Let's cover all the actions you can do in the game (the keys mentioned are the defaults when you first get the disk). If you wanted to know how to setup for keyboard or joystick, please press Esc and choose "Help with ComputerWrist" from the help menu. Commander Keen can:
RUN LEFT/RIGHT. Use the left and right arrow keys to move Keen.
GET STUFF. You can get things simply by walking into them.
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JUMP. Press Ctrl to make Keen jump. (This is Button 1 in joystick control.)
POGO. Press Alt to use your pogo stick. You can jump higher with it, but it is harder to control. Press Alt again to stop using it. (This is button 2 in joystick control.)
SHOOT. Press Spacebar (or Ctrl and Alt if you chose Two-Button Firing) to fire your Neural Stunner. It will fire in the direction you are facing.
ENTER. If you are standing in front of a door, pressing the up arrow will enter the door.
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CLIMB POLE. Press up or down when in front of a pole to get on it. Press up or down to shinny up or slide down the pole. If you press the right or left arrow, you will swing around to face that side. You can get off the pole quickly by pressing Jump (Ctrl).
GRAB ONTO EDGE. You can grab onto the edge of a surface if the jump was a little too far. Press Up or the direction toward the surface you want to be upon (left or right) to pull yourself up. If you push down or the arrow away from that surface, you'll fall down.
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FLIP SWITCH. If you see a switch (it'll have a red or green light on it), just walk in front of it an push up. Switches may change the state of things around you, like oh say, bridges and platforms and such.
DROP DOWN. If you are on a platform or narrow floor, you can drop down by pressing the down arrow and jump.
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LOOK UP/LOOK DOWN. Press the up arrow or down arrow to see more of the level in that direction. This is VERY helpful when you don't think there is anything to jump onto. Some hidden things might be revealed by looking up or down.
OPEN DOOR. Doors need gem-shaped keys to be placed in their gem holders. To place the gem in the holder, just get the gem and walk up to it.
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To finish a level, you will need to either: a) leave the level by the Exit sign, or b)
find the Council Member in the level.
Tons of bonus items and secret rooms are hidden in the game. Explore!
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^c1ADVANCED MOVES
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There are some moves that can get you to those "impossible-to-get-to" places. Here they are:
IMPOSSIBLE POGO TRICK. If you run left or right, then quickly press Pogo and Jump in succession, you blast off at an angle. This move is made very difficult if you use two-button firing.
MID-AIR POGO. You can pull out your pogo stick in the middle of a normal jump, giving you good control for that first jump.
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SHOOT DOWN. You can jump over a monster and shoot it from above by pressing the down arrow and firing. You can also shoot upward. You can also shoot from poles.
FAST POLE CLIMBING. You can climb poles faster by holding down the up arrow, and pressing jump repeatedly. It may take some practice, but it is worth it.
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COOL JUMPS. In many places you will see a big arc of candy. These are usually set up so you can get them in one cool jump.
There are other difficult moves, but we'll let you find them on your own.
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ITEMS COMMANDER KEEN CAN GET
Shikadi Soda (100 points)
Three-ToothGum (200 Points)
Shikkers Candy Bar (500 points)
Jawbreaker (1000 points)
Doughnut (2000 points)
Ice Cream Cone (5000 points)
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Floating in the sky are raindrops. Since the water of Gnosticus IV has life-sustaining energy, if Keen collects a hundred raindrops, he gets an extra life!
And there are some useful items, too.
Neural Stunner (gives you more shots)
Gems (open doors)
Lifewater flask (extra keen)
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^c1CAST OF CHARACTERS
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There are quite a few foes in the Shadowlands. Here's a list of the most common ones:
ARACHNUT. Insane, green, crab-walking creatures with two dangerous mouths.
BERKELOID. This fiery fella is not to be toyed with. He throws big fireballs!
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BOUNDER. These red, friendly, bouncing guys can be annoying, but they can be helpful, too!
COUNCIL MEMBER. These are the Gnosticenes you are trying to rescue. There are eight of them hidden in the depths of the Shadowlands.
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DOPEFISH. The second-dumbest creature in the universe, this creature's thought patterns go "swim swim hungry, swim swim hungry." They'll eat anything live and moving near them, though they prefer heroes.
INCHWORM. These placid yellow creatures are all over. Watch out where you step or they'll be afoot!
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LICK. These blue beanbag-like monsters breathe a deadly lick of fire.
MAD MUSHROOM. Dangerous plants that hop and are deadly to the touch.
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POISON SLUG. The most common inhabitant of the Shadowlands, Poison Slugs mean trouble twice -- once if you touch them, twice if you should land in the puddles of poison they leave behind!
PRINCESS LINDSEY. The Princess is here to help you out. If you can find her, she will give you valuable information that will help you complete your quest.
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SCHOOLFISH. These fish are real follow-the-leader types.
SKYPEST. Virtually immune to your shots, these guys really are pests. There must be some way to get them, though.
SPRITE. Dopefish won't mess with these problematic underwater creatures: they shoot energy blasts at you!
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WORMOUTH. Watch out for these green menaces. They're a lot bigger than they look!
There are more monsters out there, but discovering them for yourself is half the fun!
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^c1PROBLEMS?
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If you run Commander Keen and get an "Out of Memory" window, there are a few things you can do.
REMOVE YOUR TSRS. If you change your AUTOEXEC.BAT not to load TSRs, they won't take up the memory that Commander Keen needs to run. We recommend naming your AUTOEXEC.BAT to AUTOEXEC.OLD, and editing a copy of it.
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LOAD DOS HIGH. If you have at least a 286 and some extended memory, plus DOS 5.0, you can load DOS into high memory. Simply put "DOS=HIGH" in your CONFIG.SYS file.
OTHER IDEAS. Keen will use upper memory blocks and EMS if available. (So if you have an EMS card or a 386 computer, then check your system manual for more information.)
