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The Caves of ZZT - Walkthrough
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Scott Walker
vulpix@flash.net
v1.0 First draft, completed 4-23-99.
Feel free to distribute as long as it is unaltered. Please send comments/suggestions
to vulpix@flash.net.
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To solve the Caves of ZZT, you need four purple keys to grant access to the castle. These
keys are located in the forest, north of the forest, in the hall of mirrors, and in the
depths of hell. You can get the keys in any order.
Getting Started
---------------
From the start, collect the torches and go south. Light a torch and work your
way to the right. Go east.
Make your way through this cave while watching out for tigers. Shoot them all
and collect the torches at the other side. There will also be gems on this side
so be careful not to shoot them. You'll get more health points when you collect
them. Go north after doing all this.
The Forest Key
--------------
Go east at the forest to the red key room. Go in and get the red key. Then:
1. Move the first and seconds rows in the bottom group one space to the right.
2. Move the third and fourth rows in the upper group one space to the right.
3. Move the vertical arrow one space up or down and let the row push you out.
The Control Room
Go west and west again to the control room. Just run through the red monsters in
the forest. You won't take too much damage and it will conserve your ammo.
Level yourself with the upper control on the left and start firing. You'll kill
some monsters and eventually hit the control button with a bullet and bring the
shield over. Once it the shield is over on the left, kill any remaining monsters
in the central area. Get inside the shield and shoot the lower control button.
Move with the shield over to the left. Don't go too fast, or the shield may split!
Once on the other side, take the lower passage to the red door and get the yellow
key. Just go as fast as you can both way and you shouldn't get shot. Use the yellow
key to unlock the yellow door at the top of the room. Go north.
You'll need to collect all the gems in this room, but you can't shoot. Think Pac
Man and use the energizers to your advantage. Go north.
The Sucker Puzzle
What ever you do, DON'T go through the spinners to the key! You will get stuck.
Do this:
1. Push the row in the upper left box one space left.
2. On the lower left, push the first column up one space.
3. Push the row in the upper right box one space left.
4. On the lower right, push the first and third columns up one space.
5. Push the middle row left or right one space.
6. Go around top and push the middle column down five spaces so the purple
key passes the spinners.
7. Grab the key.
Go to the castle and open the first purple door.
The Mirror Key
--------------
From the castle, go south. This room can be difficult. You have to go through the
dark while killing tigers. It is made harder by a number of reflectors that cause
the shots to bounce around. Go slow, collect all the ammo and health along the way,
and be sure to step aside after you shoot to avoice reflected shots. Go south.
Go south again to the gate.
1. Get the torches and go to the right. Take the down teleporter.
2. Follow that passage and push the row at the end to the left.
3. Go back up and take the right teleporter.
4. Follow that passage and push the first column you come to down one space.
5. Keep going left and take the up teleporter, then the first down teleporter
you come to.
6. Go to the right and push the row two spaces right.
7. Go back through the up teleporter and continue down the passage above.
8. Push the column at the end down two spaces.
9. Return to the first set of teleporters and go up the passage to a left
teleporter at the top of the room.
10. Follow the passage and go down the right one at the fork. Take the down
teleporter and push the column up one space. Return to the fork.
11. Now take the left passage and push the row at the end two spaces to the right.
12. Return to the start of the room and take the passage going down. You should
now be able to go through it by pushing blocks out of the way.
13. Go south then east to...
The House of Mirrors
Be sure to collect the ammo and gems along the way.
1. Go up the right side to the top, then over to the middle.
2. Go down the middle to the bottom walls, then go up to the upper right corener
(just under where you went before), and loop around the diagonal wall.
3. Go down and through the tiny room with the centepede in it and across the
bottom.
4. Go up at the left side of the bottom passage and around the top.
5. Kill the centepede in the right room in the upper left corner of the main room.
Do this from the top hole.
6. Go down along the diagonal and wait just to the right of the shots from the
gun. Wait for a gap and run across to the left side. Get all the gems and
the scroll. Pick up the key and exit.
Follow the caves to the yellow room. Head toward the torches, but take the upper
path near them. Collect the gems, then go through the teleporter to the torches.
Get the torches and kill the centepedes. At the bottom fork, go left and get the
red key. Then go east and out of the room.
Go north from the blue room. You'll end up at the start, so go west then north
to unlock the second purple door.
The Key from Hell
-----------------
Return to the start and go south. Go to the bottom of the room and unlock the red
door. Follow the path south then east. In the second room go up and collect the
ammo and talk to the vendor. Go east again.
Hell
There are six rooms here, five with blue keys and one with blue doors. Collect the
blue keys one by one to open those doors. Most keys require you to deal with plenty
of monsters to get them. You should have plenty of ammo by now, so feel free to
blast away. However, sometimes it's just easier to skirt the edges and sneak by.
