How to Tame Edna's Shadow

Edna learnt to double-check ingredients before adding them to her potions the hard way. After a powerful explosion, she awoke at the bottom of her tower, her shadow separated from her by the force of the blast.

In this game, it's your task to help Edna and her shadow to collect potion ingredients to escape the dungeons and reunite with each other. This game has been one of my favourites for a long time, but I've only recently been able to achieve a high score.

So here are some important points that will give you a basic overview of the game as well as provide some helpful hints that could result in you adding another trophy to your cabinet!

Controls

You use the arrow keys to move Edna and her shadow up and down as well as left and right. The trick of the game is that Edna's shadow moves as a mirror image to Edna, so if you press the right arrow, Edna will move to the right, but her shadow will move to the left, and vice versa. Both will move in the same direction when using the up and down keys.

To shoot monsters in the game, you simply press the space bar, although you cannot shoot unless you are stationary. When using your zapper, make sure your opponent is only one square in front of you, or it will not reach them.

From level 11 onwards some of the levels do not fit on the one screen, so you will have to use the D and E keys to scroll down and up respectively.

Aim

The aim of each level is to collect all of the available ingredients and place them in your cauldron before time runs out. There is a selection of ingredients available, including skulls, eyeballs, tentacles, eggs, and sandbags. Once you have collected all of the ingredients in each level, the cauldron will start to bubble. Your task is now to manoeuvre Edna and her shadow so that they are facing each other, one on either side of the cauldron.

From level six onwards gray boxes with a yellow glow appear can occur both randomly or fixed across the levels. These boxes can be shot, and some of them reveal apple cores. These apple cores can then be collected for a further 5 points!

Powerups

There are three powerups in the game: a green orb, a potion, and a pocket watch. The orb will begin appearing from around level three, and acts to freeze the monsters on that level for around five seconds. The potion begins appearing at the same time as the orb, and switches controls between Edna and her shadow. That is to say that now, when you press the right arrow the shadow will move to the right and Edna will mirror her shadow's movements! It can get a little confusing, so make sure you do in fact want to use into this powerup before activating it. I like to stay well away from this powerup, and suggest you do the same.

From around level five onwards the pocket watch appears. This powerup adds ten seconds to your level time, which can be really helpful in some levels that you may need to rush through otherwise. Also, as all of your remaining time in each level is added to your score, these pocket watch powerups could effectively act as a 10-point bonus.

Monsters

Monsters will begin appearing from level two. One bat and one ghost will appear in this level. From level three, walking gravestones will also appear. If either Edna or her shadow run into a monster, they will freeze, and be unable to move until the other walks over them. If both Edna and her shadow become trapped, the game is over! Whilst either Edna or her shadow is frozen, you will be unable to collect ingredients, but you can still shoot monsters and blocks, and collect apple cores.

From level 5 onwards, an unusual monster that looks similar to the Brain Tree appears. This monster differs from the others as the green orb does not affect it, and it randomly stops and starts throughout the level, so be careful when moving near them! All monsters are worth 10 points, so it's hugely advantageous to kill all of the monsters in each level if you are aiming for a trophy score.

Hints and Tips

In this section of the guide I'll highlight some important tips, as well as provide screenshot guides to some of the harder parts of the game.

Time bonuses are the most important things to get. Since powerups only appear whilst there is at least one monster left, try to gather all of the ingredients before shooting the last monster. This allows more time for powerups to appear and can potentially increase your overall score.

Whilst the first three levels are symmetrical, you begin to see non-symmetrical levels from level four onwards. Although the key to passing these levels is practice, it can never hurt to have some good ideas or tips in your mind.

Use the walls to help manoeuvre. Below is a screenshot of level 5, after all of the monsters have been destroyed and the ingredients collected. The easiest way to finish this level is to have both Edna and her shadow meet at the top, and then move down and line up with the cauldron using the walls as shown. It may be quite tricky at first, but this strategy will also help you with many later levels.

Use the obstacles. The glowing boxes aren't only there as a potential apple resource, it can be much easier to complete many levels by using these blocks. The level that people seem to struggle with the most is level nine. I had the hardest time getting past this level until I developed my own pathway.

Whereas other guides show elaborate ways of lining up the Ednas halfway across the level with minimal time left, I found that simply removing the block marked with a red 'X' above makes this level a breeze. After collecting all of the ingredients and shooting the monsters, simply get one Edna in the gap, line the other up as shown below, and run straight down to the cauldron, easy!

Use both Edna and her shadow to gather items. If you focus on only Edna, there is a high chance that her shadow could be stunned by a monster, which costs you time. Also, it will be much faster with two Edna's collecting the ingredients! This tip is especially helpful in level 10, where you have a small amount of time and ingredients that are quite spread out.

As mentioned above, glowing blocks can make levels much easier, but they can also be vital in finishing a level. Under no circumstance should you shoot the block circled above, as it will make the level much harder to complete. Whilst there are other ways to finish this level, time is already an issue here so you don't want to make things harder on yourself.

The final level, level 14, is a bonus level with no monsters and many glowing boxes. You will get a lot of points this level from apple cores, but make sure you still go quickly so you can get a time bonus at the end!

Final Dos and Don'ts

Do use both Edna and her shadow to manoeuvre around each level.

Don't try to shoot whilst moving – remember you can only do one at a time.

Do use the walls to line up Edna and her shadow to finish the harder levels.

Do shoot the accessory grey boxes, your score will skyrocket!

Don't shoot the grey boxes that you need to finish a level.

Do carefully save a trapped Edna as quickly as possible.

Do get all pocket watch powerups, unless it will take you more than 10 seconds to reach them.

Getting a high score on this game requires knowledge of each level such as which boxes to keep, where to position Edna in order to line her up at the cauldron with her shadow, and which route to take. So the most important thing is of course to practice, practice, and practice!

At the start of the month, you can usually get a bronze trophy with a score of around 2000. If you practice, you will soon develop your own routes and tactics, and, coupled with these tips, you should be well on your way to achieving a trophy score! Good luck!