AZTEC CHALLENGE
FULL FAQ
Author: Sashanan (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Date: 22 April 2002
Version: 1.01
DISCLAIMER
This document is copyright 2001 Sashanan. All rights reserved.
You are allowed to do the following:
- Make copies (electronical or physical) for your own, personal use;
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permission is not required, however, the FAQ must be posted in its full,
original form, including this notice, and credited to Sashanan.
You are not allowed to:
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this FAQ without giving proper credit. This is considered plagiarism.
=================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
- About this FAQ
- Level walkthroughs
- Revision history
- Final words
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ABOUT THIS FAQ
===========================================================================
Aztec Challenge is, without a doubt, among the most difficult Commodore 64
games ever created. It's not that it's a complex game; it has few controls
and they are easy to learn, and the levels are all straightforward in
their approach.
However, most of the levels require a lot of concentration, quick reactions
and nerves of steel. It's hard enough to muster all that without knowing
exactly what you should do to succeed in each particular level.
I cannot help you much with the first part. A cool head and quick reactions
are something you will have to train for yourself. This FAQ will, however,
tell you the correct procedure for completing each level, and give you
hints on what to keep your attention on. With the help of this FAQ, you
should find it easier to succeed in this difficult game.
The FAQ describes each of the game's seven levels individually, starting
with a short description of the objective, the controls, and my difficulty
rating for this level. After that the method for succeeding at the level is
described in detail. I end each level walkthrough with a quick summary of
the most important things to remember while playing it.
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LEVEL WALKTHROUGHS
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LEVEL 1: THE GAUNTLET
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Objective: run toward the temple while dodging spears thrown from either
side.
Difficulty: 4/5
Controls: push the stick forward to jump, pull it back to dodge.
The game certainly doesn't start you off easy. You need a sharp eye to
see the spears coming, and you need to react quickly to what you see.
Keeping one hand lightly on the joystick, watch the sides of the screen
closely. Do not look at your character, he's not going anywhere.
As soon as you see (and hear) a spear approaching, quickly identify the
altitude at which it comes in. Do not move the joystick in any way until
you've seen the spear. You always hear the spear a second before you see
it, which may cause you to jump the gun. 90% of all lives lost in this
level are due to pushing or pulling the stick before you can even see
the spear and decide what you should do.
Once you've seen at which altitude the spear comes in, react accordingly.
If it is low, jump by giving the joystick a firm push. A little tap may
not be enough to make it react. As long as you don't jump before the spear
is actually in screen, you'll never jump too soon, so don't worry about
that. Make sure to release the stick before you hit the ground, or you
may jump a second time right away, and possibly be off balance when the
next spear comes.
If the spear comes in high, pull the stick toward you to duck, and keep
it in that position until the spear is safely over your head and heading
out of the screen. Then release the stick. You need to be in an upright
position to quickly react to the next spear when it comes; and besides,
if you run while ducking for longer than a few seconds, your character
will stumble and fall, which ends your gauntlet just as easily as a
spear can.
In this level it may help to call your actions out loud before you
perform them. If, whenever you need to jump, you say "jump" just as
you do it, you may find it easier to concentrate. Apart from that,
keep your mind blank and focused on the task at hand. And never,
ever look at your character when you should be watching the edges
of the screen.
Summary:
- Watch the edges of the screen, not the middle. The middle is
unimportant.
- Do not move the stick before you actually see a spear and you
have decided which way you should go.
-------------------
LEVEL 2: THE STAIRS
-------------------
Objective: climb the stairs, moving left and right to avoid boulders
being rolled down at you.
Difficulty: 2/5
Controls: push the joystick either left or right to move in that
direction. Climbing is automatic.
This one is significantly easier than the last level. Stick in the middle
of the screen and avoid boulders by going left or right. Keep your eyes
both on the top of the screen and your own character.
You should never move completely to the edge of the screen. While it may
seem that you are safer there (most boulders will miss you), it is
possible for the boulders to fall in such a pattern that you cannot
avoid them when you're at the edge. By sticking in the middle, you always
have two directions to flee in, and you can always esacpe.
