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   T i t l e        AKUJI the DEMON
 V e r s i o n      1.01
  A u t h o r       Buster
    T y p e         Freeware Software
F i l e n a m e     AKUJI.LZH
Compression Format  LHA
System Requirements O S : Windows9x/ME/XP/2000
                    CPU : Pentium200MHz or higher
                    VGA : 320x240 pixels (High Color 16-bit or higher)
                    Direct X(7) or higher
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* Storage *
 A program that can decompress the file (xxx.LZH) is required.
 The game will start as soon as the executable is run.
 Please close all other programs when running in fullscreen --
 It is only common sense as Windows may crash.
 To uninstall, simply delete the entire folder.


* Story *
 In a certain country lived an evil demon named "Akuji".

 Akuji caused mischief and caused trouble to the people.

 One day, a "Man of Valor" visited the country.
 After an intense battle, he defeated Akuji.

 The Man of Valor was praised for his distinguished service.
 He married the princess and became the King.

 Akuji's vicious power was sealed into nine stones.
 These 9 stones were then hidden away deep in the Lost Underground.

 But --

 In order to seek revenge on the Man of Valor, Akuji
 entered the Lost Underground in search of the 9 stones.


* Game explanation *
Akuji must regain his powers and bring down the Man of Valor"


* Ingame controls *
Left and Right arrow keys      Move Akuji left and right
Z                              Jump
X                              Shoot fire
C                              Pause/Resume
ESC                            Ends the game
CTRL                           Returns to the Title screen


* Explanation of Stats *
Life:                          Akuji's physical strength -- The game will end if Life is lost.
Mana:                          If the specified amount of Mana is collected, Akuji's life capacity will increase by 1.
Time:                          The time that has elapsed since the beginning of the game.


* Explanation of Items *
Signs:                         Signs can be read by pressing the up arrow key.
Doors:                         Doors can be entered by pressing the up arrow key.
Devil Statue:                  The game can be saved by pressing the up arrow key while standing near a Devil Statue.
Demon Pepper (Red):            Akuji's favorite food. Akuji's Life is recovered by 1.
Demon Pepper (Green):          Despite its appearance, it is very hot. Akuji's Life is completely recovered.
Mana Stone (Silver):           Increases the Mana count by one.
Mana Stone (Gold):             Increases the Mana count by ten.

* Sealed Powers *
Dash:                          Lets you dash by tapping the directional pad 2x in a direction.

Fire:                          Lets Akuji shoot fireballs. It is a short range attack.

Fire ++:                       A level 2 fireball can be shot. Its range is longer than a normal fireball and also has increased offensive strength.

Charge Shot:                   Fire power can be accumulated by continuing pushing a fire button. If a button is released where fire power is set to MAX a powerful flame can be shot.

Jump +:                        The height of Akuji's jump is increased.

Jump ++:                       Lets Akuji wall jump. Press the jump repeatedly while against a wall to perform.

Cloud:                         If the DOWN direction key is pushed during a jump, Akuji can be disguised as clouds. You are invincible while transformed.  Akuji will transform back if he touches a wall or enough time passes. Since it takes time to transform back, be careful when using it.


Bat:                           If the UP direction key is pushed during a jump, Akuji can be disguised as a bat. You can fly by tapping jump repeatedly. If you touch a wall, you will transform back..


Soul:                          Akuji's true form is sealed within.

* Menu *

NEW GAME:                      Starts a new game.
CONTINUE:                      Continues from the last saved point.
OPTION:                        Allows you to configure various aspects of the game.
EXIT:                          Ends the game.


* Options *
GAME LEVEL:                    Sets the difficulty of the game.
FULLSCREEN:                    Determines whether the game will run in Windowed or Fullscreen mode.
JUMP BUTTON ASSIGN:            Assigns Jump to a key.
FIRE BUTTON ASSIGN:            Assigns Fire to a key.
PAUSE BUTTON ASSIGN:           Assigns Pause to a key.
WAIT:                          This will turn frameskip off if not running 60FPS. Default is OFF.
SOFTWARE VSYNC:                Limits the game to 60 FPS. Default is ON.
SE VOLUME:                     Adjusts the volume of sound effects.
GALLERY:                       Views any Gallery Books that are found during the game.
EXIT:                          Return to the main menu.

- Fullscreen takes effect once the game is restarted.
- Only the following keys may be assigned: Z,X,C,A,S,D,0-9


* Secrets *

The locked door in the beginning of the game is opened by attaining a S rank/SS rank. Rank is determined by the the time it takes to clear the game and the amount of Mana recovered.


* Acknowledgements *
I (Buster) used the following components, DLLS, and sound effects in the creation of this game.

Thank you.

Name     project Quadruple D
Author  Sandman-san
URL      http://www-fu.magma.ne.jp/~hayase/

Name     KBGM Version 0.08
Author  Copyright (c) 1996-1999 Kr.Shin-san
URL      http://www.win.ne.jp/~krshin/

Name     KbgmPlayer Ver1.0
Author  naruto-san
URL      http://jn.swee.to/cano/

Name     Sound effect
Author  Osabishi Yuuki-san
URL http://kikyou.sakura.ne.jp/~osabisi/


* Staff *
Buster: Planning, Programming, and Spriting.
	URL http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Yoyo/9227/
ZAC:	Music
	URL http://www25.tok2.com/home/zackn/

NAOKU:	Title, Opening, Ending, etc. Artist
	URL http://www.creaters.net/~naoku/


* Copyright *
Copyright belongs to the author.
Although the game is freeware, unauthorized use of the graphics, music, and WAV files are strickly prohibited.
The author does not take responsibility for any damage caused by the program.


* Version History *
Ver 1.01
- With the addition of system.ini, fullscreen and configurable keys are possible. (Refer to the FAQ.TXT)
- Rank SS and hidden room 2 are added.

Ver 1.00 
Submitted to VECTOR.

* Contact Information *
Bug reports, comments, etc. should be sent to:
  URL    http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Yoyo/9227/
  E-Mail eijihasi@excite.co.jp