 Shenkuu River Rush: Rush To The Trophy!
by alyseth
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Shenkuu River Rush is one of the 3D games available in Neopia, it's an immersive journey down the wild rivers of Shenkuu. In this game you dodge rocks and logs and sticks while jumping off ramps and waterfalls to perform crazy tricks and score points. Performing fancy tricks will wow the crowd, the more impressive the trick, the more points you'll garner. It's a simple concept, but the tricks can get pretty difficult to execute. With this guide, you'll become one of the top river surfers in Shenkuu, hopefully earning yourself a shiny new trophy!
Background Many people assume that Mystery Island is one of the only places for prime surfing in Neopia, but the mountains of Shenkuu are home to some pretty great rivers. The surfing that takes place here is less about catching a brief wave and more about distance and tricks. Instead of catching one wave every few minutes, you follow down the whole length of the river on a constant decline, catching ramps and picking up speed going over the waterfalls.
Characters Before you take to the waterfalls, you'll get to choose with character you want to play as. You will pick between Cassile and Bowe. Cassile is a White Lupe, one of the highest ranked surfers in all of Shenkuu. She has a small frame and is extremely talented. Not only known for her surfing, she was also a contestant in Better Than You where she challenged players in Snow Roller. I guess she wanted to take a break from the rapids and get on the ski slopes! Bowe is a muscular Brown Techo, known for his ability to navigate the rivers of Shenkuu with ease. He tests out the newest discovered routes and pulls off some wild maneuvers to get through the most difficult areas. There is no real advantage to choosing one character over the other, so pick whoever is your favorite! I personally like to play as Cassile because I feel she takes up less space on the screen. It's all up to personal preference!
How To Play River Rush is played over the course of six levels, each getting progressively more difficult. You are awarded points for many things, such as collecting orbs, pulling off tricks, as well as time bonuses for completing the levels quickly. The game is controlled entirely via keyboard, using left and right to navigate, the space bar to jump, and then a combination of the arrow keys to perform tricks: 1 point tricks: Tomamu Tail Flare: ↓ ↓ Whirling Kazeriu: → ← 4 point tricks: Juma Spin: → ↓ ← Sandan Somersault: ↑ ↓ ↓ 8 point tricks: Pygui Roll: ← → ↓ ← Quilin Eclipse: ↑ ← ↓ ↑ When you complete your tricks, make sure to tap the spacebar before you land to clear the trick queue and be in a safe position to land and not lose a life. Avoid obstacles, don't overdo the tricks, and maintain a good speed to get the most points. It doesn't take a lot to secure a high score in this game, so just focus on safely completing tricks. I tend to stick to the 4 pointers rather than risk the 8 pointers. I save the 8 pointers for going over waterfalls with a ramp. The faster you complete the game, the higher your time bonus will be. If you take too long however, usually more than 7 minutes, you'll notice your score actually starts going down! So don't dilly-dally trying to pull off tons of tricks, you have to make it through all the levels!
Power Ups & Equipment There are three main power orbs throughout the game: speed increase, invulnerability, and super jump. The speed increase orbs generally come in a line so you can catch multiple in a row and go super fast, invulnerability lets you hit an obstacle without losing a life, and the super jump gives you an opportunity to pull off some extra tricks while in the air. All orbs award points for collecting them. It is possible to obtain equipment outside of the game that will apply while you play. Many items can be purchased on the shop wizard or at Wonderous Weaponry in Shenkuu. Pack of Holding Awards you bonus points when you cross into a new level. Bracers Of Fury Creates a softer landing after you complete tricks. Boots Of Leaping Increase your jump/air time. Speed Beads Increase your speed Winged Talisman Decreases gravity and increases flight time. The more of these you are able to obtain, the better. The speed beads are useful for getting the best speed bonuses, but this one is better saved as your last priority. Combining the Bracers Of Fury with the Boots Of Leaping will do a lot for your game and helping you save all your lives to complete all levels.
Secret River There isn't just one river in all of Shenkuu, there are multiple suitable for surfing. You are even able to access a brand new river in River Rush! At some point during the game, you'll jump down off a waterfall and notice there is a second river crossing horizontally underneath the river you've been riding on. If you are able to maneuver yourself far enough left or right, you'll go off trail on the river you are on and land on this secret river! This secret river will offer an extra challenge, with a tight path and all new obstacles, and will eventually flow back into the main river so you can continue through the regular levels.
Wise Old Gnorbu Occasionally, you'll see the Wise Old Gnorbu show up. You may recognize him from the Lunar Temple. He's a huge fan of surfing and loves to head down to the river to cheer on the surfers. He won't offer you any bonuses or anything special, he's just there to support you and be your personal cheering section! He's a great motivator though and a good dose of moral support. I'll be cheering you on as well! This is an incredibly fun game, and one of the few fully 3D games available in Neopia. It has beautiful scenery, so try not to get too distracted on your way to a high score. With the tips and tricks in this guide, you'll be flying high in no time.
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