KILLER INSTINCT: GLACIUS Character Guide version 2.0 By John "CUL" Culbert (tigeraid@geocities.com) July 11, '96 Version Updates: -spelling/grammar corrections (hopefully all!) -proper margin settings--this FAQ is formatted with a right margin of 78; tab spacing is irrelevant. -New URL added for my homepage AND new e-mail address I have chosen to write this FAQ on Glacius because I like Glacius and I'm sick of seeing people use him really stupidly. This is quite in-depth, and I may update, but I doubt it, because Killer Instinct II is already out and kickin' ass, and I'm a little tired of KI1 myself. But, we have yet to get KI2 in our town, so this'll have to do for now... BTW, my research is done on the less-than-up to par SNES version, but most things should pertain to the arcade as well. DESCRIPTION AND STORY: Height: 6'3" Weight: 300 Age: unknown An alien being from a distant planet. Crash landing on Earth, he was captured by Ultratech, hoping to prove the aliens are inferior, they force Glacius to fight for his life. Glacius is large and built powerfully, mostly white with swirling blue (I'm talking his first original color) and looks like he's actually carved out of ice. His rendered scenes make him look extremely cool... His arms are mostly blue and look almost transparent, and they can be extended as far as Glacius wants. He has green-glowing eyes and fang-like icicles hanging from his jaw. He has the ability to change shape, similar to T-1000 of Terminator 2 fame. LEGEND: -QP: quick punch (jab) -MP: medium punch (strong) -FP: fierce punch (fierce) -QK: quick Kick (short) -MK: medium Kick (forward) -FK: fierce Kick (roundhouse) -QCT: roll joystick from the down position to toward -QCB: roll joystick from the down position to back -HCT: roll joystick from forward, to down, to back -HCB: roll joystick from back, to down, to toward -F, D/F, D, D/B: roll joystick from the forward position, to down, then to diagonal down and back ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMBO DESIGNATION: Triple: 3 hits Super: 4 hits Hyper: 5 hits Brutal: 6 hits Master: 7 hits Awesome: 8 hits Blaster: 9 hits Monster: 10 hits King: 11 hits Killer: 12-80+ hits Ultra: 14-80+ hits ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NO MERCY KEY:(eg.) -No Mercy 1: (description)distance: move DISTANCES: *- close 1/2- 1/2 character distance(approx. 1 step away) 1- 1 character distance (approx. 2/3 steps away) 2- 2 character distances away (approx. half screen away) Full screen- distance from corner to corner ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A WORD ABOUT... (The following is a general game techniques description; they will be explained in more detail pertaining to Glacius himself later on in the FAQ) ULTRA/ULTIMATE: Must be performed as part of a combo, finishing the combo. The opponent must have a flashing red meter when the Ultra or Ultimate is initiated at the end of the combo. HUMILIATION: Must have first meter (green) left. Done when screen turns red and computer says "DANGER". NO MERCY: Kills opponent. Done when screen turns red and computer says "DANGER". SPECIAL MOVES: These are moves that require you to put a sequence of joystick/pad movements and buttons to execute a character's special powers. These moves are more powerful than regular punches and Kicks, and are used a lot to begin combos. SKILL MOVES: These moves are much like Special Moves, but are easier to pull off, and don't usually start combos. CHARGING: hold joystick in indicated direction for approx. 2 seconds, then tap in opposite direction+indicated button. MID-AIR JUGGLES: performed when opponent is launched in the air after a combo, hitting him or her on the way down. This must be correctly timed, and will add 1-3 extra hits to the combo. Note that in my Combo sections I don't include the juggle in the combo. In other words, somebody's 7 hit MASTER might turn out to be an 8 hit or a 10 hit if it can be followed with a juggle. MID-AIR COUNTER: counter-attack performed when opponent jumps in your direction. OVERHEAD SLAM: performed when opponent is close and ducking. Hold back and press FP; attack varies with character. These can also start combos. To deliver a fake-out Overhead Slam, hold back and hit MP; this will cause the character to do the Slam, but quickly pull it back before hitting. RECOVERY MOVES: These are moves done JUST as you are about to rise from a knockdown. INTERRUPT MOVES: These are moves that if done during certain other moves, will "cancel" them and go into the move. PROJECTILE COUNTER: A move that allows you to evade certain projectiles. COMBO BREAKERS: Performed at certain point during opponent's combo, stopping it. Must be correctly timed (cannot break combos in mid-air; also cannot break a combo if you have no energy left on your meter! Ultra and Ultimate combos cannot be broken.) When Combo Breakers are performed, they give the fighter extra powers. Turbo or Release moves can be used, as well as enabling Triple mid-air juggles. You are limited to the use of only three Turbo or Release moves, so they must be used wisely. You can tell if the character has done a Combo Breaker when the small vertical line at the end of his/her energy bar is flashing white. TURBO MOVES: These moves, depending on the character, can be done before or after a Combo Breaker, and are much faster then the regular moves. COMBO BREAKER THEORY: If you're not using the Combo Breaker Code, you must use a specific button to break at specific times during the enemy's combo. The theory is as follows: Quick breaks Medium Medium breaks Fierce Fierce breaks Quick So, in a nutshell, if the opponent is doing a move involving a fierce (for example, Jago's Sword Slash) in their combo, you break that particular move with a medium. When the enemy is doing their Bridge Move (eg. Spinal's Sword Slash) you can break with any button. So if you're confused as to which button your opponent is using, wait 'till they do their Bridge move, then go for it. AIR DOUBLES: These are two hits performed in the air meeting the opponent. THE AUTO-SECOND THEORY: The Auto-Second Theory applies to Jump-in combos. In Killer Instinct, all the buttons are joined together in a certain order. For example, when you jump in with FK, you must automatically follow with a MP; from there you can finish the combo, or start into a bridge combo... This theory does not apply to combos started on the ground. With these, each character's specific combo starters are followed with certain buttons, but it don't necessarily follow the AS theory. The Theory is as follows: QP-QK QK-QP MP-FK MK-FP FP-MK FK-MP JUMP-IN COMBOS: As stated above, Jump-in combos apply to the AS theory. I will not list jump-ins except in the Misc. Combos section. I won't because you simply have to follow the AS theory; I will provide one example with Fulgore: one way to do a Jump-in with Fulgore would be to jump in with MK, then hit FP as its corresponding auto-second according to the AS theory, then take your choice of a finisher...let's say a fierce Claw Uppercut. Jump-ins can also start bridge combos by following the first auto button with a Bridge move, then another auto button, then the finisher. Let's take the above example: to do a Bridge Jump-in combo with Fulgore, we'll use MK again, then FP as the auto, then his Eyebeams for his Bridge move, then FK as the Eyebeam's auto-second, then we'll finish again with a fierce Claw Uppercut. COMBO STARTERS: These are the moves that begin a combo on the ground. I will list them and the auto-second hits that can follow beside. BRIDGE MOVE: This move can follow the auto-second after the starter. This in can be followed by a finisher or another auto-second hit, which I have listed. BTW, in other FAQs this may be called a "linker". FINISHERS: These are the moves that finish a combo. I have listed their amount of hits and if they can be followed with a juggle. TURBO COMBOS: I won't waste time putting in Glacius' Turbo Combos, because they are done the same way as regular combos (all of them, including Jump-Ins) except that the finisher is done as a release. For example, one of T.J. Combo's Turbo combos would be done like this; first, before going into the combo, hold MP just to be safe. Then, start the combo with a Turn Punch, follow with QP, then charge back, forward, and then release MP. This produces a finisher which goes much faster or is more powerful, or both. Also, it is more difficult for your opponent to break these combos. Just remember, perform the finisher as a release move. Note that you can begin to hold the required button during the combo, it's just a little easier to to start outside of the combo with it. MISC. COMBOS: These are combos that don't always follow the AS theory, and involve a bit of creativity. They are a mix up of many various that can deliver an interesting combo. You may find a way to add more hits to an Ultra here. NOTE: some of these combos have not been tested at the arcade, but they work for sure on the SNES. HERE WE GO... STRENGTHS: Glacius is one of the strongest characters in the game, and has good defense. His Arm Blade is lightning fast. It can be used as a mid-air counter, but is also a very quick surprise to close in opponents. His Puddle Teleport or Uppercut are very slow but quite powerful. I find them pretty useless, except maybe the Teleport to get out of corners, but they can both be used to evade projectiles, if done quickly enough. His Arm Pummel is good to drain energy, but is useless in a combo. He slowness can take some getting used to. Average difficulty for use. WEAKNESSES: Glacius, except for his Arm Blade, FK and Shoulder Slam, is pitifully slow. If he attempts a Puddle Uppercut, it can be easily blocked and, in my opinion, is a pretty much useless move, except for as a Combo Finisher. His Puddle Teleport is good for getting out of corners, and the opponent can't tell when he's a puddle whether or not he's doing the Uppercut or the Teleport. But, if he appears behind you, quickly hold in the opposite direction to block whatever he'll throw at you then. TACTICS: -Easy Dizzy: Do a fierce Shoulder Slam, then a standing fierce Kick or fierce punch (produces a Headbutt) then jump over 'em with FK (this usually works) -Easy Dizzy 2: hold D/B and hit 'em up close with FP, then a fierce Shoulder Slam, then another ducking FP. -Easy Dizzy 3: Medium Shoulder Slam, then hold B+FP, then another medium Shoulder Slam. -Starting Combos: It is preferable to start with a Shoulder Slam, but it is possible to begin a combo with the medium Puddle Uppercut. This is not recommended unless the opponent is dizzy. -Counter-Attacking: Counter an opponent's charge with a Shoulder Slam, and when the attack from the air, use an Arm Blade, not the Puddle Uppercut (it's a little to slow.) -VS. Eyedol: Keep your distance, and counter his jump with the Arm Blade. When in the corner, Puddle Teleport out. When he charges, block and counter with the Easy Dizzy tactic. This sometimes dizzies. ENDING: After he escapes from Ultratech's grasp, Glacius returns to the site of his crashed ship. With the advanced technology present at Ultratech, Glacius can take the materials he needs to repair his damaged ship. As the memories of the evil he faced at Ultratech slowly fade, Glacius begins the long, arduous trek back to his homeworld. (Cool Graphics with this one!) (That above was the section I took from my old FAQ; now, on to more in-depth stuff) SPECIAL MOVES LIST: -Bounding Fireball: QCT, any punch -Puddle Teleport: QCT, QK -Puddle Uppercut: QCT, MK or FK -Shoulder Slam: charge B, F, any punch -Arm Blade: F, D/F, D, D/B, QP -Arm Pummel: tap QP repeatedly SKILL MOVES LIST: -Low Roundhouse Punch: F+FP (Close) -Gut Punch: B+FP -Headbutt: F+FK (Close) -Knee: F+MK (Close) -Short Uppercut: F+MP (Close) NO MERCIES: -No Mercy 1: (Freezing Ice Needle)1/2: HCT, MP -No Mercy 2: (Body Bag)1/2: HCB, MK (Note: as far as I know, this doesn't exist in the SNES version) -No Mercy 3: (Puddle Suck)1/2: B, B, B, FK -Humiliation: F, F, B, QK -Ultimate: QCB, QP MISC. MOVES: -Recovery Move: Puddle Uppercut or Teleport -Interrupt Move: 1. (During fierce Puddle Uppercut) QCT, MK (Weak Uppercut behind) 2. (During medium Puddle Uppercut) QCT, FK (Knockdown Uppercut behind) -Counter-Projectiles: Puddle Teleport, Puddle Uppercut -Air Counter: Puddle Uppercut, Blade Arm -Mid-air Juggle: fierce Puddle Uppercut -Combo Breaker: Shoulder Slam Turbo Moves/Release Moves: -Quick Fireball: hold QP, QCT, release QP (produces disgustingly fast Fireball which nullifies most Counter-Projectile moves) MOVES ANALYSIS: *************** -Bounding Fireball- (Glacius rears back, then slams his fist into the ground with a grunt, sending a ball of energy bouncing toward the opponent) A slow but powerful projectile, with proper timing it will hit jumping foes. Try not to throw it if the enemy is over your head, because it will miss completely and you'll get nailed with a jump-in combo. It's not a good idea to use this on a lot of opponents out of blue, especially Jago, because he can easily do his Wind Kick through it. Another example would be not to use it on Cinder if he's in his outline form, because he'll Torpedo through and nail Glacius. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Puddle Teleport- (Glacius melts into a small pool of liquid and slips along the ground, reforming behind his opponent) This can be used repeatedly to confuse the enemy, and mix it up with the other Puddle moves, so that they think you're going to Teleport behind and they'll hold in the opposite direction; this will of course cause them to walk right into Puddle Uppercut. This is one of Glacius' best techniques, because it allows him to get out of any corner trap. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Puddle Uppercut- (Glacius melts into a small pool of liquid and slips along the ground, reforming in front of his opponent with a stretching uppercut) The MK version starts combos, and the FK will always knock down. You can use the later as a well-timed air counter as it comes out fairly fast. The medium is slower, so you must mix it up with confusing Puddle Teleports as explained above to connect best with it. Also mix these up with Glacius' two Interrupt Moves (read on for more info...). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Shoulder Slam- (Glacius slides along the ground with a growl and slams his shoulder into the opponent) This is IMO Glacius' best move, because it comes out FAST and also starts combos with medium or Fierce. It also has good recovery and can act quite well as an air counter. The Shoulder Slam also allows Glacius' to block while charging it, making it a great counterattack if you block anything or the enemy misses a move, especially a DP. Always have one of these charged, and stay defensive. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Arm Blade- (Glacius morphs his arm into a sharp blade and juts it upward in front of him) This is Glacius' best air counter, and comes out quite fast. It knocks the enemy quite a distance as well, so use it if you're in a pinch. Its recovery isn't all that great, though, so try and make sure it connects or you'll get comboed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Arm Pummel- Actually, I don't really think of this as a Special Move, but others seem to. All it is is a lot of QPs, and since Glacius' are so fast, they become unblockable after the first punch; as well, it doesn't actually count as a combo, so it therefore cannot be broken. Use it if you need to gain some distance and need to even out the health between you and your foe. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Skill Moves- the only two you really need to know are the Headbutt and the Gut Punch; the Headbutt is his most powerful up-close move, and is powerful enough to do only a few times to dizzy the enemy. The Gut Punch has GREAT range, so use it if you wanna peck away at the enemy; just don't use it when they're airborne because its recovery is horrible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Finishing Moves- Freezing Ice Needle: Glacius shapes his finger into a long thin needle and pokes the enemy with it. They go all icy and fall over. If you poke another Glacius, he crumbles into chunks of ice; looks REALLY cool) Body Bag: Glacius morphs into a large glob of liquid and surrounds his foe; they appear to struggle under him for a time, then he melts them into a puddle, then reforms. Puddle Melt: Glacius melts into a puddle, slides under his opponent, and melts them into it. Humiliation: Glacius makes his opponent dance Ultimate: Glacius performs your combo then finishes with a Puddle Melt ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Recovery Moves- If you've been knocked down, perform a Puddle Teleport or Uppercut as he begins to stand. You will return to standing with a super fast Puddle Uppercut, great if the enemy jumps in as you get up. Bear in mind it still has a recovery time and if it misses Glacius can be hit quickly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Interrupt Moves- These can make Glacius' opponent really careful about when and where to block. If you perform a Medium Puddle Uppercut before Glacius gets to his opponent with a Fierce one, Glacius will quickly appear behind the opponent with a Medium Uppercut, which you can follow with a combo. This is very difficult for the enemy to block, because if they think you're coming at them with a Puddle Uppercut in front of them, they'll hold back, and instead walk into your Uppercut behind them. Use this technique OFTEN against human players. You can also interrupt a Medium Uppercut with the Fierce in the same fashion, but you of course cannot combo with it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Counter Projectiles- Glacius, sadly, is very difficult to counterattack projectiles with. He can avoid them easily with any of his Puddle move, but the majority of characters are fast enough to recover from their fireball in time to block an Uppercut. The only for sure way you might connect is if you do his Medium Interrupt Move and it may catch slow fireballers. Otherwise just jump or block, but watch for Chief Thunder's Phoenix directed upward!. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Air Counters- Glacius can hold his own against jumpers; if they're up there for a while, your best to use a Puddle Uppercut, but all in all the Arm Blade is the easiest one to use, and it is essential in the fight against Eyedol. If they try to cross you up, hit F+MP and the side uppercut should come out, unless they're already too far over you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Mid-Air Juggles- To tack on up to three extra hits and a little more damage to a combo, perform Glacius' Fierce Puddle Uppercut; if timed correctly, he will do a fast Uppercut to juggle the enemy before they land. If you've done a Combo Breaker, this will become a Triple Puddle Uppercut which can be done up to three times. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Combo Breaker- To perform Glacius' Combo Breaker, do the motions for the Shoulder Slam and hit the appropriate punch (See A WORD ABOUT... The Combo Breaker Theory); Glacius will perform a fast Arm Blade and the announcer will exclaim "C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!". Glacius' Breaker does good damage and can prevent severe damage to himself. It requires a charge back so does not come out as fast as others, but its charge time is a little shorter than the Shoulder Slam. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Turbo Move- Glacius' Turbo Move is a lightning fast Bounding Fireball that does (as far as I know) the same damage as the regular version. This is Glacius' only Turbo/Shadow move out of a combo, but it should be used to its fullest; if you have done a Combo Breaker, stay defensive on the other side of the screen and whenever the enemy tries a projectile, whip this one off; it will absorb theirs and bounce right into their face! Also whip it off IMMEDIATELY as they try to jump, and it comes out so fast that it usually catches them in mid-jump. ****** COMBOS ****** OK, by now I hope you've read A WORD ABOUT... so you know the twists and turns of combos with Glacius. Here's the beginning general info, including the Auto-second buttons for them: Combo Starters: -any Jump-in (auto-buttons: follow Auto-Second theory) -Medium Puddle Uppercut (auto-buttons: QK, FK) -Quick Shoulder Slam (auto-buttons: MP, FK) -Medium Shoulder Slam (auto-buttons: MP, FP) -Fierce Shoulder Slam (auto-buttons: QP, MP) Bridge Move: charge F, B+MP (QP, MP, FK, or finisher) Finishers: -F, D/F, D, D/B+QP: Punch/Knee/Arm Blades (can be followed up with juggle) -QCT+FP: Multi-Hit Rising Fireball (can be followed up with juggle) -QCT+MK: Punch/Knee/Backhand/Shoulder Slam (cannot be juggled) -QCT+FK: Multi-hit Puddle Uppercut (can be followed up with juggle) So, let's take an example to start us off: First hit the opponent with a Fierce Shoulder Slam, and CONTINUE to hold Forward. Then hit MP auto-second for a total of 4 hits, then hit B+MP (this will give you the Bridge Move, because you were already holding forward, so the first part of it is done) for a total of 6 hits, then hit FK auto-second for another 3 hits for a total of 9 hits, then finish with QCT+FP for a big 4 hit finish, bringing you a total of 13 hits, a KILLER Combo! After you've knocked them up in the air, wait for a brief moment then do his Mid-air Juggle for up to 3 more hits... This is the basic way you do a combo; start with any of Glacius' Combo Starters, then hit one of its Auto-Second buttons, then perform his Bridge Move (to do his Bridge, you must continue to hold F after the Start comes out and during the auto-second so that you need only hit B+MP), followed by its Auto-Second, then finish anyway you like. My favorite Finisher is QCT+3, as Glacius produces an upward fireball that sends you sky high. Now, for Ultras, simply replace the last hit (Finisher) with charge B, F+FP; Glacius will punch the enemy repeatedly, then perform multiple Arm Blades with blood flying all over, then finish with a Puddle Uppercut high into the air. For an Ultimate; just replace your Finisher with QCB+QP And also for Turbo Combos, just perform any finisher as a release move (eg. hold FP, QCT, release FP will give a super-fast Multi-Fireball) So, from this example I would hope you can piece together your own combos; simply follow the pattern: *Starter -> Auto-second -> Bridge -> Auto-Second -> Finisher -> maybe juggle Either way, here are some miscellaneous combos I have compiled, including some basic ones in case you need more examples: (NOTE: remember, I don't include juggles with these, so some can have more hits) 1. Medium Shoulder Slam, FP, Fierce Puddle Uppercut (6 hits) 2. Medium Shoulder Slam, FP, Arm Blade (7 hits) 3. Fierce Shoulder Slam, MP, charge F, B+MP, MP, Fierce Bounding Fireball (13 hits) 4. Fierce Shoulder Slam, MP, charge F, B+MP, MP, charge B, F+FP (27 hit ULTRA COMBO) 5) Medium Puddle Uppercut, QK, Arm Blade (7 hits) 6) Medium Puddle Uppercut, QK, charge F, B+MP, FK, Arm Blade (13 hits) 7) Fierce Shoulder Slam, MP, charge F, B+MP, Fierce Puddle Uppercut (9 hits) 8) Medium Shoulder Slam, FP, hold MK, QCT, release MK (7 hit TURBO combo) 9) Fierce Shoulder Slam, MP, charge F, B+MP, FK, QB+QP (10 hit ULTIMATE) CREDITS: Thanks to Jason Jamieson, Derek Speck, Jarvis, Steve and all the guys at the arcade for hours of KI fun. Also special thanks to Derek Kisman for his SNES KI FAQ. --- You can access this FAQ and many others at my homepage: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/1910 You can also e-mail me at: tigeraid@geocities.com "I said it before and I'll say it again--democracy simply doesn't work!" -Kent Brockman, the Simpsons