Sewersoft presents
WILLOW
by Mindscape
(Typed by Scotty)
INTRODUCTION
In a far off time when magic was real, and an evil queen
threatened all that was good, a trio of unlikely heroes joined in
an epic quest. The story of their adventures is recorded in the
magical scroll you now possess.
GETTING STARTED
Before the scroll can tell the tale, you must follow the
installation and loading instructions on the enclosed reference
card.
THE SCROLL
The scroll tells the story of Willow Ufgood and his quest to save
Elora Danan and defeat the evil Queen Bavmorda. The scroll will
flow past until its story is told and then it will begin again.
If you want to stop the scroll, or if you want to back up or skip
forward, use the controls on the enclosed reference card to
control the motion.
The scroll is more then just a story, however. It is also a door
way into the world of Willow. Throughout the scroll you will see
words highlighted. When you move the wand to one of these
highlighted words and press the button, you will be drawn through
the scroll and into the story. Once there, you will guide the
actions of one of the heroes of the Willow saga in his or her
part of the quest.
In ancient writings of this sort, each and every word may hold its
own special meaning, so the player should explore the scroll very
carefully-not all the words of power will be readily apparent. A
wise player will take nothing for granted. For example, if you
use your wand to select the words Daikini crossroads from the
scroll-just below the image of Nockmaar woods-you will enter the
Daikini Crossroads game in practice mode.
PLAYING WILLOW
There are two ways to play Willow: in practice mode and in quest
mode. The first, the practice mode, is provided to allow the
would-be hero a chance to see the dangers that lie ahead. When
you play in this way, almost every segment of the game may be
accessed individually as many times as you like. You can also use
it has a chance to learn your opponent's weaknesses and strengths,
to find your way through treacherous mazes, and to hone your
magical abilities before actually attempting to defeat Queen
Bavmorda in the quest.
To practice any game, simply click on the appropriate word in the
scroll. If you click by accident, you can escape back to the
scroll by pressing the key on the reference card. You can also
quit a game the same way.
The quest mode of play is to start at the beginning of the story,
and play through each of the game segments in order. You must
successfully complete each segment to save the child and defeat
the queen. You will have eight chances to fail, one for each
candle in the Ritual of Obliteration that Queen Bavmorda is
performing to destroy Elora Danan. To play the game in this mode,
click on the word WILLOW at the beginning of the scroll. You
will be taken to the first game, "Dungeons," and from there you
will trace the journey of Willow step-by-step to victory or
defeat.
THE GAMES
DUNGEONS
The child Elore Danan has been born in the dungeons of Nockmaar
Castle, the fortress of Queen Bavmorda. You take the part of
Ethna, the Daikini, as she flees with the baby through a
treacherous maze of corridors. You must find your way quickly-if
you linger too long in one place the guards will surely catch you.
The corridors are tricky and many of the rooms are traps, so you
must move carefully but quickly if you are to escape.
You will have the option of going left, right or straight-as long
as there is a passage in that direction. You can also back up.
When you back up, you will remain facing in the direction you
were going prior to backing up.
WOODS
The first part of Willow's journey is to the Daikini crossroads.
To get there he must traverse treacherous woods filled with
searching Nockmaar troops and Death Dogs.
You control the figure of Willow as he tries to reach the
crossroads. Willow can run in any of eight directions, and is
armed with three magical acorns which can turn anything they hit
to stone. More acorns can be found in the woods, but they are
scarce so use them sparingly. Avoid the Death Dogs and the
Nockmaar troops. If you are attacked and cannot escape, throw an
acorn at the attacker. Don't fall in the pits or the swamp, and
be sure to cross the river only by bridge or stepping
stones. Speed is of the essence and you must move quickly on the
path, but you will need to leave the path to find acorns.
DAIKINI CROSSROADS
Here you must choose which cage holds the Daikini warrior
Madmartigan, and which cage holds death. Select the right cage by
moving the cursor to it and pressing the button.
SPELLCASTING
Spellcasting is a game of sorcery. You must use all your magic to
transform the good sorceress Fin Raziel back from her current
beastial form. Because your magic is uncertian, you must play
this game three times throughout the course of the adventure. The
first time transforms Fin Raziel from a possum like creature into
a raven. The second time she transforms from the raven into a
goat. And the third time she finally regains her humanity.
At the bottom of the screen you will see a row of thirteen runic
charms. Three of these symbols must be combined in the proper
order to cause the desired transformation. If the symbols are
chosen in the wrong order, then Fin Raziel will be transformed
into some monstrous thing. If a symbol that is not part of the
spell is chosen, terrible things will happen and you will have
failed.
ICE CAVES
To escape the mountain top snow camp of General Kael,
Madmartigan and Willow must take a desperate run down the
mountian on an enemy's shield. They find themselves in a twisting
network of icey caves and tunnels which they must carefully
negotiate.
At each junction you will have the option of going left, right or
continuing straight. There is no way to back up and there is only
one exit.
BATTLE
In the final assault on Nockmaar Castle, General Kael and
Madmartigan finally face each other in a battle to the death.
Madmartigan must defeat Kael himself on the steps of Queen
Bavmorda's tower.
In this contest of master swordsmen, you control the figure of
Madmartigan. There are seven basic movements available to you,
and just the right combination will serve to defeat Kael.
