FUZZBALL DOCS ////////////// FUZZBALL -THE STORY - ------------------- ANOTHER DAY HAD COME AND GONE JUST AS SLOWLY AS THEY ALWAYS HAD. THE WIZARDS APPRENTICE WAS GROWING MORE ANXIOUS BY THE DAY AND HIS OVER ENTHUSIASM HAD LANDED HIM IN BIG TROUBLE ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. HE WAS FED UP.HIS MASTER STILL HAD`NT NAMED THE DAY WHEN HE HAD BEEN ABLE TO BOAST OF JOINING THE RANKS OF HIGH ORDER WIZARDS. THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF TEACHING TO DO. THOUGH HIS HEART YEARNED FOR THE GOOD TIMES AHEAD AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIS MAGICAL PROWESS,HIS YOUNG HEAD TOLD HIM TIME AND TIME AGAIN NOT TO BE EAGER AND TO APPRECIATE THAT THE DRAWN OUT OUT TRAINING PROCESS WAS FOR HIS OWN GOOD. AFTER ALL HIS MOST COVETED POSSESSION WAS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ONE DAY,EVENTUALLY, HE WILL HAVE THE POWER. HE WOULD HAVE SERVED HIS TIME WELL AND BE AWARDED WITH HIS OWN MAGICAL STAFF,HIS OWN SNUG FITTING ELABORATE ROBES AND HIS OWN NAIVE APPRENTICE JUST AS INTENT ON LEARNING THE WAYS OF WIZARDRY AS HE WAS. DAYDREAMING OF THE FUTURE HELPED HIM THROUGH THE ARDOUS SCHOOLING. HOME TO THE YOUNG APPRENTICE HAD ALWAYS BEEN THE ANCIENT MYSTICAL CASTLE HE SHARED WITH HIS WISE OLD MENTOR.AS HE HAD GROWN,HE HAD ALWAYS TRIED TO SEE THE SHEER SIZE OF THE CASTLE FROM GROUND LEVEL RIGHT TO THE VERY TOP. BUT HE COULD NEVER SEE PAST THE VAST STONEWROK PIERCING THROUGH THE DARK AND SINISTER CLOUDS ABOVE. THE CLOUDS WERE ALWAYS THERE. SWIRLING BLACK CLOUDS THAT HUNG ABOVE THE CASTLE LIKE SOME GREAT RAMBLING CANOPY. FOREVER THROWING LIGHTNING BOLTS AND LASHING TORRENTIAL RAIN DOWN UPON THE STONE MASS OF THE CASTLE. THIS WAS HOW THE OLD WIZARD LIKED IT. THE ELECTRICAL STORMS HELPED FEED THE MAGIC HE WAS MASTER OF,AND HIS MAGIC WAS PARTICULARLY POWERFUL AT TIMES OF HIGH STORMS. IT WAS ONE OF THESE PARTICULARARLY STORMY NIGHTS THAT THE APPRENTICE FOUND HIMSELF ALONE IN ONE OF THE WIZARDS CHAMBERS. THE CHAMBER HAD A STRANGE AURA ABOUT IT AND THE APPRENTICE COULD FEEL THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY GENERATED WITHIN THE AIR BY THE HEAVY STORM BLOWING OUTSIDE. THE MISCHEVIOUS APPRENTICE HAD COME TO THE CHAMBER TO HAVE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE BIG OLD CHEST,THE CONTENTS OF WHICH HAD BEEN A CLOSELY GUARDED BY THE WIZARD FOR MANY YEARS. THE YOUNGSTER HAD BEEN COMING HERE FOR SOME TIME TO TOUCH AND FEEL THE MYSTERIOUS CHEST. HE WANTED TO KNOW WHY THE WIZARD WOULD NOT SHOW OR EVEN TELL HIM WHAT WAS INSIDE. HE WANTED TO KNOW IF ALL THE PICTURES HE HAD BEEN PAINTING IN HIS MIND WERE AS VIVID IN REAL LIFE. THE APPRENTICE HAD CONVINCED HIMSELF THAT THE GREAT OAK AND BRASS CHEST HOUSED A WEALTH OF BEAUTIFUL TREASURES OF GOLD,RUBIES,DIAMONDS AND PEARLS. HIS IMPETUOUS YOUTH HAD GOT THE BETTER OF HIM AND WHAT WAS INITIALLY INNOCENT CURIOSITY HAD TURNED INTO A BURNING DESIRE TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS IN THE CHEST. THE APPRENTICE SCANNED THE ROOM FOR ANY HINT OF SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP HIM GAIN ENTRANCE TO