~B
***************************************************************************
* Einhander FAQ - Version Acht *
* von Zach Keene (zjkeene@bellsouth.net) *
* Last Updated: 27. September 1998 *
***************************************************************************
Well, originally this was where I rambled on about why I was writing a
FAQ about Einhander when I'd already promised a CSOTN FAQ. Since I've
written the CSOTN FAQ, I guess I need to change the intro. Because a) no
one is probably reading this, and b) I can't think of anything to say here,
consider the intro changed. :)
If you've read my FF1 FAQ, you know most of the crap that I'm about to
spew here, so just skip to the next section. And be warned: the same sort
of bad jokes that accompanied the last FAQ may turn up here from time to
time.
This FAQ was written in the all-powerful MS-DOS editor. For best results,
view with a monospace font, 75 characters to a line, 8 characters per tab.
You may send comments, corrections, additions, subtractions, und so
weite, to zjkeene@bellsouth.net.
Where to get the latest version of this FAQ:
--------------------------------------------
There are several ways to make sure you have the latest version of this
FAQ.
By FTP/WWW:
ftp://members.aol.com/fnlfanatic/arcanelore/einfaqxx.txt
(where xx is the version number. Also, you can http to the same address.
This version is always current.)
[The following two sites may take a day or so to update the FAQ when a new
version is released.]
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
http://www.byz.net/david/einhander/
(The unofficial Einhander website. David also does an HTTP version of my
FAQ, which is on his site.)
I always post updates to the FAQ in the following newsgroups, since no
one has objected to it thus far:
rec.games.video.sony
alt.games.video.sony-playstation
Anyway, like my FF1 FAQ, a Win95 Help version will probably be on its
way at some point. Probably like after the text version gets somewhat
decent.
I told you to skip to the next section, didn't I?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
::: Was ist Einhander? (What is Einhander?)::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Just for those of you who were under a particular rock known as "Gran
Turismo" back in May (and that included me, as well), Einhander is a 2D
shooter, in the style of R-Type or Salamander, made by Square. Square, as
everbody well knows, is famous for their RPGs. So what qualifies them to
make a shooter? Got me, but it worked out pretty well, I'd say.
Basically, the plot is that at some point in the future, the Earth and
the moon colony Selene are constantly at war. Anyway, Selene has been
sending fighters on suicide runs against the Earth. This operation is code
named "Einhander".
Einhander has five different fighters to use. Three of them are available
from the start; the other two have to be earned.
Here they are:
1) Astraea FGA Mk. I: This ship can equip two Gunpods at the same time,
which can be used alone, or fired simultaneously. If you run out of
ammo, it comes with an unlimited ammo single machine gun.
2) Endymion FRS Mk. II: This ship can load 3 different Gunpods, but only
one can be used at a time. Also note that Gunpods aquired with this
fighter only give roughly two-thirds of the ammo that other fighters
get. It is also equipped with an unlimited ammo single machine gun.
3) Endymion FRS Mk. III: This ship can only use one Gunpod at a time, but
is equipped with an unlimited ammo double machine gun.
4) Unknown Fighter Type I (hereafter referred to as Die Schabe): This is
one of the secret fighters. I have devoted an entire section of the FAQ
to it. That's because it's quite a bit different than the other four;
this has nothing to do with the fact that its my personal favourite
fighter. The "Die Schabe" section lists how to get this in detail, but
the short version is (so far): get 15 secret bonuses with the Endymion
Mk. III on any difficulty. I can guarantee that this works, but you
might want to check on the Die Schabe section for other possibilites...
5) Unknown Fighter Type II (hereafter referred to as the Selene): Since I
have not obtained this myself, I don't know much about this craft. From
what I've read, this is one of the moon fighters from the final level of
the game. Supposedly, it is similar to the Astrea, but when you equip a
Gunpod it comes with 9999 ammo. Obviously, this is one sick bastard. It
has been confirmed that to get this, you have to beat the game on Hard
without continuing. However, it has been said that you can use one
continue and still get this. Its official name is EOS UFG Mk.IX, but I
like "Selene" better.
Other Selene Rumours: Another theory that's been circulating of late is
that you can get it by collecting 15 Secret Bonuses on Hard. I've not
confirmed that, though. Also, it seems you might be able to use up to
three continues and still get the Selene.
When you choose your fighter for the very first time, all you start the
game with is your machine gun. However, than soon changes. When you defeat
certain enemies or shoot certain objects, Gunpods can be obtained. After
you obtain a certain Gunpod, you can then choose to start the game with
that Gunpod.
Gunpods serve two purposes: first, they allow your ship to fire more
powerful weapons than your pea-shooter machine gun. Second, they can be
used as shields against enemy fire. However, they can only take so many
hits before being destroyed. Collecting a Gunpod of the same type as the
one you currently have will repair the damage, as well as replenish your
ammo supply.
There are 12 types of Gunpods available in the game. The eight listed in
the manual are fairly common, and I'll list them here, with some notes.
[Note: If you are using the Schabe fighter, the Gunpods affect your
craft in a different manner. See the "Die Schabe" section for
more details.]
1) Blade: This equips your ship with a lightsaber like weapon. Fairly
powerful, but short ranged. Unless, of course, you do a fireball-type
motion (Down, Down-Towards, Towards) which extends this weapon clear
across the screen. This, however, uses up ammo at a faster rate.