That said, you'll find the right side of the screen significantly safer
than the left, since less boulders appear to fall there. One of the best
spots to be in is just a little to the right of the middle, about
two-thirds counting from the left side of the screen.
When dodging boulders, make minimal movements. Do not sweep along the
length of the entire staircase, but move no farther than you need to,
and return to your original spot when the boulders are past. This way
you only have to keep an eye on yourself and the spot directly above
you, and not the entire staircase.
Summary:
- Keep your eyes on your character and the area directly above you.
- Stay near the middle. You may find it easier to stick just a little to
the right of it, as the right side of the screen appears to be safer than
the left side.
- Move no more than necessary, and return to your original spot after
having moved aside to let boulders pass.
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LEVEL 3: THE TEMPLE
-------------------
Objective: move through the rooms of the temple avoiding all traps.
Difficulty: 2/5
Controls: movement through the rooms is automatic. Push the stick left and
hold it to stop moving. Press the fire button to jump.
You'll always start in the left doorway of a room. Your character will
automatically run through to the other side. When you exit a room on the
right, you'll appear on the left again, this time in a different room.
To advance through the level, you need to clear a certain number of
rooms.
There are four types of rooms, each with their own boobytraps, and they
can come in many different colours. The room types are:
1. Spear traps - spears fall from the ceiling.
2. Boulder traps - boulders fall from the ceiling.
3. Blade traps - saw blades rise from the ground as you approach.
4. Pit traps - pits appear in the ground as you approach.
The first room of the level is always a black room with a spear trap.
Spear and boulder traps are very similar, although boulders are
slightly more dangerous because they are larger and easier to hit. When
you face one of these rooms, tap your joystick to the left to stop if
you see a spear or boulder falling just ahead of you. Do not act if
one falls right above you, as you will be past it by the time it
reaches you. You can safely ignore anything that falls behind you. Often
all the spears and boulders will miss you even if you don't do a thing,
but keep paying attention so you can interrupt if necessary. Do not
jump in these rooms, it'll only hinder your ability to stop suddenly.
Blade and pit traps should be jumped over. With blades, you must be
careful as you can still get your feet caught on them if you jump too
late, which is just as deadly as just wandering right in.
Whenever you enter a new room, push the stick left to stop one or two
steps clear of the doorway so you have some time to see what kind of
room you are facing. By now the first pit or blade will have appeared
if they are present, and any spears or boulders will have begun
falling. Once you've identified the kind of room, release the stick
and work your way through.
Bear in mind that there is a time limit for every room. If you stand
still for too long, your passage through the room won't count and
you'll start on the left again. Try to be quick.
One last warning: if you're unlucky, you may face a room with a black
background and black blade traps, making them impossible to see against
the wall. You can still see them against the floor in this case, though.
Generally, just keep your eyes peeled if you enter a room with a black
background, and watch the floor closely.
Summary:
- When you enter a room, push the stick left to stop and get your bearings.
- Move through rooms quickly. If you don't move quickly enough, you'll
have to do a room a second time.
- In rooms with black backgrounds, be on your guard for black blade traps
which can only be seen against the floor.
-------------------
LEVEL 4: THE VERMIN
-------------------
Objective: avoid contact with any of the dangerous animals as you proceed
from left to right.
Difficulty: 3/5
Controls: push the stick up for a high jump, or push it down for a low
jump.
There are many different animals to avoid, though some are more dangerous
than others. This level is a little sloppy in detecting touches between
you and animals, and often you'll get away with a slight brush,
particularly against your back. At other points, however, the game may
relentlessly punish a light touch with death.
Usually you'll want to avoid all animals by taking high jumps. The low
jump is only used if you face one animal, a small gap behind him and
another animal directly after that. The low jump will then allow you
to land between them and follow up with another jump immediately, whereas
the high jump would make you land right on top of the second animal.
Animals often fall from the sky at you, and sometimes they may fall right
into you except in front or behind you. If this happens, make a high jump
just before they hit the ground (and you). Chances are very slim that
you'll get killed this way, although you can get unlucky.
