Turrican is a game of gluttony and memory... you have to consume extra lives
en masse, and you have to remember where they are. The two main problems I've always had with the game is that it's way too easy to lose your life rapidly (no knockback, obnoxious enemies), and the backgrounds in the first world are super-boring. Its visuals pick up in the second world but goes flat again in the last level due to the sheer amount of suck involved. Eventually, if you practice enough, you'll learn when to have your extra weapons at the ready (as some parts throw tough enemies at you), and when to simply sacrifice a life to respawn with a fresh stock of options. Knowing when to use the invincible buzzsaw is also extremely important... it's absolutely critical to surviving certain boss battles. Another detail is your main weapon; the spread shot is best for most of the game, but the laser helps for most bosses (exceptions: worlds 1-3 and 2-1). And of course, finding 1UP stashes will allow you to survive longer... hell, there's one at the very start of the first level. Hidden powerup boxes are
all over the place... hell, I found one I'd never found before in 4-1 when I was making the video.
They will usually give you a fully-powered weapon and a few of each extra weapon, plus full life and temporary invincibility. The huge ones in world 3 occasionally drop 1UPs too.
One thing that may appear important, but really isn't, is collecting crystals. They help your score, and collecting enough wins you a continue, but once you've aced how the game works, you won't need any continues anyway... they're useful for maxing out your score but that's only if you're trying to beat records.
