SHADOW OF THE BEAST (c) 1990 Psygnosis Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Fight your way through many different regions in order to reach the heart of the enemy's fort and face your ultimate adversary! LOADING IMPORTANT: ENSURE THE MACHINE IS SWITCHED OFF. NEVER ATTEMPT TO INSERT OR REMOVE THE GAME CARTRIDGE WITH THE POWER ON. Next insert the cartridge, with the label facing towards you, into the cartridge port. On the C64 and 64C the cartridge port is the furthest right socket on the back of the machine. On successful completion of the above instructions, the game's title screen should appear after a few seconds of having switched on your machine. If the title page fails to appear then switch off the power and repeat the above procedure. 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 the land to the mighty temple Necropolis. There the child as accepted by the mages of darkness, warrior priests of the Beast Lord. Deep below the temple the child was escorted, passing through a labyrinth of rooms and passes 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 a human into a strange creature of incredible power, agility and strength. Deep hypnosis 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 tranquillity, 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 deity's image sat a lone creature. In its powerful hand it clutched a Globe of Seeing which is moved slowly from side to side examining it's 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 air-rending 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 recognized the agonized 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 warrior would stop killing for his masters and begin to exact his revenge. 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 punch, 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 exits 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. C64 & 64C ONLY Pressing P at any stage will pause the game. Fire the joystick to restart. Pressing the RUN/STOP key will restart the game from any point. Do not hope for good luck. Your survival will depend on your skill and ingenuity alone. CREDITS (c) 1990 Psygnosis Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Psygnosis is a registered trademark of Psygnosis Ltd. Shadow of the Beast cover illustration is copyright (c) 1989 Psygnosis Ltd./Roger Dean. ********* End of the Project 64 etext of the Shadow of the Beast manual. *********