get hit
three times. Just accept this damage...if he escapes, you lose the game, plain
and simple.
BRANCH DEMONS
Just past the man you'll come to some branches which lead down like steps.
Follow them and whack the demons which come towards you from them (they
shouldn't be much of a problem; just kill any which get close). On the last
branch, you'll see a vine and a small ledge just below you. Fall from the ledge
and grasp the vine, moving down carefully (Pull down on the joystick in short
bursts, resting slightly in between. Aarbron has a tendency to slide down ropes
at top speed under certain conditions...more on this later).
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: While they should die easily, aim for only one or two hits
from them...these things do just as much damage as the tree bombs. Again, only
through sheer luck will you make it through unhurt.
THE MACE TWINS
When you reach the end of the vine, carefully jump over the acid to the small
ledge. Jump a few more times. If you have music and sound effects turned on,
the music should change. Keep moving a little and you'll see a large fellow
wielding a mace similar to yours, only much bigger. His shots can be dodged by
watching his position and staying a good distance away...if he stands still,
duck to avoid. If he ducks, jump to avoid. While he cannot be killed by the
mace directly, it can knock him backwards. Whenever you can, run towards him,
as this will shorten the amount of time you have to deal with him and is more
likely to force him into standing and firing the weapon (though not always).
After he's dead, jump to the next platform and do the same to the other one.
There's a chest on this ledge. Inside is 6 coins and a health potion. Collect
them all, but be quick...the coins disappear after a short while, and you'll
need every single one of them, but don't use the potion just yet. After this,
jump over another pit and enter the building.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: You're doing well if you manage to defeat both of them while
retaining 3/4 to 1/2 of your health. Slightly below the halfway point is
acceptable, but not recommended.
THE KARAMOON OASIS
Duck inside this building and run up the stairs to your left and grab the jug
from the top of the staircase. You may then leave. You can talk to the owner,
but he doesn't seem to help you much...or can he? Everyone in this game that
talks to you generally helps you out in some way, but I've never gotten anything
really useful out of him. When you're ready to leave, go out the door you came
in from, go back to the rope that brought you to this area, and climb up to the
ledge. Jump off here.
THINGS THE OWNER CAN TALK ABOUT:
ISHRAN
BARLOOM
KARAMOON
OASIS
GOBLINS
PYGMIES
ZELEK
MALETOTH
DRINK
(If you know of any more, let me know!)
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Unless your finger slips and hits the F10 key, you can't
really be hurt in here. This is one of only two safe locations in the game, so
feel free to explore. Not that there's much here, mind you...as far as I know,
anyway...
DEADLY TRAP
Run left along the platform and eventually a demon will fly at you. Duck as he
goes by, then quickly follow him. He'll be cutting the vine and mocking you.
You'll still need that vine, so whack him constantly until he gives up. Turn
and run down the path again...to find your way blocked by a gigantic demon
pushing a spiked wall towards you, which will either kill you or block the
passage, either way ending your game. Fortunately, your mace has enough reach
that, at very close range to the spikes, you can mace the guy. In order to
survive this trap, do the following: wait until the spikes are very close, but
not touching, about 1/8th of an inch (screen wise, not character wise). Fire
your mace. If you did it right, you should hit the guy once and still have time
to move a little ways down the platform without getting hurt. You'll have to
hit him about 3 or 4 times in this manner. This will not kill him, though.
Thanks to the sheer insanity of this game's difficulty, you can hit the guy all
you want while moving down the corridor, but none of them will register as
killing blows until you are nearly shoved off the edge. Thus, once you've done
a significant amount of damage, wait just at the edge, then womp the guy with
the mace just before the spikes touch you to finish him off.
Some of you might be wondering, "Then why hit him at all while he's coming
towards you? Wouldn't it be easier to just hit him as he nears the edge?"
Well, that's because the guy has about 4 hit points total. When you attack him,
you wear away his hit points, but the last one won't register until you have no
choice but to kill him with one hit or end up spiked or hanging from the vine
forever. If you just wait at the end, you'll end up having to hit him a bunch
of times before he finally dies, at which point you'll be dead or very close to
it. To understand this better, try turning on cheat mode and hitting him at
various times. It'll make more sense that way. Just practice until you get the
idea.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: The demon cutting the rope occasionally hits fireballs, but
the rope's too valuable to worry about damage from him. The spike wall should
be avoided as much as possible. Try to be above 1/2 of your health. 3/4 is
much better.