Switching the position of the Gunpod while firing makes it slash at the
enemies. Note that the Astrea can't slash the Blade in this manner. (600
Rounds)
2) Cannon: Fires a powerful blast either straight ahead or at a roughly 30
degree angle, depending on the Gunpod's position. On the Astrea, Cannons
always aim forward. Low ammo, but quite powerful. Also, its length makes
it a good shield. (25 Rounds)
3) Grenade: Launches grenades. If equipped on top, fires them in an arc. If
equipped on bottom, drops them backwards. This Gunpod is incredibly
powerful, probably more so than the Flash. (45 Rounds)
4) Hedgehog: Fires small explosive bombs either straight up or straight
down, depending on its location. Low range. (75 Rounds)
5) Riot: Fires an electrical charge at a bit of an angle. The power of this
can be increased by holding down the fire button. However, the more
powerful the blast, the more ammo this takes up. (120 Rounds)
6) Spreader: Fires five shots either behind or in front, depending on
where you position the Gunpod. (90 Rounds)
7) Vulcan: Fires machine gun rounds at extreme speed. Low power, but high
in ammo. Notice that the angle at which it fires can be affected by the
motion of your ship. However, if a Vulcan is in the top location of the
Astrea, it cannot be affected in this manner. (750 Rounds)
8) Wasp: Fires missiles straight ahead if equipped on bottom, homing
missles if equipped on top. Decent power. (45 Rounds)
And here are the "secret" Gunpods, and some places to find them. Note
that the places I list are not necessarily the only places to get them.
9) Flash: Similar to the Cannon Gunpod, but fires a laser straight ahead if
on top, angled downward if on bottom. Extremely powerful. (45 Rounds)
The third Secret Bonus of level 3 rewards you with a Flash; see the
Secret Bonus section for more details. Also, the second Secret Bonus of
level 5 will drop a red box containing a Flash.
10) Juno: Identical to the Vulcan Cannon, but more powerful. (450 Rounds).
If you get the third Secret Bonus of level 1, the boss of that level
will sometimes fire at you with the Juno. Therefore, you can help
yourself to it. The first Secret Bonus of level 4 will reward you with
the Juno, and is a little easier to get it this way. The last red enemy
on level 7 also carries a Juno.
11) Mosquito: Not unlike the Wasp, but the missiles can be controlled.
However, to move the missile, you have to move your ship, so be careful
not to crash in to anything while firing these. (45 Rounds) When you
get to the second part of Level 4, equip yourself with a rear-firing
weapon (Spreader for most ships; Spreader, Grenade, or Wasp for
Schabe.) Immediately take the lowest route possible ASAP. You should
drop just in front of a barrel that contains the Mosquito. Later in the
level, when you encounter the Parzival to get Secret Bonus 2, if you
can _completely_ and _quickly_ destroy it, you'll earn another Mosquito.
[Note: I'm not really sure what triggers this thing giving you a
Mosquito. I've done it, and I've read about it, but it happens
incredibly rarely.]
12) Python: Launches five mines-on-a-string. Pretty neat actually. (45
Rounds) On level 5, just before you fly over a wall towards the
mini-boss, keep an eye out for a vehicle in the background that
resembles a Jawa Transport. (If you don't know what a Jawa Transport
looks like, then put down the controller and view the Star Wars Trilogy
_NOW_! :) Anyway, blast it with a Wasp to get this. [Notice that when
the Gunpod appears on screen, it's labeled "Ptyhon". Heh.]
And now, for the super secret Gunpod! :)
13) Manipulator: Sorry, I couldn't resist. This isn't really a Gunpod, but
if you've just started your first game, or your current Gunpod(s) are
destroyed or run out of ammo, this is all you have. It can be used as a
weapon or a shield, but its extremely short range makes it weak in both
respects. Grab another Gunpod quickly!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
::: Die Schabe (The cockroach) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
And now, the section you've all been waiting for: the section devoted to
that almighty yellow and green Schabe fighter. Yes, it is the same little
ship that you shoot down in droves during Level 1. However, when you take
the controls, this ship is quite capable of causing some damage. In fact,
it is the first ship I beat the game with.
To get this ship, use the Endy Mk. III ship, get at least 15 Secret
Bonuses in one game, and voila. You can continue as much as you like, and
although you can do this on any difficulty, it's easiest to do on, well,
Easy. You don't have to beat the game, either. (But don't quit from the
pause menu, or else you'll have just wasted your time.)
That said, I've received an e-mail that said you couldn't get it with the
Astrea, and I've received a news posting that said you couldn't get it
with the Endy Mk. II. While I haven't tried with the Endy Mk. II, it is
definately possible to get it with the Astrea.
Also, it seems that you may be able to get the Schabe with as few as 12
Secret Bonuses. I've not looked into that claim yet, however.
Originally, I had nicknamed this ship "Die Polizei", which means "the
police." However, once I found out its real name, I decided I liked Schabe
(which means "cockroach") better.
* Primary Weapon *
Your main weapon is the machine gun, which is the same as the machine gun
that the other fighters are equipped with. However, unlike the others, the
Schabe's machine gun can be powered up. Above the multiplier bar, you'll
notice "Lv. 1". Each time you collect a Gunpod, this increases, up to 20.
At level 6, your single-shot machine gun upgrades to a double-shot. At
level 11, it upgrades again to a triple-shot. Finally, you get a quad-shot
machine gun at level 16.
* Secondary Weapon *
As soon as you obtain a Gunpod, your ship is equipped with two cannons on
top and bottom. The frequency of which they fire increases with your weapon
level. However, when you get to a level which upgrades your machine gun,
the frequency of the secondary weapons drops to its lowest, and builds up
again. The following chart shows this in action:
Where these secondary cannons aim is determined by the last Gunpod
equipped. Note also that the secondary weapon has unlimited ammo.
