The Adventures of MicroMan Webshrine

The Adventures of MicroMan is the second game based on MicroMan. In 1993, Brian Goble distributed a playable demo called "MicroMan" to promote his Windows Animation Package, which he hoped to license to other game authors. Due to either popular demand, the desire to create a more popular and widely distributed promotion, or just the desire to create a great game, he made an entire MicroMan game with WAP a few months later. The game is broken into two episodes: Adventure 1: Crazy Computers and Adventure 2: Savage Stones.

• The MicroMan Story
• Revision history
• Adventure 1
  • List of enemies and power-ups
  • Maps
  • Walkthrough
  • Hints and tricks
  • Bugs and Glitches
  • Speedrun
• Adventure 2
  • List of enemies and power-ups
  • Maps
  • Walkthrough
• Trivia

The MicroMan Story

MicroMan is the victim of a top-secret experiment that went terribly wrong.

Wearing a special weapons suit, Bob Jones voluntarily stepped into the Molecular Miniaturizer created by Dr. Schnapps. The doctor turned on the power and the miniaturization process began.

After a few moments of blinding white light, Bob Jones was reduced to the size of a few microns.

The experiment seemed to be a success but the Molecular Miniaturizer suddenly started smoking and a few seconds later, exploded, killing all those in the lab, including Dr. Schnapps.

Bob Jones, now known as MicroMan, was never found after the explosion.

However, since the Molecular Miniaturizer and it's creator had both been destroyed, it didn't really matter--there was no hope to return MicroMan (formerly Bob Jones) to his original size.

MicroMan now finds himself in a strange and hostile world where he is one of the smallest inhabitants. Now, his mission is personal: to explore and stay alive.

Revision history

Version 1.0 is little changed from the original MicroMan demo. MicroMan is still faster when he's jumping than walking, and only one sound can be played at a time. The microchips in the background are darker, and there are six new enemies.

Version 1.5 added background music and seven save points. The animation is even smoother, some of the sound effects are improved, and the game can play multiple sounds simultaneously. MicroMan can have more shots on the screen at a time, and three of the rooms were redesigned to make them easier.

Version 2.0 was recompiled for 32-bit Windows, six years after the original 16-bit version. It doubled the default game speed, added joystick support, allowed customizable keys, changed some of the voices and sound effects, made three rooms easier and added a save point to another.

Adventure 1 - Crazy Computers

List of enemies and power-ups

There are 12 types of enemies in Adventure 1. The enemies below the Boss tank are new from the original MicroMan demo.

Enemies

	RoboDog — These robots just roll slowly back and forth.
	Robot — Robots turn and fire wavy shots at MicroMan when he is on the same level as they are.
	Wall Gun — These guns open and close, firing at MicroMan when they're open. They can only be destroyed when they're open.
	Floor Gun — Floor Guns rise out of the ground and fire in MicroMan's direction, before retracting back into the ground.
	Missile — Missiles fly in a straight line across the screen.
	Boss tank — This giant robot fires guided missiles in volleys and teleports between platforms.
	Unarmed Robot — These robots just move quickly back and forth.
	Caterpillar — These extremely slow moving robots are almost harmless.
	Magnet — Magnets turn on and off, pulling MicroMan towards them. Like other enemies, they can be destroyed.
	Flying Disc — Flying Discs stop moving and change appearance before they fire.
	Quad Gun — Quad Guns appear and disappear from the background, firing four diagonal shots each time.
	Bubble Ship Boss — A mysterious UFO that fires guided missiles and stalks MicroMan throughout the game.

There are 5 types of power-ups. All are identical to the power-ups from the original MicroMan demo.

Power-ups

	Power Shot
	Fan Shot
	Guided Missiles
	Shield
	Super Jump

Maps

There are 54 rooms in Episode 1, and 3 bottomless pits. For the purposes of this shrine, the rooms are arranged in a 23×9 grid and given a column-row designation based on x-y coordinate relative to the bottom-left corner. Seven rooms have Save points in v1.x, and an eighth was added in v2.0. Other than Save points, rooms that have changed between versions have screenshots of both versions.