DROPPING PILLARS
Moving on, you'll come to two trap doors set in the ceiling of the cave. When
you see this, move forward slowly until the first one opens and a gigantic
stone pillar drops down. Walk right up to it and hit it with your mace until it
is destroyed. IMMEDIATELY (this includes watching the pillar explode) run left
and past before another pillar drops down to replace it. Be careful, though,
because the other trapdoor now opens and drops a pillar down as well. Repeat to
get past. If you did it right, you should have taken little to no damage. The
safest way to do this is to do two full-range with the mace, then hold the
joystick left and fire an extremely quick burst. By the time the mace returns
to your hand and you can move again, the pillar will be destroyed and you'll
have an extra half-second to run past it before it drops again.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Minimal. If you get hit, it should be little more than a
single flash.
SLIDING BLOCKS AND DEMONS
When you begin rising a hill just after the pillars, you'll be beset by fast-
moving spiked blocks and yet another flying demon. Quickly kill the demon
(you'll have to jump) and take out the blocks that come barreling down at you.
If you watch closely, you'll see the demon dropped a key down at the bottom of
the hill. Go back and get it, keeping an eye out for more blocks, then climb
the hill again. You'll see a mechanism holding a block begin moving when you
reach the top. If you duck in the right spot, the block will go right over and
drop just behind you (experiment where the ground is still sloping slightly) and
land on a seesaw. You'll spook the operator, who will take off. Jump over him
(yes, even he causes damage).
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: The demon does more damage than the sliding blocks, so kill
him almost immediately. The blocks shouldn't be ignored, though...keep an eye
on them when you retrieve the key. The final block does very little overall, so
just run through it. Aim for about 1/2 to 1/4 of your health remaining...any
less will make the next sequence difficult.
THE SWITCH PUZZLE
Right next to the seesaw is a vine. Climb the vine all the way to the top and
jump to the right, next to the large metal contraption. Select the key and use
it to open it (it's a door), then slowly inch your way up the next hill. A
small block will pop out of the ceiling and land right in front of you if you
did it right. Destroy the block and walk onto a wooden bridge spanning a pool
of acid. You'll see two switches, one above the other, and an elevator just out
of reach. Now, remember the guy who was nearly taken away by the demon? He
gave you the clue to solve this puzzle. Flick whichever switch he told you
about (either the upper or lower) with the mace and the elevator will lower.
Flick the wrong switch and the floor will disappear and you'll drop into the
acid and die (or just be screwed, if you use the cheat code). Get in the
elevator and it will take you to a new place.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: This should be absolutely none. The block is easy to avoid,
and you shouldn't be falling into acid pits anyway.
ISHRAN'S GUARDHOUSE
At the top of the elevator, go right and you'll be attacked by numerous bats.
Fend them off with your mace as best as possible and you'll reach an extremely
long chain leading into a room below. Avoid dropping into the room for now and
instead jump to the right and continue onwards past more bats. Eventually,
you'll descends some steps and enter a room with a key on the table. Take the
key and jump up two of the stairs. Mace the bats that come near until they stop
coming. Now, look up. Notice the two chandeliers, and the one that's a little
lower than the other one? Grab the lower one and climb up. You'll see a big
area to jump to. Jump up there and run right. You'll come to a treasure chest.
Whack the chest and collect all six coins and the health potion (at this point,
use your other health potion and pick this one up) and go back to the main
chamber. Go back to the first chain you passed up. Jump on it and slowly and
carefully clamber down (BUT DON'T JUMP OFF YET!). You'll see a sleeping guard,
two switches behind him and a nasty-looking beast caged up in the corner.
Carefully jump off the chandelier right next to the beast's cage. Highlight the
key you just got and use it. Then VERY quickly jump onto the chandelier and
start climbing. The beast will spook the sleeping guard and he'll fly off.
Now, here's the tricky part: Climb up and stand OVER the area that you released
the monster from (line yourself up with the middle window in the background.
Since the monster 'homes' to your general location, he'll begin hanging out in
the area just below you. Trouble is, you can't see him from this position.
After a few seconds, go to the chain and climb down. Is the monster right next
to or underneath the chandelier? If so, climb back up and stand in the previous
position again. Is he almost all the way to the left, bobbing his head up and
down? If so, quickly lower yourself into the pit (go at regular climbing speed,
not sliding. This gives you time to see if the monster moves too close before
you commit yourself to the pit completely). While still standing, fire the mace
and then jump straight up to the chandelier. The lower switch will be hit, but
not the upper one. You should be in the pit itself for all of two seconds,
resulting in little to no damage
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: The bats are a nuisance and hard to avoid, but you can get
lucky sometimes and avoid too much damage. If you follow the strategy above,
you should barely be hit by the pit monster, if at all. Since you should now
use a health potion, you should have about 3/4 of your health left. (It IS
possible to have full health restored by this point, just so you are aware).
