Walkthrough for Hikaru-GBA

Keywords: Software

Jasonred Due to the loss of the walkthrough/FAQ by gotenks, I am gonna try recompiling enough info to play(and finish) the game here... ikuze!

Game starts in Hikaru Shindo's room. Clicking the comic is Story Mode, The computer is your statistics page. And the door is the Go club, where you can play some games with Akari Fujisaki and Kimihiro Tsutsui. Later, once you've "beaten" opponents, you will get to play them here too. Beating them here raises your rank. I haven't figured out the specific formula required to raise your rank though. Also, the computer stores your high score against each opponent. For every rank you rise, you'll get some cool stuff for your room. I got a Hikaru plushie at 4 stars, and seem to have acquired a poster at some point (that's at three stars score). There's a Hikaru-type shirt, a picture, a Fujiwara-no-Sai statue in between. 8,9,10 seem to be trophies. I think the first few levels got you a Sai fan and a Goban.

If you get a rank of 10, you get the "one color go" option, where all stones LOOK the same color... confusing? You bet. You need to score over 3700 in a game to get from level 9 to 10. To do this, I played against Toya Meijin on a 13x13, with a 4 stone and 7 stone reverse komi handicap... beat him by 109.5 moku, and got 4275. hahahaha....Heck, even a DRAW with him gives you 3200 points or so on that setting... I was really annoyed, cause the computer couldn't calculate my score properly that time, I had almost all his groups dead as they stand, but it messed up and thought it was a draw, with no one getting any territory whatsoever... dumb...

After choosing your opponent, there's 8 options in a circle. Up is start game, up-right is choose board size: 9,13,19. Right is choose your colour: black, white, normal. Down-Right is handicap given to black.

Controls:

"A" to place stones
select and first option passes.
select and fourth option: resign
select and fifth option: undo move!
enter and first option to quit in the middle of Go games.

During the game, the purple scrolling things are in-game messages. When it mentions L or R, press the L or R buttons. It also flashes when the computer is "thinking", so just wait for it to finish. Sai will sometimes give advice, but I often try not to listen to him.

Story Mode: House in the middle is a tutorial, and seems to always be a tutorial. I skipped it: I have sensei's library! You have to enter it anyhow to continue the game. Leave it by choosing the last option (it's yellow) when asked about what to do. After that, you can click north for the new option place, where you play Akari (1 star) a couple of times in a semi demo/tutorial. You get forced moves, and a choice of 3 a couple of times. Problem solving exercise for newbies...

After that, I think you get another option in the place to the east. You get to play Hikaru in school with a 4 stone handicap! Your first real game! After beating him, also within the school, a new option opens up for you to practise assorted Go problems with Kimihiro Tsutsui (2 stars in free play) . Getting 5 correct lets you play Tetsuo Kaga (6 star) , also in school, with 2 stone handicap. On a 13x13 board too, so be prepared for the extra challenge presented!

Back to main map, back to middle section, talk to Akari at the Go school. Main map again, west section, click, and a new place, another quiz. Then it's time to play your first game without extra stones. 9x9 against Yuki Mitani (4) . No worries though, he's easy. When I played him, his tactic was "build one group, only one group!" Sadly, I killed all 17 stones with a snapback, so...

Haul him with you to Tsutsui in school, then back uptown West to a new location that's opened. We're gonna challenge Akira Toya (9) , woohoo! Even game, guess odd or even, 13x13. Good luck... BTW, this is gonna be a LONG game, as even OBVIOUS moves take him forever to decide on...

BUT IT'S NOT OVER!!! You can go to 3 hidden locations, there's one in each section of town and they become available while you progress during the game. Just move your pointer around and it'll show the names of some buildings. One is in the school, in the gym (big building to the lower left of the screen). The gym becomes available only after you beat Tetsuo Kaga. Don't know yet when the others become available: one is in the north of the first section, Heihachi Shindo (Hikaru's Grandpa, 5). Another is Kaio's captain, Kaoru Kishimoto (8) , in the South-West of the second section. Gramps asks you pretty tough quiz questions. The gym has Masako Kaneko, your only female opponent in the game. Beat the 3 star girl in an even 13x13. (I consider Akari not even an opponent...) The guy in glasses plays 19x19, with a 4 stone handicap. Wait til you have a LOT of free time before challenging him...

