atari2600land's Blog

The GBA version was a pretty bad port, and probably the worst one to play first if you've never played any other version of this game before (By the sounds of the review, I'm guessing you haven't ). If you get a chance, I may recommend trying the SNES, Genesis or Sega CD versions if you have the hardware (The Jaguar version is also good, but it doesn't run as smooth as the 16-bit versions, making it more difficult to get used to). As far as difficulty, yes, this isn't an easy game when set next to a lot of other popular 2D platformers in the '90s. The levels can seem confusing at first, but after a few plays you will get used to them and be able to run right through them (While finding all the secrets). The inconvenience of the GBA screen probably doesn't help much in getting used to it, either.

 

As far as the boss, make sure you saved your stones through the level (for the most part), as they are essentially your basic projectiles. The boss essentially just moves left and right, occasionally jumping (but usually not). Jump over him, and as he's running in the opposite direction, you can throw one, two, maybe three stones at him. You have to be quick with it, but when you get the hang of it, rinse and repeat! Also, there are also two special items that are less frequently available (but you do get a few on the first stage)--the boomerang and the explosive/bomb shot. I highly recommend the explosive on boss fights, as it doesn't have to hit exactly dead-on and it will take off a good chunk of life.

 

Hope that helps.