Warrior Blade - Rastan Saga Episode III (Japan) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 32 years ago:

Warrior Blade - Rastan Saga Episode III © 1992 Taito Corporation.

Warrior Blade is a fantasy-themed hack-and-slash game for one or two players, featuring both horizontal and vertically scrolling levels. Unlike previous Rastan games that featured only Rastan himself, players can now choose to play as one of three different warriors: Rastan, Dewey (a hireling) or Sophia (a thief).

Players must then fight their way through a multitude of enemy-packed levels set in a variety of different locations, such as castles, a forest, a swamp and on board a sinking ship. Certain levels also have the players riding on animals, such as horses and dragons. Coins and treasure items can be found in the numerous barrels and chests that litter the levels, as well as being dropped by some defeated enemies. Bonus points and vitality - depending on the amount of treasure collected - are awarded upon the level's completion.

As well as coins and treasure, other bonus items can be found that give weapon and magical-weapon power-ups, as well as extra vitality (health).

Level progression through the game is not linear. After the very first level, 'Depon Road', players are presented with a map of the Kingdom, and can choose which of four different routes they wish to take next. The available routes are; Castle (Northwest), Tower (Northeast), Ship (Southwest) and Palace (Southeast).

TECHNICAL
Prom Stickers: D24

Main CPU: Motorola 68000 @ 16MHz
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 @ 4MHz
Sound Chips: YM2610, (4x) Volume

Two screens
Screens Orientation: Horizontal
Video Resolution: 320 x 240 Pixels (640x240)
Screen Refresh: 60.00 Hz
Palette Colors: 8192

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 2 (SWING/FIRE, JUMP)

TRIVIA
Warrior Blade was released in May 1992 in Japan, even if the title screen says 1991 (development year).

Unlike other games running on the Darius 2 Twin Screen hardware, Warrior Blade has a slightly different GFX set for the 2nd screen, as the game's programmers ran out of scr GFX space.

Soundtrack releases:
Gaesen Oh - Scitron Game Music Mega Mix Vol.1 [KGCD-0001] (1994)
Nouvelle Vague -G.S.M. Taito 7- [PCCB-00086] (1995)
Z-REPLICA Vol.3 Legend THE RASTAN [ZTTL-0029] (1998)
ZUNTATA LIVE 1998 "güten Talk" from the earth ~AUDIO FILE~ [ZTTL-0031] (1998)
ZUNTATA LIVE 1998 "güten Talk" from the earth ~VISUAL FILE~ (1998)
ZUNTATA HISTORY L'ab-normal 2nd [ZTTL-0039] (1999)

SCORING
Scoring in this game is relatively hard since there are a lot of things you can get points for. Also, some enemies require more then one hit to finish them off. Here is the scoring table:

Archers: 100 Points
Bird: 300 Points
Copper Coin: 10 Points
Gold Coin: 100 Points
Lizard Soldiers: 700 Points
Lizards: 250 Points
Lizards with clubs: 250 Points
Natives: 200 Points
Plants: 50 Points
Priests: 200 Points
Shark: 350 Points
Silver Coin: 50 Points
Soldier on Dragon: 100 Points
Soldiers: 250 Points
Swordmen: 100 Points
Treasure: 500 Points
Undead (Mummies): 100 Points
Wizard: 200 Points

You also get points for clearing an area. In addition, you will also get a time bonus of the time remaining x 100. The only two areas you don't get the time bonus added on are Horseman's Forest and Wind Canyon. The clear bonuses are as follows:
DEPON RD: 1,000 points
HORSEMAN'S FOREST: 5,000 points
WIND CANYON: 5,000 points
All other areas are 10,000 points.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Round Select Mode:

1) Hold Service Switch button, then reset the game.
2) Press: Service(x3), Start, Service, on displayed 'Service Switch Error' message.
3) Enter Round Select Mode in case of success.

• The Bosses: There are seven bosses to deal with in this game. They are known as 'Area Guard' in the game. Here is the list with a couple of strategies:

KING ZANANSTAFF: After you break through the tower floor, you will be deposited in a throne room. In front of your character will sit a skeletal man on a throne. After a few seconds of powering up, the battle will begin.
1) There are a couple of threats you must deal with against this boss.
a) The first threat is from the boss. He likes to throw blue fireballs at your character. They are easy to sidestep but are still a nuisance.
b) The second threat is from above. Skulls fall from the ceiling. After a couple of seconds, they form into skeleton warriors. Usually there are three to four around at any time. They can cause a lot of problems, especially when you are closing on King Zananstaff.
2) You first need to let the king throw his fireball and step away from it. Once he has done that, close on him real rapidly (unless you have a ranged weapon) and start pounding on him. You will know when your hits are registering because he will light up.
3) When he gets ready to throw another fireball (he will cock his arm back), get away from him and sidestep it. Also, by this time, you will have to deal with the skeleton warriors. It only takes one hit to bring them down but they could block your path and keep you in the fireballs path.
4) Repeat the above pattern until the king is destroyed. It should take 20 hits to bring him down.