										11-9	12-9	13-9
										11-8		13-8	14-8	15-8	16-8	17-8	18-8	19-8	20-8	21-8	22-8	23-8
										11-7		13-7
										11-6	12-6	13-6	14-6
										11-5			14-5
			4-4	5-4	6-4	7-4	8-4			11-4		13-4	14-4
1-3	2-3	3-3	4-3		6-3		8-3	9-3	10-3	11-3	12-3	13-3	14-3
			4-2	5-2	6-2	7-2	8-2				12-2	13-2	14-2
											12-1	13-1	14-1

Walkthrough

Room	Description
1-3
	The game begins in this room. There doesn't seem to be a way to reach the Guided Missiles.
2-3
	This is the first appearance of the Bubble Ship Boss. The Bubble Ship Boss appears many times throughout the game and fires two guided missiles before leaving. In every room except for 8-18, MicroMan can avoid the Bubble Ship Boss by leaving the room and re-entering.
3-3
	This room includes springboards, which are new to The Adventures of MicroMan.
4-3
	The "A" teleporter leads to 4-4, while the "B" teleporter leads to 2-4. The 2-4 route is more difficult.
4-2
	Avoiding shots from three Wall Guns is challenging. The Save point is not present in v1.0.
5-2
	There are two invisible elevators towards the left and right of the gap between the platforms at the top of the room. The one on the left moves closer to the ground, while the one on the right can only be reached from the ground without Super Jump. MicroMan can jump from the left elevator to the right elevator.
6-2
	Either of the small platforms can be reached by falling from 3-6. Using the Super Jump in 2-5, MicroMan can jump from the left platform to the right in order to avoid the Robot.
7-2
	In v1.0, three of the teleporters lead to a room from which MicroMan can't escape, forcing you to start over.
	In v1.5, MicroMan can no longer be trapped. I'm not really sure why it was deemed necessary to remove the traps when there is a Save point in 2-4.
8-2
	Of the two wider blocks above the pit, the right one phases in and out. Below the room is a bottomless pit.
4-4
	This room is reached from 3-4 or 4-5. This is the only time when the Bubble Ship Boss doesn't attack while leaving the room. There is an invisible staircase to the left of the ladder leading to the platform at the top of the room.
5-4
	The Save point is not present in v1.0.
6-4
	The smaller platforms on the left and right phase in and out. It can be difficult to cross to 4-7 from the bottom of the room. Below the room is 3-6.
6-3
	This room can only be reached by falling from 4-6. Below the room is 2-6.
7-4
	An invisible elevator on the far right side of the room makes it possible to reach the Shield. I'm not sure how to reach the energy on the left side of the room.
8-4
	In v1.0, teleporter G is a trap that MicroMan can't escape from.
	In v1.5, the trap is gone. I'm not really sure why it was deemed necessary to remove the trap when there is a Save point in 4-5.
8-3
	Regardless of whether MicroMan enters from 4-8 or 2-8, the Bubble Ship Boss passes through the room and fires two shots. Once the Bubble Ship Boss leaves, Missiles fire through the room from both sides. The two small platforms phase in and out.
9-3
	In v1.0, it was possible to leave this room and return to 3-8 if MicroMan got into trouble in 3-10.
	In v1.5, once you drop from the left side, you can never return to the earlier rooms. The Save point is not present in v1.0.
10-3
	The Boss tank isn't difficult to beat. The easiest strategy is to stand on the platform next to the springboard and just fire as rapidly as possible. It's not worth the time and effort to use the springboard to move back and forth between the upper and lower levels because the Boss tank will transport back by the time you get there. Once the Boss tank is defeated, the wall on the upper right disappears.
11-3
	The Save point isn't present in v1.0.
12-3
	An invisible springboard below the gap on the left side of the room allows MicroMan to collect the energy and Guided Missiles.
12-2
	An invisible springboard to the left of the lower platform allows MicroMan to reach one of two invisible moving platforms at the top of the screen.
	In v2.0, a ladder was added to the left side of the room for people who couldn't find the invisible platforms, or for those who had trouble timing the jump at the end of the invisible platform ride.
12-1
	At the bottom of the screen on the far left, there is an invisible Guided Missile power-up. The Save point isn't present in v1.0.
13-1
	This is the mirror room. MicroMan is reflected both vertically and horizontally, creating four images of himself. Which one is real depends on where MicroMan entered the room from.
14-1
	Of the platforms that form a staircase, the three farthest to the right phase in and out. Once MicroMan collects the Super Jump, he won't need them.
14-2
	If MicroMan still has the Super Jump ability from 1-14, he can go through the passage at the bottom left to reach 2-13, but there will be nothing to do when he gets there. The lower moving platform only moves when MicroMan is standing on it, while the upper moving platform will only move when MicroMan isn't standing on it.
14-3
	This room is pretty straightforward.
14-4
	The Save point isn't present in v1.0. MicroMan can go left to 4-13, but there's little reason to do so. MicroMan should proceed upwards to 5-14. There are invisible stairs in the middle of the room that can be reached by jumping off the ladder about half way up.
13-4
	4-13 contains a Power Shot, Guided Missiles, and Shield. Once MicroMan drops down to their level, he won't be able to jump back up. The passage to below leads to 3-13, then 2-13, and back to 2-14. By the time MicroMan gets back to 4-14, the effect of these power-ups will have expired, so the only reason to come here is if MicroMan is desperate for energy, despite the large energy recharge in 4-14.
13-3	This room can only be reached by falling from 4-13.
13-2
