Stinkoman 20X6

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Blue hair, anyone? Stinkoman's always got fightings and challenges to keep him busy. Jump and shoot your way to all ends of Planet K. End Boss feature!! --Videlectrix description

Stinkoman 20X6 is a side-scrolling platformer game which stars Stinkoman. This game is based on the classic Capcom Mega Man series. It also parodies the poor "Japanese to English" translations common to video games of that era, similar to those that appear on the current Games Menu.

The Brothers Chaps demonstrated the game at their talk at NYU before it was released.

Date: March 21, 2005

Contents 1 Updates 2 Easter Eggs 3 Fun Facts 3.1 Trivia 3.2 Remarks 3.3 Goofs 3.4 Glitches 3.5 Inside References 3.6 Real-World References 4 See Also 5 External Links

Updates

• March 21, 2005 - Debut
• April 26, 2005 - Level 4 Added
• May 9, 2005 - Level 5 Added
• May 16, 2005 - Level 6 Added
• July 4, 2005 - Level 7 Added
• August 1, 2005 - Level -0/8 Added

Easter Eggs

• Hover your mouse below "Controls" on the main menu to access the Stinkomanual.
  • When you click it, "loading manuél" appears briefly.
• Wait long enough at the title screen to see an intro cinematic.
• Stay still long enough and Stinkoman will yawn.
  • On the Level 4 stages, after yawning Stinkoman will rest against his giant fist.
  • On the Level 5 stages, 1-Up will fall asleep and blow a snot bubble.
  • On the Level 7 stages, Stinkoman will shiver and eventually freeze (this costs you one unit of energy.)

Fun Facts

Trivia

• This is the first time we have seen Stinkoman's House. (Or any 20X6 character's house, for that matter).
• In the "Game Over" screen, Stinkoman has a green tongue, just like Strong Bad in Super NES, although it's red or pink all other times that it is seen in the game — though the green tongue may be due to the fact that his "stummy hurts."
  • Just as well, 1-Up's "Game Over screen" has him standing with the caption "My tongue is green..."
  • The Level -0 "Game Over screen" has a glitched up sprite of Stinkoman and 1-Up with the caption "Sorry, hamburger."
• In the bottom right-hand corner of the PLAY GAME! screen it says "V6.0 EPISODES 1-8"
  • It said "V5.0 EPISODES 1-7" until August 1, 2005, when the eighth level was added.
  • It said "V4.0 EPISODES 1-6" until July 4, 2005, when the seventh level was added.
  • It said "V3.0 EPISODES 1-5 THUS FAR" until May 16, 2005, when the sixth level was added.
  • It said "V2.0 EPISODES 1-4" until May 9, 2005, when the fifth level was added.
  • It said "V1.X EPISODES 1-3" until April 26, 2005, when the fourth level was added.
• This game used to lack the gray navbar at the bottom of the screen to move to other parts of the website. But when Level 4 was added the links were added also.
• The quality of the music in Level 7 onward is higher than the other ones, resulting in sharper sound.
• In versions 4 (and below) the Flash 7 Warning in the bottom left corner read "FLASH PLAYER 7 REQUIRED". In version 5 it read "FLASH 7 VERY REQUIRED". In version 6 it reads "FLASH 7 REQUIRED, 8 IS COOL TOO".
• In the beginning of level 6, in the cutscene when Stinkoman is playing the game the music is the same as the moon level. When he gets Game Over it is also the same music you get when it's Game Over. He might be playing Stinkoman 20X6!

Remarks

• This is the second instance of sprites modeled after 8-bit Megaman, the first instance being with Coach Z in Hip Hop Dance.
• On Levels 4.1 and 4.2, Stinkoman can actually fall down in certain spots to join 1-Up, but you will eventually lose because there will be no one to jump on the tiles.
• 1-Up jumps higher than Stinkoman. This may be due to the fact that 1-Up's level is on the moon.
• To get capsules that are hiding behind enemies without having to kill the enemy, run into the enemy with health to spare. You will take damage, grab the crunch and will be invincible long enough to escape unharmed.
• The head of the silhouette at the end of Levels 5 and 6 and beginning of 7 and 8 appears to match the head of 20X6 Coach Z in the Games menu.
• Stinkoman "breaks the Fourth Wall" by saying (in Level 5) "No way! I helped you in Level 4!"
• 1-Up is slower at climbing ladders than Stinkoman is, perhaps due to his lack of visible arms.
• The meteors in Level 5 cause the game to lag for a split second when they crash. This may be done on purpose to emulate how easy it is to put stress on older game systems.
• This is the first new game not to use some sort of scoring system.
• In Episode 4, when Stinkoman is facing to the right, his giant fist powerup is a left hand but when he turns around the fingers are still facing the player so it turns into a right hand. This "sprite mirroring" is common in older games to conserve memory. A notable exception is Metroid, in which Samus is always left handed.
• When 1-Up falls into the fiery lava below (usually when a platform is not in the right position), the screen pans to the right for a little bit before losing the life. Is 1-Up still walking down there?
• The 1-Up sprites in Level 4 are slightly different from the ones in Level 5 — they were not reused, as the Stinkoman ones are.
• There are three kinds of ladders used in the game: Ladders with small rungs (1.1, 1.2, 5.2), ladders with large rungs (2.1, 2.2, 5.1, 6.1), and ladders with duck rungs (8.1, 8.2)
• If you type in the URL for volume 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, for a split second the page title will say "Old Stinkoman Game Page R.I.P." then it will take you to the current one.
• The sound made when collecting a power crunch or an extra life is the same as cracking a Bitzar in level 7.
• In Level 2.3, if you listen closely, when Brody tries to peck you, you can hear him shriek. Also, Ekersby shrieks when he raises his arms.
• The background music of the cutscene of level 1.1 is the same as the music in the background of the level 3.1 cutscene.
• It is possible to get a ton of extra lives in level -0.2 Since there are two extra lives available, once you get both, you can die and start over, gaining one more for each time.

Goofs

• Manual inconsistencies:
  • Kolkaryu is listed under level 2, but Kolkaryu already appears in level 1.
  • Old Sage is listed under level 2, but Old Sages already appear in level 1.
  • Level 3 is called "Dumb Wall" on the level select screen, but it's called "Up 'n' Down" in the instruction manual.
  • In Level 1 in the manual, the original version said "face treats" instead of "fave treats."
  • Level 3 is the only part to have its title constantly on the top of the page. All of the other Levels' titles disappear after the first page.
  • When v4 (Level 6) and v5 (Level 7) were first put up, The Brothers Chaps forgot to update the Stinkomanual to include Level 6. This was fixed, but the release of version 5 seemingly broke it again. Later in the day, the level 6 section was replaced, the level 7 section was added.

• In the Videlectrix catalogue, if you click Stinkoman 20X6, a screenshot of the game will appear. In the bottom right corner, it says "Level 1" and not "Level 1.1"
• Any damage you took as Stinkoman in levels 3 and 4 will remain on 1-Up in level 5, even though they're not the same person.
  • Similarly, any damage you took as 1-Up in Level 5 will remain on Stinkoman when you progress to level 6.
• The two Pooru-Poorus at either end of Stlunko seem to be hovering above the ground.
• When you fall off the conveyor belt on Stlunko and stand on the ground below the belt, you'll still be carried along with it. (However, once you jump or are hit by one of the Pooru-Poorus, you appear back on the conveyor belt.)
• When Stinkoman wears his giant fist, it is slightly larger than when Stlunko has it.
• Before level 4, 1-UP says he is taking a short cut. Before level 5, they are back at Stinkoman Headquarters. The "short cut" didn't go anywhere!
• In levels 4.1 and 4.2, if Stinkoman walks directly beneath the lavafall and then hits the ground with the rock fist, he apparently deflects the lava with his head.
• In levels 4.1 and 4.2, if Stinkoman is killed while blocking a lava waterfall, the waterfall goes back to normal, and 1-Up will also be killed. This is the only way that you can lose two lives.

Glitches

• When the game was first released, you could skip (press space or click) the first part of the final movie (any part before the MORE LEVELS TO COME SCENE) to enter stage 3.4. It was the Stlunko arena without Stlunko: a slightly elevated platform above the ground with two Pooru-Poorus on either side. You could continue traveling rightwards into a barren land before reaching an endless cliff.
  • This glitch is now fixed. However, if you play the swf you can still play 3.4.
  • This again happened in level 4 when it was first released. However, this glitch has been fixed as well.
    • Also, if you die once on level 4.4 there will be no ground when you return.
• If you fall long enough and don't touch anything, Stinkoman will stop doing his falling pose and act like he's standing and will even start to yawn. Such a long fall can be found in stage 2.2, 6.1, and 6.2.

• If you die with only one life left after defeating a boss, the usual "die" sequence will happen, but then Stinkoman will do his victory dance with no ground beneath him and you will start the next stage with no lives, which will increase by one life and the "Game Over" screen will appear the next time he dies in the next stage.
• Sometimes you can start up a new game and it will be nothing but Stinkoman and the background. Since there's no ground, you can only fall and die. This may be linked to older versions of Flash.
  • A possible reason that this happens is because earlier versions of Flash may not be able to read the levelData xml files.
• When Stinkoman is about to yawn, his sprite character moves down one pixel.

• In the beginning of level 2.2, there's a Terrell just behind a refrigerator. It seems that it's possible for the Terrell to get "stuck" just to the right of the fridge. It will continue to hop up and down (without moving horizontally at all), and Stinkoman can pass through the Terrell without becoming injured. It also becomes impossible to kill.
  • Another Terrell (the one above the second burner) on Level 2.1 can get stuck, also.
• If you die while fighting Brody, you will sometimes return to fighting him to find that there is no floor on the level. Stinkoman will fall again and again until you run out of lives.
• In level 1.1, if you don't kill the Jaro by the first wall and instead just go past it and the wall under the second browntant, the Jaro may be jumping in mid-air.
  • It can even jump through the wall.
• If you use a seek bar, then it is possible to access level Undefined.Undefined. This level is just a grey hole, which Stinkoman is doomed to fall down. Stinkoman's Life Number is always either 8, or not there. Regardless, after he falls down once, the game over screen appears. It is just like a boss arena - the music is from the boss levels, and Stinkoman even shouts "Are you asking for a challenge?" as you enter. The items counter is also shown, as it is in level 3.1.
• In Levels 4.1 and 4.2, if a and s are pressed at the same time as you're falling into the level from the left, Stinkoman will float instead of walk.

• In level 4.2, if you approach a Pink Cham Cham from the left and see only the left side of it as it fires, when you approach towards the right to see the rest of it, it will only have fired the laser on the left side.
  • This may also happen in level -0.1 or -0.2.
• If you die at the beginning of 5.2 before the ship at the top flies by, it will fly by on the Keep Try screen.
  • This also happens on level 5.1.
• If you kill a boss, but die by one of its shots, the "Game Over screen" appears, but the cutscene appears afterwards and you continue with one life gone and will have no energy the next level.
• A Jaro on one of the conveyor belts on level 5.1 can go behind the wall.
• On level 6.2, after the second Protek, on the bottom level, you go on a series of moving white solid clouds. After killing a Jaro, you have to time yourself to fall through an evaporating cloud to land on another white solid. If you're on the evaporating cloud, and you move to the left, you'll be stuck falling in place on the wall. You can't jump, only move left and right and fire.
• If you die in level 4.1 or 4.2 by a Poorbt or by falling in the lava, 1-Up keeps walking. If he hits an enemy or a lava-fall before the level restarts, he will die too, and you'll lose 2 lives.
• In Level 7.1, in around the middle of the level, you can get caught between a wall and an ice platform. Shooting, running and jumping cannot move you; yet jumping towards either side will cause Stinkoman will keep flipping for as long as you hold the arrow keys.
• In Level 7.1 or 7.2, you will not freeze if you stay on a ladder.
• In Level 7.1 or 7.2, you will not freeze if you hold the up or down button.
• In Level 7.1 or 7.2, if you don't move at all after freezing, you won't freeze again.
• Playing around with a seek bar with Level 7.1 already loaded can allow you to find a spot with every song from every level playing at once.
• Fooling with a seek bar towards the beginning of the Flash file allows you to also find an object library of sorts.
• Sometimes, losing a life in 1.3 will result in Stinkoman returning to the level without ground, causing him to fall to his death. This is also reported to happen in 2.3.
• When version 6 was first released, Level -0 always appeared in the top slot in the CONTINUTE menu even if you scrolled through the levels. This was fixed later in the day.
• In the flash file if you right click and press forward and play, you get the game over screen but the level music will still play.
  • If you do this on 3.2, bread, apples, and the other stuff from that level will come up in the next level.
• If you press A immediately at the very beginning of a level where Stinkoman starts in the air, Stinkoman will look like he is walking on ground for a moment, and he will then jump in the air.

Inside References

• "Check out my new gameplay!" is a reference to Stinkoman's quote "Check out my new cosplay!" in 3 Times Halloween Funjob.
• Level 3.2 reveals that Stinkoman hates apples, just as Strong Bad does in The House that Gave Sucky Treats.
• The health-restoring pills are a reference to the capsule containing the "power crunch" from the Strong Bad Email time capsule.
  • They are also a reference to the Scrolling Shooter Games Menu, where you can get similar capsules to change your ship.
• Grundy's illustration in the manual shows him running in a manner similar to Homestar Runner.
• Stlunko, the level 3 boss, bears a striking resemblance to the Visor Robot.
• The Rose Blake's description in the manual as a "'Lectric burner" is a reference to the email extra plug, where Strong Bad gets 'Lectric Boots.
• The line "blast em up Dan!" is an adaptation of "fry 'em up, Dan!" from TROGDOR!
• The sentence in the manual, "Falling from the skies and bove", references That Time of Year.
• The stobats in Level 2 blow up like the ducks in Duck Guardian after being hit with the hatch ray.
• 1-Up saying "I'm going this way!" is a reference to Meet Marshie.
• 1 Up in the level 5 cut scene says "Mooooooon" just like a soy drunken Strong Bad did in personal favorites and in Strong Bad Is In Jail Cartoon when Strong Bad says, "We're takin' this baby to da MOOOOOOOOOOOON!"
• When 1-Up defeats Nebulon, he says no one likes his style, just like Strong Bad did in New Boots.
• 1-Up saying that he's just a kid, and maybe when he's older is a reference to japanese cartoon.
• The ship that flies by at the beginning of 5.1 and 5.2 is featured twice in "japanese cartoon" that was originally intended to be the 20X6 version of The Cheat.
• The background in Level 5 looks like the third background in the Games menu.
• The Saargtsson intro cinema contains yet another appearance of Stinkoman's signature attack, the Double Deuce, but this time uses a Single Deuce.
• There are ladders in level -0 that resemble ducks from Duck Guardian.

Real-World References

• The game controller Stinkoman is holding in the cutscene for level 5.1, bears a striking resemblence to the redesigned NES controller (AKA the dogbone controller).
• There are many references to the Mega Man game series:
  • The sprites used for Stinkoman are patterned after 8-bit Mega Man sprites, and the same applies to the enemy Poorbt and Astromund.
  • In fact, the poses of the Videlectrix Mascot in the logo are taken directly from the NES Mega Man series.
  • The sounds of the text appearing in the cinematics are also the same as in Mega Man.
    • The chime noise for the main menu is taken from the first Mega Man X game.
  • In Mega Man V, there is a chicken robot similar to the chickens encountered in level 2.
  • When Stinkoman says that the large gray fist could be a new powerup and takes off with it, this is an obvious reference to Mega Man taking the power of defeated bosses.
  • At the start of the first side-scrolling stage the little theme played is very similar to the old Mega Man starting theme. In fact, the whole soundtrack was probably meant to sound like Mega Man game music.
  • Stinkoman being unable to clear the wall using his normal jump is also a joke from Mega Man.
  • When all three characters flash onto the screen during the intro, that is also a Mega Man reference, where in one of the arcade games (namely Mega Man: The Power Battles) Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass would flash onto the screen in a similar way.
  • The spikes that can kill Stinkoman instantly (Old Sage) are a reference to similar spikes which were placed under moving platforms in Mega Man games and which would also kill Mega Man instantly.
  • The dropping platforms are a reference to the original Mega Man, in which similar platforms were found in Guts Man's stage.
  • In one portion of level 5.2, if you jump off of the top of a platform, you will see a planet that has a C-shaped portion on its left side. This portion bears a striking similarity to the stylized C in the title of "Chrono Trigger".
  • Only three of Stinkoman's flying fists can be on the screen at the same time. In the Mega Man series, Mega Man's Mega Buster shots also suffer from the same drawbacks. Even in Level 4, Stinkoman can only drop three clusters of rocks onscreen when pounding his giant fist.
    • Early sprite-based video games suffered this fate as well. Limiting the number of sprites on screen prevented slow down.
  • Greggos are similar to Mettaurs (also known as Metools, Mets, or Hard Hats), who were also invincible while ducking.
  • Stinkoman fights like Mega Man X by shooting at enemies while 1-Up fights like Zero with acrobatic melee attacks.
  • The Bendini Sisters that fall on level 5 are similar to the meteorites that fall in Star Man's stage in Mega Man 5 for the NES.

• Stinkoman's becoming bored when idle is an old gag first found in the old PC game Boulder Dash, later emulated in Sonic the Hedgehog and countless other titles.
• Right after Tampo blows up in the cinematic, you can hear the same sound that is played in Metroid when Samus phases in.
• Stlunko, 404 is a reference to the 404 error that browsers give when a webpage cannot be found.
• Stlunko is one of many, many video game bosses that consist of a mostly inactive head defended by two enormous disembodied hands. Such bosses are popular in The Legend of Zelda series, examples being Bongo-Bongo from Ocarina of Time, Gohdan from The Wind Waker and Mazaal from The Minish Cap.
• Hold B is a reference to Super Mario Bros and a few other Nintendo games in which if you held down B, you would run faster or power up your weapon. In this game, holding S (which is like a B button) allows you to rapid fire. In Megaman, this would allow you charge up your shot for a more powerful hit.
• Stinkoman doing a forward flip is a reference to characters such as Samus Aran and Duke Nukem, whose over-the-top flips served little or no in game purpose.
  • However, it does allow Stinkoman to jump a small distance further.
• The fade-in is a reference to NES games that had large images in the background fade in. Because the NES did not have many colors to choose from, there would be weird color glitches with some games when they'd have something fade in.
• The first boss, Tampo, is similiar to the final boss of Star Fox 64, which was the giant, floating brain of Andross, which had the same weak point (medulla).
• The manual mentioning this game has no "weepy princess crap" is a reference to the Super Mario series, the Legend of Zelda series, and a few other games where you had to rescue a helpless princess.
  • Likewise, Pan Pan being kidnapped references the countless games which featured a random character being kidnapped, such as in Donkey Kong Country 2 or 3.
• The bulky, muscular Stinkoman on the box art is likely a reference to the first and second Mega Man games, where the original American version of the game's box art had a big, muscular Mega Man that looked nothing like the character in the game. It could also be a reference to time capsule where Stinko Man got huge muscles from eating a power crunch.
  • This problem wasn't exclusive to the Megaman series. Almost every game localized for the U.S had new box art made for it. This continued right up till the days of the SNES.
• The pose with the large fist is a direct reference to the old NES game Battletoads.
• There are a vast number of seemingly unexplainable appearances of letter P in NES-era games. Ranging from P-switches, P-wings, P-gauges etc. in Super Mario Bros. 3, to the Arm Cannon/Mega Buster character designation in Mega Man 2. This may explain the collectible Ps in level 3.
  • P most likely stands for "power" in these games.
• Jaro's explosion appears to be modeled after many of the character explosions in Rad Gravity for the NES.
• Lundsford is a reference to the symbol and/or mascot of Georgia Natural Gas. Billboards featuring this symbol and character can be seen in many places in the Atlanta area where The Brothers Chaps live.
• Saargtsson is most likely a reference to Moldorm from The Legend of Zelda video games, who was almost exactly the same in terms of appearance, and having a weakness in its tail.
  • This is more accurately a combination of Moldorm and Hewdraw from Kid Icarus.
• 1-Up's spin kick bears a resemblance to the Street Fighter move "Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku" (otherwise known as the Hurricane Kick), which Homestar uses in dangeresque 3.
• The Piedmont region of the United States is the area between the Atlantic coastal plain and the Appalachian mountains. Atlanta, home of the Brothers Chaps, lies in this region. Piedmont is also a region in Northern Italy.
• The fact that Gaspeau (red) and Frotzer (blue) are almost the same exact enemies may be a reference to the old Zelda games where an enemy could be red or blue and that the blue version of the enemy was always harder. In fact, many game have used the method of recoloring an enemy to represent a harder version.
  • This was common practice among sprite-based games. To get the most use out of the graphics ROMs, designers would re-use game graphics by drawing them with any of several palettes. An object drawn with a different palette from the same graphic looks identical to the original except for its colors, like Gaspeau and Frotzer, or like the normal Browntant and the blue variant on Level 6.
• The "pink cloud zone" in level 6 could be a reference to countless video games with cloud zones, but is most likely to Earthbound, where the sixth Your Sanctuary location (in Dalaam) is called Pink Cloud.
• Firey-Hot is a lot like the fire coming out of the cannons in the airship levels on Super Mario Bros. 3.
• Level four is a reference to many such levels in classic period games, (now often called "protect-the-idiot levels"), in which a character would keep walking with no A.I. at all—right towards all sorts of enemies and such traps! Many gamers became annoyed with this, as it would be hard to protect this weakling, and if it died, they died. This design is still used frequently today.
• My Benj is similar to the Bit enemies in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
• The Old Sages on the moon look mysteriously like the spikes on the moon in Super Mario Land 2.
• Fullbide's drawing in the "manuel" resembles the shield attacker enemy from various Megaman games.
• The mysterious character in the cutscene before level 7.1 is a reference to the evil boss Ashtar from the Nintendo game Ninja Gaiden II, who appears in a silhouette from behind in the cutscene at the beginning of the game, laughs maniacally, and is surrounded by lightning.
• Level -0 (Negatory) is a reference to the Minus World level found in the original Super Mario Bros. game, which was a glitch that could be found by walking through a wall in level 1-2.
• Stinkoman blasting the wall away in level -0 is a reference to Dragon Ball where a similar attack called the "Kamehameha Wave" is used. It even looks the same when Stinkoman charges it up.
• Negatory is Citizens' Band Radio (CB) slang for no or negative.

See Also

• Stinkoman 20X6 Enemies
• Stinkoman 20X6 Walkthrough

External Links

• Play Stinkoman 20X6
• Play the Game (flash file)
• See the Stinkoman 20X6 object library
• Level Data Files