FAQ/Walkthrough - Guide for Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh

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               B A K U R E T S U   M U T E K I   B A N G A I O H 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh (Explosive, Invincible Bangaioh)
  A shoot-'em-up for the Nintendo 64
  Developed by Treasure, Published by ESP

FAQ/Walkthrough Version 0.3
  October 11, 1999
  Jeff "CJayC" Veasey

You can always find the latest version of this document at:
  GameFAQs
  http://www.gamefaqs.com

See the bottom of this document for Copyright, distribution, and contact
information.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I.    Introduction/Version History
II.   Menu Translations
III.  Controls & Gameplay
IV.   Items and Obstacles
V.    Enemies
VI.   Tips and Tricks
VII.  Walkthrough
VIII. Administrivia

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I.    Introduction/Version History
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me make this perfectly clear: I _love_ this game.  Pure shooting 
excitement.  Classic Treasure gameplay.  Wonderful.  I'll buy the Dreamcast
version when it comes out, too.

This doc is a work in progress.  It's only got a few sections so far, but I'd
like to go through and add in a ton of stuff to it, such as full enemy 
descriptions, boss characters, and eventually a level-by-level walkthrough.

Version History
---------------
0.1 (10/8/99)  : First version.  Controls & Gameplay, Menu Translations, 
                 Items & Obstacles all done.
0.2 (10/8/99)  : Added enemies section and walkthrough to Level 11.
0.21 (10/9/99) : Added extra option on the option menu.
0.22 (10/10/99): Added more info about the Service Stations and Power-Ups.
                 Added Tips and Tricks section.
0.3 (10/11/99) : Added walkthrough for Levels 12-19.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
II.   Menu Translations
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title Screen and Intro Story
============================
 -> Press any key to start.

Main Menu
=========
Tatakai no Door o Akeru (Open the Door of Battle)
 -> Name Entry (Begin Playing)
Himitsu no Sono o Nozoku (Look in the Secret Garden)
 -> Options Menu

Name Entry
==========
Watashi to Ninin Dake no Angou o Kimeru You. (Let's Choose a Password.)
 -> Enter a three letter code by moving right and left and press A.
Korede Ninin ha Eikyuu ni Tomodachi Dane. Soudayone? (Is this correct?)
     Unsoudayo (Yes)     Sonhachotto (No)
 -> Left is "Yes", Right is "No".  You can also select with "B".

Stage Select
============
 -> Move left and right to select a stage from the ones you've completed
    plus the next one you have yet to complete.  
Totsugeki Dei! 
 -> Begin the battle!
Zentai Zu 
 -> See a map of the entire stage (only available after completion)
Kyuu ni Hara Gaa!
 -> Return to the main menu

Options Menu
============
Otoko Hoshi Koukaidou (Man Star Town Hall)
 -> Sound Test Menu
Kiroku Masshou (Record Erasure)
 -> Do you really want to do this?  If so, select it, move the controller right,
    and press A (on the Kanji option).  Just pressing A on the Kana option
    returns you to the option menu.
3D Stick
 -> Selects the control on the 3D stick.  The Kana option (four characters) is 
    Shooting, the Kanji (two characters) is Movement.  See Section III for more
    info.
Missile no Misami
 -> Only appears after completing the game.  The pink option keeps the missile 
    trails, the blue option removes them.  This can greatly reduce slowdown,
    but doesn't look nearly as cool.
Mou Akita (?)
 -> Return to the Main Menu

Sound Test
==========
 -> The top selection is for music, the second is for sound effects.  Option 
    three stops all sound, and the bottom option returns to the Options menu.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III.  Controls & Gameplay
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Controls
========
There are two different control pad configurations to choose from, selected
from the options menu, depending on whether the 3D Stick is set to "Shooting"
or "Moving" (see Section II for more information).

