http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/671838704/Gargoyles-Normal-Full.gmv
A "blueprint" run. Done entirely using Frame Advance in about 18 hours real-time (I need sleep). It shows my route and some techniques, but there are a number of things I'm still unhappy with. Still, this was quite a drain and I haven't decided whether or not to improve it. I think because of all the ways you can maneuver your character and the handful of desyncs I had while crafting this run, this game probably wasn't the best one to pick for my first TAS. /shrug. All my other childhood favorites were covered :)
***
Level 1 is a castle with some vikings. There was a tower I climbed really slow in even compared to my first attempts. After reviewing the effects of all the different attacks I had at my disposal, I found that using A-button attacks on the boss are by far the most devastating.
Level 2 is supposed to be rookery. It's more like a lava pit. It looks like I stalled in one of the rooms as I'm going left - this is to give time for the fireball in the center to rise up. Those things do stupidly insane damage and I didn't have that kind of health at the time.
Level 3 is a rooftop level. Lots of new enemies this time around but not much movement abuse to be had. The boss fight in this level is apparently the hardest one in the game according to many, but it's the best one.
Level 4 is a train level and is utterly stupid. By far, it's the easiest level in the entire game. Its only redeeming factor is a fun boss fight. I think the black machines can be manipulated to be in the same location even better next time around.
Level 5 is some sort of a metal processing plant and it contains 2 more screens than all the other levels. Because of the mechanisms used to prevent you from skipping parts of the level and how bland the level design actually is, the paths you need to take are very straightforward - though I abuse these fire-wall-guns to skip a portion of the last screen before the boss anyway. I received a couple hits on the 2nd rabid dog because there was absolutely no other way I could get him to use his slow back-attack - trying to take those face to face means they hit faster than you can.
***
I left it on Normal difficulty because it seems all that truly changes is how much damage you take and how many lives you get. Seeing as taking damage is an integral part of this run (especially the first two levels) some of the techniques used wouldn't be possible on Hard. Also, no wasted frames on the menu getting them to switch.
Any and all criticism and advice is welcomed.
