_________ +---___ _______| __/ \__ | ___ ____ ____ +---__ ----___| |_____ | \ # # / | | | | | | /|____--__ ----__-+ +---___| |__ / /|_/_-^-_\_| _| | |/ / / |____--_ \ +---__-- __---___ / / / ///_|||___ |___|___/_<___ -_ \ \ /-/-/ -+ +__---__ \/ / --_|||__|____||_ | ____- \ \ | | | | | -__---_ \ | --_ ///__ | ___| | | | \ \ \ | | |/ / / + \ \|--_ \ \___|||___ | | |____/ / / / | || |_--_ | | _\ \|____|____| | | < __/ / / / / \___ \ \ _/ / /- \ |___ | ___| | | |\-- __/ _/ / / | | | _- _/ / \o\ /_/__|||____ | | | --- __-- _/ / _/ / / \_- _/ \ \_/|_____|_____| | | | \__-- _/ /--_-/ / \_- \__/|_____|_____| |_|_| \__-- \_/___/ Urusei Yatsura - Lum's Wedding Bells Version 1.00 January 2007 Stephen L. Maxson smax@netcommander.com Urusei Yatsura is (C) Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc./Kitty Films Urusei Yatsura - Lum's Wedding Bells is (C) 1986 by Jaleco INTRODUCTION ------------ Urusei Yatsura was a long-running manga (comic) and anime (animation) series in Japan. It was the first highly successful property from creator Rumiko Takahashi, whose later works include Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2 and, more recently, Inu-Yasha. UY ran several years in Japan and is considered there with the same fondness and nostalgia that The Flintstones and Scooby Doo enjoy in the United States. UY is still popular enough that it runs in constant syndication in Japan, and a Nintendo DS game was even released as recently as 2005. As for Urusei Yatsura itself ... Well, I rewrote this paragraph about a hundred times trying to pare it down before I finally decided that you really don't need to know about the backstory to play the game. If you really need to know why you're a green-haired, tiger-stripe-bikini-clad alien girl who shoots lightning bolts, I recommend visiting Tomobiki-cho at: http://www.furinkan.com/uy/index.htm As for the game: Guide Lum (the aforementioned alien girl) up to the roof of each school and into her UFO(1) passing by overhead. As time passes, lower floors will be consumed in flames, so you must keep moving upward. It's an annoyingly difficult platform game, with plentiful enemies and a relatively short time limit. Jump physics are just slightly worse than the first MegaMan or Castlevania games. Another annoyance: Enemy sprites are often spawned right on top of each other, sometimes three deep. Firing off two shots, and still getting hit prompted a lot of "gamer's indignation" from my corner. Just don't move forward unless the way is completely clear. Although the learning curve seems steep, you'll actually pick it up after a dozen or so tries (if you can stick with it that long). In the space of a single evening, I went from losing all three lives without making it past the second floor to almost clearing two buildings on one life. For some reason, Lum starts out as a small tyke, and ages as you pass each school. It was probably explained in the instruction booklet, but I can't understand Japanese. Even if I did, I probably still wouldn't understand the explanation, but that's just the wacky way Urusei Yatsura is. If you make it through all the stages, Lum finally manages to marry Ataru, the world's most lecherous loser. To each their own, I guess. Trivia: Jaleco developed a (slightly more complex) arcade version at the same time, but was only able to obtain rights to publish the Famicom game. They eventually altered the character graphics and released the arcade game under the name "Momoko 120%." Oddly enough, they left in the UY music. (1) Yes, it's called a "UFO" even though it's identified. The Japanese use "UFO" to mean a flying saucer. CONTROLS -------- D-Pad LEFT: Move left D-Pad RIGHT: Move right D-Pad UP: Go up/down escalators; enter some open doors; climb with Rei D-Pad DOWN: Crouch; Drop down from railings A Button: Jump (press rapidly to fly in the bonus stage) B Button: Fire a bolt of lightning (hold down for constant fire) SELECT Button: Select between 1 or 2 player game at opening screen START Button: Start game; Pause game SCREEN LAYOUT ------------- Not much to the screen other than the playfield. At top left is the current player indicator, with the current player's score beneath. Just right of the center at the top is a letter "I" followed by the number of special items (power-ups) the player has found in the current stage (before summoning Rei, see the "power-ups" section below). At top right is a letter "F" followed by the current floor the player is on. ENEMIES ------- CHERRY: Actually, just Cherry's face. These only appear in the little fox minigame, and are much harder to dodge and shoot than the Karasu Tengu. FLYING FISH: The bane of your existence, you'll be cursing these things all the way through. I have no idea what these really are -- I don't remember seeing anything exactly like them in the show -- so we'll just call them fish. They fly in a wave pattern, sometimes on two different overall heights. You can walk under the higher-flying ones, but the lower-flying fish will need to be jumped over, or zapped. KARASU TENGU: Literally "Crow Goblin." They fly in wave patterns, like the fish, but they can hover in place and change their height before moving again. They also fire projectiles (rarely). They also appear the little fox minigame. KOTATSU NEKO: Literally "Heated-Table Cat." A regular in the series, Kotatsu Neko shows up here more as an obstacle than an enemy. He falls from above onto your current floor, then doesn't move at all. He's difficult to jump over, so you either have to go back the way you came (to scroll him off screen) or slowly push him out of your way with lightning bolts. KUROKO: Traditionally, Kuroko are a type of stagehand in Kabuki theater. They dress completely in black (so as to fade into the shadows) and move things (and sometimes people) around on stage while the show is going on. The audience is meant to ignore their presence. In the series, the Kuroko featured are servants of the Mendou clan. In the game, they move at you a little faster than the octopuses. They are immune to your lightning, but can be jumped over. They won't kill you, but if they touch you, you'll be stunned for a few seconds. LITTLE GIRL: A small child in a white dress. They move just like the octopuses, and are dealt with in the same way. MENDOU GUARD: A tall man in black suit and sunglasses. Stands still, but is too big to jump over. Carries a rifle that has a white barrel for some reason. Fires as rarely as the Karasu Tengu. OCTOPUS: Living symbols of the Mendou clan, these octopuses have inexplicably gained the ability to walk on land. They're constantly falling from the upper levels, so be wary of jumping into them. When they're on your level, you can jump them or zap them. PTERODACTYL: They fly along on a straight line, but will fly upward and bomb you with eggs when they get close. They take two shots to kill. POWER-UPS --------- Every once in a while, you may see an item appear along with a short sound effect. It will usually appear above your height, requiring you to jump to obtain it. Each one you pick up increments the "I" counter at the top of the screen. If your "I" counter is at 2, the next item you pick up will summon Rei instead, and reset your "I" counter to zero. ALIEN: Grab the "Dappya" fish alien (looks like a guy in a spacesuit) for a 5,000 point bonus. BIRD: Grabbing the bird gives you your school uniform. For the Infant School, you get a white dress; for the Elementary School you get a blue dress; for Junior High and High School you get the typical "sailor suit" school uniforms; and for the Studio you get a red dress (and matching shoes). These give you a one-hit survival. The first enemy you touch passes through you. The uniform blinks a few times before disappearing; during the blinking, you continue to be invincible. On rare occasions, the game may forgive a brief contact and let you keep your uniform. Also, the uniform will carry over if you still have it at the end of a stage. KATANA: Grab the katana, and Shutaro Mendou jumps onscreen and takes up a defensive position about a body-length in front of you. He kills enemies that run into him. He leaves you after about thirty seconds, or after you move up a floor. When Mendou is with you, you can't uncover other power-ups. LITTLE FOX: Touching the little fox takes you into a bonus game. You're transported to a one-screen room with a few platforms. Several enemies fly around on the screen. Lum can actually fly here, by pressing jump (A button) continuously. Dispatch all the enemies and you get a point bonus for time remaining. Touch one of them or run out of time and you're kicked out of the stage with no bonus. Either way, you return to the same floor you left in the main game, although you'll typically be moved to somewhere else on the floor. ONSEN MARK: Looks like a circle with wavy lines coming up out of it. In Japan, this is the universal symbol for onsen ("hot springs"). In Urusei Yatsura, Onsen-Mark is the name of Lum & Co.'s teacher (He is so named due to having this symbol on the back of his jacket). Grabbing this symbol causes Onsen-Mark to appear, and for thirty seconds Lum gets to use him as a human shield (which also kills enemies). When Onsen-Mark is with you, you can't uncover other power-ups. REI: This isn't a seperate item. Grab any power-up after your "I" counter reaches 2 and Lum turns into/gets replaced by Rei. Specifically, Rei's transformed state, which is a large Tigercow. All the enemies are turned into taiyaki (a type of sweet-filled baked good shaped like a fish). Run into the taiyaki and Rei eats them for points. Of course, this means that you lose out on the normal power-up you would have received, so plan accordingly. Rei can jump but not shoot. He can uncover and activate switches, but can't ride on the platforms, and can't uncover power-ups. He also can't use railings, escalators or trampolines. There's a cool upside however; he can't fall. He just walks over the gaps, even the normally impassable ones. Also, the flames don't climb while you're in Rei mode. Rei can also move up floors; after eating about five taiyaki, push up while jumping. He can ascend several floors this way, if you're quick and the taiyaki are plentiful. The screen flashes annoyingly the whole time you're in Rei mode, with the flashing winding down as you get close to losing Rei. RUBBER DUCKY: Grabbing the little rubber ducky summons Lum's young cousin, Jariten. Ten-chan will fly slightly above and behind Lum, facing the same direction, spitting a fireball at a downward angle (hitting about