SCD version of Shadow of the Beast II impossible to beat?

[Aussie2B]

This is really perplexing me, is the Sega CD version of Shadow of the Beast II impossible to complete or am I just crazy?

My boyfriend has been playing it and doing remarkably well considering how freakin' hard (and poorly coded) it is, but he can get no farther than the giant snail. I'm been looking up FAQs about the game, but there are none based on the Sega CD version (nor any reviews or pretty much anything... :/ ). Each version is a bit different, but the key factor of the Sega CD version that appears to be the problem is that you don't have enough money to get through the game. You get a limited amount of money, and since the snail requires 36 gold (otherwise he takes the horn you need to progress), you basically have to give every single gold piece you acquire to him. However, to escape the cell the goblins put you in, you must buy some sort of drink. In the Genesis version, the snail only asks for 16, and it's possible to get out of the cell without the drink (which doesn't appear to be the case in the Sega CD version). The Sega CD version appears to be similar to the Amiga version, in that the snail also requests 36 gold, but in the Amiga version you can find the drink for free in the town. It's not in the Sega CD version in the place in which you're supposed to find it in the Amiga version.

We only have one clue to go on - the fact that in the sound test there are TWO versions of the town's theme, one softer than the normal version. We've never heard this song, and it suggests to us that there is a room that can be entered in the town, but every idea we've come up to get through the doors that appear to just be a part of the background has failed.

The disheartening thing is that we haven't found anything online that would indicate that ANYONE has beaten this version of the game. No guides, no reviews, nothing. We really want to know if the developers truly screwed over this port when making alterations to the point that it became unbeatable. Can anyone solve this mystery for us?

[Graham Mitchell]

Sorry, I can't help you, Aussie. I've only played the Amiga version myself. It's probably the hardest game I've ever attempted, though, if it's any consolation.

Not to derail the thread, but I've been curious about something for awhile, and I was wondering if you could enlighten me about this. In the Amiga version, you have to type what you want to say in order to talk to people, which means you need to know the key word they're looking for. (This is also a way to use a cheat code at the beginning.) How did they get this feature working on the consoles, which have no keyboard?

[anagrama]

And, along similar lines, something I've wondered in the past is if it's possible to enter the "ten pints" invincibility cheat without a keyboard?

Even using that the Amiga version was infeasilby hard. I remember finishing it (with the cheat) about 15 years ago and then vowing never to play it again

[klausien]

Not to be a +1, but is ANY version of ANY Shadow of the Beast game possible!?!

[Graham Mitchell]

Not to be a +1, but is ANY version of ANY Shadow of the Beast game possible!?!

The first one is doable on the Genesis. I've gotten VERY close, and if I just stuck with it I'd have eventually done it. The Amiga one is a bit harder. There's a guy that did an FAQ on GameFaqs for the Amiga version of SOTB2 who has done it without cheating, and he tells you at each step of the game how much life you should have left if you want to possible get through the next section. Either that guy's brilliant or a hopeless nerd.

[googlefest1]

i would say the atari lynx version is beatable

the most playable i think

i played the games on the sega systems and felt they were incredibly hard

and then i played the lynx version - and thought damn how come i had such a hard time with the geny version -- then i realized they were diferent

the lynx was made a a little easier -- not saying its not challengeing - just easier

for the lynx it has great graphics and sound - i think its one of the best titles on the lynx - definatly shows what the system can do - also my favorite version of the beast games -- probably a biased opinion becasue i can actualy get far in the lynx version

[le geek]

The Turbo CD version of Beast seems beatable (but isn't a pretty as the Amiga version). Supposedly Beast III on the Amiga is quite playable too. I should give it a go sometime before my disks rot!

Cheers,
Ben

[Aussie2B]

The typing is replaced with dialogue choices, and to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to do the "ten pints" cheat in any version other than the Amiga.

I have heard of people legitimately beating both the SotB2 Amiga and Genesis versions. And while I haven't looked into it that much, I imagine you can find proof of people legitimately beating most of the versions of the original SotB.

Even if none of you have beaten Shadow of the Beast 2 on Sega CD, if you've EVER heard of anyone beating that version, that alone would be a help. o_O And does anyone know anything about the two versions of the town song in any of the other versions? Is it possible to go through any of the "doors" in the town, or perhaps is it possible to enter the barn or whatever it is next to the wizard?

