Clash at Demonhead (NES) - RetroAchievements/guides GitHub Wiki
| Set Difficulty | 5/10 |
| Approximate time to master | Around 8 hours |
| Minimum numbers of playthroughs needed | 2 (one where Joe is not talked to death, one where he is which is also a password-less/no-shop run) |
| Number of missable achievements | 16* |
| Does difficulty affect achievements? | No |
| Hardest achievement of the set | Bang and Joe's Bogus Clash |
* Most are pretty straightforward and this guide assumes you do them on your first playthrough, if not then on your second
Clash at Demonhead is an open-ended platformer. The player takes control of Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, who is capable of running, jumping, and shooting. He is initially armed with a handgun, though various upgrades can be purchased from a shop, such as the boomerang gun. He later gains the ability to perform various powers by collecting Force, including shrinking, teleportation to previously-visited areas, flight, healing, and invincibility. The game is divided into a number of smaller stages, each representing a point on the over-world map. There are over 40 routes the player can take in the game, and the player must explore the world to progress. The game is non-linear in that the player can choose which direction they go, being allowed to backtrack and visit different stages.
Clash at Demonhead comes with a total of 42 achievements, developed by psyduck. A really fun set that encourages multiple playthroughs, and I have made this guide to give you a roadmap of how to best approach these playthroughs to optimize your time spent. The difficulty is very fair, and the achievements all have some interesting challenges to them, such as a different one for each boss, out-of-order achievements, and some unique challenges related to the routes. A set I can highly recommend to everyone!
Step 1: First Playthrough (11 missable)
The first playthrough is intended to just have fun and get a good feeling of the game. Passwords can be created- and used at any time you please, as none of these achievements need to be done without passwords. The most important aspect of this playthrough is to not talk Joe to death. Joe is the reason you will need at minimum two playthroughs, and preventing it here means you can do it in the second playthrough where it is required.
Although this first playthrough technically has 11 missable achievements, most of these can be done on any of the two playthroughs. It's just more convenient on the first since you are allowed to make passwords everywhere. Most of these are for boss challenges, so you know when to make a password if necessary. You can die as often as you want too, so feel free to die at these bosses to reset the challenge. Just have fun during this playthrough and check afterwards to see if you've missed some, which you can then eventually decide to do on your second playthrough.
As mentioned, this is the only achievement you must strive to get on your first playthrough:
- Everybody Lives (25) - Don't let Joe die.
Step 2: Second Playthrough (5 missable)
The second playthrough is the challenge playthrough, where you absolutely must avoid using passwords and also avoid using shops. The missable achievements in this playthrough can also be done on your first, but given that you have more knowledge of this game, they will be easier to do during the challenge run. Feel free to also do some missable achievements you missed during your first playthrough on this one if you didn't make passwords for them.
The general structure of this playthrough is as follows:
- More Like Tom Latecot (5) - Visit Tom in his desert fortress without having released the demon.
- Bang and Michael's Excellent Clash (25) - Visit Michael at all locations, find the treasure, and revive the demon all without letting your Health/Power meter go to 0.
- Thanks For Reminding Me! (5) - Defeat Bopper during his second encounter without having 5 medallions yet.
The other two achievements are for doing a no-password run, and a no-shop/no-password run where you talk Joe to death.
These achievements can be done during any playthrough, several of which you will most likely get automatically by just playing the game. If not, just load any of your passwords or quickly start a new playthrough as they are done fairly quickly. There are no spoilers in them, so check them out before playing so you are aware of them.
P.S.A. that both Demonhead II: The Search For More Money (10) and Hokuto Apples Have No Equals (10) are password blocked, so they must be done during either of your playthroughs.
Gazh-ooks! (5) Scrap the scrappy lizard
Story related, can not be missed. Gazh is found on Route 11. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
A Vicious Cycle (10) Blow up Gazh without jumping via A button during the fight
-=MISSABLE=-
The first boss you'll (most likely) be facing, as it's the one closest to the starting route. The strategy for this one is fairly simple: Stay on the opposite side of the arena and shoot him. Once he gets hurt, he'll start moving up and down shooting projectiles. Remain on the ground and shoot the projectile coming your way, and duck to avoid the one that will barely hit your head. Once he is getting close to you, just walk under him to the opposite side and repeat the process.
