Tubular Kiko Racing

Introduction

Floating down a lazy river in a rubber ring doesn't seem like a bad idea, does it? It couldn't be worse for a Kiko named Kavi. Mischievous Kikos at Kiko Lake's shores are trying to shoot his ring down with arrows! Kavi must race to the end to get first place dodging all both Kiko Lake and the other Kikos can throw at him.

Instructions & Controls

You control Kavi through Kiko Lake using the arrow keys. The 'up' and 'left' arrow keys control Kavi's right arm and the 'down' and 'right' arrow keys control Kavi's left arm. You use the spacebar to shoot at enemy Kikos on the shore. These can be changed around in the "Control" menu at the start of the game. They take a while to get used to, but you will eventually.

You need to reach the finish line with at least 1 of your 3 lives intact, collecting logs, bottles, leaves and rubber ducks and going through checkpoints on your way. Try to shoot the Kikos on the shore to knock them out and score more points.

Items Items. These are what you are trying to collect. They are worth 1-10 points each. The first one you collect is worth 1 point, the second is worth 2 points and so on, up to 10. If something manages to deflate your ring, this count starts from 1 again.

Weapons Weapons. The Kikos at the shore will fire arrows at you. You can be protected by the umbrella, or simply dodge out the way (They don't move that fast :)). You can knock them out by collecting bullets and firing at them by facing the enemy and using the spacebar to fire. You start each life with 10 of these, and you can collect more.

Shield Shield. This is the shield used in the game. Collecting this umbrella shields you from 2 shots by arrows. These don't protect you from whirlpools, and don't provide a point bonus.

Checkpoint Checkpoints. These are checkpoints. If you go through them, you get an extra 30 points. They are worth going through. If you hit the side of one, they shrink. So be careful and make sure you go through it dead on. Unlike the items, this stays at a fixed 30 point bonus.

Whirlpool Whirlpools. The whirlpools are deadly. Just catching one on the side can cause your ring to burst. Stay as far away from these as possible.

Obstacles Obstacles. Obstacles aren't so deadly. They just get you stuck in the position and you need to work yourself out of it.

Tips & Strategies

The game has 3 levels: easy, medium, and hard. You progress through these levels as you pass each stage. There is no pause function, so you should use the break between each stage as a pause.

Make your priority the checkpoints, then the items, then the other Kikos. That way, you don't die as often, but still get a decent amount of points.

If you don't have the umbrella, do not try to get close to the other Kikos. Doing so will cause you, more than likely, to lose a life. If you have the umbrella, remember that it can only protect you from 2 shots from Kikos.

If you get stuck on one of the obstacles, there are 2 things you can try to do to get out of it. The first one, although not advised, gets you out the easiest. If you are near the top of the screen, sit and wait for the top of the screen to drag you out of it. Beware that Kikos can still shoot you. The other way is a tip found myself. Hold down both the left and right arrow keys at the same time. Doing this will make Kavi go faster and therefore get out of the obstacle. You can hold the up and down arrow keys to go backwards faster, too.

Conclusion

Hopefully, with a little practice, you can finish the game off and reach the finish line before any other Kikos racing. This game is challenging and fun at the same time. Remember that practice makes everything perfect and that you should be able to earn a fair amount of NP from it if you play often!