[nik]

unbeatable game? I had Shadow of the beast I for genesis..

Maybe I'll pick up 2 for Sega CD if I can find it cheap, or someone will trade me it or somthing, disc only even, I want to see just how hard this game is.

[Aussie2B]

It's not so much that it's hard (well, it is, but once you know what to do, it's not so bad), it's purely mathematics that's against us. If it's impossible to get enough money, you're just screwed, no matter how good you get at doing everything up until the snail charges 36 gold. However, if it turns out that it's some ridiculously hard puzzle, THEN, yeah, I'd describe it as an insanely difficult game, but I'm not so inclined to believe this is the case (although, I do hope it is).

[suppafly]

Im very intrigued about this thread. I hope you can find an answer soon and let us know...

God luck!

[Graham Mitchell]

It's not so much that it's hard (well, it is, but once you know what to do, it's not so bad), it's purely mathematics that's against us. If it's impossible to get enough money, you're just screwed, no matter how good you get at doing everything up until the snail charges 36 gold. However, if it turns out that it's some ridiculously hard puzzle, THEN, yeah, I'd describe it as an insanely difficult game, but I'm not so inclined to believe this is the case (although, I do hope it is).

Go play the Amiga version. Guarantee you it'll take you about an hour and a half before you can get your game to last more than 5 minutes. If you're blessed enough to do well in the beginning, that'll all end as soon as you face the guy who's pushing the wall of spikes into you. The hit detection is so unfair that it's almost impossible to get rid of that guy without losing well over half of your life bar. This game was my summer project, and I bailed on it big time. The controls suck because the Amiga joysticks only had one button, and you have to push "up" on directional pad to jump. You have no idea what a headache that will cause you.

You are right though, if you know what's going to happen before it happens, it gets much more doable. It gives you the glimmer of hope to keep you playing.

[rbudrick]

Any progress? I'm very curious about this thread...

-Rob

[Aussie2B]

Well, we tried screwing around with the order of the events of the game. We discovered that we could skip the part with the goblins, gather all 36 coins, pay the snail, and get the horn successfully. So we went across the water with the horn, hoping we could find some gold there to bring back, but there's basically nothing there except for a health potion and the final boss, who can't be defeated without the spell you get after completing the sequence with the goblins. So... we're still screwed. :(

Come on, SOMEBODY here has had to have tried to beat this version before. I really hope we can solve this mystery. :)

[rbudrick]

Wow! Catch-22, huh? What a PAIN!

-Rob

[TheRedEye]

I almost want to set up a charity website, begging for help. Can you access credits in-game, or are there any clues in the manual as to who made it? I demand answers, and I want to go to the source.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, we tried screwing around with the order of the events of the game.

Jesus...mad props to you and Snaps for getting so far in this game. I always get owned by that blasted underground boss in the first game (Genesis version, too lazy to set up an Amiga emulator right now)...

I also wonder if the code works in the FM Towns version of the game (both titles in the series are on that system, as well...might have some money to pick them up this summer).

[westside]

A roomate of mine spent a small portion of his life going through SOTB II on genesis. Needless to say the entire house was relieved when he finally beat it. I hope to never see that game again. However I do understand the rigors of going through it, and understand that you've put this much time in, and feel as though you deserve to get through it. GOOD LUCK.

[Alex Kidd]

I've beatne SotBII on the Genesis a few times, but I don't remember exact amounts I payed, or where I found money.
But I can say the Genny one is DEFINITELY beatable, as I can do it quite easy now.

It is ALL about trial and error and knowing what to do before you do it.

I wish I had a Sega CD or hell even justan ISO of it now, this has me intrigued...

Beating Beast II back in the day felt like an accomplishment, such one that I tried Playing the orginal (on the genny), now THAT one I've never been able to beat!!

AlexKidd

[Aussie2B]

We finally figured it out. o_o Shadow of the Beast II on Sega CD IS beatable. The trick is that there's a very brief amount of time when the snail is warping you back and the screen gets all swirly in which you can still move around. You have to quickly pick your horn and money back up, so when you arrive back in the normal area, you'll still have your horn and gold.

Man, what a DAMN difficult game, haha. I kinda of appreciate that they would take the effort to slightly alter each version, but at the same time, it makes things very confusing.