Typed by THE TWINS of Trilogy SHADOW OF THE B E A S T ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____________________________________________________________ | | | SHADOW OF THE BEAST | | FACT BOX | | | |Total Size: 350 screens| |Total Memory Used: 3.5 megabytes| |Graphics Data: 2.2 megabytes| |Music and Sound Data: 850 kilobytes| |Music Sample Rate: 20 kilohertz| |Screen Update: 50times a sec.| |Max.no.of Colours on Screen: 128| |No.of different monsters: 132| |Maximum Sprite Size: 220 by 150 pixels("big")| |Levels of scrolling: 13 outside,2 large areas inside| |Project Duration: 9 months| | | |_____________________________________________________________| THE GAME Many years ago, on a moonless night, a small child was stolen away from its unsuspecting parents. Its mysterious abductors carried it far across theland to the mighty temple Necropolis. There the child was accepted by the mages of darkness, warrior prists of the Beast Lord. Deep below the temple the child was escorted, passing through a labyrinth of rooms and passages to the Chambers Of Creation. There the evil mages worked their dark arts creating strange creatures, plants and traps to guard the Beast's stronghold. For the child they had a special purpose, but first came years of preparation. Secret potions concocted from the blood of rare creatures slowly transformed his appearance - turning him from human into a strange creature of incredible power, agility and strength. Deep hynosis caused him to erase memories of his past life completely and become the warrior messenger of the Beast. Many years passed in his service to the temple as he grew to maturity. Then one day he discovered an awful secret - the horrible truth about his past...a truth that now leads him on a trail of total and bloody revenge against his masters. You were that child. Now the time has come to enter the SHADOW OF THE BEAST! IN SEARCH OF THE BEAST In the grounds of Necropolis all was silent and still. The moon, low and large on the horizon, threw long dark shadows into the corners and a cool blue light across the stony ground, disguising the blood-red stains on the sacrificial stone. Not a single creature stirred to disrupt the tranquility, not a leaf moved on the nearby trees. There was not a trace of life in that sinister place but for a single point of light glinting against the age-worn face of a statue. Up there in the huge arms of the deity's image sat a lone creature. In its powerful hand it clutched a Globe of Seeing which it moved slowly from side to side examining its reflected features. As it did so it recalled the events of that day: the frightened humans being herded into the central courtyard; the pathetic pleas for help as they were dragged one by one to the sacrificial stone; the final airrending screams as the knife came down in one swift arc and the life blood ran. And then a tired, resigned face being pushed towards the stone, a face that seemed of some importance to him. Yet how could that be when the lives of these people meant nothing to him? And, as the gleaming blade struck home, he recognised the agonised the agonised face of his father and suddenly the painful memories of all he had been came flooding back to him. His masters had done this to him. They had been responsible for all that he was, and the loss of all he might have been. Well now they would pay. Now the warrior would stop killing for his masters and begin to exact his revenge. Standing, he lifted the globe high above his head and, clenching his clawed hand, crushed it to a hundred tiny shards. Now the warrior's head lefted towards the heavens. He searched the sky for the dark hulls of the ships whence his masters had come and let out a roaring howl that spoke his defiance. Nothing would stop him now. He would crush them as he had crushed their globe, and he would never stop until the blood of all of them and their creations soaked into the earth... ------------------------------------ ...flame red eyes stared out across the sun-scorched plain, scanning the distant treeline. The warrior was allowing himself a brief moment to enjoy the stillness - a respite before he once again set mind and body against the unnatural creatures his former masters had spawned. Drawing in breath sharply, he flexed his hardened muscles, became aware of the blood rushing through his arteries, the double-hearts pounding furiously in his chest. The warrior knew that his power and speed were all that ensured his survival. The day that he became weak, the hour that he became slow, would be his last. Setting off at a run he headed towards the trees, stirring up a trail of grey dust behind him. To have remained on the plain while the sun was high would have been fatal, but the shade of the trees most likely concealed a darker fate. As the warrior reached the first growths his instincts told him that he was unlikely to be alone for long. His eyes darted from side to side watching for the tiniest movement that would betray a predator. When it came it did so with speed, rushing at him full on, its black wings crashing through the foliage, and from its blood-filled mouth came a piercing scream as it sighted its kill. The warrior had barely enough time to crouch as the creature flew at his head. Turning swiftly he brought his bone-covered fist up hard into the creature's soft underbelly. Now it screamed in pain, spinning in mid-air and crashing down between the gnarled roots of a tree. But the warrior ignored the body. Behind him had come another screech, too close this time. As he turned and dived for cover another winged demon flew at him, claws extended for the kill. The warrior struck out again but the creature was too quick and he felt its talons tearing into his abdomen as he rolled away into the undergrowth. He lay there panting, momentarily dazed. He could feel a warm wetness across his side and stomach, and with it a sharpening pain. But he concentrated on ignoring it. The wound would congeal soon enough, and if he stayed any longer he would lose far more than a little blood. He stood slowly, fighting the waves of pain that passed through him, feeling his hearts pounding faster, but he had to be moving. Other creatures would not ward off another attack. As he stumbled between the trees he noticed something out of place against a distant trunk. Coming closer he realised that it was a doorway, a Beast-Mage construction, and hurried onwards. Thinking only of