Some things to watch for: white spiders jump while yellow spiders are
stationary, the large grey animals (what are they anyway, alligators?)
are deadly if you touch their head or body, but their tails are harmless,
and orange scorpions, while they look small and easy to avoid, are the
cause of most deaths in this level. Don't underestimate their reach.
Summary:
- Use high jump by default, and low jump only if you need to land in a
gap between a group of animals.
- When an animal falls from the sky and directly into the spot you are in,
high jump before it hits the ground to greatly increase your chances to
avoid it.
- Be particularly careful around scorpions, they are the most common
death cause in this level.
-----------------
LEVEL 5: HOPAZTEC
-----------------
Objective: hop from tile to tile to the exit, discovering boobytraps the
hard way. Use the five lives you get to find a safe path.
Difficulty: 1/5
Controls: move the joystick in any direction to hop to the next tile in
that direction.
Some tiles are boobytrapped, some aren't. Unfortunately you don't know
which. Simply try to find a route to the exit that only consists of
safe tiles. If you step on a boobytrapped tile and are killed, try
again, avoiding that particular tile this time. The boobytraps will
remain in the same spot until you lose a batch of five lives and you
are returned to the level description screen. Then, the traps locations
are reset.
Try to keep your route as short and easy as possible to minimize the
number of traps you're likely to find. At first, just try to go
right until you are right below the exit, then go straight up.
Meanwhile, say your route out loud to yourself with every step you take:
"One right, two right, two right one up, two right two up..." Then,
when you run into a boobytrap, you know which step not to take. Find
a short route around the trap and then continue on your way. You'll
find a safe path to the exit soon enough.
Summary:
- Trap locations are the same as long as you are not returned to the
level description screen (which happens after five deaths).
- Keep your route as short and easy to remember as possible, and say it
out loud as you walk it to help you remember.
----------------
LEVEL 6: PIRANHA
----------------
Objective: swim from the bottom of the screen to the top a number of times
while avoiding the piranha.
Difficulty: 5/5
Controls: use the joystick to swim in any of the four directions. When
stationary, you can dive by pressing and holding the fire button, which
will cause any piranha to pass over you. However, you can hold your breath
for only a few short seconds, and staying under for too long will kill
without warning.
Welcome to the most difficult level of the game. The trick is to keep
leaving the screen at the top to reappear at the bottom. Stay in the
middle as much as you can so you can actually see piranha coming before
they reach you. You must keep your eyes peeled as they can be a little
difficult to see. Touching any piranha means death.
Generally I recommend against using the dive option. It is better to
dodge piranhas by moving aside. Keep in mind that you can swim back, and
sometimes it is the best way to avoid a piranha in whose path you strayed.
Just don't leave the screen at the bottom, and you should never worry
about backing up a little.
Piranhas always appear to the left or the right and move to the other
side in a straight line. Stay well away from them, as the game will
consider even a light brush to be a touch here.
The most dangerous part of the screen is right at the bottom or the top.
Piranhas may move along this edge of the screen, partially off-screen,
and they are very hard to spot. Whenever you cross the screen from top to
bottom, pay extra attention to this possibility, so you don't accidentally
run into a piranha you didn't even notice.
You'll probably need quite a few attempts to get through this level in
one piece. Keep your cool and stay focused, and you can do it. If you
feel just the slightest bit of frustration (and you will, believe me),
just take a minute's rest. There is no way you will win this level, the
most demanding part of the challenge, if you are not at your best.
Summary:
- Always leave the screen at the top to reappear at the bottom. Stay away
from the left and right edges.
- Keep your eyes on nearby piranha, particularly near the top and bottom
edges where they can be partially off-screen and hard to spot. Don't
forget you can move backwards if you stray into the path of a piranha.
- Utter concentration is even more important in this level than in all
the others. If you get frustrated, take a brief pause before trying again.
