Argus no Senshi (Japan set 1) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 38 years ago:

Argos no Senshi - Legendary Warrior © 1986 Tecmo.

Argos no Senshi is a horizontally-scrolling hack 'n' slash game set 4.5 billion years after the Earth’s creation, in which the player takes on the role of the Legendary Warrior, a previously dead warrior who has risen from the grave to try to defeat King Ligar, an evil villain who has taken over the land of Argos.

The hero's weapon is the Diskarmor; a spinning blade on the end of a chain. When using Diskarmor, the player has two types of attack available: a left or right 'fling' attack or a circular motion attack. The latter attack is activated by pressing the attack button and UP on the joystick and is useful for attacking flying enemies or enemies positioned above the hero.

During the game, players can acquire five special power icons to assist them with their attacks. These are:

• Star Power Icon: Provides a longer chain to hit the enemy from a greater distance, almost covering the width of the screen.
• Crown Power Icon: Provides the hero with a stronger Diskarmor to hit multiple enemies with a single attack.
• Tiger Power Icon: Provides the ability to jump on any enemies except Death and kill them instantly. Jumping on the heads of some characters will award bonus points.
• Cross Power Icon: Provides a temporary shield lasting from 10 to 45 seconds.
• Sun Power Icon: Allows players to fire the Diskarmor vertically upwards, offering more precision when attacking enemies situated above the hero.

As well as the performance ratings, the temple areas also offer a clue to the next round. An example of this can be seen at the end of round 01; above the temple area is clue suggesting that players will find at least one Screen Bomb in Round 02.

As well as the five power icons, other artifacts can also be found hidden inside stones, trees, the ground and other objects. To find these items players must either shoot them or jump at a specific location to reveal them. The items include:

• Repulse Stone: These are either shot out of lava pits or hidden inside stones. They add to the player's repulse bonus, which increases based on the number of enemies killed.
• Small Gem: Found inside any object and worth 500 points
• Large Gem: Found inside any object but only after the player has collected four of the five power-ups and is worth 1,000 points.

Unlike many games in the genre, Argos no Senshi has no end-of-level boss fights. After successfully completing each of the game's 27 rounds, the hero will visit a temple area to have their performance rated and, if they were good enough, earn a promotion in rank.

The players 'repulse' bonus, timer bonus and rank is calculated. A repulse bonus of 130 will see the player promoted to Rank Two. To reach Rank Three, an additional repulse bonus of 240 - bringing the total to 370 - is needed. From hereon, to achieve Ranks Four, Fix, Six and BEST, players will need to earn an additional 250 repulse bonus points for each Rank.

As well as the performance ratings, the temple areas also offer small clues to the next round. An example of this can be seen at the end of round 01; above the temple area is clue suggesting that players will find at least one Screen Bomb in Round 02.

TECHNICAL
Game ID: 6002

Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips: YM3812 (@ 4 Mhz), OKI MSM5205 (@ 384 Khz)

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 2
→ [A] Attack, [B] Jump

TRIVIA
Argos no Senshi was released in May 1986 in Japan.

The title of this game translates from Japanese as 'Warrior of Argus - Legendary Warrior'.

Export releases:
[US] "Rygar - Legendary Warrior"

SCORING

• Enemies:

1) Ape: 350 points
2) Blue Monkey: 150 points
3) Cave Bat: 330 points
4) Crab: 200 points
5) Cave Lizard: 100 points
6) Death: Invulnerable.
7) Dragon: 1250 points (with or without rider).
8) Dragon Rider: 0/230 points
9) Drone: 100 points
10) Giant Flying Fish: 150 points
11) Giant Demon: 2000 points (killed normally)
12) Giant Worm: 100 points
13) Griffin: 230 points
14) Mutant Tribesman: 230 points
15) Mutant Frog: 200 points
16) Mutant Villager: 200 points
17) Mutant With Tentacles: 220 points
18) Lava Man: 230 points
19) Rhino (small): 150 points
20) Rhino (large): 760 points (1000 points with rider).
21) Snake: 500 points
22) Swooping Bat: 250 points

• Artifacts:

Coin: 200 points bonus. The ones that shoot out of fire pits on some levels can be shot instead of collected but doing this gets you only 100 points.
Blue item: 500 points bonus.
Round blue item: 1000 points bonus.

• Temple bonuses:

1) Repulse Bonus: you get 200 points for each enemy destroyed. Up to a maximum of 12.800 points.
2) Rank Bonus: you get the points for whatever rank you're currently on.
3) Timer Bonus: you get 100 points for each remaining second.

• Rank bonus: 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. If you kill an enemy with the Cross power's force field (i.e. you run into it, not shoot it) you get the points but nothing counts towards your rank. If you die and continue you keep your rank, but not your score. However, I have just found out that if you set the bonus lives to any other values other than the default 50k/200k/500k the amount of baddies you need to kill is effectively doubled.

1) 1st rank:
Score awarded in temple: 0 points, plus 1000 points for each stripe. The minimum score for this rank is 1000 points.
Number of kills for stripe: II = 20 Kills, III = 50 Kills, IIII = 90 Kills (promotion to second rank on 130 kills. Count kills from 0 again)

2) 2nd rank:
Score awarded in temple: 5000 points, plus 1000 points for each stripe.
Number of kills for stripe: I = 40 Kills, II = 90 Kills, III = 140 Kills, IIII = 190 Kills (promotion to third rank on 240 kills)

3) 3rd rank::
Score awarded in temple: 10.000 points, plus 1000 points for each stripe.
Number of kills for stripe: I = 50 Kills, II = 100 Kills, III = 150 Kills, IIII = 200 Kills (promotion to forth rank on 250 kills)

4) 4th rank:
Score awarded in temple: 15.000 points, plus 1000 points for each stripe.
Number of kills for stripe: I = 50 Kills, II = 100 Kills, III = 150 Kills, IIII= 200 Kills (promotion to fifth rank on 250 kills)

5) 5th rank:
Score awarded in temple: 20.000 points, plus 1000 points for each stripe.
Number of kills for stripe: I = 50 Kills, II = 100 Kills, III = 150 Kills, IIII = 200 Kills (promotion to sixth rank on 250 kills)

6) 6th rank:
Score awarded in temple: 25.000 points, plus 1000 points for each stripe.
Number of kills for stripe: I = 50 Kills, II = 100 Kills, III = 150 Kills, IIII = 200 Kills (promotion to 'BEST' rank on 250 kills)

7) BEST rank:
Score awarded in temple: 30.000 points
Once you get the 'BEST' rank, your rank is actually still increasing by 1 stripe/1000 points for every 50 kills. For some reason the programmers decided to continue the ranking system but not to include any more graphics. But, if you get it to 64,000 the next bonus goes back to 1000 points!!! On the high score table the rank badge loops around and displays the first rank onwards. I would have thought that they'd have changed the colour of the wings or something. It looks very strange to finish the game with 4.000.000 points and have the first rank!

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Enemies: most of the mutants can be killed from one blow, but some take several shots. Where a mutant has Stamina below it's name the first number is the hits needed to kill it without the Crown Power (with the second number is with the Crown).

