.:irB, .iiS;,iiii;:7,;,:,ir, ....iri.;Sa0@Br0MM :ZW::::. .. :.i:;,SMiiWMX:aWZ rZ2; 80 ,aSX .MZi .. WX XMZ; . r: irXB0, :, .. 7228Z: : .,i2.. ,,;;iSMMBX: 88ii;, ,S. @i . ,;i .., . .. .,8i rMS X2XrSSrrSar .,rrBXSr:; .iSX2M8 iii, MX .X0; ., . .,:a7XWBar.;X27:7SSS7; SZ. .7S7: :B,:;r.072X ,i ,7X ,7Sr :MZ ZM;, XX:. ,0aSa. ;MW, .:XX . ;;X7aZX :@B87iW2 ;7;7; ,X88 . .8 , ;;i, 2MZ: . ;i::. .rXZ2ZZXM. .,Z7 7ZWBXii. S8i2MSX;B8M .::iWWr:0@Ba; .Z @Mi :. rM; 7M;:;; M8 ;MX :X887raM 7M 8M :W887aW7 rM8 MZ . XM Wi MM BM Mi .: .,,XaaB. iM :aXr7Wi .7rii;SX, S T A R F O X A S S A U L T ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0000] sf_00.assault\\Gold Medal Guide [0000] [00.BEGIN TRANSMISSION...AUTHOR_Jacob Stutsman EMAIL_mgoblue301@gmail.com GAME_star fox assault COMPANY_nintendo GENRE_action BEGAN_july.15.06 COMPLETED_july.17.06 VERSION_1.0 COPYRIGHT_2006 Jacob Stutsman\\] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= [0100]...................sf_01.assault\\Version History and Legal Info [0200]...................sf_02.assault\\Introduction [0300]...................sf_03.assault\\Basics [0400]...................sf_04.assault\\Items and Weapons [0500]...................sf_05.assault\\Walkthrough [0501]................................\\Fortuna [0502]................................\\Katina [0503]................................\\Sargasso Space Zone [0504]................................\\Fichina [0505]................................\\Asteroid Belt [0506]................................\\Sauria [0507]................................\\Corneria [0508]................................\\Orbital Gate [0509]................................\\Aparoid Homeworld [0510]................................\\Homeworld Core [0600]...................sf_06.assault\\Enemy List [0700]...................sf_07.assault\\Contact Information ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0100] sf_01.assault\\Version History and Legal Info [0100] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= [07.15.06]...................Guide Began [07.17.06]...................Guide Posted [07.28.06]...................Added the Star Fox team logo and an enemy list, as well as corrected most of the mistakes in this guide. [12.02.06]...................Some tricks implemented. [05.01.07]...................Some tempered editions, tricks added, hopefully making this the final update. This legal info is mostly an addendum. The universe won't be much of a different place just because people know who made this guide. Streets won't suddenly be safer. If the game burned a little fresher in everybody's minds, then I might care a little more, but the theatrical production of this guide is most certainly a footnote. I would still appreciate credit if this is used in any form or fashion as long as no other name is attached to the proceedings. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0200] sf_02.assault\\Introduction [0200] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= This is the only guide I have ever written besides a Fire Emblem support script I posted on IGN (looking back now, I actually have a second, although this is perhaps the only one that could actually be classified in the genus of a "guide" – I wave the right of liability in case I procreate more). Games are ultimately compelling because unlike music or acting or painting, skill can be judged on a sliding scale. As anybody who grew up in the 80s can attest to, arcade cabinets produced some of the worst of times and best of times in competitive advantage. My own local laundry mat had Pacman and Galaga, primordial games even by those standards. Some people walked the earth to find an archenemy - a Mr. Glass if you will - a burdensome, lonely task for even the brightest avarice. The superhero cannot be complete without his antithesis, only the details of who was the superhero and who was the bad guy got lost in the fold. Every week you'd check to see if your high score had been obliterated (usually by someone who cleverly named himself ASS), like a tornado had blown by and taken your medal of honor, and it was your place in the universe to reclaim it. Sometimes the inconceivable happened and you met your worst enemy at the cabinet, sometimes you only communicated through skill. It was like Foreman and Ali trading punches in the jungle. Tensions escalated. Warning shots were fired. Combat reached full crescendo until someone's skills were exhausted. This is how the arcade scene of the 80s went. Now we have times and completion percentages as accurate barometers, but the spirit has basically been transliterated from the body of the ape. As a personal pledge, I have never had the flash-in-a-can reactionary speed to be great at any game, nor have I had the guttural grit to even try. I have done a 2% run in Metroid Fusion, an hour speed run in Super Metroid, and a 26% run in Prime, but that has been the extent of my experience. I have always wanted Star Fox Assault despite the contingency of critics. I received it for my birthday, the all too obvious DVD case beneath the neatly wrapped paper. As my first true Star Fox experience, I took the time to sample its piquant flavor, but it went back in its box after I had defeated the Aparoid army. However, after my Metroid Zero Mission low-percentage run had hit a wall, I went back to Star Fox Assault and began the noble ambition of collecting everything in the game. The silvers were loathsome beasts as I took up an intense struggle of collecting them, so I figured most of the golds were a reality beyond any dimension I could traverse. But like any game with a depth of experience such as this one, practice yielded perfection, and despite whatever birth scars this game carried from its belabored conception, Star Fox Assault morphed into a daily addiction. Now, two and a half weeks later, I have polished off a perfect file by completing the last big challenge, the Asteroid Belt. I have written this FAQ as an encore. Even if you need to turn here for help, collecting all the golds is in fact carrying on the spirit of those videogame pioneers who saw a higher pursuit in what they were doing. This guide is not meant to be a walkthrough despite words to the contrary in each section. It might incur on such because to get golds in this game you must know the wrinkles and folds that makes it what it is, but I have a lesser intention of describing in any detail how to 86 the game. It is my intention to explain the premium way I found to achieve a gold. It's to your advantage to check out every section of the guide. There is nothing basic about any of the information in here. Even when it's explaining something as simple as the Landmaster, it will describe to your benefit just how it can help you in achieving a gold badge. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0300] sf_03.assault\\Basics [0300] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= This section doesn't so much illustrate the basics of the game as it does explain the necessities of life in a Star Fox Assault gold medal run. If most of the golds feel like a vague impossibility left up to men of a much itchier trigger finger, then master these tricks to see the difficulty of earning one depreciate in value rather swiftly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Combos ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're new to this game, then the gauge in the top right corner of the screen under the hits bar is the combo display. As enemies are destroyed, the gauge will catapult to green and then slowly trickle back down to red before disappearing entirely. The only way to keep your combos going is to prevent the gauge from emptying. Combos are important for collecting the silver and gold medals because the more enemies that are destroyed in one combo, the more it will add to your hit score. 10 combo - +5 hits 20 combo - +10 hits 30 combo – +15 hits 40 combo - +20 hits 50 combo - +25 hits 60 combo - +30 hits Anything after that levels out at +30. There is a certain deceptive art to combos to keep them going for sometimes 100 or 200 at a time. Filling it is the hardest part, as it'll quickly run out like a motorbike with a gas leak. Enemy swarms are the best way to satiate your aggression and build a healthy combo. Once at its peak you will have about ten or fifteen seconds before it matriculates back to zero, so don't feel like you have to make like the Flash and destroy every last critter as soon as you can. Spreading your kills out is the best policy if you're not certain that you will reach the subsequent enemy swarm in time. Be judicious with your combos because when you're on foot, some enemies will take a fully charged shot to kill while the weaker enemies will only take a single shot, even on gold. If your combo is in danger of ending, then focus on destroying the most enemies in the shortest amount of time. The shielded Aparoids are best saved for last, and even if you have to charge your shot to kill them, they will typically recoup anything you lost on the combo gauge while you were busy charging. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hit Bonuses ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The three on rails Arwing missions, Fortuna, Asteroid Belt, and Homeworld Core, require a different strategy since combos are swapped for hit bonuses. Typically you will receive a +10 in hits if you defeat enemy squadrons. This includes enemies of the same class that appear at the same time or fly together, almost always in groups of three, four, or five, although they can go higher. Instead of firing blindly and picking up only a few hits, focus on these groups to see your score increase exponentially. This is called a Group Bonus. There are also bonuses for taking out five or more enemies with a single shot. This will start with a +10, but will increase depending on how many you kill. This is called a Blast Bonus. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not All Enemies Are Equal ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is simple, but it's advantageous for you to know. Most enemies only go for a paltry single hit, but a select few go for as much as an additional +3, +5, +7, or +10. These include battleships, mechs, bosses, force field generators, and those shelled tank Aparoids. Because of their hit total, they are often much harder to defeat than a normal enemy, so pack accordingly. A lot of them will appear on the Arwing missions, but if you're playing an on foot mission, then there are a few soft balls, like the barrel dispenser, and a few spit balls, like the shielded Aparoids. The exceptionally armored enemies like the shield generator on the Aparoid Homeworld can shred a combo right in half if you're not careful because they take so long to defeat. One final note. The +1 you get for defeating an enemy and the hit bonus are two completely different things. Every enemy will give you a +1 simply for destroying them. The tougher enemies, however, will give you the bonus on top of that, so you'll get a +1 for defeating them and a +3 for how tough the are for a grand total of +4 added to your hit score. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Key Differences in Difficulty ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're any good at Star Fox, then bronze should be like peewee football to a pro. Silver is where the complex chess combo strategies come into play. You will need to guard your health, although for any player well versed with this game, it is possible to leave a lot to be desired and still come out with the medal. Gold, however, is another story altogether. Often times you will have to decide whether to go in OK corral style with guns blazing and health on life support in order to keep a precious combo alive. The medical kits are scarcer, the enemies are harsher, and it will take a conspicuously steady hand to be able to expertly strafe (which might be more difficult given Namco's penchant for blundering the controls just a smidgen). It's very possible to come out 100 points over the allotted score your first time, however, if you chose to play a level that perfectly and leave nothing to chance, get used to dying. A lot. The only other difference is that in the end silver will multiply your score and gold will triple it. More about that a few sections down. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time is Only as Big of a Factor as You Want it to Be ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barring a time limit, you will have all the time under the sun to exhume every last enemy. The swifter you finish a level, the more points you will be given in the end. Finish a level in about seven minutes and you will be given about 200 extra points. By ten or eleven minutes you're only looking at 150 points, and by twenty minutes you're only going to get about 50. However, this simply will not matter depending on how many enemies you destroy. For instance, if a silver badge requires 1400 points, then you need to collect 700 hits, which in the end will be multiplied by two. Time will not be a factor in this case. If you're going to employ this strategy, it's still best to turn on the jets, as time will become a factor if you run out of enemies to skunk. However, you should not feel as suffocated by time as you would normally be. Time is the biggest issue on the Arwing missions since it's hard to control how many enemies you face, but since you're on rails most of the time anyway, it's not worth thinking about. The only cautionary tale is that once you're on the declining slope of half an hour, it will begin deducting points from your total, but it's so small that you usually would not notice it. I would not recommend leaving it the possibility that you missed out on a badge by ten points because you were out sight seeing though. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radar ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The radar is an important set piece implicit in locating enemies quickly (especially on Fachina), so you will probably want to become intimate with it. Normal enemies are yellow. The main targets are red. If the dot is big, that means they are on the same plain as you. If they are small, then they are either above or below you. Space and air enemies are denoted by a light blue dot or triangle, but due to the dimensions of space, locating an enemy might be a difficult task, so there is a measure of trust you must have with your instinct, too. Special ships like battleships will be marked larger than all the rest and in a color like orange. You cannot be too dependent on your radar though. Many times enemies won't even appear until you get within range of them (some don't even appear until others are defeated), so it's to your advantage to explore each level and know where the enemies are located. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practice, Practice, Practice ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practice is the only path to intimacy with a level and to where it's best to build up your combos. For instance, I struggled to get above the 2300 mark on the Katina level. A few days later I got nearly 2600 just checking something for this guide. I hardly practiced the level; I simply got better at the game. The Arwing missions in particular will demand an internal roadmap of the level since you cannot reverse footing if you miss something. I cannot stress enough how important it is to go into a level with an upbeat attitude. At one point I couldn't get above a 1600 in the Asteroid Belt and couldn't see how I'd ever make up such a huge difference. A couple hours proved to be just what I needed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once you complete the mission, it will take your total hits (different from enemies destroyed as this total will take into account combos and such) and add (or subtract) your time bonus. That total then will be multiplied by two for the silver level or multiplied by three for the gold level to reach your final score. Max combo will not factor in at all, and unlike Star Fox 64, neither will ship mates saved, so if they are hopelessly impeding your quest for a badge, then don't feel any remorse over letting them hang out to dry. Slippy, however, can be useful by giving you a gauge on a boss's health. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0400] sf_04.assault\\Items and Weapons [0400] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= NOTE: Switching weapons is obviously an awkward process on dual stick. The D- pad is hard to reach in the heat of combat, and you'll have to cycle through all your weapons to reach the desired one with the A button. When you're going from the machine gun to the blaster and have to go through so many useless ones, it's a cumbersome process. To cut down on time, pick up only what you need. Keep only the machine gun and the homing launcher handy. On the rare occurrence you find the gatling gun, you will want to add it to your repertoire, and on Corneria you will obviously need to pick up the sniper rifle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Landmaster ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Landmaster is not always the best idea for levels with multiple plateaus, but for wide-open terrain such as Katina or Fachina, it is a formidable beast. Just one shot is as powerful as a charged shot from your blaster. You do not want to be close to your target though as it has a penchant for damaging you every time you fire. Any smaller, weaker enemy can be run over. You do not want to test out its armor as Peppy has a tendency to put the replacement in the worst place possible, and that can ruin some gold medal runs. Roll whenever you want to avoid something, as simple movements can be a cumbersome process. Use the boost by pressing the X button whenever you're moving. If you need to destroy the Landmaster for whatever reason, then you can hit it yourself. This can be useful if you don't want to go into a certain section or boss fight with a Landmaster on life support. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blaster ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The blaster is of course the most well-rounded, catchall weapon. The weak Aparoids will only take a single shot while the harder Aparoids will take a charged blue shot. The shielded Aparoids and turrets won't go down unless you charge it up all the way. A select few enemies like the shield generators and electrical balls on the Aparoid Homeworld will take multiple fully charged shots. I use the blaster 90% of the time, as almost every swarm you encounter will have a healthy mix of weak and strong Aparoids. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Machine Gun ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though hypothetically useful, I find very little use for it in practice. It won't even dent the more powerful Aparoids, and since they are plentiful on gold, it makes things slow going. The main thing you have to worry about is the combo. The blaster will take care of all weak Aparoids just fine, and while it's nice not to have to charge and possibly miss with the mid level Aparoids, it isn't that much faster. I find it's most useful with the humanoids on Sargasso or in the caves of Sauria. Use it at your own discretion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homing Launcher ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This weapon is very useful when there are plenty of powerful Aparoids around. It's really too slow for anything else. The problem is that like the machine gun you will often find mixes of Aparoid types, so unless you've honed weapon switching to a fine art, it's hard to use. Luckily, on gold there are plenty of swarms of harder Aparoids. The farther you go in the game the more homing launcher ammo you'll find to the point where there's so much on the Aparoid Homeworld that you probably won't even be able to use it all. Most Aparoids will fall in one hit. Some, like the shield generators, take two. On certain missions it can the opus for ground-to-air combat due to its powerful homing capabilities. Use it to easily save teammates from danger, or just pick a few enemies off if the sky gets too crowded. If your Arwing gets trashed and it takes too long to appear again, this is the perfect alternative. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sniper Rifle ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though powerful, you obviously have to be cognizant of your combos, and the sniper just takes too much time to line up and fire. There are a couple reasons I've never used this outside of Corneria. There are too many things blocking your field of vision. The majority of enemies it's useless for. The homing launcher is better. Some enemies don't appear until you get close. And once you clear out an area to actually be able to fire it, what's the point? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gatling Gun ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The upside is apparent the moment you fire this weapon. It is basically unstoppable, like a much more powerful machinegun. When you get your hands on this doomsday machine, use it while in a pinch. You will probably only get 200 ammo on any one level, and it goes fast. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grenades ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- About as useless as an Eskimo using a refrigerator. I don't know, perhaps you'd find some use for it, but to me it's like throwing snowballs at a tank. I'd rather stick to my old faithful blaster. Even if I was blessed with the arm of Roger Clemens, I'd still rather just pick the enemies off one by one anyway. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sensor Bomb ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even more useless. Instead of booby-trapping the haunted mansion hoping to catch an Aparoid asleep at the wheel, you could be killing them with your blaster. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plasma Cannon ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This weapon can only be used on Fachina and Corneria. Don't even bother taking your finger off the fire button since it has unlimited ammo. You will have to be very precise, especially with enemies on the ground, but subtle movements are all you need. Coupled with the radar it can make difficult missions a lot easier. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barrier ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- These items can be useful when you're close to death and there aren't any first aid kits around, in particular when those flying enemies that explode on contact are about to hit you. They don't last long, so make sure you're not over confidant and unprotected when it wears off. If you're having trouble getting through a level alive, this is a great item to have. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- First Aid Kits ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are three types of kits: green, silver, and gold. For some reason I don't remember seeing any silver in the game. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention to the color. Anyway, the golds are very rare and are listed separately under the items list. Don't use it unless you're that desperate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Power Upgrades ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are incredible useful on gold. You will not only be able to take down more ships, but you will be saving time if you get it on the free-range stages or a boss. Although it is very possible to get a gold on the final mission without it, two laser upgrades makes it much easier. Once you get two of the greens, you will be fully powered up. I don't remember ever seeing a red one, but it's in the instruction booklet, so I guess the truth is somehow out there. It really has all the social awareness of Loch Ness or Big Foot. I believe any upgrade will evaporate if your ship gets decimated to a certain point of no return just like in Star Fox 64. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's not much to say about rings. You will get them for saving teammates or from teammates when you're low on health or in predetermined spots. Golds are very rare. You'll sometimes see them on the Orbital Gate or Aparoid Homeworld level when you defeat enemies. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smart Bombs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my opinion, the best way to use a bomb is to rack up kills you would otherwise not get when you're being overwhelmed. They don't make that big of a difference on tough enemies unless they're about to disappear and you want the kill. Unfortunately they require a bit of precision or else you might risk wasting it in an open space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stragglers don't want a game over, so grab as many 1-Ups as you can. When you die on the on rail missions, you'll start over at a certain checkpoint, and when you die on the on foot missions, you'll usually start over at a cutscene break. On Sauria they're basically useless since there are no breaks. They don't replenish if you die like any other weapons or items, so they only appear once. Some 1-Ups only appear if you die. Some only appear if you die two or three times, but most of those aren't listed here, not only because they are hard to find and test for, but because if you're having that much trouble, then you might as well practice. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0500] sf_05.assault\\Walkthrough [0500] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Each level is divided into several cavernous subsections. I begin by listing my own personal take on the difficulty of each stage. Obviously since this guide covers the gold badges, most missions will be in the upper echelon of difficulty. "Badge Score" will cover the score you need for each badge. In that section, I listed my own personal score. "Items and Health" lists everything I could find. Obviously all the plentiful weapons like machine guns and homing launchers are dropped from this guide through a small incision. Sometimes I'll throw in a gatling gun though. "Preparations and Notes" provides a one-paragraph overview of the level, anything of importance you need to know, and the best way to go about a mission. "Walkthrough" tends to resemble an actual walkthrough on the Arwing missions, as knowing where the enemies come from is of extreme pertinence. On the rest of the missions, I usually provide good strategies that you can emulate and any of the finer details you need to know. If there's a boss, then that will be listed in the next section along with strategies to defeat it on gold. "Final Score" tabulates what kind of ballpark figure you would need for both time bonus and kill bonus to get both a gold and silver. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0501] Fortuna: A New Enemy [0501] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 7/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Levels ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Badge - 450 Silver Badge – 1100 Gold Badge – 2300 My Score - 2472 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups - When you're in the base on Fortuna, there's a 1-Up after the rails. Power Upgrades - About thirty seconds in after the last string of fighters, there will be a Power Upgrade sitting in the middle of the screen. - There's a Power Upgrade about halfway through the forest on Fortuna. Silver Rings - If you save Slippy early on, he will give you a Silver Ring right when Peppy gives the audio cue to strike. - Slippy will again give you a Silver Ring as you're fighting the mech. - When you arrive on the planet of Fortuna, it's under the arch in the bottom left corner. -When you first enter the base on Fortuna, there will be a Silver Ring in the right white canister in the third row. - Just beyond that there will be another one in the first large canister you come to sort of in the middle on the right. - When you pass the rails, there are three large canisters. The ring is in the back right one. - On bronze and silver, the Aparoid Moth gives you Silver Rings when you defeat his wings, but not on gold. Bombs - Between the second and third large battleships the first time you see them. - Falco will give you one between the second and third battleships when you see them for the second time. - Falco will give you a bomb right before you enter the base on Fortuna if you saved him in the forest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's very little in the way of actual preparation for this level. If you can do it in eight and a half minutes, you'll receive about a 200 time bonus, which means about 570 kills will do the trick. This means you'll have to pull off a lot of G Bonuses, and if you can, some B Bonuses. The battleships have individual parts that you can blow off for more hits. The space mech has a secret documented in this guide. Once you get to the surface, you'll often have to choose between destroying the ships or destroying the mechs. The ships are only occasionally in formations, and the mechs, while tough, have separate parts, which makes destroying them useful. Chances are this mission will take multiple tries and a bit of luck unless you're an expert at the Arwing missions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission starts out a little slow. Even on gold, they'll throw you a bit of a softball. After the first enemy is taken out, an enemy swarm will appear, so mop them up with a charged shot for an easy +10 bonus. Slippy is being hounded by a single enemy, but the real challenge will be taking care of the huge contingency of enemies streaking in from the side. It would be to your benefit to destroy all of them for a +10, however, it's a very hard task. After they disappear, two ships will fly toward you, and then a third will trail behind. Take out all three for another bonus. Grab the Power Upgrade. Here's where the G Bonuses will really begin racking up. Four sets of two enemies fly in from the corners. All eight will yield a bonus. At the same time, two enemies will be in front of you to either side. Take them out for a bonus. When Peppy tells you to strike, tightly knit sets of five enemies will attack you. It can be a bit hard to take them all out, but each set will give you a +10 bonus. Hit the purple nodes on the large spacecrafts to destroy them and get a +3 each. Individual parts to the left and right of the nodes will net you points. Destroy the entire set of battleships to get a +10. A large squadron of fighters will roar in. Try to take them all out for another bonus. Now this is where the secret trick of the illuminati comes in. You can destroy the space mech for an easy +7, but before you attack him, take out the three detachable guns that he employs. There's two to his left, above and below him, and one to his right. Once they're destroyed, pound the space mech into oblivion (or Bolivian if you're Mike Tyson), rolling wildly whenever he shoots at you. If you defeat him before he reemploys the guns, which should be a cakewalk if you don't miss a beat (especially if you use a bomb), a swarm of spaceships appear. This trick is essential because once you destroy one swarm another will appear, and this will continue until you reach a certain part of the level. Each swarm nets you a +10 bonus. Other spaceships will appear, but they are irrelevant, as the enemy swarms will garner you far more points. This trick should ensure an easy gold for this level. Once this part is completed, the large spacecrafts will appear again. Between the first and second spacecrafts will be a set of three enemies that will offer up a +10 bonus. As you defeat the final spacecraft, a set of four enemies will appear for another bonus. The invisibility-cloaked crafts can be tricky. You can knock off parts of them for a +1, however, it's best just to take out the entire thing with a few charged shots and get the entire +5. After the first two are defeated, another squadron of fighters will appear. You only have to defeat a few to get a +10, so focus on them in sets. Two cloaked crafts will appear at the same time. Using a bomb is optional. When you're just about finished with them, a set of three fighters will roar in together in a horizontal line at the top of the screen, giving a G Bonus when defeated. The six subsequent fighters flying in from the side will also give you a bonus, as will the five at the very end before Oikonny flees for Fortuna. Most of the enemies at the beginning of Fortuna are individual, so focus on picking them off. When you're under the last arch, you can pick off three enemies coming in from the sides for a G Bonus. As you enter the forest, you'll get a +10 for saving Falco. Most of the mechs and robots from here to the end of the level have several parts that can be taken out, so hammer them as hard as you can until they're gone. There are two mechs to the left as you enter the forest and a few fighters that come out of a hole to the left. Most of the mechs are in a straight line from here on out, but there's one hiding behind a rock on the right. There are also a few fighters coming in from the side and a fighter coming in from the top. Once you come out from the forest and into the canyon, there will be three fighters at the top. Two shelves of enemies can be taken out for a +10. Between the two shelves there's a set of three enemies that can also be destroyed for bonuses, as can all the mechs on the runway. Before you enter the base, charge up your shot, and when the doors open, blow the squadron up in tandem for both a G and B bonus. Two mechs come from either side on the ground, as well as two sets of two fighters that streak in from the sides on top. All of the white canisters can be destroyed for an easy +1. Slippy will be hounded by a single enemy here. Before the rails, two mechs will be on either side, and as you enter the rails, two enemies will streak in from the top and bottom. Two fighters will come from the left from between the columns. Once you get past the rails, you will see a mech on your right. More fighters will come in from the sides. Help Krystal for a +10. Two mechs will be in front of you and two on the shelf to the left. Two fighters will come from the right. Take out all the blue mechs in front of you (a carefully timed bomb might work), and as the doors open, you reach Oikonny at the other end of the base. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boss – Oikonny and Aparoid Moth ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oikonny is so easy he's barely worth mentioning, even on gold. The only worthwhile tip is that you don't want to be greedy. Oikonny is slow, and he only does one attack at a time, so don't spend so much time firing that you can't pull up and out of the way of his attacks in time. Each of his hands will give you an extra +10 when they go down. The Aparoid Moth probably won't fare much better against you. If you have the fully upgraded lasers, it'll only take one round to bring down his wings. On the silver level, he will sometimes dispense Silver Rings from his broken wings, but you will have no such luck on gold. Unfortunately, no extra points are gained from destroying his wings. The asteroid attack is something you cannot sleep on, if not for their speed then for their sheer force. If you are nimble at all, then they shouldn't be too hard to avoid. It is possible to attack his mouth while asteroids are coming at you, potentially making the boss shorter than he already is, but don't get too greedy. After the asteroids are gone, charge up your beam, and when he opens his mouth, fire it to destroy his projectiles, or simply avoid his projectiles and hit him with the charged shot. Even if you wail away at him, he will probably do his asteroid attack a second time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your time bonus will probably hover around 200, which means completion in eight and a half minutes. It's very possible to get 600 kills on this level, but if your time bonus is 200, then you only need 570 kills. Exploiting the space mech trick will make this level a breeze. Silver only requires about 400 hits coupled with the time bonus. If you defeated enough squadrons of enemies, then this should be doable with some effort. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0502] Katina: Frontier Base Battle [0502] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 3/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Levels ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 400 Silver Level – 1100 Gold Level – 2300 My Score - 2742 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Up - East side of the base. Blow up the large steel door leading into the base and find the 1-Up amidst the boxes. - Go to the top of the base and find your way to the very center where the tower is. On the southwest side of it, there's a 1-Up. First Aid Kits - Same as the above 1-Up. Blow up the door on the east side of the base and find it inside. - Take the elevator into the belly of the base to find it sitting there. Silver Rings - There's a Silver Ring above one of the hangars in the northeast corner. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This one isn't brain surgery. Get a 170, 180 combo at the start, destroy the rest of the enemies, and survive the boss, and you will blow the doors off of the gold badge. The boss might seem hard at first, but if you practice even a little you'll soon find that you can make quick work of him in your sleep. If you need to, trash your Landmaster with your gun before you destroy the last hatcher so you can get a new one. I can usually beat him with a Landmaster on life support, but you don't want to leave it to chance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as you begin, you can start tearing into the Aparoids. Check your radar, as they will keep appearing. There are some Aparoids on top of that large steel sphere in the east. The gray Aparoids that roll on the ground and shoot at you will only require a partly charged blue shot. There is no reason to hold back, so destroy every enemy and save the two purple Aparoids for last. By the time the cutscene ensues, you should be working on a combo close to 40. The Landmaster is invaluable at this point. Take it and start destroying enemies. A few are hiding out in the two corner hangars for a few easy kills. This is a cue; Krystal will call for your help. If you feel good about your combo and think you can take out the two enemies on her tail in a timely manner, then feel free to do so, but don't feel too bad about leaving her out to dry if you're in a pinch. Speaking of the enemies in the air, they're easily taken down with a charged shot, but I think they're best ignored. You now should have free reign around the base as you see fit. Try to take out as many walls and barricades as you can so it's easier to make your way around. Chances are that if you think it's destroyable, it is. Most of the Aparoids at this point aren't even worth a shot. While some of the more populated ramps I would hang back and pick them off, it's possible to go up and down most of them and simply plow through all the enemies. Some of the shielded Aparoids are at the far corners of the base and are potential combo killers. There's one in the northwest (where you will find more Aparoids to destroy) and two up north. But three others are worth worrying about the most. The one out east by the guns can sometimes slip by your notice, and you don't want to leave him for last and be scrambling to destroy him while your combo is swiftly depleting. Pick him off while you're taking care of the enemies on the ramps. And the two out south on that ledge can be tricky, too, but the key is always taking them out in between enemy swarms, not when they're the only things standing between you and a dead combo. By the time the hatchers appear, you should still be working on that combo. At this point, it's very tough to keep it up as there are fewer enemies around, and the real targets are tricky to get at. A good idea to follow: before your combo dies, go the door to the east and blow it open. Destroy all the Aparoids and hatchers inside the alcove. Then destroy all the grey Aparoids in the southeast corner to keep your combo going. Continue killing Aparoids and hatchers around the central base. If you have enough time, finish the combo off by going inside the base and taking out even more Aparoids. If you've still got the same combo going, it's possible to approach 200. It probably is a good idea to save Slippy here since you will want to know how much health the boss has. There isn't much to do besides destroying the rest of the hatchers. Take out any enemies that you can. The shelled Aparoids in the balls are tough cookies to crack. If you make a mistake, then they can kill you easily, but they do give you a +5 each. You can also choose to stay away from them, but don't get close enough to draw their attention (they'll start shooting green missiles). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boss – Aparoid Spider ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's one of the great mysteries of the universe why you can't auto target him with a charged shot but can with a normal shot. Don't get caught up in thinking you need charged shots to bring him down. Four or five normal shots will send him careening to the ground almost before he can attack. If you're having trouble, make sure to maintain a premium distance. His green missiles can't be dodged, and it's particularly annoying when he gets too close and you're facing down a barrage of red missiles at point blank range. Make subtle changes depending on how close or far he gets. Once on top of his titanium clamshell, you will need one charged shot to open the core and another to pelt him one. You shouldn't have any problem giving him a few more cheap shots before it closes, but as soon as it does, you're gonna need to turn on your heels and run because he'll start storing up green energy. If you're too close when you fire, you will be caught in your own blast radius, so every time you tap on that energy core with the long side of your blaster, make sure you're tiptoeing that edge without falling off. Now every time the core opens you will only get one charged shot and a few normal ones off before he charges energy again and you have to get out of the way. Once he's reeling, he will start trying to shake you off. Don't worry about charging. Just fire at him. If you fall, then he will be momentarily stunned, so take that opportunity to gain an advantage and bring him down again. You shouldn't fall off more than once during the entire boss fight. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- When your total is being tabulated, you should have somewhere between 100 and 150 in the time bonus (probably closer to 100), so you should think about getting near 700 in the hits department. Your combo at the beginning may spell the difference between a gold badge and defeat. A 150 combo to start would probably do it, but anything above that would be the clincher. Silver will probably only require 450 or 500 hits. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0503] Sargasso Space Zone: Hostilities Revisited [0503] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 4/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Levels ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 400 Silver Level - 900 Gold Level – 1500 My Score – 1854 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- First Aid Kits - One of the robots at the west end will drop a First Aid Kit. - The turret enemy at the south side of the western wing on the third floor has a First Aid Kit. Gold First Aid Kit - There's a white, circular platform on the second level. The Golden First Aid Kit is in the western wing. To get there, stay on the first floor and head north and a little east of where your Arwing is. You will see a ramp heading into an inlet in the wall with barrels pummeling down. Head up a couple of flights until you see it. Barriers - The enemy in the turret near the northeast next to the Arwing drops a barrier. - There's another barrier at the eastern side of the third floor in the main room. - The third is on the top level. The enemy at the end of the first hallway is holding it. 1-Ups - In the southwest corner of the second level, there's a 1-Up sitting on top of the computer. - There's another 1-Up in the last room of the top level, sitting there directly to your right. Silver Rings - On the eastern side of the space station, there is a Silver Ring, near the top, by the window. - Same place as before but a little further down the line. - There's another ring on the western side of the station. Power Upgrade - Same place as the Silver Ring on the western side of the station by the windows. Bomb - Same place as the Power Upgrade and Silver Ring on the western side of the station by the windows. - There's also one on the eastern side by the two Silver Rings. First Aid Kits and Silver Rings - The enemies on the asteroids out in space will drop Silver Rings and First Aid Kits. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is actually the easiest gold to get in terms of accumulating points. The problem is surviving. If you choose to, you can place the importance on the space battle since besides the top level of the station the enemies are pretty far apart and combos are hard to build. You will want to clear out the entire space station and build as many combos as you can. On the top floor, you can get a 50 combo going easy. From there you will have to destroy just enough space fighters and battleships to collect the gold. Wolf and his team will nip your fur, but if you take them on individually and loop when they're behind you, they're a piece of cake. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The enemies are sparse, but if you're fast, you can clear out the entire first floor of the station while keeping the combo going. The humanoids should keep you afloat just long enough to take out the larger enemies. Getting to the enemies in the far northeast corner can be tricky, but again, there's enough monkeys populating the midsection where it should be possible. Sweep the rest of the floor and clean loose enemies up: there's one enemy to the right of your Arwing and a few loose barrel shooters in alcoves. You will want to place a premium on destroying barrel shooters since they always give you a +3. It's possible to keep your combo going up to the second floor, but after you take out all those enemies, you will probably want to stop before ascending the ramp again. In only a few minutes, your gauge will shoot up dramatically, so hop in your Arwing and start dog fighting. The normal fighters aren't going to give you any nightmares, but the battleships can be tough. If you approach them, they will shoot a laser in your direction, and to make your life difficult they will begin launching missile after missile until you're eliminated. If you're next to them, they'll shoot missiles at you. If you're trying to take down fighters, they'll shoot missiles at you. If you're in the same quadrant, they'll shoot missiles at you. When one approaches, keep doing loops until they blow up on their own. The blue nodes on the spacecrafts can also be difficult to hit if you're at an angle, so make sure you're approaching them straight on. They'll give you a +5 when eliminated. Like the first mission, you can target individual parts of the battleship. Take out the rest of the fighters and the few enemies on the asteroids that are easy to spot because they're the only yellow on your radar while out in space. These enemies drop Silver Rings and First Aid Kits. Even if you're in the Arwing, Fox's health will sometimes drop when you're hit, so stay up to task on the medical kits. Once cleared, head back to the base and begin where you left off. The best policy here is to destroy all the enemies on the white ring on the second floor and take that to the third floor at the north, forming a combo with all the enemies up there. There are a plethora of enemies in the east and west wing to destroy, too. Sometimes you can take out a large volume of enemies at once with the canister on the floor. It's very possible from this point to go to the top floor of the space station via the elevator on the third floor and rack up an even bigger combo. Even if you tackle the top floor alone, you'll still get a 50 combo easy. New reinforcements will arrive on the space front, but you can probably save those for the Wolf battle. If you don't want to test it, then you can take on the new fighters any time. Now head toward space. If you're hurting for kills right now, you could destroy the remaining fighters and battleships, but the Wolf team can often plague you and cause a nuisance while you're trying to deal with the battleships. Usually I'll take out Wolf and Panther first, treading lightly so as to avoid the missile range of the battleships, then destroy as many weaker enemies as I need, and save Leon for last. On gold, charged shots are only sometimes useful against the Wolf team in close range combat, so pack heat in whatever discretion you deem advisable. You will constantly find yourself in need of a loop as they tail your backside raining hellfire upon your Arwing. Make sure to have plenty of Silver Rings around just in case. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 500 hits will almost ensure you of a gold provided you didn't leave the game unpaused while you went to make a sandwich (as you don't want a negative time bonus). That's a very real total to achieve here even if you spend most of the level in a sleep walk. You can go for fewer hits and rely on your time bonus, but it's probably a better idea to take this slow and not rush into things. On silver, 450 hits will give you a badge no matter what. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0504] Fachina: Into the Storm [0504] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 8/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Scores ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 600 Silver Level – 2000 Gold Level – 3900 My Score – 4209 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups - At the generator toward the north, keep going in that direction until you see a 1-Up on the edge of the icy pond. - From the north generator, go southeast, and about halfway to the east generator you'll see a ball Aparoid on the ledge. Destroy him for a 1-Up. - Eastern generator, on the edge of the icy pond. Silver Rings - From the north generator, head a little southeast, and you'll see a Silver Ring sitting on a ledge. Bombs - You can get bombs from the floating creatures the boss spews out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- By far the biggest total needed for a gold in the game, you will probably spend most of the time icing your thumb in between shooting anything that moves. The blizzard makes things difficult, which means trusting your radar. If your reticules turn red, shoot. The first part is easily the hardest, and you will probably be restarting from broken combos alone. It's possible to amass a 150 combo here simply by going along the outer rim of the level. The most annoying feature of this level is the shelled Aparoids. Not only can they absolutely kill your combos if you can't destroy them in a timely manner, but if you ignore them, they will hound you with missiles. Even worse, if you get close to them, they will charge you. You can destroy them if you want, or if they're too much trouble, you can try to destroy as many enemies around it as you can without stopping and move on. If you have to start searching for enemies, then that's your cue to leave. And if your Landmaster is destroyed, your combo is probably finished, especially if Peppy puts it a long distance away. To heighten the stakes, there is precious little health available. You're going to have to cross your fingers and hope for a good run. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are three shelled Aparoids directly outside of the base. They're optional, but if you want to get some quick points, hop in your Landmaster and circle around the base until they're all destroyed. Go back to where you start to find the sea of Aparoids. Sit there and pick them off. When they're all destroyed, head to the generator. It'll take three charged shots. Destroy it along with the shielded Aparoids and move on. The next section after you drop down will be filled with more Aparoids, and they keep appearing, so check your radar in all cardinal directions. There are also turrets stuck to the underbelly of an overpass to your right. Up ahead is a shelled Aparoid. Destroy it if you want or move on. Destroy all the rest of the turrets and Aparoids in this area and climb on the cliff by the ramp near the wall. Here there are a lot of Aparoids that shoot at you, so take them out before they hit you. Head toward the base at the center, and you'll see armies of turrets. Stay your distance and take them out. Head toward the generator and destroy the enemies around it before taking it out. Drop down and defeat the Aparoids here. If you move forward, you will see a Silver Ring to your right, which you will probably need. To the left is a huge sea of turrets. You will probably need to constantly roll as you're shooting, especially if the shelled Aparoid on the cliff above you spots you and starts shooting missiles. Head forward. A cave to your right houses enemies that are easy prey. A shelled Sparoid and many lesser Aparoids await you, and after that, the shield generator surrounded by two ball Aparoids, which you will need to destroy. At this point, your combo will be over 150 if you did it right. From here, if you're feeling confidant enough, you can explore the rest of the level and take out any enemy stragglers you left behind. When you're ready, go into the climate control center. The enemies here won't give you too much trouble. If you're in danger of dying, simply stay away from them. They won't matter too much in your final hit total, but it's always nice to pick up a kill when you can. When they get too large in number, use the machine gun. When you're on Falco's ship, you will find the easiest 150 combo that you will ever come across. The Aparoid groups on the ground make for easy fodder. They are in the following locations: - Less than a minute in you should be by a large generator. They're right at the foot of it. - As you begin to see the first laser sniper, they're right by it. There are more of them as you approach the ground. - There are more just north of the base as you continue to fly low to the ground. - When you come out of a tunnel with a laser sniper, they're right there. - You'll see more northwest of the base as you ascend into the sky. - Just beyond that as you're heading south. - On the northeast side under the bridge that has laser snipers on it. - On the east side just before a large group of laser snipers. - As you're headed north, next to a flock of trees. This is one instance where you will be thanking your radar gods. If you see an enemy flying in, try to pick it off as soon as possible because between the sniping lasers and the air enemies, it can get pretty heated. They take a few seconds before they attack, so the ones that flew in earliest are your priority. Make sure you hit the laser snipers the first time because they can be a nuisance if you miss. If you kept a combo going from the sentry bots inside the control center, it's possible to have it up to 170 by now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boss – Aparoid Spawner ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's nothing to the boss that you didn't face on the bronze level. Defeat the enemies, who don't give you any kills, to collect bombs, which you launch into the open tube-like section of the boss. The only difference is that you only have two minutes to complete this, so make special care to track the open end, turn as close to it as you can and lather it with bombs, which you can be rather liberal with if you don't hit him the first time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you accumulated 1300 hits, then you will get the gold no matter what. The key is the two 150+ combos, the first stretching from the beginning of the level to the third generator, and the second on Falco's wing. Time probably won't be a factor, but if you do it fast enough, then you can get a 100 time bonus. Count on exhausting nearly twenty minutes, so you won't get more than a 75 in the time bonus. The ball Aparoids will make you wonder what kind of Greco-Roman forces of unknown coordinates aligned against you. Silver will require 1000 hits, less if you do it in a timely manner. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0505] Asteroid Belt: The Aparoid Menace [0505] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty 9/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Scores ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Levels – 400 Silver Levels - 1000 Gold Levels – 2100 My Score - 2544 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups - Between the last two lasers on the asteroids before you enter the base. Power Upgrades - About twenty seconds in, you will find the Power Upgrade sitting by a few asteroids on the left. - On the first runway as you come to the base, before the door to the right. Silver Rings - If you're low on health, Slippy will give you a ring just before you reach the field of stringy creatures. - When you're facing the lasers right before you arrive at the base, save Krystal and she will give you a ring as soon as the base comes into sight. - Save Slippy right after the mech but before entering the base, and he will give you a Silver Ring. - There's a final one in the last corridor before Pigma. Bombs - Save Falco after you clear the heavy asteroids, and he will give you a bomb. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a personal admonition, this was the second hardest gold to get and the last I achieved because the enemies rarely fly in any sort of recognizable groups. You can make this a lot easier on yourself if you know exactly which fighters to hit in order to give you the most points. Time is a factor, but this is an incredibly short mission, so you'll get a huge time bonus at the end. Make sure to pick up both Power Upgrades. The actual mission is easy, and the frustration level is low, so if you need to do this mission several times, don't sweat it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission begins passively. Shortly after you pick up the Power Upgrade, the first enemies will appear. These are difficult because the asteroids get in the way. If you anticipate the middle enemy and fire a charged shot almost out of instinct, you'll hit him before he disappears behind the asteroid. Otherwise, take out the side ones first. I try to go middle, right, and then left. You'll get a G Bonus. Four flyers appear: two on the right, one on the left, and one on the bottom. It's hard to take all of them out, but if you do, you're already ahead of the curve. Falco will be in trouble, but it's easy to take out the two fighters when they line up in front of you. Don't kill yourself trying to destroy the enemies. as it's very easy to run into an asteroid. If you've messed up, it's easier to restart. Now that the sky is clearing of asteroids, the mission becomes much easier. Take out the four enemies here (they will chase you and ram you if you don't). If you target them with a charged shot, do it after they fly into position. Otherwise, they could evade it. Take your time. From here, three sets of three enemies appear for easy bonuses. An armored enemy now flies in. When he settles in the middle of the screen, nail him with charged shots. Pick up the bomb Falco gives you for saving him (be careful not to stand still as the ship fires at you). After a few charged shots, he begins firing missiles, but he should only get one set off. Once he's taken down, a swarm of enemies will fly in, and once you take them down for a G Bonus, more swarms continue to come until you reach a certain point. Try to destroy as many of them as possible. Four flyers will come in, two to the left and two to the right, but it's hard to destroy them while focusing on the swarms. After the swarms disappear, four flyers will come in from the sides. The first and third from the top come from the left side. The second and the bottom one come from the right. Four more enemies will appear, and again it's a good idea to wait until they solidify positions before attacking. Destroy them all, or else they'll try to ram you from the back. The creatures in the field can be a bit tough to destroy since they're so thin, especially if you're behind the eight ball and you have to roll to get them off your ship. Don't pay attention to your Arwing. Pay attention to the spot you're aiming so you have pinpoint accuracy. Once you've exited the field, the asteroid missiles will hone in on you. Destroy as many as you can, but don't be a glutton and get hit. I use my bomb at this point, but it won't net you a ton of hits. Now you'll have to deal with the lasers. The first two should be coming into your view as you approach them. The next one on the left should be coming into view now, and a few seconds later the next one on the left will, too. Take this opportunity to fire off a charged shot to take out the enemies on Krystal's tail pipe. That should take care of all of them, but if it doesn't, then destroy the rest. The last laser on the right should be coming into view now. Don't worry if you didn't hit all of them. If you were good enough, you could have nearly 300 hits by this point. Stay in the center of the screen so you don't get careless and hit an asteroid. After you pass through the asteroid field, Krystal will give you a Silver Ring. Once you reach the base, the first enemies will come from the left. Another set of three will come from your right and then another from your left. To finish it off, two sets will come from both sides. You need to destroy all six fighters to get the G Bonus. A huge swarm of flyers will come from the runway in two single file lines. It's hard to destroy them all though. If you take care of all the blue enemies on the ground, you will get a +10 bonus. Five enemies will come from behind you: three on the left and two on the right. They're tiered in a slightly different way, so the three on the left will be slightly higher. Another three will come from your right and another two from your left. Pick up the Power Upgrade on the right. It's very hard to destroy the enemies here because they're so fast and furious and in such odd patterns. Most of them are flying from the bottom left and right corners, and as you make the 90-degree turn, they cross and fly to your sides. More will fly in from your left and right, arcing downward. At this time, Falco will be in trouble. Shoot the four bogies off his tail to get a G Bonus. He will streak in from the left and then go right one final time. The Aparoid-infected mech is critical here. If you just defeat him as quickly as you can, then you'll be left with nothing to do for some time. Defeat all of the weapons he employs, and then as quickly as possible take the mech down before he can launch more. It'll take ten charged shots, and if you didn't kill yourself in the process, more of those enemy swarms will appear and will continue to appear all the down the runway. You will make quick work of the gold if you do this. Once you near the entrance, two more enemies will appear on both sides. Slippy will now be in trouble. He comes in from the upper left corner with two enemies trailing him, and he will veer back to the left one final time. Grab the Silver Ring if you need it. If you defeat all the blue enemies on the ground, you will get a G Bonus. Four enemies appear at the top of the screen from left to right, one trailing after the other. Two more enemies fly in from the left and three from the right angling inwards. Three more fly in from behind you as you veer off to the tunnel on the left. As you enter the next room, four more enemies will approach from the left. Avoid the mechanical arms. Keep to the bottom right for the first one. On the second one, stay to the bottom of the screen. Veer to the top for the next, the one after that the very top right corner, and the final two stay to the top. A couple more enemies will appear from the sides and from the door as it closes. Keep firing in the tunnel to defeat all the blue enemies to get an easy G Bonus. Grab the last ring. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boss – Aparoid Pigma ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This boss is easy, so the only thing you have to worry about is time. The top left and bottom right hands will strike first. Charge up a shot, and when the bottom right hand forms, destroy it and shoot at him. If you have both Power Upgrades, you can take out the hand in one sitting. Now take out the weapon on the top left hand. He's preparing to ram you with the glowing hand. Do not get hit by this attack whatever you do because it's devastating. He'll now throw meteors at you, which are incredibly easy to avoid if you're paying attention, so pepper whichever hand is open. He'll probably try to ram you again. The top right and bottom left hands (or top and bottom depending on what he has left) will now form weapons. Keep attacking, but by now he's probably almost gone anyway. The Pigma form is even easier. If you choose to avoid all the missiles, then you can simply sidestep them at the last moment, but you can stand there for most of it and still survive if your shields are all the way up. It's possible to defeat him before he even uses the plasma beam, but it is very difficult if you don't have any bombs. It'll save you time though. Once he shows up again, hit him with a charged shot and a few sprays, and he should be dead. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you completed this mission in under seven minutes, it's possible to get as much as a 250 time bonus for your efforts. You'd also need 450 hits to supplement that. It's much more probable that you only got 240 time bonus, so that means you'd need 460 hits. On silver, you will only need about 250 kills. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0506] Sauria: Reunion [0506] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 7/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Scores ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 350 Silver Level – 1000 Gold Level – 2300 My Score - 2844 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Up - Head north in the river. Eventually you will see a purple shielded Aparoid surrounded by those flying creatures. Destroy the shielded one for a 1-Up. - Head to the top of the huge ruins in the east. The 1-Up is in the south corner. First Aid Kits - When you go inside the cave near the south ruins, there is one underneath the hatcher at the end. - Go to the entrance of the ruins in the south. Take a left, and sitting on a top of a bed of stone is the kit. - Go inside the tunnels in the east. When you reach the center, there will be a kit sitting in the middle of the cave. - While you're still in the eastern cave, go to the north tunnel. An enemy there will hold the kit. Power Upgrade - Near the center of the level, about halfway up in the air. Barriers - Head toward the south ruins. To the right of the entrance in the underground tunnel is a barrier. Gatling Gun - Go to the eastern cave. Inside the north tunnel, the gatling gun will be sitting there. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission is actually rather difficult because there are no breaks. One death and you have to start over, so chances are something somehow will screw you over from somewhere. Missile attacks. A volley from a shielded Aparoid. Falling off the level. I encountered just about everything. Because of the terrain, I found it best to go by foot rather than Landmaster. The level is small enough where you'll rarely need it anyway. Despite that though it's a little harder to form huge combos here. You'll probably get a bunch of 50+ combos, and that's probably all you need. There are two huge ruins here, one to the east and one to the south (as well as caves running beneath both of them). Those are the main ones to help you get your baring in this section of the guide. Smaller ruins are peppered along the western walls and way out east past the large one. Before you destroy a hatcher, wait until it drops all the Aparoids so you can accumulate more hits. If you're a little low on hits, then the sky battle will always replenish with new enemies. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Due to the open-ended nature of this level, it can be difficult to form any cohesive strategy. I can only vouch for what I did. There is a line here that will help you accumulate a pretty good combo. When you begin, there is a hatcher near the river out west that is only a short walk away. Destroy all the enemies around it, but leave the hatcher. Head up to the two smaller ruins in the north (again destroying enemies but keeping the hatchers). It's a good time to point out the turrets that often appear at the entrances of ruins, so keep a charged shot handy (also, the blue turrets on walls). Once you're finished, double back to the cave, destroying the hatchers to keep your combo alive (if you didn't do this, your combo would be in jeopardy of matriculating back to zero). Enemies will often appear out of thin air, another magic trick to be cognizant of. When you finally have headed all the way south, enter the cave beneath the large ruins and destroy the hatcher. In stock, that's four hatchers destroyed and a healthy combo building if you've kept it going from the start. At this point, Slippy will be begging for help. His well-being isn't much of a concern, but the building battle in the sky is. Break for the Arwing, killing enemies along the way to keep your combo (there are a few along the river, so have a charged shot prepared). When you reach the air, enemies will swarm you. Do not stop moving. The sky will be ubiquitous with enemies, so there will always be something to destroy, even if you never stay in the same place. Watch out for the surface to air missiles. Loop constantly. When you whittle down the air enemies, try to clear some of the things on the ground. Up north there are two green turrets firing missiles and a blue turret lobbing attacks. Those are of primary concern. If you kept it alive from the start, it's possible to build a 100 combo. There is probably nothing left of your combo by this time. You can get another nice one building by going through the caves underneath the eastern ruins. Once you go into the main room, you will want to clear out the right wing first, and then once you take the left wing, go to the right in the fork in the road to find the next hatcher. The left is an exit to the far eastern side of the level, and there are so many enemies around there you should be able to form another lengthy combo. Watch out for the green and blue enemies shooting at you from the wall, and those flying Aparoids can be deceptively fast if they get close enough to you. Their blast is devastating. After you're done with that section, you should clear out the ruins up top and then any stray enemies that you can find. The ruins near the south have enemies in them, so explore every facet of the level. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- It will probably take at least 700 hits to get a gold on Sauria. If you're fast enough, the first four hatchers along the west wall combined with the sky battle should yield you a pretty nice combo. From there it's simply a matter of forming as many small combos as you can. This is a rather long mission, so time probably won't be much of a factor beyond a 50 time bonus. You don't want to rush things anyway. You will need at most 500 hits to get a silver badge. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0507] Corneria: War Comes Home [0507] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 5/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Scores ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 350 Silver Level –800 Gold Level – 1600 My Score - 2136 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups - As soon as you start go straight. (only available if you die) - In the exact center of the city right next to the column. (only available if you die) - Northeast corner under the two radar jammers. - From the center of the city, go north and a little east. You will see a ramp leading up to the top of a building. Defeat the Aparoids, turrets, and humanoids. When you're at the top level, go to the far end and drop down. A 1-Up will be sitting on the ledge. First Aid Kits -Same place as the last 1-Up, except instead of dropping down, the kit will be sitting on the corner of the top level. -From the center, go to the building directly west. It's on top of building. -In the northeast corner by the radar jammers, there's one under the stairs. Barriers - Again in the northeast corner under the radar jammers, there's a barrier sitting there. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contingent on the boss, surgery might be complicated. In the first section, weed out all the enemies you can find. You can spend all the time you want killing the enemies, but you shouldn't really need to engage any more enemies than is necessary. 50 hits is a very healthy number to get and will usually require nothing more than killing loose Aparoids that prove more of a nuisance than anything. The key here is to keep moving. You will be assaulted through both the ground and air constantly, so if you stop, you might find yourself on the losing end of an air strike. Because the enemies line up to be slaughtered when on Wolf's ship, you should be able to get 400 in this section easy, which alone will almost be enough to conquer the level. General Pepper is what you have to survive in order to make it out of here unscathed. If you're having trouble, then load up on the 1-Ups. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's actually possible to get as many as 250 or 300 hits if you destroy every enemy, but if you do that, then it becomes a war of attrition, and it takes so long you're bound to make a senseless mistake and end up wasting twenty minutes. 50 is a good total to shoot for and is relatively easy to achieve. The less shielded aparoids you encounter the better because their attacks are devastating, and they have the tendency to sneak up on you. The air enemies, too, rain down bombs, so if you're going to stop somewhere, you might want to check the sky. They have a high frequency around the center of the city. After you're down to about five radar jammers, Krystal will beg for help, but you can ignore her if you want. The Arwing section can be a little overwhelming if you're not careful. As with the last time you did this, always look at your radar because the faster you know the enemy is coming, the quicker you can defeat them and move on to the next one. You can save Falco if you want, but take care of the enemy ships bearing down on you first. The first salvo of purple missiles will trail you at this time, so don't ignore them just to save the bird. It's easy to miss hitting the laser snipers if you're in too much of a hurry to move on to the next enemy. Take your time and mop them up the first time, otherwise they become a huge nuisance. The lightning enemies will tip you off before they shoot, and the ball enemies take a while before they fire on you, so learn when to make each a priority. There are clusters of Aparoids on the ground, but your first priority is survival. You can find them in the following locations: - After the first two enemies, look out to Corneria and you'll see them. - When you reach the northwest section of the city, you'll see Aparoids on the building to the left of the laser sniper. - Directly after that you'll see more Aparoids on the ground next to the laser snipers. -There's even more Aparoids after that if you're looking toward the north. - When you're at the very south section, look toward the center of the city. - There's a large cluster of laser snipers coming up. You'll find Aparoids before and after them and another one shortly after that. All three of these are in the same direction, so don't worry about turning. It's possible to get as much as a 140 combo going, but as long as you have something over 400 hits in this section and over 450 total, you should be in good shape. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boss – General Pepper ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's only one thing you need to know about this fight. Don't let him ram you. If he does, it'll drain over half your life. His green glowing orbs aren't a picnic either. If you're coming into this fight with half of your energy and down to your last life, you're in trouble. The key here is don't get caught up in ending this fight quickly. When he starts zipping across the sky, don't bother trying to track him. The damage will be negligible, and you'll be in such a spaz that you won't realize all it takes is subtle movements to take him down. Think ahead and prepare for his next attack because you do not want to be on your heels reacting. That's the worst thing that you could do. Always aim for his head. It might automatically target his head anyway, but when he gets close, it sometimes lets you go after any part of his body. The moment he comes to rest, you immediately want to start pounding him with everything you got. He'll sometimes float across the sky while charging an attack, but all it takes is a faint movement on the stick to track him. That's the problem in that if your movements get too wild, you won't maximize the damage. Take your time and be aware of his patterns. Not only will you be giving him massive damage, but you'll stop him from attacking, so put all your energy into these moments and don't sweat the rest so much. After he completes his first few attacks, he will launch six laser cannons, which after a few seconds will fire at you. Again, large movements are the worst things you can do here. Even if you only destroy five and the last one hits you, it won't do much damage, but it can accumulate if you let it. Next he'll launch a series of missiles. The important thing to remember is that after the second set of missiles, he's going to ram you. If you're taking too much time, then just let the missiles hit you because any damage incurred when he rams you will be much worse. After a time, all he'll do is try to ram you. If you keep shooting him, this should be easy, but if you slip up, you're in for a world of hurt. Never take your sights off the cockpit, and again, it's best to only shoot him while he's close so you don't have to keep constantly adjusting your aim. The end is the easiest part. He will launch more laser cannons, except only one shoots at a time. Aim at the open one while the others are floating around. He will still do his missile attack, albeit with more missiles, and occasionally he'll throw large projectiles at you. You'll know when this is happening when on either side of him the air will turn pink. All these attacks are so easy to deflect you'll probably have time left over to shoot him. After he's dead, you'll get a +10 bonus. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you went through the on foot section fast enough, your time bonus will probably be over 100. That means a hit count of 450 will easily get you the gold medal. 50 for the first section and 400 for the second will do the trick. A silver badge can easily be achieved with a hit count of 400 or less depending on what your time bonus is. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0508] Orbital Gate: Incoming [0508] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – 7.5/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Scores ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 400 Silver Level - 1200 Gold Level – 2100 My Score - 2781 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups - On the very north side of the station. It's almost all the way to the top inside a deep wing of the base. - Fly into the center of the station near the top. Look to the south into a little alcove. Power Upgrade - There's one on the eastern side of the station about halfway up. Follow the flashing lights, and you should see it. Usually it's directly ahead of where you start. Silver Ring - At the south side of the station. The very bottom has a couple of rotating parts. Look above that about halfway up to the huge ring that makes up the brunt of the base. There's a tunnel that you can fly through. Inside is a Silver Ring. Gold Ring - From the gate, follow the flashing runway lights. Soon you'll find yourself in a deep tunnel with a Gold Ring. Bombs - Do the same thing as before. From the orbital gate, follow the lights. A bomb will be at the other side of the alcove. - On the south side of the station near the top, fly inside a deep wing to find a bomb. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you manage to keep your combo going the entire level, you will obliterate this mission. After the missiles start coming in, you will have very little free time to keep your combo up, so you have to apply a bit of strategy to when you attack the missiles and when you attack the fighters. Getting the Power Upgrades right in front of where you start will prove invaluable as time is of the essence, and the quicker you can destroy things, the more hits you can rack up, and the easier you can destroy the missiles. You will probably want to avoid all the other items since they're out of your way. You really want to avoid dying since that will kill any combo you've accumulated, even if it means wasting a few seconds to do a loop. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Destroy as many enemies as you can during the first part. You cannot go anywhere without seeing a cluster, so this should not be difficult. I don't know if there's any rhyme or reason to where the Aparoids are, but it really doesn't matter. You can pretty much ignore Slippy and Krystal when they call for help. All they do is take time away from destroying things as you chase them across half the level. The closer you get to the station, the more you see those enemies that shoot the green missiles, so I like staying to the fringes. At this point, you should have at least a 60 combo built. The missiles will start rolling in after the cutscene. As you make your way to the missiles, shoot just enough enemies to keep your combo meter as high as possible, even if you have to delineate from the original prescription. If you simply focus on the missiles, your combo meter will stay level, but if you get low, go after the fighters. A charged shot and a few shots beyond that will take care of them. One of the missiles seems to be more eager than the rest and hangs out in front of the others, so it's a good idea to take that one out early. Once you've destroyed the first set, the second set will appear. Pick off random fighters as you make your way over there. Apply the same strategy, and if you're far enough ahead by the time you get to the final missile, then you can engage a few fighters. By the time you get to the larger missiles, you should have over a 100 combo. This part is tricky because they take so many shots to bring down, and on gold there are three of them. The best way to do it is apply a charged shot or two to their weak point, wheel around as fast as you can, and attack a few fighters. Attack the missile again, and repeat the process until all of them are dead. As long as you don't get too greedy attacking either fighters or missiles and apply a healthy equilibrium, you should be able to do this in more than enough time. If your combo is still going, then you can get to 200 and still have plenty of time to destroy the missile, although 200 is overkill. Break your combo now if the final missile is too close to the base. Better to sweat out a gold then lose the mission anyway. It's a lot easier to take down if you've picked up a power upgrade. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 700 hits will give you the gold no matter what your time is, although anything over 600 would probably work, too. Form a combo all the way to the final missile so you don't have to leave it to chance. On silver, a 600 would guarantee it. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0509] Aparoid Homeworld: Breaching the Defenses [0509] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty: 8/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 500 Silver Level - 1400 Gold Level – 2500 My Score - 2625 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Up - Head southeast from the start. In the first building, head up to the top floor, and you'll find a 1-Up there. - There's one on top of the building way to the southwest once you go up the purple ramp. - Take the Arwing to the underside of the base. It's just north of the center. - A little ahead and to the right of where you start. (only available if you die) First Aid Kits - From the start: if you enter the building directly to the northwest and go to the bottom floor, there will be an enemy with a First Aid Kit when you destroy him. - In the very northwest section, there's an enemy on the second floor that has a First Aid Kit. - In the northwest section, there's one sitting there on the third floor. - From the start head southeast. When you're in the building, go to the bottom floor. - From the start, go southwest, down past the turrets, following the purple glow on the floor, and climb up the purple ramp to the top of the building. While you're still outside, defeat one of the enemies for a First Aid Kit. - While you're still in the southwest corner, enter the building, and go left when you reach the hatcher. At the bottom of the ramp, there should be a room with a First Aid Kit in it. - In the northeast building, go to the hatcher and turn right. You will be trapped in a hallway with Aparoids. Defeat the big one to get a First Aid Kit. - Shortly after the last one in the hall with the turrets, you can defeat the big Aparoid for another First Aid Kit. Gold First Aid Kits - From the center, follow the green floor northeast in your Landmaster. Follow the ramp up to the top of the building and defeat all the Aparoids there. Exercise caution because there are five of them launching missiles all at once. Barriers - In the northwest corner, there's a barrier on the third floor. - In the southeast corridor between the two buildings. - In the northeast building, go to the hatcher and turn left. The large Aparoid has it. Silver Rings - On top of the southwest building. - On top of the northeast building. - Take the Arwing to the underbelly of the base. It's in the center. - Randomly appear from defeated ships. Gatling Gun - From the start, follow the path down to the northeast section. Defeat the shelled Aparoid in the ball to get the gun. - Same thing as before, except you have to go southwest and defeat the Aparoid there. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You will find no shortage of enemies since there's literally an infinite amount of them in the Arwing part of this level, which also happens to be the easiest part, so don't sweat it if your hit total isn't big enough in the first section. Enemies are very hard to dismantle, so don't rush in and kill yourself trying to keep a combo going. Staying alive is the most difficult part of this level. There are a few areas with a high concentration of enemies, so focus on getting smaller combos in these spots. The homing launcher is useful due to all of the armored enemies, as is the gatling gun if you can find it. Be very wary of the gray Aparoids that look like the purple shielded ones. They launch missiles at you. Also take care to stay away from the flying enemies with the orange bodies. If you get close, they fly in very fast and upon explosion deal massive damage. It's easy to get trapped against the wall. So be very, very careful around anything that shoots missiles, black orbs, or just simply explodes. I use the Landmaster when I'm outside to take out the large ball Aparoid tanks and the tougher ones that shoot missiles. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The northeast and southwest are a bit easier since all of the enemies are kept in front of you in the hallways. Because of that you should be able to get a decent 30 or 40 combo going. Work from the outside in. Obviously a shield generator is a horrible way to finish off a combo since they require a few charged shots, but most of the time it can't be helped. The southeast and northwest both have their quirks and are the places you might die the most. If you're building up a combo, you might be tempted to rush through them. Don't. When you enter the bottom floor of the southeast building, it's chalk full of five of those tough Aparoids that launch missiles. Two of them you can blow up with that container sitting on the floor. The gatling gun is a premiere weapon to use for the rest of them. Watch out for those flying enemies in the first room after you cross the corridor. They give you no room to fight them off, and they'll follow you if you try to run. They have been the death of many of my runs. A barrier will repel them like clockwork. Luckily, you should've picked one up in the last corridor. The rest of the floors can be dangerous, but if you sit on the ramp picking the Aparoids off, they won't touch you. Only the missiles will be able to reach you, and when they launch, you can hide on the previous floor if they're that big of a threat. The northwest can be tough because at the top of the first building you'll find those flying creatures again. If they get too close, you can run back down the ramp. Once you cross the corridor to the next building, those blue launchers will catapult black orbs at you. Be careful because they can really hurt, and if you get too careless, they can easily hit you. If you need more enemies to destroy, you could always hop in your Arwing, but the more you wait, the less there will be since they're not replenished. If you've taken care of all the enemies, even the ones outside, it's possible to have over 600 hits by now. Take to your Arwing and destroy as many enemies as possible. At this point, you can literally destroy an infinite amount of enemies since new ones always appear, and you'll get so many Silver Rings that the sky will be littered with them. Blue and green launchers surround the hatchers spewing missiles and orbs at you. Keep a few hatchers alive in case you accidentally destroy too many. After all of this, you don't want to end the mission early. You should get at least 200 hits in this section. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's hard to rely on the time bonus since by the time you've destroyed a decent amount of enemies, the time bonus probably won't be much of a factor. Technically you need to get 834 hits to assure yourself of a gold if you keep your time bonus in the positives, more if you're not confidant in it. On silver, you will assure yourself of a badge by getting 700 hits. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0510] Homeworld Core: The Final Battle [0510] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= Difficulty – Death and Taxes/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Badge Scores ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bronze Level – 250 Silver Level – 700 Gold Level – 1500 My Score - 1644 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items and Health ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-Ups - Midway through the second light barrier part, there should be a 1-Up near the wall. Power Upgrade - After the first blue hexagonal wall forms near the start. - Just beyond the first hexagonal wall in the second half of the level you will see the upgrade. Silver Ring - If you save Slippy near the beginning, he will give you one. - Save Krystal just beyond that, and she will give you one. - There's one just before the Aparoid Queen battle. - You can find Silver Rings by defeating enemies and covering your teammates' backsides when you're fighting the Aparoid Queen. Bombs - From where you start, there's a long hallway and then another with moving walls. At the end of this one is a bomb. - In the first hallway with the light barriers, there's a bomb sitting off to the right. - After the two halls with the light barriers, save Falco and he will give you a bomb. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparations and Notes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't know if there is a way to prepare for this just like it's hard to prepare to climb the Himalayan. It's not only the hardest gold in the game, but it's also the most frustrating. Chances are you'll die multiple times before you reach the next checkpoint, which is akin to your ship sinking as you spot shore. And even if you manage to beat the game, there's a good chance you'll come up only a few points short. Unlike all previous levels, there is no easy shortcut. It takes a lot of skill, and a lot of luck. You might want to spend a good deal of time simply familiarizing yourself with this level. It's easiest if you can get to the final boss without dying because if your lasers are fully powered, it'll go down much more quickly, and since time is of the essence, it can prove the difference. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walkthrough ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as you start, immediately begin firing ahead so you can take out the fighters that form together for a G Bonus. Destroy the next squadron for another bonus. There are two sets of enemies here. One comes from the top first and the other the bottom after it. It is hard to destroy them all, so even if you don't, you shouldn't worry about it. Continue forward and pick up the Power Upgrade when you make it past the wall. There is a squadron of enemies that comes from the hole on the left, so be prepared for them. There are also four blue enemies on the wall that'll give you a bonus if you have time to take them out. 50 would be a good score at this point, but anything over 60 is something you should shoot for. If you're even attempting the gold, the moving walls shouldn't be a problem, so boost past them and be prepared for the squadron of enemies that appear outside of the exit. As you switch tunnels, more enemies appear in your field of vision, but it's hard to take them all out. When you come to the circular thing, launch a bomb into the center to take out all of the periphery enemies. This will drive up your hit total. From the bottom right, Slippy flies in front of you and begs for help. He's worth saving if you need a Silver Ring. Make sure to stay away from the corner so the enemies don't hit you. From here, an enemy flies in front of you and shoots pink rings at you. He's much easier if you have a charged shot, otherwise he's hard to hit. It's worth taking out all the green and blue enemies on the walls for a bonus. If you saved Slippy, he'll give you the ring. These blue enemies aren't worth much, so I'd stay in the center and fire at them, avoiding them when you can. Make your way past the moving walls again and take out the blue enemies clinging to the walls. As soon as you round the corner start boosting, and stay on the very right side. If you were fast enough, the enclosing tunnel won't hit you. Another circular thing will appear, so destroy the enemies around it (especially if you have a bomb). Things get a bit chaotic as Krystal is in trouble (save her if you want the ring). A set of four enemies flies in from the sides. Take care that they don't hit you. Another set of four flies in soon after, and there's one final enemy to destroy for a G Bonus before you fly through the hexagonal wall. Krystal will give you the ring if you saved her. You're at the first checkpoint. If you die from here on out, this is where you'll start. If you have over 200 hits by this point, then you have a real chance at a gold. The light barriers are easy to avoid if you go normal speed. I tend to boost past them. Grab the 1-Up in the second corridor. As you round the corner, Falco is in trouble. Try to get off a charged shot just before you turn and then finish off the rest when you're around the corner. You'll get a G Bonus and a bomb for your effort. Four enemies fly in toward the outside. Destroy them. One of the tougher enemies now appears. Continuously pound it with charged shots. Two enemies appear around on the top left and bottom right corners. Destroy them before they can even settle and go back to pounding it. Once it stops firing, that's the cue that it'll begin shooting green missiles. They're easy to avoid if you get the timing right. Once it's dead, you're about to encounter one of the hardest parts of this level. The enemy swarms will constantly fly in, and they won't stop until you reach the hexagonal wall. Defeat them to get an easy +10 bonus. The problem is the surrounding enemies. You're continuously being shot at, and there's very little you can do about it if you're focusing on getting the bonuses. Fighters swoop in from the sides, and if you don't destroy them, they'll ram you from the back. There's so much going on it's hard to see anything. You're going to have to make a real tough choice here of whether to destroy the periphery enemies and save your own behind or go after the weaker ones and rack up the hits. If you want to know where the fighters are, they appear in the four corners, and then they start coming from the background on the top and bottom, sort of angling in toward the sides. There's a final squad of enemies here that are about in the same position on all sides. After you pass the hexagonal wall, pick up the upgrade so you're at full power. As you turn the corner, you'll see another circular thing. Destroy the enemies around it with a bomb, and an electrical enemy will appear. Take him down with a few charged shots to get a +4. If you take him out with one shot, those endless swarms of enemies appear that get you an easy G Bonus. Destroy all the green and blue enemies on the walls. Four enemies appear from all four directions, so take them out. Soon enemies will be coming in from the sides chasing Leon and Falco, making them easy prey. Four enemies will swoop in, but don't concern yourself with where they are. Focus on where they're going to settle. The first one is left, than right, than bottom, and finally the top. A hexagonal wall will begin to form, so boost like mad. This is the home stretch. There's a green enemy off to the side, but the real threat is the fans. I usually sneak in under the bottom right, although sometimes I use the left if it's open. You shouldn't have to alter your speed throughout most of this if you're doing it right. Simply fly through, and if you're a little off, slow down or speed up to compensate. The last two you might have to slow down though. The next section with the opening and closing walls you should speed through as fast as you can. If you did it right, you should go through most of it unscathed. The last one you will have to slow down for, so put on your brakes. The spinning enemies aren't worth your time, and you're probably pretty broken by this point, so just dodge. Eventually they will swoop in and move out. Try to stay off to the left for all three separate salvos, and you should be home free. My record for this section is 417 hits. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boss – Aparoid Queen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You shouldn't even get hit in the first part part. If you have a fully upgraded laser, you'll make quick work of her in three, maybe four rounds. Begin by firing everything you have at her midsection. Once you break the casing off and reveal the pink part, you'll start doing a lot of damage. Keep pressing the breaks so you have more time to fire at her. As soon as her attack takes shape, you should be right next to her, so veer off and come back around, firing at her from the side until her armor takes shape again. If you have the upgraded laser, you could get her health halfway down just in the first round alone. Repeat this process until this portion of the fight is over. I don't bother with the other enemies. I don't think you have time to. The second form is where everything you've been working on could come unglued. If you have the upgraded laser, you just want to get through this fight as soon as possible. She shouldn't get an attack off by the time you make quick work of the pink sections. Her two attacks once her head appears can absolutely devastate you. If she uses the green and yellow laser, it will trail behind you, so move out of the way and not into its path. When it starts wailing its head around, that's when you can run into trouble. It will rear back and move into the opposite direction across the entire screen. If it swipes at the side of the screen, then you have plenty of room to move out of the way. If it attacks the center, then it takes up so much of the screen it's very hard to avoid. I believe that it will attack where you are, so if you hang out at the left side of the screen, all you have to do is roll right and then roll left again as its momentum carries itself away from you. With that knowledge, this form becomes much easier to defeat, but if you mess up, it'll drain your energy fast. I still have not mastered the art of blowing up the mines to help my teammates because it seems no matter what I do they die. If you're any decent at it, then you might want to help your teammates. They will drop Silver Rings if they survive. If you take too long, the head will come back out and attack you again, and then you'll have to go through the mine sequence all over again until it's down to a predetermined amount of health. No matter what you do it will take three rounds, which is frustrating since by the third time it's down to so little health it feels needless. While you're attacking the pink body parts, make sure those shrimp like creatures it throws at you don't hurt you. It's possible to line them up in your sites while taking care of the pink parts, too. You can also attack them for an occasional Silver Ring if you're low on health or Power Upgrade if you need one. It's possible to waste time on this portion until you're fully upgraded. The final form is unfortunately the one least under your control. It'll either do its plasma beam or its green tunnel, and each one is hard to see coming. I try to hang toward the outside of its body so I'm prepared to move for either one. In his guide, SaiyanPureheart suggest pausing right as she's about to attack so you can see what she's doing, but that takes a good deal of timing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Score ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- You will need bionic fingers to survive until this point. A combined time and kill bonus of 500 is optimal. How you divide that up will be paramount to whether you get the gold. Somewhere around 400 hits is a good idea. If you got less, then you're going to have to cross your fingers and hope you breezed through the level in a timely manner. If you lucked out, congratulations. Chances are you saved this mission for last. If you're like me and did it early, then good luck on the rest of the missions. Everything else is downhill from here. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0600] sf_06.assault\\Enemy List [0600] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= If you're having trouble with specific enemies, then it's a good idea to check out this section of the guide. The enemies are classified by the Arwing sections and the on foot sections (even if they're on the same level) and from there are divided into ground enemies and air enemies. If you're not sure which is which, then a ship is typically air, and a living creature or a robot is typically ground. Obviously since I do not know the names I had to assign them my own, but they still should be easy to find. As a final note about enemy strength level, the ones that can be mopped up in only a few shots will typically take only one charged shot. Anything beyond that will probably be listed by charged shots. Green Power Upgrades increase your laser power, but two greens, or one red, will double it, so keep that in mind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arwing Enemies ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========= Air/Space ========= Common Fighters Fortuna and Sargasso One Shot ============================================================================= These look like inferior versions of the Arwing with a beak and two wings and are the very first enemies in the game. Obviously they take very little effort to bring down. Advanced Fighters Fortuna and Sargasso One Shot ============================================================================= These enemies have a central body and two side wings that are sort of rounded on the edges. They start appearing part way through the Fortuna space mission and start off rather meekly, although as you go, some of them begin firing missiles at you. They will give you a +1 on Sargasso. Petal Fighters Fortuna Three Shots ============================================================================= These have a three petal like arrangement and shoot from their center. Some of them will charge you if you don't destroy them. They will give you a +1. Spinners Asteroid Belt, Orbital Gate, Aparoid Homeworld, Homeworld Core Three Shots ============================================================================= These enemies have a central part and then four "claws" hanging down, and as their name suggests, they spin. If you do not defeat them immediately, they will trail you and ram you from behind. The versions on the Homeworld Core shoot pink sonic rings at you. They will give you a +1. Flyers Asteroid Belt One Shot ============================================================================= They glide across the sky pretty and are some of the easiest enemies to defeat in the game. Advanced Flyers Homeworld Core One Shot ============================================================================= These creatures have mastered a whole slew of aerial maneuvers, and they attack with a powerful purple or orange attack. Due to their knack for flying in large groups, contact with their weapons can be devastating. Deluxe Fighter Asteroid Belt and Homeworld Core Eight Charged Shots ============================================================================= These large ships can take quite a beating. They will try to pepper you with a lot of slow purple fire at first, but when they're about halfway dead, the intervals between attacks will increase, and they'll begin launching green missiles. You will get a +7 for defeating it. Spawning Fighters Asteroid Belt and Homeworld Core One Shot ============================================================================= These enemies are merely there to rack up kills. They appear after large enemies like the Deluxe Fighter and Electrical Pinwheel and always in swarms of five. Once one swarm is defeated, another one will appear, and they will keep appearing until you reach a predetermined spot in the level. String Creatures Asteroid Belt One Shot ============================================================================= They only appear in one area in the entire game. If they cling to your ship, roll to get them off. They are pretty thin, so take care to look where you're aiming. Asteroid Missiles Asteroid Belt Two Shots ============================================================================= These enemies look like asteroids but come at you like missiles. Simply move out of the way to avoid them. Like the String Creatures, they only appear in one area in the whole game and in one large group. Bombs are useful. Blue Fighters Asteroid Belt and Sauria One Shot ============================================================================= These enemies have four "wings" sticking out from each corner of their hub. They are easy to defeat just like common fighters and fire slow, green shots. Purple Fighters Sauria, Orbital Gate, Aparoid Homeworld Four Shots ============================================================================= Purple Fighters have a round, central body and two wings. They can be a nuisance, as they are always known to trail you and shoot green missiles at you. Loop around and take them out for a +1. Three Winged Fighters Katina, Asteroid Belt, Sauria, Orbital Gate, Aparoid Homeworld Three Shots ============================================================================= These are like the Blue Fighters, except they only have three wings. Ramming Fighters Homeworld Core One Hit ============================================================================= These enemies are blue and have three wings. Make defeating them a priority, as they will ram you from behind if they are not killed. They are very tough to avoid when they are on your tail. Horned Fighters Homeworld Core One Hit ============================================================================= These fighters have a circular arrangement above their bodies, which make them look like horns. They are easy to dispense of, but they come from behind you, so know where they are. Electrical Pinwheel Homeworld Core Two Charged Shots ============================================================================= The Electrical Pinwheel is named so because of the rotating beams of energy that emanate from its body. It only appears once in the game. He goes down without any argument if you target the central part, but defeat every part of him in one hit and the Spawning Fighters appear. You will get a +4. Steel Aparoid Fighters Homeworld Core ============================================================================= You can only attack these enemies when their eyes are open, but unless you're an expert at defeating them, it's best to avoid their black orbs and get out of the way. Moth Fighters Orbital Gate Two Charged Shots ============================================================================= These enemies sort of look like flying moths. They hover in place all around the Orbital Gate and fire off sonic rings. It's easy to sidestep their attacks, but they can be tough in large doses. They give you a +1. Bombers Sauria One Charged Shot ============================================================================= They won't attack you directly, but they will drop bombs on the ground, which will hurt dramatically. Defeat them for a +3. Missiles Orbital Gate Three Charged Shots ============================================================================= These are the smaller missiles that target the Orbital Gate. There's not much to them, but the sheer volume might make them difficult. Super Missiles Orbital Gate Four Charged Shots ============================================================================= After the Missiles are destroyed, the Super Missiles appear. They are cloaked at first, but they are easy to see. Luckily they are much slower. Destroy them for a +5. Battleships Fortuna and Sargasso Two Charged Shots ============================================================================= These are incredibly easy on Fortuna, but on Sargasso, they get to be a huge pain. Not only do they fire lasers in your direction, but they launch missile after missile whenever you're near them. Attack their nodes head on, and for extra points, knock off parts to the left and right of the nodes. Destroy the entire thing for a +3 or for a +5 on Sargasso. Space Mech Fortuna Six Charged Shots ============================================================================= When he attacks, roll as fast as you can. Destroy the weapons he deploys around him for extra points, and once you're finished with the entire thing, you'll get a +7. Aparoid-Infected Mech Asteroid Belt Ten Charged Shots ============================================================================= Much like the Space Mech, except much more powerful and much more potent. He will require ten charged shots instead of six. You can still destroy the weapons around him. He will give you a +7. Stealth Squadron Fortuna Two Charged Shots ============================================================================= They come in under the guise of a cloaking shield, but they're pretty easily disposed of, at least until they start appearing in pairs. They often attack with a volley of missiles. Their left and right arms can be knocked off for extra points. Destroy them for a +5. Blue Chains Homeworld Core One Shot ============================================================================= These only appear in two hallways in the Homeworld Core, coming from the walls on blue chains. They'll shoot at you, but it's nothing to worry about. Just focus on taking them down. Blue Shooters Asteroid Belt and Homeworld Core One Shot ============================================================================= These are much like Blue Bombers, except they only shoot simple lasers. They are blue bulbous enemies that cling to the walls and shoot at you like a turret. Asteroid Machines Sargasso Four Shots ============================================================================= These enemies cling to the asteroids on the fringes of Sargasso and are the only yellow dots on your radar out in space. They will sometimes fire lasers at you if you approach, but mostly they are there to give you Silver Rings and First Aid Kits. They will give you an extra +1. Wolf, Panther, and Leon Sargasso ============================================================================= Alone, these guys are a piece of cake, but you might have trouble since the enemies lurking around Sargasso will attack you in unison, too. You can use charged shots if you want, but they probably won't hit unless you're close to them. It'll only take a few charged shots; normal shots will take a lot longer, but you're more likely to hit them. Be wary of your radar because they will come up behind you and lock on to you (illustrated by a yellow crosshair on your ship). It's best to lure them out from the fringes and toward the center, and when they're behind you do a loop, and then hammer them with everything you have. ====== Ground ====== Yellow Mechs Fortuna Six shots in two parts ============================================================================= These begin appearing in the forest on Fortuna and are best taken out with a charged shot. They have an upper and lower section, but no matter how you divide the shots, it will take six of them. You'll get a +1 for defeating all of it. Green Mechs Fortuna Three Shots ============================================================================= Green Mechs only have one section. Avoid their twin laser fires and take them out. Blue Mechs Fortuna Seven shots in two parts ============================================================================= The only time they appear is right before the Oikonny battle. They are much like the Yellow Mechs, so it's a good idea to use charged shots. You will get a +1 for defeating them. Green Turrets Fortuna One Shot ============================================================================= They first appear on the shelves in the canyon on Fortuna, and they shoot missiles at you if you get close. White Canisters Fortuna One Shot ============================================================================= Not really enemies, but they can be defeated for points. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- On-Foot Enemies ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- === Air === Fighters Fachina, Corneria Three Plasma Cannon Shots ============================================================================= These only appear when you're on the wing of either Falco or Wolf's ship. It will take a few seconds before they fire, and even then it's only a light pepper. Electrical Fighters Fachina, Corneria Five Plasma Cannon Shots ============================================================================= Like the Fighters, they only appear when you're on the wing of a ship on Fachina or Corneria. They will tip you off as to when they're going to fire by charging, so you know exactly how much time you have. Purple Seekers Fachina, Corneria Three Plasma Cannon Shots ============================================================================= These trail your ship and will not stop until they are all destroyed. They are easy to take out if you know they're coming, but if you start tearing into them too late, then you're going to pay. Ball Ships Corneria Seven Plasma Cannon Shots ============================================================================= These enemies look like giant rotating balls with their epicenters open. They can be tough cookies to crack, but there is a long pause before they begin firing. When they finally do, they only fire a few shots across your ship. Bombers Corneria Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= These enemies hover close to the ground dropping devastating bombs from the air. They gather in close proximity to the center of Corneria, so if you're going to stop, then check the sky first. Once defeated, they will give you a +1. Swoopers Corneria Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= These sort of look like birds, and they emit pink rings. They gather mostly around the northeast corner of Corneria. Defeat them for a +1. ====== Ground ====== Common Aparoid Katina, Fachina, Sauria, Corneria, Aparoid Homeworld One Shot ============================================================================= These are the most prevalent forms of Aparoids in the game. They are purple in appearance and resemble spiders. Common Aparoids do not shoot, but they will try to ram you. Because of this, they are the easiest to defeat. Advanced Aparoids Katina, Fachina, Sauria, Corneria, Aparoid Homeworld Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= These are gray in appearance and roll along the ground. They shoot rapid green shots at you, and because of their advanced forms, they are slightly tougher to take down. Ball Aparoids Sauria, Aparoid Homeworld Three Single Shots ============================================================================= They will roll toward you in their balls and then open up and launch themselves at you. They can be a nuisance, so take them out from a distance. Shielded Aparoids Katina, Fachina, Sauria, Corneria, Aparoid Homeworld Fully Charged Shot ============================================================================= Shielded Aparoids resemble purple tarantulas and are much bigger than any of the common forms. A charged shot of any kind will pierce their shields, although a fully charged shot will destroy them. Their black orb attacks are slow and easy to strafe around, but do not get hit by them as they are devastating on gold. They give you a +1 when defeated. Advanced Shielded Aparoids Aparoid Homeworld Two Fully Charged Shots ============================================================================= These are much like the Shielded Aparoids. They are gray in appearance, but instead of shooting orbs, they will shoot four green missiles. Defeat them for a +5. Shell Aparoids Katina, Fachina, Aparoid Homeworld Four Charged Landmaster Shots ============================================================================= By far one of the toughest enemies in the game, these Aparoids hang out in their giant shells and shoot four green missiles at you from afar. When you approach, they come out of their shells and charge you. There is absolutely no doubt you will want to take these enemies on with a Landmaster. Get close to draw it out of its shell. When it appears, take the opportunity to pelt it with a charged shot. Back up and approach it again, and you could catch it in a perpetual state of coming out of its shell and going into it, so it won't be able to attack. If you mess up and it charges you, quickly rolls out of the way. It will give you a +5 for your efforts. Flying Aparoids Sauria, Aparoid Homeworld Three Single Shots ============================================================================= If you get close to them, they will fly at you, and if they touch you, they will explode, which can ruin many runs on gold. Stay back and pick them off. Running from them may be difficult unless you go to another floor or room. Barriers are useful here. Hatchers Katina, Aparoid Homeworld Charged Red Shot ============================================================================= Since these don't attack, there's very little to say about them. Make sure they spit out all their enemies before destroying them. They give you a +3. Aparoid Turrets Fachina, Sauria, Aparoid Homeworld Charged Red Shot ============================================================================= These will usually not notice you until you fire at them or are relatively close. Their weapons are powerful, but they are a little slow as they track you. Strafe to avoid and hit them in the breaks in their attacks. They will give you a +1. Blue Bombers Fachina, Sauria, Corneria, Aparoid Homeworld Charged Red Shot ============================================================================= They are much like the Aparoid Turrets, except they shoot black orbs like the Shielded Aparoids. They can also go ground to air. Once destroyed, they will cough up a +1. Green Missile Launcher Sauria, Aparoid Homeworld, Homeworld Core Charged Red Shot ============================================================================= They are like the Blue Bombers, except they shoot missiles. While in the Arwing, they are really annoying. Take them out for a +1. Radar Jammers Corneria One Sniper Shot ============================================================================= These are easy as long as you avoid their pink attacks (they're usually far enough away where you can sidestep). Make sure two of them aren't assaulting you at one time. Electrical Ball Aparoid Homeworld Two Fully Charged Shots ============================================================================= Don't get within range or else you'll be electrocuted. Stay back and charge your shot. Destroy it for a +1. Shield Generator Aparoid Homeworld Three Fully Charged Shots ============================================================================= The Shield Generators protect the Hatchers on the Aparoid Homeworld. They don't retaliate, so take them down for a +3. Cruisers Corneria Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= These enemies cruise along the ground peppering you with a fast purple fire. Guerilla Fighters Corneria Three Single Shots ============================================================================= These are the same as Ape Fighters with a cosmetic makeover and a more feline appearance. Ape Fighters Sargasso Three Single Shots ============================================================================= The grunts of Sargasso Space Station. They will retaliate with blasters of their own, so keep moving. Good for keeping combos alive. Manned Turrets Sargasso Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= As they are manned, they usually won't notice you until you are either breathing down their necks or you fire at them. Their slow, single lasers can hurt, so take them out before they even notice you. They will give you a +1. Sargasso Robots Sargasso Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= These guys will fire missiles if they notice you, so destroy them quickly. You can disrupt them simply by attacking, but since they're shielded, single shots will do nothing but make them mad. They will give you a +1. Barrel Dispensers Sargasso Charged Blue Shot ============================================================================= All Barrel Dispensers do is roll barrels down a ramp, which you will have to jump to avoid. You can destroy them from a lower level and get a +3 for your efforts. Transfer Device Sargasso Fully Charged Shot ============================================================================= Unlike the Hatchers, these will continuously spit out Ape Fighters or other enemies at regular intervals. They will give you a +3. Fachina Shield Generator Fachina Three Fully Charged Shots ============================================================================= Use your Landmaster to bring this down. It only goes for a single hit though. Sentry Drones Fachina Single Shot ============================================================================= You usually have to get pretty close for these guys to open up. You can tell when they're about to attack when they reel back. Use the machine gun for large volumes of them. ========================================================================= _/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\_ [0700] sf_07.assault\\Contact Information [0700] ¯\_________________________________________________________________________/¯ ========================================================================= You can reach me at mgoblue301@gmail.com. Unless I get a bunch of spam or annoying messages, I'm not going to act militant about what I receive. I actually welcome nice messages and questions since I rarely use it to receive mail outside of business and organizations.