PLAYER FEEDBACK
Brad (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) sent me the following mail:
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"This being one of my favorite games, I noticed a "trick" that not
mentioned in you FAQ when dealing with the piranha stage. Simply by moving
up and down repeatedly at the top of the screen fools the computer into
thinking you have "swam" the entire screen length across. Using this
"cheat" you can complete the level under a mere minute. When you hear the
music changing quickly, you know you are doing it right. The difficulty
then drops to a mere 1/5."
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I have verified this and, sure enough, the man's correct. You must ensure
that, after you've passed the top of the screen and you mave backwards
again, that you come back into the screen entirely before you go forward
again. As he said the music will clue you in if you're doing it right:
if it remains the same, the level is not counting your progress, but if
it advances, you are advancing through the level as well. Same as in every
stage.
Now the piranhas roaming the top and the bottom of the screen are still
dangerous and you still need to watch for those that are partially
obscured by the borders of the screen, so keep your eyes open anyway when
you use this trick. Nevertheless, it's a good way to get past this level
if the piranhas have frustrated you one time too many, and now that I know
about it, it is very hard not to use it. :)
---------------
LEVEL 7: ESCAPE
---------------
Objective: cross the hanging bridge over the chasm to freedom.
Difficulty: 4/5
Controls: pull the stick down to make a short jump. Push (and hold!) the
stick left to make a medium jump. Push the stick up to make a long jump.
You'll run over a bridge consisting of clearly defined sections. Several
sections are missing, forcing you to jump over them in order not to fall
in the chasm. There may be one, two or three sections missing directly
after each other at a time. Always wait until you are just at the edge
of a hole, then use the appropriate jump: short if there's one section
missing, medium if two are missing, and long if three are missing.
The difficult part in this level is that, unlike many of the other
levels, you have three different moves to worry about rather than two.
Keep your eyes on the bridge and count the number of missing sections,
out loud if you prefer. Never use a longer jump than you need, or you
may end up right into the next hole. After every jump, you need to
run for a full section before you are allowed to jump again, so never
use a jump that's longer than it should be.
Once you are used to the feel of the level, there are two things to watch
for. First, players are often snared by a three-section hole followed by
one bridge section and another hole. This is because are looking at the
hole they are jumping over, rather than what lies ahead. Keep in mind that
once you are jumping over a hole, you have nothing more to fear from it,
so look at the right side of the screen to see what's coming next!
Second, whenever you make a medium jump by pushing the stick left, it
is important to hold it until you are at the highest point of the jump.
If you only tap it, the jump will be just a bit lower than it should be,
and you will not be able to span two sections. This effect does not occur
with short and long jumps, only with medium ones.
Summary:
- Always use exactly the right jump for a hole: not too short, but not
too long either.
- When jumping over a hole, stop worrying about it and watch what lies
beyond it.
- When making a medium jump, keep holding the stick left until you have
reached the highest point of your jump.
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REVISION HISTORY
===========================================================================
v1.0: (26 Jul '01) First version of the FAQ.
v1.01: (22 Apr '02) Added new information to level 6, the dreaded piranha
stage.
This may very well be the final version of the FAQ, as I've revealed
just about everything I know about the game. If there's anything more
you'd like to see in this FAQ, be sure to let me know.
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FINAL WORDS
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For questions, comments, suggestions, praise and criticism, contact the
author, Sashanan, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Any serious mail will be answered.
Please put "Your Aztec Challenge FAQ" or something like that in the
topic. I'll be happy to answer questions regarding the FAQ, the game, or
both. Do bear in mind that I get a lot of E-mail regarding my FAQs, so
anything that isn't strictly related to the game or the FAQ may be
ignored.
If you wish to do anything with this FAQ except for just reading it, check
the Disclaimer section at the top of the FAQ to find out what you can and
can't do. When in doubt, you can always mail me.
I have a small RPG review/walkthrough site called Sashy's RPG Temple at
http://come.to/sashy, feel free to check it out.
"Much that I bound, I could not free. Much that I freed returned to me."
(Lee Wilson Dodd)
This document copyright 2001-2002, Sashanan. All rights reserved.
