The Unofficial, Incomplete Guide
Following an extremely drawn-out and controversial development, Watermelon Games finally released the brand-new beat-'em-up game
Paprium for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive at the end of 2020. I preordered a copy ages ago, and was honestly surprised to actually get it due to the lack of information that was provided during the past few years. But the long wait aside, it's pretty fun! (Also, the music is freaking incredible.)
Anyway, the game seems to have a LOT of hidden content, unlockables, secret routes, etc. with requirements that aren't always straightforward. Thus, the community has been working to uncover all the secrets this massive 16-bit brawler is hiding. As of writing, this info is spread out across Twitter and forum threads, so this page is meant to consolidate all that info into a single place. Note that this is kind of an info dump since new discoveries are being made often-- maybe once we establish that we've found everything, I'll clean it up into a proper walkthrough.
I don't have adequate capture hardware so I have borrowed screenshots and videos from other sources. I'll provide credit wherever I can!
Disclaimer: I know that Watermelon Games is a very controversial entity, and there have been a lot of questionable statements and business practices from them. The existence of this guide does not serve as an endorsement of their actions, nor am I some kind of WM "apologist". I bought this game before things went south, and happened to enjoy it when I finally received it, so I decided to write a guide to help people out. I'm trying really hard to "separate the art from the artist" so to speak. I have no interest in defending them; my interest is purely surrounding the game itself. Any criticism of WM itself is completely warranted and you'll probably find some in this guide, too.Update October 2021: A lot has been going on this month. Not only is there a new
Kickstarter for a port of the game to modern platforms (finally!), but efforts have started to dump and extract data from the Paprium cartridge! This page will continue to be in a major state of flux while these events are happening, as I will need to make major expansions. I will be trying to add more images from the extracted graphics data, and hopefully if we can get this thing partially emulated maybe some actual screenshots. I want to add a section for the new ports as well, including the "Mini-Paprium" Game Gear game. I'm also wanting to do a "Removed Stuff" section once I can figure out what parts are used and what parts aren't (and if anything changes as a result of these new versions). I will NOT be linking to any dump of the game, however.
Table of Contents
Map
Paths
Secret Rooms and Shortcuts
Missions
Endings
Unlockables/Secrets
Recommended Path for Most Unlockables on a Single Save
Regional Differences
Misc. Stuff
Frequently Asked Questions
Unanswered Questions
Map
Here is a scan of the map included with the game. I am including it here for easier reference. (Click to enlarge)
Some of the names on the map are not the same as in-game; they're either abbreviated on the map or totally different. This guide will use the in-game names to avoid confusion. The following table notes the differences:
Map Name | In-Game Name |
FRIDGE | ICE FACTORY |
GLORI KTV | DIGNITI KTV |
G.O.S | GOLDEN OF SEAS |
MTS-BION-MART | BION MART |
MTS-MIRAMAR | MTS |
S.LABS | SANOPHIX LABS |
S.PU | SANOPHIX P.U. |
The colored diamonds next to the level names specify where you will start your next game if you get a Game Over (in Original Mode):
Icon Color | Starting Stage |
Red | REFORMATORY |
Yellow | JUVENIUM |
Green | ICE FACTORY |
Blue | DEEP STORAGE |
Note that this scan has been edited from the original scan due to a printing error; GLORI KTV was marked with the wrong color icon. (
Link to original scan)
(Source:
Devil N, corrections by bumfacekilla)
Paths
The game starts with just the Mid-Levels path being available in Arcade mode, but there are a bunch of paths that can be unlocked by playing through them in Original mode. (Remember though that if you delete the save you cleared that path with, you'll lose it)
Path Name | Levels | How to Unlock |
Funiculus | REFORMATORY SANOPHIX P.U. MTS SKY SPA DIGNITI KTV THE VAULT SANOPHIX LABS THE SOLARIUM | Need to investigate, this just popped up in my Arcade list one day... |
