GD: Death Smiles

[GaijinPunch]

Let's start the discussion.

Characters
Windia: The faster of the two. Her option shoots a straight beam when she shoots, and the stronger, disk-style when she shoots her laser. Moves faster than Casper.

Casper: Has a more impressive looking laser, but her option only shoots a single beam when she's firing her laser. When she's firing her normal shot, he shoots the more powerful disk shot.

Basics
3 Buttons
A Button: Shoot left
B Button: Shoot right
C Button: Bomb
A+B Button: Locks on closest enemy, but depletes counter

Stages
The first three stages are broken up into 6 parts. A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2, C-1, and C-2. From the start of the game, you can choose any of the -1 stages. After clearing a -1 stage, you must choose a -2 stage. Once you've cleared a -2 stage, you must choose a -1.

You are allowed to choose your rank (1-3) for any of the aforementioned stages. You can choose Level 3 at any time. However you can only do two on level 1 or 2. Subsequent stages on the same rank reportedly get harder. On your 5th level 3 stage, enemies shoot suicide bullets. Level 4 will also reportedly have suicide bullets.

Higher rank means more enemies, more bullets, and more points.

Scoring
There are three types of score items: skulls, white crowns, and orange crowns (at least that's what they look like). When the crowns hit the ground, they turn into one less item. Orange crowns to white crowns, and white crowns into skulls.

Each item gives a base amount of points plus add a fixed amount to your counter:
Skulls: 100 Points, +1 to counter
Crowns: 800 Points, +5 to counter
Gold Crowns: 2000 Points, +10 to counter

The basic explanation of the scoring system is to shoot enemies and gather the point items. Some enemies will give none. Others depend on how they are killed. The basic consensus is that larger enemies will give white crowns when destroyed with the laser, and skulls when destroyed with the shot.

When your counter reaches 1000, even enemies that give no item will give the orange crowns. They add nothing to your counter as it's maxed, but they will add 10 to the base multiplier. The base multiplier starts at zero and goes up until it hits 10,000. If you push both A+B while your counter maxed, you will go into "fever mode" where enemies give much more items, which results in the base multiplier going up higher. Until the base multiplier hits 10,000, the rules of shot & laser on specific enemies are valid. Once it hits 10,000, everything gives you the orange crowns.

The main trick is to decide where to kick it off. There are spots with absolutely no enemies, which are obviously a waste.

Extra
There are at least two life up items and one magic item. Although apparently rank and/or stage order play a part. The car in stage B-2 seems to always give a life item. One of the bigger enemies (which doesn't appear in Rank Level 1) on C-2 gives a life item. A large enemy in A-2 gives a magic item

If you time counter right, destroying the house at the end of stage A-2 seconds before powered up mode finishes, it will shoot out enough point items to get the counter back up to 1,000.

Contributors: Gaijin Punch, Gwyrgyn Blood

[Gwyrgyn Blood]

It looks to me like each item pickup is worth the value of however many items you've picked up so far, so if you've picked up 500 pickups, the next one is worth 501 points. Then when your meter hits 1000, it simply adds a flat bonus value to each item, and it says things like 2000+1356.

Skulls: 100 Points, +1 to counter
Crowns: 800 Points, +5 to counter
Gold Crowns: 2000 Points, +10 to counter

So basically once you've maxed out the counter, each gold crown is worth 12000 points.

[GaijinPunch]

Indeed it is. I totally over looked that. Will incorporate it in a bit.

[system11]

You know, I'm starting to think the type of shot to use is based on whether the enemy is ground based or flying. The only discrepancy I've seen are the large floating mounds of earth in the forest level (B-1 I think?). Use shot on flying, laser on ground seems to -mostly- result in the better item type dropping.

[henry dark]

Something minor-ish I noticed yesterday-

If you're in 'powered up mode' (1000 on the counter then press A + B), crashing into an enemy won't hurt you.

