SWITCHBLADE =========== Hiro, last of the Bladeknights, must reassebmle the 16 fragments of the shattered Fireblade. Only then can he take on Havoc and avenge his people's death. LOADING INSTRUCTIONS Spectrum 48k/128k/+2 Insert the cassette into the cassette player and press LOAD"" and then press the ENTER key. Follow the on screen loading prompts for further instructions. Spectrum +3 Insert the disk into the disk drive, and use the disk loader. Follow on screen prompts for further instructions. Amstrad CPC 464 Insert the cassette into the built in cassette deck, press the CONTROL and ENTER keys. Follow the on screen loading prompts for further instructions. Amstrad CPC 6128 Insert the disk into the built in disk drive, and type RUN""DISC. Follow on screen prompts for any further loading instructions. CBM 64/128 Cassette Insert the Switchblade cassette into your cassette unit and, if necessary, rewind the tape to the start of side one. Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP simultaneously, then press play on your cassette unit and Switchblade will load and run automatically. CBM 64/128 Disk Insert the Switchblade disk into your disk drive, turn on the drive and the computer, then type LOAD"*",8,1. Switchblade will load and run automatically. Plug your joystick into port 2. The game is joystick only. SCENARIO On the cyber world of Thraxx, Havok has returned. After 10,000 years of peace, the Fireblade, source of power for the ancient Bladeknights, has shattered. The night burned red, and the people of the Undercity fell beneath the onslaught of Havok's nightmare creations. Helpless, the Bladeknights died alongside their people. Only one of their order survived. You play Hiro, the last of the Bladeknights, a hi-tech warrior armed with stealth, cunning and a powerful reprogrammable cyber-arm. You must enter the Undercity and reassemble the sixteen fragments of the shattered Fireblade. Only then will you be able to take on Havok and avenge the death of your people. GAMEPLAY You must guide Hiro, the Bladeknight through the labyrinth of the Undercity, to recover the 16 fragments of the shattered Fireblade. Once you have collected all 16 fragments, you must use it to defeat Havok, to bring to an end his reign of terror and to avenge your people. SCREEN DISPLAY Switchblade will only display areas of the screen that Hiro has visited during the current game, and in this way, it is a self-mapping arcade adventure. There are many hidden rooms and passageways in this underground labyrinth, so it is wise to explore every suspected exit. To make a newly discovered area visible, simply walk Hiro into it, it will remain visible to you for the rest of the current game. VITALITY When this meter expires, Hiro will lose one of his lives, all modifiers to Hiro's combat power meter will reset and he will lose his current weapon (should Hiro be fighting an end of level Boss creature he will not lose his weapon upon losing a life). Loss of a life also gains Hiro a two second period of invulnerability. Loss of all lives will end the game. WEAPON INDICATOR Should Hiro be fighting other than hand-to-hand, a small meter to the right of the weapon indicator will show how many bullets Hiro has remaining. When all of the bullets have been fired, Hiro returns to fighting hand-to-hand combat. BONUS/EXTRA DISPLAY This display indicates which of the bonus letters you have collected. FIREBLADE As you travel around the Undercity you must collect fragments of the Fireblade. As you collect these fragments the display (as indicated above) will begin to build up an image of the Fireblade. The Fireblade is complete when you have collected all 16 fragments, and at this time, Hiro's weapon will automatically switch over to the Fireblade itself. JOYSTICK CONTROLS JUMP/CLIMB UP (whilst over a ladder) | JUMP LEFT | JUMP RIGHT \ | / \ | / \|/ RUN LEFT ---*--- RUN RIGHT | | | CLIMB DOWN (whilst over a ladder) 1. The FIRE button controls Hiro's combat moves and the firing of his cyber-arm. 2. To increase Hiro's jump distance take a small run up before you jump. KEYBOARD CONTROLS To quit hold down FIRE and press P. P key - Pauses game. To choose between music/sound fx selection move the joystick to the LEFT or RIGHT on the title page. COMBAT By pressing and holding down the FIRE button, Hiro's combat power will increase. When the FIRE button is released, Hiro will perform a combat move or fire a weapon from his cyber-arm. When Hiro is fighting hand-to-hand (as indicated by the 'fist' symbol in the weapon indicator display), the length of this meter governs the strength and type of combat move Hiro will make when the FIRE button is released. The longer the combat power meter bar, the more powerful the combat move Hiro will perform. a) With the meter in the first quarter of the bar, Hiro will throw a punch. b) With the meter in the second and third quarters of the bar, Hiro will do a high kick. c) With the meter in the final quarter of the bar, Hiro will do a low sweeping kick. Should Hiro be fighting with a weapon, instead of hand-to-hand, the type of weapon he is fighting with governs the effects of the combat power meter. There are 7 different weapons that Hiro's cyber-arm may fire: Blade - The length of the combat power meter determines the range of this weapon. Scorchball - The length of the combat power meter determines the range of this weapon, however, this weapon will take multiple hits on an enemy and will only stop when it hit« a solid wall or exceeds its range. Dart - This weapon is of limited range and Hiro's combat power has no effect on the power or range of this weapon. Spinblade - The length of the combat power meter determines the speed at which this weapon is fired. Needle bolts - The length of the combat power meter determines the hit power of this weapon, by increasing the number of power bolts fired by the cyber-arm. Trispike - This weapon has unlimited range, and Hiro's combat power has no effect on the power or range of this weapon. Firelbade - This weapon has unlimited range and is the most powerful weapon in the game - the only one that will defeat Havok. Hiro's combat power has no effect on the power or range of this weapon. BONUSES Bonus Gems - These vary in size and are worth 50, 100, 200, 400 and 700 points each for their collection. Bonus Flask - Worth 700 points. Bonus Orbs - These vary in size and are worth 1000, 2000 and 5000 points each for their collection. However, if they hit a floor, they will shatter and become worthless, therefore it is important to catch these as they fall. Extra and Bonus Letters - Collection of these letters lights up the corresponding letters of the words displayed at the bottom of the screen. Should either of these words by fully lit, then a bonus will be awarded. Spelling EXTRA gains the player an extra life and spelling BONUS gains a bonus 10000 points. WEAPONS SHIELDS When collected, they change Hiro's weapon to that whose symbol is displayed at the centre of the shield, and in the case of all weapons, except for hand-to-hand combat, give Hiro's cyber-arm a full magazine of bullets. Fist Shield Bonus Blade Shield Bonus Scrochball Shield Bonus Dart Shield Bonus Spinblade Shield Bonus Needle bolt Shield Bonus Trispike Shield Bonus Bullet Shield - This replenishes Hiro's cyber-arm with a full magazine of bullets. However, if Hiro is fighting hand-to-hand it is worth 50 bonus points and has no effect on his cyber-arm. Power-Up Shield - This increases Hiro's minimum combat power by one point on the combat power meter, up to a maximum of eight power-ups. Each power-up remains permanent on the combat power meter until Hiro collects a reset power-up shield or loses a life. Should this bonus be hit by one of Hiro's combat moves or cyber-arm weapons, it is turned into a power-up reset shield. Speed-Up Shield - This increases the rate of combat power build up on the combat power meter when the FIRE button is pressed. Up to a maximum of three speed-ups may be collected, and these will remain permanent on the combat power meter until Hiro collects a reset speed-up shield or loses a life. Should this bonus be hit by one of Hiro's combat moves or cyber-arm weapons, it is turned into a speed-up reset shield. Power-Up Reset Shield - This resets Hiro's minimum combat power by removing any permanent power-ups that the player may have collected from the combat power meter (400 points). Speed-Up Reset Shield - This resets Hiro's rate of combat power build up on the combat power meter (400 points). Vitality Replenish - This resets Hiro's vitality to maximum for his current life. Invulnerability - This gives Hiro a sixteen second period of invulnerability (indicated by the appearance of a small ball of energy which orbits Hiro) during which he will lose no vitality. Fireblade Fragment - Collection of each fragment of the Fireblade is worth 10000 points. An extra bonus of 50000 points is given for assembly of the complete Fireblade by collecting all 16 fragments. HAZARDS AND ENEMIES Flames - 0 points. Proximity sensing floor spikes - 0 points. Bladeballs - 0 points. Spikelice - Mutant Insectoids covered with poison tipped spines. 50 points. Cybats - Lethal bat creatures that strike with blade claws. 100 Points. Mansnakes - Fierce cybernetically enhanced serpent-men armed with powerful mechanical claws. 100 Points. Spidorbs - Wall climbing robot sentries. 100 Points. Crestheds - Armoured mutant warriors that fight with razor sharp wrist knives. 200 Points. Reptilons - Powerful lizard men that rely upon pure strength as their only weapon. 250 Points. Scorpoids - Robot scorpion creatures with spinning blade stings. 250 Points. Flamehogs - Savage armoured boar men, carrying arm-mounted flame throwers. 300 Points. Kobras - Merciless robot snakes with venomous hypodermic fangs. 300 Points. Striders - Hideous roborganic war machines armed with high voltage electric stings. 300 Points. Razorbs - Robot orbs bristling with spinning blades. 350 Points. BOSS ENEMIES Giant Spikelouse - 5000 Points. Giant Scorpoid - 5000 Points. Giant Cybat - 5000 points. Giant Roborganism - 5000 Points. Havok - 50.000 Points - plus bonus of 20000 points for each remaining life on completion of game. © 1991 GREMLIN GRAPHICS SOFTWARE LIMITED. All rights reserved. GREMLIN GRAPHICS SOFTWARE LIMITED, CARVER HOUSE, 2-4 CARVER STREET, SHEFFIELD SI 4FS. TEL: (0742) 753423. FAX: (0742) 768581 Copyright subsists on this program. Unauthorised broadcasting, diffusion, public performance, copying or recording, hiring, leasing, renting and selling under any repurchase scheme in any manner is strictly prohibited. COPYING OF THIS PROGRAM IS ILLEGAL AND MAY RENDER THE PARTIES RESPONSIBLE LIABLE TO PROSECUTION.