On the room where it says push, start shooting to the left immediatly to take care
of the shooting tigers. Be sure to collect all the gems and ammo you come across
too.
Once the blue doors are open, you will need to kill the invisible demon. This can
be difficult since... he is invisible! You can get an idea of where he is from
where his shots come from. Once you know that, fire a shot in that direction and
immediatly move a space closer and shoot again. This will create a wall of fire
that has a better chance of hitting him than random shots. Do this several times.
River Styx
Go east to the River Styx. This can be hard too. The red monsters release spinners
and you can't shoot. Try to place yourself in the upper left corners of the purple
walls blocking your path. With luck, the spinners will come along and destroy the
walls on the way to attacking you. If you think one will hit you, try running to
a spot where the spinner gets stuck and wait. It will eventually go away. Do this
for all the walls and run east.
Depths of Hell
Shoot all the red monsters, but don't hit the guy. He'll release a spinner if you
do. After the monsters are gone, touch the guy and repeat. If a spinner is released,
run to the small entryway and go to the bottom side. You can wait out the spinners
here.
After the third guy, go to the passage on the left and go up between the arrows.
When you touch the guy at the end, the arrow disappear and the guns fire. Get the
gems and key first, then the energizer. Run through the shots while you are
invincible. Go to the door and open it. Go west to the river.
Run trying to avoid the spinners and go south as soon as possible. Here you can
collect some ammo and gems, but only get the ones not next to the centepedes. It's
really hard to get the ones next to them without taking damage.
When you are ready, go north as far right as possible. From the river, run to the
east.
The Devil
Collect the ammo and blast all the centipedes. This is easier if you get up top
as quick as possible. A gate will open every once in a while and let some out.
Wait by the gate and blast when it is open. You can position yourself in the gate
to keep it open while you shoot.
Touch the blue wall. The gems will turn into tigers. Kill all them too using the
same technique.
Go over to the left and get the purple key. Talk to the guy and he will let you
pass. Go around and push the arrows. Go talk to the devil. Answer yes to his
question. Go through the exit.
Follow the passage east, then go north. You will be at the start. Go unlock the
next purple door.
The Puzzling Key
----------------
Go to the start, then south, east, and north to the forest. Go north in the forest
to a room full of gems and keys.
Go the the left side of the room and get a green key, then go to the right side
and get a blue key. Use them to open the first two doors. Now you can push the
blocks to the left so you won't have to go around the bottom again. Keep getting
green and blue keys until all the doors are unlocked. Be sure to collect all the
gems and ammo too. Go north.
Another Weird Puzzle
Get the first blue key and open the door above the green block group on the right.
Get the blue key and use it to unlock the first door on the small room contatining
three blue keys.
On the block group:
1. Push the right column one space down.
2. Push the top row one space to the left.
3. Push the column next to the right one one space down.
4. Push the top row one space to the left.
5. Push the left column one space down.
6. Push the bottom row one space to the left.
7. Push the column to the right of the key down two spaces.
8. Get the key and use it to unlock the second door on the small room with
three blue keys.
Use the three keys to open the small room with four blue keys.
Use these keys to open the three doors that go around the top of the room in
the lower left corner with the two keys embedded in a block of arrows. DO NOT
OPEN THE DOORS TO THIS BLOCK OF ARROWS OR THE GEMS! If you do, you will be out of
keys and will not be able to pass the room.
Get the blue key in the lower left corner and open the next blue door. Go up the
left side and get the next blue key. Use this key to open the door to the right
of the lower row of arrows. Push the row two spaces to the left.
Go back around and up the left side. Push the right block up and get one of
the keys above the second row of arrows. Go around and use it to unlock the
first door under the column of arrows and blocks.
Use the last key from the small room to unlock the second door.
From the left side, move the bottom row of arrows six spaces to the right. Now
you can access two more keys. Use them to unlock the thrid and fourth doors by the
column. Grab the next key and use it to unlock the door under the group of blocks
in the lower right corner of the main room.
Get the next key and unlock the next door on the right. Go up the right side, push
the green block left, and push the column of arrows down one space.
Go back around to the upper left corner and get the next blue key. Push the top
row two spaces to the right. Use the key to unlock the blue door next to the column.
Push the green block beyond the door all the way up. Move the top row all the way
to the left. You can now get the last key and unlock the last door. Go west.
The Shooting Room
This room is really hard. You can't shoot and must negotiate the shots and reflected
shots. If you are hit, you go back to the beginning.
The best thing to do is stay close to the reflectors. That way you can see what is
comming and not have to worry about the reflections. That's about it. You'll get
lucky eventually. Go west.