I also realised that flying into normal scenery (the ground, walls, houses etc.) doesn't hurt you either (presumably the 'enemy scenery' like the floating islands that shoot bullets etc. does though)

[GaijinPunch]

@bloodflowers:
I can think of numours times when this doesn't work. The horse-dudes w/ the javelin's in the castle (require shot). The dragon's in C-1 require laser. Quite a few dragons big, flying enemies require laser.

If you're in 'powered up mode' (1000 on the counter then press A + B), crashing into an enemy won't hurt you.

I have certainly disproven this. I guess it could've been a bullet but I'm pretty sure I lost half a bar when I was in Fever mode.

[Icarus]

One thing to add is that suicide bullets at Rank 3 act like the lowest value items when nullified by the Option. Outside of max item mode they'll all add one to your counter apiece, while in max medal mode they add 100+(counter) to your score like the skull items.

Smart Option positioning for good bullet blocking, and staying at All Rank 3 are the main keys to a very good high score. That, and a decent stage order.

[henry dark]

If you're in 'powered up mode' (1000 on the counter then press A + B), crashing into an enemy won't hurt you.

I have certainly disproven this. I guess it could've been a bullet but I'm pretty sure I lost half a bar when I was in Fever mode.

I read that on the 説明 screen though so I think it should be right.

[GaijinPunch]

I read that on the 説明 screen though so I think it should be right.

I will have to try that. That would definitely help.

while in max medal mode they add 100+(counter) to your score like the skull items.

This definitely helps... I just played all rank 3's earlier and my score did not go through the rough by any means. Then again, I didn't last that long into stage 4 either.

Also, my info on the life items is pretty erroneous. Playing all rank 3's, doing A-1 and A-2 last, I got two life up items on A-1.

[Ash Riot]

It looks to me like each item pickup is worth the value of however many items you've picked up so far, so if you've picked up 500 pickups, the next one is worth 501 points. Then when your meter hits 1000, it simply adds a flat bonus value to each item, and it says things like 2000+1356.

Skulls: 100 Points, +1 to counter
Crowns: 800 Points, +5 to counter
Gold Crowns: 2000 Points, +10 to counter

So basically once you've maxed out the counter, each gold crown is worth 12000 points.

One thing I've noticed from other players is that they deliberately let the Gold Crowns drop to turn into skulls during the Power Up state. I believe it's because the Gold Crowns drop to become more than one skull, making the bonus more profitiable than just snatching Gold Crowns from all the enemies you destroy. I'm not actually 100% sure that's true, since at that point there's so many crowns that drop, it's hard to tell how many, but that's how I see it.

The bonus maxes out to 10,000, I believe.

[Gwyrgyn Blood]

Yup, you're right. Once you've gotten the chain up to max, it's more profitable to start letting the gold crowns split up. In other words, instead of 2000+10000 for one gold crown you could get (100+10000)*2, or something like that (I don't remember exactly how they split).

[GaijinPunch]

Interesting. I've not been playing this. Need to, but haven't been to the arcades in a while.

[McMasters]

Any info on how the later two characters are unlocked?

[Ruldra]

Quoting Violent Ken from the other thread:

Put a credit then hold ABC on Player 2 and press on Player 1:

CBACB↑A→C←B↓CBAAA

Rosa is now unlocked!

and the code for Follett:

Put a credit then hold ABC on Player 2 and press on Player 1:

↑↑↑↑BBAA← ← → →CCC↓C

Follett is now unlocked!

I saw Follett's code on youtube. Someone correct me if it's wrong.

[McMasters]

Sweet. are those permanent?

Edit: Here we go - http://wiki00.jpn.org/deathsmiles/index ... F%E3%83%BC

[McMasters]

further question - what's the other selection you can make at character select? the words below it. Images I have are too 'gothic-fonty' for me to make out the words.. it is 'show / don't show *something*', can't make out the something.

[Ruldra]

It's the option to show / not show the tutorial before the game starts.

And about the character unlocks being permanent, I have no idea. Probably yes, but someone else will have to confirm it.

[McMasters]

Ah, 'tutorial'. Now I see it. Thank you.

