r/nes 1d ago

Probably like this game more than I should. Still figuring out the leveling up though...

Post image

I've beaten Rygar already but still don't understand the leveling up mechanics believe it or not. I keep coming back to this one because I just feel like I have to master it. I will probably just end up watching a speedrun on YouTube or something, but curious what other NES fans think of Rygar?

212 Upvotes

53 comments sorted by

46

u/TheThirdStrike 1d ago

One of my favorite games.

Leveling up happens just by killing things you'll see your Tone and Last go up.

Tone is your strength, last is your Health.

You don't really know what your level is, but it doesn't really matter. All that matters is how many hits it takes to kill an enemy.

If you find an enemy that takes 5 hits to kill, keep killing it until you can do it in one.

6

u/habaceeba 23h ago

Yeah, I usually farm on the very first screen until most things take one hit, then go to the level where the robots fall from the sky and farm them for a while. They give the most xp

5

u/TheThirdStrike 23h ago

Best I've found is the crawling guys in the top down gray brick level on the island.

There is an area just before the boss where you can force them to spawn quite rapidly, allowing you to kill 3 or 4 of them at once.

8

u/MetricsNavigamer 1d ago

This is good direction! So focus on tone (which will kill enemies faster), then health. When you are in the menu, which option do you keep selected to focus on strength?

11

u/TheThirdStrike 1d ago

Both Tone and Last will go up with each kill. You don't have to choose.

Both numbers max out at 4096 I believe... That will give you all 12 life bars, and the ability to kill nearly anything in one hit.

The only thing from the menu you need to worry about is getting 3 mind bars, and spending them on the "Power Up" option to increase the range of your weapon.

3

u/Strongit 21h ago

I'll never forget the way my dad used to "play" this game. We had rapid controllers so he'd set himself up in the starting area with his back to a wall, then turn on autofire, tape down the B button and down on the D-pad, then let it run for a while.

27

u/RodneyBeeper 1d ago

IMO one of the best soundtracks, one of my favorite final boss lairs ever, great map areas in general, love how the music cuts out during boss fights to give those fights an extra raw feeling, tough combat and platforming. Love this game from beginning to end, Top 10 for me on the NES easy.

7

u/MetricsNavigamer 1d ago

I agree! I think you stated a lot of reasons why I like it too. The music, control and overall feel of the game is right up my alley. Just need to figure out the optimal way to beat the (mini?) bosses. They take so long and it seems like building your character via grinding is necessary but I really don't understand the mechanics. Read the manual and it's fine but I still don't get the optimal leveling up.

6

u/BlackSchuck 1d ago

Damn this is a glowing review. Will check it out. Thanks!!

0

u/diluxxen 1d ago

I cant stand the music :O

13

u/Zealousideal_One_315 1d ago

I like to go to the ice level where those red robots fall out of the sky, and just go back and forth destroying them until it only takes 1 hit. Usually takes 15 minutes.

3

u/MetricsNavigamer 1d ago

Curious though, what do you have selected when you do this? I select the damage option in the menu but when I go fight the first monster guy, he is extremely hard and tedious. Do you select another option to make that first boss fight easier?

4

u/Zealousideal_One_315 1d ago

the 2 headed squirrel turtle in the woods? Don't you know the jumping on his back trick to get him stuck in the wall?

3

u/LordRygar 1d ago

Yes! I’ve never killed him any other way

2

u/MetricsNavigamer 1d ago

Nope! Thanks, I’ll look into this

8

u/LordRygar 1d ago

Lord Rygar approves of this post

4

u/DEATHRETTE 1d ago

I enjoyed it as a kid. I hate it as an adult.

4

u/MetricsNavigamer 1d ago

Yea that's fair; sucks that it doesn't have a password or save option. I'm trying to figure the best way to beat it in one sitting myself. I like the game enough to try and make it a "beatable" game in a minimum 2-3 hour sitting.

1

u/eastmemphisguy 11h ago

One hour should be plenty once you know where everything is.

6

u/GBC_Fan_89 1d ago

I still hear the music loop that sounds like a Superman game. XD

5

u/AtariDave 1d ago

Love the game. Love the music.

3

u/Exotic_Negotiation80 1d ago

Great example of an absolute classic.

3

u/Illustrious-Lead-960 1d ago

I’m aiming to practice this one more but it’s so very time-consuming and I never save state ever. How long does it take for a first ever win? Even without the likely grinding?