1) Blade, Cannon, Flash: Fires at about an 15 degree angle above and below
your machine gun fire.
2) Grenade: Fires like the Cannon et al, but behind your fighter.
3) Hedgehog: Fires directly above and below your ship.
4) Juno, Riot, Vulcan, Python: Fires about 45 degrees above and below your
machine gun fire.
5) Mosquito, Wasp: Fires homing shots. You really should try to keep this
equipped as much as possible.
6) Spreader: Fires like the Vulcan and Juno, except it fires behind your
craft.
* Lights *
Of course, this fighter is equipped with searchlights. Press X to
activate them. They are only there to look cool; they cause no damage.
* Advantages of using the Schabe *
Well, the biggest one is unlimited ammo. When you are fully loaded with a
Lv. 20 Wasp, you are (almost) unstoppable. Another is the fact that since
Gunpods are not mounted externally, you cannot lose your secondary weapon.
* Disadvantages of using the Schabe *
Since you have no Gunpods to lose, you have no Gunpods to take shots for
you. Another thing is that although at level 20 it is quite capable of
defending itself, you won't be getting anything spectacular, like say an
Astrea with two Flashes. Also, the game won't display some of the FMV
sequences you get by using the other ships, and you can't win Gallery
pictures with this ship.
Overall, using the Schabe generally makes the actual levels easier, but
makes the bosses harder. IMHO, of course, your mileage may vary.
And now, for your reading pleasure, is a (currently incomplete) list of
the enemy forces you'll be up against. For more information about the
bosses, see the "Boss Tactics" section. I've attempted to put the regular
enemies more or less in order of appearence.
The word(s) in paranthesis after the name is my attempt at an English
translation. If I've got the translation wrong, blame this crappy paperback
Langenscheidt German-English dictionary I've got over here.
Anyway, all this info comes from the Gallery pictures, and unfortunatly
there are either a few enemies not pictured, or I overlooked them somehow.
So if an enemy is missing (like the Level 6 swarmers), that's why.
* Level 1 *
Mini-boss: SPJ-15 "Greif" (Griffin)
Boss: SPKB-03 "Drache" (Dragon)
[Note: The instruction manual refers to this boss as "The Brute".]
1) PW-104b "Schabe" (Cockroach)
- The yellow and green police ships that show up in droves. See the
"Die Schabe" section for details on how to play as this ship
2) PT-08 "Uhu" (Eagle Owl)
- The first of many Gunpod carrying ships in this level. It has no
front armour, and is easy to destroy.
3) PT-08s "Uhu" (Eagle Owl)
- Same as above, but with front armour. (Notice that the
instruction manual calls these "Enforcers".)
4) PT-08rs "Fledermaus" (Bat)
- If you don't get Secret Bonus 1, you'll run into one of these.
It's identical to the PT-08s, except it has a saucer on top
instead of a Gunpod.
5) PA-09 Angler
- If you do get Secret Bonus 1, the secret path will be full of
these. They carry Gunpods, but it's difficult to collect them.
1) KH-17 "Schwalbe" (Swallow)
- The little yellow ships that swarm the beginning of the level.
2) KB-02 "Qualle" (Jellyfish)
- The Gunpod-carrying buoys.
3) PT-06 "Kolibri" (Hummingbird)
- The larger green ships that first appear just before Salamander.
Sometimes they carry Gunpods.
4) KH-13 "Loewe" (Lion)
- The red ships from the second half.
5) PKB-11d "Parzival" (?)
- The humanoid mech that slides down the ramp. Destroy it for
Secret Bonus 2.
6) VP-16d "Vampir" (Vampire)
- The hoverbikes that attack when Sturmvogel leaves the screen.
* Level 5 *
Mini-boss: SPKB-06 "Ausf A Gestell" (?)
Boss: SPKB-07 "Ausf D Duerer" (?)
1) KH-14 "Zikade" (Cicada)
- The small enemies that swarm this level.
2) PT-09 "Storch" (Stork)
- The larger ships that launch missiles, and sometimes launch a
Gunpod-carrying doodad at you.
3) PKB-07e "Jagdstar" (Apparently a Shooting Starling, as opposed to the
regular Starlings from Level 2.)
- The dual-cannon walkers from the beginning of the level.
4) PKB-07c "Panzerstar" (Armoured Starling)
- The Gunpod-carrying walkers from the second half of the level.
5) KP-07a "Alligator"
- The huge-laser firing ships.
6) KP-07a "Alligator2"
- Same as above, although red. Shoot for Secret Bonus 3.
* Level 6 *
Boss: SS-01 "Schwarzgeist" (Black Ghost)
* Level 7 *
Boss: HYPERION UCS Mk.X II
1) EOS UFG Mk.IX
- These ships are Astrea clones, except they have a laser instead
of a normal machine gun, and can use it whether or not they have
Gunpods attached. They come equipped with a variety of Gunpods,
but except for the Juno all are rather common. Want to play as
one? Check out the "Fighters" section.
Performing certain tasks in this game will net you Secret Bonuses. There
are three to be had in each level. Earning them earns you extra points,
improves your Secrets rating. They are also instrumental in getting the
Schabe ship.
In the Japanese version of Einhander, there is a "Free" difficulty
setting. If you get all three Secret Bonuses in one level, you will be able
to stage select that level in the Free setting. However, this mode has
apparently been removed from the US version, or the method of accessing it
has changed. (See "Miscellaneous Junk" for more details).
Anyway, here are the requirements for getting these secret bonuses.