Since bosses are doable in any order, you can come back later once you have more health if the boss is giving you too much trouble. Alternatively, you can use the Super Suit to reduce damage taken, and weapons to dish out more. The Big Shot specifically will also take out more projectiles and reduce the necessity to duck.
Sad Soda Statue (5) A grieving sprite reveals the hidden path to Route 35
Story related, can not be missed. The sprite is found at the end of Route 17.
Rowdy Pays The Piper (5) Rescue the Hermit from the clutches of Rowdy
Story related, can not be missed. Rowdy is found on Route 35. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Bowling For Demons, Perfect Game! (10) Roll exactly 15 Powerballs in Rowdy's camp and damage him with every strike, without Bang being struck back
-=MISSABLE=-
Most likely the boss challenge you'll have the least amount of problems with. Rowdy's weak point is his legs, so just shoot a Powerball and do it 15 times without missing a single one. The simple strategy is to just shoot one, then jump over him when he approaches you, turn around and shoot another Powerball, rinse and repeat. There's nothing more to it really. Just make sure you remember his speed changes when he gets closer to you, as you can not take a single hit.
Madder Max (5) Make Max bite the dust, too
Story related, can not be missed. Max is on Route 7. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Beyond Tinydome (10) Enter Max's room with Micro Power and keep it active the entire fight
-=MISSABLE=-
I highly recommend the Big Shot weapon for this boss, as it will make the second phase a lot more bearable. When you enter the room minimized, you have to let him increase in size first by hitting him a few times. During this phase he cannot hurt you, until he starts flying. Once he does, stay in the middle of the room and shoot the minions with the Big Shot. After all 9 of them are killed, he'll move down and start running around the room, jumping over you when he approaches you. Fortunately due to your minimized size, he will never be able to hurt you as long as you don't jump when he's close to you. So the strategy for this final phase is simple: after he jumps over you, do a tiny hop and shoot your blaster, then remain grounded until he jumps over you, rinse and repeat. Remember, you lose your Micro Power after taking a single hit, so this is essentially a damageless achievement.
Monster Mush (5) Mash the mushroom gang
Story related, can not be missed. Mush is on Route 16. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
No Fun In Fungi (10) Outdance Mush and his troupe by only using Rolling Star as damage, and avoiding any injuries
-=MISSABLE=-
I'm not 100% sure if the troupe is part of this achievement (they disappear permanently after all three are killed), but given that the achievement names them, it's better to be safe than sorry so make a password before the boss battle just in case. To be safe, make sure you have two Rolling Star weapons before entering the room, as the troupe is a bit annoying to kill if you don't do it right away before they start attacking. After they are dealt with, the main boss is up. Once you attack the main body, he will throw his mushroom head towards you which is what you actually need to hit for it to take damage. Throw one Rolling Star to the main body, then duck and throw two at the mushroom, then jump over it. When it comes back on screen, let it come towards you horizontally, then when it's close take a small step forward so you don't get hit when it crashes down. When it goes up, walk to the left so you avoid its bombing attack. This pattern may take some getting used to, but once you have the rhythm down, it should be over fairly quickly.
Sunken Shark (5) Fish is back on the menu
Story related, can not be missed. Mush is underwater on Route 28. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Sea Quench Breaker (10) Swim into Shark's base and win the battle without wearing an Aqua Lung or restoring life
-=MISSABLE=-
Given that all bosses can be done in any order, try to keep this one for as late as possible. You can increase your health meter two more times after the mandatory upgrade from the hermit, and you will need as many as you can. Additional recommendations for this boss are the Super Suit for reduced damage taken by the boss' attacks, and the Big Shot weapon for damage and spread--although the normal weapon will also do just fine. There isn't much more advice to give beyond just spamming the attack button on the shark boss, who moves around the screen but usually remains close to the same vertical position. It won't take too many hits to bring her down, so with a maxed-out health gauge this shouldn't be too troublesome.