the things that would soon be trailing him, the warrior took a chance an dropped through into the darkness. He was just in time. Behind him there was a blood curdling scream, followed by a resounding crash as another winged creature failed to follow him through the opening. The warrior took only a moment to reflect that once more he had beaten the odds, before taking stock of his situation. There was a cool breeze coming from somewhere beneath him, and, now that the creature had retreated, a menacing silence fell, a silence punctuated only by the slow dripping of water deeper within the cavern. As the warrior's eyes became accustomed to the poor light he made out a worn stairway curving away from him into the darkness. So, his suspicions were confirmed. He had stumbled upon another of his ex-masters' outposts. They were becoming more frequent. Could this be the end of his long journey? Had he foundthe stronghold at last? There was only one way to find out... Padding slowly down the stairway, the warrior readied himself for whateverabominations lay in wait at the bottom. Soon the stairway straightened out and the warrior found himself on a narrow ledge. The phospherescence from the cavern walls was enough to reveal that he was in a huge chamber that extended away into pitch darkness. Now the silence broke into distant sounds of angry growling. Whatever inhabited this place had obviously picked up his scent. The ledge that he was on appeared to be deserted so he advanced slowly. Without warning there was a sizzling sound behind him. Instinctively the warrior jumped and felt his feet singe as a white hot fireball shot beneath him to explode violently against the cavern wall. So, his former master were awareof his presence, and realised his intent. He would haveto be twice as alert now. They would use every means in their power to stop him. Ahead of him now he could make out a rough wooden ladder staked into the side of the ledge. Cat-like he swung himself onto it and began his descent, dropping silently the rest of the way when he saw another ledge beneath him. No sooner had his feet hit the ground than a scaled abomination rushed forward, jaws grinding ferociously. The warrior turned calmly and despatched it with a single blow. And so the ordeal went on as he worked his way deeper into the cavern. Creatures the like of which he had never seen beset him at every step, but each was destroyed with detemination as the warrior remembered his promise to himself to continue until every last one was dead. He had just dropped onto another ledge when he caught a glimpse of something shinning in the distance. Moving closer his keen vision made out a key sitting on a a shelf on the other side of a broad chasm.He started to move swiftly towards it when he was halted byan almighty roar. Suddenly he was confronted by a huge beast-like guard. His opponent took a short moment to size him up and then made a bellowing charge, swinging his double-headed battle axe at the warrior's head. Without losing a moment the warrior sidestepped the blow and slammed his fist into the guard's throat. There was a sickening crunch as the neck snapped, and the warrior stepped back quickly as the huge body tumbled forward over the ledge. There was no moment for recovery before another hulking figure was rushing headlong at him. But this time the warrior was ready and his flying kicksentthe guard plummeting backward to join his fellow. Now a clear way lay ahead of him to the key. He sprinted along the remainder of the ledge and just as the edge of the abyss met him he leapt forward, hands reaching out to grasp the edge of the shelf. He made it in a shower of dirt and stones, and caught his breath as he hung swinging above a seemingly bottomless chasm. He could feel his sweaty hands begin to lose their grip. If he let go now he would almost certainly die. If he made it onto the shelf, who knew where the key might lead him? Now the warrior's true destiny would be decided... THE WARRIOR'S OBJECTIVE You must fight your way through several different regions in order to reach the heart of the enemy's stronghold and face your ultimate adversary. Any creatures you encounter will invariably be hostile and will cause damage when they come into contact with you. Contact can be avoided by punching or kicking creatures away from you before they get too close, or by shooting them if you have a weapon. Each time you are damaged your heart-rate will increase. Your current heart-rate is shown on the monitor in the top-left corner of the screen. If your heart-rate gets too high your hearts will burst, resulting in instant death. During your attack on the stronghold you will find various artefacts which can be used to assist you on your quest. Some of these items, keys for instance, will be collected for later use when you move over them. Items that you have in your possession will be shown at the top of the screen. Other items, such as potions will have an instant effect which is shown on screen when you move over the item. There are also weapons that can be collected at certain points in the game. These are used instead of punching and kicking to destroy your opponents. Certain creatures can only be destroyed by special weapons. It is up to you to discover the best way to use the artefacts you find and how to tackle the creatures you encounter. CONTROLLING THE WARRIOR Use the joystick to control the warrior's movements: JUMP/UP (USE EXIT) MOVE LEFT MOVE RIGHT CROUCH/DOWN Press the fire button to PUCH, or KICK (while jumping). If you have a weapon in your possession, pressing fire will fire the weapon rather than punching or kicking. Moving the joystick up or down will normally cause the warrior to jump or crouch. If however, you are standing on or against a ladder moving the joystick up or down will cause the warrior to ascend or descend. There are exits between areas. If an exit exit is facing you, simply walk into it to use it. If an exit is to one side of you, stand next to it, and then push the joystick up to use it. It is also wise to watch your step. The warrior can survive short falls, but stepping into a pit or off a high ledge will prove fatal. Pressing P at any stage will pause the game. Fire the joystick to restart. Pressing the ESCAPE key will restart the game from any point. Do not hope for good luck. Your survival will depend on your skill and ingenuity alone. THE END TYPED BY THE TWINS OF TRILOGY IN OCTOBER