Low Levels | ICE FACTORY CENTRAL PARK GREEN CROSS THE DOCKS GOLDEN OF SEAS | Defeat the end boss in GOLDEN OF SEAS. |
Mid-Levels | BLOCK 888 INTERCOM MTS BION MART ROOF-TOP POLICE H.Q. | Available at start. |
Royale A | BLOCK 888 INTERCOM CENTRAL PARK AQUAWORLD BLUE BAR POWDER-ZONE GREEN CROSS THE DOCKS ROOF-TOP JUVENIUM SKY SPA DIGNITI KTV THE VAULT SANOPHIX LABS THE SOLARIUM | Take the following path and beat the game:
- BLOCK 888
- INTERCOM (at the split take Low Levels)
- CENTRAL PARK (at the split take Underground)
- AQUAWORLD
- BLUE BAR
- POWDER-ZONE (take secret path to Low Levels via the breakable lock)
- GREEN CROSS
- THE DOCKS (take the secret path to Mid Levels via the breakable door)
- ROOF-TOP (take the NX Terminal)
- JUVENIUM
- SKY SPA
- DIGNITI KTV
- THE VAULT
- SANOPHIX LABS
- THE SOLARIUM
|
Skyline | JUVENIUM SKY SPA DIGNITI KTV THE VAULT SANOPHIX LABS THE SOLARIUM | Defeat the final boss in THE SOLARIUM. |
Underground | DEEP STORAGE AQUAWORLD BLUE BAR POWDER-ZONE BHOPAL B-2 | Defeat the end boss in BHOPAL B-2. |
Secret Rooms and Shortcuts
These are the current secret paths that have been found. These can only be accessed after defeating all enemies on screen. Click on the screenshots to enlarge them. (Todo: Add more screenshots and more info on where the shortcuts are/where they go.)
Stage | Secret Room | Shortcut |
BLOCK 888 | Breakable door with items | | After leaving the first room, if you go to the left you can skip the whole level and go straight to the boss area. You'll hear Showtime yell "Sissy!". This only works after your first playthrough. | |
INTERCOM | | | | |
MTS | | | | |
BION MART | There is a shop with a ton of 50% stickers plastered all over it. Break the storefront to access a bonus room. The room also seems to be the only place in the game where the song "1988 Commerical" plays! | | | |
ROOF-TOP | | | There is a pillar marked with an X which when hit will drop a ladder, taking you to an alternate section.
| |
POLICE H.Q. | There is a door you can break to get into a room with some items and an "LX-V" inscription which could be pointing to mysterious secret, or could just be a reference to Road Blaster/Road Avenger. | | | |
REFORMATORY | | | Streets of Rage tribute stage! Get to the first area that has a pillar in the middle of the arena, then jump-kick the upper-left corner of the screen. You'll hear a breaking sound. Hit that spot for a while and you'll hear Showtime yell "Hey" and then you'll be transported to an area based on the second level of Streets of Rage (Inner City), complete with Galsia enemies! Copyright infringement, ahoy! (Video) | |
SANOPHIX P.U. | | | | |
CENTRAL PARK | | | There is a breakable brick wall that will take you to a brief forest segment. | |
GREEN CROSS | | | | |
THE DOCKS | | | Location is signaled by Ba Ba's little pink drone zooming across the top of the screen. A breakable door will take you to an elevator leading to the Mid-Levels path. This is also where you can fight/unlock Ba Ba. (After unlocking Ba Ba, the drone is replaced with a Mojo/Rutubo) | |
GOLDEN OF SEAS | | | | |
ICE FACTORY | Breakable curtain | | | |
AQUAWORLD | | | There is a small piece of glass marked with an X that can be broken to take you to a short lower area where a tied up enemy can be found. | |
BLUE BAR | | | | |
POWDER-ZONE | | | There is a breakable lock just before the boss area, next to a throwable bust. Break this to go to an alternate path. This is also where you can fight/unlock L.Ektra. | |
BHOPAL B-2 | | | | |
DEEP STORAGE | | | Golden Axe III tribute stage! At the very beginning of the stage, jump-kick the upper-left corner of the screen. You'll hear a breaking sound. Hit that spot for a while and you'll hear Showtime yell "Hey" and then you'll be transported to an area based on the desert level of Golden Axe III. Can Watermelon really get away with this? (Video) | |
JUVENIUM | There is a breakable door that will take you to a hospital room with a tied up enemy inside. | | | |
SKY SPA | | | | |
DIGNITI KTV | There is a doorway with a "VIP" rope across it. When broken you will go into a room with some bonus items and a lubricant can. | | | |
THE VAULT | | | | |
SANOPHIX LABS | | | | |
THE SOLARIUM | | | | |
(Sources:
Google Docs spreadsheet by The Wizard who says Ni,
Devil N,
DanyROD1)
Missions
These are the missions you will get from throned characters if you reach them in subsequent playthroughs.