The ExPandarbles (5) Learn how to get to the Desert Fortress, then blow everyone up
Pandar is an optional boss found on Route 31. Defeat the fake girlfriend and Pandar himself for the achievement. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Ancient Bearial Ground (10) Quickly exorcise Pandar before more than ten extra heads are summoned
-=MISSABLE=-
This achievement applies to the final phase of Pandar. After having dealt with the two pandas up top, they fuse together and head for the ground. What I can recommend for this achievement is to have the Jet Suit, then hover near his head and just empty your guns as quickly as possible. The normal weapon is perfect for this due to its high fire rate, but I personally did it with the Big Shot weapon to prevent the initial extra heads from hitting me and that also worked fine so you have some wriggling room.
Epic Rival Climax! Bang vs. Tom Guycot (5) Do we... avenge him now?
Story related, can not be missed. After having unleashed the Demon, head towards the desert through the well on Route 15 (or 40) and enter the desert fortress on Route 33.
Demolish Demon (10) Vanquish the Demon with Apollo's Sword and take back the stolen Medallion
Story related, can not be missed. The Demon is found on Route 39. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Oh, That Apollo? (10) Last 13 seconds without the Sword of Apollo equipped
-=MISSABLE=-
Although it may be very tempting to stay away as far as you can from the Demon eye, consider staying close to it near the middle of the screen. The closer you are to it, the slower its projectile fires and the easier it is to dodge. Do be careful when it's on the lower side; walk away from it when it is, and you should be fine.
Bopped Bopper (10) Thank Bopper for the clue by wrecking his ride
Story related, can not be missed. Bopper is found on Route 21. There is no boss challenge for this encounter.
Blitz Beat Bop (10) Win the second fight with Bopper in under 30 seconds, hitting only with Thundershot
-=MISSABLE=-
The most safe approach to this boss battle is to equip yourself with the Super Suit and just tank his hits while firing the Thundershot standing in front of him. When at full health, he will not be able to kill you, so just keep firing away. Alternatively you can also use the Jet Suit to hover near his face (the weak point) and then fire, but the former method should work just fine.
That Doesn't Sound Suspicious At All (5) Do what he says before he goes
Story related, can not be missed. Once you find Professor Plum at the top of the mountain and he asks you for the medallions, just approach him and the achievement will pop.
No Time For Boss Exposition (5) Since both of you are in a hurry, go ahead and end his scheme
Story related, can not be missed. Triggers after the final battle with Boss. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Use The Apples, Bang (10) Put your faith in only your trusty zapper and the Force
-=MISSABLE=-
As the description says, you can only use your zapper and the Force. No weapons or suits are allowed for this boss battle. You need to have unlocked the levitation hermit magic at the very least to take on this challenge, which requires getting 300 Force at once. If you want to make this battle especially easy though, grind to 400/500 for the healing/invincibility spells, engage the battle with a lot of Force saved up, and this will be a cake walk. He doesn't do a lot of damage, so just use levitate on both sides of the purple balls and mash the attack button, then do so for the signaler underneath the robot. Of course, do be wary that one hit removes your levitation so if you are low on force, you can also consider taking out the left purple ball by climbing the wall and shooting from there repeatedly.
vs. The World (5) Find out who is really behind it all, and why they wanted Professor Plum
Story related, can not be missed. Triggers shortly after the final battle with Boss. See achievement below for the boss challenge.
Doomsday Doomed (10) The world-ending bomb was no match for Bang's manic medallion mashing!
I'm assuming you can fail this achievement by failing the medallion segment so it's technically missable, but just take it slow and you should be a-okay. You need to fit each medallion into the spot they belong in, which is exactly like playing Mastermind. If a medallion fits, it will remain there while the invalid choices will be returned to you. Everyone has their own strategy for this, but I just throw in the medallions in the order you see them, then move all of them a spot to the right after every failed attempt until I've figured it out. You only have about 5 chances, but that should be enough.
Everybody Lives (25) Find Joe, learn his scouting intel, and save the world- don't talk him to death
-=MISSABLE=-
The reason why you need at the very least two playthroughs. If you are not doing a no-shop run, do NOT talk Joe to death. Talk to him once, leave, and never return. He'll be fine, don't worry. Once you beat the game, the achievement will pop.
Hollywood Ending (50) Save the world with less than 2 seconds to spare!
-=MISSABLE=-
Same as Doomsday Doomed, just wait with actually solving the puzzle until the timer hits 200 or below.