a body- length in front of Lum) about three times per second. After a short time, he flies away. When Jariten is with you, you can't uncover other power-ups. STAR: Nab the blinking white star, and Lum "charges up," surrounding herself with an electrical field. This makes her invincible for about thirty seconds. Enemies just pass through her. She can still jump and shoot normally, and is still susceptible to dying from falls or the fire. PLAY MECHANICS -------------- You begin on the first floor of each building (the gray basement you can see -- where the fire starts -- is inaccessible). All the floors repeat if you travel far enough horizontally, but you usually won't have time for extra exploration. There are gaps in the floors that you'll need to jump over. Some gaps are too wide to jump; these will often have either a railing or a moving platform. If they're completely impassable, they'll have a small 'X' marking at the edge. Railings are visible on the wall above some gaps; jump up to grab onto the railing, move across the gap, then push down to get back to the floor. Note that you can't shoot while on a railing. Moving platforms will be stationary when first approached. When you get near the edge of the gap, a small blinking graphic that says "SW" will appear. Jump to hit the switch, and the platform will begin moving. Expect to lose a few lives on these platforms before you get used to the jump physics. In some places, there will be shortcuts; you basically enter an open door by pushing up and then emerge further along, avoiding the floor hazards between. There are three ways to move up a floor: Escalators, trampolines and vertically-moving platforms. Escalators are easy; just push up when you're on the dark patch in front of them. You can't shoot while you're on an escalator (usually), but it doesn't matter; you're invincible while on one. Even better, in a quite stunning display of game-fairness, you remain invincible for a split-second after leaving the escalator. This means you don't get hit if you emerge directly onto an enemy. Trampolines require you to jump on them, then hit the jump button again right as you land on them to be bounced up high. If you're also pushing left or right when this happens, you'll bounce high and far in a direction; this is required to ascend in some places. You are vulnerable to enemies while bouncing. Expect to lose a few lives before you get the hang of pushing A and a direction at just the right time. Vertically-moving platforms work just like the horizontally-moving ones, and also need a "SW" switch activated. You need to time your jumps even closer here than with the horizontally-moving platforms: You absolutely must wait for the platform to come to a stop before jumping on or off, otherwise you won't make the jump. Expect to lose a few lives, etc. There's only two ways to move down a floor. One is by pushing up while standing on the dark patch in front of the top of an escalator. You shouldn't ever need to do that, but it's possible. The other method is to jump onto a trampoline below you. There are some places where this might be useful. When you shoot a lightning bolt, it travels in a straight horizontal line from where it was fired. You can fire when jumping, and when crouching. You can have up to three bolts on the screen at the same time. An oddity: If you have bolts on the screen when you enter an escalator, the bolts will remain vertically relative to you, moving up or down with you. Once you reach the roof of a school, you'll see Lum's UFO flying past from one direction or the other. Wait until it approaches, and then jump straight up into it. You'll need to watch for enemies while doing this, but it's relatively easy to pull this off compared to the rest of the stage. After boarding the UFO, the stage ends. You're given bonus points for each enemy you dispatched, you see Lum grow older, and you move on to the first floor of the next school. When you lose a life, you'll see a screen showing your number of lives remaining as hearts, and the current floor you're on. A graphic of Lum will urge you on with "Ganbare-cha!"("Go for it-cha!"). You'll then be placed back on the same floor you died on, usually moved to a new spot horizontally. You get an extra life at 20,000 points, then another at every 40,000 thereafter. WALKTHROUGH ----------- STAGE 1: INFANT SCHOOL Lum starts out around 4th-grade age, in a cute little tiger-striped dress. You meet three types of enemies here: Flying Fish, Octopus and Little Girl. Floor 1: From the start, travel up the escalator. Optionally, you could pick up a power-up first: Move left, then at the second open doorway jump in front of the closed part of the door and the rubber ducky will appear. Grab it to get Tan-chan, then enter the doorway (by pushing up) to warp back to the start point. Floor 2: Upon arriving on the second floor, head left. At the left edge of the top of the escalator jump and you'll find your school uniform. It won't appear if Ten-chan is with you; either wait until he leaves, or just move on without the uniform. Continue to the left and enter the next door you come to. You'll come out just left of the next escalator. Floor 3: Head back to the right. You can once again find a power-up at the top of the