THE MYSTERIOUS CHEST AND, AFTER TRYING NUMEROUS GADGETS AND PROPS UNSUCCESFULLY IN THE LOCK,CAST HIS EYES ON THE WIZARDS GRAND SPELL BOOK POSITIONING HIMSELF IN FRONT OF THE OLD BOOK,HE BEGAN TO THUMB THROUGH THE DUSTY PAGES. HE WAS AMAZED AT HOW MUCH HE STILL HAD TO LEARN. HE DID`NT REALLY KNOW WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR,BUT HE WANTED ANY CLUE,ANY HINT OF A SPELL TO HELP HIM. HE THUMBED AND THUMBED THROUGH THE PAGES,PAUSING OCCASIONALLY TO BLOW DUST FROM IN FRONT OF HIS FACE. HIS PACE QUICKENED WITH THE BEAT OF HIS HEART AS HE BEGAN TO FEAR THE IMPENDING RETURN OF THE WIZARD.FASTER AND FASTER HE LOOKED OVER THE PAGES UNTIL FINALLY SOMETHING CAUGHT HIS EYE. A SPELL TO OPEN HE THOUGHT.THIS IS IT. HIS UNPREDICTABLE ENTHUSIASM HAD RETURNED AND HE BEGAN TO READ OUT THE SPELL. A MAGIC GLOW APPEARED IN HIS HAND.HIS FACE LIT UP,THE MAGIC WAS COMING. IF ONLY HE HAD READ OUT THE ENTIRE SPELL COMMAND FROM THE BOOK AND NOT JUST WHAT HE THOUGHT ACCEPTABLE. THE STORMS OUTSIDE WERE HIGH AND THE BOYS EYES LIT UP WITH THE EXCITEMENT AS THE MAGIC BEGAN TO APPEAR IN HIS HAND. HE AIMED THE GLOWING ENERGY AT THE LOCK OF THE CHEST AND THEN LAUNCHED HIS CREATION AT THE TARGET. THE CHEST BEGAN TO MAKE STRANGE NOISES AND RATTLED VIOLENTLY AROUND THE TABLE IT WAS PLACED UPON,AS THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING RUMBLED AROUND THE CASTLE. IN AN INSTANT, THE LID OF THE CHEST FLEW BACK AND HUNDREDS OF STRANGE BALLS OF FLUFF BEGAN TO LEAP FROM IMPRISONMENT WITHIN THE CHEST.`WHAT COULD THEY BE` AND MORE TO THE POINT `WHAT HAVE I DONE?`. ECHOED IN THE LADS HEAD AS FUZZBALL AFTER FUZZBALL LEAPT TO THEIR FREEDOM AND BEGAN TO FILL THE CHAMBER. THE STREAM OF FUZZBALLS SEEMED ENDLESS, AND AS THEY HIT THE FLOOR THEY BEGAN TO GROW AND GROW. AS THE FUZZBALLS GREW THE APPRENTICE TRIED TO IDENIFY THEM THROUGH HIS BLIND PANIC. THE FUZZBALLS WERE ROUND AND LEERED MENACINGLY THROUGH HUGE ANGRY EYES SOME HAD POINTED EARS,SOME HORNS,SOME EVEN RESEMBLED CIRCUS CLOWNS. THE FUZZBALLS WERE BACK - AND THEY KNEW IT. THEY WERE CLUTCHING VARIOUS GEMS AND VALUABLE FOOD TAKEN FROM THE CHEST AS THEY LAUNCHED THEIR MASS EXODUS. THESE ITEMS WOULD HELP THEM SET UP FUZZBALL COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE GROUNDS OF THE CASTLE. THE APPRENTICE ON REALISING THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS,THEN TRIED TO REVERSE THE D.I.Y SPELL HE HAD CREATED IN ORDER TO SEND THE FUZZBALLS BACK INTO THE CHEST HIS INEXPERIENCE AND CONFUSION BROUGHT OUT ANOTHER SPELL,BUT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT,SOMETHING WAS DEFINATELY NOT RIGHT. THE MAGIC ENERGY DID NOT GO WHERE IT WAS DIRECTED TO GO AND INSTEAD LOOMED BRIEFLY ABOVE THE APPRENTIVCE BEFORE ENGULFING HIM IN A HUGE FLORESCENT BLUE FLASH OF LIGHT. THE VISION HELD FOR SOME TIME AS A METORMORPHIS BEGAN TO APPEAR WITHIN THE MYSTIC LIGHT. ARMS SEEMED TO BE SHRINKING BACK,LEGS RECEDING INTO NOTHING AND ALL THE TIME BIG EYES WERE FORMING ON A BY NOW LARGE SPHERICAL OBJECT. THE APPRENTICE, IN HIS HASTE TO REVERSE THE SPELL ABOUT WHICH HE KNEW NOTHING HAD TURNED HIMSELF INTO A