Risky Woods for Genesis

[Pezcore343]

I recently picked up a few EA games for my Genesis (Risky Woods, Shadow of the Beast, and NHL 94), all of which were game I had never played before. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but they were cheap and I'm always looking for something new. Anyway, when I loaded up Risky Woods it reminded me a lot of Ghosts 'n' Goblins (unfortunately not as much like the superior Ghouls 'n' Ghosts. Why can't I throw my weapon up?!) and I saw some hope in it. However, a few things greatly confuse me about the game.

There aren't any guides that I could find out there nor are there really any threads about this game so I figured I would ask for some help. Does any have any experience with this game or know where I could go for some reference? There are quite a few collectible items and I'm not sure at all what any of them do. Some seem to heal me but take away time? I think. Another one, as far as I can tell, only sends me back further in the stage. It's just all so confusing without a manual or a guide of some sort. Any help would be appreciated.

[demen999]

I got this game too. I started it up and had no clue what was going on, but somehow still awesome haha

[Gunface]

I've never played Risky Woods. But Shadow of the Beast is a WEIRD game. It has a pretty creepy vibe to it, with the music and strange traps and enemies. Pretty awesome though.

[Pezcore343]

Yeah, I was loving both games as soon as I turned the system on. Risky woods definitely reminded me Ghosts 'n' Goblins, except a little more platformy. Shadow of the Beast just has an awesome look and sound to it. The hit detection is rough but that's what makes it charming. It's difficult just to get through the overworld.

Is there any place on the web that might have a database of manuals for games? I was thinking like a downloadable PDF or something.

[Jorpho]

Those were both games released on numerous different platforms. You might have more luck finding documentation associated with other versions of the game.

And that database you're referring to is replacementdocs.com - though it doesn't necessarily have everything.

[BydoEmpire]

I picked up Risky Woods at a flea market a few years ago based on nothing more than the screenshots on the back of the box. I honestly haven't played it much, but it did seem like a cool action/platformer. It's got that European/Amiga vibe going.

When I get home I'll see if I have the instructions, I believe I do.

[Pezcore343]

I'd really appreciate if you could either scan the manual, or if that's too much hassle just let me know what the different items do. I know what the wheel things do, but the other "power-ups" (that word is stretching it) are a mystery to me.

[BydoEmpire]

Hm, reading the manual makes me want to start playing again! Anyways, I don't have a good means to scan it, so here's the "brief" version of the manual. If anything's unclear, let me know.

A=fire
B=jump
C=chant

Your goal is to free your monks from their petrified imprisonment.

--- ARMOR ---

When you kill a monster, it may drop armor links (which look like coins). You can carry 99 at a time, but pick up as many as you can. If you get enough, you get some great protective armor.
Silver "coin" x 33 = Silver armor - cuts damage in half
Gold "coin" x 67 = Gold ARmor - no damage from monsters

If a monster touches you, you lose your armor links, so even with gold armor, you won't be invincible forever.

--- CONTENTS OF SACKS & CHESTS ---
Star - 5000 points
Battery - 5000 points
Jewel - 50,000 points
Ring - 50,000 points
Back Arrow - 10,000 points OR sends you back to an earlier point in the level (argh!)
Apple - 10,000 points OR puts you to sleep (which restores energy but loses time)
Potion - +6 notches of energy
Lightning - Temporary immunity from monsters' touch
Heart - +3 notches of energy
Fire Djin (looks like fireball) - sends a fire spirit to kill your enemies
Continue (looks like mini-you) - if you catch him 3 times you get an extra life and you can continue playing once the game is over.
Cross - 10,000 points
Hourglass - +1 minute of time
Skull - skulls turn your staff into a magic weapon

To use your skull-empowered staff, hold down the fire buton. Rohan stamps the staff into the ground, dealing massive damage to the crab's weak point! However, using it will take six notches of energy off your life. It's even more powerful if you have the gold armor. There's a skull indicator on screen somewhere.

--- MONK STATUES ---

When you come across a statue, fire at it until the trapped monk is free. At the bottom-right of the screen are the monk icons. Black & white=still trapped. Color=monks you've freed on this level.

--- GATEKEEPERS ---

Along the way you'll find halves of gate keys - always pick them up (they look like half a wheel). You cannot get past a gatekeeper until you've collected both halves of the gate key. To use the gate key, press the Chant button to throw the key at the gate.

Press the Chant button again to get the Gatekeeper to 'chant' a tune - the notes correspond to a direction on the dpad. Using the dpad, repeat his chant. On the first stage it's 3 notes, but that increases in subsequent levels.

---GATEKEEPER TREASURES: WEAPONS---
When a Gatekeeper explodes, you can pick up his treasure horde. When you pick up a new weapon, your old one is discarded. If you pick up the same weapon again you increase it's magic power 2x and then 3x. This is shown onscreen by 1-3 little boxes somewhere.
Axe
Boomerang
Fireball
Magic Dagger
Morning Star

Sometimes a Gatekeeper will drop a Golden Potion - this gives you 5 extra notches of life and does not change your current weapon or magic power.

[Pezcore343]

That's awesome! Thanks a lot Bydo. Most of what I needed to know was what the contents of the chests were, so you described what they all do pretty well. Thanks again!

[Graham Mitchell]

Haven't played risky woods, but you know what game is really pretty cool that reminds me of Ghosts 'N' Goblins is Razorsoft's Stormlord on the Genesis. If you like this style of game, I recommend it. It's somewhat complex, like SotB is.

My 2 cents.

[A Black Falcon]

That is really useful, the various icons are pretty confusing, with how they warp you back, put you to sleep, etc... that info definitely helps it make more sense. :)

Even so though, I think the game probably isn't quite as good as a couple of EA's other medieval-ish sidescrollers, including the quite good Blades of Vengeance and the pretty fun Galahad... all three are good games, though, overall.

Dark Castle and Sword of Sodan sure aren't, on the other hand... EA's medieval-ish Genesis sidescrollers are definitely not all good. But those first three are, for sure.