The story is quite simple: You are the failsafe device to protect the surface world of Contra should any emergency develop that would cause the planet control devices to fail (these are underground in a complex where you live suspended in a cryogenic tube, awaiting a disaster). Of course, a disaster develops as soon as you boot up the disk! You are awakened to find that there has been an earthquake that has damaged the cables in the Primary and Secondary Channels.
You have six different robots at your command. These robots all enjoy different skills and abilities. Each one represents a different sense.Iris: The sense of sight, Waldo: The sense of touch and dexterity, Sensa: Perceives things magnetic and electronic, Poet: Perceives things electronic and can diagnose electrical flows, Whiz: Commands the computer and can do errands, Auda: The sense of hearing.
The trick to winning "Suspended" is assigning the right task to the right robot. Also, the right robot has to be at the right place at the right time. This is called critical path planning, and is the secret of "Suspended."
In the standard game, there are a few real-time events to be aware of:
The following commands get you through the game in less than 70 moves. As a result, they give little aid in the event that you finish the game in more than that time. The game changes considerably after the 75th move. There are many problems that surface after that time, and these clues do nothing to help you.
Let's get started!
NUMBER 1 POET,GO TO WEATHER CONTROL, NUMBER 2 SENSA,GO TO SUB SUPPLY ROOM, NUMBER 3 WHIZ,GO TO SECONDARY CHANNEL, NUMBER 4 SENSA, TAKE RAMP, NUMBER 5 SENSA, GO WEST, NUMBER 6 SENSA, TAKE CONTAINER AND GRASPER, NUMBER 7 SENSA, GO TO HALLWAY JUNCTION, NUMBER 8 WALDO, GO TO HALLWAY JUNCTION, NUMBER 9 AUDA, GO TO GAMMA REPAIR.
The above moves set the game up. Poet is needed to turn the weather control off; this minimizes deaths at the surface (your primary goal). Sensa gets the ramp that is needed to allow the robots to go from one level to another. Auda is sent to the Gamma Repair area because she will be needed later and, without the humans coming for a while, there is nothing that can be done with her anyway. Waldo is sent to the Hallway Junction to meet Sensa and take the container and grasper on his way to fixing Iris who is reported to be out of order.
Now, enter your second set of commands:
NUMBER 10 POET, TURN SECOND DIAL TO 100, NUMBER 11 POET, GO TO HALLWAY END, NUMBER 12 IRIS, GO TO MAIN SUPPLY ROOM, NUMBER 13 SENSA, PUT RAMP AT DROPOFF, NUMBER 14 AUDA, LISTEN, NUMBER 15 WALDO, TAKE CONTAINER AND GRASPER, NUMBER 16 WALDO, GO TO MAIN SUPPLY, NUMBER 17 WALDO, INSTALL GRASPER, NUMBER 18 WALDO, TAKE RED IC AND YELLOW IC, NUMBER 19 SENSA, GO NORTH, NUMBER 20 SENSA, TAKE RAMP.
Once Poet got to the Weather Control, he had to reset the faulty control to 100. This is only a temporary fix because if you let the game go on too long, all hell will break loose with various disasters and accidents occuring which you will not be able to control. Poet is then sent to the Hallway End where he will be used to get the TV camera needed later. Iris is sent to the Main Supply Room where she can be fixed when Waldo arrives. She will also help Waldo repair the machine there. Sensa, upon arriving, puts the ramp in place so that Auda can get to Gamma Repair and so that she and Poet can get to the other level. Waldo is handed the grasper and container which he installs. This is done now to save moves later.
NUMBER 21 SENSA, GO TO SMALL SUPPLY, NUMBER 22 WALDO, OPEN PANEL, NUMBER 23 WALDO, REPLACE ROUGH DEVICE WITH ROUGH OBJECT, NUMBER 24 WALDO, CLOSE PANEL, NUMBER 25 POET, GET IN CAR, NUMBER 26 POET, GET OUT OF CAR, NUMBER 27 POET, GO TO BIOLOGY LAB, NUMBER 28 WALDO, TAKE BURNED AND FRIED CHIP, NUMBER 29 POET, TAKE CAMERA, NUMBER 30 SENSA, PUT RAMP AT HOLDER.
