Commander Keen: Marooned on Mars

The Story

Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons distributer box Billy Blaze, eight year-old genius, working diligently in his backyard clubhouse has created an interstellar starship from old soup cans, plastic cement and rubber tubing. While his folks are out on the town and the babysitter has fallen asleep, Billy travels into his backyard workshop, dons his brother's football helmet, and transforms into.

COMMANDER KEEN - Defender of Earth!

In his ship, the Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket, Keen dispenses galactic justice with an Iron Hand!

In this episode, aliens from the planet Vorticon VI find out about the eight year-old genius and plan his destruction. While Keen is out exploring the Mountains of Mars, the Vorticons steal vital parts of his ship and take them to distant Martian cities! Can Keen recover all the pieces of his ship and repel the Vorticon invasion? Will he make it back before his parents get home? Stay tuned!

Hints and Tips

First off, check out the Invasion of the Vorticons Hint Sheet

General Hints

Some places are only reachable by the pogo stick. It is wise to practice your pogo skills. "The Impossible Pogo Trick" is a trick that makes the game easier. How it works: walk or run in a direction, then press the pogo key, release it QUICKLY and press jump. You will pogo up and over at an angle that's not possible using any other method. In Episodes Two and Three, this technique is very valuable.
All good Commanders know when to save their progress. On the World Map, press F5, and select a save position from 1-9. You can continue your game from the title screen, just select Continue Game, and press the number of your previously saved game.
Conserve your ammo! If you can get past an enemy without firing, do it! You'll find this technique especially helpful in Episode Three, where you'll more than likely run out of weapon power if shoot everything that moves. Another useful technique is getting your enemies in between you and either a Tank Robot, a Guard Robot, or a Vorticon Women. More often than not, they'll get fried in the crossfire.
You can use your pogo stick to avoid going into the Exit door. Before you start leaving, activate your pogo, and you won't get sucked in. Use this to get goodies behind the exit.
Read the Signs, they give you invaluable hints (and a whole bunch of information you don't need).
Use your common sense! If it looks sharp, pokey, or otherwise harmful to you, it probably is!

Specific Hints:

Look for little white dots, these are the upper-left corners of hidden bricks, look out for, and use them! They lead to many secrets.
After completing the first city, you should go to the Pogo Shrine (it's the little grey shrine). There you'll find, surprise, surprise, 'The Holy Pogo Stick'! Also look for hidden bricks above the Exit Door.
The Hidden City is accessible through the Red Maze City (the eastern most city, on the dark side of mars). At the bottom of the maze city (near the yellow key card) is a dark area. Fall past two fire pits, and hold down right. Next, hop from the hidden brick to the ice cannon area. Then get into the ice cannon's line of fire, and finally get launched over and go into the teleporter (it'll probably take a few tries).
If there's a sign that says DIE, something nearby will try to kill you (no kidding).
You can get past all of the Vorticons without firing a shot, all it takes is a little practice:
- Joystick Guard: Go to the farthest right edge of the ledge below the exit (the one with a raygun on it). The Vorticon will go off the right edge, and plummet to his death.
- Car Battery Guard: Get him to follow you, and make him jump off the platform. Getting the Car Battery should now be easy as pie.
- Vacuum Cleaner Guard: Get the Vorticon to jump on the blue cylinders, and run underneath him, through the door.
- The Vorticon Commander (Guarding the Everclear): This is REALLY HARD to do without cheating, but possible. When he's over on the left side of the platform, climb up, and PRAY that he jumps high. If so, run quickly under him and over to the Teddy Bear. I only recommend you to do this if you feel the need to boost your ego. Otherwise, use a hidden brick to jump up on the huge block, and shoot the chain.
If you can somehow get past the Vorticon Commander using the above method, run into the exit without getting the Everclear. You'll truly be Marooned on Mars (you can't re-enter levels you have beaten)!