PC-8801 · 1986
Alpha
A LITTLE HELP ABOARD DAEDALUS
Walkthrough
A step-by-step route through Alpha’s English adventure, with puzzle solutions and story spoilers tucked away until you want them.
Written for english-commands-002. A recorded English playthrough reached the ending from a fresh start, using checkpoints from that same run. This guide combines that route with the later puzzle checks, leaving out exploratory commands and failed attempts. It covers the main story, not every optional response; the edited guide has not been replayed as a new continuous run.
Before you start
- Type one command at a time and press Return. Use the full English words shown here. Compounds such as
lasergunandoxygenmaskare single words. See the English command reference for controls. - Advance messages separately. When the game asks for Return or any key, finish that message before entering the next command. A submission can advance an event without carrying out the action you typed.
- Watch the scene, not just the command count. A station needs a motorcar to arrive before you board. An elevator’s first response may only close its doors. The instructions below identify these pauses.
- Use F5 for inventory. Typing
inventorycan leave the original game in the wrong internal location and spoil a later save. This bug also exists in Japanese and is deliberately preserved. F5 avoided it in the tested shopping-center scene; every location has not been checked. - Keep separate save slots and use your package’s persistent-save setup. The tested MAME setup needs writable MFI media; a D88 save can appear to work during a session without surviving a restart. Read the known issues before saving.
1. The city and your first arrest
Your first trip establishes how the city, police and motorcars work.
Show the opening route
- Start a new game and advance the introduction until Chris is on the hill. Type
lookto advance the explosion, thenforwardto reach the stadium. - Go
rightto the shopping center andforwardinto the store. Typelook shelf, thentake oxygenmask. - Type
look, thenback. A police robot catches you as you leave. Uselookto continue into the cell, then repeat it until the robot announces your release. The repeated restraint response does not mean the route has failed. - Use
lookagain to reach the surveillance room. Typewear clothes, thenbackto leave. - Outside the police center, go
leftto Kazemu Station. Typelookuntil a motorcar arrives,forwardto board, thenlookto arrive at Sarou. Anotherlooklets the car depart. - From Sarou, go
backto the stadium,backto the hill, andbackagain toward the revolutionaries. Advance the “Hit Any Key” message.
2. Meeting the revolutionaries
Listen through the conversation before trying to move the story forward.
Show Arnold’s conversation and the return visit
- Use
talk manto speak with Arnold. Repeat it through his explanation of the revolution, the captured leader and his request for your help. Continue the conversation until the police discover the hideout. - Use
lookto advance the capture and the cell sequence. Continue until you are released into the surveillance room, thenwear clothesandlookto leave. - Return by the same route:
leftto Kazemu,lookfor the motorcar,forwardto board, andlookthrough arrival and departure at Sarou. - From Sarou, go
backthree times to the hideout. Usetalk manto hear the survivor’s request to rescue the leader. - Go
forwardto the hill,forwardto the stadium,rightto the shopping center, andforwardinto the store.
3. Rescuing the leader
This time, your visit to the police center has a purpose.
Show how to obtain the gun and open the cell
- In the store,
take oxygenmask, uselook, and goback. Let the robot arrest you again. Repeatlookthrough the cell sequence until you reach the surveillance room. - Type
wear clothes, thensteal lasergun. When the robot confronts you, typeshoot lasergun. Advance both Return prompts until the corridor appears. - Go
backto the occupied cell. Usetalk manrepeatedly. Read Keith’s explanation until he says it is time to escape. - Type
shoot lasergunto break the cell lock. Advance the Return prompt. Goright, thenshoot lasergunat the next robot and finish the two message advances.
Show what to do after the escape attempt
- Use
talk mantwice to finish Keith’s conversation. Chris takes the gold key he offers. - Use
lookto continue the next attack and capture. The gun is confiscated, but Chris keeps the gold key. - Repeat
lookthrough the cell and release sequence. In the surveillance room,wear clothes, thenlookto leave. - Go
leftto Kazemu and take the motorcar to Sarou as before. After the car leaves, gobackthree times to the ruined hideout.
4. Recovering your equipment
You need a replacement weapon and supplies before exploring the other districts.
Show the rubble and shop checklist
- At the ruined hideout, use
search rubblefour times. The search progresses through different results. Do not stop at the first gun discovery or the “nothing but rubble” response. - Type
take lasergunandtake dynamite. Finding an item is not the same as picking it up. If you tried taking the first gun too early, finish the searches and try again. - Go
forward,forward,right,forwardto return to the store. Typetake energy,look,take timer, thenlook. - Use
use energyto charge the replacement laser gun. If you collected the supplies before recovering the gun, charge it after picking the gun up. - Go
back. When the robot intercepts you, typeescapeto return to the shopping center.
Why can’t I take the gun or dynamite?
Show the rubble troubleshooting checklist
- Have you returned after Keith’s escape attempt and the later confiscation?
- Have you used
search rubblefour times? The first visible gun is not the usable replacement at this point in the story. - Have you explicitly typed
take lasergunandtake dynamiteafter the searches? - Have you collected an energy pack and used
use energywhile carrying the replacement gun?