* Level 1 *
1) Quite simple: when you first enter the commercial district, shoot down
all the neon signs.
2) Shoot down all the grey Uhus (the ships that carry Gunpods) at the
beginning of the level. You have to nail them as quickly as possible.
If you don't see a red Uhu with a wasp fly by as you pass the "Leben?
Fallen?" sign, you've messed up this bonus. After getting Bonus 1, you
should be attacked by two more red ones: one carrying a Riot and the
other carrying a Wasp. Shoot them both down.
3) When you reach the huge blue robot Mini-boss, beat him by destroying his
lower portion.
* Level 2 *
1) At the beginning of the level, destroy all the Gunpod-carrying ships. A
red one should appear; blast it.
2 + 3) At two points during this level, you the screen will stop scrolling
while you're attacked by Gunpods that rise from the train. Keep
shooting the Gunpods. Do _NOT_ shoot the control tower thingy with the
radar dish. Keep blasting at the Gunpods until you get the bonus.
(Takes about 8 or 9, IIRC)
* Level 3 *
1) Before the mini-boss, destroy all of the saucer-shaped weapon carriers.
A red one will then appear. Destroy it for the bonus.
2) During the mini-boss fight, green Gunpod carriers and red Reflector
trucks will show up. Destroy these until you get the bonus. (Requires a
combined total of around 8, I think.)
3) Just after the mini-boss, some big huge thing will show up at the top of
the screen. Destroy it, then quickly destroy all the garbage it spews.
The Blade works wonders here, and it just so happens that a few of the
Nattern here carry them. A Vulcan or Juno can help as well. Unless you
have the Schabe, where almost anything that fires foward works
(especially the Wasp :). A Flash will also be awarded.
* Level 4 *
1) When the submarine shows up, destroy the hull (not the controlling
tower). The tower will then launch. Destroy it (and quickly, before it
starts spewing shots all over the place). A Juno will be awarded.
2) When you get to the second section, take the lowest route possible until
you reach the elevator. After the elevator, keep going on the path you
are on. You should reach a PKB-11d Parzival (humanoid-type mech) sliding
down the ramp on its bum; blast it for the bonus.
3) Just before the end, destroy the girders on the ground for the bonus.
If you got the bonus above, there will be an enemy at this point. Don't
destroy it entirely, but disable it so it crashes into the girders.
Easiest 100000 points in the game, probably, unless you have to do it
the hard way. If so, nail it with a Juno or Hedgehog set to bottom, or a
top mounted Grenade.
* Level 5 *
1) When you fly over the wall, just before the "mini"-boss, there will be a
series of bars that rise and fall. Destroy them for the bonus.
2) If you're playing as something other than the Schabe, grab the Grenade
before you face the Mini-boss, because it will make this a lot easier.
To get the bonus, you must knock down the boss four times. To accomplish
this, you have to destroy one of its "weak points". Here is a partial
list of parts that cause an instant knock down:
a) Arm Armour: When this boss fires the screen-filling shots, you can
hit one of its arms (left or right). If you can destroy the armour
protecting either arm, the boss will fall over, and lob a box at you.
b) Arms: After blowing off the armour, destroying the arms themselves
will also result in a knockdown.
c) Hands: These are incredibly easy to destroy. When the boss jumps into
the background, avoid plasma shots and such, and try to end up on the
right side of the screen before it jumps at you and tries to swat
you. Back up a bit to get out of the way, and when it lands, you can
fly right up to the hand and blast it off. And if you blow one off,
the boss sometimes jumps back into the background again (after
lobbing a box) and does this again. Blow off the other hand for
another KO!
d) Head: There are two sections to the head armour, and blowing off
either results in a knockdown. Knocking off the head, however, kills
the boss and you don't get the Bonus. :)
3) Towards the end of the level, 3 laser ships will appear in the
background. One of them is red. If you have a Wasp, you can nail it now.
If you don't have one, fear not. The formation will attack later on, so
blast it then.
* Level 6 *
1) After you have eliminated one of the thrusters, little pods will show up
from time to time. Every now and then they'll release an enemy; every
now and then the enemy will be red. Shoot it.
2) Blast three of the above mentioned pods.
3) When you get to the boss, every so often a section will raise up from
the top. Destroy it. Then, after defeating the boss, a jellyfish-like
thing will attack you. Destroy it for the bonus.
* Level 7 *
All) Three red fighters will show up at various times during this level.
Nail them.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
::: Boss Tactics ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Here are some descriptions of the bosses and mini-bosses in the game, and
some tips on how to beat them. And, if all else fails, there's always the
Solarstriker method: just survive and the boss will leave/die. You'll get
a "Timeout" for your boss repulse time, and receive no bonus points.
M = Mini-boss B = Main Boss
* Level 1 *
M) SPJ-15 "Greif": If you're looking for a quick kill, aim for the head.
Simple but effective. Blasting its lower section for the Secret Bonus is
a bit more difficult, since it takes more hits than the head. Having an
downward-angled weapon such as the Flash helps immensly. Otherwise, stay
still until it stops jumping around and fires at you. Move to avoid the
shots and blast at the bottom section. The instant it moves, stop
firing, or else you'll hit the head. Also, if you are playing on Hard,
watch out, because it will mosey on over to the left side of the screen
from time to time.
B) SPKB-03 "Drache": Aim for the body section where the arm/head thing
joins the rest of it and blast with everything you've got. After you
have destroyed that section, seperating the head, aim for the red area.
If you do not succeed in destroying it, and it grows the head that
shoots the purple laser, aim for the head to completely destroy it.