Stage | Mission # | Mission Text | Location | Boss |
POLICE H.Q. | 1 | *Puff* Long time! My situation is not so bad... Your first mission is... pest control. Go go go! | CENTRAL PARK | Leach & V.V. |
2 | Can't quit this *puff* There is a breach... at the SKYSPA, dispatch! | SKY SPA | Gandium |
3 | Rondo kidnaped a kid. A boy this time... Bring it back to me! | FREEWAY | Rondo (Red) |
GOLDEN OF SEAS | 1 | *Slurp* Premium food... I'm busy here and... a foe is in trouble... Go help him! | ICE FACTORY | Chavez (Yellow-Green) |
2 | Scums are starving... We got big troubles... at our restaurant! Whipe it clean! | RESTAURANT | Rondo (Red) |
3 | The Cult has gathered... at the DOCKS! Don't let them board... my sweet palace! | THE DOCKS | Gandium |
BHOPAL B-2 | 1 | *Sniff* Hahaha... You are all so funny! We lost the AQUAWORLD! Please check it out! | AQUAWORLD | Showtime |
2 | Who are you? Hah yes, good friends. Wrestlers have colic. I need replacement... for this friday! | BLUE BAR | Tiger/Bear |
3 | My nose hurts! Air's bit dry here... don't you think? Police is raiding... our facilities. Hahaha... | POWDER-ZONE | Chavez (Yellow-Green) |
(Source:
Devil N)
Endings
Ending | How to Get |
Good Ending | Complete the game with all three thronable paths (Mid-Levels, Low Levels and Underground) paths throned, and with all 3 missions completed on each. |
Bad Ending | Complete the game with only the Low Levels and Underground paths throned, with all 3 missions completed on both. |
Unsure Ending | Complete the game in any other way that doesn't line up with the Good or Bad ending (no thrones, partial mission completion, etc) |
(Source: Paprium Art Book/Guide)
Unlockables/Secrets
Here are the unlockables that have been found so far. They all unlocked via Original mode.
Unlockable | How to Unlock |
Arcade Paprium | You need a Grand Stick III for this. Set the "Arcade" dip switch on the Grand Stick III. The title screen will change to say ARCADE PAPRIUM and will prompt for coins instead of pressing start. (Right now, we don't actually know how to insert coins, so we can't progress and see if it changes anything) (Source: YouTube video by David Luna)
If combined with the "Reserved/Unused" dip switch on the Grand Stick III, there will be three Insert Coin prompts instead of two. (Source: YouTube video by David Luna) |
Alternate Character Colors | Complete the game after playing the save for more than 1E0 minutes (8 hours). Then, press X, Y, or Z on the character select screen to use the alternate colors. |
Arena Mode | Complete the game with the Bad Ending. |
Boom Box (sound test) | Complete Original Mode with more than 160000 points, or press Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-B on the main menu (a sound effect will play to confirm code entry). The Boom Box is in the Options menu, labelled "?". |
Character: Ba Ba | Take the secret path in THE DOCKS (breakable door). Defeating Ba Ba on this path will result in him asking to join you. Unlocking Ba Ba also will give you the ability to activate NX Terminals. |
Character: L.Ektra | Take the secret path in POWDER-ZONE (breakable lock). Defeating L.Ektra on this path will result in her asking to join you. |
Character: Rondo | Unlocked alongside Arena Mode, and he is only usable there (secret codes notwithstanding). Rondo will be selectable by going right on the character select screen until you're highlighting him off screen. |
Character: Spinal | Unlocked by completing the Low Levels path in Original Mode. Spinal will be selectable by going right on the character select screen until you're highlighting him off screen. Note: Spinal is only supposed to be selectable in Arcade or Arena mode, but WM messed up and he can be picked in Original mode. The late-breaking corrections/manifesto included with the game specificially warns you not to (if you try to throne him you will break your save?) |
Extended Life Bar | Defeat the POLICE H.Q. boss (Murdock) with 0 lives and 0 continues left. Your number of lives will flash green when you're on your last life with no continues left. Supposedly this will NOT unlock until you complete the game, but I don't get how that would work since the save gets locked. I tried doing the requirements without beating the game and while I didn't make a before/after comparison, I couldn't tell any difference in available health. Anyone with additional info, please let me know. |
KTV Member Card | Complete the Low Levels path in Original Mode. The boss, Pang, will give you his KTV Member Card. This is needed to access the last levels of the game (THE VAULT, SANOPHIX LABS, THE SOLARIUM). |
Paprium Difficulty | Complete the game on Very Hard. |
Taunt Button | Complete any path. Then, you can press Mode on a six-button controller to taunt. |
Recommended Path for Most Unlockables on a Single Save
If you want to get as many unlockables as possible on a single save, follow this guide. It will require you to play through Original mode 10 times before completing the game. Thank you to Fei for figuring this out!
