A Boy and his Blob
NES-B5-USAA Boy and His Blob(tm) - Trouble on Blobolonia(tm)Another Extraordinary Adventure from David Crane---David Crane, the designer of A Boy and His Blob, is the author of many of thebest known video games of the past decade.Pitfall is the best selling video game cartridge of all time in the UnitedStates and Canada. Pitfall maintained the number one spot on the Billboard magazine video game chart for 64 consecutive weeks.Other Crane-designed games include Pitfall II, Ghostbusters, Little ComputerPeople, and The Activision Decathlon. A Boy and His Blob is David's first gamefor the Nintendo Entertainment System.---Look! He likes them!Likes them? The boy's Blob loves them! Jellybeans, that is. In every flavorunder the subway. Like Vanilla. Apple. Tangerine. Cinnamon. Cola. Coconut. Andmore.Like many boys in the twenty-first century, the boy has a buddy from outerspace. This one's from Blobolonia - a place where an evil emperor makes every-one eat only marshmallows and chocolate. In fact, for the emperor, healthythings like vitamins are poisonous.Blob (his full name is Blobert) came to Earth looking for someone to help himdefeat the evil emperor. That's how he met the boy.To defeat the evil emperor they boy and Blob will need a goodly supply ofvitamins. And to get the vitamins, they'll need money. To get money, they'llsearch the underground caverns for hidden treasures and diamond stones.So what's a boy to do? Just whistle! (That'll call Blob.) Then feed him jelly-beans.You see, the boy miraculously discovered that not only does Blob love jelly-beans - but that different jellybeans turn Blob into different shapes. And thatthose shapes can be used to get through many otherwise impossible situations!With his repertoire of shapes, Blob can help the boy overcome even the mostoutrageous obstacles - as long as Blob gets the right flavored bean. In fact,with enough jellybeans in enough flavors, anything is possible.---To move right or left - Press the Right or Left arrows.To call Blob (Just whistle!) - Press Button B.To turn a shape back into Blob - Press Button B. Note: After turning him backinto the Blob, wait a second before tossing him a jellybean.To select a jellybean flavor - Press the Select button repeatedly until thedesired flavor is listed at the bottom of the screen.To reverse the order of the flavors - Hold down the Down arrow and press theSelect button.To feed Blob jellybeans - Make sure the boy is facing Blob and press Button A.Note: You'll be feeding Blob the flavor that's indicated on the screen.To shoot the Vita Blaster - First select the type of vitamins you want toshoot (A, B or C) by pressing the Select button. Then press Button B. Note: The VitaBlaster is needed only on Blobolonia and will not perform properly ifyou have not purchased the necessary ammunition: vitamins.To pause - Press the Start button.To continue - Press the Start button again.---Other worldsA Boy and His blob takes place in two very different worlds. The first world lies in the caverns deep beneath the streets of the city inwhich the boy lives. The second world is on the planet Blobolonia, where Blobis from.In the boy's world (Earth) you'll search for hidden treasures, giant diamonds,bags of extra jellybeans and more. The more treasures you find, the morevitamins you can purchase to fight the evil emperor on Blobolonia. The display"TR" at the top of the screen tells you how many treasures are left to befound.Finding your way through the underground caverns won't be easy. There are manydangerous turns - and tumbles. As well as deadly enemies. So it may be wise tokeep a map of where you've been - and what's there.In the Blob's world (Blobolonia) you'll find orchards, farms, a candy factoryand the dangerous home of the evil emperor. You'll also find the sparklingpeppermint candies - invaluable when it comes to creating extra lives.To get from the Earth to Blobolonia (or vice versa), the boy must employ aspecial type of transportation. And unless he's armed with a VitaBlaster and agood supply of vitamins for ammunition, he'll be quite helpless on Blobolonia.Though the boy's world and the Blob's world may appear to be very different,they do have one thing in common: constant surprises!---Seen on the screenOnce you press the Start button, you will se most of the following informationacross the top or bottom of the screen. What's not there now will be addedas the game progresses.