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Penguin Adventure's Help and Trivia
Penguin Adventure's Help and Trivia
This is one of my favourite games, mainly because it is charismatic and
has one of the most wonderful soundtracks ever made.
It is also the game I had spent more time trying to finish. It has two
different openings, one shown only in Japanese machines, presenting its
original name, Yume Tairiku Adobentchya- (夢大陸 アドベンチャー), which means "adventure
in the dream continent". The game presents you, Pentarou, a
penguin, with a mission: save the Penguin Princess, Penko Hime (ペン子姫), who is very ill. Only a
special fruit, the Golden Apple (黄金 の リンゴ) can save her life and the Penguin Kingdom. You have to run from
the Penguin Palace to the temple where the medicine tree is planted and return
with a pome. A translation for the introduction and the story are available.
Along the way, you must buy some items, sold to you by barters for some fishes. There are three different barters with different prices for the same items:
| 1 |  | Happy Barter. |
| 2 |  | Smily Fisher. |
| 3 |  | Grim Fisher: has the highest prices, generally twice the price of the Smily Barter. |
Barter's Cave  |
Slot Machine  |
You can collect fishes when they jump out of tiny holes on the ground, betting on the slot-machine (found in all barter's caves) or when you are flying in a Bonus Stage. To enter in one, just take the wings that appear from time to time waving on the screen. Bonus Stages also shorten the distance to the goal, even when prematurely finished (if you hit a Rock in a bonus stage, you won't lose any life, but you will immediately return to the race). In the beginning of the game, you can choose the game level: Level 1 is easier than Level 2, which has less fish holes and more obstacles.
Items
The following is a list of all objects that can be collected. Not all can be found for sale in barters (supposedly, they can be found in secret bags).
Green Speed Shoes (スピードシューズ, Supi-doshyu-zu): allows you to run faster forth.
Propeler (プロペラ, Puropera): enables you to jump higher and control its duration. With this item you can jump over Barriers
Gun (ガン, Gan): enables you to shoot at most enemies, pressing <M> key.
Metal Helmet (金のヘルメット, Kin No Herumetto): can protect you against up to 3 Thunderbolts.
Silver Helmet (銀のヘルメット, Gin No Herumetto): can protect you against up to 3 hits of Hedgehogs and Sea Hedgehogs.
Hero's Cloth (勇者の衣, Yuushya No Koromo): can protect you against up to 3 hits against North Pole Bats and Albatrozes.
Bell (鐘, Kane): this item will ring when you are nearing a shortcut.
Bracelet (腕輪, Udewa): it allows you to find the secret bags.
Ring (指輪, Yubiwa): it avoids you from stumbling at Sea Anemones.
Necklace (ネックレス, Nekkuresu): it allows you to play as many times as you want in the slot machine (usually, you are allowed to bet only three times).
Goggles (メガネ, Megane): this item rests for 2 stages, but is removed after a warp (shortcut). Enables you to see the Invisible Blocks.
Torch (トーチ, To-tchi): this item rests for 2 stages, but is removed after a warp. It protects you from becoming blind when hit by a Squib's ink drop.
Map (マップ, Mappu): needed to reach the goal of some stages.
Blue Boots: with this item you gain faster lateral movement. Couldn't be found for sale.
Red Shoes: when making a curve, the penguin slips out of it, but with this item, it doesn't happen. Couldn't be found for sale.
Golden Feather (黄金の羽, Ougon No Hane): gives you directional control in jump.
Crossed Tiara: this item gives you invulnerability against "bombers" and "firers". Couldn't be found for sale.
Priest Robe: with this item, if you hit a Rock, instead of dying, you will just stumble. Couldn't be found for sale.
Armour: with this item, if you hit a Barrier, instead of dying, you will just stumble. Couldn't be found for sale.Special thanks to Ricardo Bittencourt for allowing me to read the original user's manual and to Eugene M. Kim for sending informations about the bracelet and the necklace.
Beside these items, there are a few that appear in the game and have special purposes:
Golden Apple (黄金のリンゴ, Ougon No Ringo): this item is collected in the 12th stage, in the Tree Temple, at the Dream Continent. It is part of the story, not really an item you have to gather or purchase.
Fish: used to buy items. It may appear in different colours, except yellow.
Golden Fish: it gives you one more life.
Bonus Stage Wings: takes you to a bonus stage. This will appear only if you are in the middle of a jump (you cannot be riding a Flying Cloud) when passing for the right point. "Big easy", isn't it?