Martin Kjeldgaard gave this alternate strategy:
I sit on the chandelier, but instead of jumping off to land next to the case, I
jump off to land as far to the right as possible, that means landing at the two
switches. (right to the guard). Then I VERY VERY VERY quickly press the lower
switch. If I do it fast enough. the guard still flies toward the upper switch,
but he does not press it. Then he let the monster out of the cage and
dissappear. When the guards fly away he will hit you and drain a little bit of
power from you but not nearly as much as if you let the monster out yourself.
But I must say solving the problem this way is EXTREMELY difficult. I am able to
do it about every 8th time (even if I know how to). The other times the guard
manages to press the upper switch and thus raise the chandelier. If you practice
this, it's important where you sit on the chandelier when you jump. You should
sit so that your feet touch the end of the chain (the flat thing, the lamp
itself or whatever it is). and then face right when you jump. Then not jump too
high and be quick at pressing the lower switch.
THE CLAW GAME
Getting off the elevator, go all the way back down until you reach the floor
with the seesaw. Run left and you'll find two pools of acid, one of which has a
bridge spanning it (the bridge being formed from hitting the lower switch in the
room above) and one which does not. On both sides of the open pool are spikes,
and on the left side are three switches and an enormous boulder. You'll also
notice a claw machine similar to ones seen in stores and arcades everywhere.
You need to operate the crane by using the three switches. They are as follows:
The top switch opens and closes the claw.
The middle one moves the claw back and forth.
The bottom one moves the claw up and down.
If you haven't guessed by now, you must use the claw to do something with the
boulder. Utilizing the switches, line up the claw with the boulder using the
middle switch (it should be fine letting it go all the way to the left). Then,
move the claw down until it just goes behind the TOP of the boulder. Close the
claw, then raise the claw. If you did it right, the boulder should go with it.
Now, hit the middle switch until the boulder moves all the way to the right,
over the right spike. With the boulder still in the air, hit the top switch.
The boulder will fall and be split by the spike into a much smaller piece.
Congrats! You just did part 1 of the puzzle!
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None. Don't fall into the acid pits.
SEESAWS AND COUNTERWEIGHTS
With the boulder smashed, push the chunk of rock over the bridge (that's why you
need it) and all the way over to the seesaw. The rock will tilt automatically
when it is in the right place. With the rock set, climb up the vine to the left
of the seesaw, hang just below the ledge leading the elevator you used earlier,
and jump to the right. You should sail down and land on the opposite side of
the seesaw, sending the rock flying. IMMEDIATELY run to the left and stand in
the elevator that is touching the floor. In a few seconds, the rock will land
in a counterweight elevator and send you rocketing skywards to a new area that
was previously unreachable. Head left to finally meet with the evil dragon
Ishran.
NOTE: You might be able to work the seesaw by climbing up the ledge to the right
and jumping onto it from there, although I have never tried it myself. Also,
make sure you are completely in the elevator, or you might find it going up
without you, stranding you below and making the game impossible to beat.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None. There shouldn't be anything in this area that can hurt
you, anyway.
ISHRAN
When you see Ishran's ugly blue face, slow down. He'll say "Ah! At last we
meet!" and not attack. At this point, you can ask him questions. He doesn't
have anything important to beating the game to say, but it's nice to get a
little breather and information. As soon as you get too close, though, or ask
him about 'Ishran,' he attacks. I recommend asking him about 'Ishran' since it
allows you to keep your distance. Ishran has a pattern that he randomly
follows, including: moving back and forth, shooting a fireball from his mouth,
and firing lightning out of a crystal ball he carries. First off, run back to
the area where the ground begins to slope, and start firing your mace. Ishran
will occasionally move within range of your mace, and the mace will destroy the
fireball he shoots. If you see the orb charge up, run backwards to avoid the
charge. When he's done, chase him as he runs backwards and get a few more hits
in, then move back and repeat the pattern. This is a 'safe' way of handling
Ishran, and recommended. If you have plenty of health, though, charge Ishran
when he moves backwards and wham him with the mace. He doesn't take too much
damage, but your health can drain pretty quickly. You'll notice a bag hanging
up over the fighting place. Hit the bag a few times and a second guy from
Barloom will fall out. Listen to him. He'll mention a password at some point.
Remember this, as you will need it later.
THINGS ISHRAN CAN TALK ABOUT:
BARLOOM
ISHRAN (Ask this last)
KARAMOON
(If you know more, let me know!)
I believe the guard can be asked questions, too, but I haven't tried lately.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Ishran can be quite tough. Aim for having anywhere from 1/2
to 1/4 of your health left. You'll be getting more shortly, but having more is
always better.
DOWN THE ROPE AGAIN
Go all the way back to the vine. Don't worry, the columns stay put this time
around. Fall onto the vine and climb to the bottom. Jump off to the right this
time. Run right and you'll come to a pit laden with branches. As soon as you
step on the first one, green drops will start running down the sides. If you
line yourself up with them horizontally, they explode and shoot droplets at you.
