Blast from the Past: Piranha Hints and Soundtrack!

I guess I don't give my PC enough credit. Not only did I get Piranha to run, I also managed to record the soundtrack without any (well very little and easily fixable) skipping. While I wait for the mp3s to upload, here are some PROTIPS for you:

Piranha Pro-Tips

Piranha runs well on DOSBox and the game can be found on various abandonware sites. Do your own research. I had to download a copy as I have no idea where we put the original CD. ~~It's in the house somewhere, just who knows where.~~ Found it:

Do Not Press

Press that, and the cannons go from being purely decorative to being mass killers. On some levels, though, there are cannons that only trigger once for each button press, rather than the continual bombardment in the screencapped level. This can be useful for extra money or happy faces, or even just to help you kill your opponents.

Acid Happy Faces

Always get the happy faces. ALWAYS GET THE HAPPY FACES. You should also always go for the ~~e-tabs~~ energy power-ups, and the bombs and the mysteries. Sometimes the mysteries give you extra lives, usually it's a shooty thing, but basically, yeah go for everything, really. Also, when shopping, go for at least 1 ship speed power up. 2 is even better. Be aware that maxing ship speed to 3 can make it harder to control your ship. Don't be surprised if you end up crashing head first into the boss.

Invincibility

Staying off screen can make you invincible. Sure, you can play the whole game like that, but yeah, BORING. It's a useful strategy when you're low on lives, though, or when you're fighting the bosses and don't want to hang around all day doing it.

You Should Probably Enable Cheats

Even if you don't use them. There is a bug in the game, at least in the original CD version. I don't know if this was patched, we never tried to find out. But there is a level, the one with the brownish background and shooting stars. Occasionally the level will become never-ending, and since there is no way to save your game, you could end up going all the way there, just to have to game over. Trust me, if you trigger this bug, you really will never be able to finish the level. We tried. Activate the cheat by typing in KOSSUVISSY in the main menu (I think it's a Finnish word, but I've no idea what it means), and if you do get the bug, just F12 to skip to the next level. It's not cheat, it's workaround 😉

Beware the Escape Key

Like I said, no savegames, so you press Escape by accident, it's game over for you.

The Gravity Well is Destroyable

Whether you think it's worth the effort is up to you, but it can be destroyed. If you do want to destroy it, it's easier in co-op mode. You need to make sure it is constantly attacked, otherwise once the main foes are defeated, the level will end. However, if there is at least one ship firing at the gravity well, the level will stay active. Speaking of co-op...

It's Always More Fun with a Friend

It really is. You get the added bonus of fighting over money and happy faces. It also makes the game easier to defeat. Just don't expect to remain friends when you see how much more money your partner has than you. Also, be aware that Pinkie (Player 3 on the joystick) gets the short end of the stick. Whoever gets the happy face, both players 1 and 2 will get the extra life, but Pinkie gets nothing.

Don't Bother with Passwords

Sure, you can use the code to get to level 50. Then you can get your butt kicked, because you have a crappy ship with crappy weapons, and it's game over for you. Start no higher than level 10; 20, if you want a bit more of a challenge. But starting from a lower level means you get more money and therefore can power up your ship while the enemies are easier.

Name Your Opponents

The design of the asteroids and enemy ships was probably our favourite thing about this game. Blood clots, strawberry creams, molecules. As the asteroid smashes your ship into a BFBVFS, you shout out its name. "No! Molecules! MOLECULES!"

Death by molecules

You must also sing a happy song when you get a happy face. It's the law. I shall not tell you the names we gave to the bosses, save for Sergeant Major and Doughnut. The others had brilliant names, but I'm afraid it's a secret.

Well, the mp3s have uploaded, so here we go, partial soundtrack. I don't mind if you re-upload these elsewhere, credit goes to the original composers and musicians. I would appreciate a mention if you do re-upload though. No need to link back, just credit Silver Arrows for the recordings. If you want the main menu music, someone else already recorded that.