Tuul had been a peaceful world. That was centeries ago - a time when only one race of people inhabited the planet. Their ruler was a great priest/ahaman who, as the legend goes, was blessed with all knowledge. The position was passed on from father to eldest son through hunderds of generations unbroken. But when twin boys were born on Thoros, the 99th in the line of priests, the path of succession was dubious. Exhaustive tests of intellect revealed that neither boy was clearly superior to the other. One day, the two would-be-rulers and their father ventured into the desert - now known as the Sands of Sorrow - to determine the next ruler of Tuul. The sons returned three days later, bearing with them two large gems, one light, one dark. Their father was dead, they announced. His body has transformed into the two gems they now held. His wisdom and knowledge were contained in those gems and each of the sons had chosen one for their own.The percussions of this event would forever be felt throughout Tuul. From that day forward, Tuul would consist of two distinct populations. Some chose to follow the son who held the Lightstone, nirth of the desert where they established a kingdom that would become known as Androth. Others followed the guardian of the Darkstone, sttling north of the desert in a region they called Ka'dra'suul. Androth flourished, the people kept the recovered Lightstone in a central courtyard surrounded by gardens of exotic flora that flourished under the stone's vibrant energy. The Ka'dra'suul chose to bury their stone deep in the catacombs beneath the central keep of the great castle and suffered physical as well as psychological mutations. The Darkstone was neglected by its people and responded by moulding the Ka'dra'suul into a cruel race of beings. A young warrior the arose among the people. Sarlac was his name and he preached against the Androthi to the north. He was the duty of the Ka'dra'suul to set right this wrong. Sarlac was swept into power, ruling the land from a great central castle he called his Shadow Keep. He led his people against the Androthi in the north who were quickly overrun by Sarlac's hordes and enslaved. Use the power of the Lightstone against Sarlac. The fate of Kyle Blackhawk now lies in your hands. Your mission is to guide the recourceful warrior through the perilous regions of Tuul and find Sarlac. Use Blackhawk mercenary abilities, along with the weapons and items you will acquire, to assist you in your quest.
Safety Precautions
Safety Precautions Use the following suggestion to keep your Super NES Game Pak in the best possible condition :
1. Keep the Game Pak away from heat, cold, water and direct sunlight. The weather conditions on Tuul are bad enough without any outside interference.
2. Keep its protective cover when it is not in use or you will leave Blackhawk defenceless.
3. If your Game Pak gets dusty, use a clean, soft cloth to clean it. Do not use any type of chemical to clean the Game Pak. Even at the height of battle, Blackhawk takes a lot of pride in his appearance so don't let him get dirty.
4. Do not take the Game Pak apart. There is nothing in it that can be used for further purposes-besides, you don't really want to set Sarlac free in your house, do you ?
5. Always make sure that the power is off before inserting or removing the Game Pak from the Super NES. You might cause serious damage to the structures and landscapes of Tuul which will only make Blackhawk's task more difficult.
Starting the game
After inserting the Blackhawk Super NES game pak, several introductory screens will appear. Press START until you reach the title screen which will present you with several options - PRACTICE, NEW GAME, OPTIONS and PASSWORD.
By selecting PRACTICE, you will be guided through a tutorial that allows you to familiarize yourself with the bsic game controls, weapons and itels before you begin an actual game. the NEW GAME options will immediatly start a game from the opening level. OPTIONS enables you ti turn music and sound on or off. To bypass levels that you have already completed, select the PASSWORD option. Use the control pad to enter the appropriate password and a new game will begin at the designated level (be sure to write down the passwords as you complete levels - you can use the passwords notebook in this manual to keep track).
Tutorial/Walk-through
The purpose of this section is to guide you through the first few minuted of game play and help you get used to some of the controls.
Press the START button once at 'NEW GAME' option on the main menu and again when the introductory screens appear to begin a new game at the first level. To get to the ladder, put the shotgun away (by pressing A) and jump across (by pressing B) to the other ledge. Position yourself underneath the ledge that the ladder sits on, push up on the control pad and pull yourself up. After climbing up the ladder, exit the current screen to the right. Proceed to the ledge and climb up to the ledge where the prisoner is shackled. Pick up both of the items bag by crouching (down of the control pad)-these are hover bombs and they will remain in your inventory until you use them. Next you will need to blow up the door with one of these bombs (press X).
After walking throught the blown door, pull your shotgun immediatly and press up on the contral pad to hide from the attack. Your enemy will fire several shots in your direction-wait until he cocks his weapon after firing, then shoot. Jump across to the other side, pick up the item bag and climb up the ladder. Blow up the next two doors with the hover bombs. On the second door, make sure that your Androthi ally is not to close to the door when you use the bomb. Once you free him, he will give you a health potion. Go up the ladder and walk through the passageway (by pressing up on the control pad).