(Unlockables marked with a * only unlock after FULL completion of the game-- defeating the final boss in THE SOLARIUM.)
Route # | Unlocks | Instructions |
1 | Character: L.Ektra Character: Ba Ba Extended Life Bar* NX Terminal Access Taunt Button | - Start a new save on Very Hard difficulty.
- Take the following path:
- BLOCK 888
- INTERCOM (at the split take Low Levels)
- CENTRAL PARK (at the split take Underground)
- AQUAWORLD
- BLUE BAR
- POWDER-ZONE (take secret path to Low Levels via the breakable lock)
- GREEN CROSS
- THE DOCKS (take the secret path to Mid Levels via the breakable door)
- ROOF-TOP
- POLICE H.Q.
- Defeat the POLICE H.Q. boss (Murdock) with 0 lives and 0 continues left.
- Do not throne your character after defeating Murdock! The goal is to get the Bad Ending, so throning POLICE H.Q. will prevent this.
|
2 | Character: Spinal KTV Member Card Low Levels Path (Arcade Mode) | - Take the following path:
- BLOCK 888
- INTERCOM (at the split take Low Levels)
- CENTRAL PARK (at the split take Low Levels)
- GREEN CROSS
- THE DOCKS
- GOLDEN OF SEAS
- Defeat the GOLDEN OF SEAS boss (Pang).
- Throne your character.
|
3 | (none) | Take the Low Levels route (Route #2, above) again. When you reach the boss of GOLDEN OF SEAS, your throned character will give you a mission. Complete the mission to finish the route. |
4 | (none) | Repeat Route #3 (again) |
5 | (none) | Repeat Route #3 (yet again) -- now you will have all 3 missions completed for Low Levels. |
6 | Underground Path (Arcade Mode) | - Take the following path:
- BLOCK 888
- INTERCOM (at the split take Low Levels)
- CENTRAL PARK (at the split take Underground)
- AQUAWORLD
- BLUE BAR
- POWDER-ZONE
- BHOPAL B-2
- Defeat the BHOPAL B-2 boss ("-").
- Throne your character.
|
7 | (none) | Take the Underground route (Route #6, above) again. When you reach the boss of BHOPAL B-2, your throned character will give you a mission. Complete the mission to finish the route. |
8 | (none) | Repeat Route #7 (again) |
9 | (none) | Repeat Route #7 (yet again) -- now you will have all 3 missions completed for Underground. |
10 | Alternate Character Colors* Arena Mode* Boom Box* Paprium Difficulty* Royale A Path (Arcade Mode)* Skyline Path (Arcade Mode)* | - Take the following path:
- BLOCK 888
- INTERCOM (at the split take Low Levels)
- CENTRAL PARK (at the split take Underground)
- AQUAWORLD
- BLUE BAR
- POWDER-ZONE (take secret path to Low Levels via the breakable lock)
- GREEN CROSS
- THE DOCKS (take the secret path to Mid Levels via the breakable door)
- ROOF-TOP (take the NX Terminal)
- JUVENIUM
- SKY SPA
- DIGNITI KTV
- THE VAULT
- SANOPHIX LABS
- THE SOLARIUM
Defeat the final boss in THE SOLARIUM. You win!It's pretty likely you will have at least 160000 points and 1E0 minutes played by now, so you should unlock the alternate character colors and the Boom Box.Remember that completing THE SOLARIUM will lock your save. Don't erase it or you will lose the items you've unlocked! |
(Source:
Twitter thread by Fei)
Regional Differences
There are actually additional features when the game is run on a Japanese Mega Drive (or region modded system set to JP region):
- The title screen is changed to replace the Megawire, 80Mbit, and Datenmeister logos with a Japanese subtitle "Megalopolis" (メガロポリス)
(Left: US/EU, Right: JP)
- Music track titles are shown when they play.