Going down without getting hurt, though, is easy...just start running through
the branches and you should be fine. At the bottom, run right quickly (the
leftmost drop can explode at the bottom) and go to the block and the disembodied
dragon head. Type in the password the guard gave you earlier (take your time
and spell it right...nothing can attack you at the moment), and the gate will
rise.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: If you moved past the droplets right, you shouldn't have been
hurt in this segment. But steer for no more than one or two right here.
BARLOOM'S LAIR
Firstly, run straight right and ignore the rope. You'll enter a chamber
containing a chest. Now would be a good time to use that health potion. Bust
open the chest, collect the coins and potion, and leave this chamber. Climb the
rope and jump to the right. Run until you meet Barloom. You can stay and chat,
or just collect the scroll in front of him and leave. Most of the information
he gives is fairly standard, and not necessary to winning the game, but you can
ask him about a lot more than most.
THINGS BARLOOM CAN TALK ABOUT:
BARLOOM
ISHRAN
GUARDS
OLD MAN
ZELEK
MALETOTH
SISTER
RING
PARCHMENT
SEA
BEASTS
GOBLINS
PYGMIES
(If you know more, let me know!)
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: If you're doing well, the health potion here should take you
anywhere from full to 3/4 full. The goblins are coming up soon, and you'll need
all the health you can muster from this point on.
BACK TO THE BEGINNING
Go back through the branches (you'll more than likely be hit once or twice
climbing back up) and run back to the rope. Climb it as far as you can, then
jump right onto the branch. Keep jumping until you reach the top and go over
the bridge (there shouldn't be any branch demons or piranha fish this time
around). Go back through the woods with the bomb tossers and you'll come back
to the hill you started from. Keep going to the right.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: The drops will cause some slight trouble, but no more than one
or two hits if you hurry. If you made it by the bombs without getting hurt
before, you can do it again. You should still have a nearly full or 3/4 full
bottle of health.
Part 2: THE GOBLIN HORDE
THE PYGMY FOREST
Cresting the next hill, stop as soon as you see a wirey, big-haired individual
holding a spear. He'll tell you to turn back. You can ask him about a few
things (most notably the infamous 'ten pints'), but as soon as you get too close
he'll begin throwing spears at you. He throws these in a predictable pattern
and can be jumped over easily. Kill him with the mace and run into the forest.
At this point several of his colleagues will jump out of the trees and rush you.
They don't throw spears, so keep your distance and mace them. You'll come to a
bridge. As soon as you reach a spot where the ground slopes just before the
bridge, stop. A pygmy riding a giant bee will appear overhead and chuck rocks
at you. AS SOON AS he turns, jump and hit him with the mace. He should take
some damage without hitting you in the process (either by collision in the air
or rock thrown at where you were on the ground). Turn around and repeat until
he is dead. Move a little ways onto the bridge and you'll see three pygmies
standing still. They act just like the first one, and attack one at a time if
you keep a decent distance. The simplest way is to stand slightly further than
a jump's distance away, jump towards them, and begin hitting the mace. You'll
jump over their first spear and kill them before they can attack again. Repeat
until these fellows are gone. Run past them and you'll be out of the forest.
THINGS YOU CAN ASK THE CHIEF PYGMY ABOUT:
ZELEK
GOBLINS
TEN PINTS (only if you want invincibility, which is NOT what this guide
is about)
(If you know more, let me know!)
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: It is possible to make it through the pygmy village completely
unharmed, and not entirely unreasonable to expect it. They appear predictably
(some even visible in the treetops before they fall) and die quickly enough.
However, if you do get hit, try to lose less than an 1/8 of the health bottle
(preferably staying in the 3/4 range). When fighting the flying pygmy, it does
less damage to collide with him than to be hit by the rocks he throws.
THE SLIME BELCHER
After you exit the village, you'll come to an area where a thin piece of grass
is stretched over an area. Remember this, but ignore it for now. Keep running
and you'll come to a rope and a series of ledges. By now, globs of some mystery
slime will be falling from the sky at you, bouncing occasionally. Mace or dodge
them and climb the ledges. You'll arrive on a ledge below a bridge, and most
likely see a green monster firing the slime at you. Wait until he runs to the
left side of the bridge, then jump onto it. Ignore another rope and run almost
to the right edge of this platform, ducking any slime that the monster shoots at
you, turn, and begin macing. The monster will not come all the way to the edge
of the platform, and most of his shots will be destroyed by your mace. Hit him
until he explodes (watch the slime!), then switch to the parchment in your
inventory. Pick up the axe and leave the parchment behind for now (don't worry,
you don't need it right now, and you'll be getting it back soon enough). Run to
the left and hit the chest at the end, collecting the coins (no health bottle in
this one, but you shouldn't need one right now). Fall off the ledge and you
should land near the patch of thin grass. Stand on this patch and jump up and
down on it until it breaks (with a good jump it can break in one stomp). You'll
fall through onto a series of stairs. Follow them down to the goblin's
underground realm.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Avoid contact with the slime belcher (I don't know if that's
what he's called, but I just like the name) himself, since he can do an awful
lot in a short period. His shots aren't quite as noxious, but avoid contact as
much as possible. Anywhere from 3/4 to 1/2 is excellent.
