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Created and maintained by Ian | Last Update: 07/06/2010
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Introduction

Shadow of the Beast is a side-scrolling platform game originally created for the Amiga. It was considered revolutionary for the time because of its superb graphics and atmospheric music. After its enormous success on the Amiga, is was ported to many other consoles, including our beloved Sega Master System.

The game is also notoriously difficult. As a youngster I could never get past level three! It is impossible to complete on the first time of playing. A lot of trial and error is needed and one wrong move could mean you have to start the game all over again. Luckily, I'm here to help with this in-depth guide.

The story

To be added. (Taken from manual)

The controls

Pressing left or right on d-pad will move your character in that respective direction. Pressing up in a standing position will make you jump on the spot. Pressing up+left or up+right will make you jump in the respective direction. Up is also used to climb up ladders. Pressing down will make you character duck and also climb down ladders.

Button 1 while standing will make your character punch. Pressing it while jumping will make you attack in the air with a flying kick and pressing it while holding down will perform a crouching punch. Button 2 will bring up your inventory. Use the d-pad to navigate and press button 2 again on an item to use it.

As you go through the guide I will be giving more tips on your character attacks and movements.

Level 1

Straight off the bat, this game will try to trick you. Most people's natural instinct is to move from left to right across the screen. Mistake! What you need to do is head left. The enemies will consist of a flying creature you need to flying kick, boulders which you can destroy with a standing punch and some claws in the ground you need to jump over. Eventually you will reach a stone object which you must destroy to reveal the white round key. Once you have this, head back to the right and use this key outside the door marked 'Home'.

TOP TIP! Try and memorise the enemy patterns. They are always the same and knowing what's coming next will help preserve energy and make it through the game easier.

Items

	White round key Opens 'Home' door

Level 2

Part 1

Head right and jump over the fireball that appears from behind you. Head down the first ladder then go left. Some flying enemies will appear but they won't hit you if you keep moving. Jump the gap and head down the ladder. Head right, taking out the oncoming enemies with standing punches then head down the ladder. Go left and down the ladder again. Head left and you will come across a blue box. Destroy this with a crouching punch to reveal the orange potion, which makes you jump further. Carry on left and down the ladder, be careful of the snake-like creature that comes out from above you. At the bottom of the ladder, you can use your orange potion and jump over to the left to pick up an extra life heart. This is the only use this potion has so you might as well use it here. Jump back and then head right, take out the oncoming enemies and then down the ladder. Go left and down the ladder again. Head left, take out the enemies and jump across the gap to meet the sub-boss.

TOP TIP! When it comes to attacking, timing is key. Be sure not to punch too early as you will most likely take damage. Make sure the enemy is close and be quick to react. Sometimes a well-timed punch may not kill an enemy (in particular the jumping ones), but they will go through you without doing damage.

Sub-boss: The Keeper of the Orb

Head left to meet your foe. He has a pattern of throwing up the orb in his hand and then breathing fire. You need to get up close and punch the orb to defeat him. When you're up close, crouch to avoid his fire. You can get a hit in just after he's finished breathing fire, just before he throws up the orb. You can also get 2 hits as the orb lands, just before he breathes fire. Be careful not to punch while crouching otherwise you will take damage from the fire. When switching between crouching and standing, the controls can feel stiff but with a bit of practice you will get the timing down for when to release down on the d-pad and start punching.

TOP TIP! Holding down the button 1 will make you attack constantly. This built-in autofire comes in very handy against bosses.

Part 2

Defeating the Keeper of the Orb will power up your attack. You will now shoot fireballs with standing punches. Head right and fall down the hole in front of you, this will take a bit of damage but no biggie. Head left but don't run non-stop, be careful and avoid the water drops. Jump over to the gap and destroy the box to reveal a round yellow key. You will need this for later in the game so be careful not use it. Turn back to the right and drop down the gap. Head right, pick up a green potion, jump over the spikes and be careful for enemies. Once you reach the ladder head up and then carry on to the right. Jump over the fireball that appears from behind and head up the ladder. Head right and up another ladder, whilst being careful to jump over a spider enemy in between. Head left, pick up a red potion and up the ladder. Head left again and be wary of boulders in this litte section. Go up the next ladder, avoid the water drop and up another ladder. Head right to meet the boss.

Boss: Death Skeleton

Although Death Skeleton looks big and impressive, the guy is a walk over. The key is having the fireball power-up you get from defeating the sub-boss. Without it you cannot beat him. All you need to do is stand there and time your attacks so that you hit him twice as he appears from the right-hand side of the screen. You may want to back off a little bit in case you mistime an attack and need to hit him a couple of times on his 4th and final charge on screen. If you haven't killed him by then he will kill you instantly as he goes through you.