- Showtime pops up in the corner of the screen when you throw an item at an enemy. In other regions, only a voice plays ("Showtime!" or "Yes!")
- The game will show a counter when performing a combo.
- Little heart icons will pop out of enemies sometimes if you play as a female character.
- Rutubo enemies will have a different death scream, using the one for female enemies. (This is probably a tribute to Ash from Bare Knuckle III)
It appears that Japanese Limited Edition copies are
hard-wired to run in the Japanese region mode, regardless of console setting. On the other hand, the US and European Limited Editions as well as the Classic edition appear to base it on the console's region.
Stuck with a non-Japanese console? Never fear-- you
can actually enjoy these features on your US, EU, or Classic copy of the game. Just pause the game and press A-B-A-B-A-B and you will hear a sound effect confirming you entered the code correctly. In addition, when playing on the unlockable Paprium difficulty, the Japanese exclusive features are automatically enabled.
(Source:
Devil N)
Misc. Stuff
Dumping this info here for now, mostly just random notes and little bonuses. (Todo: Create a list of shout-outs/references in the game)
- Differences from Hard to Very Hard difficulty
- Increased number of enemies
- Enemies move faster
- Enemies deal more damage
- Final stages on each path must be replayed in full (i.e. no shortcut to throned character after one or two sub-bosses)
- Sexy Sax Man will appear on some stages (see below)
- The hidden extra life is removed from the first room in BLOCK 888 (replaced by a Moutay/lubricant can for L.Ektra)
- Differences from Very Hard to Paprium difficulty
- Enemies seem to be more aggressive (more likely to surround you)
- If you Game Over on the way to a throned character, you will lose the throne
- No extra lives earned every 20000 points
- Extra lives at the start of each "last stage" are removed
- Sexy Sax Man locations
- INTERCOM: Mid-Levels path only
- BION MART
- CENTRAL PARK
- ICE FACTORY
- GREEN CROSS
- BLUE BAR: During Romulus & Remus boss fight
- SKY SPA
- 2-Player Mode
- A second controller is not needed to enable the Sega CD "CPU buddy" mode as it is commonly described. You just need a 6-button controller. Press Mode+Start on the character select to select Player 2's character. Continue to hold Mode until you have made your selection.
- When in CPU buddy mode, holding Mode will put Player 1 into their taunt pose and allow you to control Player 2 until you release the button.
- Shot-a-Tron Bonus Game: After BION MART. Compete with other player to score hoops by throwing enemies. (Only with an actual human player, not CPU buddy)
- There is an item exploit in 2-Player mode-- if both players stand over an item and press B to collect it at the exact same time, both players will get the item. This can be a little difficult to pull off due to collision boxes and the grab mechanic (try practicing on the 1-up in the first room of BLOCK888!)
- Additional mini games are named "Summer", "Roll-a-Rick" and "Diving", and apparently occur after GREEN CROSS, AQUAWORLD, and THE VAULT, not sure which one is after which though.
- Bonus screens when holding buttons at boot
- Start: Speeds up game startup
- A: Displays a image of a scum vandalizing an Air France poster. This is likely a reference to Fonzie's dislike of Air France due to them losing a development kit.
- B: Displays your Datenmeister's serial number at the top of the Sanophix terminal screen.
- C: Displays an image of two scums ogling an extremely scaled up NoName robot.