Control     3D Stick Shooting    3D Stick Moving
------------------------------------------------
D-Pad       8-way Movement       8-way Movement
3D Stick    8-way Shooting       8-way Movement
L Button    Switch Modes         Switch Modes         
R Button    Special Shot         Special Shot
Z Button    Special Shot         Switch Modes
A Button    Thrusters            Thrusters
B Button    Directional Fire     Directional Fire
C Buttons   4/8-way Shooting     4/8-way Shooting
Start       Pause                Pause

These two configurations give you (according to the manual) four different
ways to play the game.

Method        3D Stick Set   Move   Shoot   Special   Switch
------------------------------------------------------------
Left Side     Shooting       D-Pad  3D      Z         L
Right Side    Move           3D     CX4     R         Z
Digital Only  Either         D-Pad  CX4     R         L
Uncomplicated Either         D + A  B       R         L

Personally, I like the "Digital Only" method, and I find the "Uncomplicated"
method impossible to do well with, simply because of the lack of 8-way shots.
The 3D stick adds nothing to your control, as it still only registers in eight
directions and it makes it very hard to dash.

How to Play
===========
Destroy everything.  

Actually, it's only slightly more complicated than that.  In each level, you
must fight and fly your way to the boss at the end of the level and destroy
it to move on.  The catch is to get to the boss in relatively good shape and
with few enemies remaining in order to make that final fight that much
simpler.

Move: Move the selected direction pad in any of 8 directions.  Gravity exists 
      here, so you are constantly being pulled downwards.
Dash: Move the direction pad twice quickly in the desired direction.  Great
      for speeding through dangerous areas.
Thrust: Press the A button to thrust upwards.  Pressing up on the control
        pad does the same thing.  Pressing A twice quickly performs an upward
        dash.

3D Stick 8-Way Shooting: Move the 3D Stick in the direction of your shots.
C Button 8-Way Shooting: Press the buttons in the direction of your shots. 
                         Press two adjoining buttons to fire diagonally.
A Button Shooting: Press the B Button to fire in the current direction.
                   Hold B to continue firing in that direction.

Switch Modes: Press L (or Z in 3D Move Mode) to switch between Riki and Mami.
              More information on the modes can be found below.

Special Shot: Press R (or Z in 3D Shoot Mode) to fire multiple bullets at once.
              Each Special Shot uses up 50 Special Power points, regardless of
              how many bullets are fired.
              Tapping the button quickly will fire 20 shots at once.
              Hold the button to build up to 100 shots.  You cannot move during
              this power-up, and you can still take damage.
              If there are enemy bullets or missiles near you when you release
              the button, you will automatically shoot an extra number of 
              bullets in addition to what you have powered up (20-200 extra).
              Cancel a Super Shot by pressing B while charged up.

Riki Mode
=========
* "Attack" mode.  Best used in wide-open areas.
* Shots home in on enemies shortly after being fired.
* Shots disappear when they hit a wall.
* Enemy fire destruction ability is low.
* Shots have high damage (125% of Mami's firepower)

When Riki is in charge, your bullets begin homing in on enemies shortly after 
they are fired.  They can curve around walls and will circle and will home in
on the nearest enemy.  Unfortunately, the homing signal doesn't immediately
kick in, so you can miss enemies that are very close to you that are just off
your line of fire.

Mami Mode
=========
* "Defense" mode.  Best used in narrow areas.
* Shots home in on enemies only after hitting a wall.
* Shots rebound when they hit a wall.
* Enemy fire destruction ability is high.
* Shots have lower damage (80% of Riki's firepower)

When Mami is driving, your shots will rebound off of walls and home in on
enemies on the rebound.  If you're not near any walls, however, your shots
travel in a straight line.  This isn't so good for attacking enemies, but
it's great for taking out incoming fire.