Items

	Orange potion Makes you jump further	Heart Gives you an extra life	Yellow round key Opens door to Well at start of Level 4

	Green potion Restores all hearts (health)	Red potion Restores 4 hearts

Level 3

Unfortunately, you don't get to keep the attack power-up you acquired in the previous level. At the start of the level, head right and take out a wave of 4 regular enemies with standing punches. Keep heading right and watch out for snake creatures appearing from above you. Destroy the box by the ladder to collect the book and then go up the ladder. If you head left (as demonstrated in the video) you will come to a switch. This deactivates a laser field later on in the level (4:05). However, the only thing you collect in that area is the square green key, which is useless. So going back, you don't actually have to bother hitting the switch and you can head up the next ladder. At the top of the ladder, you can head right and walk through the wall to find a secret area where you can collect a handy green potion. Make sure to jump over the pit though otherwise that's a life lost! Head back over to the left being careful to walk under the bouncing enemies. Jump over to the platforms while taking out the flying creatures. Here you will pick up the square white key, which is needed to get into the castle.

Head back to the point to where you found the book. Head right, up the ladder and be ready for a snail enemy. Head down the next ladder and then go left. Take out jumping enemies with punches or well-timed flying kicks, jump over the green puddles and walk under the bouncing enemies. Head down and then right. Make sure your reactions are quick here in punching some fast-moving enemies. Keep heading right and pick up another green potion. Head down the ladder, right and down again. At the bottom, head left and be wary of a jumping enemy that appears. Here you have to avoid fireballs that are coming at you. Some of them are at tricky heights in which you can't avoid, so if you do get hit keep moving and you should be able to walk through the next one unharmed. Go past the ladder to collect the white potion. Then head back down the ladder you went past and fall down to the left. Head left, up the ladder, left again then down the ladder. Be careful for ghosts, they can be tricky to hit. Instead of heading up the ladder as in the video (4.00), you can just go down the other ladder. Head right and take out the oncoming wave of enemies with standing punches. Jump over the green puddles while taking it steady to also avoid the spikes that come up from the floor. Eventually you will come to the boss.

TOP TIP! The white potion (invincibility) you pick up will need to be saved for the last boss, so be sure not to use it!

Boss: Hydrassas the Dragon

This guy is also pretty easy to beat. Head right and go all the way over to his tail. Crouch and hold down button 1 to start rapid-fire punching. He will hit you with his attacks but you should finish him off reasonably quickly (he takes 12 punches). His attacks take 2 hearts of damage so if you have 1 or 2 hearts left make sure to use a green potion before you die.

TOP TIP! Use health potions wisely. Wait until your down to your last heart before using a green potion as this will get the most out of your health. On levels with long waves of enemies this is a very useful tactic. Be sure to not use a red potion unless you have 5 hearts or less.

Items

	Book Warps back to start of level with full health	White square key Opens door to castle	Green square key Has no use

	Green potion Restores all hearts (health)	White potion Invincibility (20 secs)

Level 4

Head right towards the door. Use the yellow round key to open it. You will be at the bottom of the well, where you have to climb up the ladder. This level is pretty straight-forward as you just keep heading right. The key is knowing what enemies to expect and having quick reactions to keep damage taken to a minimum.

From the well then, head right and take out 3 two-headed dragons with standing punches, walk under the flying enemy, jump 3 spiders and punch one more red flying enemy before reaching the first stone object. Destroy this for a coin. If you head back to the well then use the coin, you will receive an extra life heart. From this point though, head right and destroy the next stone object for a red potion. The next one contains the blue potion, which will take 3 hearts if used so I recommend jumping over that one.

Carry on right, take out a flying enemy and watch out for spikes coming up from the ground. Wait till they lower then jump over them. Use standing punches for oncoming boulders and dragons until you get to the next items. The first will be a red potion and the next will be a light blue potion. This makes you weak (take double damage) so avoid this. Carry on right and take out the next wave of enemies with punches. Be sure to use health potions if you're low on health. Try your best to avoid the bullets. Jump over some more spikes and just continue to attack and avoid enemies as best as you can. Eventually you will pick up 2 more red potions and the torch, which you will need for level 5. Carry on, taking out some more jumping enemies and jumping over the claws. Eventually you will reach King Gargoyle at the end of the level.

TOP TIP! This level is a bit of a gauntlet and is good preparation for the last level. There's no puzzles or alternate routes to worry about, just make sure your reactions are quick and you take little damage as possible. Remember to use red potions regularly when you need them, you'll come across plenty in this level.

Items

	Coin Drop in well for extra life	Heart Gives you an extra life	Red potion Restores 4 hearts

	Blue potion Takes 3 hearts. Avoid.	Light blue potion Makes you take double damage.	Torch Lights up castle (needed for level 5)

Level 5

You'll start this level outside the castle. Head right towards the door and use the white square key to open it. Once inside you'll find the level is pitch black. Use your your torch to light up the room.