THE CRYSTAL CAVERNS
Firstly, watch out for the droplets coming from the top of the screen. These
can damage you for a considerable amount, so if you pick a spot to rest, do it
in a spot where droplets aren't falling (each ledge has a 'safe' spot where you
can take a breather). Anyway, you'll start facing a pit of 'water' (the water
is about as bad as acid, so do not fall in no matter what). Get right to the
edge of the pit and perform and jump as high and as far as is possible. As soon
as you jump, begin rapid firing the mace. A crystal will pop out of the water.
If you're rapid firing, you'll destroy the crystal before it hits you. Repeat
this at each pit. You'll come across a health bottle...use your current one and
pick this one up (this may be the only bottle of health I recommend using long
before you find the next one, so make your current health count!). The next
ledge has a chest on it...bust it open and take the coins. The small pit has no
crystal in it, so just jump over it and cross to the bridge you'll see ahead.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: The drops are hard to avoid, and the crystals are hard to hit,
so this one varies considerably. Staying above 1/2 is very good...3/4 is
excellent. After filling up, you should have at least 3/4 to full for the next
section.
THE OUTER DEFENSES
As you cross the bridge, you'll see a sleeping goblin on the other side. Now,
before you go any further, check the following:
1. Do I have the axe, and is it selected?
2. Do I have a bottle of health and the jug?
If the answer to these is yes, you're ready. If not, you're screwed. Once
you've taken stock of everything, run across the bridge. When the goblin wakes
up and bolts, chase him. He'll run across a metal bridge situated underneath a
ledge with two goblins talking to each other above it. Your path will be cut
off by a big stone door. Now, run RIGHT UP TO THE DOOR, jump, and kill the
drawbridge winder. Once this is done, retreat back across the bridge, jumping
to avoid falling to certain death below. Fire any axes you may have left at the
two goblins above the door, then switch to the mace to finish them off (they are
too stupid to attack to the right for some reason). Once they're done, run back
to the stone door and finish off the goblin on the other side, jumping to avoid
his spears. Then bash the door to smithereens with your mace. Run through.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Again, this area varies, since the spears the goblin behind
the door throws are pretty powerful and his pattern is more erratic than the
pygmies above. Still, with a little practice this portion should go very
quickly and not be very health damaging. Be forewarned, though, I haven't
perfected this technique, myself...about 1/2 health left should be sufficient.
1/4 will be troublesome.
THE SPIKE TRAP
You'll come to a fork of sorts, with a chandelier leading up and one further
left leading down. Go to the chandelier leading up and you'll come to a
platform to the left and a switch to the right. Hit the switch with the mace,
then jump to the left. A timer will start showing a countdown. Run down the
passage. When you come to the end of it, duck and hit the switch on the other
side of the door. Once it moves, run back to the right. You should make it all
the way back before the timer disappears (and, if you have sound turned on, a
bing! noise).
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None. If you didn't hit the switch, you'll get hit by spikes
shooting from the top and bottom of the tunnel. These kill instantly.
THE GOBLIN HALL
Jump down into the fork again and go left and climb down the chandelier. You'll
see a bunch of laughing, sleeping goblins enjoying themselves. Here's a trick
so that you won't get surrounded. Climb straight down and land. As soon as you
alert the goblins, jump right back onto the chandelier. They'll hover by the
area you just vacated. With your feet just touching the chandelier, make a
mini-jump to the right. You'll land to the right of the group, whom you can
easily kill. Grab 'Key 1' from the table and work your way left. Then, jump
onto the chandelier again should any spears fly your way. Then jump to the left
and keep killing goblins until you get trapped in the wire cage hanging in front
of the doorway.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Quite a bit, in all likelihood. The goblins are unending and
their spears do quite a bit of damage. Aim for 1/4 health left or better.