1) Ape: 350 points
Rounds: 6, 10, 12, 15, 16, 25, 26.
Not a particularly dangerous enemy, it just sits up on its tree throwing rocks down at you. If you don't have the Star power it may cause a few problems as you'll have to dodge under the rocks. If you run under it, it jumps down and tries to maul you!
2) Blue Monkey: 150 points
Rounds: 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, 21, 22, 23, 24.
A very irritating enemy as they can leap over gaps and often kill you mid-jump. They mainly run at you and try to jump on you one at a time. If you try to jump over them they will try to double back and try to kill you.
3) Cave Bat: 330 points
Rounds: 5, 9, 11, 23, 24.
These bats only ever appear on the vertical rounds and try to drop some strange object on you as your climbing the rope. They don't pose any other real threat and are fairly easy to kill or avoid. The object they drop can be shot and I think it's worth about 230 points.
4) Crab: 200 points
Rounds: 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14, 19, 21, 22, 26.
These strange bugs are embedded in the ground on certain rounds. If you walk over them they will jump high into the air and scuttle about after they land. They can be killed instantly by jumping on them even if you don't have the Tiger power. Game physics doesn't seem to apply to these crabs as they can walk over water and through rocks!
5) Cave Lizard: 100 points
Rounds: 5, 9, 11, 23, 24.
A very passive enemy which only ever appears on the vertical rounds and doesn't really threaten you much. They lash out at you with their long tongues which can block your shots if you don't have the Crown. Just swing out and hit them with an over head shot and you should be okay. Also you can use that shield glitch in your favor too.
6) Death: Invulnerable
Rounds: Any.
Death will appear on any round when you've run out of time. When your time is nearly up the music will change and the sky will darken. Death always appears from the left hand side of the screen and homes in on you. If he misses you he floats off the screen and reappears at the left again only this time he's faster. He keeps on attacking, gaining more and more speed until he is impossible to avoid or you finish the round.
7) Dragon: 1250 points (with or without rider)
Rounds: 1, 5, 10, 13, 14, 22, 26.
The dragons are worth a lot of points and have no chance of really killing you by themselves. Kill as many as possible as they're worth 1250 points each. Note that killing the Dragon while the rider is still on it counts as 1 kill when working out your rank.
8) Dragon Rider: 0/230 points
Rounds: 1, 5, 10, 13, 14, 22, 26.
As the name would imply, they fly in on the dragons and drop down on you. Like a few other enemies they charge at you and can leap over pits and gaps. There's a really annoying bug with the Dragon Riders where sometimes you will jump up a kill one, but the game won't register a kill and the sprite will still be there and it ends up killing you. These guys ride the Rhino's on later rounds, but they never jump off and attack you. Nope, this time they lob axes at you which is just as lethal! You can bounce off the axe or shoot it if you're good enough. If you kill a Dragon Rider while he's still riding on his Dragon he is worth zero points.
9) Drone: 100 points
Rounds: 1, 2, 13.
These headless enemies appear in the first two rounds and then only reappear on round 13. They're no real problem to deal with in the early rounds but on round 13 they are dramatically seeded up! They rush in large groups, usually from both sides of the screen at once and attempt to kill you by sheer force of numbers. The more annoying thing is they make it hard to get the 1.000.000 points parchment and stars which are on the same round.
10) Giant Flying Fish: 150 points
Rounds: 21, 22.
These fish only appear in two rounds and aren't too difficult to deal with. They simply jump over the rafts every two seconds and the ripple in the water tells you when this is going to happen. I think they should have been added on round 3 as well. On round 22 they can pose a few problems with the Dragon Riders dropping down and the Blue Monkeys jumping onto the rafts.
11) Giant Demon: 2000 points (killed normally), Stamina: 8/4
Rounds: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 27.
These giants are waiting for you at the end of every 4th round and there's two guarding the Dominator's chamber on round 27. They attack you by trying to stomp on you and can be deadly if covered by other enemies (like on round 8). You can pick up a special bonus of 50.000 points if you kill them with the Tiger power. This is easy to do with a bit of practice.
12) Giant Worm: 100 points
Rounds: 1, 2, 4, 9, 12, 19, 24, 26.
These creatures wriggle out of the ground, curl up and then bounce across the screen and off the rocks. If left for a bit they tunnel their way back down under the ground and roll off the screen.
13) Griffin: 230 points
Rounds: 2, 3, 5, 7, 16, 20, 21, 23, 27.
Another commonly found enemy. These can be tricky to get rid of, especially on round 20 where they swarm like mad. They swarm all over the skies and some will swoop down at you occasionally. Some of the Griffins will drop rocks down on you which can be even more irritating. If they get on your nerves too much you could always do the Griffin riding trick and skip the round ;)
14) Mutant Tribesman: 230 points
Rounds: 2, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 22, 24, 27.
These mutants often form stacks which can be shot in one go for 10.000 bonus points. On some rounds they pretend to form a stack but then jump at you instead - learn which is which. On later rounds they also attack in groups in a long line formation from both sides of the screen.
15) Mutant Frog: 200 points
Rounds: 6, 10, 15, 25.
On the hardest difficulty settings these creatures are the most deadly foe in the entire game. They lurk on the outskirts of the screen and then they will suddenly leap across at you in the blink of an eye! Sometimes they even jump at you when they're off the screen! Stay on the ground while these are about. If you jump while they are lurking around they will jump across to try and kill you as you land. On default settings they're wasted being too slow and easy to see coming, but on the harder settings watch out!
16) Mutant Villager: 200 points
Rounds: 6, 17, 18.
These mutants live in the caves of the land. They jump out on you and charge in large groups and try to kill you through sheer force of numbers. The thing that makes them dangerous is if you get caught under one of the cave entrances and then they start spilling out they can be difficult to cope with.
17) Mutant With Tentacles: 220 points
Rounds: 11, 16, 18.
These are the least deadly of all the mutants, but they can often catch you out if you're not paying attention. They try to whip you with their long tentacles, but unless you're unlucky there's little chance of you getting hit by them. On the hard difficulty settings their main tactic is to get close and force you to duck by lashing out at you. This prevents you from jumping away while the other mutants charge and try to kill you. These monsters are also harder than the others to kill with the Tiger power.
18) Lava Man: 230 points
Rounds: 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 20.
These foes emerge from the ground and shoot fireballs at you. They've only got one round of their own and that's round 8 and then they're restricted to cameo appearances on the rest. Their tactic on round 8 is usually to come up on either side of you and try to shoot you in a crossfire. Trying to shoot it out with them takes time and Death appearing on the scene isn't something you want when this guys are around. You can bounce on the fireballs and also shoot them for 50 points.
19) Rhino (small): 150 points
Rounds: 1, 2, 6, 8, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27.
The small rhinos appear in nearly all of the levels. They just charge at you in groups and for some reason they can often run through your shots when there's enough of them! They are gradually speedup the further you progress into the game.
20) Rhino (large): 760 points (1000 points with rider), Stamina: 6/2
Rounds: 4, 13, 15, 19, 26, 27.
The rhino's charge at you and will trample you to death if you not careful. On the later rounds they charge like BT! They take several hits to destroy and are very fast on the later rounds making it impractical to kill them without the powers. Some of the Rhinos have riders which will throw an axe at you which can be difficult to avoid.
21) Snake: 500 points
Rounds: 12, 15, 16, 19.
Snakes are very deadly. They dart out of small holes in the rocks and bite you. You can tell when they are about to strike as their red eyes glow in the hole just a split second before they attack. The only thing to look out for is when you kill one snake another will sometimes immediately spring out of the same hole!
22) Swooping Bat: 250 points
Rounds: 1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 25, 26.
These bats wait to ambush you, usually close to the end of the round. When you get close to them they swoop down and then fly off the screen. Very rarely, they will wait until you've passed under them and then swoop to the right, but again this is rare. These bats can't be killed with the Tiger power.