Note: attack direction depends on which way the character is
facing. The game is won when either Kael or Madmartigan falls.
THE FINAL BATTLE
This game cannot be played in practice mode, it only is available
if you overcome all the previous challenges and have proved
yourself worthy to face Queen Bavmorda in a test of magic. You
must complete the necessary spell before she can reach the altar
and destroy Elora Danan. The mechanics are similar to those in
the spellcasting game, but the spell is made up of nine symbols
instead of three. The outcome is uncertian, but if you have
studied the lessons of Fin Raziel carefully, you will prevail.
CHANGING THE GAME
Once you have played through and won Willow, you may want to
reset the game to create new challenges for yourself. If you
select the Mindscape logo at the end of the scroll, you will have
various options available to you. Among these is the option to
reset various settings in the game. If you choose this option all
of the choices in the game which are variable will be randomized
to create a fresh game experience.
WILLOW REFERENCE CARD
You need an Atari 520, 1040 or mega with at least 512K. One or two
disk drives and a color monitor. A mouse or joystick is optional.
(I am sure everyone knows how to load a game by now!)
THE CONTROLS
Willow can be played using one of three control devices-
mouse, joystick or keyboard (numeric pad). A general description
of each is given below. Detailed instructions for each game
follow.
Mouse:
The mouse is normally used to move a small, wand shaped cursor
around the screen. Selections are made by pointing to the choice
and pressing the left button. Occasionally, specific motions of
the mouse in the direction you wish the on-screen figure to go
will do the trick.
Keyboard:
When using the keyboard, you will have several options. The
cursor keys are always active and map the motions of a joystick.
If you have a seperate cursor cluster, you may need to press two
keys simultaneously to cause diagonal movement. In both cases the
space bar will act as the fire button.
Joystick:
The joystick does exactly what you would expect. Moving it any of
the eight directions causes corresponding movement on the screen.
Whenever the fire button is called for, use button #1. Button #2
is never used in Willow.
SPECIFIC GAME CONTROLS
Each game in Willow has its own way of using the input devices.
The following details each game's control system.
The Scroll:
While in the scroll, you can scroll forward or backward, stop the
motion, and select highlighted words to enter specific games.
To scroll forward and back;
With a mouse or joystick-Move the wand to the bottom of the
screen to move forward and to the top to move backward. The
closer to the top or bottom you move the cursor, the faster the
scroll will move.
With the keyboard-Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the
top or bottom of the screen.
To select a word-Point the tip of the wand on the desired word
and press the left mouse button, joystick button #1 or the space
bar.
The Dungeons:
In the dungeons game, you have the option of moving left, right,
straight, ahead or back one move.
With a mouse-Move the cursor to the exit you want to use and
press the left mouse button.
With a joystick-Move the joystick in the direction you wish to
go, left, right, forward or back and press button #1.
With the keyboard-Press the cursor keys to move left, right,
forward or back. You can use either of the keyboard clusters
described previously.
Woods:
In the woods game, you must escape the Nockmaar troops and Death
Dogs on your way to the Daikini Crossroads. Throw acorns to stop
your opponents; pick up acorns by running over them.
With a mouse-Move the mouse in the direction you want to run.
Press the left mouse button to throw an acorn in the direction
you are facing.
With a joystick-Move the joystick in the direction you wish to
go, left, right, up, down and the diagonals. Press button #1 to
throw an acorn in the direction you are facing.
With the keyboard-Press the cursor keys to move left, right, up
down or diagonally. Press the space bar to throw an acorn in the
direction you are facing. You can use either of the keyboard
clusters described previously.
Daikini Crossroads:
Choose the left or right cage to free Madmartigan.
With a mouse-Move the mouse left or right to face the cage of
your choice. Press the left mouse button to open the door.
With a joystick-Move the joystick left or right to face the cage
of your choice. Press button #1 to open the door.
With the keyboard-Press the cursor keys to face left or right.
Press the space bar to open the door.
Spellcasting:
Choose the three symbols to free Fin Raziel.
With a mouse or joystick-Move the wand to the symbol you wish to
select. Press the left mouse button or button #1 on the joystick
to choose the symbol.
With the keyboard-Use the arrow keys or the cursor keys to the
symbol you wish to choose. Press the space bar to make the
selection.
Ice Caves:
In the ice caves you need to quickly choose left or right turns
to find your way through the mountain.
With the joystick or mouse-Move left or right to turn.
With the keyboard-Press the cursor keys to move left or right.
Battle:
This has been described in prior pages.
SPECIAL KEYS
F1-Allows the game sequence just played to be replayed without
first returning to the scroll. Works only in the practice mode.
ESC-Exits a game and returns to the scroll. Works in both
practice and quest modes.
P-Pauses the action. Press this key again to continue. Works in
both modes.
SPACE BAR OR BUTTON - Whenever the game pauses, pressing the mouse
button, joystick button, or the space bar will continue the game.
Game Reset:
Clicking on the Mindscape logo in the scroll will cause a dialog
box to appear asking if you want to reset the game. Answering yes
will cause all maps to be randomized all spells to be scrambled
and the cages in the Daikini Crossroads to be varied. You will
then return to the scroll, ready to begin your new adventure. If
you choose no, you will return to the scroll without making
changes.
(Edited by Sewercide)
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