Final attack will be Toya Meijin (10) ! He's in a hidden in the West Section, on the west side. He plays on a 19x19, and he gives you black... Not realising he's not your match, especially if you visit this Sensei's Library regularly. Trounce him! Your reward is waiting in your bedroom... a booklet on the floor with more quiz questions. EVERY question is there in the book, up down changes difficulty level, left right changes question number.

I'm guessing you can play Sai who is 11 stars, but not sure how... I think you have to CLEAR every question in the Meijin's booklet though. After you do the 300 questions (100 on 3 difficulties), you get 30 reasonably hard questions. (Or maybe they're really hard, but 300 tsumego questions in a row gave me an edge?)

Then, urm, something else? I'm a 10 star now, and I still don't know what to do next...

Apparently, everyone has their own "special moves" and stuff when they think they've performed an expecially brilliant move. I didn't know this cause I slaughtered everyone until now... sigh... free play mode, I guess. Wonder how many stones I'll have to give Akari before I get to see her Special?

FYI: How strong is the computer? Well, Touya Meijin is probably around 24 kyu, and the rest are even weaker... Akari is actually the most challenging for me to play; it's like, which mistake do I exploit FIRST? Kill this group, or this group? Invade with no hope of stopping me, or mess up her shape?

Just to add one clarification: this is for the first version of the game. Also, the computer is pretty weak against manego, so for players who's more an anime fan than a go player, this may help you through some of the levels.

Jasonred shhh... don't tell them that, let them improve their skills through playing over and over... besides, anyone who even knows what manego is can probably win easily. I'm more an anime fan than a go player. The writer for Hikaru manga beat Meijin on a 9x9 even giving him a 3 stone handicap... merely visiting the esteemed Sensei's Library immediately qualifies you to beat the game with one eye shut. (blatant plug there)

ANYHOW, the only bit of skill required in manego is to know when to stop! The problem with your suggestion is, they won't know WHEN to stop! Or what to do after that, since they've been playing with no particular plan...

I'd really like to know if there's a way to play Sai... Even the Japanese walkthroughs seemed to think there was no way to get to him, but the scoreboard section lists 11 opponents which seems to indicate that it IS possible somehow. Score caps at 6000, so maybe you need to get that much points in a one-color game against a certain opponent. Most likely this will be in a story mode game. Maybe the Meijin or Akira.

Also, has anyone else noticed that the opponents all seem to respond exactly the same? It seems that you can literally replay a game if you remember the moves. So far I haven't found anyone who differs from this rule. Hm, maybe you need to beat someone with an actual game from Hikaru no Go. Anywho, just my two cents :P

Light Samurai?: Is anyone willing to make a english translation of the ROM? Just wondering. thanks.

Carracuca Smith?: Yes, but is still in an early stage. (I don't know how to make an hyperlink, sorry) It's here: [ext] http://www.700km.com.br/mundobizarro/hikaru.php.

The computer in your bedroom can also be used to review kifu of the games you've played in free-play mode. After each game, you are asked if you want to save a kifu. If you choose to save, you can review the game later on the computer.

ViciousMan: So, is this a complete listing of the characters in the game by their power levels?

"1 - Akari Fujisaki 2 - Kimihiro Tsutsui 3 - Masako Kaneko 4 - Yuki Mitani 5 - Heihachi Shindo (Hikaru's grandfather) 6 - Tetsuo Kaga 7 - Hikaru Shindo 8 - Kaoru Kishimoto 9 - Akira Toya 10 - Toya Meijin (Koyo Toya) 11 - Fujiwara-no-Sai"

If so, I would like to post this onto the Handheld page. Also, is it okay if I touch your text up on naming and wikify the article to point to HnG characters?

Nefeste: I didn't find any characters strength, but [ext] http://www.hikarunogoworld.com/hngw_echelleniveau_eng.php?PHPSESSID=d68ab55a1691c01038e246926e72e8f7. So my ranks are here:

10 kyu* Akari Fujisaki

9 kyu Koike Hitoshi

8 kyu Kimihiro Tsutsui

7 kyu Kaneko-chan Masako

6 kyu ? didn't find suitable char.

5 kyu ? didn't find suitable char.

4 kyu Yuki Mitani

3 kyu Shindo's Grandpa

2 kyu Tetsuo Kaga

1 kyu Kawai-san

1 Dan Kishimoto Kaoru