	This is where you end up if you fall in 4-14, or use the Super Jump to get here from 2-14.
14-5
	This Magnet can be destroyed, but MicroMan has to jump to shoot it, and it will be pulling him towards itself when he does. It's best to try to avoid it and head upwards to 6-14.
14-6
	This energy recharge can be collected again and again by leaving and re-entering the room.
13-6
	To the left is 6-12, which leads to a series of rooms that also be reached by going upwards from 8-13, which can be reached by going upwards to 7-13 from this room. There is little reason to go to that series of rooms, but if you really want to, it's easier to go down from the 8-13 end than up from the 6-12 end. The Save point isn't present in v1.0.
12-6
	This room is full of invisible platforms and springboards, which make it possible to reach the energy recharge. You'd have to be desperate for energy for it to be worth trying.
11-6
	All three of the platforms above the hole in this room phase in and out, and MicroMan's timing has to be perfect to get across, otherwise he will fall to 5-11 and all the way back to 3-11. Above is 7-11.
11-5
	5-11 can only be reached by falling from 6-11. If MicroMan collects either of the power-ups in this room, their effect will have expired by the time he gets anywhere close to returning to 6-11.
11-4
	I'm not sure what the point of these springboards is. They're both just as springy as all of the other ones in the game, which means that you can't use them to get back up to 6-11. 3-11 is below.
11-7
	The platform that teleporter J leads to phases in and out, so timing is critical.
11-8
	The platform at the bottom of the room only moves when MicroMan is standing on it.
11-9
	This room leads to 9-12 to the right, and falls to 8-11 below
12-9
	If MicroMan enters this room from 9-13, he can shoot the Magnet in the back without being pulled towards it. While it is alive, it prevents the Unarmed Robot from reaching the far right side of the room.
13-9
	To the right is the upper portion of a series of room that can also be reached by going right from 6-13. There is little reason to enter this series of rooms.
13-7
	In v1.0, it was possible to fall off of the far left platform and be stuck! This was probably an oversight, not a deliberate trap. The jump from the upper left platform to the upper right is difficult, but not impossible.
	In v1.5, a ladder is added to prevent MicroMan from getting stuck if he falls off the far left platform. An extra platfrom was also placed in the gap between the two upper platforms, completely eliminating all challenge from this room.
13-8
	To the right is 8-14, and above is 9-13, which leads to a series of rooms that MicroMan doesn't need to visit. He only needs to go to 9-13 if he's desperate for energy, and even then he can skip it and get energy in 9-14, as long as he avoids the Bubble Ship Boss.
14-8
	Once MicroMan drops down to the lower level, he can never return to the earlier rooms.
15-8
	The Boss tank returns for a second fight. This fight is even a little easier than the first fight, if MicroMan gets the strategy right. The easiest strategy is to jump on the elevator, which only moves when he's not standing on it. By jumping two or three times, MicroMan can stop the elevator at the right level to shoot the Boss tank on the lower level. Be careful not to be hit by any missiles while MicroMan is in the air, otherwise he will fall through the elevator, and he'll have to wait for it to return or leave the room and re-enter. In either case, he probably won't win the fight if he's knocked off the elevator. The Super Jump can be left until after the fight is won.
	In v2.0, a second Super Jump is added. Presumably this is to give MicroMan one to use during the fight and one for after.
16-8
	An invisible barrier prevents MicroMan from reaching the large energy recharge from the left side of the screen. It can only be reached by using the teleporter, or by going beneath the platform and jumping up from the right side if he still has the Super Jump ability. The Save point is not present in v1.0 and 1.5.
17-8
	The far left platform phases in and out. Timing is tricky, but MicroMan should jump on the springboard after the platform disappears in order to land on it when it reappears. Below is a bottomless pit.
	In v2.0, a large platform is added to the left of the disappearing block. If MicroMan still has Super Jump, he can jump right over the disappearing block, avoiding the need to time his jump.
18-8
	MicroMan must fight the Bubble Ship Boss in a very difficult battle. Even if MicroMan still has Super Jump, jumping off the top of the screen accomplishes nothing. Of the two highest platforms, the left one phases in and out. This battle is impossible to win without recharging energy during the fight. The only way to attack is to stand on a platform at the top of the screen, and jump up and down, shooting rapidly when MicroMan is high enough to hit the Bubble Ship Boss. In the alcoves on the upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right, there are four invisible energy recharges. MicroMan will need to head towards one of them when his energy is reasonably low and then return to the top of the room to resume the attack until he is low on energy again. After the Bubble Ship Boss is defeated, the wall at the upper right disappears.
19-8
	Just in case MicroMan is low on energy from the fight in 8-18, he can recharge his power here.
20-8
	MicroMan receives a Power Shot before he returns to 8-19. It looks like he's powering up for a fight.
21-8
	An invisible teleporter on the left leads to the right side of the screen.
22-8
	MicroMan is given Guided Missiles now. One more fight with the Bubble Ship Boss before we're done?
23-8
	Nope, this it. The episode ends when MicroMan uses the teleporter.

