Bouncer 2

You play the game with a standard controller in port 1. The game also supports the memory card to load and save your progress. You can use any of the memory card slots.


Game controls

The following explains the control methods used during the game.

During demo mode or when the game is paused

Use UP and DOWN on the controller to highlight a menu option.
Press the CROSS button to select the highlighted menu option.
Press the TRIANGLE button to go back to the previous menu where possible.

During play

Use LEFT and RIGHT on the controller to move the platform. The platform will move faster if any of the shoulder buttons are held down at the same time.
Press the CROSS button to switch the platform around.
Press the TRIANGLE button to release the team member from the block.
Press the CIRCLE button to detonate a bomb.
Press and hold the SQUARE button to activate the magnetic particle beam.
Press the START button to pause the game.

During high score name editing

Use LEFT/RIGHT on the controller to select a character. 
Press the CROSS button to put the selected character into your name.
Press the TRIANGLE button (or the left arrow character) to delete a character from the name. 
Press the START button (or the tick character) to finish editing. 
Pressing the CROSS button on one of the cursors will cycle through the available characters.
Press the TOP LEFT shoulder button to jump to the left cursor.
Press the TOP RIGHT shoulder button to jump to the right cursor.


Screen layout

The top left of the screen contains your score, the number of lives and the number of bombs you have. The top right has the amount of time the team has to collect the diamonds and the number of remaining diamonds. The bonus bar is also located in the top right of the screen.


Playing the game

You are in charge of a highly skilled team of two. This team is responsible for collecting as many diamonds as possible in the time available. The problem is the diamonds are not easy to reach. The only way they can get at them is to use a seesaw like device to catapult each other into the air. They take it in turns to jump onto the free platform on the seesaw device. This has the effect of catapulting the other team member into the air. The more they do this the higher they get.

To give them a little more help the team get the use of a magnetic particle beam generator. This device allows the direction of the team member in the air to be manipulated for a short duration. When the particle beam is active it will pull the team member towards the platform. 

On each level there are a number of diamonds to collect. There are also various types of obstacles to overcome in order to reach the diamonds. They range from simple blocks that get in the way to fans that blow the team members off course, guns that fire at the team members and moving platforms that block the teams progress.

You start the game with one member of the team on the seesaw device and one on the starting block. After 5 seconds or pressing the TRIANGLE button the team member on the block jumps off. You must catch him on the free platform of the seesaw device. The team member who was on the other platform gets catapulted into the air. You have to maintain this in order to reach the diamonds.

If a team member misses the free platform and hits any other part of the seesaw device then it is all over for them and a new team member is called in. If they miss the platform and hit the ground then there is still a chance to rescue them.

There are three ways to complete a level. You can collect all the diamonds, fill the bonus bar or collect a level warp bonus.

The game ends when you run out of time or you lose all your lives. If you have achieved a high score at this point you will be allowed to enter your name into the high score table. 


Bonus levels

Each time one of your team destroys a block the bonus bars will increase. The bonus bar gets reset if a team member dies or hits the ground. Once you have filled the bonus bar you get access to a secret bonus level. Filling the bonus bar is another way to complete the level. There are several different types of bonus levels. The basic idea of the bonus levels is to score as many points as you can. You have unlimited lives when playing the bonus levels but only one minute at your disposal.


Obstacles/power ups

There are various obstacles in the way to make it harder for your team. There are also power ups to help your team. There are many different types of block some do nothing when they are hit while others have a specific effect when they are hit. I am not going to explain what each block does that is up to you to discover. The only block I will mention is the block with an ARROW on it. When this block is hit the level is scrolled down a row of blocks. You will need to hit these in order to progress through the level. Not all levels will have these arrow blocks. 


Loading and saving

You can save your progress through the game on a memory card. This will save the high score table and the last level played. It also saves the screen position and any cheat modes that have been activated. You can save and load the game while the game is paused or from the main menu.


Game options

The following describes the options available in the game.

Difficulty

The game has three difficulty levels EASY, MEDIUM and HARD. You use UP/DOWN on the controller to highlight a difficulty level. Press the CROSS button to confirm your choice. This option is not available while the game is paused. 
 
Positioning the screen

The POSITION SCREEN option allows you to move the display area on you television. After selecting the position screen option use the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT on the controller to move the display area. Press the CROSS button to select the new position. Press the TRIANGLE to cancel.

Load game/Save game

After selecting the LOAD GAME or SAVE GAME option you will need to choose a memory card. Use UP/DOWN on the controller to highlight a memory card. Press the CROSS button to confirm your choice. After choosing a memory card press the CROSS button to attempt to load or save a game. Pressing the TRAINGLE button will cancel the operation. An error message is given if the load/save fails. An error occurs under the following conditions.

No memory card in the chosen slot.
No save game on the memory card (when loading).
Corrupt save game (when loading).
Full memory card (when saving).
Non formatted memory card (when saving).

A save game uses 1 block on the memory card.


Cheat Modes

The are several cheat modes available in the game including infinite lives, infinite bombs, infinite time, and skip level. Plus a few others which don't really do anything useful. You toggle a cheat mode by pressing a certain combination of controller buttons in sequence while the game is paused. When you enter the correct code for a cheat you will hear a sound to confirm that the cheat has been activated or deactivated.

Try these cheat modes.

Large blocks	- SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE
Large bonuses 	- TRIANGLE, SQUARE, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE, CIRCLE
Clear all activated cheat modes - CROSS, SQUARE, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE