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I've spent a wee bit of time with game over the last couple of days and have discovered it aint quite as simple as first impressions would suggest. Could anyone explain the scoring and bonus system please? Obviously shooting the baddies quicker results in a higher score modifier is fairly simple but sometimes there is a light blue bonus score thingy at the bottom centre of the screen that is fairly puzzling, also there seems to be ways to score higher during boss fights by milking them. If anyone has some indepth thoughts i'd be appreciative.

I think the blue bonuses you're referring to are the secret bonuses. You have to meet certain requirements to get these and I think they get incrementally larger for each one (3 a stage). Like destroying certain enemies or all of those signs on the first stage. I think these are all listed in a FAQ at GameFAQs.

For the boss fights I always found it best to try for the X16 kills using grenades. I always try to have a bunch of these in stock and hammer them on at certain points (this requires targetting multiple parts of the boss, destroying them all as quickly as possible). If done right you can get millions of extra points. Usually milking denotes drawing out the boss fights, but I think the idea here is going for speed.

Yup. Einhander deducts 3000 pts out of the usual Boss Repulse Time bonus for ever second you take over 30 seconds.

I have some questions for this game as well.....

Which ship is the most useful? I find the Eindymon FRS MkII's three pods tend to not be very effective, either I die from having the wrong weapon out or I use up the ammo too quickly to make the three storage bays really effective. I get some pretty good results with the MkIII, with it's double peashooter and one weapon slot, since I tend to use up gunpods quickly. The Astera (the one with pods on both top and bottom) is really fun to use but get the wrong weapons and you're screwed, and I can never really use it efficetivly.

What's the best pods to take at the start of the game? Usually I take the Vulcan to argument my peashooter's power, but I've also taken the Riot Cannon as well. With FRS MkIII, you can keep firing while the gun is charging up. On ocassion, I've also taken the blade for some Jedi-esqe action. George Lucas is gonna sue somebody!

Is yonking as many gunpods as possible a good idea? I know you get bonus points for doing so at the end of each level.

Oh, by the way, this game is awesome, especially considering that this is a non-RPG game made by Squaresoft.

Three gunpods works the best, because you get three gunpods to switch from. 3 > 2 > 1. Having 2 at once is pointless, having two pea shooter streams at the expense of 2 gunpods is retarded.

At the start I would start with Grenade already in stock (for mid-bosses, bosses - takes them down in seconds, large bonuses), Vulcan and Cannon. I save all of the Cannons for stage 2, Vulcans I use up whenever. Only grab the weapons you need, so you can stockpile them. Like with 100 Grenades, you'd be pretty much unstoppable on bosses. I switch up Cannon and Vulcan when I'm out or no longer need them (like for that spider-like midboss on stage 3 Sword demolishes it soundly with a hefty x16 bonus), but Grenades are always there.

It's easier to chain multiple enemies together with Cannon than it is with Grenade. Flash also works, but is a lot faster moving than a Cannon shot, but can be swept up and down the screen to create a Blade-like effect.

The Endy2 (three Gunpods) is alright but it is really easy to accidentally change your stored Gunpod in the heat of battle to something you didn't want, plus the Endy2 gets less ammo from Gunpods than the others. However, you can strategically store up a lot of certain types for certain sections, like collecting a lot of Cannon ammo for stage 2's large mass of chainable drones.

Personally, I'd avoid the Astraea, unless you're the twin Cannon or Vulcan style player... actually, loading twin Cannons is pretty good as the length of the Cannons can give you a certain amount of protection from bullets.

My favourite is the Endy3 (single Gunpod/twinshot) as it isn't severely crippled if you find yourself without a Gunpod to use. Gunpod strategy is very important with this ship: knowing what kind of Gunpod to use and where to get it from is key to surviving with the Endy3. As a note, I tend to navigate most of the game using the Grenade, switching to Cannon (stage 2 and 4), Wasp (stage 5 up to midboss), Flash (stage 1 start, stage 3) or Vulcan (stage 3, later half of stage 5) as and when required.

Regarding starting Gunpods, if I have it available to select, I use Flash, as it is great for taking out both the first midboss for the Secret Bonus, and the first boss in under 5 seconds. I then switch to other Gunpods as necessary.

Rob, your FRS MkII Grenade strategy works well, until you die and lose all your precious ammo. I can see how this plan works great however, grenades are POWERFUL. I wiped out the first stage boss in less than 5 seconds!

It hinges on what you're most comfortable with. For many players, the progression in fighter choice tends to go from the Endymion Mk. III, a brief flirt (or none) with the Astraea, then to the Endymion Mk. II.

The Mk. III is an obvious choice for beginners. It has a very simplified weapons system, and double machine guns. It's best to use the time spent with the Mk. III to get a feel for the game, tactics, enemy and boss patterns etc. In a holistic sense the Mk. III is probably not the best fighter for higher levels of play. It's limited in shear firepower and can only carry one gunpod. Interesting tidbit. The Astraea Mk.I served as the prototype for the Mk.III.

The Endymion Mk. II is, as the game states, the lead production fighter for the game. Overall, it's the more tactical fighter of the bunch. You can stock up on gunpods, and save what you need for later. To use this fighter successfully, you have to spend time learning how to switch gunpods in the heat of the moment, without thinking, as well as grabbing other gunpods, avoiding replacing the wrong gunpod etc. While it doesn't spell doom, the sudden changeup of a gunpod can jar you out of focus, which can be costly later on.

The Astraea FGA Mk I. is actually a pretty solid fighter, despite probably being the least popular of the bunch. While you don't have to worry as MUCH about gunpod switching, as with the Mk II., you'll need to master other skills to bring out its potential. It offers the most firepower, as its FGA (Fighter Ground Attack) designation signifies. You can rack up lots of Cannon and Wasp ammo, especially with the Japanese version of the game.

You'll need to learn what gunpods work best in combination, when to grab one, and learning to swoop/catch gunpods to equip on top or on the manipulator arm. It takes a bit more focus/concentration to be a master with the Astraea. As with the Mk. II, you can have a gunpod drop on you or replace the wrong one. With patience, you can lessen this occurrence. It does not necessarily spell doom when this happens. If you're good enough, you can recover your wits and make due with the Vulcan or Blade if that's what you're stuck with.



For the Mk. III I'd recommend the Flash. It's more versatile, and you're going to probably use up most of it at the end of the stg1. You've got quite a bit more leeway for the Mk. II. Grenade, Flash, Riot, Juno take your pick. You can tuck it safely away from damage. Kinda depends on your tactics and overall long term strategy in the end.

Selene is the best ship, hands down. 9999 ammo for everything. Carry the flash and the juno with you at the beginning and even on hard its very easy.

Yes...the Astraea FGA Mk. II is a awesome. That's assuming one has unlocked it of course. Dunno about the Juno combination though. It's quite bulky, and you'll run out of ammo for it around stg 3 or 4, even with 9,999 rounds.

Assuming that you get another one from the 1st stage boss and then get a new one around the factory stage (from the S. Bonus sliding robot), its not that difficult to keep. And thats assuming that you stay alive the whole time, which I doubt (;

Grabbing a Juno from Drache (stg1 boss) is moot anyhow, as you've still got a heck of a lot of stages left to tackle. If you manage to get another one from what I take it you mean the Submarine (not Parzival, the sliding robot) it will last you through the end of the game. In any event, its not really as well suited for the rigors of later stages. Navigating the latter tight areas of stg 4 would we be precarious. The Wasp would be a better option.



I've lost count how many times I've finished the game without losing a single fighter. But using the Juno would only lower my odds of doing so.

You should record a replay of one of your runs Moleculoman

I don't have a capture card, or any other reliable means of recording a playthrough. In any case, I like to leave it up to the imagination.

What are the differences between the Japanese and the US versions of this game? I have both on CD and I find myself playing the Japanese one generally, mostly cuz the cover is so cool to take out and see.

There's a faq by a poster here, Triple Lei, that detail most of the differences between the two versions.

Einhander US/Japan Changes


One it doesn't mention is the change made in Stage 4. In the JPN version, that Cannon enemy carrier, called Rabe, just slides on rails at the top of the screen. In the N.A. version, two of them appear in front of you magically hovering, in addition to sliding on the rail. Here's a comparison shot, courtesy of a player called LV who runs Code:9234, an Einhander scoreboard.

Am I right in assuming that the main stage 6 boss (not the bonus medusa) times out after 2 minutes and 32 seconds?