Hints and tricks

Avoid the Bubble Ship Boss

The Bubble Ship Boss will appear only once in each room. To avoid having to evade its guided missiles, you can leave the room as soon as you enter it and the ship will be gone when you re-enter.

Shoot twice as fast

Versions 1.0 and 1.5 use two sets of keys for direction (the arrow keys and numeric keypad) and firing (Z and Insert). By rapidly pressing both Z and Insert at the same time, you can shoot twice as fast as you can by rapidly pressing only one key. Version 2.0 assigns only a single key to each action (user customizable), so this trick doesn't work in v2.0.

Bugs and glitches

Undead Boss tank glitch

If you leave the room after defeating the Boss tank, and before it falls off of the screen, it will be alive when you return to the room. It will now be invincible, with MicroMan's shots passing right through it. You can also walk through the Boss tank without taking damage. To the game, it doesn't exist in the sense of being able to give or take damage, but the guided missiles it fires can still kill you.

Upsidedown undead Boss tank glitch

If you leave the room after defeating the Boss tank, after it falls off of the screen, but before the upper right wall disappears, the same bug occurs, except that the Boss tank will now be upsidedown, like it was when it fell off of the screen. Both of these bugs are still present even in v2.0, the Win32 version of the game.

Frozen Bubble Ship Boss glitch

If you leave and re-enter the room with the Bubble Ship Boss several times, it will eventually get stuck in the middle of the room, close to the highest platforms in the room. The Bubble Ship Boss will no longer fire missiles, and MicroMan can stand on the platform that doesn't disappear and fire directly into the ship without pausing. Strangely, the Bubble Ship Boss seems to take less damage when this glitch is performed. Although this method poses the least risk to MicroMan's health, it's actually about 10 seconds slower to kill the boss this way compared to the usual method of jumping up and down while getting hit by missiles.