PRISON AND PRISONERS
After a small non-interactive segment, you'll be placed in a cell with another
prisoner and watched over by a guard. You can talk to them about several
topics. Once you've had your fill, go over to the door, BUT DON'T ATTACK IT YET
(thankfully, they didn't take your weapon away from you). Instead, highlight
the jug and offer it to the guard (the 'O' key). He'll take it, drink it, and
fall asleep. Now, begin bashing down the door. It will take some time, but
when it finally blows off its hinges, do the next segment QUICKLY, or else
you'll lose the game. Jump onto the chandelier and begin climbing. You'll pass
by a ledge. Ignore it for now and keep climbing. You'll see another ledge just
above with a goblin on it. Kill him immediately. This should all happen before
the prisoner in the cell with you climbs to the top of the area. If you did it
right, he'll be safe and try to force open a locked door (which you may
recognize as the door where you flicked the switch earlier, lowering the
chandelier). Climb down the chandelier and kill the sleeping guard. He'll
throw 'Key 2' into the cell you escaped from. Take it, then climb up to the
ledge you ignored earlier. Run over and use the key the guard threw to open the
cell door (no need to rush with this prisoner...he'll be fine...for now,
anyway). Climb back up to the top level and jump to the left, where the goblin
was shooting at you. Keep going and you'll come to a table with a ring on it,
and two goblins. Kill the goblins and take the ring.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Not very much, but make sure you have plenty of health just in
case. 1/2 or better should be enough.
AGAIN WITH THE SPIKE TRAP
Ah, those sweet prisoners. Look at them, fighting to get out of this place.
Can't blame them...but too bad they won't see the light of day ever again. Go
to the prisoners and use 'Key 1' to unlock the door. Wait until the two of them
start running, then follow SHORTLY behind...but don't stop running. You see,
you want them far enough ahead to set off those lousy spike traps so you'll be
completely unharmed, but not far enough behind that the traps get a chance to
reset. Once you're safely through, exit the goblin hideout (nice how that
bridge reappeared, isn't it?), run through the caverns (the crystals are no
trouble this time, but keep macing the falling drops), and you're done with what
is the most complicated area of the game. Congratulations!
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: You'll know if you get hit by the spike traps...you'll have to
start the game over again. Other than that, you may get a few drops on you, but
if you hurry, you shouldn't take too much. Anywhere from 1/4 or better is fine.
Part 3: SOUNDING THE HORN
CROSSING THE FALLS
Once you exit the caverns, climb back up to the bridge and the parchment you
left behind (you DID leave the parchment here, didn't you? If not, go get it
now). Go to that tiny rope above the bridge and climb up. After a few short
hops, you'll find yourself in front of a strange, globby substance. Destroy it
with the mace. After using the potion you collected in the goblin caves, run
right and burst open the last chest. Claim the six coins and the bottle of
health. Leave here and go all the way back down the cliffs to the ground. If
you are ar enough to the right, you'll find where the ground ends and a giant
rope begins, hanging over running water. Fall onto the rope and climb it down.
You'll land on a rock. Jump from it to the next rock, and again. A gigantic
head will emerge from the water. No strategy here...just hit it as soon and as
much as possible. It will soon die. Looking ahead, you'll see two rocks. Aim
for the second rock...the first is a fake which will jump at you with a wicked
bite (though not successfully). Once you land, you'll see a rope dangling a
little ways in front of you. Jump, but be carefull...it's a little tricky.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: If you attack quickly enough, the giant head will cause slight
damage. Don't worry about it...it's not enough to kill you unless you're doing
very poorly, and the shot it fires splits into three anyway. I suppose you can
dodge it by jumping back and forth between rock ledges, but it's a lot easier
just to stand your ground. Don't fall into the water if you can help it,
either...you may not be flashing, but it does a surprisingly big amount of
damage. You should stay around 1/2 a bottle or so.
BATS EVERYWHERE
This next section is simple. Simply run and mace any bats THAT ARE DIRECTLY IN
FRONT OF YOU. Don't worry about hitting the others, just run. When you get to
a rope, fall onto it and make a mini-jump to the right. This lowers the amount
of time you are exposed to the never-ending squads of bats that attack.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: You can go down to a little over 1/4 and be safe. Try to
limit hits to one or two.
THE BRIDGE AND BIRD-MAN
You'll come to a bridge. Cross it. Ahead you'll see a bald creature with a
beak and a sword. Now, this part is tricky, but it can be done without losing
health at all. What you have to do is run close enough to the creature to get
him to move closer. AS SOON AS HE DOES, making a far jump to the left. He
should do a leg-stabbing attack and miss you completely. Run back to him, get
him to move, and jump to the left again. Repeat this until you get him to the
bridge. Notice how one of the supports isn't attached? Lure the bird-man to
this spot. When he does, he'll crash through to his death. DO NOT FOLLOW HIM
DOWN YET. Instead, jump over the hole and keep running.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None. He's pretty easy to avoid if you're careful. If you do
get hit, he does significant energy drain. If you feel nervous, use the health
potion before you get to him, but I don't recommend it.