More Like Tom Latecot (5) Get to the Desert Fortress before Tom Guycot is ready
-=MISSABLE=-
You can also do this on your first playthrough, but since under normal circumstances you probably won't know about the well in Route 15 leading to the desert, it's best saved for the second playthrough. In whichever playthrough you decide to do it, go down the well and enter the Desert Fortress before having released the Demon and having defeated all other bosses. Once you're in, walk up to the floating guy and the achievement will pop.
Bang and Michael's Excellent Clash (25) Find Michael and follow his adventure for treasure to it's very end, while keeping Bang's Power from ever being critically low
-=MISSABLE=-
Also technically doable on your first playthrough, but better to be saved for a second when you are familiar with the routes, enemies, and health management. Remember, you need the Super Suit to reach the treasure, which you can only get during a no-shop run by talking Joe to death. Since Michael is on all avoidable routes (3, 15, 27), you can decide to keep this until after you have gained the suit and have increased your power/unlocked hermit spells with enough Force gained, since you are not allowed to have 0 Health or a death during this achievement. Once you feel ready, head to the first before-mentioned route and follow it in sequential order, healing whenever your HP becomes low. The quickest path to take is only 7 routes, so be careful and you should be fine with emergency heals available. Of course, you can also farm some enemies in a good spot if you feel your Health gets too low.
Thanks For Reminding Me (5) Fight Bopper a second time before you have the other five Medallions
-=MISSABLE=-
Again, technically doable during your first playthrough, but you probably wouldn't know about it unless you've actively looked it up. Head to the top of the mountain and fight Bopper there without having received all five medallions beforehand. Once you beat the boss he'll just not let you pass, so you can return at any time.
199X: Towards The Future (25) Reunite with Mary and Commander at the end as a true Action Hero does - no passwords used!
-=MISSABLE=-
As the description implies, you need to beat the game without having used passwords. Since the goal of the second playthrough is to beat it without using shops- and passwords anyway, this should be a free unlock.
Bang and Joe's Bogus Clash (50) Rely on Joe's power and fight twice as hard to save the world start to finish- no shop visits, no password
-=MISSABLE=-
This is a fairly challenging run to do, so make sure you are prepared. You are not allowed to visit a shop, and the resources you have are therefore also limited. Before you start this run, make absolutely sure you keep the Super Suit obtained from talking Joe to death for collecting the Magic Stone. If you don't, you cannot finish this run.
- Play the game as normal, kill the first few bosses and obtain the ability to use Hermit magic. At this point, you can decide to grind Force for a while to obtain all spells, or keep going for a while. Having access to spells is not necessary, but it can be beneficial as a source of healing, teleportation, and levitation. The former is especially useful for underwater segments without the Aqua Lung.
- Once you have rescued the hermit, continue onwards to Joe on Route 32 while potentially doing some achievements along the way. Recommended is to keep the Shark boss until after you have rescued Joe and have done the Demon-related part of the story, since you only have one Aqua Lung to use during your playthrough and you may or may not want to choose it somewhere else. I personally used it at the Shark boss and just went through every other water section with full health while using Force to heal myself if necessary.
- Talk Joe to death. You do this by talking to him, leaving and re-entering the screen, talking to him again, and repeating this until he is just a pile of bones. He will give you one of each suit. Remember, absolutely make sure not to use the Super Suit anywhere else other than for the Magic Stone.
- Start the Magic Stone sidequest. I discovered this the hard way, but the Magic Stone will NOT appear under the lava if you have not followed Michael on all three routes beforehand, so make sure you do this.
From here on out, the playthrough is pretty straightforward. You do not need to kill Pandar this playthrough, so just skip him. With access to levitation you technically won't ever need the Jet Suit, but it's always handy to keep it until you actually need it, like getting to the top of the mountain. As mentioned, the Aqua Lung is also technically never required, but it will save you a lot of trouble during either the Shark boss battle, or some longer underwater sections.
Bring Your 'A' Game (by not pressing B) (5) Chat with Tom Guycot before you ever fire a shot or take damage
In the very first stage, you need to chat with Tom Guycot (the skeleton) without firing a single shot or taking damage. For the first part, trick the first missile into going upwards by jumping high a few times, then you can go under them as well as the jumper closely after. For the encounter, stay away as far as possible from Tom and jump when he get to you. Do this two times and the achievement is yours.
Lead Into Gold (5) Because he led you to the gold, you see...