This stage sets the robots to their major gathering tasks. Waldo has fixed Iris, and is now set on fixing the machine and salvaging its parts. Poet has arrived at the Hallway End, gotten in the car, exited the car, and is now getting the camera. Sensa has arrived at the Small Supply Room to take the cable cutter.
NUMBER 31 SENSA, GET ON RAMP, NUMBER 32 SENSA, TAKE CUTTER, NUMBER 33 SENSA, GET OFF RAMP, NUMBER 34 SENSA, TAKE RAMP, NUMBER 35 SENSA, GO TO SLOPING CORRIDOR, NUMBER 36 POET, GO TO VEHICLE DEBARKATION, NUMBER 37 WALDO, PUT RED IC IN RED SOCKET, NUMBER 38 WALDO, PUT YELLOW IC IN YELLOW SOCKET, NUMBER 39 POET, GET IN CAR, NUMBER 40 POET, GET OUT OF CAR.
Sensa has completed her task of getting the metal tool that she will need shortly. Poet has gotten the camera and is now coming back, and Waldo is in the midst of fixing and salvaging the machine with Iris in the Main Supply Room. You're more than half-way to your goal!
NUMBER 41 POET, GO TO PRIMARY CHANNEL, NUMBER 42 SENSA, PUT RAMP AT DROPOFF, NUMBER 43 GO TO GAMMA REPAIR, NUMBER 44 WALDO, PUSH BUTTON, NUMBER 45 IRIS, TAKE FUSE, NUMBER 46 WALDO, TAKE CABLE, NUMBER 47 WALDO, GO TO THE SECONDARY CHANNEL, NUMBER 48 IRIS, GO TO MIDDLE SUPPLY, NUMBER 49 IRIS, TAKE CABLE, NUMBER 50 IRIS, GO TO MAIN SUPPLY.
Poet has been sent to use the camera in the Primary Channel (this is a Kamikaze mission because he has to pass through the Cavernous Room to get there). Sensa has gotten to the Sloping Corridor and reinstalled the ramp so that she and Poet can get to the lower level. Waldo and Iris have gotten the machine fixed and salvaged one of the two needed cables to set the FCS in balance. Waldo is now set on his mission where Whiz will be waiting to install the cable needed in the Secondary Channel.
NUMBER 51 SENSA, EXAMINE OBJECT, NUMBER 52 SENSA, TURN FLOWSWITCH, NUMBER 53 BOTH SENSA AND AUDA, MOVE FRED, NUMBER 54 SENSA, CUT CABLE WITH CUTTER, NUMBER 55 POET, PLUG TV1 IN, NUMBER 56 POET, AIM TV1 AT SIGN.
(This is the important "Reset Code." Write it down! It's different for every game.)
NUMBER 57 SENSA, TAKE CABLE, NUMBER 58 SENSA, GO TO PRIMARY CHANNEL, NUMBER 59 IRIS, PUT CABLE IN MACHINE, NUMBER 60 IRIS, PUT FUSE IN MACHINE.
Sensa and Auda salvaged the remaining needed cable to fix the cable in the Primary Channel. Sensa is now on her way. Poet valiantly died trying to work the camera in the Primary Channel after having had corrosive acid spilled on him. Iris has fixed the reset machine which is now only awaiting the installation of the cables in the FCS to reset the systems to set the surface world above right.
NUMBER 61 WHIZ, GO TO WALDO, NUMBER 62 WHIZ, TAKE FOURTEEN-INCH CABLE, NUMBER 63 WHIZ, REPLACE THE NINE-INCH CABLE WITH THE FOURTEEN-INCH CABLE, NUMBER 64 WHIZ, DRAG WALDO TO THE EAST END, NUMBER 65 AUDA, GO TO SLEEP CHAMBER, NUMBER 66 SENSA, REPLACE FOUR-INCH CABLE WITH TWELVE-INCH CABLE, NUMBER 67 IRIS, PRESS ----- CIRCLE, NUMBER 68 IRIS, PRESS ----- CIRCLE.
At this point, the game is over. Only 8,000 are dead and you have succeeded in your mission. It should be noted that this does not answer all the questions and puzzles that are presented in the game, it just tells you how to win the game in the shortest order. Enjoy!