From: Thomas Mattsson (thsman95@student.umu.se) HOW TO PLAY LIFE FORCE(tm) - SALAMANDER KONAMI(R) --- CONGRATULATIONS! You now owm the authentic Konami home version of Life Force, one of Konami's many original arcade hits. We suggest that you read this instruction manual thoroughly before playing the game. TABLE OF CONTENTS - Introduction/How To Play - The Starships - Controlling The Action - Galaxy Screen - Powering-Up - The Six Terror Zones - The Enemy Defenses - The Enemy Mayors - Taking Care Of Your Game --- THE BIRTH OF ZELOS COULD MEAN THE DEATH OF ZILLIONS In a remote quadrant of the universe there was hatched a hideous creature. His proud parents, Ma & Pa Deltoid, named their only son Zelos, which in alien lingo means "one mean son of a gun". As Zelos grew into an adult space monster, his appetite turned ravenous, his temper became ruthless, and his name proved an understatement. It didn't take long for Zelos to leave the nest and to go out on his own, devouring everything in sight, including three galaxies, four hundred planets, two trillion lifeforms and a side order of stars. Then your innocent galaxy appeared on Zelos's menu, and he chowed on an entree of roast Gradius, with the planet Latis for dessert. Now, the only chance these civilizations have of escaping from his digestive tract lies with you and your star- fighting partner. But your odds look pretty grim, for Zelos is full of floating armada terror zones, which are cities that have become a part of Zelos after being eaten. Each of these zones is loaded with tremendous firepower and unbelievable destructive surprises. You'll also find that Zelos's heart and soul are positioned safely behind his traitor fleet. That means you'll have to devastate the six Terror Zones and blast away their grotesque mayors before reaching Zelos's main artery and putting an end to his eating binge. HOW TO PLAY Soaring on the fringes of the Gradian Galaxy in an ultra-blasting, warp-speed starship, your mission is to destroy Zelos at all costs. Success won't come easy, though, as you dodge thousands of alien attackers, utilizing your tremendous flying skills. You better have an itchy trigger finger as well, because you'll gain bonus weapons by wasting certain enemies, capturing their pods and then powering-up. (See Powering-Up) --- Life Force can be played by either one or two starfighters. If two play, you fight as a team to save the galaxy. To pilot the Vic Viper from the planet Gradius, choose Controller (1). To pilot the RoadBritish Space Destroyer from the planet Latis, choose Controller (2). THE STARSHIPS OF HEROES The Vic Viper Constructed at the cost of 60 trillion Gradian dollars, the Vic Viper is the pride of all Gradius. A pilot can pull 600 G's at a warp speed of 9 in this baby and still feel like he is lounging in a La-Z-Boy(R). The RoadBritish Space Destroyer The people of Latis have always been known for their wondrous engineering skills, and the RoadBritish Space Destroyer proves it. In fact, this is the only starship in the galaxy to have beaten the Vic Viper during time trials. --- CONTROLLING THE ACTION Control Pad Use to guide your starship. Select Button Press at the beginning of your mission to choose either a one player mode or a two player mode. At the end of your mission, press to continue or end. (You can continue for a maximum 3 times) Start Button Press to begin your attack on Zelos. Press during the middle of your mission to pause the action. B Button Press B button to fire your weapons. A Button Press A button to power-up. --- THE GALAXY'S BATTLEFIELD The bottom of the screen during play looks like below: Vic Viper's power-up RoadBritish's select sign power-up select sign Vic Viper's score RoadBritish's score Up-to-date High Score --- HOW TO POWER-UP Blast certain enemy craft and red power pods will appear. Capture these pods, because they will move your power-up potential from speed up to force field. When the power-up you desire lights up, press A Button to activate it. Choose From a Variety of Weapons and Force Fields Speed Up Allows you to maneuver more quickly. Missiles Enables you to fire twin Destructo missiles. Ripple Laser Wipes out enemies who are attacking from scattered positions. Plutonic Laser We're talking serious destruction capabilities with this sucker. Option This gives your ship up to two extra attackers. If your teamed with a partner, you can have two Options between you. Force Field When activated this gives you awesome protection against enemy fire. --- THE TERROR ZONES Cell Stage 1 The first terror zone you'll encounter comes from the Phenom Galaxy. Awaiting you here is the dreaded death hand, a menace that has proved fatal to less skillful starfighters. Volcanic Stage Terror Zone II is a disaster area from the Baltic Galaxy. This is one of Zelos's favorite allies, since he gets his jollies having molten lava spit in your face. The Prominence Stage Scorching fire creatures rage out of control in Terror Zone III. And of the hundreds of previous pilots, only a handful have blasted outta here without getting their tails burned. Cell Stage 2 Tiny life forms from the Ithaca Galaxy roam Terror Zone IV. It's here that you'll also be pitted against ferocious internal cells that'll zap you when you least expect it. Temple Stage Oh no! The ancient city of temples from the planet latis has turned against you. What a heartbreaker. Whoever is piloting the RoadBritish will be flying low, as he'll have to blast these expatriates. Mechanical City Stage Zelos's final barrier is naturally his most destructive. If you make it past here you'll have only the mighty one's heart to destroy. For the sake of millions, let's hope you survive. --- THE ENEMY DEFENSES - UNIVERSAL SCUM Zone 1 Belbeim Sharpcrosser Death Hand Octa Zone 2 Ug Balganis Gremlin Zone 3 Prowler Spit Ball Fire Sphere Phoenix Zone 4 Tablus Jellyp Bamuda Zone 5 Lash Crash Bam Zone 6 Moay Glopter Iron Maiden Amkarkhand Heads --- THE ENEMY MAYORS AND THEIR MIGHTY GOVERNOR Zone 1 - Golem Zone 2 - Intruder Zone 3 - Cruiser Tetron Zone 4 - Giga Zone 5 - Tutankhamanattack Zone 6 - Zelos's heart and soul --- Treat Your Konami Game Carefully * This Konami Game Pak is a precision-crafted device with complex electronic circuitry. Avoid subjecting it to undue shock or extremes of temperature. Never attempt to open or dismantle the Game Pak. * Do not touch the terminal leads or allow them to come into contact with water or the game circuitry will be damaged. * Always make sure your NES Control Deck is SWITCHED OFF when inserting the Game Pak or removing it from the NES Control Deck. * Never insert your fingers or any metal objects into the terminal portion of the expansion connector. This can result in malfunction or damage. --- LIFE FORCE(tm) - SALAMANDER Konami(R) is a trademark of Konami Industry Co., Ltd. Life Force(tm) is a trademark of Konami Industry Co., Ltd. Nintendo(R) and Nintendo Entertainment System(tm) are trademarks of Nintendo. (c) 1988 Konami