Baku Baku Animal FAQ(Sega Master System) version 1.0.0 by Andrew Schultz schultza@earthlink.net copyright 2004 Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent. However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry. **** AD SPACE: **** My home page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762 ================================ OUTLINE 1. INTRODUCTION 1-1. WHAT I SAY 1-2. WHAT THE GAME SAYS 1-3. BASICS AND NOTATION 2. CONTROLS 3. GAINING POINTS AND STRATEGY 4. LAYOUT AND DIALOGUE AND PASSWORDS 4-1. PRACTICE 4-2. NORMAL 4-3. HARD 5. PASSWORDS 6. VERSIONS 7. CREDITS ================================ 1. INTRODUCTION 1-1. WHAT I SAY Baku Baku Animal is a neat idea for a game if far too short. It's a bit like Puyo Pop and a bit like Pac-Attack but gets the lowest common denominator of both. You drop 2x1 blocks into a 8x6 well as you compete against a computer opponent to try and fill theirs up first. There eight different blocks--four animals and four foods, with each animal matching a food. Place an animal next to its food, and it goes on an eating binge, tearing up any chain of foods. Then the blocks drop and you have a potential for a chain reaction. The longer and bigger chain reactions you get, the more points you get. Points are used to drop blocks on your opponent's well. The next time they let an animal eat, the blocks come raining down. You also get the occasional BB coins which wipe out all of a certain type of character-- depending on what is below them directly when they land. There are a lot of possibilities for accidental matches and when tiles start piling up and the game goes faster, the last bits can be randomly determined since puzzle pieces dropped are random too. You also get the 'next' blocked out while animals are eating food blocks which precludes any sort of strategy. 1-2. WHAT THE GAME SAYS This introduction amply explains the plot. My king, the princess wants a new pet. Another pet! She has too many as it is. She wants everything. She is too spoiled! She's young, foolish... Watch how you talk about my daughter! Oops! Did I say too spoiled? I meant too kind. Yes, too kind, that's what I meant to say. She is indeed too kind...but she does forget to care for her animals. I have an idea, my King! Perhaps we should hire someone...a zookeeper. Ah, that sounds perfect! I am glad I thought of it! Certainly, my king. A search for the Royal Zookeeper will begin immediately! By royal decree, a contest of skill and daring will be held to select the Royal Zookeeper. The winner shall tend the Princess' [sic] zoo. - The King 1-3. BASICS AND NOTATION So which blocks eat which? Pretty standard stuff. The animals are pretty distinctive and so are what they eat. RABBIT eats CARROT DOG eats BONE MONKEY eats bANANA PANDA eats STALK of bamboo I will use R, C, D, B, M, A, P, S to note squares in grids below. The 1x2 tiles, if dropped horizontally, will split up so they slip down as far as possible. For instance, R C vvv S S A B becomes C R C S not S R S S A B A B B-B coins dissolve every tile with the same icon as the two they fall on. They are relatively rare. You and your opponent get the same tiles although you can get way ahead of your computer opponent in what is distributed. There are 37 tiles total--28 with 2 colors and 8 with 1, plus the B-B tile. 2. CONTROLS Pushing down causes a piece to fall faster. Pushing the left button causes it to rotate a quarter turn left. Pushing the right button causes it to rotate a quarter turn right. And, nicely, if you are stuck in a narrow well, rotation buttons flip the piece 180 degrees. You can move the piece left and right as you wish, of course, and you can even do so when it's above the playfield. Skip the dialogue between levels by pushing start or the rotate buttons. It's really slow dialogue. On Mekaw you can push F4 several times to speed stuff up and F3 to slow it down. Pushing start pauses the game and scrubs your playfield but you can push F12 on Mekaw to keep the playfield intact. B-C-A-S-D-R-M-P is the cycle for passwords incidentally. Your opponent can move when your animals are eating, and vice versa. 3. GAINING POINTS AND STRATEGY The only points you get are the ones that allow you to dump something on your opponent later. # of blocks dumped = your points. Then the point total is cleared and you start again. When your opponent matches an animal with their food, they cause the potential deluge. What matches with what should be pretty clear: BBA gives points based on the following evaluation: --go left and down from the UL looking for an animal with food to eat --have him take out what he can. Move through everything. --at the bottom right, calculate the total number of squares that disappeared and subtract 2. That is the point total --on subsequent passes through you get a bonus of 4, then 6, then 8, above the base total, assuming you would've gotten points to start with. So for instance M M v P P D D R R A A C C C B B C S S C Would get 2 points for the monkey/banana, 5 + 4 for the rabbit, then 2 + 6 for the dogs, and 2 + 8 for the pandas. However you wouldn't get any points for the following: M M vvv P D R A C S B A S A You'd also only get one bonus for below. M M vvv D R A A C A B B B 3 for the monkeys, 0 for the rabbit, and 2 + 6 for the dog, not 