RYGAR (arcade version)
AN FAQ FOR THE CLASSIC ARCADE GAME RYGAR
Copyright 1999 Steven House
All Rights Reserved
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by Steven House (a.k.a Octavian)
Wrote on 4 April 1999
Version 1.0
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This is a very basic Rygar FAQ which includes only what could fit in
text only format. For screenshots, hi-scores, .inp files for playback,
game glitches, Rygar rumours and emulator info/downloads visit my
Rygar page at -
http://surf.to/rygar
This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It can only be
reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be
added as long as this disclaimer, credits and the above copyright notice
appears in full. This FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional
purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides,
books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, etc. in ANY way without
my permission. This FAQ was created and is owned by me, Steven House.
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged that are not specifically
mentioned in this FAQ. Please give credit where it is due.
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RYGAR FAQ INDEX
============================
1. ABOUT RYGAR
2. SPECIAL POWERS
3. ARTIFACTS
4. TEMPLE SCORING
5. SECRET BONUSES
6. PLAYING TIPS
7. MAXIMISING YOUR SCORE
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1. ABOUT RYGAR
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"Legendary Warrior Rygar" was an arcade platform game wrote by Tecmo in
1986. You played the part of a barbarian warrior trying to reclaim the
land from an evil Dominator and his legions of minions. You had to fight
your way through 27 rounds with a unique weapon which was like a lethal
razor sharp disk that he would hurl at enemies!
Rygar was released on home computer/console. The conversions I know of
are Atari Lynx, NES, Spectrum 48k and Commodore 64. All of these were
based on the arcade game except the NES version which recreated Rygar
in its own style.
Rygar is supported by two freeware emulators called REM and Rishgar
plus the excellent MAME emu. See my Rygar page for info and downloads.
http://surf.to/rygar
This FAQ covers only the arcade version of Rygar and no conversions. I
have tips and info of the conversions on my site. An FAQ for the NES
version can probably be found on the same site as this one.
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2. SPECIAL POWERS
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How long it takes you get get all the powers depends on the difficulty
setting of the machine. On the hardest setting you can usually get all 4
on the first level just by waiting as long as possible. On the lower
settings it can take as long as 4-5 rounds before you get all 4. The Cross
Power is only ever found on set levels.
If you get the Cross while you have the other 4 powers you gain a huge
160k pts bonus! If you don't die and get another Cross you don't receive
another 160k though :( The Cross power only appears on set levels or in the
? object. Once you have got the powers, the blue 1000 pts objects start to
appear randomly.
Each one of the powers are hidden in various stones - some only appear in
the Japanese version of the game.
STAR POWER - Increases the range of your weapon. On the Jap version this
power is hidden in a stone on round 5.
CROWN POWER - Increases your firepower, letting you kill multiple enemies.
This power is hidden in a stone on round 9 on both versions.
TIGER POWER - Let's you kill ANY enemy just by jumping on them. On the Jap
version this power is hidden in a stone on round 21.
CROSS POWER - Limited invincibility lasting 10 - 45 seconds depending on
the level. If you collection a second cross power and the
first hasn't expired extra invincibility time isn't added on.
The Cross powers are hidden in stones on rounds 7, 17 and 25.
SUN POWER - Allows greater control over vertical firing. The Sun power is
hidden in a stone on round 10 on both versions. On the Jap
version there's another Sun near the start of round 17.
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3. ARTIFACTS
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All the below items can be found hidden in the stones. Some like the
explosion item are always hidden in set places every game, but most of the
rest appear randomly in stones. The stones they're found in are always in
the same places each game tho.
FIRE STONE - 200 pts. The ones fired out of fire pits on some levels can be
shot but this scores you just 100 pts.
INSIGNIA - 500 pts. Commonly found and nothing special about this one.
BLUE SHIELD - 1000 pts. They also start to appear randomly after you've
collected all 4 powers.
EXPLOSION - Kills everything on the screen and gives you 10k pts bonus.
Note you don't get extra pts for what you kill. These items are
ALWAYS in the same set places every game.
? OBJECT - This is very rare but can appear on any level. It's worth a
random amount of points if collected or keep shooting at it
and it will turn into the four items above (in that order) and
then the Cross power.
TIME OBJECT - Adds 20 seconds to the clock.