- Secret Codes (Still investigating. These were mostly found through ROM disassembly, but without emulation it is hard to tell what is actually happening)
- During the intro text:
- A-A-C-C-C-B: The intro will fade out and the bus from CENTRAL PARK/AQUAWORLD will appear. You can move it up and down on the road with the d-pad. If it goes off the road for too long the scene ends. Not really sure what this is supposed to be, some kind of unfinished mini game?
- On the main menu:
- Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-B: Unlock the Boom Box immediately (it's in the options menu as "?")
- B-B-Up-Down-Up-Down-Left-Right: Changes the system flag used to store what console model it is being played on to "2" (Model 2 Genesis). Can be used to resolve the system detection/compatibility "issues" (which are entirely intentional, by the way -- if a clone console is detected the game code forcibly adds random lag)
- Go to the Options menu, highlight "BOF Naming" and press:
- Start-X-X-A-Y-C to access an object/animation viewer.
- Start-Start-Start-Start-C-C to get a MegaWire 4.0 screen (diagnostics?)
- A-A-A-C-C-C-Start-Up-Start-Down-Start: Apparently does nothing.
- A-A-A-C-C-C-Start-Down-Start-Up-Start: Apparently also does nothing.
- On the map screen, before the character select:
- A-A-A-Up-Up-Up-Down-Down-Down: Enable 3-player mode (requires a multitap)
- Up-Down-Left-Right-A: Unlock Rondo in Arcade Mode
- Left-A-A-B-Start: The game checks for this code, but not only does it do nothing, it is in fact impossible to enter because B backs out of the menu.
- On the Original Mode file select screen:
- Down-Down-Down-Down-Down-Down-Down-Down-A: Apparently ALSO does nothing. What gives?
- While paused:
- A-B-A-B-A-B: Enable Japanese region mode features.
- Up-A-Up-A-Up-A: Unknown. There's evidence that it tries to talk to an attached Sega CD.
- A-A-A-C-C-C-Left-B-Up-A: Unknown.
- Other stuff
- On some levels you'll find little animated spots that look like circling leaves or bugs crawling around. If you hit these you will get a credit card item for some extra points!
- You can soft reset the game by pausing & pressing A+B+C+Start.
- In the Boom Box, you can press X to change the music to the "crisis state" out-of-tune version, and Z to add the Sexy Sax Man solos to the songs where he appears. These can also be combined! However, once enabled you cannot press the buttons a second time to remove the effect -- the song must be restarted.
- The Boom Box will also change the icon shown in the corner of the screen based on what console you are using. (Pic) Reportedly it does not, however, show a Genesis 2 + Sega CD 1 (instead showing a Genesis 1 + Sega CD 1). A Mega SG (if you get the game to run) will show a Genesis 1, and clone consoles will show... a pile of poop. Classy.
- Some enemies can be picked up by grabbing them and then pressing Up+B (todo: Determine which enemies)
- Sometimes one of the Iridium/B.I.P.M. enemies will start convulsing, burst open and turn into a BBLeach.
- If you defeat a rollerskating TokTok enemy it can be mounted as a vehicle... but they can also ride vehicles themselves. This means that sometimes you will see them riding each other!
- Sometimes the enemy AI will get stuck off-screen. The game has a failsafe for this-- if they are off-screen too long, the enemy will get reset and dropped down in the center of the arena.
- There are supposedly hidden bumper cars in DIGNITI KTV, JUVENIUM, and possibly POWDER-ZONE. May only be in Arcade Mode. Needs verified.
- You can replay the weird vaporware mini-game that appears on first boot if the game trips its "dump protection", which happens if the STM32 microcontroller on the cartrdige detects that the system is not executing ROM code within a certain threshold (such as when running through a Game Genie).
- There are bonus items that appear when a Sega 32X is connected, such as a 32X box and Chavez throwing 32Xs instead of bombs on ROOF-TOP.
- In the secret forest path in CENTRAL PARK, chickens from Pier Solar can pop up. So far I have only seen this when playing on Paprium difficulty. (Video) There are other things like this throughout the game that only appear in Paprium difficulty, such as the Daft Punk guys showing up in JUVENIUM, which are not all formally dcoumented at this point.
- There has been talk of "Death Skull Trophies" like it's a special feature of Paprium mode. It's actually just an icon you can get on your save file -- if you can finish Original Mode without dying! Good luck!
