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

EXP: By attacking and defeating enemies, you can increase Annet's experience points. By reaching certain amounts of EXP, you'll be rewarded with extensions to the HP gauge.

Enemy: This gauge will appear whenever you start to fight an enemy. Once the green bar is depleted, the enemy will be defeated.

HP: This displays Annet's health. If the health gauge decreases to nothing, Annet will be defeated and the game will end.

MP: The magic gauge, also known as Magic Points. This will decrease whenever Annet uses a magic spell, and will fill back up when she isn't using one. This gauge can be extended by playing through the game.

Selected Magic: The magic spell that Annet is ready to use. Hold down the magic attack button to cycle through the available attacks, if you have enough MP. You can unlock more magic spells by playthrough through the game (see below).

El Viento is a platform/shooter hybrid game. You play as Annet Meiya, a sorceress who is armed with deadly boomerangs and the ability to perform several different magical attacks. Get through each level by jumping from platform to platform, navigating through mazes and using various objects -such as lifts and explosives -to progress. There are eight levels in total, with each level containing several stages. Throughout each stage there are various enemies to defeat, and at the end of every level there is a boss to fight. Whenever you complete a level you'll get to see a cutscene, as Annet tries to prevent the resurrection of Hastur, an evil God.

If Annet takes damage, the HP gauge will decrease. If the HP gauge is low, trying searching through a stage for these items:

Medicine jars will refill part of the HP gauge when collected. Most of the time these jars are hidden, so try exploring and make sure to destroy and objects you can to reveal them.

If the HP gauge is completely depleted, Annet will collapse and you'll get a game over. Once you press start at the title screen, you'll have the chance to continue. You'll have three continues per game, and using a continue will have you restart at the beginning of the level you'd gotten to. You also get to keep the amount of EXP you previously had.

JUMPING

Annet has two different jumps. If you tap the jump button, she'll jump up a short distance, but if you press the jump button, she'll jump up a lot higher. You can control which direction she's going to go during a jump by holding left or right.

DUCKING

Hold down to make Annet duck. This is useful for avoiding enemy projectiles or certain other obstacles.

DASHING

To dash, hold down back or down forward. You'll see that Annet will be in a different stance than her regular ducking, so start pressing the jump button repeatedly to maker her dash. Be ready to use this as there are some hazards Annet can only avoid taking damage from by dashing, and of course this move is very useful for getting out of trouble quickly.

BOOMERANGS

Annet's primary form of attack. She starts the game with two of these, but you can find a third one later on in the game. These projectiles will easily take care of lesser enemies, and automatically return to her after they've either hit an enemy or have covered a short distance in front of her. In certain levels, there are blue crystals that look like this:

When you collect these, a timer will start to count down next to the MP gauge. During this time, when you throw boomerangs, they will home in onto enemies rather than just fly out and back to Annet. When the timer reaches zero, this effect ends. Thanks to abster876 for this information.

 

Annet starts the game with just one magic spell: the fireball. By getting further into the game, you can unlock another four magic spells. Magic spells will drain the MP gauge whenever they are used, with the more powerful spells taking up a lot more MP to use. If the MP gauge is depleted, you can't use spells, but it does refill automatically. So you'll just have to wait around until you've got enough MP restored for the spell you want. To select a spell, hold down the magic spell button and wait until the cursor reaches the spell you want to use, then release the button. Whenever you gain a new spell, the MP gauge will extend.

1ST MAGIC SPELL

FIREBALL

This is a small projectile which will travel the full length of the screen. It's useful in the early levels for doing some extra damage to a boss, or taking out some of the stronger enemies faster.

2ND MAGIC SPELL

WATER CURRENT

This is ground-based attack where some water will travel across the floor and damage enemies. You'll need to use this spell in the third level to put out some fires.

3RD MAGIC SPELL

WIND CUTTER

Annet will throw out a large projectile that's taller than her. This spell is useful for taking out groups of enemies, such as those annoying bats.

4TH MAGIC SPELL

EXPLOSION

This is a larger fireball, which will cause a large explosion when it hits an enemy. It can be hard to hit something with it, but it does do a lot of damage to an enemy if it hits them, making it a good move to use against any bosses.

5TH MAGIC SPELL

ARROWS

Annet will summon several energy arrows which automatically home in on enemies. This spell lasts for several seconds.

The game's config menu can be accessed at the title screen. There are only a couple of things you can do in it:

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

Music: Listen to the game's music and sound effects here. Unfortunately the music tracks don't loop.

Press the start button to exit the config screen.