Keen 6 Walkthrough

Commander Keen 6: "Aliens Ate My Babysitter" Walkthrough

Rescued from www.archive.org's copy of the "Commander Keendom" website.

Introduction

Many walkthroughs provide easy solutions to difficult parts in a game; others, describe secrets, and give complete descriptions of areas that contain bonus points and weapons, but how many walkthroughs, actually emphasize obtaining little or no points? Here's one! This walkthrough teaches you how to play the game in a way the developers never intended; it's purpose is to teach you how to abuse the game. If you consider the Impossible Bullet, or exploitation of various other bugs cheating, don't read this walkthrough. Before you leave though, remember that the Impossible Pogo actually originated as a bug.

This walkthrough assumes that the player is adept at performing various tricks including the Impossible Pogo and Impossible Bullet, as some manouvers tend to be tricky. Get ready to have your Keen 6 gameplay experience changed forever! When we tested this walkthrough, we didn't waste a single bullet; we also ended with 91 shots. You don't necessarily have to get every single neural stunner that this walkthrough tells you to, nor do you have to leave as many enemies alive either. Just so long as you have at least two neural shots left right before you save Molly, you're okay. Keep track of how many neural shots you have left! Warning! This walkthrough will only work in Keen 6 version 1.0; numerous clipping errors were fixed in later versions.

Levels

Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket (Level 17)

• Initial shots: 5
• Shots gained: 0
• Shots used: 0

Run right, and Impossible Pogo into the secret area in the right side of the screen. Dodge hazards to reach the bottom of the level. Be careful not to grab the pizzas near the exit!

Keen is in the High Score screen. Call Id! (Level 18)

• Initial shots: 5
• Shots gained: 0
• Shots used: 4

Shoot the bloog and babobba. At the far right of the screen Impossible Bullet up. Take a bow as keen exits.

Bloogwaters Crossing (Level 1)

• Initial shots: 1
• Shots gained: 10
• Shots used: 0

Grab the neural shots at the beginning of the level. Go down the hill until you see the bloog. Lure the him up the hill, and jump over him. Run down the hill and jump over the water (you can get vivas). Run a little bit until you get to the other cliff. Jump to the other side, and climb up; don't get the candy-bars. Fall down for 5 more neural shots; climb up and ride the blooglet over the hill! Over the hill, jump over the spikes. Jump over the water and to the bloog and babobba. Dodge them to reach the level's end.

Guard Post One (Level 2)

• Initial shots: 11
• Shots gained: 25
• Shots used: 6

Run forward and shoot the babobba. Jump/pogo three times - each time shooting the blooguard on the floor above - Watch out for goodies! Climb up and stand on the block with the pillar; impossible pogo left for ten neural shots. Go down to the stunned babobba, and go left till you fall. Move right till you reach a cliff. There's a ledge accross with some neural shots and vivas. Get them! Back on the left side of the abyss, Run left as far as keen can go. If you can't impossible pogo up to the lightning bariers, Impossible Bullet up. Jump off your bullet before you hit the ceiling. Jump through the lightning and accross to the other side of the hole; run left to finish the level.

First Dome of Darkness (Level 3)

• Initial shots: 30
• Shots gained: 10
• Shots used: 2

Run right and jump (not pogo!) to the solid floor above and to the right of you. Fall down, and fight your way past the blooglets and flect. Jump into the hiding place in the red square of ground, near the right edge of the level for 10 neural shots. Back at the stationary yellow platform in the middle of the level, jump over onto the brown outcropping to the left and above. Impossible Bullet up , and Impossible Pogo off the bullet to reach the grappling-hook.

Second Dome of Darkness (Level 4)

• Initial shots: 38
• Shots gained: 0
• Shots used: 3

Run left, and jump over the gik that zooms toward you. Watch out for the goodies above! near here (the beginning of the level) is a hole in the ceiling. The red diamond is just above, through that hole; Impossible Bullet to get it. Fall back through the hole, and head left. When you reach the spikes, jump out as far over them as you can. Before you start falling, shoot down to land on your bullet, not the spikes! From there Immpossible Pogo to the other side; through the door is the end of the level!