Secret Bag: couldn't find this item. I suppose it carries a special item inside and is probably as "easy" to find as the Bonus Stage Wings.
Flying Cloud: with this, you can fly for a limited time (about 17 seconds in a Japanese MSX). The jump key (<Space> key or trigger 1) gives you height control. If you land, the cloud disappears. This item can be taken only with a Cyan Heart. A sound alarm will ring seconds before the cloud is gone.
Magenta Heart: gives you some points in the score.
Green Heart: gives you more time (50 seconds).
Cyan Heart: gives you a Flying Cloud. Doesn't appear in underwater stages.
Yellow Heart: gives you an Invulverability Power against any enemy or shot, for about 17 seconds in a Japanese MSX, and enables you to destroy Rocks, Barriers and Floating Logs. Pentarou flicks brightly while invulnerable and, a few seconds before it is over, a sound alarm rings and the flickering becomes faster.
Here fits perfectly some Trivia about the soundtrack of the game. Both the Invulnerability Power and the Flying Cloud last for about 17 seconds and both use the same music, but this one is more than 28 seconds long, i.e., when playing the game, it's impossible to listen to it all. You can check it with the Music Player program. Another interesting trivia: the sound effect used for the Level Select in the game start is also used sometimes when you arrive the end of a stage.
Enemies and Obstacles
Fish Hole (フジツボ, Hudjitsubo): fishes jump out of this hole, which only appear in ground stages. If you hit the hole, you will stumble. You may jump over it.
Hole (地割れ, Djiware): these holes can only appear in ground stages. You may fall in it or stumble, if you hit its borders. Some holes in surface stages (never in underground stages) may be entrances to shortcuts, the "warps". You can jump over it.
Rock (ロック, Rokku): may appear in any stage and in different colours. If you hit it, you lose a life. Can be destroyed if you have the Invulnerability Power. You can't jump over it.
Sea Anemone (イソギンチャック, Isogintchyakku): may appear only in underwater stages. If you hit one, you stumble, except if you have the Ring.
Crack (モコモコ, Mokomoko): appear only in ground stages. If you hit it, you stumble. You can jump over it, but be careful, a Barrier may appear from it.
Barrier (モコモコ石, Mokomoko Ishi): may appear from ground cracks and in different colours. If you hit it, you lose a life. Can be destroyed if you have the Invulnerability Power. You can jump over it only if you have the Propeler.
Floating Log (流木, Ryuuboku): may appear only in water surface stages. If you hit it, you drown and lose a life. It can be destroyed if you have the Invulnerability Power. You can jump over it.
North Pole Bat (北極コウモリ, Hokkyoku Koumori): may appear almost everywhere, except underwater. It shoots and is deadly. It can be thrown away by a shot of Gun or kicked out if you have the Hero's Cloth.
Slime (スライム, Suraimu): cannot appear in water surface stages. It can be thrown away by a shot of Gun.
Bomber (ボバー, Bomba-): a fire ball that falls from the sky (or celling). Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun or if you have the Crossed Tiara.
Firer (ファイヤー, Faiya-): a fire ball that jumps out of Holes. Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun or if you have the Crossed Tiara.
Smile (スマイル, Sumairu): may appear in any stage. It shoots and is deadly. Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun.
Hedgehog: it comes flying in zig-zags, only in river stages. Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun or kicked out if you have a Silver Helmet.
Sea Hedgehog (ウニヤー, Uniya-): it comes from the sides, only in underwater stages. Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun or kicked out if you have a Silver Helmet.
Thundering Cloud (ムンムク, Munmuku): cannot appear in underwater stages. It shoots a deadly thunderbolt. Cannot be touched but can be thrown away by a shot of Gun if you have the Flying Cloud. You are protected against thunderbolts if you have the Metal Helmet.
Albatroz (アホー, Aho-): cannot appear in underwater stages. Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun or kicked out if you have a Hero's Cloth.
Squib (イカダス, Ikadasu): only appear in underwater stages. It shoots a drop of black ink that will blind you, turning the screen black, except if you have the Torch. Cannot be touched but can be thrown away by a shot of Gun.
Invisible Block (ベガ, Bega): may "appear" in water stages. The only signs of its existence are its shadow and its "cracking glass" sound, though it can be seen if you are using the Goggles. Can be thrown away by a shot of Gun.
