MDK - Playing Guide

There are few action games on the PC that require as much deep thought and 
concentration as MDK does. Each and every arena poses an entirely new challenge, 
usually requiring a mixture of puzzle solving and fast-paced combat to succeed. 
Some of the areas just require practice, whereas for others, a specific trick 
should aid your progress. In general, though, there are certain skills you 
simply must learn to aid your progress. The people most qualified to provide 
help on MDK are the developers themselves. Heres what they had to say.
Before you start playing, a state of mind adjustment is in order. This isnt the 
sort of game you can just run through, mindlessly blasting everything in sight. 
I know, I tried it. It doesnt work. MDK is more of a gentlemans game, in which 
cunning and guile are your most powerful weapons. Most of the bad guys can be 
killed off before you even step into the arena. The sniper mode allows you to 
zoom in on even the smallest finger of the enemy, and just because you can see 
them, doesnt mean they can see you. Stealth is the best tactic of all. If you 
do end up in a fast-paced fire fight, the only advice that works is to keep 
moving. In general, it takes an enemy two or three shots to zero in on you. That 
number diminishes the closer you are, so staying at a safe distance is probably 
a good idea. Dont forget that jumping is a highly effective method of evading 
enemy fire, and its all to easy to forget about in the heat of combat.

SNIPER MODE
Essentially, the key to winning at MDK is the sniper mode. Theres nothing like 
the sweet feeling of a long-distance kill, especially when you go for a 
devastating head shot. Instead of raging into an arena, take your time. Stay in 
the corridors and try to snipe as many enemies as you can from your hiding 
place. As you progress, youll notice the variety of enemies in MDK. There is a 
sensible order in which to take these out, starting with the alert drones. These 
alert everything within range to your presence, and can even summon 
reinforcements, so get rid of them before they make your life too difficult. The 
next target should be the sentry robots. These lead the pack and give the massed 
enemies some direction, a factor you can do without. Next on the destruction 
agenda are the generator pods. Theres no point in blowing every robot in the 
room away if theyre just going to reappear in a few seconds, so make absolutely 
sure there are no monsters respawning before wiping anything else out. Once 
youve destroyed these primary targets, its best to take out the most powerful 
enemies first, because by this time theyll be cottoning on to your presence 
(peoples heads dont blow off spontaneously very often), so take out the 
biggest threats before they blast you off the face of the planet.

MOUSE CONTROL
For general use, using the keys to control the sniper helmet is fine, but if a 
large number of targets have to be dispatched in a short space of time, 
switching to mouse control is the only way. The mouse also comes in handy for 
bombing runs, where moving the target around quickly and frantic use of the fire 
button is the recipe for success.
Sparing use of the advanced weapons is important for effective use of the sniper 
mode - just because you have the power-up doesnt mean you have to use it. 
Sniper grenades, for example, are the most powerful long-distance weapon in your 
arsenal. You shouldnt waste these on an enemy who can be taken out with a few 
well-placed basic sniper bullets, its much better to hold on to them for use in 
a situation that truly requires them. Its well worth learning the number key 
shortcuts to each weapon, because cycling through them is usually too time 
consuming for the fast-paced situations in MDK. This advice also holds true for 
non-sniper special weapons such as the plain grenade. Throw one and wait to see 
if another is required. There arent many such weapons in the levels, so use 
them sparingly. Theres a grenade trick that not a lot of people use, but it can 
we hugely effective. Throw a grenade over a fan, and it will fly upwards in 
exactly the same way as Kurt does. This is a majorly impressive way of taking 
out threats you may not have even seen, including the enemy stuck inside the 
submarine.

STRATEGY
When you achieve proficiency with the sniper rifle, youll find that you can 
clear rooms of major threats really quickly. Even then, its not a good idea to 
run in and mop up straight away. Usually there is a particular strategy for the 
room that will aid your chances of success, and it could be too late to pull it 
off when youre actually in the arena. Think before you leap. But thats not the 
only reason for caution. Most arenas hold a special enemy, and its wise to wait 
for him to move to a vulnerable position before making your attack. Also, 
bonuses that are essential to your approach are often parachuted in a short 
while after your arrival in the area. If these dont arrive straight away, and 
you enter the room without them, you may be left up the creek without a grenade.
The hardest non-boss adversary youll face is the tank. These behemoths may move 
slowly, but the weapons theyre equipped with are insanely powerful, especially 
the turret mounted respawner which spews out robots with gay abandon. Sniper 
mode is the only sensible way to remove these threats. Four or five grenades or 
mortars are enough to make them explode, and remember to use the sidestep key if 
theres a blue laser winging its way towards you. Do watch out for partially 
damaged tanks - their weapons are gone, but theyll do their best to simply run 
over you, which is unsurprisingly hazardous to your health.
Some final tips. Shooting a flying surfer grunt in the head is well worth the 
effort. This stops his board being damaged, allowing you to use it instead. The 
board will take you on a scenic tour around a large part of the arena, enabling 
you to take out targets from the relative safety of the surfboard, and you may 
just end up in a secret area. Lastly, if you ever see a little robot running 
away screaming, corner and catch it and youll be rewarded with 150 points.

THE LEVELS
Part of the beauty of MDK is the fact that theres no set way of doing anything. 
However, theres usually a better way, although to some extent this depends on 
your particular playing style. However, in the cases below, theres a good way, 
which involves dying less, and a rubbish way, which is the way youll probably 
have tried to do it. Cut out the irritating death aspect by following these 
simple instructions. Those arenas that arent mentioned are either so obvious or 
so plainly action packed that tips would be a waste of time.

Minecrawler 1

Arena 2 - Practice room
Wait for the grenade to arrive, then throw it at the glass wall. Perform a 
running parachute jump to pick up the mortars on the pillar. Next, switch to 
sniper mode and find the dark opening in the wall. Lob a mortar into it, and 
watch as the robots detonate. Remove the respawner with normal bullets, and take 
out the robots with sniper bullets, saving the grenades for later.

Arena 3 - Open battlefield
Running out into the open will only cause an untimely demise. So switch to 
sniper mode as soon as you enter the room and fire a single bullet at the tank, 
forcing it into the centre of the room. Next, find the bombs neatly racked above 
the tank, and shoot one, taking out the tank, the respawners and some of the 
robots. Mop up the rest with rapid gunfire, but watch out for the Kamikazes.

Arena 5 - Bombing run
Shoot the flashing alien communicator to summon the bomber ship. Try to take out 
as many targets as possible (it makes covering that open ground much easier), 
but save some bombs for the large buildings. They take quite a few to blow the 
roof open and destroy the bombers within. If any of these bombers do survive, 
watch out for them. Their ordnance packs a hefty punch. The best way to remove 
the threat is to use the sniper rifle on the bombs held below, taking the weapon 
and the bomber out in one fell swoop.

Arena 6 - The pipes
First, destroy all the alien flyers by hiding behind a pillar until they fly by, 
then shooting them in the back. Dont attack the main gun directly, pick up the 
mortars and stand behind the closest pillar. Take a few steps back, making sure 
youre out of the guns line of sight, and switch to sniper mode. Fire the 
mortars into the pipes, watching their trajectories to improve any subsequent 
shots. When youve destroyed all four robots, a chasm will open. Ignore the two 
tanks on the other side and move to the side of the curving wall. Parachute jump 
across this gap, then run away from the tanks to find a 150 health bonus.

Arena 7 - The spike room
Shoot the dome with the target on it until it self-destructs, making sure to 
keep moving to avoid the jumping robots. Then ride the fans draught to the 
platform above.

Arena 10 - Boss arena
Find the boss with the sniper mode, then get as many shots in as possible. He 
fires in bursts, so dodge these, then switch to sniper mode. Side-stepping in 
sniper mode is also a useful tactic. Should it all get too much for you, hide 
down the fan shaft.


Minecrawler 2

Arena 1 - Entry room
Wait for the sniper grenades to land. These make the blue sentry robots so much 
easier to kill. Shooting the alert drone causes the glass ceiling to collapse, 
allowing the worlds smallest nuclear explosion to drop in. Pick it up.

Arena 2 - Target range
Finding it hard to avoid those massive blasts in the target range? Try side-
stepping across so you can see the shots coming. Best to try this with turbo on. 
If you do get hit, drop into the trench below for some handy health power-ups.

Arena 3 - Cigar grunt
You require the nuclear bomb behind the shield. Try lobbing a grenade through 
the slot to dislodge it. The cigar-chewing grunt is crazy but short sighted, so 
he wont notice you until you start shooting him. Therefore, firing some heavy 
duty ammunition at him will take him out before he has a chance to retaliate. 
Try throwing a volley of hand grenades while parachuting towards him.

Arena 4 - Target range (revisited)
Theres a cannon here that you can use for some target practice. Jump on top and 
wipe out the grunts running around the targets. Easy when you know how.

Arena 5 - Long range
As soon as you enter, try to float as far as possible, landing on one of the 
raised platforms. This will save a lot of unnecessary jumping effort. Take some 
time to watch the timing of the cannon blasts. There are gaps in the pattern 
when traversing the room is relatively safe.

Arena 6 - The Pendulum
Dont stand still - ever. And keep shooting - most of the time.

Arena 7 - Mirror maze
This tough arena can be made a lot easier if you take out the right enemies 
first. The flyers are ordered to attack by the blue sentries. Kill them first 
and the flying attack will not regenerate. The most useful tactic against these 
sentries is to sneak up on them from behind. Use the map to plan your attack.

Arena 8 - Civil war
The alien transport ship is the only way out of here, so youll need to be on it 
- take out the grunts once youre safely on board. Theres a secret teleport in 
one of the corners when the ship lands. Use it.


Level 3

Arena 2 - Swimming pool
As you enter this room, take out the gun turrets with the sniper rifle, then run 
into the left corner. There youll find a dummy decoy. Use it to distract the 
aliens while you take out everything in sight.

Arena 4 - Graveyard
Avoid the dog-like aliens and find your way into the graveyard. Learning the 
fine art of jumping and throwing grenades is valuable, but youll need an 
excellent key set-up for any sort of finesse.

Arena 5
Destroy the two sentry guns in sniper mode from the edge of the entrance 
platform. Then, jump onto the blue triangular platform and shoot the floating 
sentry with sniper grenades. Drop to the floor and collect the cowardly power-
up, then enter the red cave and follow the passage to the green platform. 
Destroy the robots, then stand at the base of the arrow. Follow the arrows 
direction and jump across to the yellow platform. From here, jump across to the 
blue exit. If you didnt destroy the floating sentry earlier, watch out for him 
here.

Arena 6
From the top of the slope, switch to sniper mode and take out the sentries. 
Next, shoot the gun pod once and wait for it to rotate. When the open front 
section is visible, shoot the operator in the head. Advance, then go up the fan 
shaft. When the flying drones appear, wait till they slow down to turn round, 
then shoot one of the sky sled riders in the head. Steal the sled.

Arena 7
Shoot the glass, then drop the thumper to wipe out most of the droids. When you 
reach the three-pointed object, shoot it until it spins to open the door. When 
you reach the alien structure with two leaping guards, kill them, then shoot the 
front left side of the structure until it shatters. Repeat with the opposite 
side, then shoot the exposed middle to reveal the exit.

Arena 8
An easy one, this. Steal the sky sled, then shoot. Lots.

Arena 9
Collect the turkey power-up in the right of the room, then advance to the boss 
area. Chain-gun the dogs until the spinning window starts to slow down. Then put 
the sniper helmet on and shoot one of the red buttons. The others will fire at 
you, so prepare to dodge a bit. Take the helmet off and kill the dogs until the 
window starts to slow down again. Repeat the process until all four buttons are 
destroyed to complete the world.


World 4

Arena 1
Float down, then turn right around. Position yourself over the ice, then drop 
down through it. As you drop, destroy the large sentry, then steal the snowboard 
to finish the room.

Arena 2
This is the snowboard area. Avoid the rocks at all costs.

Arena 3
Shoot the console to summon a ship. Destroy the guards, then enter the ship and 
prepare for a bombing run. Remember to use the mouse to control bombing runs, 
and destroy as much as possible. After that, blow up the hut to reveal a dummy 
decoy. Best to use this near the exit cave, where the enemy concentration is 
highest.

Arena 4
On this snowboard run, make sure you pick up all ten bones to receive a bonus. 
Earthworm Jim pick-ups will drop cows on the enemies heads, which could be 
quite useful. The previously mentioned bonus will be delivered on a passing ship 
at the end of the run - jump at it to collect.

Arena 5
Float down, taking out the flying drones as they approach. Theres a sniper 
grenade at the tail of the sub, ideal for destroying the guards. When the tank 
appears, jump onto the submarine and snipe it from there. Kill the remaining 
guards, then find the nuclear bomb and use it to open the sub door. Throw 
grenades into the airflow to destroy his pod, then float up to the fan yourself.

Arena 6
Destroy the guard generators first, then destroy the guards and crates to 
receive multiple bonuses. Use the grenade/ airflow trick to destroy the gun pod, 
or just chain-gun it, then fly up the airflow to the next arena.

Arena 7
Another snowboarding level. Again, collect all ten bones for a twister
power-up. The right fork contains a
super chain-gun.

Arena 8
Jump into the air current and pick up the super chain-gun. While in the air, 
shoot down the enemy spaceship and drop down to pick up the falling bonuses. Run 
into the next area, then destroy the respawner to release a cowardly power-up. 
Pick this up, then enter the final room in the arena. The boss will drop bombs 
on you, so avoid them and destroy the crate on the left of the room. Here youll 
find a dummy decoy. Use it to distract the boss, then shoot the rest of the 
crates to stock up on grenades. Stand in front of the boss, then throw grenades 
into the airflow until hes dead. Easy as that. And so on to... World 5.


World 5

Arena 1
Enter sniper mode, then wait for the mother ship to fly overhead. Follow it as 
it turns, then quickly destroy all the gun pods on the sides to send it crashing 
back down to earth. Switch out of sniper mode, then run into the arena. Destroy 
the guards, then run up the ramp on the right to find the secret sniper position 
and dummy decoy power-up. Take out the alert droid by the blast door through the 
sniper slit, then run back down into the arena. A drop ship will arrive, and 
drop a couple of droids. Kill them, then shoot the ship down to collect the 
nuclear bomb. Then blast open the door.

