Super Liam Manual

# Super Liam

Developed by LWorks

## Changelog

### Version 1.51

- Spacebar can now be used as an additional fire key.
- Health boosts and extra lives no longer spawn in No Damage Mode. Extra lives no longer spawn in One Life Mode.
- Getting a game over in Super L AI M no longer erases your progress. You can continue from the start of the level you died on.
- Fixed the beeping point counter at the end of levels.
- Fixed jump and crouch sounds playing on the same frame as a death.
- Fixed the chase laser in Super L AI M Level 8 not locking on when the player stands on certain surfaces. Going behind the laser is now instant death.
- Fixed Super L AI M menu music not restarting after replaying a level.
- Added L AI M’s Revenge mode. Survive endless waves of L AI M themed levels with all their unique gimmicks. One life, 200% starting health, no rest areas. Unlocked after completing Super L AI M.
- Destructive confirmations (overwrite save, delete save) now default to No.
- Added online leaderboards with 15 boards covering all game modes. Post your best scores, times, and wave records from the Leaderboards menu. Scores reset every two weeks.
- Save slots now show a slot menu with options for New Game, Load Game, Restart Game, Extras, and Leaderboards. Restarting a game preserves your unlocked extras.
- Players are prompted to enter a name for the leaderboards when first selecting a save slot. A random name is generated if left blank.
- Personal best scores are tracked per slot. A high score sound plays when you set a new personal best in any mode.
- New settings: Extended Water Escape Timer (adds 45 extra seconds), Button Prompts (toggle “Press Enter to continue” hints), Intro on Startup (skip logo and intro), and Verbose Status Readouts (toggle labels on health, lives, score readouts).
- Fixed fireballs and cyclists in X1’s Revenge spawning only near the end of levels. They are now spread across the entire level.
- Fixed Music Player tracks not looping after being paused and resumed.
- Fixed the laser not always hitting the closest enemy.
- Adjusted various sounds: lowered the lab ambiance volume and rolled off some bass, tweaked mud sounds on fire pit edges to be easier to distinguish, lowered the barrier sound to prevent audio clipping, and adjusted drain and fan sounds.
- Status readouts now speak the number first (e.g. “3 Lives” instead of “Lives: 3”), with correct singular and plural handling.
- Survival Arena now tracks high scores on the leaderboard and displays your final score on game over.
- Improved slot menu: Extras is now listed first, completed saves show total score and time, in-progress saves with extras show “Extras Unlocked”.
- Fixed Super L AI M not showing Continue after a game over when the campaign had been previously completed.
- Fixed L AI M’s Revenge not unlocking for some saves.
- Fixed electric barriers in L AI M’s Revenge spawning too close together.
- Sped up slow fireballs in Super L AI M.
- Fixed a bug where enemy sounds could become orphaned, causing ghost audio with no source.
- Music Player volume can now be adjusted with Page Up and Page Down. The setting is saved per slot.
- Cut scene subtitles no longer interrupt the screen reader between lines.
- Fixed a bug where the player could complete an act with zero or negative health by reaching the teleporter on the same frame they took fatal damage.
- Fixed the “Game Over” jingle not playing after a game over or after the ending cut scenes.
- Teleporters can now be triggered while jumping, matching the original game’s behavior. Pickups still require landing on them or walking over them.
- Water jets in Super L AI M now push the player while airborne. Jumping still allows you to move against the current.
- Fixed unlocks from one save slot bleeding into other save slots.
- Added a D-Pad Up to Jump setting (off by default) for gamepad users who prefer D-pad up over the A button for jumping.
- Added a settings menu accessible while paused. Press F2 on keyboard or X on gamepad.
- Fixed edge cases where the player could jump while in quicksand in Super L AI M.
- Enemy ambushes in X1’s Revenge and L AI M’s Revenge now spawn closer to the player.

## Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Story
3. Getting Started
4. The Main Menu
5. Controls
6. How to Play
7. Enemies
8. Hazards
9. Items
10. Levels
11. Scoring
12. Saving and Loading
13. Extras
14. Leaderboards
15. Settings
16. Credits

## 1. Introduction

Welcome to Super Liam! Originally released in 2004, Super Liam was the first accessible side-scrolling action game for blind and visually impaired players. The game is entirely audio-driven, using positional sound, screen reader output, and pre-recorded speech to deliver a full experience with no visuals required.

This version is a complete ground-up remake with many improvements over the original. The game runs on both Windows and Mac.

### What’s New in the Remake

- Cross-platform: Super Liam now runs on both Windows and Mac.
- Improved jumping: In the original game, you had to press the arrow key repeatedly to move while jumping. Now, you can simply hold the arrow key during a jump for smoother air movement.
- Modern screen reader support: The game works with the following screen readers. JAWS and NVDA on windows, and Voiceover on Mac.
- Gamepad support: Play with a controller in addition to the keyboard.
- Multiple save slots: Three save slots replace the original single-save system.
- Extras menu: After completing the game, unlock Level Select, Cheats, Boss Rush, Survival Arena, X1’s Revenge, Super L AI M mode, No Damage Mode, and more.

## 2. The Story

Liam was your typical everyday teen. He went to school, came home, did his homework, shot some hoops, and chased after girls. That would all change one day.

High above the Earth, X1 sat in his control room contemplating what he would do. “A full moon,” laughed X1. “I can finally conquer the Earth like I had planned for years.” Just then, there was a loud explosion. “No!” cried X1. “The ship is crashing!” Alarms rang, lights flashed, and then all was silent.

Liam sat watching TV. The screen was blaring ads for some product no one in their right mind would use. Just then, Liam heard a huge bang. He looked out his window and saw a blue streak followed by a loud boom. Liam guessed that it must have been at least 200 miles away, but he still heard it.

Dr. Quark paced nervously back and forth. Full moons always made him nervous. It was 20 years ago that he had last vanquished that robot X1, and he didn’t want to do it again. He was getting too old for chasing down X1. If something was up, he’d need help. But who could he depend on?

Liam didn’t like that explosion. It was way too loud. Something didn’t feel right. He got up and looked out. He couldn’t see a thing. Liam then turned on the TV to a news report. “Welcome to Action News,” said the reporter. “A huge flying disc has just hit the ground outside Bronsville.” “Bronsville? That’s 30 miles away!” said Liam. The reporter continued. “Sources believe that a robot named X1 is behind the disc. X1 was vanquished 20 years ago, but may be back. Residents are advised to seek shelter.” “A robot?” stammered Liam. “Those things don’t exist, do they?” Liam began to pace back and forth nervously. What if they did? What if… the thought trailed off in his mind.

Dr. Quark turned on the TV in his lab. Something definitely wasn’t right. His eyes fell on the scene of the disc. He nearly passed out in fear. “No! He’s back!” screamed Dr. Quark. “And there’s nothing I can do! Or is there?” Dr. Quark raced to his monitor to look around Raygon City. He flipped through books he had and looked at charts. “If I can’t defeat X1, I know someone else can. I need someone strong, adventurous, and brave. But who!”

Liam sat up in his room. “I bet that I’m strong, adventurous, and brave. I bet you I am!” He began to pace back and forth. “I feel like destiny is telling me to go defeat this X1. I don’t know why.” Just then he saw a holograph on his wall. The holograph spoke to him in a strange voice. “Go, my son. Go forth and defeat X1. Save the world. Go to the abandoned warehouse on Fifth. Go!” Just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared, leaving a faint outline of a man dressed in a lab coat, and that too disappeared as well. “I have to go to this warehouse. I have to!” stammered Liam. He threw on some clothes and headed out. It was a cold night, and the air felt heavy as he ran. Up one street, down another, and back up another. He finally found Fifth. He ran until he reached the end where a long-forgotten warehouse stood. Its painted walls were cracked and peeling, and some boards looked like they would fall off at any moment. Liam looked for a door, found one, opened it, and walked in. His eyes bugged out in shock!

X1 looked at the remains of his ship. “It’s ruined!” he roared. “But not all is lost. I still have my power. I know that Dr. Quark will be after me, so I’ll be sneaky. I’ll leave a portal right here, and when he walks in, he’ll be transported to the netherworld! I’d like to see him get past my robotic troopers and dogs! Moo heh heh hahahaha! And once that bumbling fool is gone, the world and everything will be mine! All mine, I tell you!”

Liam found himself in a lab. Weird monitors and devices lined the walls, casting an eerie glow on the room. “Where am I?” Liam blurted into the darkness. “You’re in my lab,” came a voice from behind a door. The door opened and Dr. Quark came out. “I’m Dr. Quark. Welcome to my lab. I’m surprised you walked right in. Only the worthy have found this place. You must be the one to defeat X1. You must be.” He hobbled forward. “Please, sit down in that chair.” Liam was amazed. “Um, Sir, I saw a vision telling me to come here, and well, I guess that I’m here for a reason then.” “Yes, you are. I am too old to go chasing down a robot, but if you’re looking for adventure and excitement, then you are in the right place.” Liam stammered, “Um, yeah. I am.” “Good. I will give you three things. A superhero costume which will make you look cool, and which I’m sure may come in handy. I also have a laser gun, which you will definitely need. And finally, a handy-dandy digital walkie-talkie.” “Wow, I don’t know what to say,” said Liam with surprise. “Don’t say anything, just listen. X1 was spotted outside of town. Fly out there and take a look. And I don’t mean fly as a fancy term for walking or running. I mean actual flying. You can fly, can’t you?” Liam looked at this man in amazement. “Um, no. I can’t.” “Oh, that’s right. I’m so scatterbrained. And I bet I didn’t even tell you my name. My name is Dr. Quark. So call me that, and not Sir!” “Yes, Sir, uh, Dr. Quark, Sir.” “That’s better! Now, flying is simple. Just jump up and spread your arms. Lean forward to move faster, and backward to slow down. Lower your arms to land. The cape in your costume is a special kind of super-lite jet pack. Also, when you get to where X1 has been seen, radio me on your walkie-talkie, and I’ll give you instructions. Good luck!” With that he disappeared into the back room. Liam was left alone. He looked around for a few minutes and then walked out. “This is all new for me,” said Liam. “It’s strange. Very strange. I know I’m lacking confidence, or something.” Liam stepped outside and tried to fly. It took a few attempts, but he unsteadily managed to get up in the air. He floated over the buildings. He leaned forward and found himself hurtling through the air. He tried the best he could to keep himself upright, but that didn’t last for long. He saw off in the distance what he was looking for. It was where the disc had landed. He tried to fly toward it, but some invisible force had a hold on him and was pulling him toward it. As he got closer, he saw a glowing frame of light. He tried to avoid it but he was being pulled toward it, way too fast! Liam let out a scream of terror, and then all went dark.

When Liam opened his eyes, the sun was shining and it was bright, but something was wrong. The ground under him wasn’t grass; it was sand. He stood up and rubbed his sore head. He looked at himself and saw the cape, the laser gun, the radio, and everything he was given. The whole scene came back to him. He picked up his radio and spoke. “Hello? Hello?” A voice on the other end said, “Hello, Liam. This is Dr. Quark. What happened?” Liam began to speak and then he was cut off. He saw a glowing holograph in front of him. “Hello, Liam. I’m X1. Welcome to my world. I see Quark isn’t doing this stuff by himself anymore. Well, I’ll let you know what you’re in for. In front of you stretches my world. It’s all mine, and I’m glad you can share it with me. It’s just too bad that you will be killed in the process. You see, I control everything here. The sand you’re standing on, that is my beach. I control it all, including its inhabitants. They’ll be really glad to meet you, but you won’t be too thrilled about the confrontation, I assure you. Have fun, and watch your step. Moo heh heh hahahaha! Just in case you get bored, I’ve planted four of my master robots. Have fun playing around with them!” With that, he disappeared. “Liam,” came a familiar voice from the radio. “I heard and saw all of that. Be careful. You’ll have to go through and find out what’s going on. I can’t gather any information on your location, just that you’re on a beach. I’ll try and get more as time goes on. Here’s what I know from looking at your location on my GPS. In front of you is a beach with some other life forms. I see some robots wandering around, and it looks to me like monkeys dropping coconuts, or some kind of fruit. Be careful.”

Liam looked around and saw what Dr. Quark was talking about. He began to walk forward, watching for signs of robotic life.

And that’s where you take over.

## 3. Getting Started

### Installation

Super Liam does not require an installer. On Windows, extract the contents of the .zip archive to a folder of your choice and run the game executable. On Mac, extract the .zip archive and move Super Liam to your Applications folder (or run it directly from the extracted folder).

### Running the Game

Super Liam works with any screen reader. When the game launches, the logo and intro sequences will play. These can be skipped by pressing Enter or Escape (or A, B, or Start on a gamepad). You will then arrive at the main menu.

For the best experience, headphones are recommended. The game uses positional audio to indicate where enemies, items, and hazards are relative to your position. Sounds to your left mean something is behind you; sounds to your right mean something is in front of you.

## 4. The Main Menu

Navigate the menu with the up and down arrow keys. Press Enter to select an item.

- Play: Choose a save slot to start a new game, continue a saved game, or access Extras on a completed slot.
- The Story: Read the game’s backstory page by page. Use the left and right arrow keys to change pages. Press Escape to go back.
- Settings: Adjust game settings (see Settings).
- Calibrate Speakers: Plays an audio test to verify your left and right speakers or headphones are working correctly.
- Read the Manual: Opens the full game manual in your web browser.
- Check for Updates: Checks whether a newer version of the game is available. If an update is found, you can open the download page in your web browser.
- Exit: Quit the game.

### Save Slots

The game provides 3 save slots. When you select Play, you will be asked to choose a slot. Each slot shows its current status: Empty, in-progress (with level, lives, and score), or Completed. The first time you select a slot, you will be asked to enter a name for the leaderboards. If you leave it blank, a random name will be generated for you.

After choosing a slot, a slot menu appears with the following options depending on your progress:

- New Game: Start a new game from the beginning (empty slots only).
- Load Game: Continue from your last save (in-progress slots only).
- Restart Game: Reset your progress and score but keep all unlocked extras.
- Extras: Access the Extras menu (completed slots only).
- Leaderboards: Browse online leaderboards, post your scores, or change your posting name.

Press Delete while focused on a slot to erase it. You will be asked to confirm before the save is deleted.

## 5. Controls

### Keyboard Controls (In Menus)

Key | Action
--- | ---
Up Arrow | Move to the previous menu item
Down Arrow | Move to the next menu item
Enter | Select the highlighted item
Escape | Go back or cancel
Delete | Delete a save slot (when focused on one)

### Keyboard Controls (In Game)

Key | Action
--- | ---
Right Arrow | Walk forward (right)
Left Arrow | Walk backward (left)
Up Arrow | Jump. Hold left or right arrow while in the air to move during the jump.
Down Arrow (hold) | Crouch. Stay crouched as long as the key is held. Release to stand up.
Left/Right Ctrl or Spa | ce Fire laser. Shoots in the direction you are currently facing.
S | Hear your current act score
H | Hear your current health
L | Hear your remaining lives
T | Hear your total score
C | Hear your current position
P | Pause / unpause the game
F2 | Open settings (while paused)
Page Up | Increase music volume
Page Down | Decrease music volume
Escape | Exit game (with confirmation)

### Gamepad Controls (In Menus)

Super Liam supports any standard gamepad. You can also use the left stick to navigate menus. Button names below use Xbox conventions; PlayStation and Nintendo controllers use equivalent buttons.

Button | Action
--- | ---
D-pad/Stick | Navigate menu items
A | Select / Confirm
B | Back / Cancel
Start | Space (used in some menus)
Back | Delete save slot

### Gamepad Controls (In Game)

Button | Action
--- | ---
D-pad Left / Right | Walk left / right
Left Stick | Walk left / right
A | Jump
B | Crouch
D-pad Down | Crouch
X / LT / RT | Fire laser
Y | Speak health
Start | Pause
X | Settings (while paused)
Back | Exit game
LB | Speak lives
RB | Speak score
Stick Click | Speak position (either stick)

## 6. How to Play

Super Liam is a side-scrolling game played entirely through audio. You move left and right along a single axis. Your right arrow moves you forward, and your left arrow moves you backward.

As you walk, you will hear your footsteps change based on the terrain: sand, ground, metal, water, rock, brush, and more. Listen carefully to these changes, as they often signal that a hazard is nearby.

### Basic Gameplay

- Walk through each act, defeating enemies and avoiding hazards.
- Reach the teleporter at the end of the act to advance. You will hear its distinctive humming sound as you approach.
- You start with 100 health and 3 lives. Taking damage reduces your health. When health reaches zero, you lose a life and respawn at the start of the current act.
- When all lives are lost, the game is over.

### Listening Tips

- Enemies produce positional audio. A sound coming from the right means the enemy is ahead of you (when facing right). As it gets louder and more centered, the enemy is getting closer.
- Hazards like sewers, fire pits, fans, and drains produce looping sounds. When you start hearing one, slow down and prepare to jump.
- Items like health boosts and extra lives produce a slow beeping locator sound. Walk into them to pick them up.

### Jumping Over Hazards

Most hazards are about 5 tiles wide with a 2-tile boundary on each side. To clear a hazard, stand on the edge, press Up Arrow to jump, then hold your movement arrow to glide across before you land. Practice makes perfect!

### Turning

Press the opposite arrow key to turn around. Your character will pause briefly to change direction before taking a step, giving you precise control over your positioning. While in the air, direction changes are instant with no delay.

## 7. Enemies

Enemy | Description | Hits to Kill | Points
--- | --- | --- | ---
Robotic Trooper | Standard foot soldier. Walks toward you and attacks. Slow but dangerous in groups. | 1 | 20
Robotic Dog | Faster than troopers with a vicious bite. Barks to reveal its position. | 6-7 | 50
Monkey | Sits in trees and drops coconuts on your head. Cannot be killed. Run underneath to avoid getting hit. | N/A | N/A
Cyclist | Races toward you on a motorcycle. Cannot be killed with your laser. Jump over them. | N/A | N/A
Bear | Fierce and fast. Attacks in groups. One shot takes them down. | 1 | 75
Fireball | Flies toward you at head height. Crouch to dodge it. | N/A | N/A
MiniGuard | Small robot with a mini laser. Shoots back at you. | 2 | 100
Laser Trap | Stationary wall-mounted laser. Fires when you are in range. Run past quickly. | N/A | N/A
Water Rat | Aggressive but fragile. One shot eliminates them. | 1 | 75
RoboGuard | Heavily armored robot that walks and shoots. Takes many hits to destroy. | 7+ | 120

## 8. Hazards

Hazard | Found In | Description
--- | --- | ---
Sewers | Level 2 | Open sewer grates. Fall in and you drown. Listen for the sewer sound and jump across. Two-step metal boundary on each side.
Fire Pits | Level 4 | Pools of lava. Step in and you burn. Jump over them.
Snakes | Level 3 | Hidden in the brush. Stepping on one causes a painful bite that drains 25 health. Jump to safety.
Fans | Level 6 | Industrial fans that slice anything that touches them. They span 3 tiles wide and have no boundary tiles around them. Jump over them.
Drains | Level 6 | Open water drains. Fall in and you drown. Similar to sewers with a two-step metal boundary.
Electric Barriers | Level 7 | Electrified barriers that span 3 tiles wide. Like fans, they have no boundary tiles around them. Jump over them.
Openings | Level 7 | Gaps in the floor. Two-step metal boundary before the edge. Openings don’t make any sound to let you know they are there. Listen for the change in surface and jump across.

## 9. Items

Items produce a slow beeping locator sound. Walk onto them to collect.

Item | Effect
--- | ---
Health Boost | Restores 25 health points (up to 100 maximum).
Extra Life | Grants one additional life.
Teleporter | Found at the end of each act. Step onto it to advance to the next act or level.
Point Bonus | Awards 1000 bonus points. Found in bonus levels.

## 10. Levels

The game consists of 7 levels, each with 2 acts followed by a boss fight or escape sequence. Acts 1 and 2 are standard side-scrolling levels.

### Level 1: Sandy Surf

A sun-baked beach. Fight through robotic troopers, mechanical dogs, and dodge coconut-dropping monkeys.

Boss: Air Bot - A jumping robot that leaps into the air and lands on your position. Shoot it, then run out of the way before it lands.

### Level 2: Suburban Streets

City streets with open sewers and reckless cyclists. Watch your step and jump over the sewer grates.

Boss: Cycle Bot - A massive motorcycle-riding robot. Shoot it as it charges toward you, then jump out of the way.

### Level 3: Wild Woods

Dark and gloomy woods filled with bears and hidden snakes. Enemies appear from all directions, so stay alert.

Boss: Wild Bot - Swings back and forth overhead, then lands and charges. Duck when it swings over you, and shoot it when it lands.

### Level 4: Lava Lake

Rocky terrain with lethal fire pits and flying fireballs. Jump over the pits and crouch under the fireballs.

Boss: Volcano Escape - No boss fight here. A wall of molten rock is chasing you. Run for your life and reach the teleporter before it catches you!

### Level 5: Silver Spaceship

X1’s orbiting space station. Armed with MiniGuards and wall-mounted laser traps. An intense gauntlet of enemies.

Boss: Laser Bot - Racing to reach the ship’s reactor to blow it up. Chase it down the corridor. Duck when it says “take that” to avoid its laser. Keep shooting until it’s destroyed.

### Level 6: Water Works

An underground water plant with fans, drains, and vicious water rats. Navigate carefully through the industrial obstacles.

Boss: Water Escape - X1 has set a bomb. You have 75 seconds to run through the level and reach the teleporter. If you’re too slow, it’s game over.

### Level 7: Lethal Lab

X1’s laboratory. The most dangerous level, packed with troopers, MiniGuards, RoboGuards, electric barriers, and floor openings.

Boss: X1 - The final battle. Three platforms separated by gaps. A laser gun in the ceiling tracks your position; stay in one place too long and it locks on and fires. X1 sits on the far right. Shoot him and he activates a force field. Wait it out while dodging the ceiling laser, then shoot again. Keep at it and you’ve won the game!

## 11. Scoring

Your score is calculated at the end of each act:

- Kill points: Each enemy killed during the act awards points (see the Enemies table). Bosses award 500 points (X1 awards 5000).
- Time bonus: The faster you complete the act, the higher your time bonus.
- Health bonus: Remaining health percentage is converted to bonus points.
- Life bonus: 25 points for each remaining life.

Your act score is added to your running total after each act. Try to complete acts quickly with high health for the best scores!

A total game timer also runs during play. It pauses during death sequences and score screens, so only active gameplay counts. Your total time is displayed when you complete the game. The timer is saved with your progress, so it carries over between sessions.

## 12. Saving and Loading

The game automatically saves your progress after each act to your current save slot. Your level, act, lives, health, total score, and game timer are all preserved.

To continue a saved game, select Play from the main menu, then choose the save slot with your in-progress game.

Important notes:

- Starting a new game on a slot with an existing save will overwrite it.
- When you complete the entire game, the save slot is marked as Completed and your total score is recorded. You can no longer reload from the last level, but you unlock the Extras menu.
- Progress is not saved when cheats are active or during challenge modes.

### Save Data Location

- Windows: Save files are stored in the `user_data` folder inside the game’s directory. If you move or copy the game folder, your saves travel with it.
- Mac: Save files are stored in your system’s Library folder under `LWorks/SuperLiam`. This is the standard location for application data on Mac.

## 13. Extras

When you select a completed save slot, you gain access to the Extras menu with the following options:

### 13.1. Level Select

Jump directly to any level and act in the game. Choose a level, then choose an act (Act 1, Act 2, or the boss fight). Any cheats you have toggled will be active during play. Your score is not saved during level select.

### 13.2. Cheats

Toggle the following cheats on or off. Cheat settings are saved per slot. When any cheat is active, your score will not be saved.

Cheat | Effect
--- | ---
Infinite Health | Start with 1000 health that won’t cap at 100.
Infinite Lives | Start with 50 lives.
Machine Gun | Hold Ctrl to fire your laser continuously instead of one shot at a time.
Speed Boost | Move even faster than normal.