Screen Layout
=============
At the top of the screen, you'll see the following:
> The currently selected character's portrait (Riki or Mami).
> Your Score (which is reset each level)
> Your Life Meter (10 bars of energy)
> Your Weapon Level (power/penetration)
> The Level Timer (you lose points when it runs out)

At the bottom of the screen, you'll see:
> Special Shot Meter (0-500, each special shot uses 50)

Combo Service Stations
======================
When you destroy 100 or more enemies with a single shot, special shot, or
while invincible, a combo meter will pop up behind your robot and display
a counter.  Once your combo stops, a yellow vortex will appear where your
character is.  Enter this vortex to power up your robot thanks to Level no Okan.
You will be presented with several options, depending on how large your combo 
was.  You can power up "n" levels, where "n" is your combo size divided by 100 
(rounded down).

The available power-ups are:
  Shot Damage n-Up 
  Shot Penetration n-Up 
  Life n-Up 
  V (only shown as an option in 500+ combos)
  Points (n X 10000)

So, which power-up should you take?  

Shot Damage:  
This one is self-explanatory.  The higher the power, the more damage your
individual shots cause.  I haven't gone through and calculated exactly what
the ratio of damage to level actually is, but any increase here is significant
enough.  You should almost always take the shot damage power-up, except in
certain situations (as noted in the walkthrough).

Shot Penetration:
What good is shot penetration?  This determines how many enemy bullets or 
missiles one of your shots can take out, as well as how many lasers it can
pass through before disappearing.  Powering up your shot penetration a few
levels is good if you've got an excess of power-ups, especially against the
tougher bosses.  Powering up your shot penetration is absolutely essential 
on only two levels (see the walkthrough for more information), but it is
good for pulling off some good-sized combos.

Life:
There are life power-ups scattered about through every level.  If you're in
a desperate situation (1 or 2 life left) and you know you're nowhere near a
power-up or just about to tackle the boss, you might want to use a power-up
on your life, but for the most part it's a waste of a combo.

V:
The invincibility power-up only shows up in 500+ combos, which are almost
impossible to achieve.  While the V is nice for a few seconds, it's almost
always to your advantage to take the shot damage instead.

Points:
If you're a Bangaioh pro and you absolutely must have that high score, take 
the points.  Good luck.

Pausing
=======
When you hit the Start button, the game is paused.  The left option continues
the current level, and the right option returns you to the Stage Select menu.

Game Over
=========
When you run out of life points, the game ends.  From there, select the left
option to return to the Stage Select menu and try again, or select the right
option to return to the title screen.

End-Of-Level Results
====================
At the end of each level, you are shown a results screen outlining your
final score and statistics for that round:
  Destruction Rate
  Biggest Combo
  Base Score

In blue, you then might see bonus points that are added to your score:
  Biggest Combo Bonus Points (combo * 100)
  No Damage Taken Bonus (100000 if you took no damage)
  No Super Shot Bonus (100000 if you did not use the super shots)
  Time Penalty (-10000 per second under 0)

At the bottom of the screen is your total score for the stage.

Additionally, if you beat (or tied) your previous high score for that level,
you'll see the background picture of the Ultraman-like robot beating up the
Godzilla-like creature.  Finish lower than your best score, and you get a 
different picture with the tables turned.  Once you finish the game, the music 
on this screen changes as well.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV.   Items and Obstacles
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

===Buildings, Blocks and Cars===
There are three types of buildings to destroy.  Destroying buildings is not
only lots of fun (especially when you hear the screams of the poor innocent
victims inside), but they give you valuable fruit.  "Strength" below is the
number of shots it takes for Riki to destroy the object at Level 0 power.

The blocks (blue diamond, green ball, red/blue ball, and brown block) do
nothing but get in your way for the most part.

The bombs will destroy any surrounding small or box walls, as well as 
damaging nearby robots (including your own).  The Small and Big Ppwer
Bombs can cause damage from a quarter-screen away.

Target Type          Points    Strength   Fruit        Notes
------------------------------------------------------------
Blue Diamond         10        1          -            PN
Green Ball           10        1          -            
Blue/Red Ball        10        1          -
Small Bomb           20        1          -            B
Small Power Bomb     50        1          -            B
Brown Block          100       1          Orange       G
House                100       2          Orange
Big Bomb             100       1          Orange       BG
Wide Building        200       5          Bananas
Tall Building        300       16         Pineapple
Car                  500       16         Watermelon
Small Super Bomb     500       1          -            B
Big Super Bomb       ?         1          ?            BG

Notes Key:
  G: Affected by Gravity
  N: Not counted in Combo count
  P: Shots Pass Through
  B: Bomb.  Can damage you if you stand too close when it explodes.

===Fruit===
Fruit is used to power up your special weapon.  Fruit is obtained by destroying
houses, enemies, cars, and brown blocks.  Points for fruit start at 10 for the
first one you pick up, 20 for the second, and so on up to 1000 points per fruit.
The counter is reset when you start a level or are hit by an enemy.  Your 
Special Shot power maxes out at 500, so save some buildings for later if
you're full.
 
Fruit Type   Points   Where Found
------------------------------------------------------
Orange       3        Brown blocks, houses
Apples       5        Red robots, turrets
Bananas      10       Wide buildings, generators, black robots
Pineapple    20       Tall buildings
Watermelon   50       Cars

===Power-Ups===
There are three kinds of power-ups in the game.  Each power-up is housed in
a container that must be shot open to retrieve it.  Once shot, the power-up
will disappear in a few seconds if it is not picked up.
  Red Cross in Blue Box: Reveals a Blue Energy Power-Up for 1 Life Energy.
  Red Cross in Yellow Box: Reveals a Yellow Energy Power-Up for Full Life.
  Red V in a Yellow Box: Reveals a "V" item for temporary invincibility.

===Doors===
There are two kinds of doors you'll encounter:
  Red Doors:  Red doors are one-way doors.  They open and close depending on
              which side of the door you are on.
  Blue Doors: Blue doors open when you have destroyed a certain enemy or 
              enemies, usually stationed near or on top of the doors.

===Other Obstacles===
Indestructible Blocks: These gray blocks cannot be destroyed, and will fall
     thanks to gravity if their support is removed.  This can be good or bad,
     depending on the level (good if they block enemies, bad if they trap you).
Blue Box Walls: Enemy shots can pass through, Riki's shots can pass through,
     but nothing else can pass these walls.  Can be destroyed by nearby bombs.
Green Box Walls: Only enemy shots can pass through.  Avoid these. Can be 
     destroyed by nearby bombs.
Small Block Walls: Solid.  Can be destroyed by nearby bombs.

===Jouhouya M-ko===
In every level, you'll see a satellite with the letter "M" inside.  These 
items allow you to get hints and tips from M-ko, a strange tree-like creature.
Of course, if you don't know Japanese, you won't understand a word of it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V.   Enemies
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

===Enemy Robots===
The enemy robots are everywhere!  Actually, they either exist at the beginning
of a level or are spawned by generators.  They all move in a relatively simple
way, just flying around and trying to shoot you.  Alone, they aren't much of
a threat, but about ten of them can really make things difficult.
  Red: Standard flying enemy robots, weak with bad aims.
  Blue: A ground-based robot with no flying (only jumping) ability.
  Black: Another flying robot with a higher firing rate and tougher armor.
  Yellow: A stronger version of the blue robots with a better jump.

===Turrets===
Turrets are stationed all over each level, just waiting to take you out.  The
center of a turret is green when they are inactive, and red when they can see
you.  There are three kinds of turrets in the game:
  White: These fire a single bullet at you.
  Yellow: These fire a single homing missle at you.

===Flak Turrets===
For lack of a better term, these are little ball-like turrets than spray
multiple shots in every direction all over the screen.  They are only active
when you draw near, but they can be deadly.
  Blue: Fire bullets in all directions.
  Orange: Fire homing missiles in all directions.

===Laser Turrets===
This is a simple stationary turret that fires a continuous laser beam.  It
only takes one shot to kill, but firing past the laser can be difficult in 
tight situations.

===Turret Sphere===
Just like a flak turret, but not attached to a wall.  360 degree firing radius.

===Generators===
Generators create objects one at a time if the area is clear where they are 
trying to create.  Generators can create both bad (turrets, robots) and good
things (energy power-ups), as well as other objects (brown blocks), so it's a
good idea to see what they are creating before you go blowing them up.

===Boss Characters===
Every boss robot is different, but they are always controlled by one of the 
standard boss characters (who you get to talk to before each battle).  They
are:
  Tasogare Teka: Wearing a brown hat.
  Samaran Sensei: Bald with the gray, unshaven chins.
  Hashioka Kensatsu: Wearing a yellow helmet.
  Niceguy: The green alien.
  Black Riki: An evil version of Riki.
  Koa: The green-sphere-headed alien.
  Chinpira no Sabu: The blue alien.
  86 Daime Anego: The blue-haired woman.
  Gai: The grey-haired man.
  Oyaji: The grey-haired man with the no nose (as seen in the opening cinema)
  Unknown 1: White creature with a camera.
  Unknown 2: Ultraman-like Robot

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI.   Tips and Tricks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bigger and Better Combos
========================
There are several tricks you can use to boost your combo count:
1) Mami gives a bigger combo count in most situations because of her 360
   degree coverage and homing-after-wall shots.
2) Dash up to groups of missile flak turrets (they almost always come in 
   groups), boost up your super shot, wait until their first volleys are 
   about to hit you, and let fly.  Just a couple of flak turrets can give
   you a quick 100+ combo.
3) Boost your shot penetration.  The biggest combos for your money come from
   a shot damage level of 0 and a high shot penetration level.  Your shots
   will pass through multiple enemy bullets/missiles each, but cause less 
   damage to the enemies (giving you a bigger hit count).
4) Always wait until the last second before firing that Super Shot.  The more
   incoming missiles/bullets about to hit you, the bigger your bullet count
   on the Super Shot.  You seem to get 20 extra bullets per incoming shot 
   within a small radius around your robot, up to a maximum of 200 (for a 
   300-bullet Super Shot).
5) Take one for the team.  On some occasions, a single-shot turret will take
   a shot at you, followed a second later by a flak turret or two.  In these
   cases, it's actually better to take the hit from the single shot and save
   that Super Shot for the large incoming group of bullets or missiles.  You
   will be sacrificing a life point (or two) for a big combo, which is worth
   it on some of the later levels.
6) If your shots are too effective and you clear out the current area you're
   in with quite a few bullets flying around, dash to a new unexplored area
   with those bullets in tow.  Riki's bullets are always looking for new 
   targets, and even Mami's will usually find something to kill.

Bonus "V"
=========
If you time your Super Shot perfectly with a large number of incoming 
bullets to where your Shot is released a split-split-split second before you
get hit, you may get a free "V" invincibility.  I've gotten this multiple
times (always on Level 44), but I'm not sure of all of the requirements to 
get this on a consistent basis.  The "V" kicks in automatically, whether
you want it or not.

First Shot on the Boss
======================
This is one dirty trick.  You can usually spot the last boss at the end of a
level and approach around a half-screen away before it "wakes up" and begins
its attack.  

Here's the trick: Get close to the boss (but not too close) and power up your
Super Shot to 100.  Let it go, and immediately dash towards the boss.  The
boss will wake up, you'll go through your little dialog, and then all of your
bullets will start homing in on the boss!  This works in Riki or Mami mode,
so use whichever character you feel is right for the situation (depending
on your room size, for the most part).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII.  Walkthrough
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 1
=======
Very straightforward.  Just fly around and get a feel for the game, take
your time.  To the right of the stage is a red door, beyond which lies the 
first boss.  Check out the power-up giving generators at the top.

BOSS: Chinpira no Sabu
ROBOT: Small silver robot
FIRES: Regular bullets, high rate
STRATEGY: Use Riki, just fly around and dodge his shots while shooting back.

Level 2
=======
Time to learn good mode-switching.  You'll need to use Mami in those tight 
corridors to take out the laser turrets and other obstacles.  Once you go
through the red door, pick up the health before heading to the boss to 
your right if you need it.

BOSS: Chinpira no Sabu
ROBOT: Small silver robot
FIRES: Regular bullets, high rate
STRATEGY: Use Riki, just fly around and dodge his shots while shooting back.

Level 3
=======
Lots of red robot generators, but nothing too difficult.  The boss is once
again through the red doors on the right, powerups abound.

BOSS: Chinpira no Sabu
ROBOT: Small silver robot
FIRES: Regular bullets, high rate
STRATEGY: Use Riki, just fly around and dodge his shots while shooting back.

Level 4
=======
Mami rules this level (up untl the boss encounter, anyway), and you should be 
able to get tons of points with all the fruit left by those brown boxes.  The 
boss is at the bottom of the level, behind the standard red doors.  You might
want to hover along the sides of this last room and take out the turrets before
actually taking on the boss.

BOSS: Chinpira no Sabu
ROBOT: Small silver robot
FIRES: Regular bullets, high rate
STRATEGY: Use Riki, just fly around and dodge his shots while shooting back.

Level 5
=======
Another quick level (don't get too used to these), just battle your way from
room to room.  Red robots, generators, and turrets stand in your way, but 
nothing too dangerous.  Riki is best here, as the spaces are too open for
Mami to do any real damage.

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Kill it.
 
Level 6
=======
Lots of red and blue robots with turrets, but nothing too hard (yet).  Take out
the generator on the blue doors to open them.  Beyond the red doors to the
far left is the boss.  Travel around this room and take out the turrets before
approaching it to make life much easier.

BOSS: Tasogare Teka
ROBOT: Drill-Bot
FIRES: Drills, 360 Bullet Spray
STRATEGY: Clear the room before taking it on.  The Drill-Bot can only be 
          damaged by shooting the yellow sphere, so just use Riki and dodge
          and fire.  Luckily, this thing moves incredibly slow and the drill
          rockets are easy to dodge (but not as easy to destroy, taking about
          15 shots to kill)

Level 7
=======
Welcome to the land of blue walls!  Mami's shots cannot pass through them, so
using Riki is the only way to go here.  The only clear path is through the 
top or bottom of the screen.  Along the top path, just wait for an enemy to
shoot the bombs inside the green walls to blow them up.  

To the far right of the first room are some huge bombs, just shoot them 
through the blue walls to keep moving right.  To get past the solid green wall,
head to the generator at the top of the screen; it's creating big bombs! Hit
one of the bombs to bust a hole in the wall and continue right to the boss.

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Kill it.

Level 8
=======
Bangaioh, meet the flak turrets.  This is your first encounter with these 
deadly things.  Mami is best as a defense mechanism, as her shots are better 
for taking out all the missiles that head your direction.  Don't forget about 
your Super Shot, as using it just as about 10 missiles are about to hit you 
will add an extra 200 shots to your barrage.  After you head left along the
bottom of the screen, the room just above you with the flak turrets is a great
place for a combo.

This level is pretty much one-way, and a lot of the corridors are small enough
to use Mami to your advantage.  Just keep going, taking out the bombs around
the small walls to move on.  Once you reach the boss room, don't forget about
all those energy power-ups and the car generator in the next room to the right.

BOSS: 86 Daime Anego
ROBOT: Bullet-Bot
FIRES: Slow but Constant Bullet Firing
STRATEGY: Like the Drill-Bot, the Bullet-Bot can only be damaged on its red
sphere. Just keep flying in circles around it and use Riki to hit it where
it counts.

Level 9
=======
All of the enemies in this level are the generators along the walls.  Luckily, 
there are energy and V powerups along the walls as well (albeit hidden behind
some bombs).  The boss is at the far right center of the level, just waiting
for you.  Pick your strategy (destroy everything or avoid everything) and 
work with it.

BOSS: Hashioka Kensatsu
ROBOT: Small yellow robot
FIRES: Multiple Missiles
STRATEGY: Riki is essential here in this wide-open area.  If you didn't 
destroy everything along the walls, just keep moving left and right and 
shooting.  If you did, use this extra freedom.

Level 10
========
Bombs, bombs, bombs.  Mami is queen here.  Just be careful of the small super 
bombs (the ones with the red dot in the center) as they have a huge blast 
radius.  Head left to the boss to end this very quick level.  In the second 
room, the pathways along the top and bottom lead to energy power-ups.

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Kill it.

Level 11
========
Take the bottommost path to the bombs and blow them up.  You can then take
the topmost path to the boss. There's a few bombs behind blue box walls, but 
Riki can shoot through those.  Aside from that, Mami is your best bet in these 
tight corridors full of flak turrets.  The middle two paths through the level
lead to dead ends, and are only for those who are going for points.

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Kill it.

Level 12
========
Not too much in the way of strategy here.  Just head up and then to the upper
right hand corner, and then follow the one-way path downward to the boss. 
There are life power-ups along the left hand wall if you need them, and a full
life up (Yellow "E") just to the right and above the starting room.  In the
middle of the top of the level, check the room with the car and blue "E" 
generators!  Lots of flak turrets and spheres along your way, so you've got 
good chances to combo several times in the level (go for shot damage).  This is
Riki's level for the most part, considering the openness of the rooms.

BOSS: Unknown 1 (White creature with the camera)
ROBOT: Silver Robot
FIRES: Bullets
STRATEGY: Riki is best here.  Just fly around and fire towards the robot,
dodging the bullets.  No big challenge, especially if you've powered up a few
levels.

Level 13
========
One of the trickier levels in the game.  Mami is best here, for the obvious
reasons.  First of all, fly up and take out the house and the wall of bombs
behind it.  Then, quickly head to your right, as you only have 30 or so 
seconds to make it before three indestructible blocks fall and block your path.
As you travel to the right, you must take out all three of the raised bomb 
walls to clear the path in the room below.  Once you see the third bomb wall,
be _very_ careful with your shots, as you could easily accidentally shoot the
bombs above you and block your path.  

Once you make it through the red doors, rest for a second, and then clear out
all of the enemies in the rooms to the left up to the red doors.  Don't go 
through the red doors yet!  Once the way is clear, go back to where you came 
down into this second level, shoot the wall of bombs at the bottom of the 
screen, and then rush to your left.  As you pass through the red doors, Super 
Shot, and take out the generator to get through the blue doors.  In the next 
room, Super Shot again and quickly take out the turrets to open up the next 
blue door.

Now comes the tricky part.  Wait next to the small wall that blocks your path 
as the wall of bombs comes towards it and eats it away.  Right as your way 
opens, dash left to the boss.

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Kill it.  It feels good, doesn't it?

Level 14
========
A nice, wide-open level, which means only one thing: Riki.  Just fly around 
killing robots and building combos when you can.  The boss is located behind a 
wall of bombs at the bottom center of the stage (directly below where you 
start), so you just have to fly around to get there.  

BOSS: Oyaji
ROBOT: Drill-Bot
FIRES: Drills, 360 Bullet Spray
STRATEGY: Clear the area below completely before taking it on.  The Drill-Bot 
          can only be damaged by shooting the yellow sphere, so just use Riki 
          and dodge and fire.  Luckily, this thing moves incredibly slow and the 
          drill rockets are easy to dodge (but not as easy to destroy, taking 
          about 15 shots to kill)


Level 15
========
The first half of this level is completely devoid of enemies apart from laser 
turrets.  Oh, and those Small Power Bombs that can put you in a world of hurt. 
Mami is best in Part One.  In the upper half, just shoot and collect fruit.  In 
the lower half, Super Shot (combo!), collect fruit, and repeat.  Keep that Super 
Shot energy high, as you'll want it for the second half of the level.

Once you pass beyond the friendly red doors to the left, you've reached Part 
Two, filled with tons of flak turrets and Small Power Bombs.  Super Shot to your 
heart's content here.  Use Mami for the Super Shots and occasional missile 
defense, and Riki the rest of the time to take out the turrets and the like.  
The boss is located at the top of the second half, guarded by some laser 
turrets.  While you're comboing, it's a good idea to increase both damage and 
penetration (try to get to 3/2 at the least).  Make sure you clear out the 
entire area before facing the boss, as you will need room to move.

BOSS: Chinpira no Sabu
ROBOT: Small yellow robot
FIRES: Mutiple Missiles
STRATEGY: Due to the incredible rate of fire from this guy, just dash away and
          fire like mad with Riki.  If you can pull off a first-shot with Mami,
          you may even be able to take out the boss in one quick motion.

Level 16
========
There's not much to this next level.  There's only a one-way path through it, 
and there's not much to do but use Mami and blow everything up.  Just be careful 
of falling indestructible blocks (i.e. don't get caught underneath them and get 
yourself trapped), and you'll be just fine.

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Kill it.  Smile as you pummel it into oblivion.

Level 17
========
A very simple level, using Mami.  Go up, get some fruit from the houses, go left 
and Super Shot for a nice combo.  Clean up using conventional means, enter the 
doors, Super Shot once high and once low.  Go to the right side and do the same 
thing for a grand total of six combos.  Now you can pass through the area below 
where you started into a minefield of sphere turrets.  Super Shot them, go a 
little lower, and Super Shot again for your eighth big combo.  Of course, it's 
all for Koa, so why bother?

BOSS: Koa
ROBOT: Green Sphere
FIRES: Nothing
STRATEGY: Koa is defenseless.  Fold, spindle, and mutilate.

Level 18
========
Laser turret city.  Mami is best here, and your combo power-ups should be evenly 
distributed between damage and penetration for best effect.  Work your way to 
the lower right to meet the boss.  There's a "V" power-up to the lower left 
after you begin if you want it.

BOSS: Unknown 2 (Ultraman-like Robot)
ROBOT: Small silver robot
FIRES: Bullets
STRATEGY: Pathetically easy even if you're only slightly powered up.  Dodge and
          using your favorite mode.

Level 19
========
Combo city.  Green balls everywhere.  Mami's Super Shots will net you 200, and 
there are tons of V power-ups just lying around which allow you to fly through 
the balls at high speed and build up combo points.  Power up until you get bored 
(at least 15/10, preferably higher), and just be careful not to get yourself 
trapped in the middle of a large group of turrets when your invincibility runs 
out.  When preparing to meet the boss, try to clear out the area around where 
he's waiting without blowing up the bombs that surround him to give yourself a 
decent fighting field should things go wrong.

BOSS: Gai
ROBOT: Winged robot
FIRES: Bullets, Missiles, V
STRATEGY: If you get off a good first-shot with Riki, you can take him out 
          immediately.  If you don't, get ready for a horrific battle.  Gai can
          fire incredible sprays of missiles, and if you don't finish him off 
          quickly, he'll go invincible!  If he's rushing towards you, rush away,
          and only stop to build a Super Shot if he's off-screen or very far 
          away.


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VII.  Administrivia
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Contacting Me:
  If you have stuff to add, please do send it along to [email protected] for 
inclusion in the next revision.  

Copyright Notice:
  This document is Copyright 1999 Jeff "CJayC" Veasey.  It may be 
reproduced electronically on the Internet or other on-line services
so long as the content of this document is NOT altered in any way, and
no fee is charged either directly or indirectly for the viewing of this
document, and every effort is made to display the latest version.  
This document may be printed or copied for PERSONAL, PRIVATE use only,
and it may not be placed on a CD, typed up in a magazine, or otherwise
distributed outside of the above means.  If you are unsure as to whether
or not you may distribute this document, contact me at [email protected].

-EOF-