• Defeating the Dominator: the Dominator is surprisingly easy to kill. 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 couple of hits if you have the Crown power. The Dominator is worth 22k when killed and he can be killed instantly with the Tiger power but you aren't awarded a 50k bonus.
• 10,000 Points Bonus: At the end of each level, at THE VERY INSTANT the game takes control and guides you into the temple, pull diagonally Left-down on the joystick. Do it right and you'll get 10,000 points.

Note: The hundred number of your points must be the same as the units of your time, for example, 33,330 points and 13.30 seconds, or 100.000 points and 00.00 seconds.

• 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! I have seen players use this trick to get over half a million on that round alone simply by staying back for long periods of time and using up their lives.
• 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! There's eight in the game so that's a luscious 400,000 points for the lot!
• 1st 70.000 Bonus: you can get 70.000 points 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: the Star Tree. 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 points. Some of the stars are in bad positions so you'll have to bounce off a falling warrior to collect them or wait for Death and bounce off him. This part of the round is also where the parchment is (see below).
• 100.000 Bonus: if you finish the game you only receive a 100.000 points bonus. This is strange as it is only the third highest bonus in the game.
• 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.
• 1.000.000 Bonus: on round 13 there's a hidden parchment which is worth 1.000.000 points! It's located in-between the same area as the famous Star Tree and the next house. The place to shoot at is at the left side of the house just below the title Time. When you shoot nothing will happen except make a sound like you're hitting something. After about 12 hits (about 4 or 5 with the Crown and Sun powers) a red parchment will fall down which is worth 1.000.000 points when collected. Grab it quick because it vanishes after only a few seconds!

SERIES

• Argos no Senshi - Legendary Warrior (1986, Arcade)
• Argos no Senshi [Model TCF-AH] (1986, Famicom)
• Argos no Senshi (2002, PS2)

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[JP] Sega Master System (mar.25, 1988) "Argus no Juujiken [Model S-001]"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX (oct.27, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade [Model C6E-0001]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation 4 [PSN] (may.15, 2014) "Arcade Archives - Argos no Senshi [Model CUSA-00648]"

• COMPUTERS:

[JP] Sharp X68000 (1994) "Argos no Senshi [Model DP-3205033]"

CONTRIBUTE
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