Before continuing, you should have the gold key, replacement laser gun, dynamite and timer, with the gun charged. Prefer F5 if you check your inventory.
5. The red and silver cards
The two cards unlock different parts of the ship. Keep both.
Show the route to the red card
- From the shopping center, go
leftto the stadium andforwardto Sarou Station. Uselookfor the car,forwardto board, thenlookthrough arrival at Garuda and the car’s departure. - At Garuda, go
right, thenbackthree times andforward. You should reach the spacious lobby with three elevators. - Type
take cardto collect the red card. - Return to Garuda with
back,right, thenforwardthree times. Take the motorcar back to Sarou:look,forward, thenlookthrough arrival and departure. - Go
backto the stadium, thenleftto its elevator lobby.
Show the observation-room silver-card puzzle
- Type
insert card, thenboard elevator. Uselookto finish the descent. - Go
backthree times: the first closes the doors, the second reaches the corridor, and the third enters the weightless observation room. - Use
look card. Then typetake cardfour times. Each attempt makes progress until Chris finally catches the silver card. - Leave with
left, then goforwardto the elevator. Useinsert card,board elevator, andlook. - Go
righttwice. The first closes the doors; the second returns to the stadium.
If you keep missing the card: the repeated attempts are the solution. You do not need an additional tool or a swimming command.
6. The police main computer
Use the silver card to reach the next objective.
Show the elevator, combat and dynamite route
- From the stadium, go
forwardto Sarou. Ride to Garuda, usinglookfor arrival and departure as before. - From Garuda, go
right,backthree times, thenforwardto the three-elevator lobby. - Type
insert card. When asked which elevator, typeleft. Typeleftagain to board that elevator, thenlookto finish the descent. - Go
rightto the corridor. Goforwardandshoot lasergunat the robot. Advance both Return prompts before moving again. Repeat this forward-and-shoot sequence for three encounters in total. - At the main computer, type
use timerto attach it to the dynamite, thenthrow dynamite. Do not throw the unarmed dynamite. - Go
right, thenbackto the elevator. Useinsert card,board elevatorandlookto return to the three-elevator lobby. - Go
back,right,right, thenforwardthree times. One of those right commands closes the elevator doors. You should reach Garuda Station. - Ride to Sarou and let the car depart. Go
backto the stadium, thenrighttwice, passing through the shopping center to Ares Station.
7. The small key
A second key opens a different restricted area.
Show the Yurai route and key pickup
- At Ares, use
lookuntil the car arrives,forwardto board, andlookthrough arrival and departure at Yurai Station. - Go
right. Proceedforwardandshoot lasergun, finishing both Return prompts after each fight. Repeat for three robot encounters. - The last robot drops a small key. Type
take keyand advance the Return prompt. This is the magnet key; keep Keith’s gold key too. - At the restricted door, go
leftto the elevator. Useinsert card,board elevator, thenlook. - The recorded route now boards the still-open elevator again:
board elevator, thenlook. After returning downward, usebackthree times to close the doors, pass through the corridor and reach the observation room.
8. The radar room
Inspect the display more than once; the order matters.
Show the locked door and password clue
- From the observation room, go
rightto the restricted door. Typeuse key; Chris uses the magnet key here. - Go
forwardtwice to the radar room. Typelook panel, thenexamine location, thenlook panelagain. The second inspection reveals Icarus. - Leave with
backtwice, thenlefttwice to pass through the observation room into the opposite corridor. Goforwardto the elevator. - Use
insert card,board elevator, thenlook. Gorightfour times: close the doors, reach the stadium, pass through the shopping center, and arrive at Ares Station. - Take the motorcar to Yurai again and let it depart.
If you did not see the password: examining the ship’s location between the two panel inspections is the important step. A single look panel only describes the display.
9. The bridge and the ending
The last door needs more than a key.
Show how to enter the bridge
- From Yurai, go
right, then work through the threeforward/shoot lasergunencounters again. Finish the two Return prompts after each fight. - At the restricted door, type
use key. This door uses Keith’s gold key and asks for a password. - Type
icaruson its own. Goforwardthrough the open door to the control bridge.
Show the final actions
- Use
lookfour times to start and hear the complete recording. - Type
look panel, thenlook buttonto identify the landing control. - Type
push button, thenlookto advance the landing sequence to the ending.
That completes the main-story route. The recording supplies the final revelations, so they are left for you to discover in the game.
A few optional detours
Show the cloud, shop and observation-room extras
- On the hill, try
look cloud. - Inside the shop, try
faceback. - In the observation room,
look glassshows the stars andknock glasstriggers the comet event. The next submitted command advances its disappearance, so check the scene before repeating a movement command.
These responses were observed in English, but they are optional and are not required for the main route.
Guide prepared November 1, 2026, from the project’s recorded English route and later source and emulator checks. Some alternate and fallback text was never reached in normal testing; it is not treated as a hidden requirement here. No new game build, exhaustive branch test or hardware certification is implied.