Bloogfoods, Inc. (Level 8)

• Initial shots: 35
• Shots gained: 15
• Shots used: 5

In this level we're gonna exploit some strange clipping errors. Run past the pounding spikes and fall to the large ground below you. Run left, fall down, and go left till you're barely under the neural shots; jump and grab them. on the floor above, and above two fire spouts, is another neural stunner. On higher ground, run right and jump over the fire spouts, run over the hill and fall to the ground below. Go right till you reach a wall; Ride the yellow platform past the conveyor above, and pogo up to where the switch is (near a two doors). Grab the neural stunner, and get back on the platform. Climb off at the indentation in the right wall. Make Keen stand on a bullet as near the right edge of the indentation as you can - Don't Impossible Bullet him up yet! Instead, shoot right, then shoot up; watch keen fly through the wall! Now you should be past the doors and onto the slanted ground. From where you are, pogo to the slanted ground above and to your right. Go right till you can't go any more. Jump up,(don't pogo!) you should be in the floor now, jump again (if you just run right without jumping, you'll fall back on the slanted ground) now you should be on the other side of wall. Jump to the conveyor belt, and run left until you fall off. Go right (flip all the down switches up), and bring the bloog back to the left edge. After you jump over him, run to the the right edge. Impossible Bullet up to the sandwich!

The Bloogdome (Level 5)

• Initial shots: 45
• Shots gained: 5
• Shots used: 4

Grab the gun. Impossible Pogo toward, the corner of the gray area near the beginning of the level; and grab it. Once inside the gray area, Impossible Bullet up. While inside the gray area, run to the left side of the level. Careful! On the left side, near the top, there is a hole keen can fall through. From as near the right edge as possible, Impossible Bullet up; look down before hitting the top of the level.

Bloogton Manufacturing (Level 6)

• Initial shots: 46
• Shots gained: 10
• Shots used: 5

Pogo so that you get the bullets, making sure you keep yourself in the air while the blooguard hits the ground, flip the switch, and move to the now moving platform. Stop pogo-ing as soon as you hit the platform. As soon as you start going past the blooguard above, shoot him three times, then jump to his ledge. Grab the red diamond and bullets, then wait for the platform to be going up before you catch it again. When you reach the top, jump off and go through the red diamond door and as far right as you can (be careful for the pounding spikes). Grab the green diamond. While you're as far right as you can go (up against the right wall), land on your bullet and shoot right or up. Bingo!

Bloogton Tower (Level 7)

• Initial shots: 51
• Shots gained: 40
• Shots used: 11

Shoot left and right - quickly! Run to the rightmost elevator shaft, and ride the platform to the top. Jump right, and go up for two neural stunners. Fall back down the right side of the shaft, and enter the secret area, grab the 2 neural stunners. Back down at the main level, run to the left elevator shaft. Positioning is crucial in this next step. Move right till keen is under the first elevator shaft. There are 2 dark lines in the wall behind keen, position keen so that the second line is directly to the left of keen. If keen is just slightly off, he'll get stuck on a wall, halfway up, or grab some goodies. As soon as you are positioned, Impossible Bullet up the shaft. Keen will fly up until he's very near the top of the level. The last floor to the right that he passes, has a downward slant. jump off the bullet, onto this floor as keen passes it. kill the blooguard on this floor, then jump left, accross the abyss you just flew up (Watch out! there are ice cream bars nearby). Get the ten neural shots in the room above the red blooglet. Go back to where you killed the blooguard. Stand in front of the taller light switch pole, and Impossible Bullet up. Jump off onto the highest platform on the right for two more neural stunners. Fall back down, but be careful not to flip the tall switch on your way down! At the bottom, repeat the Impossible Bullet. Keep looking down till Keen stops his ascent. Aren't clipping errors fun? Keen should be standing just below the level of green goo. From this point, Impossible Pogo to the Key card.