PYLEX = PYLON: After you complete your trek to the top of the spiral tower, this boss awaits. A fire will start and this boss will appear. He is skeletal looking with a demons head. Plus, he is on fire.
1) When this boss appears, get outside of his range. He has a pretty long reach so you will need to jump around and move constantly.
2) You won't get hurt by just running by him but if he hits you, be prepared for a big energy loss.
3) One of his favorite tactics is to jump up and imprison your character within his flaming rib cage. This also can do some heavy-duty damage.
4) The best way to take out this boss is to watch his hand on your side. When he raised it, go in and start hacking away at his rib cage. You will know your hits are registering because he will briefly turn blue.
5) After a couple of hits, he will jump up. Watch the shadow on the ground since that is an indicator of his impact point. Run or jump out of the way and continue the above pattern of slashing and backing off.
6) It takes 16 hits to turn this flaming skeleton into kindling.

FINSTERNIS: Well, you couldn't go through a few bosses without having to deal with one knowledgeable in the mystic arts. Finsternis brings that reality to you. He appears as a robed man.
1) This battle opens up with Finsternis creating five rocks that go in orbit around him. You need to quickly break up these rocks or he will launch them at your character.
2) After you have busted the rocks, Finsternis will disappear and reappear on the other side of the screen. At the same time, he will launch two attacks: Scrolls and fire. The scrolls attack is just a bunch of scrolls being thrown at your character and it doesn't do a whole lot of damage. It's the mini fireballs that can do some serious damage.
3) After taking out the rocks, there is a slight delay before Finsternis disappears. Get some shots in on him. Again, he will briefly light up when you hit him.
4) When he reappears, be prepared for the scroll and fire bombardment. As soon as its finished, go in and unload upon him some more. If you managed to get enough hits the first time, this should finish him off. If not, he will disappear and reappear attacking with scrolls and fire from another location.
5) 16 hits will help this boss become part of the mystical universe.

DESMOSTYLUS: This is one of the harder bosses to deal with. The reason is the fact you don't deal directly with the boss initially, but deal with the minions he creates.
1) After he has settled in his floating throne, he will create five water dragons. They look like snakes but have dragon heads. They will go in and out of the water and aim for your character.
2) In order to score hits on Desmostylus, you have to destroy his water dragons. There are usually three or four at any given moment until you have destroyed 16 of them. This isn't easy since they have the tendency to cover each other so if you get a shot on one, at one or two will have a shot at your character. This will definitely require a lot of maneuvering around so you don't get trapped. Once you have dispatched 16, all you need to do is give the boss a good whack.
3) After that, the rest is history as the boss gets committed to a watery grave.

PAS=DE=DAUX: Another skeletal boss but one with a new twist. This one has two heads, one human and the other demonic. In addition, instead of hands, he has blades at the ends of his four arms.
1) This boss doesn't actually have any real surprises, he uses his four blades to deadly effect and also tries to corner your character against the side of the screen.
2) The best way to take out this boss is to wait until the arm is raised on your characters side. Then rush in and get a couple of good shots. Keep in mind, only the end of your weapon can do damage so don't crowd in too close to this boss.
3) Keep up the pattern and jump to the other side if you don't have room to maneuver on the side you're on.
4) One thing to keep in mind, after you get 14 hits on this boss, he will fall apart. Don't let this fool you though, he isn't finished yet. You still will need to get two more hits to totally finish this boss off.

GIFFKRAKE: When you get to the other end of the ship, this boss awaits you. He will only briefly appear human before he transforms into a mutated octopus.
1) This boss doesn't move but his tentacles have a long range and can tag you for some big damage.
2) In order to get hits on this boss, you must first get through his tentacles. It only takes 4 hits to take a tentacle out but keep in mind that the other five tentacles will be gunning for your character. In addition, the tentacles will reattach to Giffkrake so you must be quick.
3) Once you have broken through the tentacle barrier, start beating on the main body. You may have to back off to deal with the tentacles.
4) Keep up this pattern. After 16 hits, Giffkrake will be seafood.

