StarTropics
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'StarTropics' is a game released by Nintendo in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This game was released mainly for the American and European audience; it never came out in Japan, despite being developed there.
The story revolves around Mike Jones, a star pitcher from Seattle (not to be confused with the rapper) who comes to C-Island to visit his uncle, an archaeologist named Dr. Steve Jones, after receiving a letter from him. Uniquely, this letter was actually packaged with the game and addressed to the player. Just as Mike carries the letter inside the game, so too must the player keep it for later use. During his visit, Mike discovers that his uncle has been abducted by aliens. Wielding an island yo-yo, Mike travels from isle to isle in a submarine piloted by an AI and fights his way through caves searching for clues to his uncle's capture.
StarTropics was followed up by a sequel, , in 1994.
Gameplay
StarTropics is played from a 2D top-down perspective, similar to The Legend of Zelda (in the "dungeon" areas) and various RPGs on the NES (town/overworld areas). The game is divided into a series of chapters through which the story progresses. In each chapter, Mike initially walks around towns or other areas, talking to NPCs and obtaining information. After speaking to the required people, Mike will often then travel to a cave or other underground area. It is here that the game switches mechanics. The view is much more zoomed-in, with Mike traveling through rooms that are (usually) one screen big. He initially attacks enemies with a yo-yo, which has a short range. He can accumulate additional weapons in these areas, such as baseball bats, baseballs (also called horsehides), shooting stars, laser guns and more. He has a life meter which is made of a maximum of 22 hearts, similar to that of Link's. This meter can be expanded by finding Big Hearts (which are essentially the same as Heart Containers in Zelda). Mike has three lives and must restart from the beginning of a dungeon area if he loses them all. There are dozens of different enemies within the game and some instant-kill traps, such as platforms that sink into the ubiqitious water and giant bowling balls.
Upon reaching the end of the dungeon area, Mike will usually fight a large boss character, which often requires a unique strategy to defeat.
Copy Protection
An infamous aspect of StarTropics was a saga involving a piece of paper, resembling parchment, that came packaged with the game. Written on it was a letter from Dr. Jones and was addressed to Mike, asking him to visit him at his laboratory on C-Island. It was as if the actual player had intercepted the message and was being invited indirectly to play the game. In later parts of the game, Mike receives an enigmatic message from his uncle through a third-party.- ''"Evil aliens from a distant planet... tell Mike to dip my letter in water."
Even for a player who owned an original copy and thus, was more likely to have the letter, it was unusual for a game to refer to a physical object that would otherwise just be a novelty. This prompted the player to think that Dr. Jones might be referring to an object within the game. To add to the confusion of the puzzle, putting this paper under water might damage it. Regardless, the correct course of action was to dip the physical piece of paper in water. It revealed a secret message from Dr. Jones and the number "747" that must be used in the game in order to advance. This functioned as a detailed and uniquely immersive form of copy protection. Since many used video game retailers sell their NES games without a box or manual, it is difficult to find a copy of StarTropics with the original letter, requiring the use of online game manuals or online walkthroughs to complete this part of the game.
Level Order
Chapter 1: Prelude | Main Boss: C-Serpent
Chapter 2: Dolphins | Main Boss: Octo the Huge
Chapter 3: Storm and Calm | Main Boss: Maxie
Chapter 4: Confession | No Boss
Chapter 5: Captain Bell | No Boss
Chapter 6: Reunion | Main Boss: Twin Sumocho
Chapter 7: Alien Spaceship | Main Boss: Ostroid
Chapter 8: Final Battle | Main Boss: Zoda (Second Form)
Credits
Hiroshi Yamauchi and Minoru Arakawa are credited as the executive producers of StarTropics.Genyo Takeda is credited as the producer and script writer of StarTropics.
External links
- [C-Island, a StarTropics/Zoda's Revenge fansite.]
- [The C-Island forum, where you can talk with StarTropics fans about the Nintendo series]
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