record completion time for this level: 18 seconds

Guard Post Two (Level 9)

• Initial shots: 80
• Shots gained: 10
• Shots used: 8

On the right side of the pit there's a ledge with a neural stunner. Don't kill the Blooguard to get it! Climb the tree; careful! there are a few goodies; most of them are vivas and a neural stunner, though. Jump right from the highest branch to the topmost outcropping, there is a root beer float here, but keen can easily miss it. Jump and shoot both the blooguard and the blooglet. Jump up to the floor they were on, and stand directly to the left of the striped doorway; make sure keen can pogo high. Land on a bullet, and take a tiny step right; don't fall off the bullet. now Impossible Bullet up. Keen should be standing in the air, just to the left of the wall above the doorway. Shoot right, then shoot up. All gone Keen! Press and hold the left arrow key - even when the screen stops scrolling left. Heh, fun way to end a level, huh?

Bloogville (Level 10)

• Initial shots: 82
• Shots gained: 5
• Shots used: 2

Run right to the first elevator shaft. Ride onthe far right side of the platform up the shaft, and get off on the first floor you reach. Below, to your right is a gun; up on the other side of the hole with the gun, Pogo over the switch or between it and the can of pop to reach the ground above and to the right. Watch out for goodies and the gik here! Go right, and fall down to the slanted ground below. Jump back up when the gik slides towards you. When it's safe, fall back down and run right; don't stop running when keen falls off the edge, he'll grab hold of the floor on the other side and pull himself up. You're at the far right wall of Bloogville; on the other side of the wall is the exit. Get on a bullet, and make sure keen is pressed against the right wall. Shoot up. When keen flys through the wall, press him against the left wall; he'll just miss the root beer float. Run right to the exit.

BASA (Bloog Aeronautics and Space Administration) (Level 11)

• Initial shots: 85
• Shots gained: 0
• Shots used: 3

Get the yellow blooglet to push you off the right edge at the beginning of the level - Hug the left wall as you descend, though! Carefully jump out between the candy bars and can of pop; this may take some practice. Jump over the gik, and climb up the pole near the yellow door. From the top of the pole, go left to the higher ground with the switch. Jump back off to your right so you hit the wall; land on a bullet as you fall, right next to the ice cream bar! Move right just slightly. Shoot up, then up again; Keen is in the ceiling! Move right or left to end the level.

Guard Post Three (Level 12)

• Initial shots: 82
• Shots gained: 5
• Shots used: 0

Grab the neural shots, and coax the blooguard down the hill partway. Impossible Pogo, over the blooguard, and make your way right, up the hill. Open the green door (you still have the green diamond from level six). Run left till you come to a floor that overhangs the floor you are currently on. Carefully jump and grab hold of the overhanging floor, and pull yourself up, you'll miss the ice cream bars that way. Run to the exit.

Bloogbase Recreational District (Level 13)

• Initial shots: 87
• Shots gained: 0
• Shots used: 2

Run left until you reach the lightning barier that is constantly on. Remember, no goodies! Impossible Bullet up, and jump to the ledge on the left. Run left, and go through the door. Whoohoo! lots of lives! Head for the exit.

Bloogbase Management District (Level 14)

