Mario Clash has two versions. Post differences between them on this thread.
Although they seem to be the exact same, they are actually different, and this difference is felt in the later levels. American is easier to complete because enemies move slower. This gives American version an advantage in survivability, and possibly also in runs as well. Be sure to get both, because you never know if the faster enemies in Japanese could actually provide the benefit in getting faster times. Even if Japanese has no advantages whatsoever, you might want to get it anyway for training weights.
Adding to Main Menu Practice earlier, once you're good at the game and have the earlier levels in the Known Zone down pat, you can start on Level 40. While this isn't optimal for serious attempts, as you will be missing out on several extra life opportunities in Bonus Chances (and doesn't count anyway since major achievements have to begin at Level 1), it's the best way to practice later levels enough to be consistent at them, and you'll need it especially for those tougher ones in the Unknown Zone.
Big News: the 3DS has a new emulator named Red Viper. Be sure to get Virtual Boy games on your 3DS and play them in 3D. Very exciting! Record them easier and practice anywhere. Enter a whole new Nintendo library never seen on Virtual Console and choose your preferred color.
Play cheaper, play anywhere, record cheaper. 3DS has Red Viper, the new emulator for Virtual Boy games. At long last the 3DS can live up to playing Virtual Boy games and properly emulate them using the 3D Slider on the Top Screen.
BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS
Save loads of money, play anywhere, and record games easier by playing Virtual Boy games on your 3DS by using the Red Viper emulator. It's fantastic! Save hundreds of $ and use the Face Buttons on the 3DS as the Right D-Pad when you change the controls on the bottom screen!
The Virtual Boy is now able to be emulated on the 3DS at long last. Time to make use of your 3DS Footage Capture devices. And be able to bring your VB games wherever on your 3DS. Play Virtual Boy games in 3D with this new emulator... and speed-run them!
Fireballs can not only be ran under, they can also be put out by throwing a shell at them. Fireballs can also be stood under, but the space to do so is small, so it's recommended that you run under them instead.
Icicles can be taken out preemptively with shells also. On any floor with platforms in the middle, you can jump and throw them at icicles before they fall.
Here's a new strategy, different to the Clash Strats, useful for getting further in the game, rather than scoring higher. This strategy is good if you've already gotten high scoring down pat, and are going for distance (completing Floor 99 or possibly the Second Quest even!). Naturally, the Slug Levels are the gift that keeps on giving.
You start with 30 next to the Mushroom. It goes down by 1 if you hit 1, 3 if you hit 2, and
6 if 3
10 if 4
15 if 5
21 if 6 and
28 if 7
Bear in mind that you can hit 2 by bouncing a shell in between 2 enemies between the foreground and the background, or even hit 2 or 3 by stunning them all in the same place and taking them all out with a single throw, especially great for enemies that jump or fly.
When the Mushroom Meter hits 00, a Mushroom will come out of the Pipes. The Mushroom Meter will be restored back to 30 after you either complete the level or the time limit runs out. This is the most useful power-up in the entire Mario franchise. Never will you more urgently try to get it and make more use out of it. It's also usually something you get in instances few and far between- you won't be getting 2 or 3 per level like in other games. As such, exercising your limited control to get mushrooms when needed, either for levels with bunches of enemies conveniently lined up or for challenging levels with tough or elusive enemies you're struggling with, is something to be mastered and used to your advantage.
Use this to get Clash Combos in such a way to enter levels ideally with 01 on the counter, that way you can stun some enemies (to herd them), clash one enemy, and hit the rest with a Mushroom-enhanced shell.
Don't forget that you can hit a mushroom from across the floor or even across the room with your shell to collect it, very useful to get good at that when the level is crowded with enemies and you have a hard time getting it. It's a small target though. The best course of action is standing right next to the pipes (when you can) as the mushroom will come out of one of two places from the top pipe just like the turtles. The mushroom moves fast and this ensures it's easy to collect.
A million points is not the end. After you complete Level 99, you start again at Level 1 where the enemies are faster. After you complete Level 99 for the second time in the same playthrough, you've completed Second Quest and can stop the timer right there. It's the ultimate category.
I have discovered several things that help amazingly in Mario Clash. This thread is for anyone to post helpful tips to excel at this long and unforgiving game.
First off is a new scoring tactic- on any level with the Slugs that lay eggs, Clash all other enemies so there are only Slugs left, then stun them and line them up- but not all of them. You have just enough time to make the most of at least two combos of 4, 5, 6, or even 7 Slugs to Clash. Simply knock out the other enemies and some Slugs first (in a combo), then wait for them to lay eggs while Stunning one on the other side to block all the other ones, then start lining them up again. You'll get all the points they can give you, as well as the Technical Bonus of your best Clash Combo on top of that when you finish each level. You will sacrifice some Time, but it is without a doubt worth the tradeoff in a score-based category (particularly 999999) as you will gain thousands more points for each extra enemy you Clash in one throw, more than enough to make up for the extra time it will take. This also makes starting on or near Level 13, rather than Level 1, viable for shorter categories as well (unless it's not allowed and you must start on Level 1). In fact, if you're after 20K or even 50K points, you can get that on a single level with Slugs with a bit of practice. You can earn so many points by doing this on multiple levels, it will end the run several levels earlier than what you were previously capable of. As always, if any Koopas are caught in between a line of enemies, put them in their shell first, as any walking non-stunned enemy will block your Clash Combos.