escalator. This time, it's the alien. Walk to the right and you'll encounter your first gap. It's an easy one, but you may need to watch for enemies, who have an annoying habit of approaching in large numbers from the other side of a gap, forcing you to spend time zapping them before you can safely cross. After two more gaps, you meet your first moving platform. Remember to jump and hit the switch before attempting to continue. If you jump while on the platform, a star may appear. It's up to you if it's worth taking another trip to get the invincibility. Once you successfully get past this obstacle, you have one more short gap and then an escalator takes you to floor 4. Note: If you got both Jariten and the uniform, you'll get Rei at the alien, and can just walk over the gaps to the escalator. Floor 4: Once you arrive, check the usual spot on the escalator for the little fox. After the minigame, head to the right and you'll find a trampoline. You can jump onto the trampoline either while moving, or by standing "underneath" and then jumping. If you can manage to use the trampoline correctly (remember to push left or right), you'll end up on the roof. Roof: Look for the UFO, and jump up into it when it comes by. Once the stage is complete, Lum's age increases to about 10 or so, and she dons a halter-top and shorts. STAGE 2: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL On this stage you lose the Little Girl enemy, but you gain Kotatsu Neko and the Karasu Tengu. Floor 1: Begin by traveling left this time. Jump two gaps. Pass by the escalator, jump one more gap, and a star will appear. Jump back to grab it, then head back and hit the escalator. Floor 2: Go right. Use the railing to cross the gap. Jump the regular gaps, then up another escalator. Your invincibility should wear off shortly after leaving this escalator, so watch for it. Floor 3: In the normal spot at the edge of the escalator jump up and a bird will appear. Grab it for your uniform. Continue left over a railing, a regular gap, another railing, then another regular gap. If you jump up on the small platform you find yourself on, you'll see a rubber ducky. Jump to get Ten-chan (or Rei, if applicable), then continue to the left. Two more short gaps and a railing, and you'll find a trampoline; jump up and left to reach floor 4. Floor 4: Left over one short gap, a railing and two short gaps, then enter a door to warp to the escalator. Floor 5: Left over a long railing, then two short gaps. After the second gap, you can jump back and grab the little fox. If you don't get the fox, two more short gaps will take you to the escalator. If you play the fox minigame, you'll need to go right over three short gaps to reach the escalator. Floor 6: Head left. Railing, gap, railing, gap, gap. Jump and hit the switch. Now, you can either jump onto the small piece of floor to your left, or enter the door and get warped to the other side of the vertically-moving platform. It might be easier for some to make the jump onto the platform with more maneuvering room, but either side will work. Ride the platform up and jump onto the roof. Roof: Once again, just jump into the UFO. Lum is now an eighth-grader, and her trademark bikini first appears. STAGE 3: JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL The Karasu Tengu take a vacation, and the Mendou Guards show up. Floor 1: Head right and take the escalator. Floor 2: If you're willing to take the time, you can first go right to the second set of double doors, then jump at the second door to get a star. You'll have to walk all the way back to the starting point. From there, left over a gap and a railing, and finally you'll come to the next escalator. Floor 3: Right until you come to a gap. Jump at the right half of the double door immediately after the gap to find a bird. Go right to the next escalator. Floor 4: At the top of the escalator, check the usual spot for the little fox. If you play the minigame, you'll come out next to the escalator; otherwise, go left over a railing and a gap to reach it. Floor 5: Move left. You'll see the switch for the moving platform, but ignore it. Enter the first door you come to, then go left to the trampoline. Jump up to the left. Floor 6: Left over a gap, then down a long empty stretch, over two more gaps, then up the escalator. Floor 7: Left past a railing, and jump four gaps. On your last jump, the onsen mark will show up. You can grab it without having to jump back over the gap by standing on the very right edge of the small platform. Jump left over one more platform, then take the escalator. Floor 8: Check the usual spot at the top of the escalator for a Dappya Alien. Go left. Same as floor 5, ignore the platform switch and instead enter the first door you find. You'll end up perched on the edge of a gap, so you may want to back up slightly to make the jump. After that, one more gap and then take the trampoline to the roof. Roof: Same as the last two. Find UFO, and in you go. Lum graduates to High School, catching up to her age in the series. STAGE 4: HIGH SCHOOL Same enemies as last school, but with Pterodactyls added. Floor 1: Head right. Jump at the first door to find a star. Continue to the right and enter the second open doorway to warp to the escalator. Floor 2: Go left across