• Initial shots: 85
• Shots gained: 20
• Shots used: 10

This level is quite likely the most difficult level in Keen 6 to complete without getting any points. Stun the bloog, and get on the left edge of the ground above you. From here, carefully jump out between the first and second cans of pop below. Run left, and fall down; then fall to the invisible ledge below. Impossible Pogo to the base of the red metal pillar. Watch out for goodies! Shoot the bloog, move left, jump and shoot the bloog above. Jump up to where he was. Don't grab the SGA "ID" made out of cans of pop. Fall down to the safe area between the puddles of green goo. to your right, above a flashing hazard, there is an invisible platform. Above it are 2 neural shots (and some goodies). It is VERY easy to grab the neural shots without grabbing the goodies. Flip the switch, and ride the platform back up. Jump left, and fall down on the other side of the wall; stay as far right as possible. Jump down, off the round outcropping, and wait for the gik. Get on him and ride him across the green goo. Look down to miss goodies. Pogo off the gik to the ground above on the other side of the goo. Go left till you reach the blue pulsing sparks. Stun the bloog here. Above is a platform, and above that is ground with a bloog; to your right is an arch of ice cream bars. Using the platform, pogo and shoot the bloog. Climb up, shoot the bloog above, and flip the switch. Get back down to the sparks. Move right till you reach the area that the switch opened. Stun the bloog and blooglet below. To your left are some neural stunners; get two of them! Back, near the right edge of the opening above, under the middle of the non-moving platform, Impossible Bullet up. Be careful! Before you reach the circle of ice cream bars, WALK off your bullet! Under the switch, pogo, then give the jump key quick taps. Turn off pogo just before keen actually flips the switch to flip the switch without grabbing the ice cream bars. back at the left edge of this ground, jump and tap the left key to fall down between the goodies and the wall. Go back to the blue sparks. On normal and hard difficulty settings, you can use small jumps to get over the sparks, while missing the goodies, but easy is more difficult. Use the jump + pogo trick to make tiny pogos over the sparks. Time to end the level!

Blooglab Space Station (Level 16)

• Initial shots: 95
• Shots gained: 5
• Shots used: 12

Shoot the blooglet. Run right, and shoot the blooglet above - don't climb up. Take one step left, and Impossible Bullet. You should be standing on air, right next to some slanting ground. Jump, grab the bullets, and at the same time, land on the slanted ground. Keep running right until you fall off the slanted ground. Run up the hill, and lure the flect down the hill so you can stun him. Dodge the blorb and goodies to reach the green door at the top of the hill. Get on a bullet while pressed against the green door. Shoot right three times; then shoot up - Outside of the Spacelab! At the far left edge of the screen Impossible Bullet out of the level. Lots of bullets used here!

Bloog Control Center (Level 15)

• Initial shots: 88
• Shots gained: 20
• Shots used: 17

Cross the dark abyss, and go through the door (don't waste your time getting the blue diamond). Upon entering the door, turn around and enter it again, now run right to the third door and enter it. Keen should be in a pink area, with spikes to the right. Stand as near to the left wall as possible and land on a bullet. Shoot left twice; then shoot up. Careful, sometimes keen ends up ON the lightning bariers above; try to time this last shot so if keen does land on the bariers, he can easily get off. Grab the neural shots, and run through the door. This next area contains a lot of red blooglets, Don't kill any of them! If you're lucky, you'll be able to stun only the blooglet that's carrying the red diamond. You MUST get the red diamond. Above are two blooguards; carefully jump and grab hold of the left edge and pull yourself up. After you shoot the blooguards, fall/grab hold of the right ledge. Jump onto the rightmost eye-pole, shoot the blooglet, grab the neural shots to the right of the door, and follow the eye-poles left for 2 neural stunners. Enter the door on the right Here comes the most fascinating part of the whole game! Run left and Impossible Pogo onto the pink hand. From here you can reach the eye-pole; shoot the blooguard guarding the gem-door openers, and insert the red diamond. Jump back to the eye-pole, and climb to the bottom. While standing on the eye, jump down, and imediately shoot down in order to land on your bullet. You need to be DIRECTLY under the eye-pole for the next part. Impossible bullet up, as soon as you have passed the eye part of the eye-pole, look down. Keen flies through the floor! Aren't you glad you opened the red door before you did that?

Record completion time: 1:38!

The End

Special thanks to Dr. Witherstone for everything! He's the one who found these bugs, and perfected all the techniques mentioned in this walkthrough. He also wrote up this walkthrough and grabbed the screen-shots.

Thanks Dr. Witherstone!