This is easy, kill the monsters. They will come straight at you, so if you blast
away with reckless abandon and kill two or three rows, you can run around them
and repeat. Collect the ammo and go west.
Use the same technique in this room. On the left side, however, it is easier to
hang out far to the right. The monsters will flock over there and line up in
one row for you to shoot. Get the purple key and go east.
Go east again, then south, south, east, north, east, and north to the castle.
Unlock the last door and go in.
The Castle
----------
Go north twice.
Engineer Required
1. Shoot the bottom two rows of walls so nothing stands between you and the
red doors.
2. Push the left two columns of blocks up three spaces. Wait behind them for
the guns to destroy all the vertical walls in the lower part. Destroy any
that are left.
3. In the group of blocks you pushed up, push the middle row four spaces left
and the top group six spaces left. This will block the first four guns to
the left of you.
4. Push the last row of the previous group up one space and left four spaces.
You should now have the first four guns blocked.
5. Push the single block way out on the right up one space and all the way to the
left. This will block the top gun in the vertical group on the left side of the
room.
6. Push the right block in the group of two down one space to block the last gun
in the horizontal group. Push the remaining block all the way to the left to
block the middle gun in the vertical group.
7. Go back near the beginning and push on of the vertical groups of three blocks
up three spaces. Push one of those blocks over to the far left to block the
last gun in the vertical group.
8. Destroy the horizontal wall below you and above the bottom left key.
9. Go in behind the blocks. Push the top one right to the gun. Push the bottom
one right to the gun. Push the middle one up one space, right two, and down
one. Grab the key.
10. Destroy the wall below the ammo group left of the red doors. Grab the ammo.
Destroy the wall going to the doors. Unlock the red door and the far left
of the door group.
11. Destroy the wall above the vertical group of guns on the left. Go back to the
group of two blocks you left near the start. Use them to block the bottom two
guns in the newly exposed group of vertical guns on the left.
12. Go back to the start and push the last group of three blocks up three spaces.
Use one of them to block the last gun on the left.
13. Destroy the wall leading to the key in the upper left corner. Push the top row
of four block up to block all the guns except the middle one above the key.
14. Push the second block from the lower row of blocks up so it is next to the key.
Push the block over one space. This will block the gun and give you access to
the key. Grab the key.
15. Unlock the red door above the one you already unlocked.
16. Push the remaing two blocks near the start over to the right so they block
the first two guns in the horizontal group at the top. Take the bottom two
ammos BUT NOT THE TOP ONE! The top one will act as a shield. Push the blocks
up to the guns at the top.
17. Go back to the upper left corner and push the third and fourth blocks from
the horizontal row down and over to the right. Push them UNDER the ammo and
up to block the fourth and fifth guns at the top.
18. Destory any remaining wall below you. Repeat what you did in the lower left
corner: Push the top and bottom blocks right to block the guns. Push the middle
block up one space, right two, and down one. Get the key.
19. Unlock the door to the right of the previously unlocked one.
20. Destory the wall on the gun group to the right of the doors. Push the rightmost
block up one space, and the one to the left of that up two spaces. Push those
blocks over to the right, blocking the guns.
21. Push the remaining block down and over to the right. Push it UNDER the ammo and
up the the opening. Push it right one space to block the first gun in the
horizontal group.
22. Go up to the top using the column above the first gun. At the top, wait until
you get a gap in the fire from the second gun and run across. Save before you
do this if you are low on health. The gap comes pretty fast, so you may not get
it the first time.
23. On the other side of the key, Push the rightmost block down one space and the
other one left one space. This will block the third gun.
24. Go over and destory the last two sections of wall on the right. Push the top
block over one space. Go up and push the block and key one space to the left.
Go over the top and get the key.
25. Unlock the door above the previously unlocked one. Go north.
The Cage
You'll need to move the blocks certain ways to let the monsters out. If you go
straight in, you'll take damage. Of course you can do this if you have a lot of
life, but if you don't...
Kill the tigers first. Just push on their row a few spaces and they will come out
the other side.
For the brown monsters, push one side up a space, then the other. Repeat twice. Go
around and kill the bottom row. These monsters only attack in a line, so you can
get under them and kill a whole column. Repeat with the other column.
For the centipedes, push the top pink row two to the right then push the pink block
below it one to the right. Get above the block you just pushed. Wait until the
centipedes are away from you and push the block down. This will make an opening.
Go in and waste em.
For the red monsters, push the bottom green row over one space. Push the left block
of that row up one space. Push the group of two green blocks on the left over one
space to the right. Push the left block of that group up one space. There should
be an opening at the top and the monsters will come out. Kill them and grab the key.
Open the door, go east, then south. Enjoy the ending and your high score.
