RQ: Salamander 2 Stage 5 + rank

[tinotormed]

Dang, this stage is beating me hard whenever I get into this stage, costing me 2 lives.

Is there a way to control the rank and beat the stage unscathed?

I just watched some loop 1 replays on youtube, but it seems it wasn't enough for me.

[dieKatze88]

Dang, this stage is beating me hard whenever I get into this stage, costing me 2 lives.

Is there a way to control the rank and beat the stage unscathed?

I just watched some loop 1 replays on youtube, but it seems it wasn't enough for me.

The easiest way through any infinite scroll level in a Konami Gradius-alike is to simply pick a direction and keep traveling in it slowly. Either infinitely scroll the screen up or down, forcing bullets off screen faster.

The boss on stage 5 is a bitch. I usually use the options a bit, but it's probably not required.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I've got a 2-5 run that gets through stage 5 without dying (barely). I die early in stage 6 though; I think it's almost inevitable to have a death in the first loop due to how rank works. Basically, if you've nomissed the game, Stage 5 is where the rank gets ridiculous, but it drops significantly when you die. It does eventually work its way back up, especially in the second loop, but once you accept that you'll have at least one death in the first loop due to rank craziness, it's a lot less frustrating.

[beatsgo]

Is the ranking system similar to its Gradius variant? If that's the case, you probably better off not picking up many upgrades, especially options/multiples.

[tinotormed]

Figured it out. I guess I have no choice but to lose a life on stage 5 then? Also, it seems the Twin Laser cannons deal more damage than the regular Laser.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

With rapid fire and especially pointblanking Twin Laser is indeed the strongest and generally best weapon to use.

[Mero]

Yeah, suiciding on stage 5 is the way to keep stage 6 manageable.