Introduction

Yam is a solider in the Potato Army. Many years ago the Potatos' Homeworld was invaded by a race of symbiotic cybernetic organisms. Since then the Potatos have faced a lifetime of war. Recently the Potato Army has decided to fall back, regroup and change their offensive strategy. But some soliders did not regroup. They were marked as Missing In Action and left. However one solider was not happy with this arrangement.

Yam made it his mission to go out and "Bring Our Boys Home". There had been enough loss of life already and Yam wanted to bring back as many soliders as possible, even if he died trying.

But one thing puzzled him. The aliens could have wiped out their planet in just a matter of months. But they hadn't. The aliens could have taken all the resources they wanted and left. But they hadn't. What were they really after? And why?

Controls

Title / Options

Arrow Up / Arrow DownChange menu selection
Arrow Left / Arrow RightChange menu option
Enter / Space / LCtrlAccept
EscapeBack

Hub

MouseMove Cursor
Left Mouse ButtonSelect Icon Option / Select Destination
Right Mouse ButtonDestination Information

In Game (whilst on the ground)

Arrow Left / RightMove Left / Right
Arrow UpJump
LCtrlFire
SpaceActivate Jetpack (once aquired)

In Game (whilst swimming)

Arrow Up / DownSwim Up / Down
Arrow Left / RightSwim Left / Right
LCtrlFire

In Game (General)

TabRadar Map
PPause Game
EscapeIn Game Menu

Misc

F10Toggle Full Screen
Alt + ReturnToggle Full Screen

Starting a New Game

From the Title screen select "Start New Game" then choose your difficulty level. Depending on the difficulty you choose the game will play in a different manner. Below is a table of how the difficulty level affects the game play,

Practice Optionally complete various tasks
Unlimited continues

(This is just a training level. It does not count toward the game)

Easy Rescue MIAs
No further objectives (no Boss missions either)
Few Enemies
Enemies spawn slowly and in few numbers
Enemies attack rarely
Normal Rescue MIAs
Complete additional required objectives
Normal number of enemies
Enemies spawn normally and in normal numbers
Enemies attack normally
Hard Rescue MIAs
Complete additional required objectives
Large numbers of enemies
Enemies spawn rapidly and in great numbers
Enemies attack constantly
Extreme Rescue ALL MIAs
Complete ALL Objectives
Large numbers of enemies
Enemies spawn rapidly and in greater numbers
Enemies attack constantly
You must complete the mission within a set time

(This setting cannot be attempted until you have complete the game once)

Keyboard Configuration

To change the controls select Keyboard Configuration from the Options screen.

The currently configured button will be displayed to the right of the action. To configure an action highlight the action you wish to set (using the arrow keys on the keyboard) and then press Return. The current button configuration entry will disappear and allow you to press the new key you wish to use. After doing so the new button will then be displayed.

Repeat this process until you have configured all the keys you wish to.

If you wish to test out your configuration and tweak the settings to your liking it is recommended that you start a game in Practice mode where you can easily tweak and buttons and test the output.

Joystick Configuration

Should you have a joystick / joypad connected then you will be able to configure the controls in this screen. The controls that can be configured map to the actions that can be performed in the game. eg - Up, Down, Left, Right, Fire, etc.

The currently configured button will be displayed to the right of the action. To configure a joypad action highlight the action you wish to set (using the arrow keys on the keyboard) and then press Return. The current button configuration entry will disappear and allow you to press the new button on your joystick. After doing so the new button will then be displayed.

Repeat this process until you have configured all the buttons you wish to.

If you wish to test out your configuration and tweak the settings to your liking it is recommended that you start a game in Practice mode where you can easily tweak and buttons and test the output.

Options

Various options are available to the player. These options can be set from the Title screen, the Hub or from In Game. Highlight an option by pressing the Up or Down arrow keys and then the Left or Right arrow keys in order to change the option's value.

FullscreenToggles fullscreen mode. Either Off or On.
Sound VolumeChanges sound volume. Slide the bar left or right to decrease or increase the sound volume.
Music VolumeChanges music volume. Slide the bar left or right to decrease or increase the music volume.
Output TypeChange the game's audio output type. You may select None, Mono or Stereo.
The game will have to be restarted in order for a change from Mono to Stereo to take effect.
Auto Save SlotSelects the save slot the game will auto save the game to. Choose from slots 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
BrightnessChanges the brightness. Slide the bar left or right to decrease or increase the brightness of the display.
Blood and GoreToggles the blood during gameplay. Either Off or On.
Configure KeyboardGo to the key configuration menu.
Configure JoysticksGo to the joystick configuration menu.
(disabled if no joysticks are detected)

How to Play

Playing Yam - The Killer Potato is very straight forward. If you have ever played games such as Super Mario Brothers then you will get the hang of the game very quickly. Yam - The Killer Potato has game play elements more closely related to The New Zealand Story though, since you have weapons with which to attack and can do other things such as swim.

