Volteccer_Jack wrote:I'm just now getting comfortable with stage 3, myself. And hey, if I can do it...it doesn't mean anything because I'm better than everyone elseMarc wrote:I love the game, but it's too much for me to wrap my head around. I'm already panicking on level 3, and the rare occasion I make it to 4... yeah.
I feel like I have stage 3 down to a science now. In theory anyway, the actual down-in-the-dirt execution is still tense/stressful and may always be. First half of the stage Kusarigama, it's a strong anti-rifle tool for reasons BIL laid out, spin-attacks clear out the leaping zakos. Top priority is avoiding bullets but right below that is positioning properly to jump cleanly over Ghost, he will probably die if I have both clones but I really don't care, in fact ideally he will live to prevent respawn.
As soon as I see the marshland, switch to Sword, avoiding monk staff throws is the toppest of top priorities. Sometimes it's best to stop slashing for a moment here, as hitting their staff will cause it to return immediately, which I don't want--I want the throw to last as long as possible so the monk is out of the fight for longer. Going for any powerups here is a suicide mission, if it's not directly on the path I would have taken anyway then I ignore it. My whole strat for the boss is "have POW grenade and don't get shot by the riflemen."
For 4-1, I've had best success with Kusarigama, as it can deflect the enemy kusarigamas. Ryuchi is formidable, my "preferred" scenario is to leap cleanly over and past his slash arc and then finish him off as I'm landing. It's tricky tho, the last part of the swing that hits behind his head is nasty. Failing that, forcing him to chase you between floor and ceiling is effective, although very dangerous in the vicinity of Purples.
4-2...I dunno yet lol. It's mostly easy except for one part where you have to cross a good-sized stretch of ceiling; if a Ryuichi shows up at the wrong time you're pretty well stuck, since the jump button drops you onto spikes and you can't outmaneuver Ryuchi without jumps. Best solution I can see at the moment is to try to ensure before committing that you can cross safely.
Stage 4 boss is my wall for now, seems to be 'aimed' similar to stage 2 boss, but I haven't worked out a good reliable avoidance strat. Grenade seems like overwhelmingly the best weapon for this boss unless I'm missing something.
Brief glimpse of stage 5, not terribly tough so far? Really reminding me how wonky mid-air control is tho lol.
Round 5 is like a junior version of Round 7 - a memoriser sequence that loses 90% of its sting once you've nailed a route down. Not to sound down on it - it's over in ~30seconds, it lets me enjoy the rocketing max-height jump, and snatching the Shield from a nest of Reds is a fun heist. Also, the boss speedkill is a joyful uproar of grainy, crunchy SPLOSIONVanguard wrote:Stage 3's marshland definitely feels like the point where the game gets serious. Never did find a good solution to those monks. Interesting that you'd favor the kusarigama in 4-1. No projectiles and lots of samurai mean bombs and shuriken are the only options for me. Stage 5 isn't hard exactly but it's pretty annoying if you don't have a path memorized. A slow, observant approach is a sure win but it isn't fun. It's got nothing on the end of 7, of course.
Oh nooo! *BLAOWOWOWWW*
Spoiler
He shoulda kept his day job as Image Fight's second boss! This here NINJA COUNTRY
Round 4-1 is particularly idiosyncratic, with its RNG setups and improv focus. I strongly recommend Grenades, simply because no matter what hand you're dealt, or how you respond, they're best at flipping the table outright. Quicker than Kusarigama, and easier to connect than Shuriken. The only downside is splash blindness, gotta rein it in:
Why u DIRTY MUHFUCKA (■`W´■)
Spoiler
The key to 4-2's ceiling crossings is controlled aggression. Get all your guys on the ceiling, and you're actually pretty unassailable. Charging Ryuichis can't make it more than a couple steps into a wall of x3 POW Shuriken/Grenades (I favour the former at Max Rank, the latter at Mid). Pursuing Brown Katanas will get annihilated by the Shadows, and Black Katanas can't hit a stationary player. While I like to use the ground - particularly with Grenades, as their lower stopping power is offset by forcing Ryuichis to jump, plus it lets me splash the ceilings to cull zako - it's by no means impossible to stay up top from start to finish.
What this requires is...
Tactical Espionage Action
Ceiling Team wa MUTEKI DA (■`W´■)
Spoiler
If you get a knack for spoofing Blacks - just stay still - you can aggressively cancel them out of their whiffed stab flurries with a quick about-face, good when you want to aggressively gain ground. They (and Browns!) also can't hit a running player - it's creeping forward that'll get you stabbed. Either/or is the trick: stay still, or advance.
The only risk here is a Ryuichi leaping onto the ceiling from directly underneath you - but as long as you're alert, they shouldn't be able to without losing 95% HP on their way up. The spikes can camouflage them nastily, pay close attention there.
You actually can dodge their slash at overlap range, by moving into and through their X-axis with precise timing as they board, then killing them during the whiff - but this is a fairly pants-shitting maneuver, not to be invited!
The Bomb found after the long ceiling crossing is one of two I like to grab (the other is at the very end of 6-2). You can surf its blast wave into and through the final stretch, at which point it's just the trapdoor to deal with. I'm having a bastard of a time elucidating how I deal with those, but TLDR: they don't worry me much. Ryuichi has a pitifully hard time hitting stairbound players before they blow him up with a flurry of Shuriken/Grenades.
Round 4 Boss/"TEH ACCURSED STONES" is very random, and also deceptively fast. On PCB and accurate emulation, x3 POW Grenades (the absolute best choice - their splash is invaluable here) will cause hella slowdown. Don't be fooled, their speed beats Tsukikage's run (though not his jump ascent or ceiling drop, making these valuable emergency escapes). The slowdown is more helpful than harmful, but don't let it lull you into complacency around them. If one gets close, you need to pre-emptively move away from it - by the time you've confirmed whether it's gonna pass by, or actively stomp/wall-splat you, it may be too late.
Their weakness is that only one can move at a time - they can't actively pincer you. Once one is moving, that's the only one you need to actively evade.
And while there's a lot of RNG here, the fight always starts the same way: in your favour. Nail 'em with Grenades as they come skidding down, and wait. Whichever charges at you, take a long jump into its former corner. Now you're on the opposite side of the room, and the next attacker has a long, inefficient journey to make. Alternating between the middle (trade places with the attacker) and sides (next attacker can be seen coming a mile off) is my general tack. Mid Rank has a much easier time here, they'll die after only a few reps. Max Rank has to contend with more RNG, though as shown above, the principle holds no matter how long they last.
Beware rodeo tactics. While it's fun to go for a ride, it invites a very silly, and very deadly glitch. Basically, it's not being "crushed" that kills, but the blue "photocopier beam," which fires whenever the stones make contact with a wall, a ceiling, or more haphazardly, each other. As shown, even if you're well in the clear, if it touches you you're dead.