Wheeler's Wild Ride

Mumbo Pango is hungry! That is to say, it's just another day on Mystery Island. To satisfy the insatiable island god, the Underwater Chef has sent a fun-loving young Lenny named Wheeler out with one goal: collect as many coconuts as possible, as fast as possible!

Well, it sure beats my old job...

How to Play

Wheeler's Wild Ride is played with the arrow keys and space bar. The up arrow will cause Wheeler to accelerate, while the down arrow applies the break and stops him in place. The left and right arrows are used to raise the bike's back and front wheels respectively, allowing you to perform wheelies while on the ground, or to rotate the bike for a safer landing while in the air. The space bar is used to change the direction that Wheeler's facing, and will swap which wheel the left and right arrows raise. In each level you'll find ramps and pits, which you must be going a certain speed to successfully jump over.

Just another day in paradise... Wait, is that a pile of skulls?

The game consists of three levels, each containing three areas. Your goal is to reach the checkered flag at the end of each area within the time limit, collecting coconuts along the way, though you can also perform tricks such as wheelies for points. If you overbalance while doing a wheelie, land poorly after jumping off of a ramp, run into a dangerous obstacle, or run out of time, you will lose some of your coconuts. To avoid losing coconuts, a golden coconut can be collected, which will prevent you from dropping any no matter how you crash for around 10 seconds. So long as you have coconuts you will be able to continue, but if your coconut count hits zero, it will be game over.

Ooh, shiny...

Scoring

While your goal in Wheeler's Wild Ride is to collect coconuts and reach the end of each level, neither of these will increase your score. To earn points, you must perform bike tricks as you move through the levels. The simplest trick is known as the 180, a half-turn which you can pull off by pressing the space bar while in the air. If the space bar is pressed a second time, you can do a full 360 degree turn. You can continue to rotate like this for as long as you're in the air, though each time you press the space bar is only worth 1 point.

The next trick is the wheelie, performed by pressing the left or right arrow key, while either moving or stationary. As the front wheel of Wheeler's bike is significantly wider than the back, and has a Faellie inside providing counterbalance, it's significantly easier to balance on the front wheel. You will earn 5 points per second that you're able to hold the wheelie.

The final trick is the flip, which like the 180 can only be done after a jump. While in the air, hold either the left or right arrow key to raise one end of the bike, which will continue up and over the bike; the flip will be counted once the wheel reaches its original position. At 10 points, the flip is the most valuable trick, but is also the most difficult to pull off. Any points earned from tricks will only be added to your score once you've made a safe landing.

In each level you'll find Mystery Island fruits, which can be collected to give you a temporary boost to your score multiplier. While these will only last for around 5 seconds, they're often placed just before a jump or along the trajectory a jump will put you on, allowing you to easily perform tricks while still under their effect. You can also collect green hibiscus flowers, which are worth 5 points each.

Strategy

The easiest way to earn points is by performing a wheelie on your front wheel and holding it for as long as possible. While you get a consistent 5 points per second, the counter will only start after your back wheel has hit a certain height, making it more efficient if you have to restart as little as possible.

The best way to take advantage of this is to play the game normally, collecting as many coconuts as possible, until you reach Level 2-2. Drop down to the area below where you start and begin doing wheelies, earning as many points as possible. Once the timer hits 5 seconds remaining, immediately end your wheelie and start another one, holding the arrow key down so that Wheeler will topple over the bike's handlebars. Failing to perform a trick like this will cost you one coconut, whereas running out of time would cost fifteen. By making sure you always crash rather than run out of time, you can continue to play and earn points for significantly longer.

What am I collecting coconuts for? Um...

Quick Tips

• Lift your wheels while moving forward to get over ledges
• If you're low on time, crash while doing a trick to lose less coconuts
• Doing a nose wheelie while stationary is the easiest way to earn points
• Slow down, rotate your bike, or apply the brake to land trickier jumps

Video

This game guide was written by: Chesu