Advice for a Shape Shifter longplay

[spenoza]

I'm thinking about doing a longplay for Cubex55's longplay channel on YouTube of Shape Shifter. Any advice where I can look to make sure I don't waffle around too much getting lost so it doesn't get too boring?

Also, I'm going to try using BizHawk instead of PCEjin since PCEjin has screwed up PSG volume levels. Hopefully BizHawk won't have the same problems. If it does I'll just use mednafenRR.

[CrackTiger]

Play through it once before doing a recorded play through. When I decided to add boss screenshots to my map, I played through again without the invibcibility trick and it took an hour or less (it seemed). I knew exactly where to go, which platforms to jump from and how to deal with every enemy.

https://www.superpcenginegrafx.net/img/shapeshiftermap.jpg

http://www.gamefaqs.com/turbocd/563793-shapeshifter-makai-eiyuuden/faqs/36655

[spenoza]

Did a trial run. Ran out of lives after the cat temple. Lost 2 lives on the temple alone. Lost too many getting back out of the area where I got the cat form. I like this game, but the platform mechanics are just so fiddly. Too many places where you slip once higher up and you can't stop slipping all the way to your death. Too many cheap deaths that way. So much potential, but nuh!

[nat]

People always complain about the cat's controls, but I like them. The cat phase of the game is like the R-Type of platformers. You have to memorize basically exactly where to jump to get through, and once you've got it down, it flows so fluidly. Give it a few more tries, you'll get it.

[SuperDeadite]

cubex55 channel fully endorses save states, almost every vid on it uses them, so yeah...

[spenoza]

Oh yeah, this will be a tool-assisted run. I'll use BT's fantastic materials to make sure I'm not wandering around blindly or redundantly. Nat, happened to me a couple times with the regular human form, too. It's not as much a problem with the long jumps. It's the short ones. Just because there's ways to mitigate the harm doesn't mean the mechanics aren't problematic.

[rag-time4]

People always complain about the cat's controls, but I like them. The cat phase of the game is like the R-Type of platformers. You have to memorize basically exactly where to jump to get through, and once you've got it down, it flows so fluidly. Give it a few more tries, you'll get it.

I loved the panther form! Was the best part of the game for me. I found that they key was landing all four paws on a given platform.