Something you should already know is that you can throw shells at enemies to make them change direction when you're not throwing shells across the room. You can use this to get enemies to all march single file, quite easily, and herd them together before you line them up for a Clash Combo after stunning them. Simply follow one enemy around, and re-direct it away from you whenever it walks into another one and changes direction. After enough of these, they will all crowd around on the other side of the room, where they can all be stunned. When doing this (especially to the aforementioned Slugs), make sure the enemies are guarded by two stunned enemies on either side to prevent them from taking pipes to the top floor, while also making sure they're spread out enough so you don't Clash them individually while trying to stun the other ones, and while getting rid of a Koopa that gets in between them and ruins your combo. You will have enough throwing distance to reach them and throwing speed to hit them before they recover, but only if you've gained more than usual by keeping the same Koopa shell you've been using to hit all the enemies with, only throwing it across the room and never sideways prior to the Clash Combo (you can tell you're doing this correctly if you hear more high-pitched sound effects and see stars around the shell) while always catching it on the rebound. If you can throw a shell across the room to stun and Clash the other koopa to build up two levels of this, so much the better. Level 21, which has Spike Tops marching in between Spinies, is a great place to practice this, making sure the two Spinies at each end are stunned before stunning the other two, then Clashing all seven with one throw. A single one of these mistakes costs thousands of points and prolongs a run that much more. Slugs are slow and easy to herd, though this can be done with enemies on other levels as well. When herding enemies together, it's good for you to have the foreground and enemies to have the background, especially to see fireballs and icicles coming more easily.
Now for defensive maneuvers. There are two new ones, both of which are easy to do (one's a no-brainer in fact) and both of which are essential lifesavers in tight situations.
First off, we have Passages. A Passage is when you pass straight through a moving enemy by being mostly in the pipe and passing through while both Mario's sprite and the enemy's sprite are off-screen, passing through the pipe at the same time. While it is a short window, it's an intuitive trick that isn't difficult to do, and will prevent you from needing to sacrifice a life if both turtles are on the other side.
The second one is simply standing on a Pipe. Standing on Pipes both easy to do and essentially makes you immune to enemy attacks. In fact, you can still hit Boos and Paragoombas with Turtle Shells while standing on a pipe to manipulate their direction, while they can't get up to you.
If you have any other game-changing strategies, I'd love to see and hear them.
Excellent job! There is a way to get the balls in the black hole in Galaxy 2003 much faster, but other than that, very few mistakes. Sub 9 is achieved and it blew my expectations away!
Not speedrun related, but to give Jack Bros., a game with relatively one-and-done levels, some replay value, here is a high score challenge.
There are eight categories: Two difficulties each for all four characters.
Select "Start" and complete the game with no continues. Whatever time is remaining at the end of the final boss, that's your high score.
There's also a less important IL variant: either Start (first level) or enter a Password (other levels). Reaching a level after doing another one and having an advantage is not allowed in ILs. 48 categories for this naturally.
This is the thread for discussing new strategies, either suggestions, or point-by-point operations.
I beat Map 16. In fact, I may have happened upon a strategy that beats the current World Record.
There is a Factory to the far left part of the Map. If you Capture it, you basically win, as it has a Giant, a Pelican (that you can put the Giant in as well as an on-foot unit to get to the S.A.M.) and three Hunters, and more after that. Usually, the Computer gets this. However, it is possible for you to get it.
Guide the two Rabbits as well as any other vehicle you can manage, across the rocks on the far left part of the Map. The more strength in numbers you have, the better. This leaves open the middle part of the Map, but you needn't be concerned about that. When guiding your Kilroy to the Factory, form a small defense perimeter with a few Units you have from the start and your first Factory, and use your Giant to guard your Prison Camp.
You have a Factory to the right of the Map as well, which has seven Units. Bring them all out and on the second turn, wheel your Mule to place an Atlas in between the two Factories on the track. Guide a Hawkeye near it so Hunters won't go near it while using your two Falcons to try and block/defeat it. Even though Falcons can't fight ground enemies, they can block them. You have access to both Factories, so drive Units with low counts back in to fully restore them while bringing out more Units from the bottom Factory. The Atlas should stop the enemy's Charlie from taking your Factory from you, as well as greatly benefit you for other enemies.
Have a few tanks, such as your Titan, at the ready for incoming enemies next to your Giant while close enough to the Factory in case their counts get low. Ride a Panther to the left of the screen with plenty of tanks to defend it. Your Eagle and Rabbits will be able to reach the Atlases and take them out, which is very useful, and once you have Captured the Factory, your Hunters will do the rest. You can Pelican an on-foot Unit (such as your Panther) to the SAM once the Atlases surrounding it have been destroyed. You don't even need to get the one(s) that aren't near it. Then you win.
The difference is, Military Madness is easy mode. You are more damaging and more accurate. I've now beaten Map 16 in both games as of today, and the difference is staggering. Nectaris is far more of a struggle.
If not, should Japanese be a category?
The SG-1000 version is Japanese only. Can be played backwards-compatible on a Mark III.
Now that the PS5 version is fixed, here are some tips on how to utilize it to the max.
First off, the PS5 version, if you are from an NTSC-U or PAL region, has both of those versions of the game for both of those regions. Not Japanese, but the English regions have both. You change them by going into a submenu when you press the options button, and you can change between them at any time without losing any unsaved progress. This means you only need one account between those two regions. It's great for PAL players to easily access the faster version, as well as anyone who wants the easiest possible access to try for a PAL WR.
When practicing/routing, remember to use savestates and rewinds as often as possible. They aren't just training wheels for bad players, they're also valuable routing tools. See how many things you can test, change, and optimize with Rewinds.