[AlephNull]

Hello. How do you trigger the cake item (which restores 2 bars of health) after beating Jitterbug? I've beaten him a few times now, but haven't gotten it yet.

[Koma]

Do not use your bomb to get the full cake

[AlephNull]

Thanks

[Chi_Ryu]

So, just got this (like 2 days ago), and whilst I suck at cave I can make it to the final boss (but clearly not via the extra stage, and only by wussing out at the first levels and playing level 1 and 2 as much as I can - I tried the extra stage once after completing all the first three stages on level 3 (!!), and the suicide bullets raped me).

The order you do the stages seems to make some difference to the special items released – the scrapped car in stage B-2 doesn’t release an item if you do it first (i.e. before A-2 or C-2), regardless of whether or not you undertake it at level/ranking 3. Same seems to be the case with the life up on stage C-2. I might experiment and find out if there is a better pattern to it.

Anyway. I thought I'd add some content.
1) You can only choose ranking level 1 and level 2 once each for each part-1 and part-2 stage. Thus you cannot do both B-1 and C-1 (for instance) on level 1.
You may choose level 3 as many times as you like - stages definitely get harder as you progress through the game, and this is unconnected with playing successive stages at level 3 (for instance: on C-2, level 3, Bavaria will have an extra pattern if you play it as your *third* stage as opposed to the previous two. Stage 4 and 5 only have suicide bullets only if you have clocked up your 5th Level 3 stage.

2) Bosses on Level 3 have an extra phase above and beyond levels 1 and 2 (e.g. Jordan turns into a skull). They also score more points (500,000 for the final phase instead of 100,000 for level 1 and 200,000 for level 2). Intermediate phases are worth 50,000 in all cases on all levels.

Beating Jitterbug normally gets you 500,000 points, but you’ll get 1,000,000 for the first phase and 2,000,000 for the second if you did the extra stage (these points values are from Cave’s website - http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/deaths ... _teki.html).

2) The general rule with flying/ground enemies is that flying enemies should be killed with shot, except for: mermen, dragons, floating islands, large boulders (others I’ve forgotten?):

3) Names of bosses (might be some errors in A1 and A2’s kanji, and I can't read the kanji at the end of B-1's):
A-1: 徨折える死神　デスサイズ – Deathscythe (死神 = Shigami – God of death)
A-2: 俚めらねだ男爵　ジョルダン – Jordan (男爵 = Danshaku - Baron)
B-1: 森の幻??　ウローン – Whroon　(森の幻?? = Mori no Maboroshi ?? – Forest of illusion something-or-other)
B-2: 沼の魔女 サキュラ – Sakura ( 沼の魔女= Mema no Majo - Marsh Witch)
C-1: 巨大牛　メリー - Mary (巨大牛 = Kyodai Gyuu – Enormous cow)
C-2: 炎の神　バヴァリア – Bavaria (炎の神 = Homura no Kami – Flame god)
Extra mid-boss: ビーストドッグ(親分) ( ビーストドッグ(親分) = Biisutodoggu (Oyabun) – Beast dog boss)
Extra: 双子の竜王　デヴァリア。ギヴァリア – Devaria . Givaria (双子の竜王　= Futago no Ryuuou – Twin Dragon Kings)
Final boss: 扉を開く者　ジルバ – Jitterbug (扉を開く者= Tobira o Okusha – Gate opener)
Final (True boss): 魔界帝王 テイラノサタン - Tyrannosatan (魔界帝王 = Makai Teiou - Hell Emperor)

[SAM]

There is a few points I want to add.

(1) Character Option "Special" shot & Bomb - Shot's Nature

Character Option "Special" shot are:

Windia opion's disk-like shot when she fires her laser
Casper opion's energy ball shot when she fires her normal shots
Follett option's dragon flame when she fires her laser
Rosa option's flower when she fires her laser

Changing the Character Option "Special" shot's Nature

It seems that the game would decide the nature of the shot destroying an enemy by what shot you are firing right at the moment the enemy explode.

e.g. You could fire a disc-like shot (laser) into an enemy and then change to firing lock shot (lock) (just change into lock mode is enough, even without start firing) when the disc-like shot is about to destroy the enemy. The game would than treat the enemy is being destroyed by Lock shot. (I think this is not possible for Follett option's dragon flame shots)

It seems the same is also true for Characters' Bomb

But what if you stop firing? Would it be the last type of shot you fired? [Could someone confirm this.]

(2) Character Option "Special" shot in Power-up Mode

The Character Option "Special" shot seems to be generate a stream of Skull when it damaging an enemy. This stream of Skulls seem to be in additional to the items obtains after destroying the enemy.

If this is true, than you could score higher by only shooting enemy with your Character Option "Special" shot during Power-up mode.

EDIT: Yes, that won't works

Code: Select all

[u][b](3) Use lock shot to quickly reposition your option[/b][/u]
For Follett & Rosa, I think it is possible to reposition your option right in front or after you by use of the lock shot.

e.g. when you want to reposition Rosa's option on your right side overlapping a big enemy (and then firing the flower shots creating a stream of Skulls before finally destroying it.).

1. Press A Turn Left, start to fire
2. Press B while holding A, change to lock shot, option reposition to your Right auto-seeking the big enemy.
3. Release either A or B (depends on whether you want the flower shots to go Left or Right), while holding the other.

In this case I would suggest, releasing B so that you fire your laser to the empty space to your Left, so that the big enemy is only hurt by the flower shots, prolonging the suffering, as well as the stream of Skulls so created.

If you're in 'powered up mode' (1000 on the counter then press A + B), crashing into an enemy won't hurt you.

I have certainly disproven this. I guess it could've been a bullet but I'm pretty sure I lost half a bar when I was in Fever mode.

I read that on the 説明 screen though so I think it should be right.

(4) I confirm that you can't get hurt crashing in to enemy when you are in 'powered up mode'. Just try standing right during powered up mode before the rocks ejection hole in Stage C-2 without firing any shots.

[Gwyrgyn Blood]

Pretty sure your option just goes back to where it was after you release lock-shot, though I think it still can be invisibly repositioned as you normally would so it often ends up someplace else.

Rosa's option during lock-shot moves around very predictably and lets you do some cool tricks. For example, if you need to kill something with lockshot that will release a lot of suicide bullets, you can simply move slowly in the direction of what you are locking on to (assuming it's behind you) and your option will sit on top of your hitbox, making you invincible to suicide bullets. This is really useful in Ice Palace but probably has some use in other places too.

[cyprien]

Does this guide apply to the 360 version? I haven't spent too much time with it but I didn't seem to be able to pick other stages. Just the option to change the difficulty.

[croikle]

Arcade mode should be identical; dunno about 360 or 1.1.

[agustusx]

1.1 is different because you have different buttons to trigger power up(fever mode) and that you can trigger fever mode with just 100 in your counter. I kinda wish you could still trigger powerup from pressing left and right fire together.

additionally you have option control which allows you to point the tsukaima in the direction you want it to be in around the character.

Finally in 1.1 you only have 1 bomb.

EDIT: I keep thinking of things. In Arcade you have the standard rule where you can only pick 2 stages at rank 1, 2 at rank 2. However in 360 mode you can pick as many as you like at 1 or 2. Regarding rank rules, Im not sure bout 1.1 as I only played it twice.

[cyprien]

Ah, cool. I'll give the stage select a try tonight after work.

Is it left and right? Because up and down select the Rank.

[SAM]

Ah, cool. I'll give the stage select a try tonight after work.

Is it left and right? Because up and down select the Rank.

Yes, it's left and right.

Although you are allowed to pick level 1 or 2 as many times as you like in 360 mode, it is not advisable even if you just want to clear the game in a single credit.

As you would need the extra bonus lifes in 2-2 & 2-3, as well as the scores to earn two extends. Remember each extra life comes with three extra bombs.

[SAM]

Pretty sure your option just goes back to where it was after you release lock-shot, though I think it still can be invisibly repositioned as you normally would so it often ends up someplace else.

I tried that the other night, and yes, you are right, it won't works.