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The Latest Craze in Neopia: Top Chop Belts!


by hufflepuff

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A Fancy Surprise

You may have noticed receiving a special prize after sending your score to Neopia’s finest new game, Top Chop. After chopping your way through so many blocks, to your surprise the ancient masters have bestowed upon you a brand new outfit: the White Top Chop Robe and White Top Chop Trousers! After a few games, you might also get your very first belt... the White Top Chop Belt!

Woohoo!

Congratulations! This white belt shows you have been deemed worthy enough to enter the finest training regime in Shenkuu. With this new outfit, you are cordially invited to continue training in the Top Chop Dojos.

More than Neopoints

Right now you may be asking yourself, “What is this all for?!” You have played many flash games before and have never received anything other than Neopoints, and now you’re getting items too? This is wonderful! After you calm your mind and recover from the shock, the skies open and an enlightening realization dawns on you: The best part about Top Chop is not only winning Neopoints, but more importantly also winning fashionable karate gear! And to top it all off, you can even customize your Neopet with the clothes you win! There are no other games that give wearable prizes, which makes Top Chop a truly unique game. Soon you will have the chance to make all your friends jealous with these sporty new wearable robes and, just maybe, an elusive belt.

The Goods

Right, right. At this point everyone has the white belt. It’s the most basic, and introductory level at best. Most people earn it on their first game. Hardly impressive. So how can you win better, more colorful belts to show off your TRUE karate skills? What are the other types of belts you can win? Everyone wants to know. Read on, young grasshopper...

Lucky for you, I have been sent here from Shenkuu Palace to spread the teachings of the Emperor himself. You won’t get this privileged information anywhere else!

So far we know of two Robe styles you can win and four different types of Belts. In the order you receive them, they are: White Top Chop Belt, Green Top Chop Belt, Red Top Chop Belt, and the ultimate prize... the Black Top Chop Belt! If you are a true master, you can also upgrade your White Top Chop Robe and White Top Chop Trousers to the amazingly revered, most awesome prize in the game: the Black Top Chop Robe and Black Top Chop Trousers, only reserved for the Shenkuu warrior with the most astute physical abilities and mental focus. So amazing. So awesome. The black uniform and belt is your goal. If you work hard enough to reach this tier, you truly have the physical strength, fighting skills, and mental concentration necessary to become a Shenkuu Palace Guard and have earned the respect of Neopia!

By now you have studied the different belts and robes. What’s left? Winning them, of course!

Sharpen Your Skills

Desire alone won’t earn you any belts. You must work hard to demonstrate your knowledge! This is where we put your skills to the test.

First, let’s consider the gameplay of Top Chop. You must master control over your reflexes before the master even considers deeming you worthy of wearing a brand new belt.

To begin, enter the first level. This is called the Courtyard and your first test will take place here. If you’re a keen observer, you’ll notice several things: there is a meter on the right, a timer ticking down in the upper left, flowers are falling all over the screen to obstruct your view, and there is a Moffit petpetpet crawling in the background attempting to distract you. The meter fluctuates up and down through various colors on a spectrum. Your objective is to hit the spacebar in the central green region. That’s all! If you succeed, Katsuo will use your excellent concentration to his advantage and chop the block in half, advancing you to the next level. But not so fast: flowers fall directly in front of your meter and cloud your view, and the clock is running down. You have 30 seconds, so breathe deeply, relax, and concentrate. There is plenty of time, so don’t worry about the clock and watch only the meter. Aim for the green region and you pass onto the next test, but the game is over if you miss! If you can hit the thin white line in the middle you get an extra 20 points and, just maybe, a bonus power up! Remember: the meter increases speed with each test, so don’t get too comfortable just because you can pass the first.

You must continue to push yourself! After the first three tests, it's time for the second level inside the Imperial Dojo. This is much like the Courtyard, only that petpetpet that was distracting you earlier now jumps across the block! The meter also acts a little crazy, and can accelerate, decelerate, jerk around, or even come to a brief stop. The only thing you can do now is remember the fundamentals, concentrate, and focus. Wait until that devious Moffit is off the block and go for it! There are four tests inside the Dojo, and if you can pass them all you are invited to the ultimate test: inside the Emperor’s Grand Hall!

The third level is very challenging. The Palace Guards hold their flags in front of the meter, and even worse, the green region now moves up and down! This requires very precise timing and much practice. But you must earn those belts! Don’t get frustrated, and remember to clear your mind of all outside distractions. You can do this!

There are five tests in the Emperor’s Grand Hall. If you can manage to get perfect in the first four, you enter the last and final test. Now... the Emperor is sitting in the throne! You have a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform for him! This is what you’ve been preparing for. Every Top Chopper dreams of this moment, so don’t miss!

Okay, so how do you get the belts?!

All right, all right, enough stalling. Here is a quick breakdown on the wearables...

1. White Robe and White Trousers – Obtained after submitting your first score in the game. Given!

2. White Belt – This should be simple. Just submit your score after completing the Courtyard level.

3. Green Belt – Submit a score after breaking the first block in the third level.

4. Red Belt – This one requires patience. Submit a score after getting three perfect hits in a row on the last three tests in the Emperor’s Grand Hall. Hint: This triggers a chance to perform in front of the Emperor!

5. Black Belt, Black Robe, and Black Trousers – Hey, masters don’t tell their secrets! Get out there and find out yourself!

You have the reflexes of a Biyako!

If you get frustrated, try playing another game. Kass Basher is excelling for relieving tension, and Dar-Blat! is great for improving your reflexes. Splat-a-Sloth serves both purposes.

Finally

Don’t expect to be dressed like Niten Hiroru after your first game! This game takes practice, patience, practice, and more patience. As the wise Shenkuu ancients say, “Get Choppin’!!!”

 
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