You can move Yam around the game world by using the arrow keys (see Controls) and using left CTRL to fire your current weapon. Due to the nature of the game, there are no ammunition restrictions so you can use your current weapon as much as you want. Also note that it is not possible to manually change weapons. To change your weapon you must pick up a weapon icon.

Remember to keep an eye on your health (the red squares at the top of the screen). When you take damage you will lose a red square (or more depending on how you were damaged!). Yam is killed when all his health is depleted. At this point the game ends and you fail the mission. If you have reached a checkpoint before this time you will be given the option to continue (see Checkpoints). You get health back by picking up Cherries (a Potato staple diet). One Cherry restores on unit of health so grab them whenever you see them.

When swimming you have a limited amount of oxygen. Your current oxygen is represented by a set of blue squares to the right of your health. When you are underwater these squares are slowly removed. Once they run out your health will quickly begin to deplete, so don't stay underwater too long! You get oxygen back when you are out of the water.

Yam - The Killer Potato is divded into various missions, each with their own objectives. Depending on the level of difficulty you play on the number of objectives will change. For all difficulty levels you will be required to rescue a certain amount of MIAs. Other difficulty levels will have other objectives that you will be required to complete. See "Completing Missions" for more information.

Rescuing MIAs

To rescue an MIA you simply walk into them. They will then be automatically teleported back home. This however is not always easy. Since you can only rescue an MIA by walking into them, you must first be able to do so. Some MIAs will be in high places, others behind doors. You may have to over come certain obstacles and other factors before you can rescue them.

Objectives

As well as rescuing MIAs, some missions have other objectives. These can vary from finding objects, to defeating a certain enemies or number of enemies. Before a mission can be cleared you must first complete all the required objectives. Special objectives, such as Exiting a Mission, can only be achieved once all the other required objectives are completed. If that sounds complicated, don't worry, you'll get the idea! See "Completing Missions" for more information.

You can see a list of objectives by pressing "P" to pause the game. This will also show each objective's completion status, including how much more is needed to be done.

Completing Missions

In order to complete a mission in Yam - The Killer Potato, you will need to complete all the required objectives. For most missions this will involve rescuing a certain number of MIAs. The required objectives change depending on which level of difficulty you are playing on.

The mission "Grasslands" requires you to rescue 5 MIAs. If you have set the difficulty to Normal or above then you will also be required to find a Transmitter.

During the course of the mission you will receive checkpoints. These checkpoints allow you continue if you are killed during the mission. See below for more information.

Checkpoints

Upon completing objectives you will be awared a checkpoint. A checkpoint allows you to restart the mission from a certain point if you are killed during play. When you are presented with the Game Over text, pressing space will bring up the continue options. You may either restart from the last checkpoint or return to the title screen. If you did not reach a checkpoint when you are killed you will simply be taken back to the title screen without prompting.

Checkpoints are also awarded for rescuing half the number of required MIAs, all the required MIAs and the total MIAs on a mission. So, if you are required to rescue 12 MIAs you will receive a checkpoint after rescuing 6 and another for rescuing all 12.

When restarting you will restart from the location you were at when the checkpoint was awarded (or the last place where you were on solid ground). You will restart with half your full health and everything you did before you were killed will be the way it was (so, if you saved an MIA after a checkpoint and were killed before receiving another you won't have to rescue the MIA again). Checkpoints can only be used a maximum of 3 times. Everytime you receive a checkpoint notice you will be allowed to continue a further 3 times. The number of continues remaining is noted in brackets next to the Continue option.

Note that due to the nature of the game it is not possible to continue on Boss missions.

Game Over

The game ends when Yam is killed during a mission (his health is reduced to 0). At this point you will be presented with a Game Over message. If you have managed to receive a check point (from completing objectives) you will be given the option to return to this check point or quit to the title screen. Otherwise you will be taken back to the title screen.

Hub

The Hub is the place you will spend time between missions. The Hub allows you to select which mission you will next undertake and also give you information relating to the missions you have just done, which MIAs you have currently rescued and some overall game statistics.

The hub can be effectively divided into three different areas - The Map, the Destination Bar and the Action Bar

The main screen of the Hub is the map. The map will show various locations that can be visited (represented by animated red shapes). Placing the mouse cursor over these locations will show their name just above the cursor. To select a destination left click on the location. The Destination Bar will change to reflect the name destination you have choosen. Right clicking on the location will display statistics about the location (more on that in a minute!).

The Action Bar has 6 options - Start, Info, MIAs, Stats, Options and Quit.

Clicking on Start will allow you play the mission you have currently selected (as Selected Destination).

Info will display information about the destination you have selected. You will be shown how many MIAs you have rescued in that area and which objectives you have currently completed. This will be useful to you later in the game when you wish to revisit missions in order to complete them fully. A briefing is available for missions that have yet to be cleared and an objective summary is available afterwards.