[left to right, top to bottom. -tsr]- score (based on treasures collected)- number of treasures left to find  vitamins left  number of peppermints collected- lives left- jellybean flavor selected---Fourteen fabulous flavorsYou'll start the game with twelve jellybean flavors. And throughout youradventure you'll be able to pick up a couple more.In the beginning you'll have to experiment to see what shape each flavor makes. But you'll quickly find you have them memorized. Because each flavorname corresponds somehow to the shape it creates - either in the sound of theword or in its meaning.Here is the list of flavors you'll find. If you like, make a list and jot downthe shapes formed next to each flavor:Licorice   Apple     Ketchup *Strawberry Vanilla   GrapeCoconut    Tangerine PunchCola       Root Beer OrangeCinnamon   Honey     Lime* There is one jellybean flavor that Blob detests: KETCHUP! In fact, if heaccidentally ate one, he'd be petrified.More about the amazing jellybeanIn addition to feeding Blob jellybeans, you can also use jellybeans to scoutout unknown areas. Here's how:If you want to know what lies beyond a ledge (on earth) or beyond the edge ofa screen (on Blobolonia), simply toss a jellybean in the unknown direction. The "camera" will follow the jellybean and you'll momentarily be able to seewhat lies ahead.---Collector's cornerThroughout your adventures - both on earth and in Blobolonia - you'll beconstantly collecting things. Treasures and diamonds to raise your money stash. Jellybean bags to increase your jellybean stash. Vitamins to operateyour VitaBlaster. And peppermints - for a special bonus.TreasuresMany treasures are protected by the Subway Serpent. A most deadly beast.Jellybean bagsHere's where you'll find the two new jellybean flavors. As well as extrajellybeans of all flavors.DiamondsA blob's best friend.PeppermintsScarf up enough of these - like five - and you'll earn an extra life.VitaminsThere are three different kinds of vitamins: A, B, and C. And each one firesa different kind of trajectory. You'll quickly learn which vitamins are mosteffective in which situations.---Menacing meaniesSome of the characters and situations you'll run into both on earth and on Blobolonia will not be too nice. In fact, some will be downright nasty. Otherseven deadly!Here's a brief introduction to just a few of the many adversaries you can expect.On EarthSubway serpentsSorry. These guys are indestructible. But they will leave you some headroom.Falling rocksYou do know how to protect yourself from the elements, don't you?Stalactite and stalagmitesThese freaky formations seem to be reaching out to touch you. Don't let them.On BloboloniaMagic marshmallowsTough and rubbery, these gooey globs are hard to shoot. Better to avoid them.Cherry bombsDon't let them hit the ground. Or else.PopcornIt'll just keep coming. So clear a path through this stuff and keep on going.Chocolate kissesDon't get kissed by one of these - it's the kiss of death.Evil emperorUse his own hoard of vitamins against him. If you can find a way to make himtake them.---Five lives to liveAt the beginning of each game you get five lives. When you lose all five ofthem, the game is over.There are three ways in which you can lose a life:1.) If you fall more than 1 1/2 screens unaided.2.) If you drown. (Try a flotation device)3.) If you're hit by an enemy (like a subway serpent, falling rock, cherry    bomb, sweet tooth and more.)Added lives-  You get an additional life for every five peppermints you pick up on Blob-olonia. Look high and low for them - because you can never have too many treasures or too many lives.---Tempting tips- To put a little distance on a tossed jellybean, take a step while tossing   it.- Be careful where you carve your holes. It could be a long way down!- Whistling is one way to bring blob closer to you. But if you're trying to  position him in a critically precise spot, change him into a blow torch so  he can easily be picked up and moved.- Never go too far without letting Blob catch up. If you lose him, you're out  of luck. Unless, of course, you can make him ketchup.- To increase the height of a jump on your trampoline, press the Up arrow. To  decrease the height, press the Down arrow. To jump off, move to the side at  the pinnacle of your jump.- Remember: after you've collected all the treasure, you'll still have to   return to the street, get to the health food store and purchase the vitamins.- There's more than one way to stop a candy machine.- Experiment! Experiment! Experiment!