- You can get an "eye" trophy on your save if you go through all the secret paths and hidden rooms on a single save.
- On the post credits screen with the "LX-V" room, don't press any buttons and wait for the attract mode demo to loop. The intro text will be replaced with a poem.
(Sources:
Devil N,
Ryoma234, bumfacekilla, Fei, Hpman and
this random Spanish forum thread I found on Google)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the point of the tied-up enemies?
- Free five of them and you will get an extra life. (Your progress is marked by the small Paprium crosses near you life bar)
- What do the NX Terminals do?
- They are used to warp to Juvenium for X credits.
- What's up with the scoring system?
- It's in hexadecimal (base-16) notation.
- How do I unlock the secret characters?
- Hidden areas in POWDER-ZONE and THE DOCKS (see the unlockables section for more details)
- What is the point of throning?
- Throning will unlock the bonus missions at the end of each path (needed for good ending) and access to the end stages.
- What's up with the music changing pitch all the time?
- There is usually a key change partway through the level, I guess to increase tension or something. In addition, the pitch goes up when you use a Blu pill, and the song goes out of tune if you are low on health (within the blue area of the health bar)
- What exactly do the Blu pills do?
- Most noticably, your standard attack is replaced with a more powerful move. You will also get partial invincibility, and your health is refilled to the top of the blue section of your health bar. If playing as L.Ektra, you also temporarily get a "clone" that mirrors your movement on the screen so you can hit enemies on the opposite side of the screen.
- The manual mentions a Blu addiction mechanic. How does this work?
- Using Blu pills during a run will increase the blue section on your health bar for your next run. If your health is within the blue section, you are in a "crisis state". This reduces the power of your attacks, makes you unable to run long distances (you will slow down and go into a dazed/stunned state), and makes blocking less effective. You can reduce the blue section by finishing a route while using less Blu pills, or getting a game over on a stage that will make you restart at JUVENIUM (a hospital where you'll be "cured" of your addiction).
(Source:
Devil N)
Unanswered Questions
- Nobody has yet unlocked more than 52/63 music tracks in the Boom Box. How do you unlock the remaining 11 tracks, and what are they? (There is some evidence from the dumping effort that they may not exist at all, but I am going to avoid saying that is certain until we go through the sound engine in more detail. There's also a chance these may turn up in the upcoming OST release which claims to have unreleased tracks on it)
- Does the "LX-V" inscription in the secret Police HQ room mean anything? MAX 1985 claimed on Twitter (tweet has since been deleted, it appears) it is "an exceptional thing", but is just showing a screenshot of the button combo to show the Datenmeister serial number. In addition, LX-V seems to be referring to a scene from Road Blaster/Road Avenger so it could just be a callout with no secret behind it. On the other hand, what about the numbers written in the Fridge?
- Are we sure of what all the icons on the save slots actually correspond to in terms of unlockables?
- How do you insert coins on Arcade Paprium? Fonzie has mentioned something about playing around with the switches on the Grand Stick III with a pen-- maybe that is the trick? I do not have a Grand Stick to research this. Maybe whoever decided to buy the actual Paprium cabinet can do a teardown? ;)
- The name of the Royale A path implies the existence of a Royale B path. In the broken, unfinished version of the game shown at the 2018 "launch party" Royale B is listed but corresponds to the Royale A path (starting in BLOCK888). The Royale A path shown in footage from the event instead shows a path starting at REFORMATORY. If you beat Original Mode after restarting from REFORMATORY and then following a similar route to Royale A, you will get the Royale icon added to your save-- but no extra route unlocks in Arcade Mode. (Thanks for checking this, Fei!) So can you get Royale B in Arcade Mode at all, or is the Royale icon in Original Mode a vestigial limb from a cut path? Update: Data mining shows there is no text for Royale B. However... there is an undocumented route called Low-Levels2...
- The "Fonzie interview" disclosed that there are a few secret codes in the game. We are starting to discover these, but the extent of the codes and what they do is not yet certain. The following have been mentioned but not yet confirmed: A code that makes the Sega CD "CPU buddy" smarter, and codes to play as some of the bosses in Arcade mode (via Streets of Rage 3-like button combos when you defeat them). There could be others too.