FLYING MAN - Gives your an extra life. These can sometimes be found in the
stones on rounds 4, 12, 18 and 25. On the Jap version there's
another on level 14 too.
SILVER STAR - Collect 7 stars for a 70,000 pts bonus.
PARCHMENT - The highest scoring object in the game (see bonuses).
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4. TEMPLE SCORING
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The bulk of your points are built up in two ways - by scoring pts in the
end of round temple and from secret bonuses in the rounds. Below are the
points which are gained in the end of round temple. There's always a clue
in the temple as to what's on the next round. The clue's are pretty
obvious but helpful for rounds you've never explored I suppose.
Repulse Bonus: Each enemy killed is worth 200 pts upto a max of 12,800 pts.
Timer Bonus: You get 100 pts for each remaining second.
Rank Bonus: You get the points for whatever rank you're currently on.
NOTES ABOUT RANK
----------------
How does the game work out the rank? Well it's based purely on the number of
kills you've made in total per rank, regardless of dying. After you get
promotion count the number of kills from zero again. As you can see the
stripes start off pretty inconsistent but end up just being another stripe
per 50 kills, looks like the programmers got bored!
RANK SCORE AWARDED IN TEMPLE # of Stripes/Kills
1 0 pts, plus 1000 pts for each stripe. II = 20 Kills
(the minimum score for this rank is 1000 pts) III = 50 Kills
Promotion To Second Rank On 130 Kills. IIII = 90 Kills
2 5000 pts, plus 1000 pts for each stripe. I = 40 Kills
II = 90 Kills
III = 140 Kills
Promotion To Third Rank On 240 Kills. IIII = 190 Kills
3 10,000 pts, plus 1000 pts for each stripe. I = 50 Kills
II = 100 Kills
III = 150 Kills
Promotion To Forth Rank On 250 Kills. IIII = 200 Kills
4 15,000 pts, plus 1000 pts for each stripe. I = 50 Kills
II = 100 Kills
III = 150 Kills
Promotion To Fifth Rank On 250 Kills IIII= 200 Kills
5 20,000 pts, plus 1000 pts for each stripe. I = 50 Kills
II = 100 Kills
III = 150 Kills
Promotion To Sixth Rank On 250 Kills. IIII = 200 Kills
6 25,000 pts, plus 1000 pts for each stripe. I = 50 Kills
II = 100 Kills
III = 150 Kills
Promotion To "BEST" Rank On 250 Kills IIII = 200 Kills
7 30,000 pts (but see below).
Once you get the "BEST" rank, your rank is actually still increasing by 1
stripe for every 50 kills and 5000pts extra for every 250 kills. For some
reason the programmers decided to continue the ranking score but not to
include any more graphics. On the high scores table the graphics "loop
around" and display the first rank badge onwards. I would have thought that
the programmers would have changed the colour of the wings or something. It
looks very strange to finish the game with 4,000,000+ pts and have the first
rank!
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5. SECRET BONUSES
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Now you know about the temple scoring, you'll need to know about the big
bonuses. These are all the high scoring bonuses you'll need to get that
elusive 5,000,000+ score!
1st 10,000 Bonus
----------------
I found out this tip on Rogers Tips & Tricks Page. This bonus is a bit
tricky. Fabio Gama reports that in order for this to work, the hundred
number of your points must be the same as the units of your time (e.g.
33,330 pts and 013.30 seconds, or 100,000 pts and 00.00 seconds. As you
are finishing the round, as soon as the computer takes control and starts
to guide you into the temple hold down back and left. If done correctly
you'll receive a cool 10k!
2nd 10,000 Bonus
----------------
There's a 10k bonus available from the 4 creatures that stand on each others
shoulders. You must kill all 4 of them before they touch the ground. There's
several ways to do this but the easiest way is with the Crown and Sun
powers. Simply stand at the bottom of the stack and shoot straight up!
On round 17 these creatures are unlimited and form a new stack every few
seconds. Staying back on that round after a time-out might even net you as
much as an extra 100k if you can dodge Death for long enough!
50,000 Bonus
------------
This one is scored from any of the large blue demons that appear at the end
of every 4th round and also there's two on the final round. You need the
Tiger power for this, just jump on his head and kill him for an easy 50k!