Freezaurus (フリーザウルス, Huri-zaurusu): the boss, there is one of this at the end of every three stages. It has a deadly breath of fire. It can be defeated by many shots of Gun or jumping three times on each of the blue stacks.
Scoring is, in my opinion, secondary in this game. It is so that I only discovered there is a score long after I started to analyze the game. Anyway, here is a list of some points for score:
The Course
There are 9 different landscapes (stage types):
| 1 |  | Ice Path: a ground stage. |
| 2 |  | Snowy Woods: a ground stage among snow covered trees. |
| 3 |  | Red Desert: a ground stage. |
| 4 |  | Forest: a ground stage. |
| 5 |  | Cold Ocean: a water surface stage. |
| 6 |  | River: a water surface stage. |
| 7 |  | Cave: a ground stage. |
| 8 |  | Under Water: the only stage under the water. Note: the sea anemones are just part of the landscape. |
| 9 |  | Bonus: a special stage. There are two types of bonus stages, one that has common fishes and some golden fishes and another that has only golden fishes. |
There're some secret
shortcuts, hidden under some holes on the ground. To use
one, just fall in the correct hole and press the <Down Arrow>. The
position of the secret tunnels and the barter's caves appear at determined
distances. The barters' caves appear as smaller holes and ever at a fix side
of the road. The secret tunnels look like holes and appear ever in the
opposite side you are running, different of the "normal holes" that
ever appear on your side of the road. The "river", "cold
ocean" and "underwater" stages have no holes, so no secret
passage or barter may exist. The "cave" stages may have barters, but
no secret shortcut. Following is a list of the barters (the type is marked in
parenthesis) and the shortcut holes. Not all stages have been completely
investigated or even tracked once. The last three stages have no known
shortcut:
The Normal Course Map
The Secret Course Map
The points marked with an "*" are commonly the best places to go (to
buy items or to take a shortcut).
There're two secret passwords in the game, which give you the option to continue after your last life is gone. To enter one of them, in the level select menu, type noriko or kazumi, without <Enter>, spaces or anything. You can select the level normally. When you lose your last life, the message "F5 KEY CONTINUE" will appear on the `game over' screen. Then press <F5> and you will be given another chance. The difference between one password and another is that when using "noriko" you won't lose your items when continuing. The question "why would someone use `KAZUMI' password?" can be answered this way: "for the same reasons someone would play in Level 2". Some people want to make the challenge a little harder, but not so much...
The cartridge "Konami Game Master" can also be used with this program to save the current game play.
* Note about the North Pole Bat (Koumori) picture: it is in the original user's manual of "Penguin Adventure". I liked it very much, so I made a free-hand version of it on a piece of paper, which was later scanned using MSX and then transferred to PC to be colorized... Well, not much colours, just gray scales, but it is quite cute, anyway...
The Happy End
Unfortunately, following
the hints or using the password is not enough to successfully complete the
mission. There are two endings, a Sad Ending, in which the princess is already
dead when you arrive, and a Happy Ending, very difficult to be seen. For a
long time I couldn't discover what makes the difference between succeeding and
failing in the rescue.
People all around suggested many different things, like "one must use all shortcuts", "all items must be collected", "don't use the slot-machine or lose time", "one must make the smallest time possible", "there are secret items that must be found", "one cannot lose any life", "don't use the password", "don't kill the monster with the gun", "don't use the Game Master" and so on.
Of course, not one of that worked. That is because what makes the difference is not in the game itself. If you press <F1> during the game, you will activate the pause screen, which presents you informations about the stage, your remaining lives and the scores. Besides, it enables you to take a rest from the game. And one more thing: if you pause the game once, and ONLY ONCE, you will be presented the Happy Ending. If you have never used the pause or if you have used it more than once, you have ever been presented the Sad Ending. To make it clear: after the game has started, press <F1> once and only once to pause the game, then you can press it again and continue the game. This is what makes the difference between a sad and a happy end: a little rest! Now, save the Princess!!!
One extra information, if you are using one of the passwords ("noriko" or "kazumi") and have to press <F5> to continue, the internal "pause counter" is reset! That is, if you had to use <F5> to continue, you will have to press <F1> to pause the game once again. Actually, you can pause the game as much as you want or need and, before going to the last stage, lose all your lives and press <F5> to continue and reset the "counter". A good solution is to pause the game just before meeting the last freezaurus, but be careful, once you are engaged to the battle, the game cannot be paused anymore!!!
Page last modified on 2004-June-21 Monday.
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