Arena 2
Once youve jumped across to the edge of the passageway, stop at the tunnels 
entrance and enter sniper mode. Find the crate at the other 
end of the tunnel and blow it up to destroy the sentry round the corner. Run on, 
pick up the sniper grenades, then enter sniper mode and use them to take out the 
sentry at the other end of the arena. Then, run to where this sentry used to be, 
pick up the super chain-gun power-up, and use this to blow the gunship in the 
centre out of the sky. When the forklift truck appears, shoot the glass dome to 
kill the driver, then use the chain-gun to move the forklift on to the yellow 
floor panel. This deactivates the force field and opens the exit.

Arena 3
When you find the technician behind the glass, change to sniper mode and smash 
the screen. Then keep shooting the technician until he falls back on to a 
switch. Shoot the gun pods off the ship, then run to the front of it and switch 
to sniper mode. Target the pilot, then kill him. The ship will crash through the 
arena wall. Take the left-hand path to the next room.

Arena 4
Shoot the spinning globe until it crashes through the floor, then shoot like 
crazy as you drop through. The last technician to die will crash through the 
floor, opening the exit. 	

Arena 5
At the entrance, change to sniper mode, then take out the alert droid and the 
sleeping guards. Run to the doorway on the right and use the dummy decoy. Then 
kill the floating guard while hes distracted. Find the nuclear bomb and 
grenades, then run through the other doorway. Blow up the respawners with 
grenades, then shoot the alert droid on the far side with the sniper gun. Find 
the mortars, then switch to sniper mode and shoot some through the green-ringed 
hole to kill the floating guard below. Now all you need to do is drop down the 
hole and kill everything at the bottom.

Arena 7
Climb up the blocks on the left to collect a dummy decoy. Use it straight away. 
Shoot everything, then, when the forklifts arrive, blow the glass domes off all 
of them. Chain-gun a forklift over to the block on the left of the arena 
entrance, then climb onto the block via the forklift. Climb up to the room 
above, then use the forklift to reach the apple power-up, before jumping onto 
the platform in the middle. Then simply glide across to the exit on the left.

Arena 8
Destroy the gun pod in the usual fashion, then run down the ramp. Take out the 
next pod by chain-gunning and side-stepping, then use sniper mode to take out 
the final pod as before. Find all the fans, then ensure auto run is on. Run to 
the top of the ramp, then float on to the airstream in the right-hand tower. 
Then all you have to do is float to the next one, and the next one, until youre 
within reach of the exit.

Arena 9
Shoot Gunter a couple of times with the sniper gun, then drop onto the mound in 
the middle of the room. Run to the edge and avoid the boulder, then run behind 
it and shoot until it explodes. Pick up all the power-ups from the gully, then 
wait for the mother ship to fly overhead. Snipe all the gunpods off, then kill 
all the guards. Gunter will then kidnap Bones.


World 6

Arena 1
Wait for the guard to roll through the glass wall, then run up the walkway. 
Destroy the respawner and drop through the hole.

Arena 2
Switch to sniper mode and use homing mortars to kill Gunters dogs, then run 
around after Gunter, pumping him full of chain-gun ammo until he jumps through 
the floor, leaving a hole to the next arena.

Arena 3
Run down the length of the room, then jump onto the lowest platform. Climb up 
the platforms to collect the super chain-gun. Turn to the left and jump across 
to the homing mortars, then run down the ledge and jump onto the nearest 
floating platform. Face the entrance wall, then jump on the spot to reveal the 
next platform. Follow the platforms round, destroy the gun pod, then jump over 
to it and drop down into the next arena.

Arena 4
Grab all the power-ups, and use the decoys and twisters to distract the guards 
in the centre of the arena. During this time, shoot Gunter with the sniper gun. 
When youve hit him enough, hell cause the stone tower to fall over. Run to the 
start of the arena, then jump from the sloping platform onto the fallen tower. 
Run up to Gunters platform and drop down the hole to the final confrontation.

Arena 5
As you float down, steer over into the third room, with a Gunter snack 
dispenser. Jump on the button to release a Gunter snack. Pick it up, then throw 
the snack into the main section of the arena, causing Gunter to chase after it, 
allowing you to pick up the nuclear bomb from where he was standing. Grab it, 
then run over the open air vent and jump into the current, drop down onto the 
platform and use the nuke to open the atomic lock. Repeat this process for the 
remaining locks and Bones will be freed, and then hell do something strange 
with the snack dispenser. Collect the Bones/snack hybrid, then throw it at 
Gunter. Then simply watch as Gunters greed proves his undoing.
And, with that, youll have completed MDK. Congratulations. 
