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. :)
You'll probably notice that the chapter titles in the FAQ itself are
mostly in German now. This is originally how I intended to write the FAQ,
but I could not find a fitting translation for "fighters" (in the Star Wars
sense of one-manned spacecraft whose sole existence is to fight battles.) I
was not quite sure what to do with "Gunpods" either. At that point, since
my German skills are very basic (at best), I decided to drop the idea and
only used the really simple ones (Welcome!, What is Einhander?, Thanks a
lot!, Goodbye!). For the record, Marcus Heuser (who gave me most of the new
German titles you see here) commented that "Fighters" and "Gunpods" were
best left untranslated. My German may be furchtbar, but I apparently have
good instincts. :)
The Table of Contents above still uses the original titles; I'm trying
not to scare people with no knowledge of German who download my FAQ, see
that the table of contents is in German, and assume that the rest of the
FAQ is as well.
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/einfaq.txt
(You can also 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 has done previous HTML versions of
my FAQ)
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? ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Just for those of you who were under a particular rock known as "Gran
Turismo" back in May of 1998 (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. To get it, gain 15 Secret Bonuses on any difficultly level with
any ship except the Selene. This ship apparently is called the "Sodom"
in the Japanese version.
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 Astraea, 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.
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 Astraea 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 Astraea,
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
Astraea, 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 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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, 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.)
I got several E-mails early that said you couldn't get the Schabe with
any ship other than the Endy Mk. III. Well, I personally have gotten it
with the Astraea, and I've heard from folks who have gotten it using the
Endy Mk. II. 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
Astraea 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 3, 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 3, the secret path will be full of
these. They carry Gunpods, but it's difficult to collect them.
I've been told using a Cannon on them makes the Gunpods easier to
grab, but I've not tried that yet.
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" (Perhaps named after one of King Arthur's Knights
named "Percival" or "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" (Possibly named after the German engraver
Albrecht 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 Astraea 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.
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 or
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.)
Timeout: Wilson Tam reports that the Schwarzgeist gets shot down much like
the Jellyfish (see below).
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. :)
Notice that this list applies to the NA version of the game. I
understand that the Japanese version has a different set of Gallery
pictures, and it's possible that the requirements for getting them all are
different. That might explain the early reports of getting high grades
affecting the Gallery pictures available.
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 Sacktraeger 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
1000000 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. :) A theory put
forth by "the guy" is that for every checkpoint (i.e., places you
restart when you die) you pass without dying gives you some tech points.
If true, dying would penalize you some points.
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.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
::: Musik :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Erm... well, "Audio Info" does not quite translate into "Musik", but
since the main focus of this section is the soundtrack, it will have to do
until someone is kind enough to translate "Audio Info". "Schallauskunft"
maybe?
No doubt about it; Einhander has one of the best soundtracks ever made
for a shooter. Unfortuantely, it does not use Redbook Audio, so you just
can't pop it in a normal CD player and listen. So, the obvious choice is to
plunk down your $30 or so and buy the soundtrack from Japan. However, if
you have a lot of hard drive space, you can extract the music from the CD
and play it whenever you want. This is much more convienent than
downloading MP3's, but it probably uses more disk space.
Unfortunatly, playing the music from Einhander isn't as easy as
playing it from CSOTN. CSOTN put all of its sound and music data in one
nicely wrapped file that XAPlay could very easily play. Einhander is a
little trickier. Anyway, here's what to do, if you're using a Windows
machine:
1) Go to www.zophar.net and head for the PSX Utilites section. Download
copies of XAEX and XAPlay. If Zophar's is spazzing for whatever reason,
go to the Castlevania Dungeon
[http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevania/dungeon.shtml] and look for the
Miscellaneous section. The utilites should be there as well. They're not
very large, so the download won't take long. (Hey, David, if you're
reading this, perhaps you could put them up on the Einhander site's
music section somewhere?)
2) Once you have them set up (no big deal, just unzip them somewhere and
they're as set up as they're going to get :), insert your Einhander CD
in your CD-ROM drive. For demonstration purposes, let's say the CD-ROM
is drive G.
3) There are 10 files that I'm aware of that contain audio on the Einhander
CD. The 6 Mov*.str files are the FMV movies you see throughout the game.
They are not immediately playable on PSXVideo, but I believe some of the
utilites that come with PSXVideo can convert them into a playable
format. Anyway, XAEX can extract the audio from them, if you want. More
importantly, however, are the 4 Stage*.str files. These files contain
the music. Go to a DOS prompt, go to whatever directory you unzipped
XAEX into, and type: