Context
[Quoted from manual]
Hi there! I'm Slick Wilson and we're here in the Bahamas getting ready to start the Personal Water Craft (PWC) "National Series" competition. Riders from all over the U.S. are here and you are invited to compete... if you think you're good enough. Just remember that there's only room for on at the top. If you can win the "National Series", you can test your skills against the best PWC racers in the world... and you're going to need all your racing techniques just to stay in the game. Let's get started!
Controls
Below is a list of controls. The function of each control for each section is listed to the right of it.
In-Game
| A | Use Turbo |
| B | Accelerate |
| Up | Press before jumps to make them shorter |
| Down | Press before jumps to make them longer |
| Left | Turns boat 22.5 degrees counter-clockwise |
| Right | Turns boat 22.5 degrees clockwise |
| Start | Pause Game |
| Select | No Use |
Basics
Accelerating and Turbo
Accelerating is done by pressing and holding the B button. There aren't any brakes in the game, which can make things substantially more difficult and will require you to think and plan ahead, so as not to enter a tight corner at too high a speed or crash into a slalom gate instead of moving through it.
Tapping the A button will allow you to use your turbo and gain a speed boost. The turbo bar is the black rectangle just above the course map that is slowly filled up by a white bar. The white of the bar represents the amount of turbo you have left. The turbo bar fills by itself over time. You shouldn't really be letting the bar fill completely because you're then wasting turbo that you could be using to help you win, but you may find it difficult to effectively use it all during a single course.
Because there are no brakes, using your turbo effectively can be difficult. Using it before any kind of corner, unless it's exceptionally easy, is generally a bad idea as you're likely to drive off the track and possibly run into an obstruction. For this reason, it's best to use it on the straight sections of a circuit course well before an upcoming corner. Stopping using it as you approach the corner so that you can let your boat slow down for it. If you need to slow down quickly, you can stop accelerating altogether. This may also be a good idea if you are confident that you can time it right and are finding it hard to use all the turbo that you're getting. This is because you can use your turbo and stay at higher speeds for longer and then drop down to the speed required to turn much quicker.
In Slalom Mode, you should only be using the turbo as a speed boost to get you closer to the next checkpoint. You should stop using the turbo well before the checkpoint though, as you generally need to be at a fairly low speed to accurately move through the checkpoint. Unless you're racing for the last checkpoint or something like that, you should find that you're not using the turbo nearly as much as you would be in Circuit Mode.
Turning
The direction you're facing changes each time you press Left or Right on the D-Pad. Pressing left turns you a cardinal point counter-clockwise (WNW to W), while pressing right turns you a cardinal point clockwise (ESE to SE). Each cardinal point is equivalent to 22.5 degrees, or one sixteenth of a full revolution.
Tapping the appropriate button the number of times needed is generally a more precise way to go that holding in the button to turn and is recommended unless the corner is very tight.
One direction usually lines up perfectly with any stretch of track that you'll find in a Circuit Mode course, so always find that direction as soon as you leave a corner, so that you're not wasting time.
When moving too quickly and turning too tightly, a PWC will begin to slide. Sliding is generally a bad thing as they slow the PWC down, but they generally can't be helped (unless the player currently has a Dolphin power-up in effect. Limiting sliding by keeping turns looser will help the player perform better.
Jumping
You can jump in-game by moving over the two-sided jump platforms. When you do, you earn a speed boost as you move through the air. You can also jump over buoys, which can be an invaluable tool.
Pressing Up or Down affects the distance of your jump. Its represents the rider shifting his weight forward or back on his PWC during a jump. If you push Up during a jump, you don't jump as far and your speed decreases as you hit the water. If you push Down during a jump, the PWC flies much further and doesn't decrease in speed when it hits the surface of the water. The only negative to doing this is that you can lose control of the PWC slightly when you land, but this isn't too much of a problem, so it's generally better to always press Down during a jump. The only real use for pressing Up when you jump is if you want to slow down immediately after a jump for a corner or something like that.
The Circuit Mode Map
The maps for courses in Circuit Mode aren't extremely well-explained, so a section is included to explain what the various symbols featured on the maps mean.
- The track itself is shown by a relatively thick black line that squiggles around the map screen.
- The two small triangles that appear near the track on the map indicate the direction of movement on the track by the direction that they point in.
- The thin vertical black line that moves up from beneath the track and cuts through some of it indicates the Finish Line.
- The thicker black line that leads into the track and curves off slightly at the end is the starting point of the track. The riders start on this track and move onto the main circuit in the direction that it curves on the map. The riders then continually driving around the circuit without ever entering this part of the track again.
- Some tracks feature to grey boxes on the bottom part of the map screen, these have no purpose whatsoever and just clutter up the map.
The Slalom Mode Map
The maps for courses in Slalom Mode are much simpler than the Circuit Mode maps, but an explanation will be given nonetheless.
- The little indent along the southern section of the map border is the starting position.
- The black squares are the checkpoints. They don't show which way the checkpoint is facing however. When they are passed through and points can no longer be earned from them, they fade out to the same shade of grey as the jump platforms.
- The dark grey lines show buoys that have been used as walls to make the courses harder.
- The small light grey rectangles are jump platforms which can be used for speed boosts and for jumping over buoy walls.
Divisions & Series
For both the Circuit and Slalom modes there are three divisions: 550cc, 650cc and 800cc. The higher the value of a division, the faster, and therefore more difficult to handle, the PWC will be. The number of races, and laps within each race for Circuit Mode, vary for each division. They are as follows:
- 550cc: 4 Courses, 2 Laps (Circuit Mode only)
- 650cc: 6 Courses, 3 Laps (Circuit Mode only)
- 800cc: 8 Courses, 4 laps (Circuit Mode only)
The 550cc division for both Circuit Mode and Slalom Mode is the only one available at the beginning of the game. You must unlock the 650cc and 800cc divisions by performing well in the division before it. Unlocking the next division doesn't require you to win the division, but to score a certain amount of points. The points required to unlock the next division change depending on the mode and your current division.
Circuit Mode
- National Series 550cc: 15 points to unlock National Series 650cc
- National Series 650cc: 23 points to unlock National Series 800cc
- National Series 800cc: 31 points to unlock World Series 550cc
- World Series 550cc:
- World Series 650cc:
- World Series 800cc:
Slalom Mode
- National Series 550cc: 12 points to unlock National Series 650cc
- National Series 650cc: 22 points to unlock National Series 800cc
- National Series 800cc: 38 points to unlock World Series 550cc
- World Series 550cc: 16 points to unlock World Series 650cc
- World Series 650cc: 30 points to unlock World Series 800cc
- World Series 800cc: 45 points to become Slalom World Champion
There are also two series, the National Series and the World Series. Once you complete the National Series for one mode type, the corresponding World Series is unlocked. You must then progress through that to fully complete the mode. Although you may think that the World Series would have better AI (it makes sense), but there's no noticeable difference in how opponents perform. The difficulty stems from the fact that you need to earn more points in the same amount of courses as the corresponding division of the National Series, meaning that you need to perform extremely well at a very consistent rate. As you've completed the National Series, you should have developed a pretty good skill set to tackle the World Series with, so it shouldn't be too hard.
To switch between the National and World Series, press 'Select' on the Division Selection Screen when the mode that you want to play is highlighted.
When you become World Champion for either mode, you will receive a special message, followed by a video of a near perfect run of the last course that you completed. As this replay shows, the credits will also roll. It's a novel and rather cool ending to the game.
Obstacles & Features
There are five obstacles and a feature within the game which all affect the PWC in different ways.
Buoys
- The most common obstacle in Wave Race, buoys simply act like walls. Touching them will cause a PWC to lose speed quickly and they will bump off them slightly. These should be avoided at all times. PWCs can jump over this by using a jump platform.
Pylons
- Both an obstacle and a feature, pylons have different roles depending on which mode is being played. In Circuit Mode, they must be driven around. If they display a smiley face after moving around them, it means that you're still driving correctly around the course. Pylons with flags on them make up the checkpoints for Slalom Mode and must be moved between to collect the point for that checkpoint. Both types of pylons act as buoys in terms of being an obstacle.
Shallows
- Shallows drastically slow a PWC when it moves through it. They look like little white clouds floating on the water (at least to me). Avoid these as much as possible, although they generally are game breakers.
Whirlpools
- Moving into a whirlpool will momentarily spin you around, before shooting you out in a random direction. Moving through one of these
Currents
- Currents push a PWC in the direction that it's pointing in.
Jump Platforms
- When a PWC moves onto these, they fly up into the air. The PWC moves faster through the air. Pushing the Up or Down when hitting the Jump Platform will affect the amount of hang time the PWC gets and will affect the speed it's at when it lands. It can be used to jump over buoys and other currents, shallows and whirlpools.
Octopuses & Dolphins
There are two power-ups within the game, which both have different uses. These are the Octopuses & Dolphins. Your first reaction to having an Octopus or Dolphin on the track is that it needs to be avoided, but hitting it does actually aid you. The effects of each power-up is explained below. If you ever see either of these power-ups, be sure to immediately collect them before another PWC does.
Octopuses
- Collecting an Octopus causes you to temporarily flash. Whilst flashing, the PWC can an amount of steal turbo boost from other PWCs by bumping into them. You can bump and steal turbo boost multiple times. Bumping does slow you down, so you need to balance stealing turbo with not being slowed down too much by stealing it.
Dolphins
- Collecting a Dolphin causes you to temporarily flash. Whilst flashing, the PWC won't slide at all, allowing you to corner much better. This is especially helpful for consecutive, tight corners. Whilst flashing, you're also impervious to the effects whirlpools, currents and shallows, meaning that you can pay less attention to these and more attention to getting first place.
In-Game HUD
Although the two HUDs in the two primary game modes are similar, there are still a few differences and some abbreviated words can be a little vague, so they will be explained below.
Circuit Mode
- The number displayed in front of your PWC is your current position. The display of this can be slightly delayed after you actually change positions, but for the most part it's accurate.
- The bottom left Minute:Second:Hundredths-of-a-Second display shows the total time that you've been racing since the green light was shown at the beginning of the race.
- The bottom centre Minute:Second display shows the amount of time remaining for you to complete the current lap.
- The bottom right Lap Count shows the number of laps remaining before you complete the course.
- Above the Lap Count is the Course Map. This displays various important and helpful information. See The Circuit Mode Map section for more information on it.
- Above the Course Map is the Turbo Bar. This shows the amount of turbo that you currently have. See the Accelerating and Turbo section for more information on how the turbo works.
Slalom Mode
- The bottom left Minute:Second:Hundredths-of-a-Second display shows the total time that you've been racing since the green light was shown at the beginning of the race.
- The bottom centre Points Cleared display shows the amount of checkpoints that have been cleared by you, and therefore the amount of points you have earned for this course.
- The bottom right Points Remaining display shows the amount of checkpoints that haven't been cleared yet by anyone and so can be used to earn points.
- Above the Points Cleared display is the Course Map. This displays various important and helpful information. See The Slalom Mode Map section for more information on it.
- Above the Course Map is the Turbo Bar. This shows the amount of turbo that you currently have. See the Accelerating and Turbo section for more information on how the turbo works.
