SHADOW OF THE BEAST

Long ago, the Beast Lord conquered the world and banished all light. A mysterious child was born into this darkness. The Beast Lord's warrior priests knew of the birth and warned the evil king that this child would someday destroy the Beast Lord and return light to the world. In terror, the Beast Lord ordered the child captured and transformed him into a demon of darkness. But when he reached maturity, the demon learned the with of his past and set out to destroy the Beast Lord and all his wicked minions. To succeed, the demon must go deep within the Beast Lord's kingdom, into the very Shadow of the Beast!

Getting Started

1. Insert your Shadow of the Beast game cartridge in your Lynx and turn on the machine. The Shadow of the Beast title screen appears.
2. Press A or B. The Shadow of the Beast title sequence begins.
3. Press A or B to Start the game, or press Option 1 for the Option screen (Screen l).*
4. On the Option screen, press A or B until the Jump and Attack buttons are set the way you want them. Then press down on the joypad until "Exit" is highlighted and press A or B again.
5. Press A or B to start the game.

Playing the Game

Shadow of the Beast is an action-packed fantasy adventure. You are a demon who was once a child of power until you were kidnapped by the evil Beast Lord. You must seek out the Beast Lord and destroy him so you can regain your normal form. But first you must destroy the Beast Lord's gruesome guardians.

Your lifeblood is displayed at the bottom of the screen (Screen 2), You lose lifeblood when you are injured in an attack or when you fall. When you run out of lifeblood, you lose your life. (You can continue three times during a game.)

The joypad and buttons control the demon character. press right or left on the joypad to run. Press up to climb. Press down to duck or descend. The A and B buttons are the Jump and Attack buttons. You can decide which button will do what by pressing Option 1 from the title screen.

During the game, Option 1 lets you choose one of the weapons you pick up on your journey. To choose a weapon, press Option 1, then move the selection box over the weapon you want to use (Screen 3). If you prefer to fight with your fists, move the selection box over the word "Exit." When you have made your choice, press A or B.

As you move through the evil kingdom into the Shadow of the Beast, keep an eye open for weapons that will help you on your quest. Your fists are strong, but their range and power are severely limited. Some weapons can only be used for a limited time. For example, the single-shot ray pistol is loaded with 25 rounds. If you have selected this weapon, the number of shots remaining appears at the top left of the game screen.

You will meet several creatures on your quest. All that live in this land are evil, so if it moves, attack it. To fight an evil creature, press the Attack button. If you are fighting with your fists, you must be close enough to hit the enemy (Screen 4). If you are using a weapon, the target must be within range.

You will also find objects, such as keys, that will help you complete your conquest of the Beast Lord. Pick these objects up and carry them with you until you need them. To use an item, press Option 1 and select the item from the Inventory screen.

Keep an eye out for the hearts hidden throughout the realm. Pick up one of these hearts and you will restore some of your lifeblood (Screen 5). Without these hearts, your quest is hopeless. With the hearts, your quest might still be hopeless, but at least you will live longer.

There are also magical items. If you can find one of these items, touch it and watch what happens. There are several different items and you must discover what each one does (Screen 6).

Of course, not everything you see will be good for you. Besides the evil creatures, there are magical traps waiting to destroy you. You must find these traps and learn how to deal with them if you want to survive and get your revenge on the Beast Lord.

Although you begin your quest above ground, there are many tunnels and passageways. All entrances to these dark and dangerous places are marked (Screen 7).

When you see an entrance, stand in front of it and press up on the joypad. This makes you enter. If you do not like what you see, try to leave the way you came. But remember, you cannot complete your quest if you constantly move away from danger.

For example, you might find the entrance to the Beast Lord's subterranean caverns. When you see this entrance, press up on the joypad. This allows you to descend the stairway into the caverns (Screen 8).

As you go through the caverns, you must climb up and down rickety ladders, jump over deep chasms, and fight evil creatures. There are other places even more dangerous hidden throughout the realm. You must find them and conquer them all. If you succeed, you will meet the evil Beast Lord himself in a battle to the death. If you can destroy the Beast Lord you will restore light to the world. But equally important, you will get your revenge for all those years of torture!

Strategy

Learn the lay of the land. If you can remember what hideous creature guards an area, or which dangerous trap waits where, you will be able to anticipate your next move and strategically plot your course. This is very important. There is no luck in this quest. You must be skilful to succeed. Do not waste powerful weapons. If you can get by with your fists, do it. You will need your weapons for the strongest creatures.

Don't fall too far. You can survive short falls, but a long fall means certain death.

Some situations cannot be survived. Learn where they are and avoid them. Other situations may seem impossible, but they are not. Only experience will tell you which is which.