Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Walkthrought
Let’s kick off with this: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles on NES — the same Dendy-favorite “Young Indy” where he jumps, climbs, cracks the whip, and the pistol bails you out at range. The golden rule for most routes: height is your friend. Hug rooftops and balconies, because the ground is a scrum packed with traps. Before an episode, make sure you’ve got the ammo: the whip is your go-to, but without a couple of precise shots some spots turn into a hurdles course. Passwords drop generously, so don’t hesitate to lock in your progress — it’ll save your sanity when a boss teaches humility.
Episode 1: starter town and the camp
The opening screens are tight alleys with hanging ladders. Go straight to the rooftops: there’s a metal ladder on the right wall — climb, hop to the awning, and you’ll bypass a couple of nasty shooters below. On the second screen, the double jump across the narrow gap is safer from the upper beam — there are supplies up there too. Don’t rush it: the rooftop guard pauses between bursts — that’s your beat to push forward.
Next is a closed yard full of crates. Simple plan: whip the guy on the top ledge, then drop to the middle tier without touching the ground — the bottom is overcrowded. In the left corner, a stubby cornice sticks out — you can reach it with a running jump, then go straight up to the roof. If you do fall, don’t brawl on even ground: pick off the nearest foe, retreat half a screen to force a despawn, then climb back up. For “Young Indy” that’s standard practice — it saves health.
Before the camp gate, watch the guard booth with a window. A speedy enemy often “camps” there, loves to pop out point-blank. Whip — then back off, lure him onto a flat surface. Past the barrier is a long stretch with tents and campfires. This is pistol-friendly territory: enemies have tiny attack windows — shot, step, crouch, shot. The second fire pit has a platform that “pulls” you into the flame — clear it with a jump off the edge, avoiding the center, or you’ll lose half your health bar.
Inside the command zone you’ve got two routes: low through a crate “corridor” or along the upper catwalks. Always take the high road. Midway, you’ll get rushed by a dense wave — don’t play hero; back off half a screen, wait for a reset, then climb back on the catwalk. Memorize this rhythm — you’ll need it next episode.
The first boss is a pattern player: three short attacks, then a long lull. Hold mid-range, whip during the quiet, and immediately roll back. Save pistol shots for the “red” phase when the tempo spikes. Don’t stand right under him — his vertical swipe has a hitbox a pixel longer than it looks.
Episode 2: trenches and no man’s land
Here “Young Indy” turns into a full-on obstacle course. Barbed wire, wooden planks, sparse ladders up — head for the right side of the trench, but move in steps. The trick: bait the grenadier, let him throw, step back, then jump the wire. Don’t try to clear two sections in one go — the second is almost always covered by a rifleman above.
Take the first long ditch from the top: along the right wall there’s a slim ledge, then a perch over the MG nest. From there, whip out the guard and the sniper at your leisure. If you drop — don’t scramble up the nearest ladder; it’s a choke under two angles of fire. Use the next one half a screen left — it brings you to a safe shelf with supplies.
The “shell rain” segment is all audio reads. Two short whistles — pause — long whistle and salvo. During the pause, park Indy on the platform with the awning: it’s the only one that blocks splash damage. When the long bridge opens up, don’t sprint — take short bursts, crouching after each step — the horizontal bursts travel right at waist height.
The pre-boss hallway has three “pockets” with soldiers. First: whip, edge to the lip, strike, step back. Second: pistol — he sits a bit higher and the whip won’t reach without a trade. Third you can cheese: drop in, instantly hop back — he’ll tumble to the lower tier and despawn off-screen.
The boss plays “tension and release”: he baits with bursts, then a long stop. Count “one-two-three — pause” — on “pause” close in and slap with two to three whip hits; any longer and he’ll dump a point-blank burst. Conserve bullets, but don’t hoard them: a clean pair of shots at the start of the cycle shortens the whole phase.
Episode 3: rooftops, balconies, inner halls
Time for some neat “cat-like” landings. Ladders often pop you up right in an enemy’s face. Fix: exit sideways, not straight up — hold right and press jump half a second before the ladder top; Indy will glide onto the adjacent platform. That dodges point-blank hits. In tight rooms the whip beats the pistol: it interrupts attacks and buys a micro-beat to back off.
The first hall with columns is built so the center stays under fire. Move through the “shadows”: column to column, always on the far-side route — the near path is shorter, but a gunner hides on the top beam. On the third column you can hop to a ceiling beam — it skips half the hall and safely bypasses the balcony ambush.
Next is a platform run with drop-through tiles. Don’t trust moving plates: they sink if you stand longer than a second. Do quick hops “plate—edge—plate” with no lingering. At the end, a two-tier corridor: the lower path looks easier, but the upper is clean — and has supplies. You can reach it from a narrow windowsill right before the entrance — hug the wall and jump without a run-up.
There’s a mini-puzzle before the boss: the door is locked and patrols loop above. Catch the gap between two guards: hide in the left doorway, let the first pass, then jump over the second as he turns. Dash right — pull the lever — door opens. If you whiff the timing, don’t duel both at once; better climb up, resync the patrol, and try again.
The boss favors diagonal attacks. Stand at his angle, not directly underneath. Good loop: two pistol shots from the far corner — step in — two whip cracks — back off. Repeat until he accelerates. On the speed-up, ditch the pistol — no time to line up; stick to whip pokes and quick footwork. Keep the cadence and you’ll be fine.
Global tips and resource management
— In “Young Indy,” as it was often labeled on carts, checkpoints sit before tricky strings. If you’re limping through a section “in the red,” it’s smarter to take a death and restart from the checkpoint than to crawl to the boss with no ammo.
— Enemies reload, and you can hear it. A short “click” is your green light. Pop out and punish. It matters in this game: the window’s brief but consistent.
— The whip is perfect for knocking enemies to lower tiers. That’s not just damage — that’s screen control. On roofs and beams, always strike at an angle so they fall into a space you’ve already vacated.
— Young Indiana Jones isn’t stingy with supplies, but many pickups sit “above the eyeline.” Make a habit of looking up and hunting for balconies. See a stray ladder pixel? There’s almost always a high route and a stash.
If you want some background, peek at /history/, and for controls plus whip-and-pistol basics, hit /gameplay/. For a clean run, stick to high routes, count attack rhythms, and conserve bullets — that’s how The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles really opens up.