From here there are 4 choices of direction to head in, so it's easy to make a mistake. The first way you need to head though, is up the ladder slightly to your left. At the top, head right and take out a wave of enemies with punches. Head down the ladder then right. Watch out for a flying dagger from the left side of the screen which you'll need to jump over. Go up the next ladder steadily, avoiding more flying daggers. At the top, head left towards the edge of the platform. Don't fall down here though otherwise you'll die on the unseen spikes below. Jump to the left from near the edge of the platform to land in between the spikes. Slowly head left and avoid the daggers from above the best as you can. Destroy the blue box for a red potion. Carry on steadily to the left, avoiding red drops from above. As you come towards a ladder, take out the ghost with a punch then head up.

At the top of the ladder, head right. The first blue box contains the Evil Magic Wand. This will make things dark again so avoid collecting this. Jump over to the right and find another blue box, which reveals the yellow square key. This is also useless so avoid collecting. Head right for yet another box, this time containing a green potion. Head right, jumping over the platforms and trying to take out waves of enemies in between. This is a very tricky section so make sure your timing is good. When you get all the wya over to the right, destroy the box for the tool (spanner). Head all the way to the left again, back to where you were previously at the top of the ladder. I find falling down and taking the lower route back easier.

Once you reach the top of the ladder again, this time head left whilst jumping over a wave of small creatures. You'll reach a snake, which seems to be unkillable so you'll have to take a hit and walk through it. Head down the ladder and to the left, jumping over the spikes and punching incoming enemies. You'll find a box with a dark red poition, which causes confusion (reversed controls) so jump over and avoid. Head right and down the ladder. At the bottom head left, destroying a wave of barrels. Destroy the blue box and collect the green round key. Head back to the right, punching enemy waves. Fall down the first platform and when you reach the end of the next, jump to the right to avoid landing on a spike.

You'll land back near the start of the level. From here head left, jumping over the spike. Punch the 2 barrels and jump over the creature. This pattern of enemies occurs twice. Head down the ladder. Head right and punch enemies. Head down the ladder then left at the bottom. Take out a flying creature and a barrel with punches until you get to the a blue box. Destroy this to reveal the gun. Collect this and then equip it straight away. You'll now be able to shoot bullets, making killing enemies a lot easier. Head back to the right, shooting enemies and jumping over 3 sets of spikes. After jumping the last set of spikes, be sure to stop firing, because if a bullet hits the forcefield beam you'll die. Stand next to the console and use the spanner tool to turn off the beam. Head right and up the ladder. At the top head left, down then up the next ladder. This will take you back towards the start again. Now from here, head right shooting enemies in front of you and ducking underneath ones flying above you form behind. Go down the next ladder then left. Avoid the missiles with ducks and jumps. You'll find a box containg the purple potion, which will give the ability high-jump and defeat the boss. Head down the ladder and right, jumping over 3 sets of spikes.

Boss: Skarios the Slayer

From the start, run to the right without stopping and you should avoid the first 2 daggers that fly down at you. Get next to him and use the purple potion. You will now be able to high jump and shoot him in the head. Start jumping on the spot while firing non-stop and you should avoid/destroy most of the daggers that come at you while hitting the boss. Pretty soon he should be defeated,, simple. Be careful not to die though, otherwise you'll lose the high jump power-up and it's game over for you. Use a red potion if you're low on health.

TOP TIP! Although it may look like you can only hold 3 lives (as indicated by the hearts in the top-left hand corner of the screen), the game does actually keep counting them so feel free to use hearts whenever you get them to free up the inventory.

Items

	Evil Magic Wand Makes room dark. Avoid	Yellow square key Has no use	Red potion Restores 4 hearts

	Tool Turns off beam later in level	Dark red potion Confusion. Reverses controls. Avoid	Green round key Opens door at start of level 6

	Gun Rapid-fire projectiles	Purple potion Makes you jump higher. Use for boss

Level 6

Head right and destroy the blue box. This contains the jetpack & mask. If you go through the door without collecting the jetpack, it's game over. If you go through the door without putting it on first, you'll lose a life. So what you have to do is equip it as soon as you collect. Open the door using the green round key.

This level is actually one of the easier ones in the game. From the start you'll find it's different to other levels as you are flying. You also still have the gun. Head right, avoiding and constantly shooting incoming enemies. Eventually you'll come to a green cluster on the ground, which you can destroy to reveal a green potion. Keep heading right and when you reach the spikes coming from the ground make sure to go up as high as you can and go over them. The next green cluster contains a white potion. Carry on right to find a clear potion from the next green cluster. Head right and carefully navigate your way round the beating red things as you cannot destroy them. The last green cluster contains the egg. Head right and it's boss time.