LARGE FUZZBALL. THE FUZZBALLS THEN ROAMED FREE AND TOOK OVER THE VAST CORRIDORS,MAZES AND CHAMBERS OF THE WIZARDS CASTLE. AS TIME PASSED THEY EVOLVED TO SUIT THEIR PARTICULAR ENVIROMENT AND THE FUZZBALL COLONIES BECAME MORE DIVERSE AND INCREASINGLY VICIOUS. AS FOR THE YOUNG APPRENTICE,HE GOT NO SYMPATHY FROM THE OLD WIZARD WHO INSTEAD SENTENCED THE BOY TO REMAIN AS A BLUE FUZZBALL FOR HIS PUNISHMENT. THE FUMING WIZARD LAID DOWN THE LAW,THE APPRENTICE COULD ONLY RETURN TO HIS HUMAN FORM ONCE HE HAD COLLECTED AND RETURNED ALL THE FIENDISH FUZZBALLS AND ALL THE JEWELS THEY TOOK WITH THEM,BACK TO THE STRANGE OLD TREASURE CHEST FROM WHENCE THEY COME. PLAYING THE GAME. ----------------- KEYBOARD CONTROLS. F1 - ONE PLAYER MODE F2 - TWO PLAYER MODE P - PAUSE THE GAME JOYSTICK PUSHED TOP AND CENTRE - JUMP (STRAIGHT UP) JOYSTICK PUSHED TOP AND LEFT - JUMP DIAGONAL LEFT (LONG JUMP) JOYSTICK PUSHED TOP AND RIGHT - JUMP DIAGONAL RIGHT (LONG JUMP) JOYSTICK PUSHED CENTRE AND LEFT - MOVE LEFT (JUMP/WALK) JOYSTICK PUSHED CENTRE AND RIGHT - MOVE RIGHT (JUMP/WALK) PRESS FIREBUTTON TO SHOOT. NOTE: YOU CAN CONTROL FUZZBALL IN MID FLIGHT,eg BY PULLING THE JOYSTICK LEFT OR RIGHT WHILE FUZZBALL IS IN MID AIR, THIS GIVES GREATER CONTROL, A VARIETY OF JUMPS(ie TAP JOYSTICK UP AND THEN PULL GENTLY TO THE RIGHT GIVES VERY SHORT JUMPS) AND ALLOWS YOU TO PULL INTO PLATFORMS DIRECTLY BELOW WHERE FUZZBALL IS SITTING. GENERAL GAMEPLAY TIPS. ---------------------- * THE FIRST ASPECT OF THE GAME YOU SHOULD MASTER IS THE `JOYSTICK CONTROLS` * COLLECT ALL THE JEWELS AND FRUIT TO COMPLETE A LEVEL. * BEFORE STARTING EACH LEVEL,`OBSERVE` THE SCENERY AND THE PLATFORM LAYOUT. ONE WRONG MOVE AND YOUR STRANDED. * BLAST THE FIENDISH FLUFFIES UNTIL THEY SHRINK TO SIZE AND THEN KNOCK THEM OFF THE PLATFORMS TO SCORE POINTS. BUT BEWARE,IF YOU ARE NOT QUICK ENOUGH THE FULUFFIES WILL REGROW INTO NASTIER ENEMIES WHICH ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO KILL. THEY CHANGE COLOUR AND CARRY HIGHER POINTS. THIS ALLOWS YOU TO VARY YOUR GAMEPLAY AS YOU MAY WISH TO LET FLUFFIES REGROW INTO DIFFERENT COLOURS AND THEN KILL THEM TO ADD TO YOUR SCORE. THE ENEMY COLOUR AND SCORE PROGRESSION IS AS FOLLOWS: * GREEN.....2000 POINTS * PURPLE....4000 POINTS * BLACK.....6000 POINTS * RED.......FINAL COLOUR CHANGE,SO THESE EXPLODE WHEN DESTROYED AND CANNOT BE KNOCKED OFF THE PLATFORMS. PLEASE NOTE: ONCE THE ENEMIES HAVE CHANGED TO PURPLE AND UPWARDS,THEY HAVE THEIR OWN INTELLIGENCE AND WILL TURN AND TRACK YOU ONCE YOU LAND ON THEIR PLATFORM. BE SWIFT WITH YOUR THINKING AND GAMEPLAY AS `EACH LEVEL IS ON A TIME LIMIT` TAKE TOO LONG AT YOR PERIL!! THERE ARE HIDDEN BONUS SCREENS ON CERTAIN LEVELS OF THE GAME.THESE CAN BE FOUND BY SHOOTING BLOCKS IN THE SCENERY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IT MAY BE EASIER TO FIND A HIDDEN SCREEN AT CERTAIN POINTS THAN TO COMPLETE THE ACTUAL LEVEL YOU ARE ON,AS THE SECRET SCREEN WILL ALLOW YOU TO PROGRESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. FINALLY AN EXTRA LIFE WILL BE GIVEN EVERY 500,000 POINTS,BUT YOU CAN ONLY CARRY A MAXIMUM OF 6 AT ANY ONE TIME.