MOVEMENT
Use the directional arrows to guide Hercules left, right, forward, backward, and to move him in the air.
JUMP
Press the Z key to jump. Press and hold the Z key to jump higher.
RUNNING JUMP
Press and hold the directional arrow right or left, and press the Z key to perform a running jump.
SWORD
Press the X key to swing the sword.
JUMPING SWORD ATTACK
Press the Z key to jump and while in the air, press and hold down the X key to attack your enemies with your sword.
PUNCH
Press the C key to quickly throw a punch.
COMBO PUNCH
Press and hold the C key to throw a series of combo punches at your enemies.
JUMPING PUNCH
Press the Z key to jump and while in the air, press and hold down the C key to land a jumping punch on your enemies.
UPPERCUT PUNCH
Press and hold the directional key down to duck, and press the C key to throw an uppercut punch at your foe.
POWER PUNCH
Press and hold the D key for Hercules to begin winding up for his Power Punch. The longer the powerbolt icon charges, the more powerful the Power Punch becomes until it reaches maximum force (indicated by a ringing bell). Only at the strongest level can Hercules use his Power Punch to smash through obstacles in his path. But be careful, the longer Hercules takes to charge up his Power Punch, the more vulnerable he is to attack!
M.A.G.S. (Mid-Air Ground Slam)
Press the Z key to jump and the directional Down arrow while Hercules is in the air to create an earthshaking M.A.G.S. Use this move to open up secret areas and loosen surrounding objects.
SWINGING
Press and hold the directional Right or Left keys and then press the Z key to perform a running jump when a pole is spotted. Once you grab onto the pole, you will begin swinging. Jump for a swing pole while standing still by hitting the Z key and pressing the directional left or right keys to grab the pole. While on the pole, press the opposite directional key to switch the direction Hercules is swinging.
PICKING UP AND CARRYING AN OBJECT
When Hercules finds an object that he can pick up and carry, press and hold the directional Right or Left (in the direction of the object) to pick up the object. While carrying the object, you can move Hercules by pressing and holding the directional keys. Remember - with all that weight, Hercules cannot move very fast and becomes an easy target for his attackers.
THROWING AN OBJECT
Once Hercules has picked up an object, move him into position to throw the object by pressing and holding the appropriate arrow key. When the object is aimed in the desired direction, press the X key to throw the object.
GRABBING A LEDGE
Press and hold down the directional key that points to where Hercules is going to jump and then press the Z key to jump up and grab onto the ledge.
SELECTING POWER-UPS
On some levels, Gifts of the Gods can be used by pressing the S key. The rotating icon in the upper right corner (depending on the level) reflects the current Gift of the Gods being used by Hercules, and indicates how much energy is left in the meter on the right of the icon.
POWER SWORDS
Special Power Swords can be used by pressing the S key to select the desired weapon followed by pushing and holding the X key to fire. Each Gift of the Gods sword icon you find increases the power and number of times Hercules can use the weapon against his enemies.
GIFTS OF THE GODS
Helmet of Invincibility: Causes temporary invincibility when selected.
Sonic Sword: Affects enemy targets at close range with a circular sonic blast when selected and fired.
Lightning Sword: Shoots lightning any direction Hercules aims when selected and fired.
Fireball Sword: Shoots fireballs that seek out onscreen enemies when selected and fired.
SPECIAL ITEMS
Small coins (silver): Collect for bonus points at the end of the levels.
Large coins (gold): Collect for bonus points at the end of the levels.
Herculade Bottles: Collect to restore health.
Hercules Action Figure: Collect to increase the Herometer.
H-E-R-C-U-L-E-S Letters: In selected levels of the game, a Continue can be earned by collecting all the letters and spelling HERCULES.
Hercules vase (small): Collect to earn an extra life.
Mystery Password Vase (Large Vase): If Hercules finds ALL FOUR Mystery Password Vases in a level, after finishing the level, a password will appear on the four vases that you found during the level. Make note of the picture on each vase so that you will not have to complete the current level again to reach the following level. Using the Password option at the beginning of the game will allow you to skip ahead to the start of the level just after the current, successfully-completed level.
Hermes Sandals: Instantly increase the speed of Hercules, allowing him to smash through certain rocks and boulders.
Hermes Level Marker: When Hercules meets Hermes within a level, his progress is saved and each new try will be started from the last Hermes point Hercules was able to reach.
Damsel Dummies: Rescue Damsel Dummies on the Isle of Idra to prove to Phil you are ready to be a hero (in addition to earning a few bonus points in the process).