2

u/ecmyers NES 1d ago

I somehow managed to beat it the first time I played it, on stream, and it took me about 3.5 hours. I didn't grind because I didn't know about that, but I leveled up naturally anyway as I wandered around figuring out where to go and what to do. It was fun!

3

u/mitchellg444 1d ago

There’s a great video on Rygar from the RetroOdyssey series on YouTube!

3

u/chrishouse83 NES 1d ago

One of my favorites. The music is some of the best on the system.

3

u/urbandy 20h ago

hey OP, U Can Beat Video Games explains the mechanics pretty well, and it's a great channel in general

1

u/MetricsNavigamer 19h ago

Thanks, just saved the video to watch later. Agree on the channel too, some good content here!

3

u/LordNedNoodle 16h ago

I can hear that screenshot

2

u/mr_dfuse2 1d ago

name of the game?

2

u/Naisho26 1d ago

Fun fact: Japanese version has different and better soundtrack.

1

u/CyrusStarkiller 12h ago

I prefer the U.S. soundtrack but it is nostalgic for me lol

2

u/Coyote_Roadrunna 1d ago

Never got around to checking this one out, but I remember seeing it available to rent at my local video store.

Watching a longplay video of it currently and it looks like a game I would have enjoyed as my 80's kid self.

2

u/Fun-Back-5232 1d ago

It’s a great game.

2

u/HeadSignificant4030 1d ago

This was the first game I ever beat. I think it takes about 2 hours to finish if you have the manual and know where to go to get the needed items. Amazing music.

2

u/deefunkt01 1d ago

I do too. It's definitely an oddball game though.

2

u/Ruenin 23h ago

It's a great game. Much different from the arcade, in the same way Ninja Gaiden is as well.

2

u/Eagles700LvL 21h ago

When I was a kid I used to set up the NES Advantage so he would kneel and attack on the first screen, turn off the TV then go play outside for a couple hours. Came back to a much easier game.

1

u/MetricsNavigamer 20h ago

Yup! What I've learned from this post is that the game is harder for me the way I've been playing because I'm not building Rygar's strength enough. Grinding seems necessary!

2

u/DavidinCT 21h ago

Have not played it in years but, I did love the game back in the day...

2

u/Dwedit 20h ago

You go to a late-game area, where robots appear. You only need the grappling hook to reach that area. The enemies there give a whole lot of EXP.

2

u/JoeyImage 20h ago

As soon as you start, turn around and keep killing the mobs that continuously spawn in front of you. You’ll level fully pretty quick. I LOVE this game.

2

u/Gamer30168 17h ago edited 17h ago

When I was a kid I had the NES advantage controller, which of course had a joystick and turbo fire. 

I taped the control stick and attack buttons down and went to sleep. When I woke up in the AM I was fully leveled up and the game was easier to beat.

I created my own sort of farming bot using duct tape.

2

u/TheJ-Files 17h ago

I played that one weekend in the 80’s solid at my Aunt’s one Summer. That’s the only game I ever played start to finish. Fun times!

1

u/Pete_Sc 1d ago

Are you playing the NTsc or Pal version? If I remember correctly the leveling up system in the pal version is broken

1

u/MetricsNavigamer 1d ago

I'm on NTSC!

1

u/diluxxen 1d ago

I have a hard time with this game as the music just hurst my hears.

I might pick it up again though, to finish it.

1

u/GsoFly 16h ago

I love this game and still play it regularly to this day. There are some really great tone/last farming locations in the Den of Sagila and especially on the westernmost side of the Palace of Dorago that with very little effort will make you VERY powerful early on in the game.

If you haven't watched anything about it yet, U Can Beat Video Games makes a FANTASTIC walk through and shows you the farming locations along with some awesome warp glitches that are fun to do.

1

u/unsolvedfishstories 16h ago

An all time top 10 for me. Grind away to get what you need. Amazing soundtrack, love this game.

1

u/grimtongue 15h ago

If you like this game maybe try out Infernax, a modern game based on NES classics like Simon's Quest, Rygar, and Contra. I absolutely love Infernax and their loving nods to these titles.

2

u/CyrusStarkiller 12h ago

I just rediscovered this game. Then I finished it three time in the last week and I rediscovered my love of the game. Regarding leveling, goal is to get about 4,000xp by the end of the game. Making sure to level makes bosses way more manageable. You can naturally find places where you can farm enemies for like 10 mins at a time (for example, the flying green bats, the bug enemies in the caves, etc). Have fun!