Controls

The game's default controls are shown above, but you can change which buttons you want to use for magic, attack and jump in the options menu.

HUD

Magic Bar: This bar automatically fills up during the game. You can use various magic attacks by letting it fill up several times (see below for info about the magic techniques)

Health Bar: Displays how much health Annet has. It depletes whenever Annet gets hit, if it is emptied completely, the game will end. Fill it back up by collecting health items (see below)

Current Magic: Displays which magic attack you currently have available. If you don't have a magic attack ready, the box will be black.

Score: Displays your score. Get points by defeating enemies and picking up health items. If you use a continue, the score will reset to nothing when the game resumes.

Enemy Health Bar: Shows the amount of health the most recent enemy Annet has fought has left. Once it is depleted, the enemy will be defeated.

Gameplay

Annet Futatabi is a scrolling beat 'em up. The goal is to get to the end of each level by defeating the numerous opponents who'll appear to fight you. Use Annet's various attacks and magical abilities to defeat the enemies. Once the current group of enemies have been defeated, you can move further on. At the end of a level you'll have to fight a boss enemy. Bosses have more health and can do much more damage than usual enemies, and some levels only contain a boss to fight. Before each level starts, there will be a cutscene which shows what's going on in the story.

If you are running low on health, smash open any objects you see to reveal health items. There are three different health items in the game:

Soft Drink

Restores a small amount of health.

Apple

Restores a decent amount of health.

Meat

Restores a large amount of health, but the meat is an uncommon item compared to the soft drinks and apples.

Game Over & Continue

If the health bar drops to nothing, Annet will be defeated and the game will end. You'll the see the continue screen, which has a 10 second timer. You can speed up the timer by pressing the A, B or C buttons, or just let is naturally count down to zero, at which point you'll get a game over. You can continue by pressing the start button. If you use a continue, your score will be reset to nothing, and you'll restart at the beginning of the current stage you were on. You have infinite continues.

Annet's Moves

RUNNING

To run, double tap any direction on the d-pad and hold it. Once Annet starts running, she won't stop unless you release the held direction, or do an attack.

JUMPING

Press the C button to jump. If she isn't moving, Annet will jump straight up. If she is walking, Annet will jump forwards.

SOMERSAULT

Whilst running, press the jump button. Annet will leap forward, do a few somersaults in the air, and then land. This is a great way to quickly get out of trouble as Annet moves a great distance when doing this move.

GRABBING

To grab an enemy, walk or run into them and keep the left or right direction held down. Annet will automatically grab an opponent. She's got a couple of different attack options (see below) when grabbing someone, or you can make her let go by holding the opposite direction. Note that some enemies -mainly most of the bosses -cannot be grabbed.

COMBO

Rapidly press the B button to use Annet's combo, which consists of her using her psycho sword to hit an opponent with four strikes. These strikes are called the "Torrent Strike", "Horizon Slash", "Sonic Claw" and "Screw Stroke". The last hit will knock an enemy down if it connects.

DASH KICK

Whilst running, press the attack button. Annet will do a high kick, she also slides forward whilst doing this. This move will knock an enemy over if it hits them.

KNEE CRASH

Whilst grabbing an enemy, press the attack button to make Annet knee them. She can do this up to three times during the same grab.

CRASH THROW

Whilst holding an enemy, hold down a direction and then press the attack button. Annet will throw her opponent across the screen. Thrown enemies can crash into other enemies, which will also cause them to fall down.

JUMP KICK

Whilst jumping, press the attack button to make Annet do this flying kick. It'll knock down an enemy if it hits them.

CYCLONE BLADE

Whilst doing a somersault, press the attack button. Annet will do a flip and use her sword to slice any enemy in her way and then go into a jump kick before landing. This is Annet's strongest attack (outside of magic attacks).

Magic Attacks

To use a magic attack, the magic bar must be filled up at least once. The bar fills up automatically, you'll have to let it fill up several times if you want to use the stronger magic attacks. The more times the bar is filled, the more damage the magic attack will do. Magic attacks will always knock down all enemies on (or off) the screen, if they don't do enough damage to kill them. When you want to use a magic attack, press the A button. Annet will hold her psycho sword above her head, and then the attack will begin. This takes a couple of seconds to do, so try and use them when you haven't got an enemy right by you as they can still attack.

Note that during a boss fight you can't use magic attacks.

Level 1:

Last Temptation

"The magic which makes the evil god that rules over death in the universe appear. A dense miasma is released and the targets inside the magic's perimeter are robbed of their life force."

Annet summons am evil God, which resembles a skull with horns. This God appears and then vanishes, causing all enemies to fall.

Level 2:

Wave Cut

"Being a sorceress of both Hastur and the wind, Annet borrows the power of the wind to chop her enemies. The blowing wind causes a sudden fluctuation of atmospheric pressure, and the enemies are damaged as their insides boil."

Nothing resembling wind effects is shown during this magic attack, instead, the screen just appears to crash in on itself before returning to normal.

Level 3:

Earth Cyclone

"A magic that cuts off the minimum area of gravity emitted by the Earth. This happens only in Annet's magic perimeter, but its power is tremendous. Losing the force of attraction generated by Earth's rotation, the targets are slammed into unpredictable directions and receive damage."

Annet summons a star, and all enemies will be stretched out, one at a time, before returning to their normal sizes -at which point they'll all fall down.

Level 4:

Gravity Crush

"Magic that causes a dimensional phenomenon which drags the enemies into a lawless different dimension without even giving them time to react. They receive great damage as they're mangled in the dimensional fault."

All enemies will be crushed, one at a time, and then returned to their normal sizes.

Level 5 and Level 6:

Ancient Dragon

"This is the highest class of magic that summons the fire breathing Ancient Dragon from beyond this universe. The enemies are entrapped in a red-hot hell by a breath of flames from the Ancient Dragon who can be matched only by a god, and they receive damage in all of the worlds."

The strongest magic in the game, Annet summons a dragon which will set fire to every enemy on the screen. For whatever reason you can fill the magic bar up twice for this one, if you want to.

Config

The game's config menu can be accessed at the title screen. The config menu has several different options:

Level: Choose the game's difficulty setting. The default setting is easy, but there are also normal and hard choices. I'm not sure what difference this makes, though.

Music: Listen to any music used in a level. Cutscene music isn't available though, whilst the seventh music track doesn't appear to be used in the game at all.

S E: Listen to any of the game's sound effects. It seems quite a few of these aren't used in the game, such as the classic Wolf Team explosion sound effect (no 16).

Control: Choose the button layout you prefer, there are six different layouts available.

Exit: Choosing this takes you back to the title screen.