You are now well on your way to completing the first level. As long as you continue to collect items and gather as much information as you can, you will be succesful throughout the game.
Game Controls
START : Starts and pauses the game. Also allows you to 'Continue' or 'Give Up' when these options appear during game play.
SELECT : Brings down the item bar and cycles through your inventory.
This can be accessed at any time during the game.
L and R : These buttons (located on the top of the controller) enable you to cycle through your items without having to pull down the item bar.
THE CONTROL PAD : Left or Right moves Blackhawk in the direction.
Up : 1. When standing in the clear, 'hides' Blackhawk in the shadows.
2. Enables him to jump up onto the ledge and pull himself up (the gun
must be put away before doing this) - use the button for climbing
ladders as well.
3. Allows you to walk through the passage ways (the gun must be put
away before doing this).
4. Insert a key in the appropriate lock, assuming you have one in your
inventory.
Down : 1. Crouches. This is primarly used to pick up items.
2. Allows you to climb down a ladder or ledge.
The action buttons (A,B,X and Y) have different functions depending
on whether or not Blackhawk holds his gun.
GUN NOT DRAWN
A : Pulls the gun from its holster.
B : Jumps forward (Broad jump).
X : Uses the selected item from your inventory (the current item appears at
the upper left of the screen).
Y : Holding down a direction on the control pad and tapping this button enables Blackhawk to run (jumping while on the run covers more distance than a standing jump).
GUN DRAWN
A : Puts the gun away.
B : Fires the gun.
X : Uses the selected item from your inventory (the next available item
appears at the upper left of the screen).
Y : Fires backwards 'without looking'.
WEAPONS AND ITEMS
The shotgun is Blackhawk's primary weapon. Over the course of the game, Androthi allies will help you to upgrade the weapon's effectiveness.
In additions to the shotgun, the following weapons and items can be acquired during your journey :
HOVER BOMBS : After this bomb is thrown, it 'rolls' towards its target
and detonates.
FIRE BOMBS : This bomb features a 'somersault' explosion that can damage
multiple enemies at one time.
WASPS : When deployes, you can steer this bomb with the control pad
and detonate it by pressing X (ideal for destroying computer
terminals).
HEALTH POTION : You will be able to improve your health by finding and
drinking these potions. Be sure to explore the levels
thoroughly-some of the potions are well hidden.
LEVITATOR : This is used to reach areas that Blackhawk can't get to with an ordinary jump. Tu use the levitator, press X to drop it,
then press up on the Control Pad to levitate it.
BRIDGE KEY : Insert this key in the lock by pressing up on the Control
Pad to create a bridge for Blackhawk to cross.
IRON KEY : This key is used to 'unlock' the blue force fields that
Blackhawk encounters (press up on the Control Pad to insert
the key).
THE PERSONALITIES OF TUUL
KING VLAROS : The old ruler of Tuul and Kyle's father.
GALADRIL : Tuul's resident sorcerer and Vlaros' best friend.
THE SEER ONEHAND : A female forest druid who leads Androthi in their struggle
against the Ka'dra'suul in the forests.
THOROS : The originator of the Stones of light and dark. His
shrine lies in the wastelands where it is foretold the
stones came into being.
SARLAC : The ultimate bad guy-once a sorcerer like Galadril, the╡
powers of the Darkstone have turned him and his minions
intro gruesome monsters. Sarlac wields the power of the
Darkstone against the Androthi.
ANDROTHI : These are good guys who will often provide you with
useful information and items.
ANDROMEDOGS : Fearing that Sarlac would inevitably win, some of the
Androthi joined up with Sarlac to avoid destruction. These
outcast traitors are hated by the Androthi.
GRAG'OHR(GRAGGS) : Blackhawk's most common enemy (the goblin creatures),
they appear throughout the game with varying degrees
of difficulty.
WHAR'ORK : These omnious looking creatures lurk in the depths of the
Xandralite mines, never hesitating to crack their whips at
the enslaved Androthi.
ROCK BEASTS : The once tame desert dwellers are now bent by Sarlac's
influence to destroy the Androthi with their unique
'rock and roll' attack
EEKERS : Tentacle-like plants that devour unsuspecting victims
they emit a shrill sound when in distress.
SPIDER MINES : These walking explosives are pesky creatures that test
Blackhawk throughout his journey-Fire Bombs are
particularly useful against them.
Credits
Game Design Blizzard Entertainment
Level Design Ronald Millar
Programming Frank Pearce, Patrick Wyatt
Additional Programming James Anhalt
Artwork Roman Kenney, Stu Rose, Jason Magness
Ronald Millar, Samwise Didier
Art Technician Joeyray Hall
Sound and Music Glenn Stafford
Text and Dialog Mickey Neilson, Ronald Millar, Frank Pearce