1st 70,000 Bonus
----------------
You can get 70,000 pts for collecting the stars hidden in the stones. For
each 7 you collect you get 70k regardless of how many times you died.
2nd 70,000 Bonus
----------------
In the middle of round 13 there is a tree where if you shoot at it in
various places stars will appear. Every star you reveal counts as one
collected. So in other words you can reveal all the stars and get 70k and
then collect them to get a total of 140,000 pts. Some of the stars are in
bad positions so you'll have to bounce off a falling warrior to get them.
100,000 Bonus
-------------
If you finish the game you only receive a 100,000 pts bonus! This is strange
as it is only the third highest bonus in the game. Perhaps there's a higher
bonus if you finish the game without dying?
160,000 Bonus
-------------
This is received by collecting all 5 of the special powers. The bad thing is
it can only be gained once per life. But is there a way to get more?
1,000,000 Bonus
---------------
On round 13 where the star tree is there's a hidden parchment which is worth
a massive 1,000,000 pts! The place to shoot at is at the top of the screen
above the rightmost star. When you shoot nothing will happen except make a
sound like a stone breaking. After a dozen or so hits (less with the Crown
power) a red parchment will fall down which is worth 1,000,000 pts when
collected! Grab it quick because it vanishes after only a few seconds!
I read somewhere that you can't get this bonus if you have the Sun power.
This is wrong as I have got it by using it and using the normal arch is
slightly harder to hit the right place.
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6. PLAYING TIPS
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Here's a few general playing tips to help you survive! Hopefully, there
should be something here for the newbie and veteran alike .
GRIFFIN RIDING
--------------
This is a cool trick, but brought shouts of "boooo! chicken!" if done in the
arcade while spectators were watching! I suppose 'cos it was only ever used
by people who'd lost most of their lives by level 7 . It obviously only
works if you don't have the Tiger power. On the levels where the swarms of
griffins appear (e.g. level 7 and so on) wait until one swoops down on you
from overhead. When its at its lowest point jump up and land on its back.
You'll see that you'll be able to bounce on its back by tapping the joystick
right continuously. This way you will be able to ride it all the way to the
end of the level as no enemies will be able to touch you. The only bad
thing is you miss a lot of points and powers this way.
I've attempted to try the same trick with the dragons (that drop the
warriors), but you seem to get killed after a few bounces as they move a
lot quicker.
ROPE SHIELD
-----------
On any of the rope stages if you kill any of the long-tounged lizards or the
Cave Bat's missile with an overhead with a arc shot a shield will appear in
the place where you hit. The shield moves as you do and can be used to "ram"
into the other lizards.
MORE POWERFUL FIRING
--------------------
If you've got the Crown, Sun and Star powers, if you fire forward and then
tap upwards you do a vertical shot a lot quicker than normal. This is sort
of like a more lethal version of the arc shot and vastly improves your
killing power! This works just with the Sun power of course but is less
deadly.
Another interesting thing about shooting with the Sun power - if you are on
a tree branch and jump up high enough, you can do a vertical shot and kill
things in the lava below! This is useful for killing the lava men or worms
as they are moving out of the ground.
When you've got the Star power you seem to have slightly more range firing
to the left than to the right. Shooting left goes to the edge of the screen
but shooting right falls short considerably.
CONCEALMENT
------------
When standing beside a rock you can move into them, crouch and tuck yourself
in. This will make you unreachable by certain enemys. The same can be said
about standing on the absolute edge of a pit but mind you don't fall in!
MAKE TIME PAY
-------------
It's never worth finshing a level with time still remaining on the clock.
However, if you collect an Time Item after the clock has reached zero, the
seconds are added on but the clock doesn't go down again. This means you get
the full points for the time remaining at the end of the level and can stay
on the level longer to boost your rank bonus.
Another interesting thing about game time - it seems to down faster if your
moving left than if you are heading right towards the end of the level. If
you stand still it runs a bit quicker than normal time, but it even goes
down quicker even if you just turn to the left!
DICING WITH DEATH
-----------------
As I've said earlier the key to getting a hi-score lies with rank. Death
appears at the end of a time out and makes getting extra pts more and more
risky. It's difficult to judge whether or not you are ment to duck or jump
after a while. But I've found that if you jump a split second after Death
leaves the screen he will float back in from the left more in the middle of
the screen. This increases your chances of surviving as you know where he
will reappear. But you won't be able to stay on the round forever as Death
eventually becomes so fast he reappears on the screen almost before he's
left it the first time!!!
