Fantubular!

That was a boring paragraph, wasn't it? I'm so glad you're still here to read my article (well actually, I'm not glad because I wouldn't know if there are people reading this). Anywho, as you have probably figured out, this is my guide to Tubular Kiko Racing, a game that deserves more than the 10 million plays that it has. Here I will provide you with the basics, as well as a few other tips that will help you to beat this game, and maybe even add a shiny trophy to your collection!

CONTROLS

You will be able to see what each button does by clicking on 'controls', which can be found on the main page of the game. However, only the basic controls are listed on that page (meaning what happens when you press each button individually).

L+R : move forward

U+D : move backward

L+D : rotate anti-clockwise

U+R : rotate clockwise

If you try anything not mentioned here, Kavi will most probably not move, or move very slowly to the side. So... don't bother trying anything not mentioned here.

SCORING

There are three ways of scoring points in this game, all of which are pretty straightforward, but here are a few tips anyway (wheehee! :B).

• checkpoints

Yep. The most obvious method of scoring is by guiding Kavi through the checkpoints, which are the banner things that are floating around. You get 30 points for every time you cross one of them. Do try not to bump into the poles holding the banners up because the checkpoint will get smaller, and that's not the main problem. Bumping into it once will mean that you can only get 20 points for crossing it, and 10 points for bumping into it thrice.

• shooting enemy Kikos

It can be quite difficult to aim sometimes, as you will always be drifting downards while they remain stationary. So when there is an arrow coming your way, you can use it to help you with your aiming by turning yourself to face the end of the arrow. One of the obvious disadvantages of this method is that you will most probably be shot, which is why we have method two!

You can also try swimming very near the Kiko and shooting him before he shoots you. Your aim will most likely be true, and this method is also useful as you can't help but be close to the shore (where the Kikos are) quite often, especially in stage 3.

• picking up bonuses

There are four bonus items; you can see them if you click on 'instructions' on the main page of the game. Get as many as you can! At first you may think that the items are not worth a lot, but NO! Each item that you get is worth 1 more point than the one before, all the way up till 10 points. Do not be afraid to swim away from a checkpoint to collect a few more of these items, but it may not be worth it to miss the checkpoint just for them.

There will also be yellow spherical things floating around; those will give you 3 more bullets to shoot at the enemy Kikos, thus giving you more points! These yellow things are usually positioned near the bonus items, so it should not be very troublesome for you to collect them when you are low on bullets.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

1. Practice (don't roll your eyes yet)

You should practice not with a higher score in your mind. I mean, a higher score is the main point, but forget it for a moment so you can concentrate on a few other things. One of the other things is the controls. You can try repeating stage 1 until you can get around 200 points (the maximum score you can get for stage 1 is 276, by the way) or something like that. After some time you should be able to know how to swim away from a whirpool that is in front of you etc.

2. It may be worth it to forsake a few pickups for an umbrella

Especially if you are in level 3, because there are a lot of purple/red Kikos that shoot really fast. A pickup is only worth 10 points, but dying could mean passing more pickups, and maybe even a checkpoint. Oh, and if you get stuck on something, it is quite likely that you will be killed by the arrows that come your way a few seconds after regaining control of your character. That is something really irritating about this game.

3. The speedstreams are evil

Yes, they are! They speed you up so much that you usually zoom past the checkpoints and bonus items. While they can be useful when you are trying to escape from arrows, do try to avoid using them. Around the middle of stage 3, you may not be able to slow down enough to avoid being caught in another speedstream, and get caught on a few consecutive ones. Because of that you can miss around 3 checkpoints, which is very sad indeed!

4. Memorise the course

This is important and there may be a patch of land in the center of the screen, and you will have to decide if you should paddle to the left or right. Try to remember what items there are on either side, and the position of the obstacles, to help you make the right choice the next time you play. This happens a few times in the game so it will definitely affect your score.

Also, it would be good if you remember the position of a few umbrellas so that you know where you should go after you are shot twice. If you have a really lousy memory, at least remember where the first umbrella of each stage is, and try to swim to that side of the screen before the stage ends.

5. Keeping alive should be your top priority

This is because your bonus item streak will be reset, and you will have to start all the way from 1... again ;_; And as I've said before, you may float past a checkpoint and a few bonus items before you regain control of your character.

Wrapping up this article (this is not a tip)

I can almost hear you squealing with excitement as you run off to the gamesroom to play this game... (Come back! I'm not done yet!) Anyways, don't get frustrated if you don't get a good score after a few games. My scores were pretty lousy when I first started too, but they'll surely get better after a while. Good luck, and I hope my guide has been of help!