THE OLD MAN AND HIS WONDERFUL RING
Run until you see a house and an old man with his hair being blown by the
breeze. Immediately stop. Hand over the ring and the parchment (in that order)
to the old man using the 'O' key. He'll drop a bluish orb with waves coming out
of it. This is the only weapon that can kill Zelek (and many other things, as
you'll see), so pick it up. The old man has a few things he can talk about, so
ask him if you feel like it. Then run left. Watch your trigger finger in this
area, too...if you accidentally kill the old man before you talk to him, he'll
disappear Jedi-style and you'll be screwed.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None. The old man is no threat...quite the opposite,
actually...so just relax, get the equipment you need, and leave him alone.
THE WHIRLPOOL
Go back to the bridge where bird-man fell through, and leap to the other side.
From the left hand side, fall through the hole and land in the water. The game
will take over from here as you get sucked into a whirlpool and taken to a new
area.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Minor, since the water actually does damage to you (why, I
cannot explain). I recommend jumping in from the left side of the bridge since
your momentum will carry you further to the right, lessening the amount of time
you spend getting hurt. You'll probably have around 1/4 bottle left.
?????
You'll find yourself standing in an area full of mushrooms that looks vaguely
different than Karamoon. Equip your spell, start mini-jumping to the right, and
firing quickly to kill the mini-bats that attack you (if you use the mace, they
little buggers take more than one hit to kill). At the end of the ledge, drop
down and collect the health potion there (using your other one if you haven't
already). Continue mini-jumping to the right again. WHen you reach a rope,
merely swing around it and get to the ledge opposite the one you were just on.
There will be a horn hidden on the ground. Grab it, then descend the rope (be
careful, you do NOT want to do Aarbron's infamous super-slide down the rope).
When near the bottom, hanging over the large acid pit, do a mini-jump to the
right. If you did it right, you should land on safe ground. Keep to the right,
killing mini-bats until they disappear. You'll meet a snail. Ask him whatever
you want, but when you are done ask him about KARAMOON. He'll talk about how
far away it is and ask if you really want to go back. Answer YES. He'll then
ask you to cough up 36 coins (i.e., each and every coin from the 6 chests around
Karamoon). If you don't remember where these are located (and you should, since
almost every single one contains a precious bottle of health), here they are
again:
1. By the Karamoon Oasis, in the area with the second mace twin.
2. In Ishran's Guardhouse, in an area above the big key. You get there via a
chandelier.
3. Don't climb the rope in Barloom's area. It's in a chamber to the right.
4. To the far left of the ledge the slime belcher is on.
5. Between two pits of 'water' in the Crystal Caverns. Hard to miss.
6. Above the slime belcher's bridge, behind a wall of globby stuff.
If you don't have enough, you can't win the game, so be sure to grab them all.
Answer YES again, and the snail will tell you a few things, then transport you
back.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Those mini-bats can be killed easily, but can be troublesome
if you don't move quickly. If you are above 1/2 health when you are ready to
leave, though, don't use the bottle of health you find here yet.
THE AXE TWINS
You'll arrive back in Karamoon right where the old man was standing before.
Switch back to the mace and run right. You'll come across two giant barbarians
sling axes at you. Jump over their axes as best you can and hit them. They'll
fall back. Continue to do this until they stop moving backwards. Then, just
jump straight up in the air over their axes and mace them (they have a regular
pattern; when their arms bend backward, that's the signal to jump). When they
explode, run past them and enter the swamp.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: It'll probably be difficult to dodge the axes while they can
still move back, but try your best. Their pattern is ridiculously easy to spot
once they're stuck and easy enough to dodge if you're quick. If you are about
1/4, you're doing average...between that and 1/2 is great.
THE SWAMP
Very easy area, as long as you keep running. Switch back to the spell and shoot
any frogs that appear in front of you. Some will appear behind you, but if you
keep moving they won't have a chance to catch up. You'll eventually arrive at a
odd tree with a snake-like creature popping out of it...just shoot it once and
it will be destroyed. Keep moving, though...the creature keeps coming back.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Though the occasional frog may break through your defenses, it
is very easy to get through here without being hurt. The snake monster only
requires a little distance and a quick tap from the fire button...I've never
been hurt by it before, and you shouldn't be either.
THE SEA
After the tree, keep running and you'll come to the sea. Switch to the horn and
use it. A monster will pop out of the water. Climb on its back and prepare to
reach the final island.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None. Good thing, too...the final battle's just around the
corner.