MIAs displays a list of all the MIAs that you have and haven't currently rescued. The list is updated once an area is cleared. The list shows the MIAs names, locations and their status (Found or Missing). Like the Info screen this is useful for discovering what levels need to still be rescued. Click in the Left and Right arrows to scroll through the various pages.

Stats gives you some information on how you are currently doing in the game. Most of the information here is just for fun. There are three pages, giving various bits of information. One thing to note - You may notice that the Percentage Complete statistic fluctuates a lot. This is because this is a percentage of what is currently known and not an overall percentage. So you may notice that at one stage it says 60% and then after finishing a stage it says 55%!

Enemies

The aliens are now littered around the Potatos' homeworld. Most of them have taken over the bodies of Potato soliders and are using them for their evil purposes. Some others travel around in their robot housing. Most of the enemies are easily dealt with - A single shot will take them down. But what they lack in defence they make up for in weaponary. Here are just a couple of the enemies you may encounter,

Pistol Potato
Once a cadet in the Potato army this Potato has been assimilated by the alien's nano technology. Weak and poor shots, these Potatos can still cause Yam problems in large numbers. Their green colouring is the result of alien's assimilation process.
Eye Droid
A floating alien sentry. Given the ability to fly by its Anti Gav unit, it will attack Yam on sight. Easily downed... but keep a safe distance, these suckers explode!

Other Potatos, ariel and swimming enemies exist. Keep your eyes peeled...

Bosses

During the course of them game (except Easy) you will encounter Bosses. These are often Potatos that the aliens have experimented on and transformed into hidious creatures. They are a lot stronger than normal enemies, attack differently and are all very dangerous. Yam will have to confront each other these bosses before he can move on. In some cases the boss's base area will also contain a item that essential to Yam's progress within the game.

Galdov

Galdov is the alien leader. He looks strangely like the Potatos, except for the fact that he is entirely robotic. He has been dubbed Metal Potato by the Potatos for his appearence seems to harbour a secret to the Potatos past, the reason the aliens have attack their world and the myths and legends of "war".

A particular times in the game you will be required to battle Galdov. He is more powerful than regular enemies and has more weapons available at his disposal. Don't linger.

Weapons

There are five different weapons that Yam can get in Yam - The Killer Potato,

Pistol This is your standard weapon and the weapon that Yam always begins a mission with. Compared to the other weapons it seems rather wimpy due to its slow during rate. However it is the only weapon that can be fired underwater!
Machine Gun Somewhat the same as the pistol except for the high firing rate. This is a useful mission for clearing large numbers of enemies quickly.
Grenades Grenades bounce around and explode on contact. The explosion is enough to take out a few enemies within a small radius. Although grenades cannot be thrown underwater, it is possible to jump out of the water and throw a grenade. Careful timing can help to tkae out enemies in the water. The explosion from your own grenades cannot harm you, so don't worry. Grenades also have other uses, since they can be thrown into places Yam may not be able to normally access...
Laser Cannon Slow to fire but has the devestating effect of passing through the enemy it strikes. A single laser bolt can take out a great deal of enemies. It also bounces if it hits something solid, which means that it can strike enemies both in front and behind you!
Spread A three way spread weapon. It is good for taking out enemies above and below. Has a decent firing rate too!

Items

Besides the weapon pick ups there are also a couple of others you should be aware of,

Cherry A cherry will restore one unit of valuable health to you. Make sure you pick them up as soon as you see them. Cherries can also be found in pairs or in a large bunch, restoring 2 and 5 units of health respectively.
Keycards Keycards and keys are used to access doors and other places in the game. Search the levels carefully to find them.
Points These are points pods. They increase your score and come in various different flavours.

Aqua Lung and Jetpack

Two special unique items appear in the game - An Aqua Lung and a Jetpack. These two items are both essential for progressing further in missions and also for rescuing all the MIAs. Some missions will require you to have one of these two items so you can play them properly.

The Aqua Lung provides the player with an unlimited supply of oxygen, so you can stay underwater forever. You will then be able to reach MIAs and areas that you were previously unable to. There is no need to activate this item, it is used automatically when you enter water. You will also notice that there is no longer an oxygen meter at the top of the screen. Note that the Aqua Lung does not protect you from slime and lava.

The Jetpack allows the player to fly for a short time when it is activated. Press Space and then use the directional buttons to fly in the direction you desire. There are two things to note about the Jetpack - Unlike enemies, when flying Yam will suffer inertia... that is to say, if you are flying left and then push right you will have to slow down before you can begin flying right. You can however fly one way and shoot another using this technique. The second thing to note is that the Jetpack has an energy limit. Whilst it is activated it will lose power. The remaining power is shown at the top of the screen (in place of oxygen). When the power runs out, the Jetpack will automatically disengage. The Jetpack recharges whilst it is not in use. Note that the Jetpack cannot be reactivated if it has less than 3 units of power.

These items will become available as your progress through the game. They are unique so only need to be found once (so don't panic if you haven't found them, you can't miss them!).