2 + 4. The rabbit match counts for a bonus. Note also that this implies you should set up a 3-fer even if you need to collapse a 2-fer to get it. This makes things much easier--two throwaways become something quite nice. --if the same animal is 'in the way' as you eat the last food, it may be taken as food as well for an additional block. P B B S B M would be a chain reaction, but it wouldn't get any bonus points for the next since it only takes two characters. In fact a chain reaction may not be as good as the regular bit. M D v B A Here you'll get a chain reaction if you drop the tile, but it won't get you anything. It's better just to rotate it 90 degrees right and get 2 points for a single tile. Another example: M A vvv M Here, flip the piece 180 degrees so you can take out the two monkeys with one banana. The basic strategy of lumping like items together should work pretty well. I generally allow a monochrome chain length of 3 items before looking actively to for the animal to get on it. Sometimes it will happen, too, that after blocks drop from your opponent you'll have a lot of matches already made. Nothing will happen until you drop your blocks and then it's not always advisable to go for the longest chain. For instance: A A vvv M C A A C M Here you might want to move the bananas to the right and rotate vertically. Drop them in and you wipe out 6 tiles with 2 chains of 2 bananas vs. 5 with 1 chain of 4. Zapping the extra monkey gets an extra point. Another example here: M C vvv A R A S A S A S Here you'll want to rotate ninety degrees right and drop the carrot on the rabbit. No points for the first one, but the next gets you 3+4. The regular way gets you 5. In general when BB coins fall you will want to drop them on animals. Animals are harder to get rid of than regular pieces and in fact when you go in for long combinations they may very well appear more--I think everything appears roughly evenly, which means in the long run that animals will take over your playing field unless you are careful. Use every chance you can get to wipe out 2 animals with 1 food. The main thing to remember is that you will want to go for small chains with something lucrative at the end and not for the longer chain, which is your opponent's fatally flawed strategy. 2- or 3- chains also preserve the balance of animals vs. food. But on the other hand don't sneeze at making a long chain if you can. If you have to rely on it, though, you are in trouble. Smaller chains are less subject to which random pieces come down. Don't overextend yourself and you'll be OK. If you find this too inelegant and want massive combinations, muck around on the slow practice level. 4. LAYOUT AND DIALOGUE AND PASSWORDS Below, I've listed what people say. You frequently dialogue with opponents beforehand, and afterwards they talk differently depending on if they win or lose. For the practice level you never get to the castle. 1. Master Piggy 2. Nurse Grape 3. little toy cowboy For the normal level you get to the castle, but the path is less obstructed. 1. green duck/alien 2. C3P0 girl 3. Robot warrior guarding castle Winning says...you're ready for normal mode. Inside the castle now. 4. cowboy with aqua hat 5. counselor 6. queen 7. princess For the advanced level there are two more enemies waiting outside the castle. 1. Nurse Grape 2. Piggy 3. robot guard 4. adonis robot 5. cowboy with aqua hat 6. silver adonis-ette 7. counselor 8. queen 9. princess A lot of dialogue is reused here. The first two characters have different stuff to say than in practice mode but 3=3, 5=4 and 7/8/9=5/6/7 from normal mode. Enemies are better at constructing long lines to drop on you as the levels go up. They tend to move faster. But they usually try for too much, and you can often bury the original lines you want to create and destroy them that way with a couple of judicious chains. 4-1. PRACTICE Polly, have you heard about the contest? Oink. --Oh yes, Master Piggy! --Then let's not waste any time. Oink. I will begin your training. --You must concentrate! Let us begin the training again. --You have done well. Oink. Here is something that will help you in times of trouble. --Great! I can use the BB coin now! Nurse --Hello, little one! --Who are you? --My name is Nurse Grape. I am sworn to fight sickness everywhere! --Me? I'm not sick! I feel great! --Really? That,s strange, because you sure look sick! --That's not nice! Take that back! --Do you want a second opinion? You are slow and weak too! Ha ha ha!!! --You are smarter than you look. But it is a long way to the goal. Try your best, little one. Goodbye for now! Little Toy Cowboy --Well, that was a waste of time! --Not so fast! --Oh no! Not another challenger! --I shall stop you! I will become the Royal Zookeeper! --I'm sorry, Polly. But I want to win! --Mommy! Polly was mean to me! Waah! **** 4-2. NORMAL Green duck/alien --How lucky, my opponent is only a little girl! --Hmph! How rude! I'll show you who's the weak one! --I can't believe I lost! --That was way too easy! Hee hee! Silver skinny C3P0 looking girl --Hi, honey. I am very sorry, but you are going to lose. --Not me. How about you? --Waaah, oh daddy! I was beaten! She cheated! Waah! Waaahhh! --Try not to take it personally. I was destined to win. robot warrior with spear --Hold on there, little girl. Where might you be going? --I am on my way to the contest. --Really...you? I doubt that. I'd better test you. It's my duty. If you win, you may pass. --You're a fake! I think you were lying all along. I don't know why you came, but go away! We don't need little girls here. --You seem to be telling the truth. You can come in. Do your best to win!! Pinnochio, aqua pointy hat --Oh, you again! I already beat you in Practice. --But that wasn't the real thing. I must warn you that I have improved. I've dedicated myself to winning this contest. --I've trained hard too! I beat you once, I can beat you again. --Then, let it begin! --Serves you right! You are too arrogant for your own good. --Oh no! I've been beaten again. I'll never be the Royal Zookeeper. Counselor --You have done well to come so far. Besides your skill, we must also judge your character. --My character? What does it have to do with taking this job? --Oh, don't worry. It is only a formality. To tell you the truth, both the King and I want to decide this quickly. --Great! That was marvelous. My King, let's choose this girl! Queen --Halt! She won too easily. She must not be granted the title! --You are very strong and brave. I accept you. There was no need for the Minister to let you win. --Just as I thought! It was all a charade. Princess --Why is everyone ignoring me? I don't trust her! I fear what she may do to my animals. --But Princess, she is highly skilled! All of us accept her. --My animals are my friends. They need the best care from the right person. I must test her myself! If I lose, I will do as you say. --Ha! It is totally ridiculous that you think you can take care of my animals. Go home or I will have you thrown in the dungeons! --Oh...you are strong. You must protect my animals. There is so much to do and you're the perfect person to help. I trust you now. Please look after my friends. king: Oh, this is such a lovely moment. The Princess approves of Polly. This calls for congratulations! Can you start now, Polly? Polly: Yes, my king. Thank you so very much. 4-3. HARD Nurse --Oh, the little one again. I am surprised they let you enter. --How can you be so arrogant? You're cruel and I will beat you again. --Ha, ha. You are so bold, but I plan to win the fight this time around. --Ho ho! Have you learned your lesson? This contest is no place for little girls. --Aahh, I lost again. You're very good. Good luck on the rest of the contest. Piggy --I've been waiting for you, Polly! --Oh, Master Piggy! Why are you here? --The road ahead will be very hard. Oink. To prepare, you must have more training. Oink. --That's no good! Oink. Study the patterns. Let's do it again! --Congratulations, oink! I know you will win. Oink. Remember, I will always be with you. robot guard --Hold on there, little girl Where might you be going? --I am on my way to the contest. --Really...you? I doubt that. I'd better test you. It's my duty. If you win, you may pass. adonis robot --I heard you also want to be the Royal Zookeeper. But to support my family, I must get the job. The contest will decide the winner. I hope we can still be friends. --Don't think poorly of me. Even lions do their best when they hunt a small rabbit. Goodbye, my friend. --Very regrettable. I wish you well. cowboy --oh, you again! I already beat you in Practice. --but that wsn't the real thing. I must warn you that I have improved. --I am golden Angela. Where are you going? --Me? I am going to the palace to compete to be the Royal Zookeeper. --That's too bad. That honor shall be mine! Silver adonis-ette --Excuse me, honey. I have a date in the palace. --You are...strong, sniff! But in the castle, you will meet your match. Sniff! They will make you sorry for making a fool out of me. Waahhhh! 5. PASSWORDS It shouldn't take more than a minute or two to clear each board but in case you don't have the patience for that--and the cut scenes that do take a while-- here are the codes to start wherever you'd like. They start at all bones and scroll downwards. bone-carrot-banana-stalk-dog-rabbit-monkey-panda practice fight 2: Panda Bone Stalk Bone practice fight 3: Stalk Panda Stalk Carrot normal fight 2: Monkey Banana Rabbit Rabbit normal fight 3: Dog Banana Dog Bone normal fight 4: Rabbit Carrot Carrot Bone normal fight 5: Monkey Panda Carrot Bone normal fight 6: Bone Dog Stalk Dog normal fight 7: Dog Bone Panda Stalk hard fight 2: Bone Dog Banana Panda hard fight 3: Banana Monkey Carrot Monkey hard fight 4: Panda Stalk Dog Bone hard fight 5: Monkey Banana Stalk Carrot hard fight 6: Panda Panda Rabbit Banana hard fight 7: Dog Rabbit Carrot Bone hard fight 8: Panda Monkey Stalk Rabbit hard fight 9: Carrot Banana Carrot Rabbit End of FAQ proper ================================ 6. VERSIONS 1.0.0 submitted to GameFAQs 8/13/2004 complete. Not much to do really but clean up the dialogues from here on out. 7. CREDITS Thanks to the usual GameFAQs gang. They know who they are, and you should, too, because they get some SERIOUS writing done. Good people too--bloomer, daremo, falsehead, Retro, Snow Dragon/Brui5ed Ego, ZoopSoul, and others I forgot. Thanks to Masamune3 for proposing we GameFAQs FAQ writers get through all of the SMS. Thanks to the Mekaw programmer for making this game much easier to dissect.