LORD LUDERKAWN: This boss starts out as an armored warrior. Don't let that fool you because he soon turns into a demon.
1) This boss is pretty quick and it will take all of your skill to maneuver around to get hits in on him.
2) In addition, he has a nasty little breath weapon that can do major damage if your character is in its path.
3) Again, the best way to hit this boss is to ''dance'' around him. Get a couple of hits and maneuver away before he has a chance to counterstrike.
4) Continue to move in and out getting in hits if you can. After 16 hits, you can say bye-bye to the boss as he transforms back into the armored warrior.

This game consists of an introductory and final area. In between are four areas and subareas you can choose from. You can choose any area that you haven't been through already. First, though, there are some basic strategies one must be aware of before playing the game.

• Remember, you can move in eight directions on the screen. So if an enemy is in front of you, you can sidestep around that enemy and possibly can get a shot from the side or rear.
• A lot of times, enemies will come at you in a tightly packed group before they spread out. Get in a hit while they are tightly packed and you can hit more then one in your one hit. This proves to be very valuable considering the fact that most enemies in this game require multiple hits to kill them. The difference between life and death could be that one extra hit.
• Break open all barrels and crates along the way. There are many objects that can be of major use to your character. Items such as the Arms of Thunder which hits the enemy with a lightening bolt in addition to your regular hit. Healing potions to restore your vitality and actually to make you immune, for a time period, to enemy attacks. You also may find the crystal orb which allows you to have an indestructible wizard fight at your side. This is especially helpful when the screen is full of enemies.
• When there are too many enemies to handle at once, sometimes jumping into the middle of the group and swinging wildly can do a lot of good. Since you know you will get a hit regardless of where you aim, you may be able to ''thin'' the herd and give yourself better odds in the process.
• Each area has a timer attached to it. You can gain extra time by getting to specific parts of an area or by getting objects. You don't want to sit around too long in one area though. The enemy will not give up and continue to send in more troops to delay your movement even more. Sometimes a good strategy is to run. You run by double-tapping the joystick in the direction you wish to travel. Your run is only broken by an enemy or object in your way. You may not get as many points, but you can make it through levels quicker.
• When you have the wizard with your character, the only way to regenerate magical energy is by picking coins and treasures. This basically means a lot of fighting and breaking up things. It is worth it, though, since the wizard has a very powerful arsenal of spells to assist your character.

Now, we will go through each area and subarea you will have to go through to complete the game. You
ill have 50 on the timer for each level. Again, this number may go up or down dramatically depending on what events or actions take place. Ok, let's go adventuring.

DEPON ROAD: This is your introduction to this world. There aren't a whole lot of threats to deal with in this area.
1) You will first be assaulted by eight plants. Usually an attack is powerful enough to take out two in one hit.
2) Depending on how fast you move through this area, you may also encounter lizards and lizards with clubs.

CASTLE: The castle area consists of two subareas. It is in these areas that you will encounter a big variety of enemies.

HORSEMAN's FOREST: Your character will be on horseback for this area. The major threats are mounted soldiers and archers. In addition, fallen logs will be scattered on the road also for you to jump.
1) The soldiers and archers are pretty easy to deal with. Just make sure you don't get in the line of fire of the archers since their arrows can cause your character some pain. The soldiers just swing their swords and attempt to hit your character.
2) You can use your mount as a weapon in addition to the attack your character makes. If you can bump one of the enemy riders on their mount, it will then only take one hit, instead of two, to knock them down.
3) When you see this character: ''!'', it means that get prepared to jump. If you fail to jump, your mount will stumble and your character will take damage.
4) There will be 20 mounted archers and soldiers for your character to deal with.

THE ENCHANTED CASTLE OF ZANASTAFF:
1) You will first run into natives and priest before you even cross the bridge. They are easy to deal with, plus, if you're playing as Rastan, you will grab some and throw them.
2) Continue down the corridor and you will be attacked by mummies and soldiers.
3) Go up the stairs and attack the door to break it down. More enemy awaits, mostly soldiers and lizard soldiers.
4) Make sure you break open the barrels since you can get either Arms of Fire or Thunder. They help greatly in thinning the enemy ranks. You will soon come upon an area that has three gaps bordered by three thin platforms. Be careful crossing over this area. In addition, birds holding rocks will appear to make your trip even more perilous.
5) Jump on the chain and ride it to the top. Swing your sword before getting off the chain to take care of anybody too close to your landing spot.
6) Continue down this path until you get to the end. The floor will collapse and you will deal with the Area Guard: King Zananstaff.
7) When you defeat King Zananstaff, you will get the ''Crown of Ishulin''. This crown gives your character extra power in attacks.

TOWER: The tower area consists of two subareas.

WIND CANYON: In this subarea, you will be a dragon rider. Major threats are just the
mounted soldiers who try to knock you off your dragon.
1) The soldiers are real easy to deal with in this subarea. You have a lot of room to move about and you should be able to knock them off their mounts with little trouble.
2) Use your mount as a weapon. If a soldier is coming under your character, just bring your mount on top of him.