Boss: Corannis the Varg

Here's where your white invincibility potion comes in handy. Head right to find you foe and then use the white potion before you take any damage. You should now be invincible and able to just float there while constantly shooting him in the head. He should go down soon enough. Easy.

Items

	Green potion Restores all hearts (health)	White potion Invincibility (20 secs)	Clear potion "Surprised". Has no use/unknown

	Egg To give to King Gargoyle

Level 7

You'll start the level outside the castle again. Head right, destroy the tombstone and collect the cross. Use this to call King Gargoyle and be taken back to the main level.You may notice in the video, here I use the book. Usually, using the book takes you back to the start of the level but seeing as I'm already there, I use it to basically regain my health.

Head right to meet King Gargoyle. He will let you through now you have the egg. Carry on to the right until you reach a tombstone. Destroy it with a crouching punch to reveal a green orb. As far as I know, this has no use so there's no need to collect it. If anyone finds out what it does please let me know. The next tombstone along contains the yellow potion, avoid this. The next tombstone contains an extra life.

Head right and the first enemy will be a ghost that comes from behind you. Don't try and turn around to punch it, you won't have enough time and will take a hit. Instead, a well-timed punch when the enemy is close will kill it even if you're facing the other way. You will need to use this tactic frequently throughout this level to help reduce the damage you take. Keep heading right while using your honed skills to take out waves of enemies. Watch for claws coming from the ground and remember to use a green potion when your health is low. It won't take too long until you reach the final boss.

TOP TIP! If you've been watching through the videos you may have noticed that enemies that come from behind can actually be punched even though you're facing away from them. A well-timed punch when the enemy is close should kill it. This is difficult to pull off but always try attempt this as you'll never have enough time to turn around and punch anyway.

Final Boss: The Evil Beast Mage

So here you are, after a long hard quest you've reached the final boss. He can be either very easy or very difficult. The easy way to beat him involves the white invincibilty potion. Hopefully if you've followed my guide, you should have one spare at this point. Just use it, head right and punch the toe non-stop (holding button 1). Eventually he'll die and you're done!

If you don't happen to have a white potion spare then you can only hope you'll get lucky. As the boss starts, wait for his first attempt to crush you and as the hand raises head over to the toe. Now you have to punch non-stop and hope that the random positioning of crushing hand doesn't kill you. If you've managed to avoid the next 2 crushes, you should have gotten 16 hits in on the toe. As the hand comes down for a fourth time, jump into it and you should defeat him.

TOP TIP! Make sure you know what all the items do. If you use particular ones incorrectly then it could mean game over!

Items

	Green orb No use	Yellow potion Instant death. Avoid	Heart Gives you an extra life

	Cross Use outside castle to call King Gargoyle

Inventory tips

A key thing to be aware of during the game, is your inventory. You can only hold 7 items at a time and as you store items such as potions and keys, you may find yourself without space to collect an item. To help maintain your inventory, follow these tips:

• Use any useless items that have no use (green orb, green square key, etc.)
• Avoid collecting bad items (wand, blue potion, etc.)
• Use an extra lives you collect straight away
• If you have to use a health potion to make space, use the red as green is more valuable

Pro Action Replay codes
There aren't any known cheats for this game, but here are some PAR codes that will make it much easier.
00DA 5003	Infinite lives
00DA 5109	Infinite health
00DA 1DFF	Invincibility
00DA 21FF	Always have long jump
00DA 1EFF	Always have high jump
00DA 1940	Last boss easy kill

00DA 60XX	Item slot 1 (Replace XX with 00-1C)
00DA 61XX	Item slot 2
00DA 62XX	Item slot 3
00DA 63XX	Item slot 4
00DA 64XX	Item slot 5
00DA 65XX	Item slot 6
00DA 66XX	Item slot 7

00 - Nothing
01 - Red potion
02 - Green potion
03 - Blue potion
04 - Yellow potion
05 - White potion
06 - Light blue potion
07 - Orange potion
08 - Purple potion
09 - Dark red potion

0A - Clear potion
0B - Extra life
0C - Wand
0D - Yellow ring
0E - Book
0F - Gun
10 - Green square key
11 - Yellow square key
12 - White square key
13 - White round key

14 - Yellow round key
15 - Green round key
16 - Egg
17 - Coin
18 - Tool
19 - Green orb
1A - Jetpack & mask
1B - Torch
1C - Cross


	Yellow ring - Using the PAR codes above (0D) you can add this item to your inventory. From what I can tell, it is nowhere to be found in the game. Using it will make enemies invisible. If you come across it, be sure to let me know!