### 13.3. Boss Rush

Fight all 7 bosses back-to-back as fast as you can. You start with 3 lives and full health. After defeating each boss, your health is refilled before the next fight begins. A timer tracks your total time and your time per boss. On death, you respawn at the current boss with one fewer life — your per-boss timer keeps running. Lose all 3 lives and it’s game over. Beat all 7 bosses and your final time is announced.

Completing Boss Rush unlocks Survival Arena.

### 13.4. Survival Arena

A pure combat survival mode. You spawn on a small 20-tile platform and face an endless stream of enemies. There is no teleporter and no escape. You fight until you die.

Enemies spawn from beyond the edges of the platform and advance toward you. The types you face are drawn from the main game — troopers, dogs, bears, miniguards, rats, and roboguards — with harder enemies unlocking over time.

#### Special Rules

- You have 1 life. There are no extra lives. Death ends the run.
- Enemies spawn faster and in greater numbers the longer you survive.
- Tougher enemy types unlock over time: bears, miniguards, rats, and roboguards join the fight as the clock ticks.
- A maximum of 5 enemies can be active at once.
- A health boost spawns on the platform every 30 to 45 seconds. Only one can exist at a time. Health boosts in this mode can raise your health above 100, so grab them even when you are at full health.
- Your final survival time is announced on death. There is no score.
- Press L to hear how long you have survived.
- Press C (or click the right stick on a gamepad) to hear your position on the platform.

#### Unlock

Survival Arena is unlocked by completing Boss Rush. Surviving for 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the arena unlocks X1’s Revenge.

### 13.5. X1’s Revenge

An endless survival mode. X1 has returned, and this time there’s no story, no save points, and no second chances. You have one life. How far can you go?

Each wave drops you into a procedurally generated level set in one of the game’s seven themes, chosen at random. You’ll face the enemies and hazards from that theme. Reach the teleporter at the end to survive the wave.

Every 5 waves, you enter a safe room: a short stretch of beach where two health boosts are waiting. Pick them up, catch your breath, and step into the teleporter to begin the next wave.

#### Special Rules

- More enemies: Each wave adds more enemies, and they appear more frequently as you progress.

- Faster enemies: Enemy movement speed increases with every wave.

- Longer levels: Every 5 waves, the level grows by 20 tiles, giving you more ground to cover.

- More ambushes: As levels grow longer, more enemy encounters are placed throughout.

- More hazards: As levels grow longer, themes with terrain hazards will have more of them.

- You start with 1 life. There are no extra lives. Death is permanent and ends the run.

- Health boosts in the safe room can raise your health above 100%. Stock up while you can.

- Your score accumulates across all waves. On death, you’ll hear your final score and the wave you reached.

- Press L to hear your current wave number. Press S for score, H for health, and C for position. All other standard controls work during play.

#### Unlock

Completing wave 10 in X1’s Revenge unlocks Super L AI M, the Cut Scene Player, and the Music Player.

### 13.6. Super L AI M

What happens after you defeat X1 and save the world? Super L AI M answers that question. It turns out the robo troopers, Doctor Quark, X1 — they were all creations of a chaotic AI called L AI M, who has been pulling the strings all along. Now LAIM wants to play a game: survive 8 reimagined levels, and he’ll let you go. Each of the original game’s worlds is rebuilt with new hazards and unique gimmicks that change the rules. Layouts, enemy placement, and hazard positions are randomized each time you play.

You start the campaign with full health and 3 lives. Your health and lives carry over between levels. Standard controls apply, and all enemies and hazards from the base game are present in their respective levels. What’s new are the gimmicks — each level introduces at least one mechanic not found anywhere else in the game. Your progress is saved between levels, and a game timer tracks your total time across sessions. Your total time is shown on completion.

#### Level 1: The Drowning Shore

The familiar beach, but the sand can’t be trusted. Quicksand pits are scattered across the level — wide zones where your movement slows to a crawl. You cannot jump while standing in quicksand, and if you linger for more than 5 seconds, it starts draining your health. The longer you stay, the slower you move. Monkeys nest above every pit, dropping coconuts on you while you struggle to escape. Several lakes also dot the shoreline, shorting out your laser if you step into the water.

New hazards:

- Quicksand zones: Wide pits that slow movement, prevent jumping, and deal damage over time. Keep moving or sink.
- Lakes: Disable your laser while you stand in them.

#### Level 2: Rush Hour

City streets with a twist. Cycles no longer trickle in one at a time — they arrive in coordinated waves from alternating directions, announced by a warning horn. Some of the sewers now contain manholes — step too close and a trooper or dog bursts out with a metallic clang, stunned for a moment before attacking. Worse, alligators lurk in certain sewers, chomping at regular intervals. If you’re crossing a sewer during a chomp, it’s instant death. Listen carefully to the timing before you jump.

New hazards:

- Traffic waves: Coordinated bursts of cycles from both directions every 25 seconds. A horn warns you before they arrive.
- Manholes: Proximity-triggered enemy spawners hidden in sewers. Each fires once.
- Alligators: Periodic chomp attacks in certain sewers. Crossing during a chomp is fatal.