END OF CONTINUE
---------------
Not exactly a tip, more a word of caution for arcade players. Unlike other
arcade games, Rygar was wisely programed to only accept continues up until
level 21, even on the emulators this applies. This way the only people to
finish the game where the ones who deserved to :) The one thing I could
never stand was someone who would finish an arcade game first just because
he'd slapped in £100 worth of continues (with each credit lasting about 10
seconds) and then act as if he'd achieved something.
DEFEATING THE DOMINATOR
-----------------------
The Dominator is suprisingly easy to kill. Okay, he'll probably kill you the
first time you meet but that's probably more to do with the adrenaline and
excitment of the final encounter. When it comes down to it the Dominator is
all bluff.
When you enter the final chamber run straight to the right hand side of the
room and the Dominator will roar and jump right over you. You can then turn
and shoot at him. When he attempts to jump on you, run straight under him
and shoot him again. Basically you just repeat this pattern until he dies,
which is only after a few hits if you have the Crown power. I've finished
the game on all of the difficulty settings and this tactic works on every
one. The Dominator is worth 22k when he's killed and he can be killed
instantly with the Tiger power too but you aren't awarded a 50k bonus.
=========================================================================
7. MAXIMISING YOUR SCORE
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There's basically two ways to maximise your score...
STAY AND FIGHT!
---------------
The secret to getting a high 5,000,000+ score lies in fighting. The more
monsters you kill the more points you get from repulse and rank bonuses. The
more rank you have the more points you will score in each consecutive level,
which works out better in the long run. On the first level I usually try to
score at least 100,000 pts before entering the temple (with the blue rank
and a stripe). On each level you should try to fight on as long as possible,
even jumping over Death a few times to boost up you ranking as much as
possible. This is especially important on the later levels when some players
tend to try to survive by running through the levels rather than fighting.
The most important levels to stay back and fight on are the ones with the
Dragons that carry the Mutant Warriors like round 14. Each one of these
killed gets you 1,250 pts - the equivellent of 12 seconds!
You could memorise my table in the Bonuses & Scoring bit to work out how
many more kills you need. You may as well stay back a bit if you only need 5
more kills for another stripe, but not if you need another 50...
Another reason to wait for a time out is it's easier to manipulate the score
in order to get the 10,000 bonus when entering the temple while the time is
at 00:00.
Finally, always play to get the highest score possible, not just to survive.
I've seen some people do all the above until later in the game when their
bottle goes and they end up just dodging their way past the enemys. It may
get you to the end of the level but it doesn't score very highly.
STAGING YOUR DEATHS!
--------------------
If you get a Question Mark object before level 7 you could get the 10k
Explosion object. Sure if you get the Cross you'll get the 160,000 pts
earlier, but your not really gonna die before round 7 are you? On the other
hand you could get the Cross, the 160k and then die to collect another 160k
on level 7 :) If you get it on a level which contains loads of Dragon Riders,
wait until well into a time out and then get the Cross. This give you time
to bag even more of the 1,250 Dragons :) Yep, deliberately dying can get you
a lot more points...
There's a way to milk about another 500k+ pts out of the game, but some
might consider this points leeching and unfair. It works best if the
machine is set to hardest difficulty so there's more mutants attacking. If
you use up your first two lives and your 50k/200k bonus lives to stay on the
first round as long as possible you'll leave the first round with a rank
possibly as high as well into the fourth rank. This can give you as much as
an extra 12,000+ pts per round more than you would have got if you'd left the
round with your two lifes remaining and just the first or second rank. 12,000
pts extra per round for 26 rounds makes you just under 312k extra. And then
there's the pts you scored on top of that as well from the first round :) On
the easier settings an overall bonus of 90k-120k plus your pts is more
likely. I personally don't consider this points leeching as you still have
to be a bloody good player to finish the game 3 men down! It is quite easy
to finish the game without dying much so this adds extra challenge to the
game!
Other rounds that are good to deliberatly die on are round 14 where the
Dragon Riders are (plus you'll need to die to get the 160k Cross on round
17 anyway) and round 17 where the Mutants form unlimited stacks worth 10k
apiece.