Part 4: ZELEK'S KEEP
FINAL PREPARATIONS
The monster will deposit you on the opposite shore. Run right and enter Zelek's
fortress. You'll come to a stairway leading down. Take it for a short while
until you see a chandelier and a second set of steps leading up. Jump onto the
chandelier and jump to these other stairs. Follow them to a much-needed (and
final) bottle of health. Then, go back to the main staircase and follow it all
the way to the bottom.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: None, but if you've done well you should have at least 3/4
health and a bottle of health in reserve; if you managed to hang on to two, 1/2
to a 1/4 is excellent. You'll need all the help you can get in the next
section.
ZELEK
If you haven't switch to the spell. Run through the hallway at the bottom of
the stairs and you'll meet the Beast Mage himself. Zelek's attacks and pattern
are simplistic, but devastating. First of all, his attacks: his staff tip glows
shortly before firing a large, blue fireball to the bottom left. He also can
fire a jet of flame straight down from the bottom of his staff, cooking you if
you are too close. Also, if you are touching Zelek at all, he causes damage.
His pattern is basically to hover almost right on top of you, erratically
swooping slightly to the left and right. He'll follow you as far as the short
corridor to your left, at which point he'll retreat slightly.
Now, how to kill this dink once and for all:
If you are going to be hit by Zelek, try to make it the fireball; it does quite
a bit of damage, but much less than collision damage with Zelek himself or his
jet of flame. You'll want to stay approximately between the fireball's range
and Zelek's staff to avoid taking too much damage. Now, the tough part...you
have to jump in order for the spell to hurt Zelek. The trick is when you first
see him to mini-jump straight up and hit him once, twice, or even three times
(depending on how fast your trigger finger is) until he starts chasing you.
Stay between his fireballs and himself as well as possible until you reach that
corridor. When he retreats, he'll stop attacking for a moment. STAY WITH HIM
AND FIRE A FEW TIMES. Don't let him get off-screen, as this gives him the
attack advantage (i.e., you'll be right in fireball range once you come into
sight). Once you've gone a few feet, he starts advancing. Move back until he
retreats, and fire again. Repeat as often as necessary. Once he starts
exploding, congratulations! You just beat one of the most difficult games ever
made without cheating! (You...DID play through without cheating, didn't you?)
DAMAGE SUSTAINED: Ungodly. You'll probably have to blow through a bottle or two
of health before this sucker's done for. As I said above, his pattern's easy to
understand, but hard to avoid. Don't worry if you don't get him on your first
time through...I fought him about ten times before he finally went down (that's
right, ten half-hour sessions of going through the game only to get destroyed by
him. I do have to say he's a better boss than the other two Beast games,
though...)
VI. Cheat Code
Because most of you will probably want this, I'm putting it in, but don't thank
me later for it!
At the start of the game, go right. The first pygmy will say "Halt, stranger!
No one enters our wood!" He can't have attacked you yet for this to work. Ask
him about TEN PINTS. A message will appear saying, "This is for you, Roger.
Cheat mode now active." You will now be completely invincible, which is both a
blessing and curse.
ADVANTAGES:
Puzzles and bosses become much easier; no fear of dying, after all!
Gives all players a chance of seeing the dang ending...for what it's worth.
DISADVANTAGES:
Nothing can kill you...including the function key which kills you automatically.
If you forgot something or screwed up, you have to reboot the game from scratch.
By 'from scratch', I mean turn the computer off and on again, then watch the
entire intro sequence. Heavy price to pay, I'd say.
VII. Final Words and Some Rambling
Final words? Yeah, I got 'em. Christmas, 1990. That's when I got the first
two Beast games. Thirteen years later and I've put them (and Beast 3) to a
long-deserved rest. Yes, it's sad that it's taken so long to finally beat these
games (especially since the endings of the first two are a little...er,
unsatisfying to say the least, considering how amazing the intros were), but
there's also a sense of satisfaction. After all, it's not often one gets to say
they've beaten the most ridiculously hard series of games in existence the
'right' way...that is, without cheat codes, trainers, hacks, etc. Hopefully
this guide will also help you earn that oh so sweet reward of earning an ending
rather than just getting to it.
But thirteen years...what's happened in that time? Quite a lot. Commodore, who
made the Amiga, went bankrupt in 1995. Ever since then the Amiga has had a
great underground following, and may even make a comeback (as of this release,
Amiga is now owned by its own company, and new systems are already
available...though its official OS isn't due out until December '03 or later).
Psygnosis has been bought out by Sony and now only makes platform games. Martin
Howarth, one of the original designers, is still head of Reflections, although
the company has become an in-house studio of another company. They're now in
the business of driving games. You might recognize some of their works...the
critically acclaimed Driver and Stuntman come to mind.
Amazing what got started from a side-scroller and some twisted (but in a GOOD
way) imaginations, isn't it?
Well, hope you enjoyed the guide as much as I enjoyed making it. And good luck
with those Amigas...even if the physical machine doesn't last, its spirit will.