#### Level 3: The Living Forest

The woods are alive and hostile. Vine traps are hidden throughout the brush — wide trigger zones that snap shut when you walk through them. You have a brief moment to jump free before the vine grabs you. If caught, you’re held in place for 5 seconds while enemies swarm in from both sides. You can still shoot and turn while trapped, but you cannot move or jump. On top of that, elk charge through the forest every 30 seconds, barreling in from one side at high speed. Jump over them or take a heavy hit.

New hazards:

- Vine traps: Wide trigger zones that grab and hold you for 5 seconds. Jumping during the grab window avoids the trap. Getting caught spawns a wave of enemies.
- Elk: Fast-moving animals that charge across the map periodically. Must be jumped over.

#### Level 4: The Floor Is Lava

The volcanic rock is unstable. Geysers erupt across the level on a cycle — a hissing warning builds for about 2 seconds, then the geyser blasts for nearly 3 seconds, dealing rapid damage to anyone standing on or near it. Unlike fire pits, jumping won’t save you from a geyser. Fireballs cluster near fire pits, making those areas especially dangerous.

New hazards:

- Geysers: 5-tile-wide eruption zones that cycle every 7 to 10 seconds. Listen for the warning hiss and move clear before the blast.

#### Level 5: System Malfunction

The spaceship’s systems are failing. Every 30 seconds, the power cuts out — the music dies, the ambience goes silent, and all laser traps shut down. Your gun shorts out too, so don’t bother trying to shoot. After 10 seconds in the dark, a power-up sound signals that systems are coming back online. Laser traps in this level fire in rapid bursts rather than single shots, each trap following its own fixed pattern of multiple shots followed by a cooldown. Learn the rhythms and run between the gaps.

New hazards:

- Power outages: Periodic blackouts that disable all laser traps and your gun for 10 seconds. Enemies still move and attack normally.
- Compound laser traps: Burst-fire laser traps that shoot multiple times in quick succession before pausing. Each trap has its own fixed pattern. When power restores after a blackout, all traps fire erratically for several seconds before settling back into their normal rhythms.

#### Level 6: Flood Control

The water plant is flooding. Every 30 seconds, a powerful water jet surges through the level, pushing you in one direction. A voice announces which way the current will flow just before it hits. While the jet is active, you’re swept along helplessly unless you jump. The current can push you straight into drains or fans, so position yourself carefully before each surge.

New hazards:

- Water jets: Periodic surges that push you across the level. Direction is announced beforehand. Jump to maintain control, or risk being swept into a hazard.

#### Level 7: The Morpho Experiment

X1’s laboratory, and the hardest level in Super L AI M. The floor is packed with roboguards, miniguards, troopers, and dogs, all with heightened aggression. Clusters of compound laser traps form deadly gauntlets — corridors of rapid-fire bursts that you must time your way through. Electric barriers block your path throughout the level.

The real threat is the Morpho Ray. Every 15 to 25 seconds, a ray fires from the ceiling. It doesn’t hurt you, but it does something to you — and you won’t know what until it hits. The effect lasts 12 seconds. Pay attention to what changes and adapt quickly.

New hazards:

- Compound laser gauntlets: Dense clusters of burst-fire laser traps grouped together, forming corridors of overlapping fire patterns.
- Morpho Ray: A ceiling-mounted ray that periodically hits the player with a random effect lasting 12 seconds. What it does is for you to discover.

#### Level 8: AI Escape

In this final level you will need to (description redacted by L AI M).

#### Unlock

Completing Super L AI M unlocks L AI M’s Revenge, One Life Mode, and No Damage Mode. It also adds the Super L AI M cut scenes and soundtrack to the Cut Scene Player and Music Player.

### 13.7. L AI M’s Revenge

An endless wave survival mode set in L AI M’s world. L AI M isn’t finished with you yet. This time there are no saves, no rest areas, and no second chances.

Each wave drops you into a procedurally generated level based on one of the seven Super L AI M themes, chosen at random. You’ll face that theme’s enemies, hazards, and unique gimmicks. Reach the teleporter at the end to survive the wave and move on to the next.

#### Special Rules

- More enemies: Each wave adds more enemies, starting at 3 and increasing by one every two waves, up to a maximum of 15.

- Faster enemies: Enemy movement speed increases with every wave.

- Longer levels: Levels start at 120 tiles and grow by 15 tiles per wave, up to a maximum of 400.

- All gimmicks active: Every theme’s unique gimmick from the Super L AI M campaign is present — quicksand, vines, geysers, switches, morpho rays, and more.

- You start with 1 life and 200% health. There are no extra lives. Death ends the run.

- There are no safe rooms, rest areas, or health boosts.

- Your score accumulates across all waves. On death, you’ll hear your final score and the wave you reached.

- Press L to hear your current wave number. Press S for score, H for health, and C for position.

#### Unlock

L AI M’s Revenge is unlocked by completing Super L AI M. Completing wave 5 unlocks alternate music tracks in the Music Player.