Zach's Normal Mode Record: 0'07"
* Level 2 *
M) SKP-04 "Garnele": Keep destroying parts of it until is completely
destroyed. The weak point is in the front, just above the claws. If it
starts spazzing out, head up; it's about to charge. If it stiffens up,
it's about to do a jumping attack. In either case, just stay in the
upper left corner. Watch out for the shooting claws; destroy them if you
can.
B) PGZ/L03 "Spinne": Blast at the "head" in the middle section. If you
cannot destroy the boss before it starts attacking, then take out the
huge weapon arms. Then start blasting the "head" again. On Hard, watch
out for the fleet of fighters that it will launch after you destroy a
set of weapon arms. Also on Hard, after you destroy the second set of
weapon arms, the second set like to launch missiles and stuff at you,
while you're dodging fighters from behind and blue "donuts" from the
front. You can fly through the center of the "donuts" without damage.
Zach's Normal Mode Record: 0'07"
* Level 3 *
M) SPKB-08 "Gecko": When you first get to this boss, just aim for the
center lasers. Destroy them quickly, or it will fire a criss-crossing
laser not unlike the red/blue R-Type laser. If you see the yellow
trucks, watch out for this. Try to get it to aim high or low, then get
out of the way. Then, when it changes attack patterns, try not to cause
too much damage until you have gotten the Secret Bonus. After that, or
if you do not care about the Bonus, aim low. Its weak point is the green
area that is protected by its legs. This is easily accomplished with the
Blade Gunpod, if you use the fireball-motion to extend it (see Gunpod
section for more details). Also, always destroy the red Reflector trucks
ASAP, or the mini-boss will fire a laser attack that severly limits your
room to move, while continuing its green laser attacks. If you have to
deal with this laser, head for the opposite side of the screen
(vertically speaking) from the truck, and move toward the truck as the
laser fires.
B) PR-01 "Gustav": Aim for the head; watch out for the fists. If you have a
powerful weapon (even a Schabe with a Lv. 3 Cannon qualifies, if you
are on Easy), do not worry much about the "yo-yos" that it will launch;
just blast them back or destroy them altogther. Unless you're pinned on
one side of the screen, in which case you avoid them altogether. Watch
out for the rush it sometimes makes at you. Also, a hatch may open on
its back which will launch homing missiles. If you see it coming, fly
behind the boss. The missiles will hit the boss, doing some damage for
you.
* Level 4 *
M) EU-46 "Salamander": As this boss swims, watch out for the mines it
launches in the air. When they land in the water, head up. The mines
will explode in the water, which can take you down. Your targets are the
head and the black thingy. Try to blast off the head ASAP, so you can
cause critical damage to it while it's still swimming, which is a lot
easier. When it jumps out of the water and hangs on to the pipe, it will
try three attacks: whipping you with its tail or knocking you out of the
sky with one arm. It will swing one arm around twice, then aim for you
on the third swing. Watch out also for the homing missiles and the blue
plasma blast. If you have a normal ship, try to get the Juno (Secret
Bonus 1) before this battle.
B) SPKB-04 "Sturmvogel": After you destroy this boss's shield, it will get
armor installed from somewhere. When that happens, just aim for the
top/front of it. From time to time this boss will leave and some
hover-bike type things with Gunpods will arrive. Take them if you need
them. Most of this boss's attacks are easily avoided, such as the small
missiles and the arcing thingies, but if it starts launching those large
homing missiles, watch out! The only consistent method I've found to
avoid that attack is to destroy the Sturmvogel before it can launch it.
Zach's Normal Mode Record: 0'18"
* Level 5 *
M) SPKB-06 "Ausf A Gestell": This "Mini"-boss is a true bastard. His weak
point is his head, but you're not always in a position to hit it there.
Aim for whatever you can. The first two green boxes contain Wasps; get
them if you can. When he jumps into the background, avoid his plasma
shots by flying in a circular pattern. Watch out for the spinning disks
on the ground. When they explode, they send up a large geyser of flame.
When he jumps and swats at you from the background, you're in a good
position to blast off his hands, provided you avoid the swat. Good luck!
You'll need it. (See the "Secret Bonus" section for more tips on
fighting this boss.)
B) SPKB-07 "Ausf D Duerer": This boss can be a bugger too. The head, as
usual, is your main target. If you can, destroy his Cannon and Vulcan
weapons. When his head glows blue, watch out for the triangles that
appear. They will fire shots at you. When he turns around, he'll launch
missiles out of his backside that will come raining down on you. And be
careful for the screen-filling yellow laser. Try to remember a safe spot
on the screen to head to when he fires it. Or if you are caught
off-guard, remember you have until the yellow lines widen before they
actually cause damage. Finally, he too has a rush attack, so head for
the other side of the screen when he tries it.
* Level 6 *
M) This stage has no mini-boss, but I'll use this space to describe your
objective. Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to knock out
two launching thrusters from a gigantic spacecraft. Your target is a
little above where the thruster is attached to the craft itself. You
have about two mintues and 30 seconds to knock them both out. All the
while, pesky little enemies will be on your butt the whole time.
Timeout: You get the "second ending".
B1) SS-01 "Schwarzgeist": This orbital platform can be a pain, but really
is not too bad. First off, you want to destroy the spinning disks before
they start shooting lasers at you. Your main target, I believe, is the
part between the top saucer and bottom section. If you see a little
saucer raise from the larger one, blast it, so you can get the Secret
Bonus later on. When you see a yellow glow, head for the bottom right
part of the screen. This yellow glow preceeds the same screen-filling
laser than the level 5 boss had. While you are down here, you can cause
some damage to the bottom section. In fact, I recommend this, since the
4 bottom sections fire a stream of homing missiles at you. Also the top
section fires a bluish-green shot at you, which itself fires shots
perpendicular to its path. Also watch for the boss to fly into the
distance and shoot homing lasers at you. (The music during this battle
is the best in the game, IMHO.)
B2) If you knock off the top mini-saucer during the main boss fight, the
Jellyfish-like thing will attack you. It will fire either a Spread-like
or Vulcan-like shots at you, then pull off a rush attack. It does not
take many hits though, so try to blast it ASAP. I nailed quickly with
what was left over from my Vulcan cannon from the main boss fight.
Beware: if you lose to the Jellyfish, when your next ship arrives you
have to start with the main boss again, and it's up to you whether or
not you want to try the Jellyfish again.
Timeout: Wilson Tam reports that if you timeout during the Jellyfish
battle, lasers will come from above and destroy it.
* Level 7 *
M) No mini-boss here either. But this level doesn't need one... Anyway, if
you're pretty well armed and want to be a complete wuss, just set your
speed to max and fly in one direction vertically for the whole level.
The EOS ships won't get to you, but this is a rather boring way to get
to the boss. (However, if you're playing on Hard and have no continues
and one life left, you might not want to take chances.)
B) HYPERION UCS Mk.XII: The final boss is one big-ass mech. First off, I
wholly recommend increasing the speed of your fighter to max right off
the bat. It'll start off by launching little green things which fly
around rapidly. Blast them all before they start firing lasers at you.
After you nail them, head downward _immediately_, because the boss might
return fire with one _huge_ blast. Finally, he'll come see to you
personally. Your target is the area above the cannon looking thing he
has. But, watch out. It will fire two kinds of fireballs at you: The
blue ones are slower, but follow you around the screen. However, you can
outrun them if you have full speed. The red ones will head out a bit,
flash, then book to your current location. They're a pain when the boss
fires one or the other, but when it fires both, have fun. Sometimes, it
will jettison its midsection at you, so watch out. After that, it will
head to the left side of the screen, and fly either straight up or down.
You can get a few free hits on its approach, but you want to be on the
right side when it takes off. And then it will repeat with the green
things and the megablast again. Keep an eye out for the EOS UFG Mk. IX
if you run out of ammo. (Or use the Schabe :) Oddly enough, you won't
receive a message from Hyperion after this battle. I wonder why.. :)
Timeout: Wilson Tam reports that if you timeout during this battle,
you're the one who gets blasted.
At the end of this section you'll find a complete and uncut listing of
all the Gallery picture titles in the game. But first, you're going to
have to endure my detailing how to obtain each and every one of these
pictures. So if you're missing a few, listen up.
To get all 100 pictures, you have to perform the following 7 Tasks.
Notice that contrary to popular belief, ratings have nothing to do with the
pictures you get. (At least, they didn't for me.) Also, you get nothing for
getting all 100 pictures, except getting all 100 pictures. :)
1) Obtain all 12 Gunpods.
For every Gunpod you obtain, you will earn a picture of it in the
gallery. Also, you'll earn the "Illustrations" picture. It may be
possible to get this picture another way, but isn't earning a Gunpod the
easiest of these tasks?
6) Beat the game on Normal with any ship but the Schabe.
Pictures Awarded:
06-Predator's eyes 08-Machine's Lair
16-SPKB-08 Gecko 17-PR-01 Gustav
18-EU-46 Salamander 19-SPKB-04 Sturmvogel
46-KH-16 Floh 47-KA-04 Natter
64-Edge of destiny 65-Hand of Lorelei
66-Steel sentinel 72-Heavy metal
74-KH-17 Schwalbe 75-KB-02 Qualle
76-KH-13 Loewe 77-PT-06 Kolibri
78-PKB-11d Parzival 79-VP-16d Vampir
89-KH-16 Floh 90-KH-18 Muschel2
91-SP-01 Sacktrager 92-KP-02b Dackel
7) Beat the game on Hard with any ship but the Schabe.
Pictures Awarded:
03-The front line 07-Hunting games
20-SPKB-06 Ausf A Gestell 21-SPKB-07 Ausf D Duerer
22-SS-01 Schwarzgeist 23-HYPERION UCS Mk.X II
48-"SPKB-07 Ausf D Duerer" 53-AD2246 Repair order
54-AD2250 Worthless machine 55-AD2253 Children's hideout
56-AD2269 Steel Fossil 57-AD2301 Second Moon
62-"The Duel" 70-The false angel
73-Rising Monster 80-KH-14 Zikade
81-PT-09 Storch 82-PKB-07e Jagdstar
83-PKB-07c Panzerstar 84-KP-07a Alligator
93-KP-07a Alligator2 98-EOS UFG Mk.IX
* The Complete Listing *
Thanks go to Robert Little, who sent me most of these before I figured
out how to get them for myself. since I was using that darn Schabe all the
time. :)
It seems pretty obvious that to get points in Einhander, you have to
shoot stuff. So what is this section for? Basically, to describe various
score-related stuff about this game in more detail than the manual.
* Multiplier Bar *
At the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, you'll see a bar that
looks like this: x1 >>>>>>>>>>. As you shoot stuff, the bar will fill up,
and the multiplier will increase. As the multiplier increases, the number
of points you recieve from shooting down enemies will be multiplied by
your multiplier.
However, your bar is always losing its charge. Therefore, to keep your
multiplier high, you must continue to destroy enemies.
Destroying enemies with a Gunpod shot charges your multiplier twice as
quickly as your machine-gun. Also, hitting many enemies with one shot
(easily done with the Cannon, Flash, or Python) also charges up your meter
quickly.
If you can get your multiplier up to x16, then charge up your meter to
where it should go up to x17, it will flash red and give you lots of bonus
points.
(OK, all that _was_ in the manual. Oh well.)
* End of Level Bonus Screens *
After you beat the boss of the level, you recieve two bonus screens. The
first one tallies up your bonus points for the level, as follows:
1) Shot down: Enemies shot down in the current level times 500 points.
Notice that if you have died in the level, only fighters shot down with
your current life are counted.
2) Gunpods Gained: Number of Gunpods acquired times 500 points. Again, only
Gunpods collected with your current life are counted.
3) Boss Repulse Time: 300000 minus 3000 points for every second over 30 it
took you to defeat the boss of the level. If it takes longer than 2'10"
to beat the boss, you don't get jack.
4) Fighters remaining: For every ship you have left, score 10000 points.
5) Total: Your total bonus.
Notice that at the end of the game, these bonuses are worth more. I'm not
sure how much more, however.
Also, if you see the "Extended Play" message on this screen, you've
earned an extra life. This happens about every 2000000 points, I think. You
get the life at the end of the level that you score the 2 million, not when
you score it.
The second screen compares your current game to your past games with the
ship type you're currently using.
1) Score for this level: pretty self-explanatory. The number of points you
scored in this level.
2) Best Score: The highest number of points you've ever scored in this
level. [NOTE: Your high score for the level only "counts" if you hadn't
continued when you got there and beat the level without continuing.]
3) Difference: Did you do better or worse than your best? Green is good!
4) Subtotal: Your current score.
5) Highest Score: This is a bit complicated. I recieved a few E-mails about
this, but I think Wilson Tam explains it best:
"In your FAQ you mention how the highest score for level 1 doesn't
always match the highest subtotal. I'm not sure but maybe it looks at the
level 1 subtotal for the highest scorer overall. Here's an example (using
fairly even numbers to make things easier).
1st play...
1000000 points in the first level
2500000 points total when dying on level 3
2nd play...
500000 points in the first level
000000 points total when dying on level 7
3rd play...
1250000 points in the first level
1500000 points total when dying on level 2
Since the highest total score occurs in the 2nd play, maybe it takes the
subtotals in that game. Just a thought. I hope I've explained my theory
in a clear enough way. (Hopefully the theory is correct too! :)"
6) Difference: How you did compared to what the game claims your best
Subtotal is.
* Rating screens *
After you beat the game, run out of continues, or elect not to continue,
you will get to the Rating screens. These show various statisics about your
performance in the game. [NOTE: These rating screens are based on your
performance _before_ you continued. Any points you score, Secret Bonuses
you find, x16 bonuses, usw., after you continue do not count for the rating
screens. However, Secret Bonuses found after continuing do count towards
unlocking the Schabe.] The highest grade you can get in any area is an "S".
The first graph gives you a grade in the following 6 areas:
1) Shot Down: Self explanatory - how many enemies you annihilated.
2) Score: I'm not quite sure about this one. It may have to do with the
number of points you have, but I need to do more research here. :)
3) Boss Bonus: Your average Boss Bonus for this game. 300000 is perfect.
4) Highest %: The manual explanation for this is incorrect. This stat
tracks not the higest multiplier you've gotten, but the number of times
you've surpassed 16x. (You know, when your mutliplier bar flashes red
and you get a bunch of points).
5) Tech Points: Want an S? Don't die. (Try _that_ on Hard. :)
6) S Bonus: The number of Secret Bonuses achieved. Perfect would be 21.
Push down to get the Field Evaluation graph. This centers on one of the
above 6 areas, and tells you your exact score, exact number of Secret
Bonuses obtained, und so weite. It also gives your top score in the areas.
Push left or right to change what you're looking at.
If you want to know how you've been doing in a particular area over your
last few games, pick the area you want to look at in the Field Evaluation
graph and push down. The Fight Evaluation graph shows what you've scored in
an area over your last 10 or so games, and tells you your overall average.
The letters and numbers at the bottom tell you the difficulty (E, N, or H)
and the highest level reached before continuing.
If you let time run out on level 6 instead of destroying the huge
spacecraft, instead of getting the usual "Game Over" screen, you will get a
sort of an ending. However, you have not beat the game yet...
* Why can't I save my game? *
Oddly enough, this is the most frequently asked question about Einhander.
Einhander does not save what level you last got to, and you cannot restart
at any level except the first. (The Japanese version is an exception.
Although I don't believe you can save your game, the Free mode does allow a
stage select, but only if you've aquired all the Secret Bonuses in the
level.)
What makes this an odd question (to me, at least) is the fact that
shooters that allow level saves are very rare, and tend to make said games
too easy.
* Wie sagt man "Einhaender?" (and other fun facts about the game's title) *
First off, I'd like to clarify that I've purposely misspelled
"Einhaender" throughout this FAQ. Originally, I had it spelled correctly,
"a" umlaut and all. But that caused a lot of problems, since nothing but
the MS-DOS editor wanted to display it correctly. A common alternative to
umlauts is to put an "e" after the vowel (notice the "oe" in the Danke
schoen section). I elected not to spell Einhander this way throughout most
of the FAQ for the sake of search engines, because I'd imagine most people
who have little or no knowledge of German aren't going to enter
"Einhaender" into a search engine.