Refight the Boss tank glitch

Saved games only save MicroMan's position and health, not which enemies he's killed or which power-ups he's taken. When you restore a saved game, all of the enemies and power-ups are back. In fact, everything is reset to the way it was at the beginning of the game except for your starting position. If save your game at one of the Save points after the first Boss tank fight, you can fall down the pit in 6-11 and land on one of the platforms in 3-11. Like everything else, the wall that disappeared after you beat the Boss tank is back, but you can still walk out the left side of 3-11! The game pushes you back into 3-11, which is useless if you're in the air. If you walk left, you'll get partially stuck in the floor, and pressing right will push MicroMan back into 3-10. He'll be stuck in the right wall at first, but pressing right again will get him out. Now you can fight and defeat the Boss tank again. This is no invincible, undead Boss tank! Everything is like it was at the beginning of the game, so the game thinks that you're beating the Boss tank for the first time. If you leave to the left quickly enough, you can even perform the Undead Boss tank glitch and Upsidedown undead Boss tank glitch. The Bubble Ship Boss will be back in 3-9 when you get there.

In v2.0, MicroMan can perform the Refight the Boss tank glitch on the second Boss tank as well. If MicroMan uses the Save point in 8-16 while he still has Super Jump, you can reload the game and use Super Jump to go back into 8-15, and MicroMan will again get pushed out of the wall into the floor, and he can return to 8-15 and fight the Boss tank again.

The glitch can get even weirder in v2.0. If you keep trying to push and jump left when you're stuck in the floor instead of pressing right, MicroMan can sometimes fall off the bottom of the screen. He can still be heard jumping and shooting, but he can no longer be seen. If he heads left, he can get into 3-10 and the Boss tank will be there, but he still can't back onto the screen.

Fall through the floor glitch

When MicroMan is inside a block as it rematerializes, he gets pushed out of it. There is one room, 3-8, which has a disappearing block close enough to the floor that MicroMan can be pushed into the floor. Once in the floor, he can press right until he falls through the floor into the room below.

Speedrun

Version 1.0 is not very suitable for a speedrun for a number of reasons. MicroMan is faster when jumping than when walking, so MicroMan would need to jump constantly throughout the entire speedrun, which would be tedious in a run of this length. Only one sound can play at a time, so the constant jumping would also interrupt or prevent any other sound from being played. There is no background music in v1.0, so the run would be filled with silence, other than the repetitive sound of MicroMan jumping.

Version 1.5 finally allows MicroMan to walk at the same speed that he can jump, allows multiple sounds to play simultaneously, and adds background music, making v1.5 a better choice for an entertaining video. The odd thing about The Adventures of MicroMan is that each version became easier than the last. Three rooms are easier in v1.5 than in v1.0, one of which leads to an easier jump in a speedrun of v1.5. Version 2.0 doubles the game's default speed — which is good for entertainment value — but makes three rooms significantly easier, which would save time in a speedrun. Generally speaking, a speedrun should show off a game at its highest difficulty level. Version 1.0 is slightly harder than v1.5, but not as entertaining as the later versions. Version 1.5 is a reasonable trade-off between difficulty and entertainment value.

The fastest possible completion time in a time attack or speedrun depends on getting ideal randomness. Favorable or unfavorable randomness alone can probably affect the length of this run by up to 30 seconds. Here is a single segment unassisted speedrun that managed to achieve very favorable randomness.

Adventure 2 - Savage Stones

List of enemies and power-ups

There are 5 types of enemies in Adventure 2.

Enemies

	Wall Flower — These flowers fire short volleys much like the Wall Guns in Adventure 1, except that they are always vulnerable.
	Wheel — Wheels roll through some screens in regular patterns. If surrounded by walls, they will roll back and forth. MicroMan's shots bounce off of them.
	Missile Flower — Missile Flowers fire guided missiles.
	Magnet — Magnets turn on and off, pulling MicroMan towards them. Like other enemies, they can be destroyed.
	Bomb Boss — The boss looks like a bomb with arms. The Bomb Boss charges towards MicroMan.

There are 2 types of power-ups. There are no weapon upgrades in Adventure 2, though all of the power-ups from Adventure 1 can be enabled from the Cheat menu.

Power-ups

	Shield
	Super Jump

Maps

There are 38 rooms in Episode 2, and 3 bottomless pits. For the purposes of this shrine, the rooms are arranged in 9×9 grid and given a column-row designation based on x-y coordinate relative to the bottom-left corner.