### 13.8. One Life Mode

You have one life to beat the entire game. Health starts at 100 and health boosts are still available, but extra life pickups are disabled. There is no saving or loading — you must complete all 7 levels in a single session. Your total time is shown if you manage to finish. One Life Mode is unlocked by completing Super L AI M.

### 13.9. No Damage Mode

The ultimate challenge. You start a full game from Level 1, Act 1 with only 1 health point and 1 life. Any hit from any source means instant death and game over. Health boosts and extra life pickups are disabled. No progress is saved during the run. Your total time is shown if you complete it. Can you beat all 7 levels without taking a single hit?

### 13.10. Replay Cut Scenes

Replay any of the game’s cut scenes. Choose a scene from the list to listen to it. Cut scenes can be skipped by pressing Enter or Escape, or A, B, or Start on a gamepad. If subtitles are enabled in Settings, dialogue will be spoken through your screen reader during playback. Super L AI M cut scenes are added after completing Super L AI M.

### 13.11. Music Player

Listen to any song from the game. Choose a track from the list to play it. The track loops until you pick a different one or select Stop. Press Space (or Start on a gamepad) to pause or resume the current track. Press Escape or select Back to return to the Extras menu.

The player includes all level themes, boss music, the escape and bonus themes, X1’s Revenge rest area music, the final credits, and the full Super L AI M soundtrack. Completing wave 5 in L AI M’s Revenge adds alternate music tracks that were originally composed for Super L AI M.

## 14. Leaderboards

Super Liam features online leaderboards for all game modes. Your best scores, times, and wave records are tracked per save slot. When you set a new personal best, you will hear a high score sound.

To access leaderboards, select a save slot and choose Leaderboards from the slot menu. From there you can:

- Browse Leaderboards: View the top 75 entries on any of the 15 boards.
- Post Scores: Submit all your unposted personal bests to the server in a single batch. Your ranking on each board is shown after posting.
- Change Name: Update your posting name at any time.

Leaderboards reset every two weeks. The following boards are available:

- Main Game Scores and Best Times
- Boss Rush Best Times
- Survival Arena Scores and Best Times
- X1’s Revenge Scores and Highest Wave Reached
- Super L AI M Scores and Best Times
- L AI M’s Revenge Scores and Highest Wave Reached
- One Life Mode Scores and Best Times
- No Damage Scores and Best Times

## 15. Settings

The Settings menu is accessible from the main menu. Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate settings, and press Enter to toggle them. Press Escape to return to the main menu. Changes are saved automatically.

You can also access a subset of settings while paused in-game by pressing F2 (or X on a gamepad). The pause settings menu includes Cut Scene Subtitles, Button Prompts, Verbose Status Readouts, and D-Pad Up to Jump.

Setting | Description
--- | ---
Cut Scene Subtitles | Toggle subtitles for in-game cut scenes on or off. When enabled, cut scene dialogue is spoken through your screen reader while the audio plays. Useful if you want to follow along with the story text or if the recorded speech is hard to hear. Default: Off.
Extended Water Escape Timer | Adds 45 extra seconds to the Water Escape level (6-3), giving you 2 minutes instead of 75 seconds. Applies in both the main game and Boss Rush. Default: Off.
Button Prompts | Toggle the “Press Enter to continue” and gamepad button hints that appear at the end of prompts. Turn this off if you already know the controls and find the prompts repetitive. Default: On.
Intro on Startup | Toggle the logo and intro audio that play when the game launches. Turn this off to go straight to the main menu. Default: On.
Verbose Status Readouts | Toggle the labels on status readouts (health, lives, score, etc.). When enabled, you hear the number followed by its label (e.g. “3 Lives”). When disabled, only the number is spoken. Default: On.
D-Pad Up to Jump | When enabled, pressing D-pad up on a gamepad will jump in addition to the A button. Default: Off.

## 16. Credits

### 2004 Original

- Programming: Liam Erven
- Beta Testers: HF, Damon Fibraio, Chris Nestrud, Wil James, Jarrod Jicha, Clarence Griffin, Don Coco, Philip Benphol, Karl Belinger, Kevin Reeves, Joe Quinn
- Special Thanks: Robison Brian, James North

### 2026 Remake

- Programming: Liam Erven, with assistance from an agentic coder
- Sound Design: Liam Erven
- Music: Clarence Griffin, Kevin Reeves, Damon Fibraio, Andre Louis, Suno AI
- Testers: Alyssa Erven, Amber Messmer, Andre Louis, Ather Jammoa, Brett Boyer, Bryn, Cary, Gregg Chambers, Ivan Soto, Jay Pellis, James Dean, Jamie Pauls, Jerry Jicha, J.J. Meddaugh, Mike Breedlove, Ryan Bishop, Sam Tupy, Sarah Haake, Sarah Russell, Steven D, Wil James
- In Memory Of: Brandon Cole, Charles and Susan Holmes, Chris Skarstad, Don Coco, Greg Brayton, Ryan Conroy

Copyright 2026 LWorks, all rights reserved.

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