On route 15, you'll meet a guy telling you that there's a mine in which you'll find gold that can be exchanged elsewhere. Buy the Aqua Lung from the shop here (stand on the edge of the "Welcome" sign), then dive in the water and make your way to the end. You'll eventually go down a cave, with the final screen triggering this achievement. This is also where you want to farm the 99 gold for another achievement.
Bang, That's Not How Reading Works (5) Put the words in your head from the letters of Jake, Pandar, and Commander
There are a total of three letters to be found. Jake's letter is on Route 6 near the end, Pandar's letter is mandatory and can be found on Route 18, with the final letter from the Commander being outside the gold exchange shop on Route 22.
Shonen Jumper (10) Traverse Route 12 and 17 staying out of pits and water, while not using suits, boots, or Force
Start from the left side of Route 12 and make your way to the right. This level generally should not give you any trouble, as the platforms above water are fairly generous with the jumps. Route 17 is a bit more annoying however, as you need to be on the very edge of the platforms for some jumps, while also not being too close to the top of the screen since that will kill your momentum. Generally for the latter Route the moving platforms align in such a way that you will always be able to make the jump the first time you get on it, so take that to your advantage as when you do not jump, you might have to wait a bit for the platform to align better for the jump. The final three-four platforms are notorious for this.
Shonen Skipper (10) Skip across the water on Route 28 without falling in from the left entrance to the Fin Statue- and not using suits, boots, or Force
This is a tricky achievement. First of all, get a sense of the rhythm at which you need to jump. When your body almost touches the water, press the jump button to do a skip. The timing will be consistent for every jump, so keep pressing the button at the same interval to make it across. A very important tip for this achievement is to use the Guard Crystal weapon, a barrier that protects you from the enemies floating above the water. Unless you change your keybinds, shooting while keeping the jump rhythm going is very tough so the barrier will make it easier. From the very left of the screen, jump on the water and keep this going for around ~20 to 30 jumps. Land on the big fun in the middle, and the achievement is yours.
(The barrier lasts longer than showcased below, it was just a lucky attempt)
Fighting Robots, Mega Bang! (10) Wear one Supersuit from one end of Route 29 to the other
Start from one end of Route 29 and go to the other wearing the Super Suit. It doesn't really matter from where you start, though I'd say the left side is slightly easier. The Super Suit can take a select amount of hits before it is destroyed, so be wary of the missiles coming out of the launch pads. Generally aside from those missiles, this achievement shouldn't be too troublesome.
Abridged Mountain King (5) Let the troll of Demonhead Mountain fall and take his place
The troll can be found on the left side of Route 42, going up the mountain. Make sure you have enough health, then scale the mountain until you reach his place, shoot at him a few times and let him stomp you down. Repeat this for a few cycles, after which he fill fall down himself. Then stand on the plateau the troll was standing on to earn the achievement.
Likely, A Grue (5) Find and destroy the invisible monster in the pink pit of darkness
The invisible monster is on Route 6, below where you find Jake's letter. Go down here and shoot where the projectiles are coming from to defeat the invisible enemy.
Thanks, Worth The Second Visit (5) Find the clue about Route 13 (that your map already tells you)
Near the end of Route 10 is where you can go up a screen to find a house where monsters have broken in. Defeat these monsters, talk to the man inside, then leave and re-enter. On second conversation, he will give you the clue.
Come Again! (10) Visit the shop 30 times for a 50% discount
You can visit the shop on Route 15 by standing on the "Welcome" sign at the edge, or by using the tickets you can buy from the shop. You may get this over time, but if not, just keep re-entering the Route 15 screen, enter and leave the shop, and it will pop on the 30th time with special dialogue indicating you that you did.
Demonhead II: The Search For More Money (10) Gather 99 gold and unload it at Susie's Exchange all at once
Remember the gold mine from Lead into Gold? Farm 99 gold here (you can check your inventory menu to see how many you have), then head to Route 22. Enter the house and pick any of the two options to dump all your gold.
Hokuto Apples Have No Equal (10) Gather Force to unlock the five Hermit's abilities
Force is dropped by enemies as apples for 10 at a time. It's a long grind and you also lose some upon death, so you might opt to instead buy the Dyna Punches from the shop which give 15 Force each. You need a total of 500 Force at once to unlock all five of the Hermit's abilities.