That said, the narrator of the intro FMV mispronounces the name of the
game. He says it as if it truly were spelled "Einhander." However, those
little dots are there for a reason, and in this case they change the "ah"
sound (think British "can't") to a short e sound (like in "hen"). In other
words, it should be pronounced "Ine-hend-er".
So, what exactly does "Einhaender" mean? There was some discussion about
this a few months ago on rec.games.video.sony, and basically the word
refers to a type of sword held with (get this) one hand. That would be
opposed to a zweihaender (think Siegfried from Soul Blade), which is a
sword held with (you'll never guess) two hands.
Note that most of the above info is coming from some American wielding
a crappy German dictionary and repeating what he's read on the Internet, so
if any of the above is inaccurate, well, you're getting what you paid for.
* The search for Free Mode... *
As I mentioned in the Secret Bonus section, the original Japanese version
of Einhander contained a fourth difficulty option, called "Free". I'm not
sure what other differences the Free difficulty have from the others, but
what sets Free apart is the ability to stage select a level, if you have
gotten all three Secret Bonuses in that level.
However, this option is not available in the US version, or either you
have to do something in order to access it. (In the Japanese version, it
was available from the start.)
Oddly enough though, it appears to have been disabled, not completely
removed, from the US version. If you put the Einhander CD in a CD-ROM drive
and look through some of the files (namely the BINPACK0.BIN file), you'll
find that references still exist to Free mode and the Stage Select option.
* Pointless uses of the Select button *
Here are a few uses of the Select button that may or may not have been
mentioned in the manual, but are pretty useless anyway.
1) Don't like the multiplier bar? Don't wanna know your score? Just press
select and it will all go away.
2) At the end of each level, a screen will pop up with your bonuses for
that level. Pressing any button will make your bonuses tally faster,
while hitting select will make the screen disappear altogether. You can
sometimes also cut of the message from Hyperion with the Select button.
3) Use it to skip the credits when you beat the game.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
::: Revision History ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Version Fuenf (12 July 1998)
- Corrected many typos and other bloopers
- Added pictures to the Gallery Checklist
- Added some useless stuff to the Miscellaneous Junk section
- Added notes to the Gunpod section about how the Astrea uses them
- Added the location of a second Mosquito to the Gunpod section
- More notes in the Secret Bonus section
- More notes and boss names added to the Boss Tactics section
Version Sechs (15 July 1998)
- Added "Know Thine Enemy" section
- Rewrote how to get Level 5 Secret Bonus 2 (Mr. Grenade is our
friend :)
- Filled in the Gallery Checklist and the last missing boss names
- Changed most references to "Die Polizei" to "Die Schabe"
- Added in a few new notes here and there.
- Fixed a few more of those tipos and inkorect gramer that keep
popping up.
Version Sieben (28 July 1998)
- Detailed how every picture is acquired in the "Gallery Checklist"
section.
- Added the "Scoring" section and moved the Rating screen info from
"Miscellaneous Junk" to the "Scoring" section.
- Addressed the most frequently asked question about this game in
the "Miscellaneous Junk" section. No, you can't save your game.
- Minor corrections and notes added throughout.
- Removed some of the "Revision History", since it's too long and
has nothing to do with the game itself.
Version Acht (27 September 1998)
- Rewrote intro, since the CSOTN FAQ has, in fact, been written and
released.
- Added a few more translations (hopefully, correct ones) to the
Know Thine Enemies section.
- Added info about boss timeouts to the Boss Tactics section.
- Just when we thought we knew how to get the Schabe...
- The usual assortment of added notes and minor corrections.
Thanks go out to the following people/places (in alphabetical order):
Eric Bickle (psx0001@aol.com)
- Eric's FAQ taught me where the Secret Bonuses and secret Gunpods
are, among a few other things.
Chris Cates
- More insight on acquiring Die Schabe
Firestarter
- Some German info.
Gamewinners (http://www.gamewinners.com/)
- Where I found the "15 Secret Bonus to get Schabe" theory, and
the Level 3 Boss Homing Missile trick (see Boss Tactics).
Robert Little
- Gave me a more complete list of Gallery pictures and some more
boss names.
Mark Maestas
- Info about Free mode in the Japanese version.
Nick (kzc7@maristb.marist.edu)
- Info about the Subtotal "bug".
Fred M. Sloniker
- For information on the Astrea and many nits picked. :)
Squaresoft (http://www.squaresoft.com)
- Some of the boss names.
- I understand that they (or their parent company in Japan) may
have had a role in the production of this game. :)
Wilson Tam
- Info about the Subtotal "bug" and Boss Timeout info.
Richard Uyeyama
- Various strategies for getting Secret Bonuses.
Nick Zitzmann
- Reported that you can, in fact, get the Schabe with the Astrea.
He also pointed out a misspelling.
This Einhander FAQ is (C) 1998 Zach Keene. As Grand Poo-bah of
Copyrightedness, I grant upon thee the following rights:
1) Thou mayst give this FAQ to whomever you so choose. The key word here is
"give". If anybody gets paid for this, it darn well better be me. :)
2) Thou mayst put this FAQ up on thine website, so long as it remains
completely intact. And I do mean completely.
Einhander is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. (C) 1997, 1998 Square Co.,
Ltd.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
::: Auf Wiedersehen! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This version, I leave you with the ultimate secret of Einhander, as
somebody posted to alt.games.final-fantasy:
1) Shoot everything that moves.
2) Don't get hit.
Heh.
Zach Keene
27 September 1998
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author of the Final Fantasy Walkthrough, Einhander FAQ, the
Castlevania: Symphony of the night Walkthrough/FAQ, and the Mortal
Kombat II Forgotten FAQ