MAHADIDEKARADI SPIRAL TOWER:
1) This battle basically has you battling your way up a huge tower. The usual enemies abound to prevent your getting any higher.
2) When you reach the top, the tower will catch on fire and Area Guard Pylex=Pylon will emerge to do battle.
3) When you defeat him, the ''Moon Crystal'' is your reward. The crystal gives your character extra magic power.

PALACE: The Palace area consists of two subareas.

KA FA MOUNTAIN: You will start this level by sliding down a huge mountain. To make your slide even more fun, boulders and chasms will be in your way.
1) Use the boulders to your advantage. You will only encounter lizard soldiers in this subarea. They pack themselves together pretty tightly so the boulders usually damage three or four of them. Makes your job a whole lot easier.
2) When you see this character: ''!'', get ready to jump over a chasm. If you don't, then it's goodnight to your character.
3) After getting to the bottom of the mountain, you will have to deal with a few lizards until you get to the Area Guard.
4) When you defeat Finsternis, you will advance to the next subarea.

PALACE OF THE BLACK DEMON RELIGION: This subarea has a lot of floor level traps. These traps are spears or blades coming in and out of the lower part of the wall.
1) All manner of enemies will attack your character. You do, though, have extra help. This help is in the form of the traps that are along the floor. Cause your enemies to stay in those trapped areas and you won't have to do much in the way of killing them.
2) By that same thought, don't get caught in these traps. They will drain your energy very quickly if you are getting hit by two to three at a time.
3) You will go down two sets of chains to make it to the Area Guard Desmostylus.
4) Once you have cleared out the Area Guard, your reward is ''Brave Geran's Necklace''. This necklace gives your character extra speed.

SHIP: This area consists of two subareas.

HARBOR VILLAGE OF PESLO:
1) There are a lot of barrels and crates in this area. Make sure you break into all of them since there are a lot of good things to be had.
2) The usual enemies are around to make your life more interesting. Deal with them accordingly.
3) You will eventually come onto a pier. This is where you will battle the Area Guard Pas=De=Deux.
4) When you have eliminated the Area Guard you will head to the next subarea.

PIRATE SHIP SOUTHERNKID: When you enter the ship, the floor will be covered with water. The big threat here are the sharks. They tend to not only attack in the water, but they also fly out of the water to attack.
1) Once you go up the chains to the next deck, the enemies will be the ones you have gotten used to battling. Be wary of holes in the deck since your character will have to jump over them.
2) Go up another chain and continue to battle toward the end of the ship.
3) When you make it to the end of the ship, part of the deck will collapse and the next Area Guard, Giffkrake will be there to greet your character.
4) Defeat him and your reward is ''The Horenon Daiamond Image''. This gives your character increased protection.

THE TEMPLE OF GULESTOPALIS: After realizing that your character still needs the Treasure of Depon, your character embarks on a journey to the final conflict.
1) You will encounter light resistance as you get to the Area Guard Lord Luderkawn.
2) After defeating him, a volcano erupts destroying the area. Your characters sail off into the sunset.

SERIES

• Rastan Saga (1987)
• Rastan Saga II (1989)
• Warrior Blade - Rastan Saga Episode III (1992)

STAFF
Game design director: PPR. Kaito
Software programmers: Tany Vfr, Ten Shimezo, Hisao Maeda, Kenzo Nomura, Takayuki Ishiwata, K.Y, Yuji Hiroshige, Arms Marchant Toyoda
Character graphics designers: Makoto Fujita, Masami Kikuchi, Hidetaka Ishii, Masahiro Katou, Kohzoh Igarashi, Y. Kikuchi
All music composed and arrenged by: Masahiko Takaki (Zuntata)
Sound effects and data programmers: Yasuhisa Watanabe (Zuntata), Norihiro Furukawa (Zuntata)
Hardware system engineers: T. Ohhara, Toshiyuki Sanada, Yahachi Don Masao
Electric harness: Shin-Tsuchida, Y. Yoshitomi, O.Z.-Aki
Cabinet designers: Jun Nishiyama, Koji Enomoto, Kazu Tabuchi, I. Yama
Cabinet decoration: Hiroyasu Nagai (Excellent Nagai), Y. Aiura, Kyoko Umezu
P.C.B. inspector: Fumio Takeda
Produced by: PPR.Kaito
Project cooperation: Fujiwaran X, Sakou Menme

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[JP] Sony PS2 (mar.29, 2007) "Taito Memories II Gekan [Model SLPM-66713]"

CONTRIBUTE
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