a railing, then go up the escalator. Floor 3: Option 1 is to go left across two gaps, then up the escalator. Option 2 is to go right. Jump three gaps. Jump up at the first closed door and find the onsen mark. Right across two more gaps. Hit the switch, cross the moving platform, then hit the escalator. Option 3: Start left and enter the first door, you'll warp out just to the left of the moving platform. Floor 4: Left across the railing, then continue on to the trampoline. Jump up to the left. Floor 5: Go left, and we find a new twist. A switch will appear, hit it, and it operates the moving platform on the floor above. You won't be using that platform, but remember the "switch and platform on different floors" trick for later in the game. Continue left to the escalator. Floor 6: Left across two gaps and up the escalator. Floor 7: Option 1: Left across the railing, then left to the trampoline. Option 2: Right across four gaps, then jump back over the last one to grab the little fox. After the minigame, head right across two gaps to reach the trampoline. At the trampoline, jump up to the left. Floor 8: Just walk left to the escalator. Floor 9: Search the usual spot at the top of the escalator for a Dappya Alien. Head left across two gaps to the escalator. Floor 10: Right across four gaps. Hit the switch. Right across two more gaps. Jump at the door to find a bird. To the right, you'll find a column of light (if you hit the switch). Enter it to be taken to the roof. Roof: The roof is no different here. Your interstellar chariot awaits. Lum grows to college age (I guess), and she finally gets her hair is finally drawn in its normal green, rather than in blue. STAGE 5: STUDIO Lum is apparently working in a recording studio now. I'm not sure if she's an OL (office lady, i.e., receptionist), or a recording artist. Her "uniform" is now a red dress. The way the skirt flares reminds me of an old-school Japanese singing idol, but it could just be 80's fashion. Oh, and if you're wondering what the doors say, it's "SU_TA_JI_O" which is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "studio." Same enemies as the High School, and the Kuroko now show up. Floor 1: Go left to reach the first escalator. Floor 2: Check the usual spot at the top of the escalator for a bird. Continue right across four gaps to the escalator. Floor 3: Go right, cross a gap, continue right to a trampoline. Bounce up to the left. Yes, left. Floor 4: Find the switch, hit it, then jump back down to the trampoline on floor 3. You'll get the "falling" sound effect, but as long as you land on the trampoline, you'll be fine. Now bounce up to the right. Cross a railing, then the moving platform, a gap, another railing, two more gaps, and you'll finally reach the escalator. Depending on how fast you were on the lower floors, the fire might be closing in on you at this point, but you should have plenty of time to make it up. Floor 5: No choice here but to head right, jump the nine gaps along the way, and make it to the escalator. The enemies should definitely be giving you fits at this point. Floor 6: Getting hot now! Left across the gap to find the hidden switch, then back to the right as quick as you can go. Across a railing and one gap, then enter a door to be warped to the trampoline. Jump up to the left. Floor 7: Left, enter the first doorway for a shortcut to the escalator. Floor 8: Right across six gaps to the escalator. Floor 9: Left across three gaps to the trampoline. Bounce up to the right. Floor 10: Right across a gap, and you'll find a switch. Hit it, then continue right across a railing and two more gaps to the escalator. Floor 11: Head right. Jump at the first door to find a katana. Move right over eight gaps to the escalator. Floor 12: Go immediately to the right. Cross the railing and two gaps to find a hidden switch. Book it all the way back left past the starting point. There's a Dappya Alien at the usual spot at the top of the escalator. At the first door, jump to find a star. Left across three gaps, and you'll find a light column. Roof: Once again, a saucerful of you ends the stage. Lum doesn't age this time; instead she changes into her bridal gown. STAGE 6: CHAPEL The music changes to the Bridal Procession, the fire danger is gone, and Lum loses the ability to shoot lightning or crouch. The only enemies are the flying fish and the octopuses. Move to the right and you'll see several platforms containing wedding items, like a ring, a bouquet, a garter, etc. Jump between the platforms and pick up all the items while dodging the enemies. This rather short stage will seem like a cakewalk after the main game. Once you pick up the last of the items, the game takes over and you'll automatically walk through the door of the chapel. Ataru approaches from the other side of the screen in a white tuxedo, and he and Lum meet at the altar. They kiss, and you get to see part of why Ataru kept Lum at arm's length for almost 200 episodes. *smooch* ZAP! You get no congratulatory screen, and only a few seconds to savor your victory before the game restarts at the Infant School. The locations of the power ups are changed (although you still find them at the tops of escalators and in front of closed parts of doors), and the fire now climbs faster. Enjoy! ###