Spaceship Sick – A Lost in Space Fungus Guide

You can get sea sick, maybe even car sick, but can you get spaceship sick? Find out today by playing the newest Neopian game Lost in Space Fungus! This game will definitely test your eye-hand coordination as well as your wits. You star as a poor Grundo who fell victim to having his spaceship swallowed by a giant space fungus while he was exploring space. Because of this mishap, you now have a damaged ship that can only navigate in sickening circles. That Grundo sure is having one bad day! Your goal is to navigate the unforgiving terrain and return to safety in Kreludor, while avoiding obstacles and mini fungi, and if that wasn’t a bad enough situation, you only have a certain number of moves as well (remember, the ship suffered damage!). In my guide, I’ll cover the basics and mechanics of the game play, so you can get that Grundo back to home and safety.

My first impressions:

This game definitely has a unique and different set of controls. After you play a few levels, you’ll quickly get a grasp as to how they work. The first few levels are pretty easy, with no or minimal obstacles, but as you get closer to escaping the fungus, he gets angrier and he creates more obstacles, and even mini fungi that attempt to stop you in your path. It’s a fun game indeed.

Basic Information:

• Typically you have 5 laser circles (i.e. you have 5 moves)
• NP bags are an extra 25 points
• Stars are an extra 10 points
• Air tanks are an extra life
• Blue rings are 1 extra laser circle (or one extra move)

Game play:

Your main goal is to get to Kreludor, which is the planet in the top left corner of the game play area. You must get there before running out of laser circles, and without getting blocked by obstacles or killed by fungi. In each level, the bonuses listed above appear at random. Though it is nice and useful to get these, DON’T attempt to get them if they are not in the immediate path to Kreludor. If you stray too far from the path to home, you most likely will run out of laser circles and lose a life. Run out of lives and the poor Grundo will be trapped in the fungus for ever!

Before you can play, we must first go over the new (damaged) navigation controls. When you first start a level, the Grundo will not be moving, but you will have a blue ring spinning around the Grundo. The centre point of the spinning circle is right where the Grundo is. Only on the very first move will the Grundo be still. After you place the first ring, the Grundo will then fly along the ring you just placed. Keep this in mind when placing rings, because if you place a ring over obstacles or fungi, you can become trapped or killed if you place the ring in a bad position, or don’t place a new ring before the Grundo’s ship hits the obstacle or enemy.

When you place rings after the very first ring, the Grundo’s ship will fly in a clockwise direction on the ring. This is important, because this direction can be reversed. If a ring is placed in such a way that an obstacle is in the path of the ring, when the Grundo’s ship hits that obstacle, it will then reverse direction. This technique is very important in the higher levels, as going clockwise just won’t cut it.

The first level will help you understand just how to properly use the circles. There are no enemies or obstacles, because it shows you the main principle to the game, which is to get to Kreludor. Start the game and try it. You will use 5 circles to get to Kreludor.

Imagine an invisible line from the Grundo’s ship to Kreludor. You will want to place the rings along this invisible line. After you place 4, you will notice that the last ring might be either too far away to reach Kreludor, or too close (depending on how straight your line of rings was). To successfully complete the level and escape to home, you must place the ring in such a way that Kreludor will fall on the ring's path. Be careful not to get the edges of the ring too close to the level boundary walls, because this will block the ship's path.

You now have passed the first level. Think that was too easy? Just wait; it gets a lot more complicated. Here are a few hints and tips to help you along your way (What, did you think I would walk you through the entire game?!):

• No matter how tempting it is to get an extra, stay focused to your goal of getting to Kreludor, with the straightest and shortest path possible.
• There is no time limit, so DON’T rush through a level! Plan your moves ahead of time. Rushing and making decisions too quickly will result in disaster.
• No matter where you place a ring, make sure there always is a path for the Grundo to navigate his ship closer to Kreludor. You don’t have to be able to fly all the way around the ring (which will not be possible in upper levels in some moves); you just need to be able to navigate to the next reasonable position to place a ring.
• Remember that hitting obstacles reverses your direction. If you are going clockwise, when you place a new ring, you will continue to go clockwise. The same goes for counterclockwise. So be very careful when making moves. This is also helpful in getting past certain areas in certain levels.
• If you are absolutely stuck on a level, you can try to draw your path using paper. Try using a circle template and try different path possibilities. Once you find one that might work, try it out in the game! For more accuracy (assuming you know graphics programs), you can take a screenshot of the game and then copy the ring and paste them to find the best path.

Conclusion:

This game is not a button masher or a quick game. You will need lots of practice, eye-hand coordination, and lots of patience. Whatever you do, don’t give up! You’ll get it eventually with enough practice. I myself thought this game was very hard, and was only able to get like 130 when I beta tested it (an option for premium users). But after I played it more, and practiced, I can get through the first 11 levels with no sweat.

If you have any questions, feel free to zap me a neomail.

Good luck saving the Grundo’s day!