Map Layout

1-9	2-9	3-9	4-9	5-9	6-9	7-9	8-9	9-9
1-8								9-8
1-7	2-7	3-7	4-7	5-7	6-7			9-7
1-6	2-6				6-6			9-6
1-5	2-5	3-5			6-5	7-5	8-5	9-5
1-4		3-4
?		3-3
1-2	2-2	3-2
1-1	2-1	3-1

Walkthrough

Room	Description
1-2
	The game begins in this room. There doesn't seem to be a way to reach the Super Jump.
1-1
	This is the first appearance of the Wall Flower. Below the room is a bottomless pit.
2-1
	Rocks fall from above at random. This is is the first appearance of the Wheel.
3-1
	Rocks fall from above at random. This is the only springboard in Adventure 2. Below the room is a bottomless pit.
3-2
	The platform only moves when MicroMan isn't standing on it. Rocks fall from above at random.
3-3
	Rocks fall from above at random.
3-4
	Rocks fall from above at random.
3-5
	This is the first appearance of the Missile Flower.
2-5
	The teleporters in Adventure 2 look different from the teleporters in Adventure 1.
2-6
	The doesn't appear to be any way to get into that square, but the Wall Flower will fire at MicroMan eventually.
2-7
3-7
	The Wheels come much more frequently in this room, but still in a regular pattern.
4-7
	This is the first Magnet in Adventure 2. MicroMan can jump from two steps below the Magnet and fire shots even when the Magnet is activated, and he'll be pulled forward until he's stopped by the top step. Go back down a step and repeat.
5-7
	Rocks fall from above at random.
6-7
6-6
	MicroMan can shoot the Wall Flowers on the floor by firing while ducking, or avoid them completely by using the teleporter.
6-5
	The upper platform only moves when MicroMan is standing on it.
7-5
	The Bomb Boss isn't difficult to beat. The Bomb Boss has no weapons and attacks only by charging towards MicroMan and hitting him with his body. It will follow MicroMan around the room if he moves, but MicroMan can stand firm where he entered the room and the Bomb Boss will stop in front of him and charge no further. It takes exactly 33 shots to kill the Bomb Boss. Once the Bomb Boss is defeated, the wall on the upper right disappears.
8-5
	The second Bomb Boss is even easier to beat. Once again, it will follow MicroMan around the room if he moves, but MicroMan can stand firm where he entered the room and the Bomb Boss will stop in front of him and charge no further. It takes exactly 18 shots to kill the Bomb Boss. Once the Bomb Boss is defeated, the wall on the upper right disappears.
9-5
9-6
9-7
9-8
9-9
8-9
7-9
6-9
	This is one of two places where Wheels roll back and forth.
5-9
	The point of this teleporter seems to be to prevent you from revisiting the earlier rooms once you pass this point.
4-9
	This Magnet takes almost 100% of MicroMan's health, so he'll be killed instantly if he has taken any damage. Fire as many shots as you can until MicroMan has almost been pulled into the Magnet, then walk right to avoid it. Get as much distance as possible when the Magnet turns off, and you should be able to destroy the Magnet during the second pull.
3-9
	It's not possible to jump over the Wheel, but it is possible to jump from across the gap to walk over the Wheel if you time your jump perfectly.
2-9
	This Magnet takes almost 100% of MicroMan's health, so he'll be killed instantly if he has taken any damage. MicroMan has less room to work with this time, but it should still be possible to destroy the Magnet in two or three passes.
1-9
1-8
1-7
1-6
1-5
1-4
	Below this room is the upper part of 2-1 — the first room in the game — even though it should be "1-3". Must be some kind of warp zone.
1-2
	So, MicroMan has come full circle. To the right is 2-2. Will there be one more boss fight, perhaps with a different boss, before we're done?
2-2
	Nope, this is it. The episode ends when MicroMan uses the teleporter.

Trivia

Every version of The Adventures of MicroMan is faster and easier than the last. Version 1.5 made three rooms easier and added seven Save points, and version 2.0 made another three rooms easier and added an eighth Save point.

Version 2.0 of Adventure 2 advertised an upcoming "Adventure 3: Wild Waters". These screenshots appeared on Brian Goble's website.

Brian Goble reportedly also planned to create a fourth episode called "Adventure 4: Raging Rocks". Adventure 3 was reportedly unfinished, and development of Adventure 4 never began.